"And how, I ask you, is Ozpin running his school? First the meltdown of one his students, now this? Even rewarding the assault of one of his own teams by granting the girl responsible admission. Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and discipline, yet I have witnessed neither."

Deirean wrenched the strange-looking bracer from the dead man's arm, uncaring of the damage he caused to the already mangled corpse. The armor worn by these havneel soldiers would have been ill-fitting had he not been emaciated from his months in the havashah but, until he fully recovered, it would be… adequate. While it had not served the dead men well against his attack, he was still vulnerable to their projectile weapons, much more advanced than they had been in his time.

He had come across the two men on the outskirts of the forest, standing between it and the city, as though they might singlehandedly protect the havneel living in the buildings of stone and metal from the pech ter'al. They were watching some sort of transmission, he assumed, on a strange metal and glass device. As with much he had seen in his few short days on the surface, the technology was far beyond his understanding, and yet it had been a simple matter to come up behind the first soldier and tear his throat out, causing him and his device to drop to the ground. The other man had, impressively for a havneel, managed to bring his weapon up and strike him with two bullets in the leg, though they had done little to slow the rephaite down. It did earn the man a swift death however, his neck snapped before he could finish bringing his rifle up.

"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves."

Continuing to strip the two soldiers of their gear, Deirean scowled at the device lying in the grass. He recognized this havneel's voice, the same one that had tried to manipulate him to her thrall. She spun her words with great care, and he could feel the effects they were having on the other havneel in the city and in the large, floating rock over their "academy." True to her word, she was attempting to strike a blow against her own kind, to use the pech ter'al's baser instincts against them. Already he could hear them storming toward him through the trees.

Securing the final piece of armor on his arm, he turned to face the forest as the first pech ter'al came storming out of the mist. It was of the same variety he had encountered near the stream, wolf-like in its appearance and yet still so much like its ancestors in its build and gait. It slowed to a halt upon seeing him, even as more of its kind followed it out from between the trees. They slowed as well, eyeing him with blood-red curiosity as the first one bared its teeth in a snarl.

Deirean returned the expression, letting loose a guttural roar that cut through the air and drove the pech ter'al back a step. He was not certain they would still have the capacity to recognize and submit to his will but, as he grit his teeth, the beasts before him tilted their heads to the side, exposing their throats. "Leave!" he barked, gesturing his arm out toward the forest from which they came. As one, they turned and sped back into the trees, vanishing back into the mist.

"As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is… equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can—"

The havneel device shattered under Deirean's booted heel, silencing Decay's words. This woman had dared to think herself above him—both as an individual and as a species—and attempted to use his power for her own goals. Now, she was attempting to use the pech ter'al in his stead. A low growl escaped his throat. He could only hope that his command would spread far enough to save some of them. The pech ter'al would not be used. Not again.

This woman—this witch—would die tonight.

(- -)

Ilex looked up in horror at the enormous Nevermore that had perched atop the shield over the colosseum. What… What is happening?! All around him, spectators fled the arena, screaming, but he was frozen in place. The Atlesian girl getting torn apart by her own weapons only to be revealed as a robot of some kind, that woman's speech about the Headmasters and Kingdoms, and now Grimm?!

By some force of will, he was able to tear his eyes away from the beast above him to look at the people left around him. There were still a number of students—less than two dozen, at most—around the lower edge of the arena, almost all of whom were standing. Among his own team, Rhys was gaping up at the Nevermore, hands shaking, while Carmine was staring out at the arena where Pyrrha had collapsed to her knees before the remains of the robot girl.

Out of everyone, Aspen seemed to be the only one not caught up in the horror of the moment, but actually looked to be in pain. She clutched her seat's armrests dangerously tight, knuckles white, her eyes screwed shut and jaw clenched. She looked like an overwound spring, ready to explode at any moment. Tentatively reaching out, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Aspen, are you alright?"

One of the armrests snapped, and the girl rose suddenly, a scream tearing its way from her throat. It was not a scream of fear, however, like the ones of the civilians afraid for their lives. It was a scream of the sort he'd heard only once before and that he'd never wanted to hear again. It was the type of scream brought to existence by pain so intense that one would give anything to make it stop, the type that has the power to share that pain with those that hear it.

