These "shorter" chapters feel much easier to write, edit, and put out on a semi-frequent basis, so I think I'll stick to this length from now on. Hopefully folks don't mind it; I'm certain I can have plenty happen without needing 8-10k words, after all.

The silence in the apothecary hung over them like an overcast sky. Yang watched the green liquid in the flask boil over into a narrow flask, turning yellow and filling the air with an acrid, smoky odor. Others fizzled over and spilled onto the stained countertop. She glanced idly at test tubes filled with severed human digits in various states of decay. Her nails ground into her palms until they ached.

"I cannot help you and that's final."

"But why?" Ruby persisted, following the medicine man around his workshop. "Why won't you help us? We can pay!"

They couldn't, not unless Cinder and her gagglefuck of pirates felt generous. Yang gripped the edge of the countertop and ground her teeth, feeling granite crack beneath her fingers.

"I've explained why: to help you would be an affront to the gods. I don't dare overreach."

"Gods? These 'gods' of yours haven't walked Remnant for eons," Blake hissed. "Your precious gods allow villages to be ravaged by Grimm, children to go hungry and die. They allow the subjugation of Faunus and -"

"Subjugation? You are better read than most of your kind, I'll grant you that." The healer turned towards them and narrowed his beady eyes. "But subjugation implies equality, and the Faunus were never quite equal with humans, or even the elves for that matter."

Blake bristled as gripped her biceps harder. "Watch your tongue, little man."

"And you would threaten me after demanding my help? I only speak the truth; Faunus are not human, and your diversity befuddles common science. You are more closely related to a domesticated cat than a human." How illegal would it be to turn this smarmy little jerk into a stain? Probably very. Yang closed her eyes and started counting down from ten. "And the gods grant us magic, do they not? To become a Magi is to be blessed by one of them, to be recognized upon our birth as one of their chosen few. To undo their work in stripping away your magic would be to sleight the gods themselves, and I will not commit heresy, not for some strangers."

"But the gods didn't take my magic away! It was miasma poisoning!" Ruby protested.

"Miasma is another of the gods' gifts. A means of cleansing the land and refreshing it, allowing it to begin anew." Adjusting his spectacles, the healer nodded towards Blake. "Is darkness and shadow inherently evil because it replaces light? Of course not. It is part of a cycle. And to suggest that miasma has wrongly removed your magic, that the gods have made a mistake -"

"Heresy. Yeah, yeah, we got it." Yang pushed herself back from the counter. "Okay, so what about the other people you help? Someone gets sick and would die without your medicine, but you still help them, don't you?" She gestured to the scores of containers around them. "Aren't you spiting the gods then?"

"An illness of the body is explained by science. Undercooked food, infections, disease. Magic does not fall under science and therefore is not within my jurisdiction."

Bullshit. "What about Hunters who end up sick with spellcast sickness? That's miasma poisoning too!"

"Spellcast sickness is the gods' way of tempering Magi and preventing their powers from running amok. It is a failsafe, much in the same way a crossbow can lock itself to prevent from firing." Clasping his hands together the small man looked towards his ceiling and smiled. "In their infinite wisdom they foresaw how those blessed might be led astray. If such a measure weren't implemented then the Magi Wars might have been infinitely worse."

Hypocritical. How could this moron stand there and refuse to help but turn around and offer it to others? Yang reached out to smash the nearest beaker and stopped herself. Her bandaged arm twitched and she hissed, closing her eyes and starting to count down again.

Ten, nine, eight, seven…

"You're a man of science, but you kneel before the gods?" Blake huffed. "I don't see how that makes sense."

"It's rather simple, really. A scientist without faith is arrogant and prone to overstep moral boundaries. And a man of faith without scientific background is liable to become fanatical, discounting all else in favor of the divine. These two forces are not opposing but cooperating. Science is mankind's own magic, after all." The healer sniffed. "Not that I would expect you to understand. Although I suppose it is… Commendable to see a servant so ardently fighting for their master."

