Chapter Forty-Three: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

"You left someone out when you told me his weaknesses," Salem noted. "Did you think I would miss the obvious?"

Neo tried to pretend this hadn't bothered her; that her… oversight held no significance to her. Surely it wouldn't be surprising to Salem that Neo would bite her tongue. Salem didn't know the context, but that didn't necessarily mean she'd spare Neo her wrath… her hatred for Oscar surpassed even Neo's own for Cinder.

"So tell me, my friend," Salem requested, "Whatever does this Oscar mean to you?"

Neo weighed her options. She decided pretty quickly that telling Salem she had any attachments to the boy she'd imprisoned and tortured probably wouldn't be her best option. She could, however, be very creative in her interpretation of the truth. Salem seemed eager to draw her own conclusion anyway; she was merely offering Neo this small courtesy because of-

Neo pointed at the lamp, knowing how quickly Salem's eye kept turning back to it. She then cast the image of Oscar over herself, of Oscar holding that lamp, then using its small hook to clip to his belt and carry it on his waist. Neo then changed her form again to take the visage of Nora Valkyrie, reaching up to clasp her hands beside her chin and swoon, making little kissing motions with her lips… being as over-the-top as possible to present Salem with an entertaining farce.

Neo had the advantage of using her Scroll when she needed to clarify to Oscar, but she very much doubted Salem would appreciate having to look down and read. So instead, Neo cycled through the illusions of a flustered, blushing Oscar, an emotional, lovesick Nora Valkyrie, then herself, once more pointing at the relic still in Salem's hand. Showing her the illusion only once would make her point without giving Salem reason to doubt Neo's offer of her prize.

Salem watched this unfold, drawing up her free hand to rest beneath her chin and consider. Neo once more tried to seem disinterested, even rueful of the suspicion… to not be blatant in appraising Salem as she mulled over Neo's story of seduction, deceit, and theft.

One wary eye did turn to Salem's Grimm minder, however. The lamp had shown her that the Grimm were not the allies of anyone living… Salem just happened to hold their leash. If any of her band of followers lost her favor, Neo expected them to turn and attack without warning.

"I see," Salem nodded. "Yes, of course. Forgive me: I hadn't considered employing any of my agents in such a way before. I suppose I'd never found Ozma when he was still so young and so easily tricked."

Neo played along. Fond of him as she was, she could agree Oscar was… naive at times.

"Come with me," Salem instructed. "I'm going to stop in and say hello to the boy… then I will have a task for you."

Neo raised an eyebrow, looking apprehensive. She gave Salem the thing the rest of her minions failed to retrieve… and her reward was more work?

Salem seemed indifferent to Neo's response, turning her eye back to her Hound. "Find the others and break their bodies. Bring them to me living."

The Hound snorted and lumbered out of Neo's room, disappearing into the hall. Neo turned her attention back to Salem, who'd once more become fascinated by staring at the relic. Neo did her utmost to be patient as she waited for the master of the house to lead the way.

When Salem did finally step outside, Neo moved in her wake, shadowing the queen's steps. With Salem's eye no longer upon her, Neo considered what she'd do next.

If Salem sent her away from this Grimm vessel it'd mean leaving Oscar alone with his torturers. While Salem probably wouldn't kill Oscar, her explosive temper made it likely she might lose her composure. And if Salem wanted Neo to stay, she'd have to deal with Emerald still smarting over the loss of… whatever Cinder was to her.

And this strange Grimm who could understand Salem's instructions… it'd be going right after the three women Neo put in Salem's crosshairs. They weren't exactly defenseless, but Neo didn't favor their chances either.

She'd need to make a decision soon. Oscar's strategy had bought his friends time, as he'd hoped. Now they needed to start thinking about their exit, before Salem suspected anything more. Based on the way Salem had treated Emerald, her collection of allies could lose their queen's favor on a whim.

When she had a moment, she'd try to reach Oscar and see how his hosts had treated him. If he still had the strength to move…

It was nothing new to be surrounded by her enemies, but Oscar was not made for such a task. She had already lost one lover to this mad witch and her ambition, and would not allow history to repeat.

Leaving Neo to wonder then… was her revenge as complete as she'd thought it was, if Salem had been the mastermind who sought to destroy Beacon, and Cinder just another of her pawns?

