Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Edited by ToxicExotic

Loyalty

Of all the places Emerald had been in her life, none of them were worse than the vehicle Salem had used to get them to Atlas. Built into the hollowed out innards of a flying Grimm whale, it was almost impossible to escape the smell of rotting flesh and ash. The fleshy walls were pitch black, and bits of white bone jutted out at odd angles where Salem had blown it apart. Every now and again, black goo would dribble down, pooling on the floor until it was large enough to form into a Beowolf or some other manner of monstrosity.

Worst of all however was the constant feeling of being watched. With every breath she took, the red veins that snaked the way along the wall pulsed, and every slight movement would cause them to glow brighter. Whether it was coincidence, or whether it was sending information to the ancient witch, Emerald didn't know; all she knew was that it made it impossible to relax. She wanted to get off, to go back down to the city where she could at least get some fresh air, but unless Salem approved it, there was no way she would be allowed.

Unfortunately, with Cinder and Mercury both being summoned to Salem's side, there was nothing for her to do. So wanting to at least escape as much of the smell as she could, she pushed herself off of her bed. Leaving her gruesome room behind, she swiftly made her way towards the landing bay for some fresh air. As she walked along a hallway crafted on top of one of the flying whale's rib bones, her mind turned back to her past; to the cold streets and alleyways of Argus.

She still remembered them well. Like a map etched into her brain, she could still trace the route in her head. The first stop was always between Hurb's and Rerun, the open window of the first usually allowing her to grab a bagel or half-made sandwich without anyone noticing. Depending on the day, she would sneak through the back gate of Rerun and up the ladder, slipping into the building through the roof to watch a film.

Fumbles Alley would always be her second stop. Located in the middle of the city center, it was always filled with small goodies to be pilfered. Wallets that had been thrown away by accident, half eaten lunches, there was almost always something worth her while that could fill her stomach or her pockets. And on the rare days that there wasn't, there were plenty of unsuspecting pockets nearby to pick.

In the afternoon, nowhere beat Killion's Kantina. The best spanakopita in all of Argus, and always filled to the brim with the most interesting customers. Hunters from all over the world sharing stories, businessmen and women winding down after a long day, families and friends, and so many more. Sitting outside and listening to them talk had always been the best part of her day, but she never dared go inside, preferring instead to pay a passing waiter with what little she had made during the day to get her some food.

Nighttime always arrived though, and no alleyway could protect her from the cold Atlas winds it brought with it. Floors Galore's alley was the best bet due to the scraps of carpet that littered it, but unless she wanted to fight off Earl Grey and his goons, it was rarely an option. On most occasions, she'd made do with whatever alleyway protected the best against the winds, even if it meant sleeping beneath a small hovel made of cardboard and garbage.

But not long after her fourteenth birthday, her semblance had finally unlocked. An unfortunately attentive businessman had caught her picking his pocket and chased her, shouting and screaming, down an alleyway. She remembered being terrified of him, cowering against a wall and trying her best to give his wallet back. But just as she reached out to take it, their eyes had met and she suddenly felt connected to him. The next thing she knew, he was the one cowering in fear, backing away from some invisible monster.

She still had no idea what she had shown the man, but that day had made her life a lot easier. With Atlas' military base just off the coast and Argus being a hotspot for Huntsman passing through, she was always careful not to overextend for fear of being caught, but being able to use her semblance to scare away Earl and his goons was always fun. She would even use it to steal more expensive things from stores right under the owners noses, and use the money she got by selling them to rent the occasional motel room on the colder nights, and a couple of guns for protection.

Unfortunately, that life didn't last long. After little more than a year, more and more stores began to take notice of their missing items so more and more Hunters were hired to protect them; and though she had gotten better with her semblance, she still struggled to apply it to a wary mind, and never to more than one person at a time. For a while, she laid low and stayed away from those shops, but the money she'd put aside was quickly drained. Left with no money once again and tired of her position in life, she had finally decided enough was enough.

Eurypha was her target. Proudly proclaiming themselves the jewelers of the wealthy, she knew that a single earring from there could easily net her enough money to get off the streets. Two could have her living easy for months. And a ring? Well that would be a jackpot. Almost an entire month she had spent watching the place, taking note of the workers, their shifts, and when they went on break. She learned when they were busy and when they were empty, and which of the staff were the friendliest, until finally a plan was formed.

As it always did though, the plan went wrong. Just as she had finished tricking her mark and was leaving the store, the manager came out from the back and caught her holding the ring. Almost immediately Emerald had tried to change what she saw with her semblance, but instead the pain of reaching into a second mind caused her illusion on her mark to break. Before the shouts for her to be stopped could reach her ears, she had already taken off towards a nearby alleyway. And that was where she met her.