"She's not a servant!" Yang roared. Glass shattered under her palm and she dragged it across the counter, scoring it with gashes as she stalked towards the man. "Get off your damned high horse and help my sister. If we have to ask you again -"

"No."

Yang stopped and blinked. "No?"

"No," the healer repeated. Even with his back against a bookshelf he stood up to her, glaring through thick lenses. "I will not be terrorized or forced into betraying my beliefs simply because you children throw a tantrum. In fact, you three will leave my shop at once or I shall have all of you arrested!"

"Arrested? We're asking for your help! We'll pay you!"

"Yang." Ruby's smile took some of her anger away. She knelt before the healer and lowered her head. "We'll go, sorry for the trouble and," she swallowed, widening her smile. "Thank you so much for your time."

"Hmph. You may thank me by leaving my store."

"Sure." Ruby stood and dusted down her skirt before smiling at Blake and Yang. With a wordless nod she headed for the door, disappearing outside on her own. It took Yang a moment to ease her seething and to get her feet moving, throwing one last glare at the healer. A little flame would turn this place to ashes and that would be that. Satisfying, if wholly unnecessary.

She settled for knocking a few books off the shelf on her way out.

Yang found Ruby not far away sitting on a low stone wall. With her back to them and her cloak drawn closed it didn't take a genius to guess how she must be feeling. Wordlessly she marched over and eased her arms around her younger sister. When no effort was made to pull away she drew Ruby into the embrace, kissing the back of her head.

"Hey, we'll get you fixed up. There are other people who know about medicine in this city, ya know."

"And what if they refuse too?" Ruby's voice came as little more than a whisper. Hearing the tremble in it Yang nuzzled her nose against Ruby's hood and sighed.

"Then we keep looking until someone agrees to help."

It felt like a cheap answer and Yang couldn't blame Ruby as she let out a sigh and sank in her arms. She knew a thing or two about non-answers and chasing after something. How easy it could be to give into the idea that you'd never get better, or never find what you were searching for. Hearing a soft sniffle, she eased her arms from Ruby to take a seat beside her, rubbing along her back.

"Hey, it'll be okay, Rubes. We'll figure this out."

"This is stupid." Ruby sniffed and rubbed her face. "I'm getting upset over nothing."

"Losing your magic isn't 'nothing', Ruby." Blake laid a hand on the brunette's shoulder and frowned. "You've lost a part of yourself; anyone would be upset about that."

"I'm still me though! I can't do magic anymore, sure, but what else has changed? Nothing." Ruby let out a shuddering sigh. "I still have Yang, I have dad, and Uncle Qrow. Weiss, you guys." She sniffled again. "Heck, mom might even still be alive! I've got no reason to be sad."

"Ruby, that doesn't change the fact you lost something."

"It's not that important!" Ruby snapped, swatting Yang's hand away. Her hood fell back and her red-rimmed eyes blinked to stave off more tears. "You couldn't see us for years, Yang. You had Merlot trying to turn you into a monster, and you have a Grimm inside of you. And Blake… Blake lost her parents, and her friends. She doesn't have family here like I do."

"You guys are my family," Blake corrected softly.

Ruby ignored it. "I should just use Dust and stop being such a baby about it. It's not like my magic was ever that impressive to begin with anyways! You've got your fire, Weiss has her runes, and Blake's basically a ghost." She rubbed her nose on her sleeve and laughed hollowly. "All I've ever been able to do is move fast. Whoop-de-doo."

"Your magic doesn't need to be flashy to be important, Ruby." Yang tried to hug her sister again, frowning when she slipped off the wall.

"You have that thing inside of you still, Weiss is being controlled by some… Thing. My problems are stupid compared to that!"

Blake took a step forward and held Ruby's elbow. "Misery isn't a competition, Ruby."

"I'm not competing!" Ruby pulled away and folded her arms. "My problems don't matter. Let's just forget about it, okay? We have enough stuff to worry about anyways."

"Ruby, stop this," Yang whispered. Pleaded. "We can find you help. What's one more thing to our list?"

