A/N: Listen peeps, I know that I usually try to keep things very neutral and non-political but we need to address some serious crap happening in Volume 7 of RWBY right now, and that is Winter Schnee's supervillain Brook Shields, Dorothy Catalonia eyebrows. Like...they were dark before but now they're black and huge and does that mean she's a bottle platinum? Because if Winter dyes her hair to get it that color I am going to be most put out.

But on a serious note, thank you all who read and comment. It actually helps keep me going and I sincerely hope you like where this is going. Have a lovely and happy Thanksgiving! :)

To say Winter felt a little awkward sitting in Taiyang Xiao Long's living room on Patch silently sipping a cup of tea would be like saying the dragon currently wrapped around the tower at Beacon was a little imposing. With her perfect posture, starched uniform, and air of social grace, she seemed stifling in the quiet home that exuded nothing but comfort and relaxation. Her host and hostess seemed as perturbed at her coming as the last father/daughter duo she'd encountered a few days before.

"I am terribly sorry to just intrude on you like this, but there wasn't anyone else I could ask," Winter explained.

Taiyang nodded, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "I know where you're coming from," he said, "Yang and Ruby both talked a lot about Weiss. They were very close. The whole team was."

"Tch! Was," Yang muttered angrily under her breath.

It was understandable why the blonde spoke with such embittered tones. Her right arm had been severed during the Battle of Beacon, allegedly by Adam Taurus, a member of the upper echelon of the White Fang, second only to Sienna Khan herself. Yang deliberately sat sideways on the couch, keeping her right side pressed against the back cushions to conceal her stump. Perhaps she was embarrassed or didn't want the specialist asking questions.

"As far as your sister's whereabouts, we haven't heard anything from her since we left Beacon. I know Ruby wrote her a couple letters, but they were never returned."

Winter sighed. "That was my father's doing," she said. "I hope your daughter was not under the impression that Weiss was ignoring her. Weiss thinks very highly of your sister, no matter how cold she may seem. She was very fond of Ruby…of all her team. Ruby was very sweet to Weiss when she was at her most guarded and really brought her out of her shell. As her father, I should be thanking you for the kindness your daughters have shown my sister."

Taiyang held up his hand, "There's no need for that. I'm only partially responsible for the good things my girls do. They're responsible for their own strengths and victories." He looked over to Yang who broke eye contact with her father to look down.

Winter nodded. "I knew it was a long shot, but I thought maybe at some point Weiss had contacted you. I've already been to Mistral and Menagerie to talk to your other teammates. If you're interested, Ruby is doing well and Qrow is looking out for them. They help every village they come across, and are about sixty miles south of Mistral."

Tai smiled. "She's a sweet girl."

"Menagerie was a bit less welcoming, but Blake at least was willing to speak with me, even though she didn't know where Weiss was either."

Yang promptly stood and stomped out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Tai apologized, "She's been through a lot, and Blake is kind of a sore spot."

"I understand she left without saying goodbye," Winter replied. "That couldn't have been easy."

"She gave her arm for someone who didn't even so much as stick around to say goodbye. She's still suffering from nightmares and she wasn't very happy about her sister leaving."

"Give her time," Winter said, "She's young, and she's also still coming to terms with all the trauma she's been through. That's so many wounds that needs to heal. She seems to have a very good family to support her."

"Speaking of family," Tai said, pouring her another cup of tea from the pot, "My brother-in-law? ex-brother-in-law? my exes' brother?" he shook his head frustrated to find the right term, "Qrow? Qrow. Qrow is very careful about talking about his job when the girls around, but when it's just the guys and he's had a few drinks, he opens up about his life and his job." He looked up at her. "He mentions you a great deal."

Winter blushed. "I hope he didn't go into detail."

"As a friend who could never break the man code, I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But, thank you. For being good to him. Not very many people in his life have been."

"He's told me before he thinks he's cursed with rotten luck.

"He.."Tai stopped mid-sentence, "I wouldn't call it a curse, but misfortune does seem to follow wherever he goes."

"He's strong, he can handle himself,"

"He must if he can handle a strong, confident woman like yourself."

Winter smiled. Ruby and Yang's father was so markedly different from her own. While her ow father was cold and distant, and Blake's was a protective powerhouse, Taiyang was all warmth and comfort. She could see why he was considered a good teacher at Signal, and where Weiss' teammates got their helpful and outgoing nature.

"I don't wish to keep imposing on you," she said, "but I am on a tight schedule, and my sister is still missing without a trace."

