RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

89. Secrets and Lies

Chapter 88: Secrets and Lies

"We swear, we were going to tell you the truth tomorrow morning." Blake pleaded to Ruby and Weiss.

The younger members of Team RWBY sat across from Blake, Yang and Sun on another couch, Ruby stared at them with bewilderment while Weiss looked at them with a disappointed look in her eyes. Both of them were still trying to process the sight of the three getting it on in the middle of the Schnee's library. Sun was currently looking around the cavernous room, trying to avoid eye contact with the smaller girls, his face flushed as Yang looked down at the carpet, nervous about facing her sister's gaze.

"Just...why? When did this start?" Ruby asked them.

Yang looked up to look at Ruby and was relieved to see Ruby didn't look that upset with them.

"On Adam's ship," Yang answered, "Right before Velvet and her uncle got us out of there. It...it looked like we were gonna die, like we'd never see anyone we loved ever again. We admitted to ourselves we had feelings for each other, both Blake and Sun had feelings for me and me for them, so I started up a threeway kiss."

Ruby gave her sister an understanding, sympathetic look. "Well, I guess it makes sense," The young leader noted, "When it looks like death's inevitable, you can't help but give in to an impulse. But why keep it a secret from us?"

"Because we weren't sure how you'd react." Blake told them.

"Oh come on," Scoffed Weiss, "It's not like you're doing hard drugs or taking part in something illegal. By now you should be able to trust us."

"We do," Yang assured her, "But it's not you, it's everything else. If the rest of Team Beacon knew, others would find out, others would want to join in or view us as horny sex freaks. This relationship isn't based on sex, it's based on our love for each other."

"And a lot of people wouldn't buy that. Yang's pretty popular at Beacon, most of the guys would love to score with her. Hell, some girls too," Sun voiced, "It's no secret the three of us are all sexy, don't mean to brag, but if people found out they'd think we were open. They'd come after Yang or Blake or me, but we don't want anyone else, we just want each other."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense, but still; keeping it from us for over half a year?" Ruby pointed out, "It kind of hurts you kept us in the dark for so long."

"We know, and we're sorry, we really are," Yang swore, "But we just didn't know how you guys would react and our families… Let's face it Ruby, dad would freak out a little at first, right?"

Ruby nodded reluctantly, "I guess he would, but he was with both mom and Aunt Raven, he probably wouldn't have that big of a problem with it."

"Maybe so, but my Uncle Ghira...I love him and trust him with my life, but he was already hard on Sun at first. He'd really come down on us if he knew our true relationship." Blake said.

"And I still see his face in my dreams," Sun remarked with a shudder, "I don't need Taiyang and Qrow teaming up with him to come down on me, plus I know my mom is sweet and all, but when she gets mad, it's not a pretty sight."

Weiss sighed, crossing her arms as she finally said "Okay, I can see you had legitimate reasons for not wanting your relationship out in the open, but we would have kept it secret for you, so I can't help but be a little hurt that you didn't trust us after everything we've been through."

"That's why we were going to tell you," Blake spoke up, "We've been through so much together and it's obvious we have a lot ahead of us, so we were going to come clean. I think we all regret not telling you sooner."

"Totally," Sun agreed with a nod, "Just don't tell our folks yet. Let us do that in our own time."

"But what about Uncle Qrow? He's here with us, so he'll obviously figure it out once you tell everybody." Ruby pointed out.

"Qrow's been around a lot more than dad has," Yang remarked, "And we all know he's a bit of a swinger. I think we can trust him to keep a secret from dad until we're ready."

"Yeah, once we've gotten the relics and can rest easy." Sun said.

Weiss nodded, "Okay. All right, I'm willing to look past this. If there's one thing I've learned since we became Team RWBY, it's not to be judgemental. So I may find it a little unusual, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be together if it makes you all happy."

Blake and Sun breathed a sigh of relief, happy that Weiss was actually accepting their relationship. Yang looked at her little sister and carefully asked "So, are you okay with it?"

Ruby gave her a smile, "Hey, you're not hurting anyone and you're not spreading it around too much, cause even I know that never ends well. As long as you guys love each other, I don't really see why I should have a problem with it."

Yang smiled back as she got up and hugged her little sister, while Sun leaned back on the couch to let out a breath, relieved that the situation had been defused.

Blake looked at Weiss, thinking about how much the once stuck up heiress had changed since that first day at Beacon. Here they were, in the Schnee Manor, with three Faunus being allowed to stay as guests. That was something Blake would have laughed at a few years ago.

"So, are we good?" She asked the ashen haired girl.

Weiss gave her a nod, "I suppose so," She said, "But if the need to give into the passion is that strong, don't do it in my library, and no more major secrets like this, okay?"

"Yeah," Ruby spoke up as she parted from Yang's embrace, "Now more than ever, we have to stand together. Keeping secrets like this will only divide us, which is exactly what Salem wants, so we need to be honest with each other. Tomorrow you guys will tell everyone the truth, and I promise you they'll be more upset with being kept in the dark for so long than the three of you being together."

"As long as they don't ask to join in." Blake stated as she stood up.

"Amethyst might be interested and Coco might joke about it, but so far we're good," Yang pointed out as she walked over, "Besides, at least the three of us don't have to hide to kiss one another."

She gave her partner a loving kiss on the lips, which Blake obviously enjoyed, before she broke off and leaned down to kiss Sun.

Ruby smiled, happy for them and looked over to Weiss. "So, I guess we still need to tell them, huh?"

Weiss realized that the surprise of discovering the trio's relationship had overshadowed the news they had originally come to deliver.

"We've talked to my father, and he's promised to think about letting some refugees stay here, after he's gotten a night's rest." Weiss told them.

"Really? That's great!" Sun said.

"And he didn't have an aneurysm? Man, he really is changing." Yang joked.

"It's not set in stone yet," Weiss said, "He may still need some convincing before he makes a commitment."

"Well, we'll discuss it with him tomorrow," Blake remarked, "But for now I think it'd be best if we follow his example and get some sleep."

"Not a bad idea, we could use it after this," Sun said before adding in an exaggerated posh voice "Shall I escort you ladies to your rooms?"

"Why I'd be delighted, kind sir." Yang answered, offering her robotic hand to him.

"Oh please, I've heard other rich kids my age offer to escort me. You don't sound nearly desperate or underhanded enough, Sun." Weiss quipped.

The others laughed at Weiss' joke, even Blake cracked a smile.

They left the library behind, making their way up the stairs and to their rooms.

"So, I guess we're gonna be doing some serious training while we're here, right?" Asked Sun.

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, Salem's probably going to be sending Cinder or one of her other goons after the relics, so we're gonna have to be at the top of our game."

"All the more reason for us to get some sleep, goodnight everyone." Weiss bid them as she split off, heading towards her room.

"Night!" The others called after, heading off for the guest rooms.

Ruby looked at Yang and asked, "So, is it fun being in a trio like this?"

Yang chuckled, "Totally, but only if you're with the right people," She said, reaching out and taking Blake and Sun's hands, "Which isn't easy, but we got lucky."

Blake blushed slightly as Sun gave Yang a flirty look, before he looked to Ruby, "Hope we're welcomed to the family."

"Of course," Ruby said with a bright smile, "Heck, you're practically family already."

"I suppose that, if nothing else, we can always count on you for support." Blake told the younger girl with a thankful expression.

They arrived at a pair of rooms that the three members of Team RWBY were assigned to.

"Sweet dreams, girls," Sun said before kissing both of his girlfriends before adding "Same to you, Ruby."

Ruby gave him a fistbump before saying goodnight to her sister and Blake, and finally entering the room she shared with Penny.

Sun jogged off to the room he'd be bunking in with Neptune, while Blake and Yang went into their room, locking the door behind them.

Ruby took in a deep breath of air before letting it out, looking over to see Penny sitting on her bed, watching a funny cartoon on the television across from the beds. The children's networks were probably one of the few channels not covering the disasters, left alone to give the frightened children a light in a dark time.

"Hey Penny, you okay?" She inquired.

Penny smiled and nodded, "I am, Ruby. Though I must say you missed something incredible while you were gone."

"Really?" Ruby asked as she opened up her case and began to change into her pajamas.

"Oh yes, though I don't fully understand all the details, the fragment of Ashe's soul possessed Jaune to speak to Sharp Strike." Penny revealed.

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed, turning to face the android, with her tank top still over her head. She pulled it down and sprinted over to Penny, taking her by the shoulders, "Tell me what happened."

Penny filled Ruby in on the details of what she had missed.

Ruby released her hold on Penny and sat down next to her, "Man, I'm gone for like half an hour and Jaune gets possessed. Tonight's just full of surprises."

"What does that mean?" Penny inquired, curious.

Ruby blushed and laughed nervously, "Me and Weiss made a little discovery in the library. Yang, Blake and Sun will fill everyone in tomorrow. Did Ashe say anything?"

"Yes," Penny confirmed, "He simply said to tell you 'Hey' and told us to take care of ourselves."

Ruby smiled, "Yeah, that sounds like him." She glanced over at the tv, "Wanna watch some before we go to bed?"

"Of course!" Penny agreed, as while she had caught on to most humor, there were still jokes she didn't understand and needed help to understand.

The two sat together, watching the zany cartoon and laughing together. Ruby savored this moment, as in the back of her head she knew moments like these would be precious memories to look back on during the trials ahead of them.

Next door, Blake stepped out of the shower and grabbed a very expensive looking towel, which she began to vigorously dry her body and hair off with. Yang had elected to hold off on a shower until the morning, so she could look her best so early. After drying herself and brushing her teeth, she put on her silky black yukata and opened the door to see Yang sitting on her bed, lounging comfortably on the rich sheets, her head resting on her hands.

Blake gazed at Yang, admiring her body, clad only in a short yellow tank top that showed off her belly and generous cleavage and a pair of loose fitting gym shorts. She took in the sight of the blonde brawler's muscular arms, abs and her beautiful face with a glorious mane of hair.

