It's always nice to get a reminder of how asinine New England weather is. Last week it was almost 80 Fahrenheit(26 Celsius for anyone abroad), and now its down to the 40s. Give me the nice weather back! ;n;
Weiss stared at the rows of pews, at the stained-glass windows each depicting a member of the gods. She knew this place. Knew that the lift at the back of the room would take her up to the Cathedral's tower, to Ozpin, or descend to the catacombs beneath. Remembered that the lodging ward stretched off to her right, the dining and training halls for Initiates to her left. Having spent eleven years in this place there would be no way she could ever forget it.
A dream. Just a dream. It had to be.
She rose from the pew she had been sat on and heard it creak in relief. Caught the warm rays slipping through multicolored glass, gawked at how the sun kissed her skin and heated it. She raised a hand in front of herself, waved it, then pinched her cheek. And winced.
Okay, a very, very lucid dream, but still a dream. She had been aboard the Autumn Fleet earlier that evening, snug in bed aboard the Maiden flagship after a round of awkward apologies. Magic existed that could whisk her away, she knew, but she never would have slept through that. Again, she pinched her cheek and again it responded by stinging and turning pink. Lucid dreams could not replicate sensations that accurately. She had somehow been brought here…
"I'm sorry, did -"
Weiss shrieked. She whipped around and her hands worked to weave runes. When nothing came she tried again, panting desperately. No magic answered her call. In fact, she couldn't feel a single trace of it anywhere.
"What are… How…" She stared at her trembling hands for a moment before looking at the woman before her. Blonde, fair-skinned, eyes of green like a pristine mirrored lake. "You!"
"Please, try to calm down. She'll know you're here otherwise!"
Magic again failed to heed her call. Weiss swallowed hard, then grasped for a rapier that hadn't been brought with her. Fantastic. "She…?"
"I'm not your enemy, I swear it. And I had to bring you here to -"
"You did this?" Weiss gawked, indignant. Maybe a little furious too. She shook her head and stomped a foot, cringing as her boot echoed across the hall. "Send me back! Undo whatever spell this is and send me back to the ship!"
The woman offered a sad smile. What was she sad for? She had not been whisked away from a restful night's sleep and thrown into the one place she didn't want to be. Couldn't be. If Ozpin arrived, then she would be through. He would drag her off somewhere and use the Warden's Mark to do unspeakable things to her. The Church never negotiated with rogue Hunters and she counted herself among their ranks now.
"I can't send you back. And I can't undo the spell," the stranger explained. She craned her neck and tapped the side of it. "That mark binds us. Binds all Wardens. It's a bridge that neither of us can remove, I'm afraid."
Bridge? Weiss rubbed at her face, dug the heels of her hands into her eyes and let out a groan. That made no sense. Except… It did, didn't it? Her mind had been tampered with before, back at the Lavender Estate. A voice had spoken to her then, and a woman in her dreams…
"You!" How she had not put it together immediately eluded her. Weiss blamed being flustered. Her eyes bore into the woman's apologetic features as she took heavy steps towards her, ragged breaths rattling her. "You're the one I've been hearing, the one who's been speaking to me! You were in my dream before!"
"I was."
"Stop that!" Weiss growled and threw her hands up. "Stop invading my mind. Stop toying with me and get out of my head!"
"I can't stop this. I told you that neither of us can."
"Liar!"
"You recall your first dream with me, don't you?" How could Weiss not? The same woman crying and screaming for her to help, both of them powerless as a black void swallowed them whole. Weiss nodded. "That is what binds us, not me. That spell, that, thing," the woman mumbled, grimacing and hugging herself. "I can no more remove that then I can break this bond. It's all I can do to even speak to you as I do."
"Then tell me how to undo it! It's a seal, right? It uses runes then." When the woman didn't correct her Weiss held her hands out and smiled desperately. "Let me try. I was never given a chance to learn wards, but I can figure it out. I solved the barrier around Liar's Bay!"
"Ours is a more complicated spell. One which I don't know the runes for, no matter how many times I've tried to study them."
It could be undone though. By law every rune had a counter to it. That was the nature of her magic. Mistral would call it yin and yang, a balance between two separate but equal forces. Vale would call it… Weiss didn't know what Vale might call it, but it existed. Just as light and dark existed so too did runic opposites.