Ruby took a step out into the road and drew her hood back up. "I'm hungry," she announced, turning her back to them. With a strained giggle she threw her hands up. "Let's go see what kind of food they have! I bet they've got all kinds of tasty fish!"

"Ruby…"

Blake's fingers grasped at air as Ruby strode away, cloak billowing behind her. When it became clear she planned to go either with them or alone Yang hurried after her, with Blake at her side.

Yang wouldn't stop looking. Even if Ruby really meant it she'd turn the whole of Mistral on its head until they found a cure for her. And if Mistral didn't have something? Well, there were two other kingdoms to consider. Somewhere on Remnant there had to be a cure for it. She would figure out a way to bring the gods back and demand they fix their fuck up if that's what it took.

Now? She needed to make sure Ruby didn't end up spiraling or become even more distressed. The fact her sister seemed fine to just ignore her problem hurt, but forcing her to confront it wouldn't work either, Yang knew.

Ruby had always been like that. Summer disappeared? Ruby tried to ignore it and when that became impossible, she'd taken up hobbies to distract herself. There were probably countless other instances of her sister choosing to ignore or stuff away problems until later; losing her magic couldn't be ignored. Yet all Yang could do at the moment was follow Ruby back down the streets, back towards the plaza with the statue posing gloriously in the center. Only when they began to approach crowds did her sister slow her pace and rejoin them, keeping her eyes down and hood drawn tight.

Fingers gripped Yang's sleeve and she smiled down at Ruby. "Sorry," the brunette muttered.

"Nothin' to be sorry for, sis. How about we get something to eat, yeah? Maybe we can even do some sightseeing!" Yang patted Ruby's hand and grinned broadly. "I mean, how often do we visit new kingdoms? We should see what this place is all about."

Beyond stupid old men who practiced the hypocritical oath.

Not a single stall in sight. In Vale any city plaza like this one would be crawling with them. People milled about beneath the shade of trees, admiring the statue or lounging in one of four small fountains along the plaza's edge. With the sun bearing down on them Yang began to understand why everyone dressed so sparingly here. Sweat made her leathers cling to her skin and she tugged at her collar, glancing sidelong at Blake and arching an eyebrow.

"Seriously though," she mused aloud. "How do you always wear so much black? Aren't you dying in that?"

"How do you live with that overgrown bush on your head?"

"Hey, it's not a bush! I take good care of my hair!"

Blake's lips curled slightly. "Mhm."

"Although maybe I could try cutting it short for a change? Try something new!" Yang jostled Ruby gentle. "What do you think? Should I cut my hair short like yours?"

Ruby peeked up beneath her hood and shrugged. "I like your hair as it is, I guess."

"Sure, but I should try something new, shouldn't I? New kingdom, new me!" Yang tapped her chin thoughtfully before letting out a gasp. "Oh, what if I went full bald?"

Blake sputtered, quickly covering her mouth and putting on the most exaggerated cough Yang had ever heard.

"See? Blake thinks it's a great idea!" When Ruby giggled Yang leaned in closer and nudged her side. "What if I tried to grow a beard too? I bet I could get one better than dad's!"

"Yang, girls don't grow beards!"

"Sure they do! Heck, did I tell you about the lady I met in Hearth?" When Ruby shook her head Yang threw her arm around her sister's shoulders and pulled her in. "Had a beard like an old man! Went all the way down to her waist, it was crazy!"

"It was also probably fake," Blake pointed out.

"No way, this thing looked authentic! I bet I could pull it off." Yang released Ruby and stood in front of her. Grasping locks of hair she pulled it around and held it to her chin. "What do you think? Do I pull off the beard look?"

Hairs tickled at her nose while Ruby glanced up at her. Seeing her lips quiver, Yang hunched over and shuffled in place. "Eh, little missy, help an old man find somewhere nice to eat, would you?" she rasped.

Probably a closer to a bad impression of Qrow than any actual old man, she'd admit. Her 'beard' probably looked totally ridiculous too. Ruby's lips curled back and she snorted, then giggled, and Yang beamed behind a mouthful of hair. Stupid, but it seemed to be working!