Ilex stumbled backward as he looked at Aspen, eyes wide at the ferocious look in hers, directed up at the Nevermore. The colosseum seemed silent in the moments following her scream, and it wasn't until Aspen growled that he realized there was, in fact, no other sound to be heard nearby, not even the Nevermore.

"Ventar."

The word rung in the air, a tone that Ilex recognized as sound but could not name. Some instinct drove him to look up at the Nevermore, only to see it was looking back at him. No, not him: Aspen. It cocked its head as if in curiosity before letting out an air-shattering screech. Ilex winced, ears pressed flat down against his head. Even Carmine reached up to cover his, but Aspen wasn't fazed. By the time he stood up again, the Nevermore was just…gone.

Shakily, Ilex turned toward the girl beside him. "Aspen, what was that?" he asked breathlessly. She ignored him, stepping forward with a look akin to barely contained rage. Not breaking stride, she swung herself over the wall to drop the twenty-odd feet into the arena. Carmine turned his head back toward him to give him a sharp look before he, too, went over the edge, though Ilex wasn't sure where his partner had pulled that knife from. "Carmine!"

The teen made to follow as well, but hesitated at the wall. It wasn't that far of a drop, but there was no need to make if he didn't have to, right? Down below, Aspen was moving with purposeful strides, Carmine shadowing her as she moved toward the center of the arena—towards Pyrrha. Ilex glanced around nervously at the other students. Most were looking at the scene unfolding with the same uncertainty he felt but, across the arena, he could see what appeared to be Pyrrha's partner, Jaune, running toward her as well. Ah, hell.

Ilex hit the ground with a dull thud, dropping briefly to one knee to avoid falling over completely. As he straightened up, Rhys dropped beside him with a somehow-heavier thump. In fact, all around the arena, the other students were climbing over the wall as well. Shi-i-it. Ilex began running after his teammates, but he could tell he wouldn't make it in time.

As Aspen walked past Penny's… remains, she plucked one of the girl's swords from where it had landed, point-first, and gave it a twirl to remove the piece of cloth stuck on its tip. Meanwhile, Jaune had reached Pyrrha and was crouched beside her with a hand on her shoulder. On Aspen's continued approach, however, he stood and moved defensively in front of his partner. "Hey, back off—"

The words had barely left his mouth when Aspen placed her hand on his chest and shoved him aside. He managed to keep his footing and, for a moment, it seemed as though he was going to attempt to tackle her until she leveled the tip of her sword to his throat. It was impossible for Ilex to tell for sure from where he was, but she didn't even appear to look at the blond. She just stared down at Pyrrha, who looked dully up at the blade.

"Aspen, don't!" Ilex turned his head toward the source of the voice as he came to a stop next to Carmine a few feet away from Aspen. Ruby was sprinting towards them, arm outstretched as if to physically restrain the other girl. She came to a stop on the other side of the circle beginning to form. "It's not her fault! She didn't know!"

No one moved, only the faint sound of screams and sirens in the distance and the scattered murmurs of the gathered students filling the air. Ilex's mind latched onto Ruby's words in the pause. She… she knew Penny was a robot? Knowing Pyrrha's Semblance, he could understand why she'd suddenly left before the match had—

"Get up." Aspen's voice filled the air, silencing all others. There was force behind her words, an emotionless order directed at the girl on the ground before her. Pyrrha turned her eyes from the sword to its wielder, though her expression was no less vacant. The black-haired girl repeated herself with a growl. "Get. Up."

"Aspen," Ilex said cautiously, lifting his hand uncertainly, though he had no idea what he would do if she attacked.

Shakily, Pyrrha rose to her feet, and Aspen lowered her sword. The tension in the air eased somewhat, but all eyes were still fixed on the girl in black. Her free hand opened and closed several times, the tendons in her fingers tight and showing through her skin, and there was a slight hunch in her posture. After several seconds, she seemed to relax and straightened up. "We are to be Huntresses," she said, voice hard and still clearly directed at Pyrrha. "We are supposed to protect people."