She might have a chance to learn what they were if she had but a moment to focus on herself, on their magic. Weiss could have so much done if only life would stop hurtling her along.
Her hands ran back through her hair and she refrained from tugging it out, loosing a sigh as she marched towards the dais. The organ sat unmanned, its maple casing polished and lacquered, glowing faintly in the sunlight. The smokestack pipes rising from the back sparkled, unblemished. How many times had she listened to it play? What she wouldn't give for it to erupt into wondrous music, if only for some familiarity to help ground her.
Except that same familiarity caused her more panic than anything now.
Settling on the lowest step Weiss rubbed at her temples and exhaled again. Watched as the woman approached her, stopping a respectable distance away with her hands folded at her waist.
Not someone she recognized. Weiss ran through all the faces significant or otherwise that she had seen over the years and the woman's failed to register. Beautiful, a visage one she felt certain she'd have recalled. Though her face looked a little longer her pert nose and rosy cheeks made her look youthful. The blonde hair she wore in a bun fell down her back in golden tresses, bangs dangling off her right brow. Her outfit rang no bells either; the white and amethyst gown that swished around her didn't look to belong to any group. Nor did the sapphire brooch on the woman's chest stand out.
"Who are you?" Weiss asked. If she had to suffer another presence in her head they could introduce themselves. "And no deflecting this time, I want a name. You owe me that much."
"Salem." The name brought nothing to the fore of her mind either. Salem smiled and dipped her chin. "We never had the pleasure of meeting before, so I'm not surprised you do not recognize me. It is a pleasure to finally be able to speak in person. In a manner of speaking."
The polite thing to do might have been to say 'likewise', or offer some greeting. Weiss pursed her lips and folded one leg over the other, lifting her chin haughtily. "Well then, Salem. Explain what this is, exactly."
"Your mind. My mind as well, I suppose. The connection between us makes that distinction difficult."
"And this… Connection. You share this with all other Wardens too?" Salem nodded. Not disturbing in the slightest. Weiss fancied herself a somewhat private person and this counted among the biggest violation possible. The only way it could be worse were if Salem were to try and live within her very skin.
"I'm limited to your mind, don't worry."
Weiss sputtered. "You –" She shot to her feet and pointed furiously. "Don't do that! Do not invade my thoughts!"
"I'm sorry, Weiss, but I can't help it. They come to me as my own. All of yours do. If I could block them out, then I gladly would."
"And why can't I hear yours then? If there's a bridge between us then it should go both ways, shouldn't it?"
"Your thoughts can reach me without me doing anything. To let you read mine requires," Salem chewed her bottom lip. "To do that would mean to risk exposing you to her. It is a bridge, yes, but it is not reciprocal. The mark is specifically designed to let me trace you, not the other way around."
Well, isn't that just splendid? Weiss knew Salem heard her by the way the woman's face fell. Good, she didn't feel particularly charitable at the moment. Knowing her mind had been tampered with felt bad enough before she'd learned every thought she had could be picked apart, dissected. As if she were nothing more than some specimen to a researcher.
Naturally, Salem heard that too. Judging by the anguished, apologetic look the woman bore Weiss felt terrified, like her comparison had been truer than she could have imagined.
"What is this, then? If you can read my mind on a whim why bring me here?" Weiss gestured to the Cathedral around them. The illusion, she reminded herself. No matter how real she had to still be back in the ship. "What's the purpose?"
"I wished to be transparent with you for a change. To build trust between us."
"Well, you can trust that I want nothing to do with any of this," Weiss grumbled.
"Neither do I, but that decision is out of our hands." Salem rubbed her hands together and began to pace between the pews, chewing at her lip. "But this is a chance to try and fix things. To stop them before their plans can go too far."
"They? You mean the Church of Remnant, don't you? Ozpin and…" Ironwood. Her father figure. Weiss swallowed the bile in her throat and crossed her arms tightly.
"They seek peace through subjugation and lies. It's true that Remnant has been more peaceful than it had been for their efforts, but it's a false peace. We've traded Grimm for a different kind of monster." Salem paused at a window and placed her palm against it. "Ozpin… I think they mean well, honestly, but their methods are inexcusable."