"How about you, young lady?" she asked, shuffling towards Blake. "How's about you and I get a meal together, pretty thing?"

Blake's eyebrows rose slightly. "And date a wrinkly old fart? Pass."

"Ach, my heart!" Yang gasped and gripped her chest. "Oh, this is the big one, I can feel it! If only some nice young girl could soothe my aching heart!"

As if on cue Ruby grabbed her arm and pulled her down the street with a laugh. "Come on, grandpa, we'll get you some nice, mushy food to eat."

"Oh thank you, dearie. You remind me so much of my pet turtle!"

Ruby snorted. "What? A turtle?"

"Are you calling your sister slow, Yang?"

"What, no!" Yang shook her head, breaking character. She hurriedly hunched over again and coughed. "No," she repeated, wheezing and trembling. "She's, uh… She's just so… Un-shellfish."

A seagull passed overhead and nearly relieved itself on her shoulder, missing by inches. Yang yelped and jumped back, then searched the skies for the bird who dared. Spotting a few lounging on a bench nearby she scowled and shook her fist at them. "Next time, I'm cooking you for dinner!"

"Wow," Blake chuckled. "Even the birds thought that was a crappy joke."

Ruby giggled, then burst into tittering laughter. Blake's pursed lips shook as she tried not to laugh at her own joke.

Yang merely grinned, sauntering over to Blake and leaning in to throw her arms around her friend. "Be still, my heart, I think I'm in love."

Blake pushed Yang's forehead to keep her back and stepped away, linking arms with Ruby instead and winking.

"Come on, grandpa, let's go find you some food."

Wow, stealing my jokes, then my sister. You've got some nerve, Belladonna.

Grinning, Yang tugged her hair down again and shuffled after them with a hand on her back.

"Don't run, whippersnappers!"

/+/+/+/+/+/

Their meal hadn't been as exotic as Blake had expected. Moussaka, she'd learned, made of eggplant, beef, and something else, was something of a staple dish here in Pradalia. She hadn't ever had eggplant before nevermind moussaka, and while it wouldn't become her new favorite it had been a pleasant surprise. Heavy, rich with flavor, and just inexpensive enough for them to afford.

She ate her one serving and felt content. Yang had two, and when Ruby only ate half of hers Yang finished that as well.

By the time they left the seafront eatery the sun had pasted the sky a soft orange. Wispy clouds trailed along the canvas, and sunlight turned the emerald waters in the bay into enchanting pools of jade. At the furthest point of the water stood the twin statues, lifeless sentinels watching over the city, protecting it. Their looming figures cast shadows across the outer reaches and turned the humid buildings there cooler.

The city's architecture was beautiful, Blake supposed. Buildings carved of marble and white stone, red-tiled roofs that too seemed to take on a gemlike quality in the sunlight. Topiaries and gardens, flowerbeds sprinkled with purples and yellows, blues, reds, and every other color imaginable, it had been clear from the moment they set foot on land that Pradalia enjoyed a high quality of living.

On their way down another winding road she witnessed a line of dirty Faunus waiting for food at a wooden shack, eyes downcast and stood together in suffocating silence.

Some of Pradalia enjoyed the finer things in life.

When Yang and Ruby expressed their concern, their disgust, Blake did her best to handwave it away. Not that she didn't welcome their sympathies, she had gone a long time without receiving any, but ultimately, they wouldn't change anything.

A new kingdom with the same old problems. The more things changed…

None of them seemed keen to explore the city any further by that point. Fatigue had Ruby leaning against Yang for support, yawns passing her lips every few blocks. Seeing more Faunus sat beneath alcoves and in alleyways or crammed into buildings too small to accommodate them all, Blake had her fill of it before long too.

Eyes followed her. Hollow and resigned, long since given up on the idea of freedom for themselves.

