"Alright!" Yang said, digging into her noodles. After Cinder left, they had gone to a noodle stand attended by an old man that served at lightning speed. The food tasted absolutely delectable, and the serving was big to boot.

"For the love of– Do you have no decency!?" Weiss asked, watching her devour the noodles in one fell slurp. Weiss then turned to see Ruby do the same thing, and sighed. Yang had to avoid rolling her eyes. Even Blake was eating like a starved puppy… kitten… baby. Yeah, that was the correct term.

As Weiss turned to eat her own bowl, she was slapped straight in the face by a flying credit card, leaving a red square shaped mark.

The old man, with a frown, pointed back to his cash register. It had apparently declined the card.

Yang looked at Weiss with widened eyes. The rich girl was out of money.

"What? No way, how can my card be declined?" Weiss asked in disbelief. Their plates were taken away at the same speed they had been given. Yang didn't even get to steal one extra bite.

"Someone has been calling you non-stop, maybe it's because to that?" Ruby asked. Weiss turned around, as if afraid. Weiss rarely was afraid.

"N-no. I must have used up all my allowance without noticing. I-I'm sorry," she said. Now Yang knew something was definitely wrong. Weiss was not one to apologize without some kind of push.

"Having problems?" A voice asked. Team RWBY turned to the sound of four pairs of footsteps on the fairgrounds' grass. Team JNPR approached them, Pyrrha at the front.

"Oh hey guys! Are you excited for your match?! Did you see ours?!" Ruby asked, any worries about food forgotten.

"Yeah. You were awesome!" Jaune commented, taking a seat. "We've trained hard, very hard. I've been making sure of it!"

"Pyrrha has, you mean," Nora said with a cheeky smile. At this, Jaune's smile wavered.

"Well, I've provided the support, and the motivation," he said. "But Nora's right, Pyrrha made our training plan."

"Oh please Jaune, your speeches were just as good," Pyrrha answered with a sheepish blush. Yang smiled. It seemed she was less shy with him. Just a bit. "Although we could do without the drill instructor schtick."

"But isn't that how Professor Cinder does it? It kind of works with me," Jaune commented. At this, Yang raised an eyebrow.

"You've been training with my big sis?" Yang asked.

"Oh. Yes. Kind of. She caught me training with Pyrrha after hours one day and… kind of didn't like that. So now she trains me. And… well she's kind of scary," Jaune said, scratching the back of his head.

"She is. At times," Yang replied.

"But she's nice. Deep down," Ruby added.

"So… what were you eating? Was it good?" Nora asked.

"Delicious. Shame Weiss-cream ran out of money," Yang said. At this, Weiss began blushing.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" She screamed at Yang. She was sure that without Ruby being seated between them, she would be pulling her hair out.

"It kind of is," Blake added as an offhand comment.

"I can pay, for all of us. My treat," Pyrrha added.

"Oh, you don't need to worry. I'll see if I can, uh…" Ruby said, and began feeling around her pocket.

"Told you you should start wearing pants. You wouldn't believe how much stuff fits in them. And would look good on you as well," Blake commented with a smile. Ruby's cheeks turned red at this, and her fumbling became even more frantic.

Yang felt a tinge of… something. Was Blake flirting with her sister now? She knew they were close… but not that close, right?

"Looking for something?" Interrupted yet another voice. The group of eight turned their heads to see a girl of red eyes and green hair spin a wallet full of lien in her hand.

"T-that's mine!" Ruby pointed out.

"Sorry. It was so vulnerable I couldn't resist. Here," she said, handing Ruby her wallet. "Maybe think of investing in pants."

"Y-yeah. I get that a lot," Ruby said with a blush.

"You were so cool during your fight, by the way. I have never seen someone so skilled," she continued praising them. Ruby's blush deepened even further.

"Oh please. It's nothing. Yang and Weiss and Blake carried my butt," Ruby said, trying her best to be modest.

"Oh, here you were," a boy joined the girl. He had an overall grey get up, along with his hair and eyes. He smiled at all of them. However, his eyes locked onto with Pyrrha once they landed on her.