Fighting to kill someone hadn't been as satisfying as she'd hoped it be. But fighting to keep someone alive… that was a very different sort of motivation.

Neo followed along behind Salem, presenting herself as the loyal sheep. If Salem's hound couldn't find the wolf hidden beneath, perhaps she could get close enough to put her fangs to use.

"Soooooo-"

"No," Weiss flatly replied. "We can talk about it later."

"Come on!" Ruby protested. "We have nothing but downtime right now!"

"We do," Weiss confirmed, but left the sentiment hanging. Ruby sighed and turned her attention elsewhere, finally granting Weiss a silent reprieve.

They both waited at the landing platform, ostensibly for different arrivals, though Weiss suspected Ruby had been looking for some reason to speak to her alone; to once again try and justify herself without anyone else to offer a dissenting opinion.

Weiss had at least tried to see it from Ruby's perspective: she had no doubt Oscar decided to go himself and hadn't wanted to be dissuaded. But Ruby, Ironwood and Oscar had also denied them the chance to weigh in and explain the reasons they had for not letting him try this desperate gamble.

Not every reason she'd offer would be completely sound. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to tell him some of those reasons if they'd have an audience to hear her say them. But that hadn't made her any more inclined to be forgiving, because -once again- it reiterated how Ruby had taken the choice out of her hands.

Maybe it wasn't because Ruby wanted him too; maybe there was some strategic reason for her choice Weiss simply hadn't been able to see amidst her anger and disappointment. Or maybe things were as simple as she thought they were and Ruby tried to get in Oscar's good graces by acceding to his request.

But then… she did realize what she'd sent Oscar to do, didn't she? Ruby had to know Oscar had taken a one-way trip. And she knew Weiss had intended to make her confession after their fight with Salem -giving Ruby opportunity to admit how she felt in the meantime- so… why let him leave?

Weiss mulled the thought as one of their ships approached. A green streak flying alongside the shuttle made it clear to Weiss that Ruby's ship had come in ahead of hers'... so at least Ruby would no longer have the pretense of waiting for them, or the excuse to stay with Weiss on the platform.

Penny landed ahead of her shuttle, moving over to glomp the girl in the red hood. Evidently, Penny hadn't been bothered by any of Ruby's decisions lately…

Weiss scolded herself for being so caustic. Ruby had made mistakes -perhaps more recently than ever before- but Weiss wasn't able to say they were carefully calculated. She might have wanted to believe that -to further cast her blame- but she reluctantly acknowledged that she didn't know.

She couldn't stay mad at Ruby for long, so she was intent to latch onto this one while she had ample justification to be. And if Ruby had decided to get ahead of Weiss… that'd change things irrevocably. She wanted to be angry, perhaps, but she didn't want them to be so far gone, either.

Weiss put on one of her well-practiced smiles when Pietro and Maria disembarked from the shuttle. "Welcome back. Did the general send for you too?"

"James asked me to speed up the decryption of Arthur's virus," Pietro explained, carefully maneuvering his chair around Penny, still pinning Ruby to the ground. "He's a sneaky one, but his coding's looking a few years out of date… I guess being dead didn't give him much leisure time."

"I won't keep you," Weiss assured him. "Ruby can see you inside."

Ruby peered up from under Penny's shoulder. Weiss met her eye, but only to avoid giving Pietro -or Maria, who'd be more likely to notice- the impression there was any tension between them. There was already enough dissension in their ranks with Neo, Raven, Ironwood, and all the potential for conflict still simmering beneath the surface…

Ruby got the message and played along, squeezing her way out from Penny's grip and ambling to her feet. "Sure. Come on, guys; we can get some coffee on the way to his office."

"Oh, don't be giving Penny coffee, please," Pietro requested.

"Atlesian coffee is weaker than my hip," Maria grumbled. "I'll drink hers' too."

Weiss kept up her smile until they were halfway up the stairs to the academy. Once she was confident they wouldn't look back her way, she let the veil slip and sighed.

It used to be she didn't have to disguise how she felt when alongside her teammates. She'd held Blake's hand and referred to them as her family barely more than a week ago. Now…

Yang had dated Oscar when they all shared a house in Mistral and never said a word. Ruby had robbed Weiss of her own chance to tell him how she felt, after she let slip this little secret to the rest of the team. And Blake… Weiss wasn't sure if she was glad Blake had kept Yang's secret or not.