"That's what this is? You want me to fight for you?" They had already planned on it but Weiss still scoffed. "If you know my mind then you know how we replied to Rhodes and Cinder. We're not fighting someone else's fight, on someone else's terms."
"You wish to undo your mark, don't you? And to help cure your friends? I know how you can do that."
Not jumping at the bait proved difficult and Weiss took a deep breath to curb her enthusiasm. "I thought you said you didn't know how to undo a mark?"
Salem turned her head and smiled somberly. "I don't, but I know who might. I warned you not to trust Rhodes before, Weiss, and I meant it. He may seem pleasant enough but… She has shown me things about him. He's like Ozpin, trying to do what he believes is right and just, but the wrong way. Yet he may very well hold the secret to undoing the Warden's Mark and curing the others."
"If you're leading me on or trying to send me into a trap," Weiss warned. "I will find some way to get back at you, I trust you know that."
"If I could offer my life as collateral then I would. But as I said before," Salem shrugged. "These decisions are not our own."
Whatever that was supposed to mean. "You mentioned 'she', who is that? Is there someone else involved in this?"
Obviously there had to be. Salem hadn't conducted the marking ceremony, or even been present for it.
"You guessed correctly before, Weiss; Rhodes had been a Warden before. His mark is gone however and I cannot feel his mind, although I suspect that ward he keeps up is partly to blame. That he is no longer branded though tells us all we need to know. Either Rhodes himself or someone he knows can undo it." Salem turned and leaned against the window, brushing back her bangs and smiling. "Bring Branwen with you. He can block both the ward's magic and stifle our connection. It will keep whatever process Rhodes used a secret."
Weiss almost didn't dare to hope. Yet everything pointed to Rhodes having been like her, and now he stood as proof that it could be undone. That she could be freed from this connection.
A bubble of optimism formed in her chest and she nodded to herself. "I can do that. I'll request Qrow take me as soon as I wake, and I'll…" She pursed her lips. "How can I conceal it from you if you can read my every thought? Won't you know the moment I learn it?"
"Have him tell Qrow, or have him write it down and don't read it. Only learn it once you're prepared to undo the spell," Salem said. "By then it will be too late for her to stop you and you'll be free. And there will be precious little any of the Archbishops can do to stop you from spreading that knowledge thereafter."
A sound plan. A plan almost too good to be true. Weiss felt that small twinge of hope inside herself begin to splinter with doubt, furrowing her brow as she chewed on a knuckle.
"Please, Weiss. I don't wish to continue like this any longer than you do. I wish to be freed from it all!" Salem asked. Pleaded. When Weiss' hand disappeared between Salem's own she looked up at tear-filled eyes and took a slight step back, heat tinting her cheeks. "Please. I'll offer whatever assistance I can, do whatever I can to limit the connection, but please, free me from this. Free us from this. I do not wish to be bound to her anymore."
Sure, just add another to the list of people she needed to save. Because she had done such a fantastic job of helping anyone so far.
"She, her, you keep mentioning someone else." Weiss frowned but kept her hand in Salem's. "Who do you mean?"
Salem's eyes darted side to side and Weiss could feel her hands grow clammy. She watched the woman's lips open and close, a lump dancing in her throat before shaking her head. "If I speak of her, she'll know."
"Vagueness doesn't help me, you know. And if she's connected to us already then what difference does it make?"
"She… If she finds out, we'll both be in danger. I can't… I won't do that to you. Not again."
"Again? What do you mean?"
Weiss shivered, furrowing her brow as she watched Salem's face lose color in an instant. Her left had been left hanging in the air while Salem backed away from her with a terrified whimper, head shaking as she held her arms over her head.
"No, I'm sorry, please! Don't!"
Weiss reached out for her and froze. Her breath fogged up before her eyes, the temperature in the hall dropping so suddenly that she began to tremble immediately, as though thrust into a freezing lake. What she thought sounded like glass shattering turned out to be ice growing on the walls and windows, frosting them over in an instant. And somehow the temperature continued to drop around them, so quickly that her skin prickled at the difference, lungs aching as she inhaled bitter air.
Then came the smoke. Black mist spilled from behind her and traveled along the floor, parting and filling in the gaps between pews. It lingered in place and twisted around her legs, caressed her. Weiss shuddered and stepped back, wincing as a cruel laugh echoed in her head.