Yang's violet eyes opened, gazing back at the Faunus. She smiled and said "Hey, pretty kitty. Looking good."

Blake smiled, "You too, you always do."

"Aw, thanks." Yang replied as she hopped up and went to brush her teeth. Blake sat down on the bed she would sleep in for the next week or so. She reached down into her case, taking out a hairbrush and a book, more specifically a volume of 'The Dream Master' comic which Jaune and Sun had gotten her into.

Shortly, Yang emerged from the bathroom and sauntered over to Blake's bed, putting an alluring swing in her hips. She sat on her knees behind Blake and accepted the brush from her, carefully sliding the brush down Blake's inky locks of hair.

"So, you ready for tomorrow?" Yang asked.

"No backing down," Blake remarked, "It'll be awkward, but we've survived far worse. At least we can be more open from now on."

"Mmm, that'll be great," Yang noted as she looked down, peeking down Blake's yukata at her lovely breasts, "Maybe we and Sun can finally have some time to get down and do the sexy deed."

Blake blushed and looked up, only for Yang to lean down and share a kiss with her, something that lasted for several seconds before they parted and Yang carried on brushing her partner's hair.

She finished and placed the brush on the nightstand and placed her hands on Blake's shoulders and asked "So, there's no reason we can't share a bed, right?"

Blake gave a smile, answering "I guess there isn't."

Yang grinned and rolled over to take her place next to her partner, whom she attacked with a barrage of kisses on her cheek, before she took hold of Blake and hauled her over to lay atop her, she lost her grip on the graphic novel as it landed on its back near them.

"Whoa, Yang!" Blake lightly objected, their bodies pressing against each other.

"Blake, listen. Tomorrow, we're going to let everyone know how we feel about each other, so no matter what happens I want you to know I don't regret starting that kiss at all. I love Sun and I love you." Yang told her, her violet eyes staring into Blake's own amber ones.

Blake nodded slowly, "I feel the same way. Come what may, we'll have each other."

She then got off Yang as she detached her robotic hand and placed it on the nightstand. Blake placed her book on the nightstand and switched off the lights, before she turned over, only for Yang to wrap her remaining arm around Blake and bringing her in for a hug and kiss, which Blake eagerly returned as she snuggled into her blonde partner.

Not far off down the hall, Sun sat on his bed across from Neptune. The two had told each other what had transpired in one another's absences.

"Well this has been one eventful night." Sun remarked.

"You can count on me for support," Neptune swore, "I'll always have your back, man."

Sun smiled at the bluenette and said "Thanks bro, because I'm probably gonna need your help once Taiyang and Ghira find out."

Neptune laughed and replied "Hey man, the bonds of brotherhood only go so far."

Sun could only laugh.

---

Pyrrha's eyes fluttered open, awakened by her scroll's alarm function softly beeping. She reached over to the nightstand and pressed on the screen to disable it. She turned back to see Jaune cuddled into her, softly breathing in and out causing his hairless chest to slowly rise and fall, a sight that made Pyrrha's heart flutter. He was so cute when he was sleeping peacefully!

And the sight of him sleeping in nothing but his boxers was very sexy, in Pyrrha's humble opinion.

After speaking to Nora and Ren while getting Jaune into bed and putting the Aura Crystal safely beneath the bed, Pyrrha had sent the other half of JNPR to their room and set about undressing herself, and Jaune. Pyrrha savored the intimate feeling of their bare skin touching, his face gently pressed against her bandeau bra, her hands wrapped around his well-defined torso, his sun-kissed hair against her chin. The blankets and their bodies provided the only warmth they needed.

She planted a kiss on his head and said "Time to get up, Jaune."

He didn't respond, so she gently shook him, finally getting a faint groan out of him. "Feel like waking up?" She asked.

He grunted negatively, snuggling into her as he pulled the covers closer. Pyrrha sighed before she gently assaulted his face with kisses, hoping that would be enough to wake him. "How. About. Now?" She asked, pausing to kiss him between each word.

"No." Jaune said teasingly, smiling as his eyes refused to open.

Pyrrha smirked and moved away from him, which he objected to with annoyed whines as she slid over to the other end of the bed, but he still refused to rise.

"Jaune, Cinder's here to destroy us all," She called. No response. She decided another tactic was needed, so she said "Jaune, I'm naked."

That did it.

Jaune shot up, his eyes wide open, only to be greeted by the sight of Pyrrha in her underwear. "You lied to me," He said, feigning hurt feelings.

Pyrrha let out a laugh, "Ren uses pancakes for Nora, I use my body for you."

Jaune allowed himself a smile as he crawled over to her, "Still, waking up to you is still worth it."

Pyrrha smiled and scooted forward to catch Jaune as he sat up and hugged her, their lips meeting in a loving kiss, their strong arms lovingly wrapped around one another.

They parted, gazing into each other's eyes. "Feeling better?" She asked, "You were completely out of it when Ashe left your body."

"Yeah, I would not recommend you ever getting possessed, not fun," He told her, "But I'm feeling pretty recharged now."

"Good," The Spartan replied, before getting off of him and the bed, standing up and stretching. Jaune smiled and moved to take hold of her body from behind, but as he neared her, she twirled around and moved to strike, but he managed to block.

"Very good," Pyrrha said with a smile, proud of his greatly improved reflexes. Jaune jumped off the bed and caught Pyrrha's foot as she kicked at him, throwing her back, which she flowed into cartwheeling away from him and landing into a combat-ready stance.

They ran to meet one another, trading blows and blocking them, their bodies moving swiftly and elegantly, moving in tandem. Legs met arms, legs struck against legs and arms collided… Pyrrha's training had sunk into him and had vastly improved his own skills, he had memorized and savored Pyrrha's moves. When one watched them spar, one could tell how deep their relationship ran; the way they moved in these matches showed an intimate unity.

It was only natural, after what they had experienced.

Jaune charged Pyrrha, crashing into her and pinning her atop the bed. He smirked as he looked down on her, his long hair dropping past his face, "Looks like I win this time." He stated.

"Then claim your prize," Pyrrha invited seductively, fluttering her eyelashes. Jaune couldn't resist, and lowered himself down to steal kisses. Pyrrha reached up and planted her hands on his face, only to wrap her arms around his back and her legs around his waist, throwing herself at him, causing him to fall over and land with a thud on the carpet, Pyrrha triumphantly pinning him down.

"Don't be so sure of your victory until after you've completed the battle," She told him, smiling at him.

"Okay, you win," Jaune surrendered, "I'm at your mercy."

A slight blush appeared on Pyrrha's face as she gave her victory conditions, "I command you to join me for a warm shower."

"Man, you're making defeat feel pretty good." Jaune quipped, earning another laugh from his partner as she got off of him, before becoming him to join her in the shower.

Across the hall, Nora woke up, letting out a loud yawn as she arose, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes to see Ren doing some morning exercises. He stood on one leg, his limbs spread out as he remained perfectly balanced as he slowly breathed in and out, his eyes closed.

Nora smiled as she began stretching, swinging her legs up into the air, reaching up with her hands to capture her feet and bring them down, curling her body into a ball. She rolled forward and burst out to grab Ren, only for her best friend to gracefully leap into the air over her, landing atop the bed as she landed on the floor and rolled over to sit up, smiling up at him.

"You're way too good at that." She stated.

"You'll just have to learn to be more stealthy." Ren said with a shrug before he leapt off the bed, landing carefully before he began to strike out into the air with his fists and feet. Nora stood up and joined him in their daily martial arts practices. Despite learning from the same instructors over the years, Ren still recalled his early teaching from his parents and because of this his own style was more refined and precise, while Nora's was wilder and a tad sloppy, but it was nonetheless effective in combat.

"You sleep good?" Nora asked as she leapt up and kicked into the air, falling down on her back with all four limbs swinging out at imaginary attackers, while Ren kept his distance.

"I slept well enough, and I know you did." Ren remarked as he hopped over a sweeping kick from Nora, only to be brought down by Nora grabbing the bottom of his pajama shirt and hauling him down as she shot up to greet him with a kiss.

"You bet I did. With these beds and you to cuddle with? How could I not sleep like a bear?" She joked. Ren smiled at her, always able to find comfort in Nora's seemingly endless enthusiasm.

After a playful boop on his nose, Ren pulled back and said "I'm going to take a shower, or do you want to go first?"

"Nah, you go ahead, I need to do a little more." Nora said as she kept practicing her moves. Ren nodded and went into the bathroom.

All of Team Beacon were waking up; Velvet was an early riser due to her rabbit nature and had already completed her morning routines and was already brushing her hair out, while Coco did her own exercises that needed weights tied to her arms, to ensure she could still move swiftly with her heavy weapon.

"So, how was your first night in a Schnee Manor bed?" Coco asked her teammate as she laid the handbag down.

Velvet gave her a smile and answered "To be honest? It felt really darn good."

Coco smiled, happy for her friend, as she slipped off her nightdress and headed for the shower.

In the room next to theirs, Yatsuhashi pushed himself from the floor and lowered himself back down, repeating the process again and again while Fox did a set of fifty sit-ups. From the outside, one might mistake the silence between the two as uncomfortable or unfriendly, but the two actually enjoyed one another's company. Neither of them were particularly talkative, so they found it nice to simply share a comfortable silence together.

Fox finished his exercises and sat up, wiping the sweat off his brow and he rested against the bed. He looked at the larger Huntsman-in-training and asked "Yatsu, what do you honestly think about this?"

Yatsuhashi looked down at Fox, "Our mission?"

"Yeah. Let's be honest with each other, do you really think we're cut out for this?" Fox inquired, "I mean shouldn't they be using people with more experience?"

Yatsuhashi considered the question and answered "Experience is why we were chosen. We have managed to make it thus far, taking on everything this Salem has pitted against us. Thus far, all of Team Beacon has survived and our past encounters with the enemy have made us stronger, the obvious choices for the operation to retrieve these relics. We will suffice. We must suffice."

Fox nodded, "Yeah, I guess there's too much counting on us. No backing out anymore, huh?"