Cinder.

She'd been scared at first. With the confident way the woman held herself and the pair of swords on her back, she had been sure that she had finally found herself in the clutches of a Huntress. Once again, she was stuck in an alleyway with someone that she couldn't hope to fight against. However, instead of attacking, the woman merely talked, revealing that she had seen everything.

"Who are you?" Emerald had asked cautiously.

"Someone who sympathizes with your situation," Cinder replied with a smile. "How did you come to be here? Where are your parents?"

"They… didn't want me."

Cinder didn't push the topic, only giving a short nod. "Another thing we have in common."

The woman took a step forward, and Emerald's hands tightened on her gun. Clearly sensing her fear, the raven-haired girl stopped and pulled the swords from her waist. Before Emerald could draw her guns, however, a loud clanging filled the air as the blades were dropped to the floor.

"I'm not here to fight you," she cooed.

Emerald scowled. "Then why are you here?"

"As I said," Cinder replied without missing a beat, "I know what it's like to be in your situation. To feel alone and powerless, like the world cares nothing for you. But it doesn't have to be that way."

"And I suppose all I have to do is come with you, right?"

"Yes," Cinder chuckled. "Come with me and I will give you everything you need to get what you deserve. I can teach you to fight, to use that very special semblance of yours properly, and best of all, I will make sure that you never spend another night sleeping on the streets."

"And what will I have to do?" She asked skeptically, knowing such a thing would never be free.

The woman's gold eyes glinted in amusement as a smirk formed on her face.

"All I want in return is your help. I have big plans for changing this world, but I can't do it alone."

"That's it?" Emerald blinked. "Just… my help?"

"That's it," Cinder nodded. "Or," She motioned towards the alleyway where sirens could be heard in the distance, "You can go back to your life; but since they've seen your face, I believe that would be quite difficult."

She knew the woman was right. Though nobody had ever paid her any attention before, her face being plastered on wanted posters would definitely draw their eye; and with her semblance barely able to manage one person, a crowd would be out of the question. As would the most northern district of the city, where the Atlas had established cameras everywhere in order to protect the military base. Her life in Argus was done, and with no other options, she slowly took her hands off her guns and stepped forward.

"Can you really help me?" She asked.

A wide grin split Cinder's face. "More than you can know. You will question everything you know."

Seeing no other choice, she hesitantly accepted and they had been together ever since. True to her word, the woman had taught her so much more than she thought possible. Where once she had struggled to fight a single one of Earl's goons, she was now holding her own against Hunters. Where a single mind would eventually give her a headache, she was now able to project into three with ease. She had even shown her things she had thought were impossible. She'd seen creatures of Grimm bowing to humans, fought with maidens that wield real magic, and even seen a woman return from the dead over and over again. But more importantly than that, Cinder had shown her what it was like to have a family.

Cinder herself had always been there for her. Though some days she could be unapproachable, if Emerald ever needed to talk, the woman would usually try to make time for her. She even still remembered the first trip they had spent together to Mistral after meeting. Cinder had taken her shopping for a whole new wardrobe and treated her to dinner where she had told her about her own past in Atlas. Despite the initial hesitancy, whether it was training or relaxing, time with Cinder quickly became something she looked forward to.

And then there was Mercury. A few months after meeting Cinder, together had watched from the treeline as he and his father fought. What had led to that fight, Emerald still didn't know due to the boy's secrecy about his past, but it had ended with Mercury standing victorious over his father's corpse. He, too, received an offer to join them, and unlike her, he'd readily accepted. Cinder had even used her contacts to get him some state-of-the-art prosthetics legs, his own having been crippled during the fight.

Walking past his room as room on the Whale as she made her way to the observation deck, she realized she still didn't know how to feel about him. Though she definitely cared for him, he, more than anyone, preferred to keep people at arms length. With what little she knew of his past, she understood why, but his snarky attitude and carefree attitude made it hard to really get to know him. The one thing she couldn't deny, however, was his combat skill. Despite having no semblance, the boy was a force to be reckoned with. He was almost as good as Cinder herself and twice as tactical, and had taught her many things since joining.

Unfortunately, as much as she cared for the both of them, she couldn't deny that the things they had all done weighed on her. None more than their attack on Beacon. Not a week had gone by without nightmares of that day. Every now and again, she could still hear the screams of people running for their lives, still see the fires that engulfed the school and festival grounds. She remembered the fear that had rushed through her as the Wyvern exploded from the mountains and spewed Grimm all over the city. And as much as she believed in Cinder and the change they wanted for the world, if she was given the chance to take that night back, she would.