"Don't be afraid, child. I'm not going to hurt you."
She tried to turn to face whoever stood behind her but her body refused to comply. Her neck ached as she strained against the invisible binds. A hand colder than the air caressed her cheek and she winced, flinching away from it as much as she could.
"But you on the other hand." The mist coalesced around her and passed her by, swirling and taking form. She watched as a person grew from it, blackness gaining body, bestowing life. Only once it finished did Weiss balk at what stood before her; she had been too mystified, too frightened to react before.
Salem, or another version of her. Skin white as the purest snow save for the black veins racing along her skin. And when she turned to Weiss her red eyes seemed to glow brighter, a cruel smile upon her starched lips.
"How many times have I told you not to interfere? I thought it was a simple request, one even you could follow." Salem, the other Salem, marched towards her counterpart. Glided. Weiss couldn't hear footfalls, barely saw the black gown she wore shift. "You've always been such a troublesome girl."
"Please, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"Oh, but you will. You'll continue to try and try so long as you breathe." The twisted Salem cooed, and the human version of her froze as a hand stroked her cheek, black nails racing across skin. Drawing blood. "If my life weren't tied to your own I'd rend your soul and be done with it, but it seems I have to settle for this."
"No, please. I'm sorry!"
Black mist began to swirl around the first Salem, coiling and constricting, a serpent made of the densest shadows. Eyes wide in terror she struggled in vain against it, gasping and choking as it reached her chest. In a feat of inhuman strength or sheer desperation Salem reached out words her, tears streaming down her cheeks as the shadows continued to gather.
"Weiss, please! Help -"
The ground itself opened up and the human Salem vanished without another sound. No scream, no rush of wind. Sheer silence.
Weiss couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Thoughts? Her mind drew a blank as the inhuman figure before her turned and smiled, lazily making her way towards her. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to flee or defend herself. Her pinky twitched and that would be all she could managed as a cold, cruel hand cupped her cheek.
"Ozpin insists you remain useful to us, so I won't kill you. Not yet." Salem tilted her head and smiled, fingers gliding down to her mark.
Tears welled in Weiss' eyes. Her skin felt as though it had begun to peel from her body and ignite all at once.
Stop, please!
Her chest caved in, breathing becoming impossible. Her mouth opened and no sound escaped.
No air. She needed air.
She needed to flee.
Her hands twitched at her sides. Useless. Her legs refused to move. Stuck. Frozen. Engulfed in a rimy inferno.
"But this could be problematic," Salem mused. Casually, speaking to her like they discussed the weather. "Perhaps I'll make an example of this and show you not to interfere."
All light left. Weiss felt her body go slack, her mind rendered numb. In the pitch Salem remained illuminated, her smile as tender as a mother's. "Seek the cure and I'll make you wish you were dead, girl. We can find a replacement." She smiled softly. "But can you replace those you love?"
Salem vanished. The ground disappeared and Weiss felt nothing.
No wind as she plummeted into the void.
Even the pain became an ethereal emptiness, her nerves incapable of registering anything.
A perfect deprivation.
/+/+/+/+/+/
Remnant came crashing back with the force of a volcanic eruption.
Air rushed into strained lungs and she gagged. Something firm grasped her windwipe and she clawed at it, raked her nails against it. When it refused to budge she kicked and felt her feet slide off something. Useless. Darkness crept into her vision and she wheezed.
What had happened? Her eyes darted around for answers. Blurry vision granted her precious little; the bunkbeds, one against either wall, and a swaying oil lantern. The stained wooden walls, a mess of blonde hair, and molten cores of fury staring through her. Weiss made a desperate plea for Yang to release her and reached up for her friend's face only to be rewarded with a growl. Her back struck the wall and she coughed, arms trembling as she tried to pry again.
Just as her body had begun to go slack the door slammed open beside them. Someone shouted, the voice distant despite being beside her, and Weiss watched Yang tear her focus from her and snarl at someone else.
Qrow grabbed her wrist and drove Yang back, then her head. The blonde yelled and struggled, a short lived effort as magic leaked from her, the twisted limb losing mass rapidly. In seconds Qrow had Yang disarmed and Weiss caught a glimpse of her friend's face. Eyes wide, mouth agape.