She only knew that their secrets had poisoned them now, and she didn't yet know how to cure them of it. They all made their mistakes, and were left wondering how far they could push things before they were unable to forgive each other.

Perhaps she was overreacting. Perhaps they were behaving childishly because so many chances to be childish had taken from them when Beacon fell, and they'd only been able to grow so much in the time they had, and some failings lingered on longer than others.

Weiss turned her gaze back to the city skyline, waiting for the transport from the SDC, and her brother. Of all the people she'd be looking forward to seeing… of all the people she'd be turning to for support now…

She supposed it was reassuring that she'd been able to patch things up with him and still counted her brother among her family. She just hadn't expected to lose a confidant in the meantime.

Still, as long as she had no battle to fight -and no means of pursuing anything else she might've planned for the day- Weiss could take solace in seeing her brother again, even if they'd probably have to go through the dull grind of repurposing SDC resources to the military effort.

Atlas remained untouched for now, but the city's splendor was little more than a glamour: a bunch of pretty skyscrapers towering over refugees crowded together, hoping the Grimm would only destroy those closer to the surface than they were. Salem had time to be patient, but the inactivity would only make those waiting for the Grimm's attack all the more anxious… all the more tense… all the more likely to turn on the enemy they could see rather than the one they couldn't.

Maybe that was why she needed Ruby out of sight -and out of mind. Maybe Weiss could still think of her as a friend if they limited their interaction for a while.

But then, when the fighting did inevitably begin, would that tension resurface? Would Weiss be able to take instructions from her team leader now that she wondered if her team leader had misled her because they'd wanted the same man?

The whole reason she'd delayed telling Oscar… and she'd be distracted just the same. Her efforts to sacrifice for her team undermined; her patience coming to naught.

But if she had chosen to talk to him, what would she have said?

Weiss thought on it, still staring out at the city. Maybe the isolation would give her time to compose exactly what she'd tell him.

Right then, all she could say was that she wished he'd told her he'd be going. If Weiss were honest with herself -and alone, she could be- she'd admit she may not have been able to stop him from leaving, even if she had admitted how she felt. Stopping -or at least delaying- Salem would just be more important to him. How could she fault him for that?

She had no answer.

"There are still too many people on the ground," Robyn argued. "We hold here until more of them can be evacuated."

"If you don't leave, you may not get the chance to at all," Yang grumbled. "I get it; I get why you think this is the right thing to do and I get that you think you're helping, but the refugees already up there are suffering too knowing you're still down here and painting a nice big target for the Grimm."

"And their concerns will suddenly be alleviated if I go up to Atlas, safe and sound?" Robyn inquired. "Should I do a few photo ops with General Ironwood too while I'm there, to put their minds at ease?"

"What you should do is listen to us," Yang argued. "We've been straight with you all along: we told you about Amity. We told you things Ironwood didn't want you to know. Do you really think we came to get you just because we wanted you to… make him look good?"

Robyn shrugged. "I think there are people here who won't be able to catch a flight up to Atlas and they'll need somewhere to ride out the storm. And without any seasoned Huntresses-" She gestured to her trio of friends, Fiona, May, and Joanna, "- the Grimm find where they're hiding and we all have to know we could've done better for them."

"But you're injured," Blake reminded her. "Even if you're willing to fight, your Aura's still been poisoned by Tyrian,"

Robyn brushed it off. "I'm fine. You need to mind your own business."

"And what you need is to step outside your headquarters and take a look at the sky," Yang snapped at her. "The biggest Grimm any of us has ever seen is just waiting outside Mantle and it's not just taking its' time: someone much worse is pulling the strings."

"Salem, wasn't it?" Robyn mused. "Your sister was very convincing, I admit."

"Then you also know we've been straight with you," Yang insisted. "If you stay down here, you'll die."

"And if we go with you, a bunch of other people still stuck in the city will die instead," Robyn argued. "They will try to flee here and when they realize they've been abandoned; when they know even I had to cut and run…"

"You do!" Yang interjected. "We all do! You're staying here is convincing people they don't have to run because they think you'll help them ride it out! Don't you get that?"

"What do I tell them instead? That it's okay for me to be evacuated, but the rest of them lived too close to the border wall to be safely pulled out in time?" Robyn countered, raising her voice. "You want to be the one to tell them why they didn't get to come along?"

