A/N: So I found out this week that I have been laid off. While this isn't a surprise in the current climate, it is a little nerve wracking for me. But I also have some good news. An online theater project has picked up a little sketch I did and not only is planning to perform it, but I've been asked to write some follow up content for it in case they want to do a sequel and threquel, so maybe this is finally where my writing turns from a hobby into an actual writing career.

As far as my little RWBY rants, I think upon re-watching volumes 1 and 2, I have a new and much deeper appreciation for two character: Sun and Penny, neither of whom I particularly focused on as much my first time through. Sun was so hilarious and fun and there was this likability to him that you coudln't help but smile when he was being sassy. I hope we get to see him in later seasons. Penny was also a huge ray of sunshine and I am so glad the writers decided to bring her back. I don't know if that was a decision like Grimjow where the fans just asked for it long enough and the production team said "fine" and just put it in or if they had that planned all along, but I am glad she's back and am curious to see what direction they will take her.

Neither Sun nor Penny had anything to do with this chapter, I just got to thinking about them. Hope you enjoy.

Adam was scowling at her.

"You don't have any bloodlust," he commented as he sheathed his katana. He snapped his finger and was thrown a towel.

Weiss shrugged between pants for breath. Despite his own insistence that he would have to "take it easy" after his stab wound, he was back on his feet after only three days and was training again on the fourth. Weiss' skill had improved as she'd adjusted to her new weapon and intense training with Adam. With her aura restored in the ring, she was able to use her glyphs to at a minimum give her a fighting chance. However, despite her improvement against him, Adam still seemed unsatisfied with her. "Sorry, I have no dust, and this ridiculously heavy…double-edged stumpy katana thing slowing me down."

Adam lifted the weapon out of her hands. "It's called a tsurugi, and it's not your speed that's the problem. It's your drive. You're competitive but in a strictly theoretical sense. You enjoy achieving, right?"

"Of course," Weiss said, wiping herself down. "I've always been competitive: academically, fine arts, even at Beacon."

"But is it because you wanted to win or because you wanted to smash your opponent into the dirt? You may have gotten accepted into a huntsman academy, but did you feel a sense of satisfaction when you killed grimm?" He bent under the cords of the ring, holding them up for her to slip through as well.

As always, it was an uncomfortable adjustment feeling her aura drain away. She gripped the ropes to steady herself for a brief moment before replying.

"I guess not. I was more relieved at surviving or at succeeding in pulling off a strategy."

"If you're going to be a successful fighter, you have to desire the devastation of your opponent as much as you desire your own victory. Seeing them lose or suffer should give you some sort of satisfaction knowing that you caused it. You have to have a killer instinct."

"I…I guess…" In public, Weiss was wont to disagree with him, not to make him look good in front of his men, but fearing if she sassed him or displeased him where his men could see, he'd feel obligated to punish her as a show of force. Behind closed doors however, he almost welcomed her disagreeing input on things and they argued frequently.

"We'll try to draw that bloodlust out of you yet," he promised. "We just have to find what it is that makes you want to impose your power on others."

"Yes, sir," she replied. She took his used towel to put in the laundry with her own and put her weapon back on the wall.

"Friday, there'll be no training," the high leader reminded her, "Hazel and the chapter heads will be gathered here for a meeting. Let's hope the weekend is less…eventful that last."

Weiss smiled and gave a half laugh. Eventful was one word for it.

It had been four days and he still hadn't mentioned the kiss. Either he had forgotten it entirely or wanted to pretend like it never happened, leaving her with lack of closure she so desperately sought. She had decided to push it out of her mind by attributing it to some manipulation tactic on his part.

Despite such a short recovery time, Adam wanted to get back to normal, most likely to keep up appearances. She tried to tell him he was pushing himself too hard, he ignored her entirely, resuming his plans for the upcoming attack on Haven. Weiss was almost relieved because it meant Adam wouldn't be doing anything physically strenuous for the next few days while he'd be hosting the brothers from other White Fang chapters.