Terrified. Yang looked terrified. Her mouth worked soundless words and she moved towards Weiss, then stopped and look elsewhere. Yang's hands shot to her mouth and she shook her head, then pulled at her hair and squeezed her eyes shut.
Weiss had no idea when she'd ended up on the ground. While her ears continued to ring she gasped and gagged, clutching her throat while trying to replenish her lungs.
Crying. Who? Her vision struggled to return and she turned her aching neck towards the source. Weiss wished she hadn't the moment she saw Ruby sat in bed with a bloody cloth to her shoulder. Tears streamed down her face and she sat curled against Blake.
Myrtenaster sat on the floor at her feet, its tip painted blood.
Falling into the void. The searing, hysteria inducing pain. Her mind slogged through sludge-laden mud and still she managed to piece together what had happened. What she had done.
While Yang and Qrow argued she felt bile shoot up her throat. Even her own retching sounded distant as she slumped sideways and painted the floor a sickly green. Tears and snot ran down her face and she coughed, sputtered, then vomited again. Tears joined it and she slumped down against the wall, spitting. When no more came she collapsed, pressed her forehead to the floor, and wept with Ruby.
They had known this could happen. Expected it. Yet what measures had they taken? Had she taken? None, and now Ruby had paid the price of her negligence.
Cloying fear gripped her mind as she slammed her fist against the floor and coughed again. One job. Keep a hold of herself, that's all. That had been the single thing she needed to do and she had failed so spectacularly.
"But can you replace those you love?"
Salem's, no, that thing's voice echoed in her mind.
Ruby? Irreplaceable, as were the rest of them. And yet Weiss suspected she might find out what losing them would be like now.
Empty. Stunned. Petrified. Weiss barely reacted when Qrow grabbed her shoulder and lifted her with surprising gentleness. She didn't dare look at or address him, or anyone. She allowed her hair to fall and hide her face as tears continued to fall, shamelessly spitting foul liquid and sniffling.
"Yang, go get a healer for Ruby." Qrow turned her towards the door but stopped short of pushing her out. "Yang! Snap out of it and get your sister a healer!"
"I've got her, Yang," Blake said, voice trembling.
Weiss dared to look back then. Meet Blake's conflicted face and watch as she eased Ruby back, putting herself between the brunette and herself. Weiss whimpered and looked to her… Partner? Girlfriend? Were they anything now? Ruby looked up to meet her and the betrayal on her face made a fresh sob erupt as Weiss stumbled out of the room, hugging herself. She heard Yang leave behind them and the door close but didn't dare look back. She doubted she could take disappointing someone else so thoroughly.
She should throw herself off the ship and let Threshers get a hold of her. Or provoke Qrow and try to goad him into finishing her off. For attacking Ruby she deserved that. For hiding Salem and not letting them prepare properly Weiss knew she had caused this. Salem might have made her, but she'd allowed it.
Even still, Weiss could not just roll over and die. Some obstinate part of her rallied against it, refused to let that abomination have its way with her. If a solution to her problem existed then she needed to find it, if not for herself then her friends. She owed them that much.
She found speaking incredibly difficult. Words turned to a jumble mess upon trembling lips and she whined or wheezed a few times before coherent words formed. "Qrow, p-please.." Semi-coherent words, laden with terror and a small side of snot. "I need… Take me to Rhodes…"
Qrow's hand tightened on her shoulder and he continued leading her towards the stairwell. "Why? So he can trick you again?"
Weiss' hair whipped as she shook her head furiously. "Come with m-me, block it. He was a Warden." They stopped and she loosed a shuddering breath before looking up hopefully. Desperately. Qrow studied her in silence, and she swallowed hard. "Salem. Her name is Salem, the voice I've been hearing. The thing that made me…"
She paused and waited for a sharp pain again. Nothing came. She looked around and half expected the same black smog to form and for the creature to take shape and taunt her. When nothing happened, she sniffled and wiped her face on her sleeve. "Rhodes can help, o-or he knows someone who can. Please. I don't want this to keep h-happening."
None of them did. Qrow nodded curtly and led her by the shoulder again, back towards the stairwell. Taking steps two at a time and relying on Qrow to catch her when she stumbled she ran down them. If that thing tried to manipulate her again she would attack Qrow, or maybe try to sink the ship. They had to block the connection somehow, keep her from going wild.