"We'll be sure to keep our eyes and ears open and I'm sorry I wasn't able to help more."

Winter placed her cup down and stood, "Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I intruded, and I do hope Yang is able to rally. I watched her fight in the tournament and she's rough around the edges, but she's a raw force of will and power. Weiss and I would like nothing more than to see her in action again."

Tai took her cup. "Safe travels." He said, ushering her to the door.

She looked back and waved goodbye as she left. She had always wondered where Qrow's sporadic moments of sentimentality came from amid his usual, gloomy, drunk self, but now she knew from whence he drew his occasional hopeful mood: his home.

Weiss woke up on the hover transport she'd spent the night in, still wrapped in her blanket. They were on the move and the sun was up. She must have slept in: shocking she wasn't expected to get up and break camp for the team. Knowing they'd come for her eventually when they wanted to order her around, she gripped her blanket tighter and closed her eyes, determined to enjoy every minute of getting to sleep in as possible.

Despite being back in a heated transport and covered in a blanket, she was still shivering. She could feel she was getting sick. A backless dress plus freezing temperatures and no aura made it inevitable. Adam, most likely, would be fine.

She expected to be roused every time the transport stopped, but was left alone the entire day until the transport stopped for the night. She was roused, and to her surprise was offered food and another blanket. She readily accepted, curling back up. She could see it was dark outside and tried to sleep, but she'd slept all day and with a hot meal, more awake than ever. Keeping the blanket wrapped around her, she ventured out of the transport to stretch her legs.

Most of the White Fang members were already asleep in tents or in the transports. Sentries and a few guards patrolled the camp keeping a close eye for the pack of ursas to try and overtake them again. The only members not on duty that were still awake were Adam and a bat faunus she had never seen before. His White Fang uniform was different as well, perhaps he was from another chapter, but where had he come from? And what was he thinking arguing with Adam.

It was apparent from their body language the two were having a disagreement, Adam tilted his head, clearly frustrated at the visitor. Even with his back to her, Weiss could tell by the subtle motions of his hands, he was getting genuinely angry. The bat, who was facing her was both more expressive and more emphatic with his arms and wings, pointing and throwing his hands in frustration. With each step closer, Weiss was able to make out their conversation clearer and clearer.

"It's scheduled for tomorrow; we execute the plan tomorrow!" Adam insisted.

"Your men are going to arrive two hours before the assault on the palace begins. They won't even have time to rest their feet. They'll be too tired to fight!"

"Then we came all this way for nothing?!" Adam snorted. In the weeks she'd known him, it was the most bull-like thing he'd ever done.

"Your time-table got messed up. Stuff like this happens. Which is why we need to either push the assault on the Belladonnas back a day or just let the Menagerie chapter handle it."

Surely, he couldn't mean the Belladonnas. Not Blake's Belladonnas. Her heart raced. She knew Blake hadn't been home in years, but she would be devastated if her brothers in the White Fang were responsible for her parents' deaths.

"If it isn't tomorrow, I won't be able to join in on the assault personally which was the sole purpose of me coming along. I have a meeting with…with another client." Adam said trying to calm himself down and express himself. "It can't wait."

"Look, I don't know what kind of hate boner you have for the Belladonna girl, but you have a choice and it's a simple one. Waste your opportunity to have the element of surprise, or sacrifice your personal vendetta to ensure the success of the mission. Send only a handful of soldiers who can travel fast and light so we can get to the boats by sunrise and give us a chance to arrive in Menagerie with enough time to let them eat and rest. As I've said before, the Menagerie chapter can handle this; the Albain brothers have a sizeable following and a loyal one at that…."

"That's not good enough," Adam said, slapping his fist into his open palm, "I want Blake alive, and I want her handed over to me in person. I don't trust the Albains to do that. That is my victory to taste, not theirs."

"There won't be a victory if we do it your way, brother Adam." the bat faunus held his ground, but never once did he speak in a condescending or arrogant manner. Adam was furious but couldn't be furious with him. He was just the messenger. "I will ensure Fennec and Corsac do not harm your girlfriend. We'll follow your instructions to the letter, and turn Blake over to your handpicked squad that you choose right now who can then deliver her to you personally. That is the only way everyone wins and still gets everything done."

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. Blake was home at Menagerie, but if she were captured, who knows what Adam had planned for her.? Weiss shuddered from her cold and the thought of the White Fang leader taking out all the hatred and anger he'd expressed to her the night before. At least Adam wanted her alive. Perhaps if she and Blake reunited, they could work together to find a way to escape.