Bran was able to catch her in the hallway as she left. "Hey. I know it's not much but I wanted to let you know I tried to talk to the people in charge of the other humans. I asked if they could let the families stay together, but they said keeping the children separate ensured the compliance of the adults. I tried explaining that they'd be more compliant if they knew their families were safe, but they wouldn't hear it. They said that's how the humans used to keep us in line: they're just using their own tactics against them."

Weiss let out a long exhale. "I know it's not your fault, and I thank you for trying."

"I can at least let them work and spend time together when they're on my watch," Bran assured her. "If you of all people can treat a faunus with dignity, then I'll find a way to treat humans with the same respect."

Weiss smiled and nodded. "That's very kind of you," she said sincerely. "Out of everyone here, you're the only one it seems that doesn't have a…bloodlust for humanity."

Not much was said about Adam's platinum haired trophy at the meeting with chapter heads. The most shocked one to see her was Mercury Black, who had come with Hazel to oversee the White Fang's attack plan. She was required to sit on the floor beside his chair, ready at a moment's notice to fetch him whatever he wanted. She kept her ears open, but without a view of the tabletop could only hear the plans, not see where and how the plans were meant to unfold.

Without the Atlas military to sabotage and without any good methods to transport grimm, the attack on Haven would rest squarely on the shoulders of the White Fang: a perfect set-up for Salem as she could use it as a means of pitting humans and faunus against each other further. The plan as it stood was for the White Fang to plant bombs and wreak havoc on the school while Hazel and his associates would infiltrate the building and "collect" some things they needed. Hazel was vague about what he wanted, but Adam was satisfied being able to destroy another huntsman academy.

The meeting lasted for hours, with the twelve occupants never left the conference room. Weiss served the guests two meals singlehandedly, never once saying anything beyond a "yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am". To the room, she played her part well: a slave, accepting of her fate and stripped of all desires for a better existence.

At the end of it all, Adam was commended for his actions by the other faunus, though some were skeptical at his vision to institutionalize slavery with human prisoners. Despite their favorability toward her ownership, most agreed she should not be present at the survey trip scheduled over the weekend. Adam reluctantly agreed to leave Weiss behind as they travelled to Haven to further their strategies insisting instead on bringing Ilia, despite her wanting to return to doing recon in Menagerie.

Weiss would not deny that she'd enjoy the weekend off. She could sleep in, get ahead in some of her work like laundry and ironing, do some snooping through Adam's things to get a further look at his plans, and still have time to herself. She told herself that she should take this opportunity to spar with Bran like she'd been wanting, but time off was rare, and she wanted to spend it relaxing and finding ways to undermine her captors, not befriend them.

Adam hadn't fully trusted Weiss to not meddle with his things while he was away, but didn't want to put her in a cell while he was gone. He still didn't fully trust the other White Fang around her, and if the lieutenant tried to repeat what he'd done in Mountain Glenn, then putting her in a holding cell while he was away would just be delivering her on a silver platter. He'd have to leave her alone in his private quarters to maintain the image that he'd conquered her, though he knew full well her spirit was far from broken: her body and posture may have been a good show to the officers, but he knew by the look in her eyes and by the thing she said when the others weren't around that she was still as defiant as ever. Still, she had her uses: she did find a way to get Sienna off the property, and she had doctored him up after the fight…

"That can't be good," Mercury commented as he pointed to gray haze rising above the tree line.

While Hazel and Mercury looked at the smoke with interest, Adam and the other members of the brotherhood became agitated. The pilot of the aircraft ordered the passengers to sit and buckle up so he could take the craft in, pushing the speed of the ship until it put everyone on the brink of nausea. While they realized that the reality was probably nothing serious: a minor dust explosion or a kitchen fire that was already under control, there was still an air of dread as they landed and approached, fearing the worst. Adam was the first off the transport followed by Ilia who could only stand in shock as they took in the scene before them.

Smoke poured out of every window and door as the blaze consumed the palace. The fire protocol had been followed and several of the White Fang had made it out alive, gathering on the north side of the building in a forest clearing. Most just coughed and sputtered for breath while others with more severe injuries were carried out. Medics were working frantically, trying to attend as many injuries as possible while any faunus with a relevant semblance tried keeping the fire contained or went back in to find their comrades.

"Lehela," Adam knelt beside the aging woman as she tended to a burn victim. "What happened?"