"Hey Nikos," he said with a wink. Both teams turned to look at Pyrrha. Yang swore that, for a moment, she glared at him. Coldly, as if her intent were to kill. Yang had never seen or expected a look like that from the quiet and friendly Pyrrha Nikos.

But that only lasted a second, and her expression was then replaced by her usual smile.

"Hey Mercury, Emerald. Nice to see you again guys," Pyrrha said. This left RWBY, as well as JNPR, confused.

"You know each other?" Jaune asked, pointing from Pyrrha to Mercury and back again.

"We went to the same combat academy, before I chose Beacon that is," Pyrrha replied.

"I still can't believe you abandoned us," Mercury said playfully. He then looked at Yang straight in the eye. "Are these our replacements?" That comment made her eyes nearly go red. She suppressed it luckily, but that look he gave her still rubbed her the wrong way. Was he challenging her?

"Very funny, Merc. But yeah, being in Beacon is what I wanted to do, more than anything. And I'm really happy. As you can see I've made some really good friends," Pyrrha said, motioning to her friends and teammates.

"We're glad you're being taken care off," Emerald said, before leaning to Ruby. "She can be kind of a doormat if you let her," she whispered in her ear.

"Hey! That's not… nice," Ruby said.

"I'm just joking. So, mind if we join you?" Emerald asked, taking seats opposite of JNPR.

"Of course, any friends of Pyrrha are friends of us," Ren said.

"And we expect to hear lots of embarrassing stories. It's our rite of initiation," Nora said, grinning with evil intent as she looked at Pyrrha.

"Not if I'm paying," Pyrrha said.

With that, the Champion of Mistral paid for everyone's order, much to Blake's delight and Weiss' embarassment. They talked small stuff as they ate, mostly about Beacon and their numerous missions. Emerald and Mercury shared some stories of Pyrrha. Yang noticed Emerald's came with an air of respect and submission that made Yang question if they really were friends.

No, of course they were. Pyrrha would never allow a friend to talk like that for long. She was too good natured.

Once they finished, all of them were completely full. Maybe too full, in Jaune's case. But still, Yang could not deny she enjoyed it. All of it.

She felt so happy, being among friends and family. She hoped this would last forever. Or as long as it took to find a new lead towards her mother. After that, who knew.

The intercom interrupted her thoughts.

"This is professor Oobleck speaking. The sixth team versus team match is about to begin, so if team JNPR could be here like they were supposed to be ten minutes ago, that would be greatly appreciated," after that, it cut off.

"Ugh," Jaune groaned, face down into the counter.

"Will you be able to fight, Jaune?" Ruby asked, concern apparent on her face.

"Yeah... ugh!" Yang instinctively moved her feet away. She would not clean her boots of vomit again. "I'm… I'm fine… really…"

With that said, he got up, nearly tripping over.

"Here. Lean on me," Pyrrha said before looking back towards Emerald and Mercury. "Sorry guys. We'll catch up more later, okay?"

The two of them nodded, and JNPR left towards the colosseum.

An awkward silence set in between Emerald, Mercury and RWBY. For some reason, Yang felt slightly suspicious about them. Especially by how Mercury was looking at her. He seemed to be analysing her.

"Well," he said, stretching. "I think we'll take off as well. Better go looking for the rest of our team, right?"

"Right. Then, see you later. Maybe we can spar," Emerald said.

"Sure! You'll be awesome, I can feel it!" Ruby said with a large wave as Emerald and Mercury took their leave.

Team RWBY was left alone in the stall.

"They were so awesome!" Ruby squealed in her seat. "Did you see how she stole my wallet?"

"I can steal your wallet too," Blake said with a frown.

"Yeah… but without me noticing?" Ruby challenged.

"It's not that hard to distract you," Blake replied.

"Dare you," Ruby singed.

"I could start stretching, would that be enough to distract you?" Blake said, making Ruby blush heavily.

As Ruby and Blake did their back and fort teasing, Weiss turned to Yang.

"Where is Cinder, anyway? Wasn't she going to eat with us?" She asked.