Qrow could block her magic but what about the mark's? Did it even operate under the same principles?
Weiss didn't care to find out. As they crested the bottom step Weiss' feet left the floor, flailing when Qrow grabbed her tunic and yanked her back. Her collar seized around her throat and she gagged, rasping and clutching her neck while her feet slapped against the floor fitfully.
"What was that for?!"
Cinder raised an eyebrow at them, eye drifting slowly between the two of them and her mouth pulled into a frown. Qrow cursed plenty loud enough for her to hear and eased Weiss back behind himself.
"Move, Fall. We need to see Rhodes."
"Now you want to see him? After your little explosion yesterday?" Cinder snorted and moved her sloshing mug from one hand to the other, her gloved hand settling on her hip. "And why should I bring you?"
Rather than answer himself Qrow let Weiss step forward. From her red-rimmed eyes to her paler complexion and the stench of bile still clinging to her Cinder didn't have to guess too hard. Weiss made a weak motion at her Warden's Mark and Cinder's eye widened slightly, gritting her teeth and hissing.
"I knew it would be an issue. I warned him it would be." She tossed the mug aside, uncaring as it shattered and spilled mead along the floor. Two steps closed the distance between them and Cinder leaned in, reaching for Weiss and scowling when Qrow grabbed her wrist. "I'm checking to see if it's still active, birdbrain."
"She can't use any magic right now, she's fine. We just need to talk to Rhodes about the mark, that's all."
"You're positive you're blocking it all? That she's not going to go rampant the instant I bring you to him?"
Qrow nodded and placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. The air around it began to shimmer and Weiss gasped, then shivered as she felt magic seep from her body, racing from her toes to her shoulder where it vanished entirely. In response, Qrow's muscles grew slightly and he clenched his jaw, smirking proudly.
"Keep an eye on her, Branwen. If she tries to attack anyone -"
"She already did. Ruby," Qrow explained. Cinder's eye widened again, and she regarded Weiss with something close to disgust.
"Damned Wardens. Tainted messes, the whole lot of you."
Weiss wanted to argue she was different from the rest. That she had been in control up until recently. Except she hadn't been, and so she didn't. Lowering her head in shame she let Qrow usher her along again while she wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the back of Cinder's heels as she took the lead.
/+/+/+/+/+/
Weiss had become a specimen.
Rhodes' paradise hadn't been a suitable place for them to work. Even with the barriers erected he had doubted they'd block out Salem if she truly wanted to get in. With Qrow serving as the only stopgap between Weiss and rampancy they relocated, moved deeper into the ship and into the bowels. Past the engine rooms, below the cargo holds and into a cramped, isolated room at the ship's lowest levels. Oil lanterns flickered to life upon their arrival and Rhodes ushered them all inside, bidding Cinder to wait in the hall while he worked. When she refused he ordered her instead to stand by the door and give him space. An order she accepted, although not without some grumbling.
Cold metal pressed into bare flesh and Weiss shivered again. The men present had the decency to turn their backs while she removed her tunic and draped it over herself, covering the essentials but leaving her shoulders up bare.
Between the biting chill, Qrow's sapping, and Rhodes prodding at her neck she had never felt so uncomfortable. Magic vanished from within before it had any hopes of coalescing. Rhodes poked and prodded, weaving runes that from the corner of her eye Weiss couldn't make out. Only one of them got any reaction from the mark, a slight tingling that could've been mistaken for her neck growing stiff.
"They've changed the runes they use," Rhodes mumbled, leaning down and conjuring another symbol against her skin. Nothing. "I shouldn't be surprised but this complicates things. As if they weren't enough of a headache already."
"You can remove it though, can't you?" Weiss tried not to let her desperation show. Her voice trembled from the cold and she squirmed, then winced when her mark tingled again.
"I can't, no. I didn't remove my own."
"What?!"
"Part of the reason Wardens cannot escape their mark is due to the connection it creates. The moment something goes awry it activates and compels you to act in their best interests." Rhodes clicked his tongue, fingers grazing Weiss' neck. She shivered and focused on the swaying lamp overhead. "Often to the detriment of the marked. Hiding our thoughts is difficult enough, but trying to actively rebel against it? Impossible."