Tears visibly welled in Pyrrha's eyes at what certainly sound like an accusation. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly, on the edge of breaking. "I didn't—"

"I don't care," Aspen growled, cutting the other girl off. Jaune took a step forward, but Aspen turned her head toward him and stopped him in his tracks, giving Ilex a better look at her face in the process. Her red eyes were sharp with anger, but there was something twisted in her expression, something at odds with the image of righteous fury she seemed to be conveying. "There are Grimm in the colosseum, and while you stand here in your fear and guilt and self-loathing…" She paused unexpectedly, closing her eyes and shuddering. "… people are dying." Her focus turned back to Pyrrha as she gave her another order. "Pick up your weapons and protect them."

Amazingly, Aspen's words seemed to be the kick everyone needed to get into action. Offering her quiet words of encouragement, Jaune helped Pyrrha recover her weapons while most everyone else pulled out their scrolls to summon their lockers, service apparently having returned—assuming they'd lost it like he and Aspen had. And Aspen…

She turned to look at him, Carmine, and a surprisingly still Rhys. Her gaze flicked down to the white-haired teen's hands, then to his partner's. "You are armed."

It wasn't a question, but Ilex nodded anyway. "Yeah." He glanced over at Carmine, nudging him with his elbow. "He'll still probably want to get his stuff, but I'm good," he said, with a roll of his shoulders. He didn't feel half as confident as he wanted to make himself look, however. People were actually in trouble and could die if he screwed up. As much as this could be the very thing he was looking for, he didn't think he could have it on his conscience, meaning he had to suck it up and… fight some Grimm. That wouldn't be too hard, right?

Aspen nodded. "That's—"

She shuddered again, and this time Ilex could see the pained expression on her face as she almost seemed to crumple in on herself. It wasn't a physical pain, but the same kind of pain he'd felt in her scream earlier and, he realized, what he'd seen in her eyes not moments ago. What… What was going on with this girl?

She drew a sharp breath as she straightened again. "We need to go," she said to him, signing something completely different to Rhys with her free hand. The younger teen seemed to come alive at being addressed and began digging into his robes for his scroll while Carmine reluctantly did the same.

Ilex smiled and gestured toward the exit to the arena. "I'm right behind you," he said to Aspen, and was a little surprised to realize he was genuinely willing to follow her into battle. It was a disconcerting feeling, given their brief history of interaction, but he couldn't deny that her little speech had been compelling. Despite his years of practice, his smile faltered.

Aspen stared at him a moment, as if studying him, before turning and walking toward the exit. It wasn't the first time she'd done that, and Ilex was starting to wonder if she was looking for something in particular. If that were the case, well… It couldn't hurt to find out for himself. Readying Miss Jwai and Miss Cuerta, he followed after the girl.

(- -)

The air was filled with the screams of terrified civilians, the roars of angry Grimm, the staccato of carefully controlled gunfire, and the hum of bullheads and air-buses-turned-evacuation-shuttles, and that was just the situation within the colosseum. There had been reports that the White Fang were releasing Grimm into the school as well, and whoever had hacked into the CCT—undoubtedly responsible for destroying Penny as well—had only incited more panic. To make matters worse, the warship carrying Roman Torchwick had gone dark and fired on the other two, leaving little doubt as to who was responsible. At the very least, Grimm activity in the city was limited and quickly being dealt with. Still, it was very near a worst-case scenario. Fortunately for Vale, Atlas was prepared.

General Ironwood watched in silence as his soldiers escorted the civilians onto the evacuation shuttles and dealt with the Grimm as they were released. Even amidst the chaos, they operated efficiently and effectively, and he expected no less from them. Assuming the White Fang didn't have more surprises, it wouldn't be long before they secured the colosseum. From there, he would have to take a squad of Knights to retake his ship while his men evacuated and, if possible, secured Be—

Ironwood's focus was diverted as a large Beowolf, easily twelve feet tall, pounced on a Knight further down the concourse and tore it apart. Another nearby android opened fire, but the Grimm merely roared in annoyance, lifted the Knight up with ease and ripped it in half. As it dropped the twisted pieces of metal, it turned its head toward the general, ears perked up. Ironwood narrowed his eyes as he met the beast's gaze. Given its size, the amount of bony plates and spikes protruding through its black fur, and its apparent capacity for intelligence, it was almost certainly an Alpha. As much as he disliked to admit it, his troops didn't have the firepower to deal with it without preventing civilian casualties, which meant he would have to deal with it personally.