Yatsuhashi looked at Fox and asked "Even if we were presented with the chance to decline, would you?"

Fox looked up at him and answered "Hell no."

"And neither will any of us." Yatsuhashi remarked as he went for the shower.

Inside Sage and Scarlet's temporary room, the former held his sword firmly in his hands as he moved his arms around, quickly shifting the sword to defensive positions before he let out a soft snarl and leapt forward, striking out at enemies he pictured in his mind. He imagined slashing off a Beowolf's legs, thrusting into a Boarbatusk's nose...anything he might be up against.

Sage saw his blade was nearing the wallpaper, so he managed to bring his sword to a halt just in the nick of time before he could cause any damage. He spun his sword around in his hands before sliding it back into the sheath. He glanced over and rolled his eyes at Scarlet, who was still sleeping soundly in his bed. He took the sheathed weapon and poked his partner until he finally woke up.

"Wha-what time is it?" Scarlet slurred tiredly.

"A little past seven, rise and shine." Sage remarked as he threw the curtain open, allowing the light to pour in and show off the wonderful view of the distant mountains.

Scarlet let out a yawn as he swung his legs over the bed, tossing the blanket off of his body. "Man, that was the best sleep I've had in months."

"Tell me about it, beats the beds at Haven any day." Sage agreed as he moved to take a shower, as Scarlet began his own exercise routine.

The redhead looked out the window as he squatted up and down, taking a moment to enjoy the beautiful dawn sky, though he would always prefer the dawn at sea, something his mother always loved waking up for.

Scarlet scowled for a brief moment, remembering that his old home, The Bloody Hook, had been a part of the attack on Atlas.

It wasn't surprising the notorious Captain Silver would throw his hat in with Salem's faction, but Scarlet wondered if he would encounter the man who had made him an orphan. If he got the chance, he knew nothing could hold him back from taking Silver down.

In Sun and Neptune's room, the Monkey Faunus did his own morning routine of practicing with Ruyi and Jingu Bang, twirling them around, flexing his body about to loosen up the joints from the comfortable rest they had enjoyed. Sun swung them through the air before he ran towards the wall, running up it before leaping off and landing on the bed before using Jingu Bang to block a jab from Neptune's trident.

"Hey, be careful. We're guests here, remember?" Neptune told him.

"Relax, I'm not gonna break anything." Sun assured him.

"You better not. The last thing we need right now is giving Weiss' dad any reason to kill the idea of letting refugees stay here." The bluenette said with a serious tone of voice.

Sun sighed and nodded, "Okay, good point. Guess we can't treat this place like a dorm room, huh?"

"No, we gotta be on our best behavior until they get those things translated." Neptune remarked, "So, you ready to come clean to everyone?"

"Got no choice," Sun answered, "How mad do you think Sage and Scarlet are gonna be?"

"They'll be ticked, but I think they'll get over it," Neptune surmised, "But no matter what, I'll be there for you."

Sun smiled at his partner, "Thanks man." They shared a fist bump before Sun went for his shower.

Within Sharp Strike's room, the Knight Errant finished outfitting himself with his aegis armor, having already finished his morning rituals. He decided that today would be a good day to get to know his new team a little better, taking advantage of their brief respite from fighting Salem's forces.

Exiting his room, Sharp Strike found himself greeted by Amethyst, who leaned casually against the wall outside the room she was sharing with her sister Maiden.

"Morning," She greeted.

"And to you, Spring Maiden." Sharp Strike returned.

"You can call me Amethyst, Double S," Amethyst said with a jovial smile, "So, you doing okay after last night's spiritual encounter?"

"It was...quite the experience, though I meant every word when I took the vow Ashe presented me. I will do everything I can for this team, especially for you Maidens." He told her.

Amethyst nodded, "Even kill for us?" She asked, her voice turning serious.

"Yes." The Knight confirmed after a slight pause, not expecting that question.

"Good. Cinder Fall needs to die for what she's done, for the powers she's taken. For what she did to Elsa, Amber, Kaifin, Pyrrha...hell, this girl even murdered her own family. If we face Cinder Fall, we need to do everything we can to kill her and relinquish her control over the Fall Maiden's powers." Amethyst voiced.

"I have no doubt Cinder Fall will be amongst the dead once this is over. I must admit, Amethyst, I didn't expect you to harbor such dark thoughts." Sharp Strike remarked.

"Dark times bring dark thoughts," The Spring Maiden said with a shrug, "Still, I won't let them rule me."

"Good. They don't suit you." The Knight commented, earning a smile from the Maiden.

"I know you understand how we feel. You've lost comrades to these people too." Amethyst noted.

Sharp Strike nodded, "Indeed, and while I do want to see justice done, we Knights have been taught to never let a lust for vengeance consume us. I hope you understand that as well."

Amethyst sighed, "I know, I know. From what I understand all of this is happening because Salem wants revenge. I don't want to end up like her, I don't want to let hate control me." She said.

"And I'll make sure it never does," Came Heliosia's voice as she appeared in the open doorway. She smiled at Amethyst and gave her a brief hug, "Don't worry. We'll face this together, and we will bring these False Maidens to justice."

Amethyst smiled and nodded, as the Summer Maiden looked at Sharp Strike, "Good morning."

"And to you, Heliosia. I trust you slept well?"

She nodded, "I did. Thank you for speaking to Amethyst. I can see why you were given this assignment."

"My past experience with Team Beacon made me the prime candidate, but thank you." Sharp Strike replied modestly.

"I think you're gonna make him blush, 'sia." Amethyst remarked with a sly smirk.

In Ruby and Penny's guest room, the silver-eyed girl practiced her punches and kicks, her feet and hands striking the air with nimble precision. She jumped, leaping through the air and over her bed, landing on one foot with her other planted atop the soft mattress. She hopped up onto the bed and bounced on it to propel herself across the room and onto Penny's bed, where the android lay with her arms out. Ruby's feet landed on Penny's hands and the android girl sprang up, balancing Ruby over her head.

"Perfectly done, Ruby!" Penny complimented, "You've a natural."

"Thanks! My reflexes have got to be as sharp as possible for this mission!" Ruby declared as she flipped off of Penny, landing in front of her friend.

Penny looked at her best friend and asked "Ruby, are you nervous about the mission?"

Ruby looked at her and thought about it for a minute, "Well, I don't want to be...but I guess I am. There's so much at stake. If something goes wrong…"

"Don't worry about it," Penny assured her as she stood up, "We can do it. I know how much depends on these relics, so if any one of us makes a mistake, the rest of the team will be there to make it right."

Ruby smiled and hugged her friend, an affection which was returned.

Next door, Blake sat against the headboard of the bed reading her book, listening to the shower running in the bathroom as Yang bathed. The two had a very pleasant sleep together and Blake had very much enjoyed resting in Yang's loving embrace. The Faunus was already dressed and ready for the day ahead, mentally going over what they would say to the others when the truth came out.

There were many ways this could go, but since the very sudden and awkward situation they had found themselves in last night was resolved without much incident, then perhaps it wouldn't be much more difficult. However, it was very likely that Sage and Scarlet would take being kept in the dark far less easily than Ruby and Weiss had.

She looked up as she heard the bathroom door opening, steam emerging, and blushed to see Yang strutting out, a towel wrapped around her bountiful hair and another draped around her amazing body.

Yang opened her eyes and gave her partner a suggestive look, "Like what you see, kitty cat?" She asked.

Blake nodded as she kept gazing at Yang before she shook her head, snapping out of it and burying her blushing face in her book. Yang giggled as she tore off the towel around her head, letting her perfect hair fall, which Blake couldn't resist watching.

The blonde leaned over and pulled the book away from Blake, giving the Faunus a fantastic view of her deep cleavage before planting a loving kiss on the lips, which Blake was all too happy to return.

"For luck," Yang whispered, "We're gonna need it. So when we see Sun, we've got to give him some too."

"Hmm, sounds good." Blake agreed, before Yang pulled away and dropped her remaining towel, leaving her naked. Blake stared at the brawler's bare form, earning a wink from Yang who then proceeded to dress herself.

Soon, the two girls left their room behind and carefully snuck down the hall. Blake gently rapped on the door and Neptune quickly opened it.

"Morning, I had a feeling you'd be here," He said as he allowed them in, quickly closing the door, "I guess you're serious about this?"

"Yeah. We can't keep them in the dark anymore, especially now that Ruby and Weiss know." Blake told him as Sun emerged from the bathroom, wearing only his pants.

"Ah, now that's a good sight." Yang quipped, taking in Sun's shirtless form.

"You're not so bad yourself." Sun replied as he came over. Blake glided over and greeted him with a hug, lovingly kissing him for luck. She pulled away, smiling at him, allowing Yang to snake her way in and smooch the blond Faunus herself.

"For luck. We're gonna need it." She told him.

"I think we'll be okay. It's just like ripping off a bandaid, right?" Sun remarked.

"Do you think Sage and Scarlet will be angry at you?" Blake inquired.

"Probably, but I know them well enough and I know they never stay angry for very long, so I think they'll get over it in a few days," Sun voiced before adding "At least I hope so."

Sun put his shirt on and the quartet exited the room, seeing the other members of Team Beacon also entering the hallway.

"Good morning everyone," Greeted Heliosia.

"Morning!" Ruby called as she waved to them, "Everyone have a good night's rest?"

"I don't see how we couldn't on those beds," Coco said, "You missed something really weird last night."

"Yeah, Penny filled me in," Ruby acknowledged as Jaune and Pyrrha emerged from their room.

"Feeling better?" Velvet asked the blond, who nodded.

"A lot better," He confirmed, "Let me just say possession is not something I'd recommend any of you try."

"We'll keep that in mind." Fox deadpanned before Team CFVY pardoned themselves and headed downstairs.

"Wait, what happened?" Yang asked, lost, as Ruby approached her friend

Ren quickly explained to Yang and Blake what had happened the previous night as Ruby spoke to Jaune.