Yang sighed, remembering how Cinder had gone off with that man. How could she? She should hate him, shouldn't she?

"Guess that guy was a bigger deal than we thought," Yang commented.

"She seemed to know him. So did you," Weiss said, her tone somewhat accusatory. It was enough to get Blake and Ruby's attention. "Do you know who he is?"

"No," Yang said.

"Yes," was Ruby's reply, which overlapped with Yang's own.

Weiss looked at both of them, confused. "What?"

Of course Ruby spilled the beans. Still, not her fault. Ruby was an honest person, and so was her.

"It's complicated," Yang said, looking at Ruby in a way to tell her to let her speak.

"That bad?" Weiss asked, eyes widened.

"No! Well, kind of. Remember after the Mt. Glenn mission?" Yang asked. Weiss and Blake nodded.

"Well, Cinder, Ruby and me had a talk. She told us her past. And that guy was part of it," Yang explained.

"Was it... unpleasant?" Weiss asked with some hesitation. Yang was about to answer. But then she thought… would Cinder be happy with that?

"I can't say, Weiss. It's not for me to tell," Yang said, and prepared for Weiss to fight her claim. However, all she got was an understanding look, both from her and her partner.

"I see," was Weiss' short response.

"We'll tell you one day, bestie," Ruby said with a smile. "But we'll have to ask Cinder."

"Ask me what?" The group turned around. Cinder was there, looking extremely sullen, which worried Yang.

"Oh, hey sis. How'd it go?" Yang asked, trying her best to sound cheerful. Cinder only sighed. "That bad, huh?"

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked, getting up from her seat and reaching out for Cinder's arm. Her sister looked at Ruby for a second, before diverting her sight elsewhere.

"I don't know," Cinder said. Yang frowned. This was unlike Cinder. She never showed herself vulnerable openly.

"Wanna come with and watch JNPR's match?" Yang asked, pointing towards the colosseum. Participants had free seats to watch their teammates, first row too.

"I'll pass for now. I need to sleep," Cinder said. With that, she began walking away, off towards Beacon academy. Yang felt the need to reach out to her, but she couldn't. She didn't really know what to say.

Dealing with abandonment was not her suite. She thought that she knew what she would say to her mother If she ever met her, what she would ask, what insults she would throw her way. But now that a similar situation was happening in front of her, she felt unsure.

"Come on, sis," Ruby said, holding her wrist. "We'll talk to her tomorrow. Let's try to enjoy the match for now."

Yang nodded. And so, Team RWBY went on to see their friends duke it out in the Vytal Festival.

Dawn was falling on Beacon Academy. Cinder had not gone to sleep. Instead, she wandered the grounds aimlessly.

What should she be saying to Rhodes? Did she still want him in her life?

She no longer needed him. She had people that cared for her, that loved her. She could send him on his way easily.

On the other hand, he had come see her the moment he saw her.

He wanted to make amends.

But forgiving him would be accepting all the horrible events in her childhood. She couldn't do that. She couldn't forgive him.

She shook her head. This was getting her nowhere. She needed some sort of distraction.

Maybe Winter wanted to hang out. Or not, since she was so busy.

To her luck, her scroll rang.

When she pulled it out, her fa- Taiyang's avatar popped up. Just what she needed.

"Yes?"

"Hey troublemaker. It's me. I'm near the cafeteria, if you want to catch up," his voice instantly reminded her of those first months with Summer. Months were she wondered if he was truly being nice, or if he was like Rhodes.

After Summer died, he proved he was like Rhodes.

"Yeah. I'll be there," she said.

"Okay. See you soon," with that, the call cut off.

She sighed, stowed her scroll away and began walking towards Beacon's cafeteria. Classes were off, but it was still a spot for students and visitors alike to get food outside the fairgrounds.

At this time of the day, only people having a midday snack remained.

She found him there, sitting on a table near the counter.

He was older. His clothes were more homey, they no longer spelt out 'huntsman' when looking at them. He looked like a civilian, if not for his impressive frame.

When he spotted her, he waved. She quickened her pace, but did not wave back.