Anxiously, Weiss scratched against the surface of the table, nails scraping against steel."I've had plenty of thoughts that should have triggered it before but it never activated. Why is that?"
"When I heard a voice it never introduced itself. Never had a gender. It always sounded otherworldly." Weiss hissed and turned her head aside, tears burning in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"It's f-fine," she lied, biting her tongue as her neck began to throb.
"I certainly never had any dreams either. I never met a woman named Salem, or saw that thing you described to us. That's new, but I suppose it could always have existed before and it just never deigned to speak to me." Rhodes chuckled somberly. "Lucky you."
"I seem to have an unfortunate streak, yes."
"Maybe that's your real magic. Being the unluckiest person on Remnant." Weiss freed one of her hands to tell Qrow exactly what she thought about his joke. He chuckled, patting her shoulder and fixing her tunic. "You can't remove it then? She's stuck with it?"
"Not stuck, no. Every rune has another that cancels it out. The class of magic is very particular like that, it's wholly unique to our spell types." Rhodes shook his head and stepped back, signaling the end of his experimentation. Weiss sat up slowly and clutched her top to her chest, waiting for both men to look away before she slipped it back on. "I can't remove it but that doesn't mean it can't be. You just need to find the same woman who helped me."
Weiss fumbled with her buttons, then with the strings to tie the top of her tunic closed. She had known that much, which meant this entire ordeal had been fruitless. Until Rhodes mentioned that woman. It could be a long shot, and as things went tracking a single woman across four kingdoms was pretty long.
Another chill danced through her and she sighed feeling Qrow begin to sap magic away again.
"And this woman is?"
Rhodes held a hand up and wandered over to a cluttered workbench. Shoving away loose papers he thumbed through a stack, then another, letting out a groan. Swaying with the gentle lull of the ship he went to another table and rifled through its contents only to come away with a frustrated scowl on his face.
"Maria Calavera. Former member of the Church and as I understand it, an important one at that." Rhodes ran a hand through silver streaked hair and leaned back against the workbench. "There's no telling where she might be now though, or if she's even still alive. When she found me years ago she had been in Argus way up north. She could've gone into Atlas, or she could be anywhere in Mistral. Or somewhere else entirely."
Weiss tried to place the name and couldn't. Nervousness whittled away at her composure and she slouched on the table, hugging herself again and closing her eyes.
If this woman had helped Rhodes then she needed to be found. Provided she still lived. If Maria had passed on or couldn't be found…
What then?
One would assume she'd have passed the knowledge on to someone else. Even if the runes used for a Warden's Mark had changed the theory should remain the same. Weiss herself could do it if she could just learn the runes involved. And if the blasted mark weren't plastered to her own neck.
"We're about to make landfall within the hour. You all have leave to go and do as you please like before," Rhodes said, then looked to Cinder who had been silent in the whole ordeal. "Cinder, I'd like for you, Mercury, and Emerald to go into the city. See if you can find anything about Maria and report back to me."
"Understood. I'll have an answer for you within the day."
"Woah, you're actually gonna help us?" Qrow grinned and dragged his thumb across his throat. "What happened to all this, huh? We grow on you."
Cinder loosed a long, loud sigh and pushed herself from the door. "Contrary to what you might think we are allies. And… Maybe I've done a poor job of conveying that," she admitted, earning surprised looks from both Weiss and Qrow. "And I'm sorry for that. If this will help you then I'm more than willing to lend a hand."
Weiss looked at Cinder, then Rhodes, then back to Cinder. Her ears twitched slightly and she smiled. "Just so I'm positive, you're agreeing to help us. Of your own volition?"
"Damn, your old man must've chewed you out good," Qrow laughed.
"Cinder made this choice on her own, actually. I have no part in this." Rhodes smiled at his daughter then. "Thank you, Cinder."
"Is it safe though?" Weiss asked. "You didn't want to go into the city before. You tried to recruit us to avoid that very thing."
"I won't be performing to crowds while looking for information. All I need is a cloak and I'll be fine." Cinder smirked, flicking back her short hair and lifting her chin. "You just focus on keeping calm, Schnee. Think you can manage that?"
As if her rampancy was a result of her own doing. Weiss nodded, blinking back surprising tears and swallowing. "Yes. Thank you, Cinder."