Yang clenched her left hand, feeling a familiar shake return in her wrist. Blake gently reached over, giving Yang's forearm a firm pull. "...excuse us a moment," Blake requested, drawing Yang away.

Robyn lazily waved them off, returning to her trio of allies. Yang lowered her voice and grumbled: "She is being impossible."

"She thinks she's doing the right thing and has a hard time seeing it any other way," Blake explained. "We used to make the exact same mistake."

Yang caught on to what Blake was hinting at. "So… what do I need to tell her to make her understand how big this is?"

"I think you've made yourself clear," Blake assured her. "Let me try something instead."

Blake gave Yang's wrist another squeeze before turning her attention back to Robyn, clearing her throat. "...one of our friends is up there, now: buying us the time to evacuate whom we can. He took a ship early this morning and flew right at the Grimm to try and negotiate with Salem."

"Oh?" Robyn raised her eyebrow. "I didn't know Grimm could be negotiated with."

"We don't know if their master will be any more inclined, to tell you the truth," Blake conceded. "But so far, it's working. So far, he's been able to distract her and given us… honestly, this could all change at any minute. He could stall Salem for hours, days… or minutes. We wouldn't have even come down here if we thought Salem was going to launch her attack. We're only here because our friend gave us the opening."

"Your friend sounds like a good guy," Robyn acknowledged. "But I don't see what that has to do with-"

"You don't have to come with us," Blake interrupted. "You can stay, and we can't force you to go. We'll try and find the people we can instead, and at least give them the option. We don't have the time to argue, and we've given you more than enough chances to hear us out."

She drew a deep breath. "I hate having to lay it out like this. But we made the effort for you before; we were the ones who kept you alive yesterday. So I'm not going to spend any more time negotiating and just ask: do you believe us?"

A pall over the entirety of the campaign headquarters. Fiona turned her gaze intently to Robyn's back, while Yang moved to stand at Blake's side.

Robyn looked down at her right hand, then to Blake's own, resting beside her white coat. If she needed to verify that what Blake was saying was true…

...her Semblance had already made it difficult for others to place faith in her: to know for certain that Robyn could uncover their secrets with a touch. And while Ironwood had made more than his share of questionable choices, these two…

"Alright, you've made your point," Robyn conceded. "How long did Ironwood actually plan on giving us to get everyone out?"

"We came down in an unmanned transport with an AK pilot," Blake explained. "It's waiting just over there, for us to tell it when to leave. We'll take whoever you can find and as many as we can fit."

"And the rest of the city?" Joanna interjected.

"A few of our friends are working with the Ace Ops to do as many runs as they can," Yang replied. "If there's anyone still on the outskirts… well, we know Ironwood will never send a ship out that far, but we'll help you now, as long as the Grimm are staying put."

Robyn briefly appraised her friends, conducting a short poll of their facial expressions. "...fine, alright. We find who we can, then we'll tag along up to Atlas with you."

"Joy," May grumbled.

The Happy Huntresses conferred a moment before going to collect their equipment. Yang waited for them to be out of earshot before asking Blake: "Where did that come from?"

"Oscar's bought us time and -Grimm or not- we have to fight," Blake explained. "It… it took me a long time -a lot longer than you- but I finally realized that he was worth fighting for."

Yang grinned. Blake grumbled. "Don't start."

"No, I won't," Yang assured her. "Just think it's sweet of you to finally say it, is all."

Blake sighed. "I'm just… I feel like I owe him this much. I feel like he did a lot for me -for both of us- and this is what we can do while we wait for him to come back."

Yang was quiet a moment. Blake's sensitive ears heard the slightest flutter in her heartbeat.

"We will get him back," Blake insisted.

"Yeah," Yang nodded. "Yeah, of course we will."

Blake pretended to believe it. She tried to deny what muted sounds met her ears.

Neo faintly heard the grunts: Hazel did not seem to tire, but he certainly exerted himself.

She heard nothing from Oscar, save for what she presumed to be his body crashing into the wall or landing hard on the floor. She had no idea exactly how much more he could be expected to take… she seemed to recall Cinder burning away his Aura pretty quickly. She could only speculate the pain he was in.