As he took a few slow steps forward, the Alpha dropped to all fours and began loping toward him. He increased his pace, moving into a jog and then a sprint, and the Beowolf was quickly approaching its own top speed. It wasn't often that the general engaged in combat anymore, and something primal within him pushed a roar from his lungs, but it died in his throat as a shadowy blur intercepted the Beowolf mid-stride, knocking it aside like a bullet.

Ironwood slid to a stop, hand slipping into his jacket to draw his revolver from its holster. He turned to see a black-haired girl standing over the stunned Beowolf. It took him a moment to recognize her as the girl Ozpin had rashly accepted into his school despite her near-criminal actions against Team RWBY. It only alarmed him further, then, when she pulled one of Penny's swords out of the Alpha's chest.

The girl—Aspen—made to stab the Beowolf again, but the beast swatted her aside with one of its long arms and clambered back to its feet. Aspen tumbled across the floor, but managed to right herself, so she came back to her feet, sword still in hand. From the way she struggled to move her arm, however, it appeared to have broken when the Grimm struck her. He'd seen the footage of her fight with Team RWBY, and whether she had a weak defensive Aura as Ozpin had suggested or no Aura at all as was the rumor among some of his men, she was clearly at adisadvantage in this situation.

Despite this, the Beowolf stood still, looking at the girl with what almost seemed to be confusion. Ironwood lifted his revolver to kill it, but the two suddenly surged toward one another, Aspen having switched the sword to her left hand. The Beowolf came to an anticipatory stop, swinging its arm toward the girl. Ironwood was certain she would be crushed with no time for him to intervene, but Aspen continued to surprise him. As the Alpha's claws came down, she leapt with a raw yell, spinning counter-clockwise as she went. In a single stroke, she severed the Grimm's hand and head, leaving both to fall bloodlessly to the ground.

An unexpected feeling of dread crept down Ironwood's spine as the girl's eyes fluttered closed and her head rolled back shakily. An eerie smile, like one of delight, spread across her face as she stood in place, the smoke from the Grimm filling the air around her. Another teen, a white-haired faunus, ran by, though he slowed as he approached Aspen, asking if she was alright. Whether or not she heard him was unclear as she switched her acquired sword back to her right arm before grabbing the loose limb and jerking part of it back into place, eliciting a wince from both her and the other teen, whom Ironwood assumed to be her teammate. Narrowing his eyes, the general lifted his revolver and pointed it at the girl. "Miss Gray, drop the sword and stand down."

Aspen was a part of this. The woman who had hijacked the comm system had practically confirmed it. Her speech had been rehearsed, designed to sow panic and distrust amongst the populace. It was clear now that she had somehow manipulated both this fight and last night's to the same end, and it only made sense that Aspen's sudden appearance earlier that week had been her work as well.

Crimson eyes turned to settle on him, chilling ecstasy fading to cold hardness. Her jaw moved in a slow circle before settling into a taut scowl. "No."

Figures she would be the stubborn type. Ironwood drew the hammer back with his thumb before realigning his aim. "I won't ask again." It wouldn't be pretty if he had to shoot her, but if that was what it took to protect the civilians still in the colosseum, so be it. The girl bared her teeth in a snarl, and his finger danced on the trigger.

"I…" The white-haired teen looked between the two of them, side-stepping nervously away from Aspen and toward the general. "What's going on? What did she do?"

Ironwood kept his sights on the girl, refusing to relax his trigger-finger. "I have reason to believe that she is working with the people behind this attack. Her appearance this week is too coincidental and—from what little Ozpin has deigned to tell me—she's caused nothing but trouble since."

Aspen's eyes narrowed, but the boy looked at him with incredulity. "She has nothing to do with this!" he exclaimed. He stepped between them, only to realize that the general's gun was now pointed at him. Despite this, he held his position. "She's been with us all evening! Hell, she was trying to call you before that robot of yours…" He trailed off, coughing self-consciously into one hand. "She tried to call you, but our scrolls weren't working for some reason. Besides, I don't really think you can afford to arrest someone willing and able to fight off the Grimm right now."

Ironwood frowned as he considered the teen's argument. While her inaction tonight did not necessarily absolve her of the role she might've played in the larger plot, the boy made a strong case. Ozpin had informed him that he had convinced Aspen to attend and alert him should she sense anything unusual, and she had apparently attempted to do just that. On top of that, she had decapitated an Alpha Beowolf despite a broken arm. Relenting, he removed his finger from the trigger and brought the revolver down to his side before turning his gaze toward the boy. "You're a Jae, correct? That would make you… Ilex?"