How did she look to them, she wondered? Dressed in soft cloth and leathers, clean and well fed. Compared to them she may as well have been royalty. Children watched her with the embers of hope, faces gaunt rather than cherubic, hair matted and clothes dirty. Her fingers grazed the single silver Lien in her pocket and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood; she couldn't get them food. Couldn't get them a better home. All her time spent fighting for better conditions had been for nothing, hadn't it?

When they arrived at an inn for the evening, a circular building nestled between thick groves of billowing oaks, she felt even dirtier than the servants had looked. She hardly noticed the innkeeper's incredulous look as she walked in with Yang and Ruby, ignored his question of whether she would sleep outside or in the servant's rooms.

Yang had the fire she didn't feel and bit back. Blake pulled her from the counter before they could be thrown out and wordlessly led them to their room, a small space with mounds of pillows in place of mattresses. Open windows that allowed cool air to circulate flanked the rooms, wine red curtains fluttering lazily on the wind, and an extinguished fire set into a hearth lay in the center, offering warmth if they needed it.

Ruby didn't take long to fall asleep once she laid down. Blake sat before the hearth on the cold tiled floor, legs crossed beneath her. Behind her she could feel Yang's eyes studying her.

"Blake, are you…" Yang swallowed audibly. "Want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine," she lied.

Fine with seeing Mistral was no different than Vale. Sure, Vale at least made an effort to seem more welcoming but the conditions were much in the same. You didn't even have to go far in the capital to find proof of it.

"There's got to be some way we can help them. Maybe we could try and get some Lien for the kids?"

"That would last them a few days at best, and we can't feed everyone in this city. Or the next." Blake prodded at a log, scraped her nail along the bark and flicked away shavings. "It's not an issue you can just throw money at, Yang. If it were that simple we'd have fixed it ages ago."

"Right, right. Sorry."

Not that Yang had anything to apologize for. Their first meeting had been rough but that had nothing to do with her being a Faunus. Nor had it been a point of contention with Ruby, Weiss, or anyone else she had come to call a friend. The people who needed to apologize were too numerous to count. She had a better chance of blotting out the sun than she might have fixing the world's inequities.

Blake wrapped her scarf around her lower face and hugged herself tightly.

She hadn't felt this hopeless about Faunus in quite a long while. For a time the White Fang had given her optimism. Vale for all its flaws made her believe at least some progress had been made.

Mistral snuffed that out beneath its heel within a day of arriving.

Yang's shadow moved across the window and grew larger. Although Blake welcomed the warmth beside her she moved away from her friend and rose to her feet, brushing Yang's hand from her arm and shaking her head.

"I'm going to get some fresh air, I'll be back soon."

Yang arched an eyebrow and pointed to the two wide open windows in the room.

"Outside," Blake clarified. She pulled her scarf down and smiled slightly. "Stay with Ruby, I'll be back before you know it."

"I'm sure she'll come if you want company, Blake."

She pulled her scarf back up and had already been halfway out of the room when Yang spoke. She shook her head and glanced back, waving lazily before stepping out. She made her way down the quiet, cool hall, past the front desk with the sleeping receptionist, and back out onto the streets. By now the sun had set and the moon hung in the sky, grinning with its broken teeth at her. Taunting her. "See? It's all the same!" it seemed to say, illuminating her people's plight for her. As if she hadn't been slapped in the face by it already.

Blake had no idea where she might be going as she took the road again. All she knew was the meal that still sat heavily in her gut rotted and festered, and the room they had taken seemed too opulent, too comfortable for her. She didn't deserve that, not when others were scraping by.

Her father had warned her once about allowing herself to succumb to despair. How when faced with the Faunus' injustices it would be easy to feel like an insurmountable task, claiming equality. As optimistic as Ghira and Kali had been they were still realists at heart; they couldn't save everyone, couldn't hope to protect every life from Vale to Atlas. They had to save those that they could, where they could, and hope their efforts led to a better future. Pragmatic, reasonable.

But when faced with blatant abuses of decency it felt like a way to alleviate your own guilt.