"A handful of the human servants jumped their guard set a fire in the pantry, It got out of control faster than we could control it. They're still trying to get everyone out," she said without looking at him directly. Another wave of officers fishing out their comrades and slaves emerged from the doorways. Adam and the chapter heads immediately began assisting finding places to lay the injured.

"How many are left still in there?"

"From what we can tell there's at least thirty faunus missing and almost half the slaves," the officer reported.

"What can we do to help?" Hazel asked.

"For now, help set up a perimeter. This will be sure to attract grimm. We were able to move all the air transports away from the blaze and we're using them to haul water to try and douse the flames."

"What do we do about the ones still trapped inside?"

A loud crack interrupted them as a section of the building buckled then collapsed, shooting clouds of ash and soot into the air.

"I don't think there's much chance of living if they're still inside."

Adam looked around, surveying the splayed bodies of faunus and humans in various stages of injuries: burns, gashes, unconscious. The overwhelming majority had made it out alive and most with just minor injuries. He was grateful that everyone had made it out…

"Where's Weiss?" he asked.

No one answered.

His voice went from a command to a snarl. "Where's Weiss?"

The officer's daren't answer him, but Lehela did, standing as she moved to the next cot. "She was a human and no one was going to risk going in after her. We had more important lives to save."

"I'm going in after her," he said flatly.

"You can't go back in," one of his officers said, "The building's gone. The only thing we can do is keep it from burning down the forest at this point. The Schnee girl is probably already dead from the smoke anyway."

Adam looked somberly at the headquarters, then at the White Fang leaders, then to Hazel and the boy, and finally at his own men. His mind was made up; he removed a handkerchief from his breast pocket and tied it around his head covering his nose and mouth.

"Adam, don't!" Ilia pled, her chameleon spots changing to shades of gray and black as she grabbed his sleeve trying desperately to pull him away from the burning building. Adam rounded on her.

"I need her!" he shouted. Adam almost never raised his voice, but this wasn't a shout of anger or frustration. It was emphatic and distressed. Ilia loosened her grip in shock, watching helplessly as he vanished into the gray wall of smoke of the palace gates.

"What is he doing?" Mercury asked, looking perplexed at Hazel.

"Apparently he finds her valuable either to himself or his plans," Hazel responded. "But our allies need help, and we'll offer it to them in whatever way we can. Let the high leader sort out his own business."

Two minutes passed, then five, then ten.

"Should we go after him?" Lehela asked.

The security officer shook his head. "We're not risking more lives."

The airships arrived with the water, dousing the growing edges of the flames to keep them from catching the nearby trees.

The onlookers expected their high leader to march out of the building in slow motion, carrying his quarry bridal style like some sort of high-budget movie. The reality was far less glamorous. He staggered into the open, barely able to walk as he had the heiress over his shoulder, her hair and clothes scorched with black splotches. He gasped desperately for air as his knees buckled underneath him. Hazel was at his side in a moment, assisting him to the safe zone. The high leader wasted no time in ripping the bandana off and breathing deeply trying to catch his breath. Despite the commotion of injured comrades and frantic firefighting, never for a moment did he remove his attention from Weiss.

Her body was limp. He gently laid her down, removing his jacket to cradle her head.

"She's not breathing," he called to a medic. If the faunus around him hadn't known better, they would have sworn he sounded panicked.

He put his ear to her lips, and his fingers pressed into her neck feeling for a pulse. Her heartbeat was faint. Frantic, he removed his grimm mask and began giving her mouth-to-mouth. The medic hesitated before stepping away to help others. Adam continued, alternating breaths and chest compression. When she didn't respond, he removed his sword and slipped it between her neck and the aura collar, using only the tiniest bit of his semblance to shatter the metal. Immediately, the aura around her body began to glow an almost ethereal white and he pressed his lips to hers once again, forcing air into her lungs.

The boosted healing of her aura was enough to revive her. She coughed and gasped for air, her blue eyes opening to find herself cradled in his arms.

The sight left his underlings and allies speechless, but Adam didn't notice. Until he was assured of the huntress' condition, he refused to leave her side, letting her grip his arm to pull herself up as she continued to heave and clear her lungs of the smoke.