Neo continued to trail behind Salem, continuing to feign indifference. She wouldn't allow herself to look so much as curious; she wanted Salem to think she'd put Oscar out of sight and out of mind.

Salem returned to her bone-carved seat, resting lazily upon her throne. Neo glanced around the chamber, waiting to be addressed… trying to appear only bored and ambivalent, rather than betray any concern: for herself or anyone other than herself.

A section of the red wall split open as Emerald and Mercury stepped in to join them, accompanied by a smaller, jellyfish-like Grimm, apparently leading them through the belly of the beast. Neo made a point to note that Salem had more eyes inside this giant Grimm than Neo first observed.

Hazel eventually lumbered over to join them as well, brushing some dried red flakes off his right knuckle. Neo did her utmost not to stare at his hands and speculate just how much time the giant had spent introducing Oscar to those massive fists.

Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury all dropped to kneel before Salem's throne. Neo glanced awkwardly around at the three, unsure of whether she was supposed to do the same… Salem did seem to enjoy when people genuflected around her, but Neo had managed to stay on her good side so far despite being quite flippant.

Hazel turned his gaze her way -he was still taller than her even when he bent the knee- and subtly gestured with his head to the ground. Though she didn't care for the way Hazel had been treating Oscar, Neo didn't think he was trying to mislead her. She found a place between Hazel and Mercury and moved to one knee as well, hoping Salem appreciated the trouble… hoping that her hesitation would make Salem think her show of fealty was authentic.

"I want to know this relic's secrets before I retrieve the next," Salem finally explained to her cabal, still peering down at the dull glass of the lamp. "Someone in this boy Oscar's band of friends will know, but if they prove as… difficult as he has, then we will need to employ some other means of finding the truth.

"Emerald, Mercury, you will go," Salem elaborated. "Go to Atlas and retrieve Watts and Tyrian. Find someone who knows the password and bring it back to me."

"Ma'am," Hazel interjected. "What about the Maiden?"

Salem did not look pleased to suffer an interruption. Emerald and Mercury looked apprehensive: Salem was sending them in unsupported to face Ironwood and the bulk of his army, to say nothing of the people who actually knew how to use the relic…

"When we can use this relic we can ask any question and have it answered," Salem dismissively replied. "As for the Maiden…" Her gaze shifted from the lamp to Neo. "...we have one of our own now."

Neo betrayed only curiosity. Salem didn't yet know whom had become the Winter Maiden, and Neo had yet to volunteer the information… but she needed the Winter Maiden for the relic in Atlas, so why would she wait? Why wouldn't she focus on that?

What burning question was so important?

And what happened to Oscar when Salem realized she couldn't ask it?

Salem turned her eye back to Hazel. "I trust young Oscar still refuses to cooperate?" Hazel nodded. "Very well. Then let him recuperate a while, and I will decide how to proceed with him."

"As you wish," Hazel affirmed.

"Neo," Salem turned her attention back to her newest recruit. "I don't suppose that ship you brought me belongs to General Ironwood?"

Neo nodded, trying to fight off her apprehension. She suspected Salem was going to put it to use… and leave Neo essentially stranded aboard a giant Grimm. So much for her escape plan…

"Well, Atlas sent us a negotiator," Salem noted. "We should send one back." She turned her eye to the floating jellyfish Grimm, still lingering beside Emerald and Mercury.

"You're going to negotiate with Ironwood?" Mercury wondered, clearly confused.

"No," Salem shook her head. "I'm going to offer the olive branch… while you two cut his throat."

"We're setting down now," Clover called from the cockpit. "You three fan out and wave the crowd inside. Do not go more than twenty meters outside the designated evac site unless you can visually confirm the presence of Grimm or any other violent instigators. Clear?"

"Clear," Jaune nodded. "Nora, Ren, the south side work for you?"

"No problem," Ren agreed. Nora merely nodded. Jaune went to ask, but was quickly dissuaded by a very subtle shaking of Ren's head.

She needed the distraction. She needed to go out and help someone. She needed her team not to worry about her, even when she was giving them reason to.

She was uncharacteristically silent all throughout. She didn't speak once, only waving her arm to usher the scattered Mantle citizens along to the transport. Entirely focused on her task to the point of monotonous.

"Where's the military?" one middle-aged woman inquired. "Why haven't they started attacking the Grimm?"