Amid her planning of working together with Blake, another thought interrupted her. She was being selfish. If anything, she should be doing everything she could to keep her former teammate away from Adam. Once Blake was laden with one of the aura collars she'd be just as helpless as she: reduced from a warrior to nothing more than a walking trophy for the White Fang's second-in-command. She was brought back to reality when she heard Adam speaking again.

"Take Ilia, and Artemis and…Yehz." He then added as an afterthought: "Also, Weiss. I'll let them know immediately and they'll leave with you within the hour if I can make it. All three of them can be ready to go at the drop of a hat. I'll personally ensure the Schnee woman is ready to go."

The bat faunus seemed skeptical but nodded. "You won't have to do much explaining," he said before dismissing himself. "She's been standing behind that tent for the past ten minutes."

Of course he would have heard her. He was a bat. Adam jerked his head in the direction of the tent, displeased, but keeping his composure. Weiss figured it was better to reveal herself, scooting from behind the tent, clutching her blanket around her.

"I suppose I won't have to repeat myself then," he said flatly. "Clean up and get ready to leave."

"Why is she coming?" Ilia was beside herself when she saw Weiss being escorted onto the single ship that could convert from hovercraft to aircraft.

"Because I have a meeting with Hazel and I have to go alone, but I can't leave her alone…not with the lieutenant."

It was a big party, but Weiss had spent the bulk of it at Adam's side. She hadn't noticed. The same lieutenant that had left her a broken and bloody pulp on the ground just two days earlier was still active and part of the away team.

"You're doing it to protect her? Adam, why?"

Weiss had stopped into the doorway to listen. When Adam and Ilia stared her down, she decided to move on, sitting in the cargo area where she'd been accustomed to travelling.

He waited until he was out of earshot to continue: "I don't have to explain myself to you, Ilia." he said calmly, the authority in his voice adding a bite to his words. "You'll do as I say. Take the Schnee with you, keep her out of sight and return her with Blake to me when the mission is complete. Consider her a free servant for your time there. She can wait on you as she waits on me.

Ilia huffed, boarding the ship in the cargo area as well to make room for the bat faunus and Yezh who was the pilot for the mission. The entire trip Ilia refused to even look or speak to the prisoner with whom she'd harbored an odd resentment.

It was a long six hours. Because she had slept all day, Weiss was unable to sleep on the ride across the straight separating the continent of Sanus from Menagerie. Instead she sat huddled in her blanket, tried not to make eye contact with Ilia or Artemis, whom she assumed by his eyes was part owl, and looked out the window. Ilia drifted to sleep about an hour in and left the back end in silence for the remainder of the flight.

When she slept, Ilia's muscles relaxed, revealing her true chameleon colors. Her skin blended into a bluish green color with her freckles taking on an even bluer hue like her hair. It was both freakish and fascinating, though Weiss could see why she chose to color herself with normal flesh tones even around the other faunus. Someone like her might be stared at in Vale, but she'd be outright refused service or employment in Atlas. On a personal level they'd never tell her she was ugly or odd, but in a professional capacity no one would want to hire a freak.

A wooded area on the south side of the island served as a landing zone and a hideout for the party. Weiss was surprised when she was instructed to help set up camp rather than do it herself entirely. After both tents were set up and a fire made, Weiss awaited further orders, assuming she'd be in charge of meal preparations or some busywork, but Ilia gave her none.

"Are you sure there isn't something I can do?" Weiss asked. Not having something to do made her nervous.

"You can stay quiet and out of the way," Ilia snapped.

Weiss was stunned. "I'm sorry…it's just, Adam said…"

"I don't need a human slave as a show of force," Ilia sulked. "At this point you're nothing more than a burden." She cuffed Weiss' right hand to the main pole of the tent. The glowing bands had no chain between them but still limited her movement with the use of either dust or magnets, Weiss was unsure.

"Like you really have to chain me up," Weiss said sarcastically, "I'm the daughter of Jacques Schnee on the island of Menagerie. Where exactly am I going to go?"

"That's the point," Ilia replied dryly, "For some ridiculous reason, Adam wants you alive, and if you escaped only to get killed here Adam wouldn't be too thrilled. I would, but not him." She turned to Yezh and Artemis. "Stay here and guard the ship. We'll go meet up with the Albains and let you know what the plan is, rest and we'll head out once it's dark."