Small grimm: mimics and nevermore began seeping out of the forest; drawn by the pain of the faunus and the absolute terror of the humans who had survived.

"Adam," Ilia called to him.

"Go." Lehela admonished. "They need you. She'll be fine. We're going to sedate all the wounded to keep their emotions from attracting more grimm."

He hesitated at first, but seeing the approaching grimm, stood and joined Ilia in defending the survivors until the forest again was quiet. The hiss and crackle of the fire eventually died as the hovercrafts extinguished the flames, leaving the sky filled with haze, the ground covered in a layer of ash and the remains of the building charred black, creating a depressing picture of loss, all in shades of gray.

She hated the sensation of losing her faculties when the needle was put into her arm, but she remained compliant as the sedative took over, eventually regaining consciousness among the other humans stored inside a cargo transport, forced in a sitting position with her hands secured above her head.

"What's going to happen to us?" one of the women sobbed.

"I don't know, but we can't keep panicking, it's just going to attract more grimm," another said.

"What does it matter? They're just going to kill us anyway. Or worse," the man sitting next to Weiss chimed in.

"They're not going to kill us," Weiss corrected him. "They don't want to eliminate us, the want to subjugate us." Her words weren't intended to comfort, but even so, they came out harsher than she had wanted.

"That's easy for you to say, you're Adam's little pet," an angry young man shouted at her from the far end of the ship. "He feeds you and lets you sleep in a bed. Of course, he won't kill you."

"I sleep on a cot, I just sleep in a different part of the palace," Weiss snapped back. "We're all in this same boat, and we need to stick together if we're going to make it out eventually."

"Make it out and go where?" the first woman said. "We don't even know where we are."

"They flew us over open water, so somewhere in Mistral, I assume," mused another. "But where or if we can even survive long enough to make it back to civilization, I don't know. I was willing to go down with the building, but who knows what they'll do to punish us? They know we're the ones who set the fire."

"SHHHH! Someone's coming!" shouted a child.

The murmurings of the humans quieted as two faunus walked past, stopping just out of view of the ship through open doors on the hover craft.

"Including the Schnee, we've got twenty-two humans still alive and we've found four bodies we can confirm aren't faunus leaving us with twenty-six out of thirty-two accounted for," the faunus said.

"Do you know which ones aren't accounted for?" his companion asked.

"The other humans won't talk, so we don't know who, if any, are missing. Bran would have known, he was in charge of the humans, but he's one of the one's they took down to set the fire in the first place." There was a slight pause. "It was pretty rough when we found him. They left him tied up in the pantry so…He was just a kid."

Weiss spontaneously felt the blood boil inside her. "What did you do?!" she screamed at the other passengers. The cargo bay wasn't lit and the light outside was quickly fading into nightfall, but she could still see the defiance in their faces. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself before asking again in a demanding tone of voice: "What. did. you. do?"

"We had to try…" one began. With her hands still restrained, Weiss formed a tiny white glyph over his lips and pushed it forward with her fingers that forced mouth shut. She didn't want to hear it.

"Bran was the one person who tried to help you," she seethed, hot tears pouring out of her eyes. "Who tried to make your lives better! He asked me what he could do make your lives more comfortable. He was a good kid!"

"He was just another prison keeper!" the youth who had confronted her before said. "He may have been nicer but he was still part of the system of keeping us in chains."

"He was a child! And you killed him!"

"He was a monster, just like the rest of them!"

The use of the word monster caught her. It was the exact word she'd used to describe the faunus for everything they'd done to her from robbing her family to her personal interactions. Sienna, Adam, the Lieutenant, and the members of the White Fang who'd set grimm loose at Beacon on a bunch of teenagers and unarmed townsfolk were indeed monsters.

But not Bran. Bran wasn't a monster. He was fifteen.

She looked again into unapologetic eyes of the other humans in the compartment. There was no remorse. Just as she predicted: they had nothing to lose and were willing to throw that 'nothing' away even if it accomplished nothing more than inconveniencing their captors. Even if it killed innocent people along the way.

These people were monsters.

Humans were monsters.