Cold wind lapped at her and she drew her shirt tighter around herself. Moisture tickled the corners of her eyes and her ears folded against the whistling winds.

What she wouldn't give for a little pragmatism right now. To have one of her parents tell her that they'd find some way to make things better, even if only just, but not to expect a miracle in a day.

I don't even remember what they looked like anymore. The realization stopped Blake dead in her tracks. A shiver not from the wind raced through her body and she chuckled hollowly, nails digging into her skin. It hadn't been that long, had it? Ten years? Maybe more? Her stomach became heavier and she closed her eyes, rubbing at them with the heels of her hands and sighing unevenly.

It pained her to admit but Ruby had been right. Loss and pain weren't a competition, and friends were supposed to support one another in their times of need. But in that fleeting moment as she stood alone in the road, shivering and uncertain, Blake felt her own misery far exceeded Ruby's.

A boot scraped against the ground and Blake spun around in an instant, hand dragging a dagger from her sleeve. In an alleyway nearby she spotted a woman watching her, long silvery hair sticking out of her hood, face obscured by shadows.

The second she realized Blake had seen her she turned and began to run. Blake hesitated only for a second before taking off after her.

Not that she knew why. She barreled into the alleyway and spotted the woman clambering over a low fence, dug her heels in, and sprinted headlong after her. Maybe she needed something to get her mind off things. Blake vaulted over the fence and lunged forward, eyes locked on the fleeing figure. Maybe she just wanted some outlet for the pent up anger beneath her sorrow.

Her boots scraped against the ground and she pushed off a wall, dragging down her scarf and leaping over a low bush. The woman had cut through a yard and scrambled up lattice with surprising speed, vaulting onto the roof and out of sight.

Blake dragged at the shadows around her and watched the moonlight vanish. Remnant disappeared only to crash back seconds later as she erupted from an inky pool at the far end of the roof. The cloaked figure almost tripped as they tried to stop and she reached out before they could turn and run, leaping onto them and pinning them to the ground. A hand went into the cloak but Blake's moved faster, pressing the edge of her dagger against their throat.

Breath fogged between them and Blake grabbed one wrist to pin down, shifting her leg to trap the other. Straddling the figure she frowned as the figure struggled beneath her.

"Why were you watching me?"

"Let me go! I didn't do anything!"

That voice didn't sound like a woman's though. Blake frowned and released the wrist she'd seized, throwing back the hood and studying the face beneath her. A boy then, probably into his early teens at best. Her eyes studied the black, stubby horns upon his forehead, then the blue eyes that glared back up at her.

"Why were you watching me?" she repeated even as she eased the dagger back by a hair's breadth.

"Why did you chase me?!"

Because he had been stalking her in the dead of night? Most people wouldn't take kindly to that and the fact the boy had to ask almost made Blake laugh. Almost. She scowled and pressed her shin down harder on his wrist. Not enough to break anything but plenty enough to draw a pained whimper out of the boy.

"I'm not in the mood. Answer my question."

"Or what?" the boy argued.

Nothing really. Blake wouldn't kill the boy for watching her, or even harm him beyond what she had done already. Even as a paranoid part of her mind screamed that something had to be wrong. She stifled that little voice in her mind and tried to see the situation more logically, trying to come up with an explanation. Just for good measure she eased the dagger back down and pressed the dull, safe edge of the blade to the boy's neck. She couldn't cut him with that but he didn't seem to notice.

"You're one of us, aren't you?!" the boy whined, tilting his head, and closing his eyes.

"A Faunus?" Blake asked.

"No! You don't look like the servants, you're not one of them. You're an ally, aren't you?" The boy's blue eyes sparkled with hesitant hope. "You're in the White Fang, right?"

She paused for a breath. Then another. Looking at the boy closer he couldn't have been much older than thirteen, and here she was holding a blade to his throat ready to kill him as far as he knew. She sucked in cold air and calmed her racing heart, offering a slight apologetic smile as she eased the blade back.

Her ears swiveled when something struck the roof behind her and her head barely turned before pain erupted above her right temple. Beneath her she heard the boy cry out as she toppled off him, vision going dark.