The two underlings nodded, the hedgehog needles Yezh had for hair rustled as he shook his head. Once they were out of sight, the two of them smirked. Artemis disappeared outside the doorway of the tent and was gone. Obviously, he was disobeying orders of staying to guard the ship but what mischief he was up to, Weiss had no idea.

Yezh flopped on his mat in the tent and immediately pulled out his scroll. Whether it was a girlfriend eh was texting, some interesting article, or a very engrossing webtoon of some kind, his eyes didn't leave his screen for the entire time Ilia was gone.

She returned without the bat faunus.

"We should get some sleep," she instructed Yezh before bedding down on a mat in the tent. "Where's Artemis?"

Yezh shrugged. "Said he had to pee. Hasn't come back yet," he lied. Weiss considered outing them both, but reconsidered. Ilia hated her enough as it was, she didn't need to be a tattle tail on top of it.

Ilia bought it, laying down on her bedroll and falling into slumber immediately. The hedgehog remained on his scroll as Weiss drifted off to sleep in a sitting position against the pole of the tent. Yezh remained on his scroll rather than opting to nap. Artemis returned with wrinkled clothes and ruffled hair, giving Weiss a knowing wink. Weiss just rolled her eyes in disapproval.

After a few hours of sleep and an MRE, it was finally dusk.

Yezh disappeared into the transport to plug in his scroll while Ilia geared up in the tent.

"We'll have to move quickly when we return," Ilia said as she loaded dust cartridges into her whip. "My primary objective is to get Blake off the island. If you're slow or inhibit us in some way, I'll make sure your death will be reasonably blamed on the faunus of Menagerie."

"I understand," Weiss nodded.

Ilia shifted her color scheme to blend in with the foliage before disappearing into the darkness of the forest outside.

She waited. She wasn't sure what would signal her to know she was safe to act, but knew it was coming.

About an hour later, a massive crack like a bolt of lightning erupted through the sky. That was it.

She knew she didn't have much time. Using all her strength she pulled the tent pole up. It took a few tries to pry it from the ground but once it was out, she was able to slip the other end of the cuff off the freed end. Placing the pole back in its place, she made for the transport. The scroll was in the cockpit, still charging. The complicated machinery of the transport shuttle she knew nothing about, but a scroll…she could do something with a scroll.

Making a phone call would be too risky. Calls might be monitored and the number couldn't be erased from the scroll once she typed it in, if he noticed an unauthorized call on his scroll to an Atlas area code he'd know for sure. But…but she could install an app and delete it without being discovered for months. Logging into the applications store on the scroll, she downloaded the Beacon Academy Student app. With the CCTV tower gone, the download time was unbearable. What only took about two minutes seemed like hours…

Within in the city, chaos ensued. The Belladonna's mansion was in flames, Artemis was dead, Fennec was dead, Corsac had been forced to retreat, and the entire mission was comprised. Ilia frantically found Yezh and pulled him out by the collar.

"Adam is going to kill us," Yezh panted as they ran.

"Ghira is going to kill us if we don't move," Ilia urged him on.

"What about Artemis?"

"He's dead." Ilia said flatly.

They arrived back at the camp, not even caring to break down the tent. Ilia jolted into the tent and used her whip to disconnect Weiss cuff from the tent pole.

"No Blake?" Weiss panicked, "Is she?"

"NO TIME!" Ilia shouted seizing her by the wrist and rushing into the aircraft where Yezh was already starting the engines and prepping for take-off."

"Just hold tight and shut up!" Ilia hissed with anger and desperation before slamming the door of the hold.

Seconds later they were off the ground. Weiss watched out the small porthole style window as Menagerie shrank below her. She'd tried to set a plan into action, but had no way of knowing if it ever paid off.

Winter's pilot and bodyguard were waiting outside the transport for her when she returned. Neither looked happy but the pilot approached her first to greet her.

"Any news?"

"Nothing." Winter shook her head. "Nobody seems to know anything."

The pilot sighed. "I've got some worse news for you."

"Orders to return home?"

He nodded. "I've told them that you couldn't land on the island and had to take a ferry out, which would buy you maybe two days at the most. I know it's not much, but at least it's time. They'll expect you to at least reply by then."

Winter shook her head. "There's no point. We might as well head back now."

Her pilot put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If we have two days, why not take our time going back home. Maybe stop for a refuel in Mistral and stop again for a 'maintenance check' in Argus. Maybe something will turn up during that time.

The specialist had no idea why he would care so much about helping her find her sister, but at this moment she appreciated it. She nodded in agreement.

"A lot can happen in two days, maybe something will turn up," she said nodding, sincerely hoping it was true.