She only greeted him once she was already sitting in front of near the table.

"Hi Taiyang," she said. His face lit up upon hearing her voice, and he immediately stood to get closer to her.

"How's it going troublemaker?" He asked, taking a step towards her and enveloping her in a tight, but soft, hug.

Cinder froze up, stiff as a plank. And she remained like so for a second before Taiyang put her down, still wearing his smile.

"I'm… fine," she said, retreating a little. As if he did not minded the ghosting, the lack of calls, the sudden attempt to ask something out of him without reconnecting first.

"That's good to hear. Hard to believe you are a complete huntress now, and a professor as well. So tell me, no holds barred, who inspired you more? Me or Qrow?" He asked. Cinder did not reply, simply staring at him with her arms crossed.

Under her gaze, he cleared his throat. "Sorry. Didn't mean to insert myself there. If you were wondering why I was late, it's because you won't believe how crowded it's down there in Vale," he said, taking a seat. Cinder did the same, opposite of him.

"Are people scared?" She asked, remembering Ozpin's report. At this, Taiyang's face fell a little.

"Kind of. The police and huntsmen are working hard, but not in tandem. I also saw some of the professors on duty," he said, frowning a little, scratching the table.

"You can thank Ironwood for that," Cinder said, voice laced with venom. Now any pleasantness from Taiyang's face faded, replaced by a frown.

"So he did come, huh?" He asked. Cinder raised an eyebrow.

"You know him?" She asked.

"It's kind of complicated. Also a funny story," Taiyang said, recovering some of his previous cheerfulness.

"Not one I want to hear right now, rather," Cinder said, her face impassive as she leaned forward a little. "Did you find something out?"

She leaned back, and held her breath, analysing every change in Taiyang's expression.

He sighed, as if defeated.

"Not really. I called Qrow, Ozpin, Glynda… but a lot of your circumstances are… undocumented. The best lead we got was that… we found what remained of that place you where adopted from," he said, eyes strained.

Cinder felt cold inside, her mind working hard to suppress those memories.

"And…?" She asked. Tai closed his eyes for a moment, before locking eyes with her.

"Nothing. All gone, dismantled and abandoned. No 'Cinder Fall' in whatever remained there. The last thing they had about you were your adoption papers. I mean… I think that legally… you still are Cinder–"

"–I get it," Cinder said, cutting him off. Her eyes were closed, working overtime to avoid getting emotional. "No 'Cinder Fall'."

"No. Where did you hear that name, anyway?" He asked. Cinder thought about what to tell him. There was no point in hiding things from him, Qrow could always spill the beans.

"An infiltrator broke into Beacon. He, or she, or them called me 'Cinder Fall'. And then… um…" Cinder felt her throat go dry. Did he know? Was she allowed to break those news to him?

"… Is something wrong?" He asked, tilting his head, analysing her like for injuries a bear to it's cub.

"I think it's better that Qrow tells you," she said. At this, his face became impassive.

"I'm not talking about that," he said, voice stern, posture firm.

"Huh?"

"I know Qrow has something important to tell me, and that I probably won't like it. But you look… I don't know… down. Without energy. If a fight broke out right now, you would not be there a hundred percent, and you always are at a hundred percent."

"You don't know that, you don't know me," was Cinder's automatic response. Whenever people tried to analyse her, outside professionals, it made her stomach retch.

"Really," He said, crossing his arms and leaning back. "I took care of you for six years kiddo. That's enough to know someone, especially if that someone is your daughter."

"I'm not your daughter," Cinder said, tone low, hands clenched.

"Step-daughter," he corrected himself. "But seriously. There's something bothering you."

"There is not," she protested. She looked at the exit, considering every second the opportunity to leave. But no, she was Cinder, she did not run.

"Kiddo…"

"Don't call me that!" She said suddenly, nearly smashing the table. The entire room fell into silence, yet Tai did not flinch in the slightest. Only the sound of her breathing could be heard. Tai never broke eye contact.

When she calmed down, she sat back, defeated.

"What do you want to know?" She asked. If she knew something, was that Tai was a rock when he wasn't crumbling emotionally.