"What was it like? Did he tell you anything meaningful?" She interrogated.

"Well...it was weird. It's like when you haven't slept in days and you can't tell if you're in a dream or if you're awake, you feel like your body's on autopilot." Jaune elaborated, "And as for having someone else inside of me...I really got no words for, it was like my entire body was having a headache, feeling numb. It was...foggy. I don't really know how to describe it."

"I suppose it's entirely different from an out of body experience, like when we're in a mindscape." Amethyst commented.

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, it was a bit like how I felt the first time I went into the Aura Crystal, but way more intense."

"I wish he had left a bit more of a message for us." Ruby said.

"You have to remember, it was only a fragment of Ashe's soul. This part of Ashe doesn't even know the specifics of how he died and struggled to possess Jaune as long as he did." Pyrrha pointed out.

Ruby nodded as Sharp Strike spoke up, "What he said to me was quite meaningful. He cared about you very much, he wanted to ensure my loyalty to all of you, to see if my order had any ulterior motives for the crystal. I intend to honor the vow I made and to do everything in my power to help this team. I hope you can find comfort in that."

Ruby smiled brightly and nodded, "I trust you, and whatever the vow was, I know you'll live up to it."

"Ah, good to see you're all up," Commented Weiss as she entered the hall. She had finished her morning routine and had dressed herself in some casual attire, with a short skirt down to her knees and a modest shirt, her hair tied up in the usual ponytail, "Klein has announced that breakfast is ready."

---

Team Beacon, accompanied by Winter, Qrow, Argentius and Soul Seer sat at the grand table in the Schnee's dining hall, with Willow Schnee sitting at the head of the table. The Schnee Patriarch had already met Weiss' teammates, Penny and Sun during the Winter Solstice celebrations a few months previously, so Weiss introduced him to the members of Teams JNPR, CFVY, the other members of Team SSSN as well as Sharp Strike and the Maidens.

The past two years had been full of surprises for Willow Schnee, so the fact that Knights from an order he once thought was nothing more than a myth, two supremely powerful Maidens, an android and three Faunus were sitting at his table for breakfast didn't stun him as much as it once would have.

Still, it was quite a surreal sight to be sure.

"It is an honor to have you all in our home," He said to them, "We hope you'll enjoy your stay."

"The honor is ours, Willow Schnee." Soul Seer returned with a polite bow.

"Indeed, your ancestral home is as old as some of our own sites." Argentius remarked.

"It's a pretty sweet place, sir." Neptune voiced as he took in his plate. The breakfast offered to them included soft toast, seasoned scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, glistening sausages, bowls of various fruits and pancakes.

"Yeah, the rooms are a little bare bones, but since they're just guest rooms I guess it's no big deal." Voiced Coco as she took a sip of her morning coffee.

Willow nodded, cutting off a piece of sausage and taking it into his mouth.

The group went about eating the delicious breakfast offered for them. "Man, I could get used to eating like this!" Nora chimed after swallowing a mouth full of buttered, syruped pancakes which were good, but still not as good as Ren's.

Willow kept glancing at the three Knights as he tried to focus on Weiss, who ate the last bit of strawberry, and spoke to her, "So, I have been thinking about your proposal. There is merit to it, I cannot deny that, but I can see many things that could go wrong."

Weiss and Winter looked to their father, "Such as?" The elder invited.

"I am not unaware that our image is not exactly a positive one among the common folk of Atlas. There is a distinct possibility that those we take in could take advantage of our generosity and vandalize our home, try to steal from us." He elaborated.

Weiss and Winter shared looks with their friends and the younger sister spoke up, hoping her usually snarky friends could restrain any wisecracks that floated into their minds for just this once.

"I cannot deny there is a chance such things will happen, but perhaps they won't. Giving them a home here for the next few months is a very compassionate act, so good people wouldn't abuse such kindness." She said.

"And perhaps it would be a good idea to take in people who have been hit harder by the attacks," Velvet spoke up. She blushed and shrunk back in her seat when everyone else looked at her, her ears drooping down to shadow her face, "I mean, survivors of the really horrible Grimm attacks, humans and Faunus who have never had a privileged life."

"She has a good idea," Heliosia agreed, "Taking in families victimized by the attacks would be very charitable. The people from the cities will be safe enough, but those from smaller towns need hospitality."

"And you could give them jobs," Blake added, "Taking in so many people will overload your staff, so it would be wise to take some of these refugees onboard and pay them. That way your staff won't be overwhelmed."

Willow nodded, considering the possible outcomes of such a venture.

"Plus, it would do a ton of favors for your image, and that of your family and your company too." Added Jaune, hoping that would be enticing enough.

"And it would offer a lot of people comfort in all this chaos. Seeing a member of the Atlesian Council like you taking in people who have been affected by the attacks will give the people of Atlas some hope, which they desperately need." Weiss added.

Willow nodded before he looked at the empty or nearly empty plates on the table.

"Food will be an issue in these dire times. I can arrange to obtain more food for the manor, but we can only provide for so many mouths, so we can't take in more than a hundred or so people." He noted.

Winter nodded, "That seems fair."

Willow leaned his head back as he made his decision. "Very well. We shall prepare the house to be a shelter for a select number of refugees, both humans and Faunus. I think we'll be ready to accept them by the end of the week."

Everyone seemed relieved he had actually agreed to do it. Fox shared a look with Coco, genuinely surprised. Blake and Yang smiled at each other and Weiss and Ruby, who gave the Cat Faunus an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"However," Willow added, "I feel the need to relocate our valuables on display to the vault and towers. No offense, I just wish to be careful."

Winter nodded, "A reasonable precaution. I must admit a part of me honestly didn't believe you'd go along with this."

"Me neither," Qrow commented. He was silenced by warning looks from Ruby and Weiss, though the latter's was far fiercer.

"A fair jab, Branwen, I must admit," Willow remarked as he rose up, "If you'll excuse me, I'll go speak to Ironwood and Maximilius to make the arrangements. It was good to meet you all and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your stay."

"We will, Mr. Schnee. Thank you," Heliosia replied with a bow of her head.

"Very much." Velvet added with a thankful smile.

Willow nodded and exited the dining room.

"Man, color me surprised. I honestly didn't think he'd go for it." Scarlet admitted.

"Atlas suffered a wide-scale assault they haven't in ages, not since the first great war," Mentioned Sharp Strike, "The Atlesians need to stand together or fall into chaos. Schnee knows this."

Winter nodded, "As a member of the council, he knows of Salem, though not many details. I believe our father knows what an unpleasant man he has been in the past, but I am convinced he wishes to change." She said.

"Let's just hope he commits to it," Fox said, "Everyone wants to change for the better, but not that many people can actually pull it off."

Weiss shot him an annoyed look as Blake let out a sad sigh before saying "Change isn't easy. Believe me. But it's easier when you have someone to help. Just look around this table, and look at how much we have changed."

Yang and Sun smiled at their lover.

"That's very true," Yatsuhashi said with a nod, "Just look at Velvet. Her meekness isn't entirely gone, but it has mostly melted away. She changed and became stronger than most ever expected her to be." Velvet smiled lovingly and leaned up to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek, which made him smile slightly before continuing, "And look at Jaune. I can honestly say almost none of us expected him to become as capable as he is now."

"Emphasis on 'almost none'," Nora quipped, elbowing Pyrrha in the ribs cheekily.

"Change will come to all of us. By exposing ourselves to the rest of the world, we Knights are taking on the greatest change we haven seen in ages." Argentius said before glancing out the window and adding "And I hope it will turn out to be a positive one."

"I have changed," Weiss confessed, "I admit that as much as I hate it, 'ice queen' was a fitting nickname for me. I changed because of the people I was lucky to have for a team."

Ruby smiled widely and hugged her partner, which made Weiss blush as she rolled her eyes.

Argentius took his leave to speak with the other knights who were on the estate. Once he left, Blake, Yang and Sun shared a look amongst themselves. "Should we?" Blake asked.

"Might as well…" Yang muttered, "Everyone, me Blake and Sun have something to tell you,"

Everyone looked at them, glancing in between the three as Qrow sat up in his seat.

"What is it?" Penny inquired with a tilt of her head.

"Well...you guys all know that me and Blake are together," Sun began, "And Yang…"

"She's also a part of our relationship. All three of us are in love with each other." Blake finally said, throwing the truth out in the open.

"Wait, what?" Qrow asked, not entirely sure what he had just heard.

"Ar-are you serious?" Sage asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes. The three of us have been together since the White Fang mission was over." Blake answered.

"That long? Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Pyrrha inquired

"It's about time you came clean," Remarked Coco, all too casually.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Fox noted.

"Yep, caught Blake and Yang smooching in the gym one night a few months back." Coco confirmed, making Velvet blush brightly and cover her mouth at the mental image.

"Wait, if you knew why didn't you tell anyone else?" Nora asked the fashionista.

"Wasn't my place. I knew they'd eventually tell us sooner or later." Coco told her.

Sage looked at Sun, unsure what to make of this before Scarlet nudged Neptune and said "You knew about this too! I noticed you weren't surprised!"

"Yeah," Neptune confessed, "I figured it out myself and confronted them about it a few days before we left for Vacuo. I decided they needed to be the ones to tell the rest of you."

Penny looked to Ruby and Weiss and asked "I suppose this was what you two discovered in the library?"

"Yeah. It was...a real surprise." Ruby managed to say.

"I bet it was," Amethyst stated, her tone of voice clearly approving of the three-way relationship. Her tone caused Heliosia to try and suppress a smile while shaking her head.

Qrow's fingers massaged his temples as he stood up. He ran his hand over his face and asked "Yang, this is...I-I'm not angry. Just how exactly did this start?"

Yang, Blake and Sun told the others the precise details about their battle with Adam on his doomed ship and how their seemingly inevitable deaths had caused Yang to initiate a passionate kiss between the three of them before they were saved at the last minute by Velvet and Thayer.

"I can't really blame you, I know how that feels." Pyrrha voiced, glancing at Jaune as she clutched at his hand, recalling how their own first kiss was such a sad memory for both of them.