The moon continued to grin at her as she lost consciousness.

/+/+/+/+/+/

Blake hadn't come back that evening.

Or that morning, Yang realized, stirring as sunlight warmed her face. She didn't know when she'd fallen asleep or laid herself beside Ruby, but as she awoke to find them alone in their room panic had set in almost immediately.

Where could she have gone? Even if the environment were new she knew Blake wouldn't have gotten lost. Yang untangled her limbs from Ruby and had been about to bolt from the room until a piece of paper beside the door caught her attention. She snatched up the yellowing parchment and hurried to the window for better lighting, unfolded it and cursed as she read over the scrawl inside.

We have the girl. Come to the ruined church on the east side of the city.

And that was it. No names, no demands or ransom. Yang snarled and almost burned the piece of paper then and there, flinching when Ruby stirred and called for her, then Blake.

Another kidnapping? Yang groaned as she marched over and began getting Ruby ready for whatever the hell the day had in store for them. We've seriously got to stop this shit, it's getting old.

/+/+/+/+/+/

"I understand the need for precautions but," Weiss trailed off with a wince. Leather bindings bit into her wrists and she tugged at them once before sighing loudly. "Is all of this really necessary? Qrow can snuff out my magic and I'm unarmed."

Rhodes had the decency to look apologetic as he secured the manacles in place. "It's not you we're concerned about, Weiss. The more we can deprive that thing of taking advantage of you, the better."

If Qrow hadn't been present in the room she'd have felt terribly vulnerable. Strapped to a heavy chair with no weapon, and not enough range of motion to draw a rune, Weiss had been left utterly helpless. Considering she agreed to the precautions she had no one but herself to be upset with, but the idea had become much more unpleasant once the bindings were actually on her.

On a whim she gave them another tug. The leather creaked faintly but held strong. The chair beneath her didn't budge so much as an inch.

At least they'd been taken to Rhodes' refuge for this. Not that the greenery helped with the sense of being trapped. And with Cinder ashore still no less than six members of the crew had come in to help monitor them. Not one of them a Magi, Weiss realized, although that wouldn't dull their blades. Steel would still bite through flesh all the same, magic or not.

Satisfied that she couldn't move Rhodes stepped back and nodded to himself. "I believe we're ready to begin. Are you prepared, Weiss?"

Prepared to have yet another presence violating her mind? "Ready," she lied, showing a tight smile as her legs pulled against the restraints. "And you're certain this will work?"

"I cannot remove your mark since I lack the runes to do so, but I can interact with it." Rhodes took a seat on the loamy earth before her. "Once my magic entwined with yours I should be able to latch onto that bridge of yours. Perhaps I can glean something that will help you in removing it."

"And if you don't?"

Rhodes responded with a slight smile. "Well, maybe I can bolster your defense against it then. Make it more difficult for Salem to reach through."

Not a complete waste of time then. Hells, Weiss would settle for just that if she could, but they'd be remiss not to try. Unless they found this Maria woman, she would be on her own trying to remove the Warden's mark, so anything she could gather towards it would be useful.

"I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind. You'll feel a slight prodding sensation," Rhodes explained. "Probably. Just ignore it and let my magic take root."

"Wait, what do you mean 'probably'?" Qrow asked on her behalf.

"I haven't exactly done this before. I'm only applying theory and trying to replicate what I see before me," Rhodes said. He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck and chuckled. "This could very well do nothing at all too. I just assumed having a calmer state of mind would help the process."

"You 'assume'? I thought you were more confident about this!"

Rhodes shrugged his shoulders and Weiss began to have second-second thoughts about the whole process. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and held it until her lungs ached, then let it loose and sighed. Nothing risked, nothing gained. And with Qrow present she had nothing to worry about; she trusted the man enough to act if anything seemed amiss.

"It seems to take effect when you're asleep or on the verge of unconsciousness, so first I'll put you under." Weiss could already taste the fragrances on her tongue. Jasmine and lavender caressed her face and wafted around her, seeping energy from her body and replacing it with a calm fatigue. "Once you're out I'll initiate the process, okay?"