"I don't 'want' anything," he said with quotation marks. "I'm just a concerned… person, wondering if you are okay."

He looked at her eyes that had no ill intent behind them. Of course they didn't have any. Tai was good natured. Yet… Cinder could not let go of his failure. Just like she could not let go of Rhodes' betrayal.

"I'm not," she admitted, looking away.

"Can I ask why?" Cinder saw him from the corner of her vision.

She sighed. "Remember Rhodes?"

Tai cocked his head, before a gear seemed to turn in his mind.

"Yeah…" he said with hesitation. "…isn't he dead?"

"Never was. In fact, I met him a few hours ago," silence followed. Neither said anything. Tai's gaze moved from one place to another, as if processing things.

"I… so… how did it go?" Was his question. Out of all of them, he asked something so casual.

"I don't know," she said, facing him again. "I don't know what to feel, I guess," Why was she spilling everything out to Tai? She could talk to Ruby, or Yang, or Winter. Or… maybe not. Maybe Tai was right, and she was not herself.

"Are you going to meet him again?" he asked.

"I don't know,"

"You should,"

"Why? You know what he did,"

"Sometimes people do stupid things… because they're scared, or too entrenched in their way of life," Tai said, his eyes strained. He was looking beyond her, perhaps at a distant memory. After a second, he looked at her again. "But those are just that, mistakes. I think it's worth it to forgive. But maybe not to forget, don't do that." he added, scratching the back of his head and wearing an embarassed smile.

Cinder rolled her eyes.

"I… I don't know. You don't know him," she answered.

"I guess you're right," he said, looking away. Their conversation died there, on the cafeteria table.

After a few moments of not saying anything, Cinder felt her eyes grow heavy.

"I need sleep," she said, getting up.

"Yeah. Me too, it was a long trip. I'll be staying in Vale, but you can call me, if you need me," he said as Cinder began to walk away.

She looked him over her shoulder one last time. A lone person, left alone in the dawn-lit cafeteria.

"Right."

That night, Cinder did not sleep at all.

She missed JNPR's match, but since it was everywhere, she knew they had won, along with another team after them. However, their name escaped her.

Now, it was the doubles round, and in a twist of fate, RWBY was first.

Or rather, Yang and Weiss. As they walked into the arena, the crowd cheered them on. They loved Yang most of all, whose every gesture was met with praise.

Cinder had to roll her eyes from the teacher's balcony. A part of her desired the attention, another scoffed at it.

Their opponents were two transfer students. Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black.

Their match was hectic. Yang was a straightforward fighter, and Weiss was someone everyone knew.

Their opponents were nobodies fighting with unusual tactics, on difficult terrain.

The match was difficult, but Cinder trusted Yang to pull ahead. Weiss as well.

Just as things were unfavourable, however, a big blunder landed Mercury and Emerald a near ring out. It was almost like they threw the match.

They probably did. Probably to spite their two other teammates or another reason. Cinder kind of respected that.

As Yang relished on her victory, however, Emerald walked towards her. Calm, collected, tired. Yet she seemed genuine in her attempt to reach out.

The blonde whirled around, apparently having noticed her through the loud noises of the crowd. Emerald was in front of her, hand raised to shake hers.

However, something changed then.

Time froze for Cinder.

In a swift move, Yang punched her in the stomach, turning effortlessly. The shot of her weapon silenced the entire arena.

Cinder's throat went dry, she almost forgot to breathe as Emerald was sent flying to the other side of the arena where she laid flat on her back.

Yang had just attacked someone, out of either bloodlust or spite.

That was something Cinder refused to believe.

As she watched various guards, Atlesian Knights and huntsmen surround her, she realized no one else would believe in her.

A/N: So... it's been two months since the last update. Sorry for that long hiatus. I've not got much explanation, besides I got really into a writing a Fate fanfic. Aside from that, I kind of got stumped on how to progress the first half of V3. But I think I figured it out. Mostly. So... I hope that with that I'll be able to roll updates more frequently. In the meantime, here is a kind of short chapter.

That is all for now. Chiao!