"We have an opportunity to get everyone to safety, ma'am," Ren answered diplomatically. "Please move along."

Nora just continued to wave her hand. The woman, however, seemed more interested in accosting Ren than proceeding with the evacuation. "What is that supposed to mean? Where's your commanding officer?"

"Busy at the moment," Ren replied, his tone still even. "Everyone's doing their best to keep the situation under control, but I'm sure you understand the need to-"

"Doing their best?!" the woman asked, incredulous, "There's a monster floating over the city and all the ships that are supposed to protect us are just sitting there! What is General Ironwood waiting for?"

"I'm sure he has strategic reasoning for-"

"Don't give me that!" the woman snapped. "When will you do your jobs and defend the kingdom?!"

Nora reached over and firmly took hold of the woman's shoulders. Before she had a chance to ask who'd accosted her, Nora shoved her hard into the queue, joining the others to evacuate. When the middle-aged lady turned to find who'd laid hands on her, Nora's glare was fiercer than she'd dare to challenge.

Ren tried to be a little more cordial with the others in line, now quite wary of their supposed escort. "Yes, please, move along…"

Nora resumed her gentle wave to the crowd. No one seemed willing to raise any further objections, at least out loud.

"She didn't know," Ren tried to reassure Nora. "None of them do."

Nora shook her head. She knew he was right, but now wasn't the time for her to hear it.

Ren didn't press her. He'd raised the issue, and left it at that. Nora letting her emotions get the better of her was nothing new.

But the already potent negativity permeating the crowd spread faster now. If Ren could sense it, so too could the Grimm over their heads. Eventually some of their number might break from Salem's regiment and pursue such a bountiful feast.

He kept urging the citizens to move along. And to move a little more quickly.

Oscar dredged himself up from the floor, coughing, struggling for an even breath. Hazel's latest series of percussive maintenance had caused some internal bleeding… he was spitting up more than a little red, and his Aura wasn't working quite fast enough to patch things up.

The pain he could handle, however. What Salem had promised…

You cannot dwell on this now, Oscar. What's done is done.

"It's my fault," Oscar muttered, another bloody cough following his lament.

They chose to take up this fight long before you did. They knew the dangers that awaited them.

"That's not what I mean," Oscar growled. "I…"

The pain of his wounds was nothing compared to what welled in his soul… and only his soul. He'd finally received the proof he and Ozpin remained separate -at least for the moment- only to learn…

"I did this to them," Oscar acknowledged. "If I hadn't… if I'd never-"

Yang asked him why. Oscar suggested she ask instead… why not?

At his nadir, he'd briefly come to believe -and made Blake believe- that nothing mattered and there'd be no consequences for their bad choices.

When Nora took him in he saw in her fondness for him opportunity, and when unable to control his powers willingly let them run rampant and sway her affection.

Now Neo had placed her trust in him, and he'd given Salem the means of uncovering her deception.

Her beast may not succeed, Oscar. She may underestimate them, just as she has many other Huntresses before them.

"...you don't believe that," Oscar replied.

He knew. He knew what Ozpin actually thought was about to happen.

Salem ordered them brought here alive. If we can succeed in driving a wedge here among her allies, perhaps we can surround her with more enemies than she realizes.

"Then what?" Oscar bitterly asked. "Then what do we do? You know what I came here to do, Oz. If… if Neo wasn't here, I'd have already-"

I know, Ozpin admitted. I know.

Oscar turned to the Long Memory. The gears were still turning, drawing just that little bit more energy for when… when he knew he'd have to stop the clock.

Then we need another solution.

"Like your plan to turn Salem's friends against her?" Oscar suggested. "How's that going so far?"

Ozpin did not answer. Oscar didn't press the matter… he just leaned down against the wall, waiting for his Aura to patch up Hazel's array of gifts.

Oscar… why did you come here if not to protect them? Did you not think Salem would realize why they mattered so much to you?

"...did she ever recognize it with you?" Oscar asked. "Did she know about Raven, or any of the others?"

She suspected. She always suspected.

"Maybe that's why I came here," Oscar suggested. "Because maybe she still feels more than she's letting on."

And do you really believe that?

"I believe I saw something when I told her about the lamp," Oscar replied. "She said it's been a long time since you two talked. Did you ever try doing that? After- after that night, I meant."