Weiss' head lolled before it dropped, her jaw going slack and shoulders drooping.

"Uh, I think she's out already," Qrow mused, tugging at a strand of hair.

"I can see that, thank you, Qrow."

Not completely gone. Weiss could feel that drunkard tug at her hair and made a mental note to throttle him once this finished. Her entire body had gone limp and she couldn't lift so much as a finger anymore. Her breathing steadied and she found herself caught in between dreams and the waking world. Her body grew heavier, the faint voices around her turning into inaudible gibberish.

Then light made her eyelids open again and she groaned. Wood creaked beneath her and she reached up to rub at her neck, blinking when she managed it. Realizing that she no longer sat in Rhodes' sanctuary she looked around and furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar room she found herself in.

The room felt cold, and not because of the apparent lack of heat. Walls of thick glass surrounded a heavy oak desk, one that Weiss found herself sat behind. The glass continued up into the ceiling and formed a dome. Constellations seemed to be painted onto the panes, and on the tiled floor stretching out before her, slabs of grey and blue interwoven together and enclosing a glowing blue ring in the center.

Weiss recognized the symbol on the floor in an instant, but her mind couldn't quite make sense of it.

"Ah... Seems we've ended up in a memory of mine instead."

Rhodes' voice drew a humiliating squeal of surprise from her and she flushed when he smiled at her, turning her head away and swiftly standing from the chair.

"Where are we?" she demanded. Her voice echoed through the room and she looked around for clues.

Bookcases embedded in the walls told her nothing. From where she stood she couldn't hope to read the writing on the spines, and she doubted she'd recognize any of them if she could anyways.

"Like I said, a memory. An old one at that." Rhodes rose from a leather armchair and cast a look around the room. A curious look of longing passed over his face and Weiss had been about to ask about it when the door swung open.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected."

Weiss grabbed for Myrtenaster on reflex and failing that she grabbed a pen off the desk. Paltry for a weapon but it would do damage. Not that it probably meant anything here.

The room felt colder as Ozpin smiled at her, looking around the room with an upsetting air of calm. His cane clacked against the hardwood floor and he stopped when Rhodes intercepted his path, raising his eyebrows slightly and tilting his head.

"No further, Ozpin. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Rhodes." Ozpin looked past him to her again, bowing his head slightly. "Weiss, it is a pleasure to see you again, truly. Although I do wish it were under more auspicious circumstances."

"Don't act so cordial, as if you've done nothing wrong," Rhodes began.

"This again? Please, let us save the moral quandaries for another day, hm? It's been too long, and I would very much like to catch up with Weiss, if it's all the same to you."

Weiss backed towards the desk, then circled around it when Ozpin drew closer. Rhodes moved towards her, his eyes never leaving Ozpin, and although she couldn't say she wholly trusted him she felt glad for Rhodes' presence.

Ozpin eased himself into the chair behind the desk and laid his cane against his thigh. "I do hope you don't mind me using your chair, by the way. My leg's been acting up again."

Weiss' eyes flickered to Rhodes, mouth working at a question she couldn't quite form.

"Oh, you don't know where you are, do you, Weiss? You could at least inform the young lady, Rhodes. It's the courteous thing to do."

"I'd not hear of courtesies from a man who weaponizes children," Rhodes growled.

"Weiss, take a seat, please. I'd like to speak with you if you'd allow it." Ozpin waved a hand and three mugs appeared before him, gesturing for them to each take one. When neither of them moved he shrugged and helped himself to the closest. "Since he seems intent on hiding it then allow me to welcome you to the Archbishop of Atlas's personal study." Ozpin nodded his head towards Rhodes and raised his mug with a smile.

"Welcome back, old friend."

Hey, remember last chapter when they were all more or less relaxed and having a decent time of things?

Yeah, that was nice, huh?

The show must go on though! Er, story. Fanfiction. You get my point.