"Yeah, but you still should have been open with us about it," Sage told them, a little hurt.

"I know, and we can't apologize enough," Blake replied, "But it's just so unusual. I mean, two Faunus in a relationship is fine, even a human and a Faunus isn't that rare anymore, but a human and two Faunus? Most people would think we were some kind of sex freaks."

"And the last thing we wanted was for perverts to ask to join in." Yang added, her eyes looking downward, her face burning as she could feel some of the others gazing upon her. "Look, I know I'm the big, bold badass who doesn't care what anyone else thinks about me, but I love Blake and I love Sun, and I don't want any of you to think less of them."

"I suppose that's reasonable," Voiced Heliosia calmly, "While some may find it strange, I for one can't help but admire the love and affection you must have for each other."

"Yeah. Look, I don't care if the three of you are together. Hell, I think Sun's one lucky monkey, but what bugs me is being kept in the dark about it." Sage told them.

"That's how I feel," Qrow muttered as he leaned against the wall. Yang got up and walked over to her uncle, quickly joined by Ruby who dashed next to her sister, prepared to support the blonde brawler in any way she could.

"Are you mad?" Yang asked.

Qrow looked at the two girls he had known since they were born and sighed, "I probably should be, but I'm not. I'm just…" He threw up his hands, "Annoyed, surprised...I don't know. I wish you had trusted me enough to tell me before now."

"And why choose now to tell us?" Winter inquired from her seat.

"The mission to obtain the relics is vital to the survival of everyone in the world. We decided you all deserved to know the truth before we go for it." Blake justified.

"A fair point. Anyone else got any secrets we should all know?" Amethyst asked.

"Well, Fox has a beautiful singing voice." Velvet blurted out.

Fox slowly turned his head to look at her, causing the Rabbit Faunus to shrink in her seat and squeak out an apology.

"It's true." Coco confirmed with a shrug, "When he sang at our Winter Solstice gathering it moved Yatsuhashi's mom to tears."

"And I guess our new members need to know I cheated my way into Beacon." Jaune confessed.

"You what?" Heliosia asked, surprised.

"Well this is spiraling out of control." Fox groaned.

"He's right. Let's focus on the topic at hand," Blake said, "Regardless of Fox's talent or Jaune's fake transcripts, they're not important right now. We're sorry we didn't tell any of you the truth about our relationship, but we hope you can understand why we felt like we had to hide it."

"I guess we can," Yatsuhashi said, "Velvet and I haven't exactly been as openly affectionate as other couples because she's afraid that some close-minded beings won't approve."

Velvet nodded, smiling at her boyfriend, "He's right. If the three of you are happy together, then I'm happy for you."

Blake smiled and thanked her fellow Faunus.

"Hey, as long as you're not hurting anyone or each other, why should we get uppity if the three of you are in a relationship?" Nora pointed out as she placed her hand atop Ren's, "Heck, we're all gonna find love sooner or later, who are we to judge?"

Ren nodded, "Though some will view your relationship as wrong, you will have our support."

"The same goes for Jaune and me too," Pyrrha said as she got up and hugged Blake and Yang, while Jaune stood up and gave Sun a fistbump.

"What about you, Penny? What do you think?" Blake asked.

Penny thought for a moment before she said "To be quite honest I do not know enough about romance or intimacy to properly assess this situation. However, I don't believe it fundamentally changes how I view the three of you, so I guess all I can say is congratulations!"

The three were relieved the android was so accepting of what must have been an unusual situation, but given Penny's kind nature they had all expected her to be easy to deal with.

Sun then looked to his team, as Neptune gave him an encouraging smile, while Scarlet and Sage still looked conflicted.

"So...what do you guys think?" Sun asked them, trying not to let his nervousness show.

"I won't lie, I'm annoyed you kept this from us." Sage said.

"Yeah, makes us feel like you don't trust us." Scarlet added.

There was a small awkward silence as Coco stood up, "I think we should give them some privacy."

"Not a bad idea." Yatsuhashi agreed.

Teams CFVY and JNPR, along with Penny and Winter, decided to take their leave so the remaining parties could settle any grievances. Soul Seer had remained seated, not saying a word, simply sitting and observing, but she stood up and followed them out so as not to impose.

"Should we go?" Amethyst asked.

Heliosia shook her head, "I think it would be wise for us to remain as mediators, should the need arise."

"Looks, guys, it's not that I don't trust you. I do, believe me. I just didn't know how you'd react or what would happen." Sun pleaded as Qrow moved off to the corner, silently watching the situation unfold.

"What do you mean by that?" Scarlet asked, " Do you honestly think we'd shun you just cause you're hooked up with two girls? You think we'd be jealous?"

Sun sighed, "I don't know, maybe. It's hard to answer because we had a lot of things to figure out for ourselves. I guess we wanted to see if this relationship could work before we told everyone." The Monkey Faunus said

Scarlet looked away, arms crossed as Sage just kept looking from Sun to Blake to Yang.

"Please, don't hate Sun because of this." Blake began.

Sage and Scarlet looked at one another. "We don't hate you, Sun," Said Scarlet after a heavy sigh, "It's just hard to accept that you kept us in the dark for over half a year."

"Yeah. Hell, I'm honestly kind of happy for you," Sage admitted, "But it might take a while to fully trust you."

"I swear if I find out anything major I won't keep it from you," Sun vowed, "No more lies. I promise. You know I'd do anything for my boys."

Neptune looked to the other half of their team and carefully asked "So...we cool?"

Sage glanced at him and shook his head with a bemused smile, "Mild, at best, but it's not like Team SSSN is over and done with just because of this."

"Well that's a relief," Blake said with a small smile, "And we're sorry for this subterfuge too. After all we've been through, even before the Battle of Vacuo. We should have trusted our teams and we'll do whatever we can to earn your trust back."

"You already have it." Ruby told the Faunus, which made the trio smile at the silver-eyed girls' seemingly endless kindness and compassion.

Scarlet sighed, "Okay, I guess we can give you a second chance. But no more sneaking, okay?"

"You got it." Sun agreed.

Yang looked at Sharp Strike and the Maidens and chuckled awkwardly, "Sorry you guys had to go through this, but hey, since you're all part of the team now…"

"We understand," Heliosia told her with a smile, "I suppose it is for the best that you came out with the truth sooner rather than later."

"And I don't got any problem with it," Voiced Amethyst, "Though I gotta say, you three are freaking lucky."

Heliosia smiled and repressed a laugh, something Yang, Ruby and Sun failed to, before she looked at Sharp Strike.

"You've been awfully silent, Sharp Strike. What do you think?" She asked.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Sun inquired.

Sharp Strike shook his helmeted head, "No. Seeing as how much of Order has been a secret for so long and I have elected to keep my own face and true name a secret, I would be a hypocrite if I took issue with your relationship. As long as you're not distracted from accomplishing our mission, I see no reason why the three of you shouldn't be together." The young Knight said.

"Well put," Heliosia with a nod before Qrow came out of the corner.

"I think we still need to speak a little more. Sit down." He said in a calm but firm voice.

"Uncle Qrow, take it easy." Ruby told him quietly.

"I am, pipsqueak," He whispered to her as Yang, Blake and Sun claimed some of the dining table seats in front of Qrow. The dusty Huntsman surveyed them intently, smirking when Yang gave him a smile that reminded him all too much of Raven's own grin.

"When do you plan on telling Taiyang, Ghira, Kali and Gina?" He interrogated.

"We'll do it once we've made sure the relics are safely away from Salem," Blake told him, "Then we'll have peace long enough to deal with our families."

"So please, please don't tell dad," Yang implored, "Let us do it when we're ready."

Qrow's red eyes looked into Yang's violet ones, the same ones that had looked up at him as he had cradled her in his arms when she was a baby.

"I guess it would be best for you to own up to it on your own. Though let it be known if Taiyang tries to kick my ass for this, I expect you to help me out." Qrow told her.

"Deal." Yang agreed with a smile.

Qrow nodded before looking at the two Faunus, "So. How much do you love my niece, Blake?"

Blake swallowed and managed to say "Very much. She's done her best to be there for me ever since we became partners and I always knew she was beautiful. I blamed myself for what happened to her arm, which is part of why I ran. When she and Team SSSN came to save me for the White Fang I was so happy...I think that's when I began to have romantic feelings for her, but because of my relationship with Sun I didn't know how to deal with them, I didn't know how to feel that way about two people...but Yang solved that problem for us. You have my word that I love her and I will never abandon her ever again."

Qrow and Blake kept looking at each other, and the Huntsman was impressed she didn't look away from his stare.

"Okay," He said with a nod before he looked at Sun, "And what about you, Sun? Do you really love these girls or are you just using them?"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby objected.

"What the hell?!" Yang cried, furious.

"Hey, that's just uncalled for!" Neptune snapped.

"Shut your damn mouth, asshole!" Sun shouted furiously as she shot up, grabbing Qrow, "I love Blake and I love Yang! If you think I'd ever do anything to hurt either of them, then we can go right here and now!"

Qrow smirked and said "That's what I wanted to hear. Welcome to the family, kids."

"What?" Sun asked as he let go of Qrow.

The Huntsman shook his head, "Sorry about that, but I had to press your buttons to make sure you were genuine and that you wouldn't just break their hearts once you got some. The way you reacted left no doubt in my mind, you do love both of them. No hard feelings, okay? I'm sorry."

He offered Sun his hand as a peace offering. Sun looked to Blake, Yang and the others before he cracked a grin and shook Qrow's hand, "I guess I understand," He stated before he slugged Qrow in the shoulder, "Just never say anything like that again."

"Gotcha." Qrow said, nodding in approval at the firm but not hostile punch Sun had landed on him. He looked to the girls and added "Like I said, sorry I said that. I know I went a little far, but I guess it's my job as the family member to be the hardass in this situation. I just wanted to be sure because I care, okay?"

Yang and Ruby shared a look once more, "Are you really sorry?" She asked.