If the teen was surprised at being identified, he hid it well, straightening up and squaring his shoulders toward the general. "Yes, sir, I am," he answered calmly, though there was a hint of worry in his eye.

Ironwood briefly looked him over. There was a bit of dirt on one of his knees, but his outfit was otherwise spotless, as one would expect of someone from his family. He didn't look particularly strong-willed now, but there was potential there; few people had the fortitude to willingly put themselves in front of a gun, even on behalf of someone else. "You're not quite what I expected," he said, leaving the boy to wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing as he moved to speak with Aspen. "If you were trying to contact me, I take it you sensed something?"

The girl's anger seemed to fade as she looked away, her eyes darting back and forth as she recalled her memory. "That girl, Penny. Her Aura… It wasn't right. It didn't feel natural." Crimson orbs came back up to look at him, emotionless. "That was what I wanted to tell you."

Ironwood frowned and crossed his arms as he began to explain. "Penny is…" He paused, less concerned with the tense he referred to her with than confessing to her true nature. While he had already been outed by the woman on the broadcast system, it still didn't seem prudent to discuss military projects with two students, and certainly not this particular pair. "Penny was a trustworthy student," he finally said. "While I can understand your reaction to sensing her Aura, she wasn't what you were asked to look out for. Did you sense anything else?"

Aspen's brow furrowed, and she looked to the side again. "The copper one, Pyrrha, was… afraid before they started fighting, but she did not do this intentionally."

"I didn't think she had," Ironwood said, uncrossing his arms. He had no doubt that the girl's uncertainty had been due to the… unpleasant situation he and Ozpin had been forced to put her in, and their enemies—whether intentionally or not—had taken advantage of her emotional state. It wasn't particularly helpful information, however. "Is that all? Did you sense anything to indicate who was behind this?" he asked, feeling annoyed despite himself. There were other matters to attend to, and he didn't like the idea that this girl was wasting his time while there were lives at stake.

The girl's expression quickly shifted from distant thought to a scowl directed toward him. The general wasn't entirely clear on how her ability worked, but he suspected she had sensed his annoyance, a suspicion that was confirmed as she spoke. "Finding one person among so many others is difficult even when I know what I'm looking for," she growled. "To try and find something I don't know is…"

"Like a needle in a haystack?" Ilex suggested from behind the general, though he shrunk back a step when Ironwood turned his gaze on him.

"Yes," Aspen said, sounding almost surprised. When Ironwood turned back to her, however, she still had the same look of frustration on her face. "Like that, but every piece of hay looks different and feels like a needle. Perhaps I could have burned the hay—"

Ironwood held up a hand, silencing the girl. The thought of her carving through helpless civilians came all too easily, even without her metaphor. "No, you did the right thing, and I suppose you did as you were asked, as well." He fixed her with a hard look. "That said, we're going to have a talk with Ozpin once this is all over." The girl narrowed her eyes, but did not respond beyond a curl of her lip.

Looking around the concourse, it appeared that most, if not all, of the Grimm had been dealt with, and evacuation was nearly complete. Still, Ironwood kept his revolver ready as he made his way toward a waiting transport. A large group of teenagers rushed out of the colosseum across from the ship, several of the ones in the lead looking around as they slowed. On seeing him, they changed direction and moved to meet him. "What's going on?" the girl in the front —Ruby Rose—asked.

Ironwood continued walking, forcing the students to reverse course to follow. He briefly considered telling them not to worry, but opted against doing so. They deserved the truth. "The White Fang has invaded Beacon with captured Grimm and, while we're lucky they've ignored the city for now, there are more Grimm on the way. On top of that, some—" —bastard— "—vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control, so I'm going to take it back."

"What should we do?" one of the students asked, a blonde boy in a hoodie and armor.

Ironwood stopped in front of the gangplank, turning to address the students. Most of them were worried and, despite the evening's events, were looking to him for guidance. This was a situation unlike any they had encountered, and it was natural for them to be afraid. "You have two choices: Defend your Kingdom and your school... or save yourselves." The students looked around at one another hesitantly, and a feeling of displeasure settled in the general's stomach. "No one will fault you if you—"

"Look out!"