But she knew she couldn't. What had been done was done. So letting out a sigh and she reached the landing bay, she shook the renewed screams from her head and looked up out over the city. To her surprise, however, she was not alone. Sat on the edge wiping his hands with a towel, was another person she had grown to care for.

"Hazel?" She called. The man turned to look at her, his light brown eyes betraying his tiredness. She had seen it a lot recently, especially since they had captured Ozpin's newest host body. "You okay?"

"Yeah," He mumbled, his deep voice rumbling her bones. "Just needed some air."

She hummed her understanding and walked over to him. "Same here."

Sitting down next to him, she looked over and saw that the towel he was wiping his hands with was covered in red splotches. Though she was tempted to ask how the interrogation was going, she knew the man wouldn't want to talk about it.

"Never thought I would miss the castle," she said instead.

"Both are as bad as each other."

"I suppose anywhere that she is isn't great."

Had it been anybody but Hazel, Emerald wouldn't have said that thought out loud; but it was the truth. Salem was a monster. Pretty much everything about the ancient witch terrified her, and had it not been for Cinder's insistence on her staying, she probably would have left months ago. Thankfully, though everyone else was too scared to talk about it, Hazel was more than willing to make his thoughts about Salem known.

"Everywhere she goes is worse off for it," he grumbled.

"So why do you stay?"

The man didn't reply, only continuing to wipe the blood from his knuckles.

Hazel had always been an oddity among Salem's council. Unlike Dr Watts or Tyrian, who always seemed to revel in the destruction that Salem ordered them to enact, Hazel seemed to find it distasteful. Despite having a large muscular frame more built for fighting than anyone she had met, the man always tried to find a peaceful solution. Only once had she seen him resort to anything else, and once had been enough for her. So to see him wiping blood from his hands, she felt a pang of sympathy for the man, knowing that he hated himself for the actions that put it there.

"Because of Gretchen?" She asked. She didn't know much about Hazel's sister, just that she had died because of Ozpin's actions.

To her surprise however, the giant man shook his head.

"Gretchen would hate me for being here," he admitted solemnly. "It's against everything she believed in."

"Then why no-"

"Because everything she believed in was a lie," Hazel shook his head. "One made by him. And he has to pay for that."

"I suppose."

She heard the uncertainty in her own voice, but knew Hazel wouldn't judge her for it.

"I guess you two have that in common, though."

She let out a small sigh as she continued to look out over the snowfields of Atlas. She had already received a lecture from Mercury after returning from Mantle, and wasn't excited about another.

"Cinder's done a lot for me." She replied with a shake of her head. "She's nothing like Ozpin."

"She's exactly like Ozpin." Hazel countered, his deep voice full of conviction. "Ozpin, Salem, Cinder. They're all the same. They all use others to get what they want, telling whatever lies they need to convince them."

The man let out a long sigh, the weariness of it clearer than the blue sky they sat beneath.

"You two shouldn't be in this fight. Anybody who cared about you would have kept you far away."

Glancing sideways at him, she saw him give her a worried look. While she appreciated his concern, just as she appreciated Mercury's, she knew it was misplaced.

"Yeah, well," Emerald shrugged, "She needed me."

"They always need someone," Hazel grunted and began to stand up. "Right up until you're no longer useful to them. Better to leave them before they leave you. It at least minimizes the damage."

Emerald looked away as the man got to his feet. Listening as his heavy footsteps faded into the distance, she let out a soft sigh of frustration. "Why does everyone hate her so much?" She thought to herself.

Though she knew that some of the things Cinder did could hardly be considered right, what did that matter? As Cinder often said, despite everyone's talk of doing the right thing, nobody in the world had ever done that for them. Even as children, they had both been left alone to starve, subjected to abuse and cruelty. Nobody had helped Cinder get away from her family, and nobody had helped her when the man was chasing her. Nobody… except Cinder.

Was that really all people saw of the women though? A person showing that world what it had shown to her? Did they really not see the side of her that had reached out to save two people who had nothing else? The side that had given them a home, food, clothes, and something to live for? Even Mercury, who Cinder had given all of those things, couldn't see it.

Or was she simply seeing something that didn't exist?

"No."

She shook her head free of that thought almost as soon as it entered. Cinder cared about her. She knew she did. She'd seen how she treated people she didn't care about, and it was different. Even if they didn't see it, she did; and she was tired of others trying to convince her otherwise.