Qrow nodded, causing a sly smile formed upon Yang's lips and she nodded and playfully punched her uncle in the shoulder with her robotic hand, "No hard feelings then!"

Qrow clutched his shoulder, "Ah, you punch harder than you mom." He told her with a laugh.

"Uncle Qrow, if I ever get a boyfriend or girlfriend, please don't pull a stunt like that." Ruby implored.

"I promise, but don't go growing up too fast," Qrow replied before he looked at Blake and Sun and apologized once again.

"I suppose it's all right, just don't pull anything like that again." Blake warned gingerly.

Sun shrugged and admitted, "I guess I'd probably pull something like that if someone was courting Haulan."

"Speaking of which, we still gotta figure out how we're gonna tell our folks." Yang pointed out.

"We can worry about that once the relics are safe, that should be our priority for now. At least we got our team out of the way." Blake said as she walked over to the open doorway, only to catch a glimpse of Velvet backing up towards Coco, Pyrrha, Jaune and Nora, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. The Cat Faunus smiled despite herself and quipped "So, were we dramatic enough for you?"

"Better than any soap opera." Coco quipped with a sly grin.

---

"You? Taking in refugees?" Asked an incredulous hologram of Alexandra Maximilius.

A quartet of holograms, representing Ironwood, Maximilius, Sleet and Camilla were projected before Willow Schnee's desk in his study, his chin resting on his steepled together hands. They all looked bewildered by what he had just told them.

"That's right. My daughters and their friends suggested it to me and I think it's a worthwhile undertaking. Families from the villages and small towns only, no one from the cities, those hit the hardest by this crisis." Willow told them.

Sleet and Camilla glanced at each other as Maximilius smiled and asked "Who are you and what have you done with Willow Schnee?"

"I know this may come like a joke or a step in some underhanded plot, but I do intend to give shelter to those less fortunate than myself. My ancestral home is large enough to hold a number of people. If you can help me arrange this, I'd be very grateful...unless you have any objections?" He said.

"None on my end," Ironwood said with a nod, "Whatever's going on with you is a welcomed change."

"Seconded," Agreed Maximilius before she looked over to Camilla and said "Would you mind helping Councilman Schnee make the arrangements?"

"Not at all. Shall we meet at your company office tomorrow?" The dark-skinned woman asked.

"Of course," Willow voiced with a nod before looking at Ironwood and adding "I trust the Dust shipments have gone smoothly?"

Ironwood nodded, "We've gotten the promised amounts so far, and despite our embargo the other kingdoms have received the shipments we promised them. Hopefully your facilities can keep up with the demand."

"With my company's determined workforce and top of the line mining tech, the Dust mines will not be shut down and we'll need to have around the clock shifts but all of the Kingdoms will have their Dust shipments." Willow swore.

"Make sure that they do," Maximilius told the mustached man before giving him a friendly smile, "I must say I appreciate your change of heart. Have a good day, Willow."

"I wish you all the same." Willow replied with a bow before the holograms before him dissipated. The head of the SDC leaned back in his expensive leather chair and reached out, pressing buttons on the console.

A holographic screen with a middle-aged woman appeared before him, her nervous hazel eyes peered at him from behind her glasses.

"Mrs. Halvorsen, have there been any updates or changes since yesterday?" He asked his secretary of six years.

Halvorsen looked more than a little nervous as she glanced around, as if to make sure no one was listening in on her, "Well, sir, the harvest of Dust in the mines is on schedule, thanks to the increased security General Ironwood provided for our sites. Mr. Crawford has assured me that the shipments are on course, though he has proposed we raise the price." She informed her employer.

"That's no surprise, I'll talk to him about it." Willow muttered.

"That's not all, sir," Mrs. Halvorsen spoke up shakily, "I came across something in our messages yesterday. Something rather...extreme."

Willow leaned forward, his face hardening, "Another threat on my life?"

"No sir. Do you remember a secretary named Anni Guzen?" His secretary inquired.

Willow Schnee thought hard about the name Guzen, combing his memory for an employee of that name. He remembered when he first took over the company and vaguely remembered a dark-haired human woman of that name. "Barely. What about her?"

"Well, she retired years ago, but apparently she still knew your office's private number. She left a rather unnerving message and I thought it best you know about it as soon as possible," Halvorsen told him, "It's rather unsettling."

Willow nodded, "Make sure this channel is secure and transfer it here."

The Schnee patriarch waited for the message to be sent to him, and it wasn't long before an audio recording finally began to play.

The weak voice of an old woman began to speak, "Mr. Schnee? My name is Anni Guzen, formerly one of your family's many employees. I retired not long after you took over the mantle of the company, and I was the secretary for one of the younger executives at the time, Alan Crawford."

Alan Crawford had been hired by Willow's father towards the end of his era over the company. He was a shrewd man and ruthless at business, often locating businesses that could be bought out, promising projects and scientists, etc… Crawford was one of the few people Willow Schnee had considered a friend in his life, though their relationship wasn't perfect, as even Willow found Crawford's lien-pinching tiring.

"As Crawford rose through the ranks, he was given the task of overseeing the mining operations," Guzen continued, but the mention of mining operations made Willow's heart skip a beat. Even he knew the way the mines were run before he took over made them places of horror.

"Before either of us were born, those mines," Guzen went on, "were some of the most dangerous places in Atlas. Industry has evolved quite a lot over the years, not just in technological advancements, but I know you and the Atlas council have increased emphasis on safety."

Willow remembered how he had been on the end of fellow council members ire once a young James Ironwood had been appointed to the rank of major general. Ironwood had made it clear he wanted the safety measures in the mines and other worksites drastically improved or he would do everything in his power to have the then-new head of the SDC arrested for violating workplace safety laws. That and the increasing strikes, lawsuits and bad press had forced Schnee and the SDC's board of directors to make as many changes as possible.

Guzmen's voice carried on, "Nowadays, safety is regarded as a top priority. Not like how it used to be. It was horrible, mining towns were hell. Especially for anyone who worked down below, they got the worst of it, human or Faunus. Mr. Crawford was greedier and even more apathetic than his predecessor, and because of the cost-cutting measures, the equipment was poorly maintained and often out of date, which would always lead to accidents. Accidents...if the people in charge - your people, Mr. Schnee - had done their jobs and ensured the mines were in proper working condition, many people would still be alive."

Willow Schnee remembered the reports, photos of bodies crushed by rocks, burned by Dust explosions, the truth about the Ausz site which had transformed a boy named Adam Taurus into a monster…

"Many of us employees were helpless. We wanted to do something, but it was either toe the line or never work again. We believed that the managers and the top brass didn't give a damn about their employees, especially the Faunus. In their eyes, all of their employees were expendable. So I always saw those accidents as cold, careless murders. Except at the Faunus-only sites. Those were places of pure hatred for the poor creatures, they weren't workers, they were slaves!" Guzen voiced, her voice becoming shaky as she clearly began to cry. "The Faunus suffered the most, because of their abilities like enhanced senses of sight, smell and hearing, they were forced to go to the deepest depths of the mines where the shafts holding up the mines were weak and needed replacing. The managers, having an ounce of decency in them, tried to tell Mr. Crawford when he was appointed, but he believed that such an undertaking would be a long and costly endeavor, which resulted in numerous collapses, leaving many miners trapped."

Willow Schnee's fist clenched. After being told of Adam Taurus' story by his daughters, he had tried to get to the bottom of the conspiracy, the massacres his company had committed without his knowledge. He had spoken to Crawford, but the man had appeared to be just as much in the dark as Willow himself. He had initially chalked it up to board members who were dead, especially after interrogating the retired ones led nowhere, but now…

"When people died from malfunctioning equipment," Guzen's voice continued, "it was usually quick and painless...but those trapped in the collapsed shafts suffered long, horrible deaths. They had no light, no food, no water and no air. They could do nothing but cry for help, hoping rescue would come...but it rarely did. All of this pain, sorrow and anger attracted Grimm, which would often lead to mercenaries and unsavory Huntsmen being hired to protect the mine and they would rarely care about the suffering of the workers. When you replaced your father and that young General and the council pressured you to make changes, Mr. Crawford and other veterans of the board of directors took matters into their own hands."

Willow's fist was now clenching hard enough to make his aura flare up. Imaginary faces of dead Faunus flashed through his mind. Guilt swelled deep in his gut, making him grunt in slight pain.

"At the Faunus-only sites, once they had enough Dust, Crawford ordered the mercenary guards to slaughter all the workers, even the children. Crawford ordered me to have all the documents destroyed, and I had no choice but to obey...however, I managed to sneak a few away, proving what Crawford had done and that the SDC owned those sites. I had a family, a son, and I was too afraid of what that ruthless man would do to him should I try to expose him, so I hid the documents...they're here, in Mantle City, in a safe deposit box kept in my local post office." She revealed.

Willow Schnee's eyes lit up as he quickly grabbed a pen and some paper to write down the building's location and the code to open said box that Guzen listed off.

"I was injured badly in the attack on Mantle...I don't have long now. Mr. Schnee, I've heard about the improvements you made recently, so if you have an ounce of good inside of you, please bring Crawford to justice and make sure my family is safe...and if not, then damn you, and damn me for believing in you."

The message ended there.

Willow Schnee brought his hands to his head and he let out a heavy sigh. He didn't want to believe it, but this woman probably didn't have any reason to lie.

The hologram of Halvorsen reappeared before him and said "I made sure Mr. Crawford and the rest of the board didn't learn about this. I also verified that this was Anni Guzen."

"Was?" Willow repeated.

"By the time I discovered this message yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Guzen was on her deathbed. I managed to speak with her before she passed away, she seemed happy when I assured her you'd hold Crawford accountable. Sir, what do you want to do?" Halvorsen inquired, a tad nervous.

"You say Crawford is in the dark about this, so let's keep it that way. My daughters are home, so I think Winter may be interested in this. I'll speak to her and try to form a plan. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mrs. Halvorsen." Willow told his secretary gratefully.