The collective shout caused the general to whirl around, revolver in hand to deal with the threat the students had called out, only to see the half-dozen Knights that had been in the transport pointing their weapons at him. A barrage of gunfire cut the androids down before they had a chance to shoot, the red lights on their chassis fading into darkness. Knights aren't supposed to be red. Ironwood's frustration grew as he turned his gaze toward the single remaining warship. "They've been hacked," he said quietly, feeling disgust not only toward Torchwick, but himself. He'd been used, and now his Knights had been turned into their tools.

Turning back to the students, some of whom had yet to lower their weapons, he addressed them one last time. "I'll do what I can to retake control, but it appears as though those of you who choose to fight will be facing some of my soldiers as well." He paused, meeting several of their gazes. This particular development didn't seem to have done much to relieve their worries. "I am sorry." Waving over a group of soldiers helping the last few civilians onto a shuttle, he turned and made his way onto the ship to begin preparations for takeoff. If so much as one of those students was injured by his mechs, he would bring hell down upon the man responsible.

In fact, he might just do that anyway.

(- -)

As the general walked onto the ship and the soldiers rushed over to board it as well, Ruby couldn't shake the knot in her stomach. She heard Sun and Jaune talking about taking a ship to Beacon and felt herself running along with them, but she was just moving on autopilot. This whole situation just didn't feel right to her and, as she slowed to a stop to look back at the transport ship taking off and heading toward the warship with a dozen other craft, everything seemed to come into place.

This is what it had felt like when her mom had left that day, on what would be her last mission. She had been young, too young to remember it well, but she'd replayed her own version of those events countless times since then. Watching the transport shrink into the distance, she couldn't help but feel like she should have gone with them. She could have helped them, helped stop Torchwick. General Ironwood hadn't said his name, but she knew it had to be him, and she had experience fighting him. More than anyone! At least, RWBY combined did. Still, that had to have counted for something.

"You can't fight every fight." Ruby jumped at the voice, not having noticed the girl standing beside her. She looked up to see Aspen looking down at her, still holding on to Penny's sword. "You're not strong enough to do that. I am not strong enough. They will fight their fight, and we will fight ours."

Ruby let the words soak into her. They were blunt but, with her limited experience with the other girl, they didn't surprise her. Aspen hadn't quite alleviated her worries, but it still felt as though she had somehow read her mind and attempted to speak directly to her inner thoughts. A wry smile spread across Ruby's face as she nodded at the older girl. "Right."

"Now move!"

"R-right!"


VentarVentarVentar… I just get giddy writing that word.

So, I've got a bit of a thing to talk about here, obviously, but there's a little background beforehand. Way back in January of last year, I was talking with Recycler—who I've mentioned before was the person who got me to write this story—and I brought up something that Aspen could do that she didn't know about at the time. Trying to be coy about it, I said that it was something that would affect the Grimm attack. Then, with the Mother of all Hammers, Recycler hit the nail square on: "She can control Grimm, can't she?"

Not wanting to give it away, I neither confirmed nor denied such an ability, raising a question that I can't really repeat right now (sorry). A few months later, he asked again, to which I replied, "You were pretty close the last time you guessed… I have a feeling that once it's revealed, you might argue with me about my definition of 'pretty close.' "

So, yes, Recycler. Aspen (and Deirean) can control Grimm. Sort of. It's more that they are exerting their wills over them, but it's not a sure thing. I've been seeding this idea ever since Aspen encountered her first Beowolves. Since she doesn't have an Aura they can sense, they were confused by her presence, then followed it with a challenging snarl. She didn't respond in kind, so they attacked. This time, things were a little different.

But, that's just one part of this chapter. Hopefully, I didn't brush over Penny's death too much. It's an important moment in the show but here, Aspen taking charge was more important. In fact, that was a bit of a running theme in this chapter, particularly in the last scene, which wasn't planned until I was nearly finished with the one before it.

Honestly, I wasn't sure the Ironwood scene would work out. I've had trouble in the past writing certain characters such as Cinder and Qrow, and I thought for sure Ironwood would be joining them, but no. That scene was surprisingly easy to get through, save for a couple of moments.

Alright, that's all for now. Hope you guys are continuing to enjoy, and I hope I don't disappoint in the future! Au revoir!