I did not. I spent a lot of time trying to forget before realizing I could not. Then I spent my time just… reminding myself, instead.

"... did you ever wonder if she tried to do the same?"

Ozpin fell silent in Oscar's mind. A very different sound caught his ear instead, as footsteps clattered in the hall… heeled shoes.

"Neo?" he murmured under his breath.

The red membrane of the wall slid open. A very different woman stepped inside… he'd seen her a few hours beforehand, but the two hadn't spoken since fighting on opposite sides at Haven…

"You," Emerald leveled her finger at him.

"Hello, Emerald," Oscar greeted.

For a long moment, silence. Emerald continued to point at him, and Oscar waited for her to act.

That was, until he noticed Emerald was standing very still… so still she wasn't blinking.

Oscar felt cold steel press against his neck. He glanced to his right and saw the curved blade of Emerald's sickle.

"There's something I want to know," Emerald's voice informed him… from somewhere outside his peripheral vision, and very much not the static, finger pointing illusion in front of his eyes. "And you're going to tell me. You're going to tell me everything."

He didn't think Salem would allow Emerald to kill him. Salem probably didn't know she'd made this little visit.

"...sure," Oscar mumbled his agreement.

"I want to know what happened to Cinder," Emerald pressed. "Every detail you know… and if you don't, I swear I'll do it."

She'd lost the source of her devotion, and now faced little choice but to follow the orders of someone far worse. Oscar believed she'd defy Salem, even knowing the consequence of it.

You see, Oscar? Ozpin smugly inquired. We can still divide from within.

Fiona and Joanna waved out the small group of Mantle citizens hiding in the campaign headquarters. Robyn herself seemed insistent in being the last one out of the building, and May just seemed to be in a foul mood, though she hadn't offered a reason as to why.

Still, the people were boarding the transport, albeit slowly. Blake and Yang stepped out from Robyn's venue into the streets of Mantle, barely illuminated by a pair of distant, still functional streetlights… and omnipresent dark clouds over their heads.

Yang was keeping track of the crowd for a rough headcount. Blake scoured the streets for any sign of stragglers, or-

She saw something lumbering in the darkness between the lampposts. Marching on all fours, never making a sound with its steps.

Only one Grimm, but a sneakier one than most. Blake nudged Yang and mouthed the word to her.

Yang nodded and activated her gauntlet, stepping towards the approaching foe. The Grimm actually paused upon Yang's motion, watching them from somewhere in the blackness.

"What's it waiting for?" Yang wondered.

"...maybe it's smart enough not to pick a fight," Blake optimistically suggested.

Her optimism quickly vanished when the Grimm drew closer, its features becoming more visible. The pleated white bone covering its face almost like a mask, red lines across its skull, but no visible eyes…

"I've… never seen one like that before," Yang noted.

"Me neither," Blake acknowledged.

The Grimm lumbered closer, but still kept its distance. It sniffed the air, waving its skull face between either of them.

"Still, it's just one," Yang added, moving closer, raising her left arm and readying Ember Celica.

The Grimm sniffed the air again. It focused its attention on the human woman approaching it.

It had her scent. The creature reared onto its hind legs, starting to… twist, violently contort before them, as its front legs splayed out each toe, elongating stubby digits into long, powerful claws.

"Yang…" Blake muttered. "...I think this one might be trouble."

The Grimm sniffed the air again, turning its attention to the Faunus woman. The scent was upon her too.

The beast growled and slowly ambled forward.

Yang held her ground. She leveled her gauntlet. She'd learned not to charge in, but she wasn't going to retreat either.

When the Grimm drew closer, she leveled her gauntlet. She discharged a shot.

The Grimm ducked under her concussion round. It moved swiftly along the street -even crouched- and raced towards Yang with its claws outstretched.

"Yang!" Blake called.

Yang fired again. The Grimm raised its left hand to take the impact, closing its claws around the burst and minimizing the impact of her shot. Before Yang had a chance to fire again, the Grimm used its right hand to take hold of her left wrist and drive her arm to the ground, Yang toppling over, pulled down by the beast's sheer force.

Blake rushed to her partner's side. The Grimm closed its left fist, its arm contorting again, the damaged fingers retracting into its flesh while the unaffected ones extended longer, splaying out further…

The Hound's prey rushed right to it. Now came the second task of its master's order.

Now came time to break them.