"You're welcome sir," She returned before she ended the call, her holograms shutting off.

Willow wasted no time and summoned Winter to his study.

---

"This is going to be exhausting," Said the voice of Gretchen, an older maid who worked in Schnee Manor as she sat in a small servant's lounge with four other servants; Petra and Susanne, two other maids along with a young butler named Gunter and a gardener named Elias, "A hundred people staying here? What the hell got into Master Schnee?"

"Empathy I suppose," Gunter remarked as he shook away some smoke from Gretchen's cigarette, "You saw the images on the news and the net. People need some kindness."

"Yes, but look at all we're taking in," Susanne, a middle-aged woman, began, "Faunus, Maidens, an android and bloody Knights! And apparently there are more knights keeping guard out at the edge of the estate, completely out of view as if they're ghosts! What else are we going to have to deal with?"

"People who could use some help, Susanne," Said the voice of Klein as he entered the servant's lounge, a slightly stern look on his face, "I trust you have no problem with our guests?"

Susanne sighed, "I suppose not, though I don't trust those knights. Who knows what they're hiding under that armor?"

"Nothing we should concern ourselves with," Kelin stated simply as he took a seat next to Gunter, "They our guests of our employers so we shall treat them as if they were the elite Master Schnee usually hosts. I want to make it clear, so spread the word to everyone else; if I receive one complaint from Miss Belladonna, Miss Scarlatina or Mr. Wukong claiming they're being disrespected or discriminated against, they will answer to me and Miss Weiss. Understood?"

Everyone nodded, none of them wished to provoke Weiss or Klein's anger. Losing a job in such dark times would be a horrible thing.

"I don't have a problem with it," Voiced Petra, who was only a few years older than Weiss herself and had been hired shortly after Weiss had left for Beacon, "I grew up with Faunus kids, and I gotta say that Sun is pretty cute."

Klein chuckled and answered "I'm afraid he's very much taken, my dear."

"I know," Whined Petra, "And so is that Jaune Arc! That Neptune boy is also pretty charming, but I suppose Miss Weiss wouldn't appreciate me trying to hit on one of her teammates, huh?"

"I wouldn't recommend it," Gretchen deadpanned.

"But what will we do about these refugees?" Gunter asked his superior, "There's not nearly enough of us to tend to all their needs."

"Those willing to work will be allowed to join the staff, so we must show them the ropes. It will be rather overwhelming at first, but I trust you all enough to know you can withstand it." Kelin said to them.

Elias sighed and muttered "I suppose the gardeners could always use some more hands."

"And it will be nice to take someone under my wing," Admitted Susanne.

"That's the spirit!" Kelin exclaimed as he stood up, "I expect your best efforts to help the unfortunate souls we'll be taking in."

"We'll do our best, Klein, just don't ask me to smile constantly. And if they ask me to change their littler, I quite" Gretchen quipped.

They all laughed, and even Klein couldn't help himself and grin. He repressed the urge to start an argument with a witty retort. "Just be as courteous as you can, even to the Faunus."

"Heh, can you believe Master Willow is allowing Faunus to stay as guests? He's never even hired a Faunus servant to my knowledge!" Gunter remarked.

"Things change, my boy. Things change." Klein told them before getting up and leaving them to their break. As he left he received a call from his employer, which he immediately answered, "Yes sir?"

---

Winter sat across from her father, his desk separating them. He had just played Anni Guzen's recorded message for his eldest daughter. Her reaction was similar to his own, her fists clenched tightly enough to cause her aura to light up, her eyes were furious, her face scowling.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked her father as calmly as she could.

Willow stood up, "I want to see Crawford rotting in a cell, but we can't have him arrested solely on this testament. We need those documents Mrs. Guzen managed to save," He slid over the piece of paper, which had the location and the code to the safe deposit box, "Mantle City is a hundred-and-twenty miles away. Do you think it would be too much trouble for you to go on the private airship to fetch it?"

Winter nodded, "I'd like nothing more than to take Crawford down, but we can't just take it from a dead civilian's property."

"I'm on the Atlas Council. In the past I've been, not unfairly, accused of abusing my power. Perhaps it's time I abuse that power for a good cause. When you get there I can use my authority to order that post office to surrender the deposit box to you, Mrs. Guzen's family will be compensated, but we need that evidence." Willow told his daughter.

Winter nodded, "No argument there. I'd like to bring General Ironwood in on this, because this may go beyond Atlas, considering all the sites we have across the glove, and he will doubtlessly use his lawyers to cheat his way out of this, I'd need to take him into military custody to deprive him of that chance." She voiced.

"Right, we'll tell Ironwood tomorrow, after you've collected those documents. I'll call Crawford and arrange a meeting with him for tomorrow, a little before noon. That's when we'll make our move." Willow said as he stood up, moving to the window. He took out his scroll and contacted his faithful servant, "Klein, I want you to get the pilots ready. It's come to our attention that something is in Mantle City that we urgently need. Winter is going to retrieve it. Yes, she will. Thank you, Klein." Willow ended the call and faced Winter.

"We need to tell Weiss and the others, they deserve to know about this, especially Blake." Winter said to her father.

He nodded, "Very well. I'll tell them once you've departed."

Winter looked at her father and allowed herself a smile, "I never thought I'd see it, but you really have changed."

Willow sighed, "Winter...I can never apologize enough for how I treated you when you were imprisoned. The things I said, that I plotted...you weren't disgracing our family, I was. I don't know if the Schnee family ever had any kind of honor, but you and your sister have brought some to the name." He told her, trying not to sound emotional.

Winter looked at her father, a man she had resented for so long, and managed to smile, "And now, so are you, father. Mother would be so proud of you."

For the first time in years, Winter Schnee hugged her father, who was all too happy to hug her back.

---

Sometime later, Team RWBY made their way to the Schnee's private zoo, taking a break from training with the others. Due to concerns of damaging the manor, it was decided they would stick to hand-to-hand and melee combat training, so no gunplay was allowed for the time being.

"Well, everything's going smoothly so far," Ruby commented, she looked at her sister and Blake to ask "Feeling better?"

"A lot better," Yang admitted with a nod, "It's like a weight's been lifted off my chest."

"Well if anyone knows about chest weight, it's you." Weiss deadpanned, earning giggles from Ruby, while Blake herself failed to resist a laugh.

"I am the expert," Yang mused, puffing out her breasts proudly.

"To be serious, it is good to not have to keep our love in the shadows," Blake said with a content smile, "And the fact that everyone's rather accepting is a very promising sign."

"When you tell dad, your aunt and uncle and Sun's mom the truth, you'll have me for support all the way." Ruby promised.

"No doubt of that," Blake remarked with a smile as they entered the small courtyard, a bit of snow had piled up over the glass ceiling that gave the animals shelter.

Lefko the White Tiger perked up as he heard their voices, peering out from the bars as Weiss approached him.

""Hello beautiful!" She greeted as she knelt down, reaching through the bars and lovingly rubbing his chin and cheeks, something the majestic beast clearly enjoyed, "I'm sorry I didn't pet you more yesterday, I'll make it up to you!"

"You really love him don't you?" Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded, "He's my baby."

"I never thought I'd see you act like this," Yang quipped, amused by Weiss' doting behavior around the tiger.

"I admit, he brings out my soft side," Weiss noted before asking "I suppose you'd like to pet him?"

"Heck yes!" Ruby confirmed enthusiastically.

Weiss got up and said, "Let me get him ready first."

The other three members of the team watched with interest as Weiss went to the door of the paddock and opened it. Lefko immediately came over to her, letting out groans as he leaned up to sniff her, taking in her scent as if to confirm it was indeed Weiss. Weiss pet him lovingly as she closed the door behind her, Ruby and the others getting closer to watch.

The heiress knelt down and lovingly showered the tiger with affection as he laid on his stomach, sniffing Weiss' head and hair and even licking her, which caused Weiss only the slightest discomfort. Lefko looked over at Ruby and the others and let out a quiet growl at them, "No, no, no!" Weiss gently scolded before telling him "They're my friends,"

Lefko snorted and licked his paws, as if trying to hide embarrassment. Weiss smirked and petted his side, causing the tiger to let out a happy groan as he rolled over on his side, exposing his underbelly, which his beloved owner began to rub with both hands. Weiss moved her hands in firm circles, making Lefko groan happily as he moved his heavy head onto her lap, his legs stretching out as he enjoyed her affection.

"He must love that," Ruby remarked.

"He does," Weiss confirmed, before Lefko lifted his head up to lovingly lick the right side of Weiss head and some of her hair, causing a bit of it to spray out, much to Yang's amusement. "A little too much. You can come in one at a time, so you're first Ruby."

"Careful, sis," Yang warned Ruby as she carefully opened the door.

Lefko's head snapped up, his eyes focusing on Ruby, who froze. Weiss planted one hand on Lefko's side and the other on his cheek, rubbing him to keep him calm.

"Move slowly and sit next to me," Weiss instructed. Ruby obeyed and carefully sat next to her partner, so Weiss removed her hand on Lefko's stomach and firmly took Ruby's hand, rubbing it to give Ruby some of her own scent, "Okay, now just remain calm."

"After all I've been through, a big kitty isn't a problem." Ruby joked lightly as Weiss guided Ruby's hand and placed it atop Lefko's head. The tiger let out a somewhat annoyed snort at first, but he drew his head back and sniffed Ruby's hand before he licked it. The sharp papillae made Ruby bristle and her aura flare a little, but Lefko seemed to accept her.

"Okay, you're good now." Weiss told her. Ruby smiled and set about rubbing Lefko's belly, which made him groan happily as he stretched out, his tail brushing against Ruby.

"Wow, that was easier than I thought it'd be," Yang remarked as she watched her sister shower the best with affection.

Weiss permitted Blake and Yang to come in shortly after, repeating the process carefully. Lefko was quicker to accept Blake, as he had gotten her scent the other day and knew she was part feline and meant no harm.