Cinder's cheeks turned pink, opening her mouth then closing it again. Her eye flickered elsewhere then back to Weiss, cheeks growing darker when Rhodes and Qrow both snorted.
"I, well, yes. You should thank me." Cinder opened the door and waved impatiently. "Now get out you two, I need to go plan and I'm not letting you stay alone with him."
"Honestly, Cinder," Rhodes sighed. "I'm certain they aren't going to kill me."
"I did attack Ruby." It hurt to admit, and to hear herself say it. Tears returned and Weiss clutched her chest. "There's nothing to keep me from attacking you too."
"What am I, chopped liver?"
Rhodes shook his head, lowering himself and putting a hand on Weiss'. "For what I tried before I deserve it. If you lashed out I would not have blamed you, or allowed Cinder to stop you." He smiled patiently. "But the acts you committed were done so by that creature's will, not your own. We don't call a sword evil if it kills someone; the person behind the blade is responsible."
Weiss rubbed at her eyes and coughed. "So, I'm nothing more than a sword, is that it?"
"To them, yes. And if you accept that then to yourself too, I suppose." Rhodes helped her off the table and into Qrow's waiting hand, patting her back with a small smile. "Should you decide to repay me for my injustice before then I will welcome whatever judgement you decide to pass. But it is Weiss Schnee I wish to answer too, not some puppet master."
"Okay, seriously, let's go," Cinder grumbled, rolling her eye. "Before he gets real sentimental. He never shuts up once he does."
"And if you don't kill me then maybe I'll share some stories from Cinder's youth. You should hear about her first time swimming, she -"
Cinder slammed the door open and growled, face burning bright. "Out! Now! I have work to do!"
Weiss left to the sound of Rhodes' laughter, just as explosive as whatever shattered against the wall. Imminent threat to his well being somehow made the man laugh harder and Weiss glanced back as the door closed just in time to catch Cinder diving across the table for him.
She smiled. Tried to smile. Her lips struggled under an invisible weight and she lowered her head. Her eyes stung again. Trembling fingertips traced the mark on her neck and she inhaled, nostrils flaring, then let the breath go with a shuddering sigh. How did they manage to be so ebullient? Like they hadn't just discussed her needing a cursed mark removed. As if Rhodes hadn't just casually offered up his life in exchange for manipulating her. If they couldn't find this Maria woman or her disciples, or if she lost control again and attacked none of it would matter.
Qrow couldn't be with her every moment of the day. The second the connection snapped back into place Salem, that creature masquerading as her, would try to take control again.
She had to isolate herself. Get into the city and find a place she could just sit and wait, far removed from anyone else. Maybe she could go back and ask Rhodes if he could make a barrier to contain her. Lock her away so she couldn't pose a threat to anyone else.
"Hey. You still there, Ice Queen?"
Weiss lifted her head and blinked at Qrow, then nodded. She hadn't realized they'd stopped moving, or that her breathing had become shallow. Feeling her heart beat erratically in her chest she placed a hand over it and tried to settle it.
"Things will work out. We haven't come this far just for shit to unravel now," Qrow whispered, patting her as they climbed the stairs. "Hang in there, alright?"
"S-Sure. Right."
"They'll forgive you, kiddo. They know what happened earlier isn't you."
So did Weiss. That didn't change what she had done.
Her weapon painted red with blood. Ruby's blood. Yang's blood before that.
Would Blake be next? Qrow? How long until she was made to kill innocent civilians?
She tried not to dwell on it as they climbed the staircase. Considered what she might do about curing Yang once they made landfall. They still hadn't made any progress on that front either; Rhodes might be able to help there. Or perhaps this Maria woman when they found her. If they found her.
And if not, well, she'd just have to get creative. Or incredibly lucky.
She breathed out an uneasy chuckle and nursed her temples, shutting her eyes as she continued up the stairs, past her room and towards the deck. Some fresh air might help. Perhaps she'd have an epiphany while staring out at the great nothingness that surrounded them.
Quick little chapter to tide things over while we prepare for landfall!
Oh, and while this isn't about chasing some metrics, I'd feel remiss not to mention: the story has broken 40k views. I know views =/= visitors but hey, I was and am always pleased a single person enjoys this. So sincerely, thanks for making this little hobby of mine fulfilling, you guys. Means a bunch! :)