So, letting out a frustrated sigh, she stood up to her feet and made her way back into the Whale. With any luck, Salem would let Cinder go soon and they could get back down to the city. Hopefully, without the extra company.

An uncomfortable silence had descended upon the abandoned restaurant, but Blake would've been more surprised if it hadn't. Having spent the entire night awake thinking about what she wanted to do, she had finally divulged her plans to Ruby and Weiss. Ruby, as per usual, had fallen quiet, thinking over what she'd just been told as she studied her plans to infiltrate Atlas, but surprisingly, so had Weiss. In all the years Blake had known her, the former heiress had never been one to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Look," She continued. "I know it's risky-"

"But you keep taking these risks," Ruby cut her off, glancing up from the table. From the black bags and dull shine in her silver eyes, Blake wondered when the last time the girl had slept. "With Robyn-"

"Which we both agreed was for the best-"

"Well we were both wrong!" Ruby countered, slouching over the table. "All it did was turn General Ironwood against us."

"Ironwood turned himself against us," Blake scowled. "He didn't trust us, but I thought you did."

"I trust you, Blake," the team leader replied tiredly, "But I don't trust her. After everything she's done; Penny, Pyrrha… How do you know she isn't just going to use you?"

Catching the girl's silver eyes, she saw worry slowly begin to replace the tiredness. She understood, of course. Even she wouldn't deny that the things Emerald had done were beyond reprehensible. It wasn't just their friends that had died in Beacon, the last number Blake read was above a hundred. That was not lost on her.

"I don't," She shook her head truthfully. "But the way you see her is the way people used to see me. The way you looked when I was talking is the same way Weiss looked at me," she heard Weiss shift uncomfortably, and gave her an apologetic look. "All because I was led down the wrong path and nobody was there to help me."

"I know what it's like, Ruby, to have my head filled with lies. Adam did that to me for years. He convinced me that his way was the only way, and that he was the only person I could ever rely on. I know how that feels, but I also know what I saw last night. She's scared, and she needs help, and if I can't use what I went through to do that, to be what I wish I had, then all it will ever be for me is a bad memory."

Blake took a step forward and put a hand on her team leader's. "I know you don't trust her, but you say you trust me. So let me try, please."

Ruby closed her eyes and shook her head. Clutching the edge of the table, she rocked back and forth anxiously for a second before letting out a long sigh.

"You agree with her, don't you?"

Despite the girl not looking up, Blake knew exactly who Ruby was talking to and looked towards her friend. Interested blue eyes met her own, and the heiress rose to her feet.

"I, too, know what it is like to have someone try to twist you into something you are not," She said in a calm voice. "It's not something I would wish on my worst enemy. But Ruby is right, Blake. This is dangerous."

She stopped at the table and gave her a firm look.

"So, if you are going to do this, you have to promise us that you will drop it if you feel it's not working. We may have escaped it, but some people are too far gone to be saved."

Weiss' request was reasonable, and Blake nodded to her without hesitation. "I promise."

"Good," the girl hummed and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Then that is settled. Right?"

"Fine," Ruby sighed. "Just… Be careful, okay."

"Aren't I always?"

Something between a chuckle and a groan left the girl, and Blake's heart soared to hear it. Her friend had been so stressed since Salem arrived, probably even before then, and she was worried what it would do to her. But to hear that same laugh she'd heard during their happier days at Beacon filled her with hope that Ruby wouldn't be completely changed.

"Okay," She smiled at her. "I'm going to talk to Fiona real quick, and then we can get back to this Atlas stuff."

"Alright."

Giving the girl's hand a soft squeeze and mouthing a thank you to Weiss, Blake took off towards the back room to call Fiona. With Cinder and Emerald clearly visiting Mantle in search of something, they would no doubt re-emerge sometime soon, and when they did, she would be ready.

A/N

Hello everyone. So I know this chapter was a lot of exposition, but with this series being short, I kinda needed it to be here. Hopefully, it wasn't boring or anything. But yeah, I mostly wanted to show how feelings of gratitude can become dangerous. It's not bad to be gracious for help given to you, but just like with everything, it is possible for that gratitude to become blinding to reason.

Also, before I go, I do want to state that this story should not be used as a guide to help someone in an abusive situation. Though a lot of it is based on my own experiences, those experiences do not work for everyone. If someone you care about is in a relationship that you fear to be toxic, please make sure to reach out to the numerous helplines to discuss what you can do.

Anyways, the next chapter will be up at the same time next week. Hopefully you enjoyed, and I'll see you then.