Yang, however, had a little trouble due to her robotic hand, which the tiger seemed to mistake for a weapon of some sort, as he snapped his powerful jaws at the blonde, which got him a scolding from Weiss. Yang then carefully used her flesh hand to earn the beast's trust and Lefko seemed to carefully accept her, possibly due to the brawler having faint traces of Blake's scent on her.

"So, I suppose it would be wise to introduce you to the other animals later?" Weiss remarked.

"One mighty beast at a time," Yang quipped.

Suddenly Lefko turned over on Weiss and Ruby, forcing Blake and Yang to get clear as the tiger captured his beloved owner in a pseudo-hug in between his strong paws as he closed his eyes and licked her.

Ruby, who had swiftly scooted away from the beast, couldn't help but coo at the sight, "Aw, he really missed you."

"I guess I should spend some more time with him," Weiss muttered as she lifted up his paw and slid out of the tiger's grasp.

They exited the tiger's paddock, leaving a sleepy and content Lefko to doze off.

"Can we see the ocelots before we leave? They'll be easier to deal with." Blake suggested.

Weiss nodded and she began to lead the team over to the small paddock as Willow Schnee entered the zoo.

"Ah, there you are. Your friends told me I'd find you here," He said as he walked towards them, "I see Lefko has let you know how much he missed you."

Weiss nodded, "Our keepers have done a wonderful job taking care of our pets," She voiced, before noticing the troubled look on his face, "Is something wrong?"

Willow sighed and nodded.

"Does it have to do with the refugees?" Blake inquired.

Weiss' father shook his head and answered, "No. Something rather disturbing has come to my attention, something I think you girls deserve to know about. Do you remember when you told me that Taurus boy escaped from an illegal site at Ausz mountain?"

He proceeded to tell them about Anni Guzen's message and the awful truth it delivered, about Crawford's crimes which had gone unpunished for nearly two decades.

"Oh Oum…" Weiss muttered, feeling sick to her stomach.

"You're telling us the bastard responsible for that massacre is still a part of your company?" Yang said, her voice dripping with venom.

"I'm afraid so, Yang." He confirmed.

Blake remained silent, her eyes watering as she recalled Adam's horrible past, the cruel fates that his innocent family had suffered. His father was killed trying to save his family, his mother's horns had been sawed off only to sacrifice herself so her children could escape and even Adam's little sister, Lily, had died of starvation and exposure, callously tossed out of a ship and left as floating carrion. Adam was the sole survivor of that massacre, and the guilt, woe and hatred had transformed him into a monster who wanted to make every single human pay.

A monster this man known as Crawford had created.

"Well what are you waiting for?! Have him arrested!" Ruby cried.

"That's just what I plan to do, but we can't have Crawford arrested on the word of a dead old woman who used to work for him." Willow told them.

"Then fire him. Do something." Weiss replied sternly.

"I am. Mrs. Guzen claimed to have saved a few documents as proof of Crawford...and the SDC's involvement with that death camp. She even left us the location where we can find them, and Winter is leaving as we speak to fetch them for us. I will contact General Ironwood shortly and discuss this with him, hopefully he will agree to take Crawford into military custody. In a time of crisis such as this, he won't be able to contact his lawyers or be able to live comfortably while under house arrest. I swear, he will face justice," Willow assured the girls, "I'm going to call him to a private meeting tomorrow and spring the trap on him. Hopefully we'll have him in a cell before night falls tomorrow."

"Take us with you," Weiss urged him, "If this is true, then this man is responsible for the deaths of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of innocent Faunus. We saw what his massacre did to Adam Taurus. At the very least, Blake deserves to be there to see Crawford go down."

Blake nodded, facing Willow Schnee with a firm look, her amber eyes looked haunted, haunted by what Adam had told her of that hellish place.

Willow considered it and nodded, "I suppose it would be appropriate that someone who knew Taurus personally was there to let Crawford know that his sins have caught up with him."

Blake let out a sigh of relief and said "Thank you, Mr. Schnee. Thank you very much."

"Think nothing of it, Blake. I just hope you can forgive me for taking so long to finally start doing the right thing." Willow replied.

"I think that won't be difficult, father." Weiss said before she lovingly hugged her father.

Willow smiled, "Well, hugs from both of my girls in one day. I better savor this while I can."

Ruby and Yang looked to Blake, "Should we bring Sun along?" The brawler asked.

Blake nodded, "Sun lost his tail because of Adam, it's only right he be there."

The sisters approached the Cat Faunus, "We'll be there for you all the way," Ruby promised.

"And if you want to punch this asshole, I'll help you." Yang said with a smirk, clenching her robotic fist.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. Crawford needs to pay for what he did, not just to the Taurus family, but to all those Faunus slaves who suffered and died because of him," Blake voiced before she looked over to Weiss and her father to ask "Are you sure these documents will be enough to convict him?"

"Possibly. Any trials will have to be put on hold until after the council is convinced the current crisis is over and things can go back to normal, but from how Mrs. Guzen put it, these documents will be enough to justify arresting Crawford. Speaking of which, I must be going. I'll need to tell Ironwood about this, I'll tell you how it goes." Willow told the girls before departing.

Weiss looked back at her team, specifically looking at the Cat Faunus, "Blake, I swear to you we'll make things right."

"I know you will," Blake said with a sad smile, "If we can put this man in prison for life, then all of those people will have the justice they deserve."

"Even Adam?" Ruby asked.

Blake shook her head "Not the Adam we fought, but the boy who had his life and family destroyed by an evil man."

Ruby nodded, understanding what Blake meant. Yang wrapped her arm around Blake and kissed her cheek, whispering something comforting to her partner.

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other and found they had nothing to say.

---

General Ironwood sat in his office, five holograms stood before him representing Ozpin, Glynda, Luna, Argo, Mapel, they all looked at the uniformed man standing at attention in front of them, Specialist Blair of the Atlesian Military. They kept glancing over at data that was projected into the air.

"And you're sure this is all?" Luna asked as she looked at the rather skimpy data.

"All we could recover, ma'am," Blair answered, "Watts seemed to be prepared for a raid on the office of his alter-ego. Our techies were able to save only a fraction of the data on his computers before they activated a self-destruct mechanism, though luckily no one was seriously hurt."

"I don't understand why he'd leave any real data on his computers at all. A man like Watts would have a program that would automatically wipe his harddrives." Glynda voiced, her eyes taking in what little Blair's team could recover.

"He possibly intended it as bait for a trap to lure the agents into a false sense of security before it literally blew up in their faces." Argo remarked.

"Did he have any employees?" Glynda questioned.

"A secretary," Blair confirmed, "We interrogated her and she was completely in the dark about her boss' true identity. She said it was a dream job of watching tv and reading, claims he only came in once a week and never stayed long. She says that 'Mr. Maxwell' had a job as some kind of consultant and that he had some kind of connection to various financial firms and some prisons, but that's all she personally knew, though when one of my boys mentioned Odinson, she seemed to recall getting calls from one of his people."

"This seems to answer a few questions we've been thinking about. Watts could arrange for minor career criminals to be released so they can come under his, and by extension Salem's, employ," Ozpin proposed, "And these financiers may inadvertently have helped Salem's organization obtain funding."

"We'll begin the investigations into those trails as soon as we can," Ironwood stated before gesturing to two words projected into the air, "What does this mean?"

"According to the data, they are trigger words meant to cause certain individuals to fall under the enemy's control when these words are spoken aloud to whomever they are meant to control." Blair told them.

"I recognize the language," Argo spoke up, "The first word is 'pawn' and the second is 'destiny'."

Glynda and Ozpin shared a very concerned look. "Jaune and Pyrrha," Glynda said quietly, her voice rich with concern.

"Are you certain?" Luna inquired.

"Both Jaune and Pyrrha are Grimm Hybrids, though Jaune was their captive for a few days, Pyrrha was convinced she was Fotia Drakos for months. Pyrrha was convinced she was destined to become the Fall Maiden, something I used to manipulate her," Ozpin admitted with a sigh that was heavy with regret, "And Jaune has been called a knight, just a few leagues above a pawn in chess, a game Salem has an affinity for. There is a chance that madman Giger somehow found a way to place both of them under mental control should the need arise."

"That doesn't make any sense," Ironwood pointed out, "Why wouldn't they have activated it by now? Not only would they have used this to claim the Aura Crystal, but turn Nikos and Arc against us. Salem wasted no time when she had the chance to manipulate me, forcing me to force a military presence everywhere, turning people against Atlas. If she could control them, she would have done it by now."

"Then who could it be for?" Luna asked.

"Perhaps this is a diversion, meant to confuse us." Argo suggested as he rubbed his chin.

"It is rather convenient it was among the small bits of intel we managed to recover," Blair agreed.

"It is possible this is a trick, but it's just as likely this is meant to 'activate' sleeper agents, possibly even Jaune and Pyrrha," Glynda voiced, "Does anyone have any suggestions?"

"Possibly. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie will be seeing Garret Odinson soon," Argo reminded them, "James, you should tell Jaune and Pyrrha about this, explain it to them. See if they'll agree to being restrained and then speak these words out to them and see if there's any reaction. If not, then we may have nothing to worry about."

"And if these trigger words do work on them?" Glynda asked sternly.

"Then I'll keep them restrained and do anything I can to reverse it." Ironwood said with a sigh, "I don't like it anymore than you do, Glynda, but we need to be sure."

Ozpin nodded, "I must reluctantly agree."

Glynda shook her head and muttered "Fine, but let it be known that if any harm comes to them-"

"I know, Glynda. I know," Ironwood agreed before his desk's console rang, signifying a call from a fellow councilmember. "Hmm, Schnee's calling."

"Not a word of this to him," Ozpin told them, a suggestion Ironwood agreed with. Ironwood accepted the transmission and a small hologram of Willow Schnee appeared.

"General, I have learned something of grave importance," He began.

Special thanks to Relentless Crusader as well as an additional story idea by Pirate King Ray.

Sorry about the delays, been busy with another project.

If you liked this story, I hope you'll fave, follow and review.