Short chapter as life has been hectic, so apologies for that. With any luck things are settling down and I can get something proper out sooner.

"Raven, I know you never exactly became a Hunter. I know you had your reasons and that's fine, I've accepted that. But you could have at least studied the common law a little more!"

"Okay, one, we're in Mistral, not Vale."

"Pretty sure assault is a crime everywhere!" Tai said.

"And second, if you haven't noticed I'm a bandit by trade. Me and the law don't exactly get along."

Further down the hall a door clicked shut, a deadbolt sliding into place. "I've noticed."

What had his trousers in a twist? Sure, maybe assaulting half a dozen civilians first thing upon landing in Mistral had been a mistake. And yes, she would admit, begrudgingly, that she had derived more satisfaction from the act than she'd admit. They had asked for it though. Brandishing weapons, threatening her, if they had even a sliver of authority over her. And it wasn't as though she had done lasting damage either; her sword had been sheathed, her fists and legs doing all the work. It wasn't her fault the men couldn't take a hit.

Cold metal bit at her wrist as she tried to rub her face. Scowling, she glared at the manacle on her wrist, tugged on it, then tried once more to break it through sheer force.

The links held and Raven remained bound.

"You know, this reminds me of the last time we ended up in a cell." Tai smiled, eyes fixated on a stone in the ceiling, or looking out for a distant memory. "Granted, that had been courtesy of a bunch of bandits -"

"Not my people," Raven pointed out.

"No, but people that your people ticked off. So in a roundabout way it was your fault."

"Don't be a pest."

Tai rolled his eyes. "You got us arrested in probably record time. I think I have a right to be a little upset."

"And?" Raven held up her shackled hands. "I let them arrest us, didn't I? That's got to count for something!"

"Did you apologize?"

Huh, she had never noticed how solid iron bars were. Not that she ever spent much time in a prison cell before. Beyond her one evening with Tai in the Vacuan pit she was glad to say she'd avoided serving time before. For all the trouble she caused she had never been made to pay for it.

Then Tai gave her that damned look. A stare that screamed 'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed'. Except he had been livid, and embarrassed, and probably horrified. Exasperated. And despite the best of her efforts to quash any lingering sentiments between them it had been enough to make her stop. To have her raise her hands and submit herself to the nervous guards who looked more prepared to flee than arrest her.

"Raven?"

Oh right, he'd asked a question. "Do you suppose we'll get decent food here?"

Tai's jaw went taut, then loosened as he groaned. The moonlight that spilled in through the bars missed him as he slumped down against the wall, cassock stained by the damp, filthy stones. "I wouldn't expect a five-course meal."

"Hm. Shame."

"Maybe if you apologized…"

"I'm sorry the townsfolk here can't handle a right hook." Raven rolled her eyes. "There! Happy?"

Tai's scowl made her think not.

"Raven. We've been in a new kingdom for all of six hours." And here it came. Raven leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. "In that time, you've assaulted six villagers, two guards. Threatened to cut one of their… Genitals off. You spit in the face of one after you agreed to be taken into custody."

"He touched my ass."

"Because you kept fighting against the restraints," Tai pointed out. "If you weren't thrashing about like a fish out of water there wouldn't have been any accidental touching."

"Accidental?" Raven scoffed. "How do you accidentally grab someone's ass?"

"You could have killed everyone on that dock, Raven. I know it, you know it, and they figured that out pretty quickly. Do you honestly think they would have risked life and limb for a quick grab?"

She wanted to say no because people were dumb. Dumb, but usually not suicidal. Refusing to concede though, because that would mean admitting she had been wrong, she sniffed and turned her head away.

"Anyways, we're here now so there's no use in getting upset about it." He shifted closer to her and let out a long sigh. "Even if I didn't do anything wrong to get here."

"Guilt by association, dear."

"Dear?"

Raven's eyes shot open. "Dumbass. I said dumbass." Curse the infernal man for having the gall to smile at her. Even when she gave her best scowl to deter it. "Stop fucking smiling at me!"

"Sure thing… Dear."

Right. She'd played willing captor enough. Shooting to her feet she stormed towards the cell bars and stuck a handout, scowling as she focused on her magic. She'd just steal the keys from those bastards, let herself out, leave Tai in the cell and go after the girls. She didn't need his help, and she sure as hells didn't need his sass. No, she would find someone who had enough brains to listen to her, follow her directions, and not talk back.

As soon as she got those keys. Which would happen any moment now.

Any moment.

"Are you trying to ask them for something?"

Raven's jaw twitched. "No, now shut up." Any moment. She'd conjure a bird, have it steal those keys and bring them right to her. Maybe shit on one of their heads for good measure. Maybe she'd go with a whole flock to - "Fucking work!"

"You could try asking them nicely, you know." Tai chuckled. "Although I still doubt they'll let us out."

"No, moron! My magic won't work!" Flexing her hands and tugging at her magic, clawing at the well that usually existed within her, nothing. As if someone had pulled all the water from the well and left it bone dry, or more aptly, sealed it up. Cursing, she slammed her head against the bars, growling against the pain as she gripped the bars and tugged.

"What do you mean your magic won't work?"

"They have barriers up! Why would some hodunk, nobody, middle-of-backwater-bumfuck-nowhere town have magic barriers in their jail cells?!"

That shit cost money! It had to cost money, right? To have a Magi come out to your town and engrave the spells, not to mention come back to check on them. Maybe they had drugged her instead.

The smarmy little priest behind her cleared his throat and poked her in the back until she looked at him. "Uh, you have been arrested before, right?"

She wanted to say no. "Technically."

"Technically?"

"I've been cuffed before," Raven admitted, smiling to herself. "Never got me into the caravan though. Bastards didn't know what hit them."

Tai stared at her for a moment. "So, you've never been in a cell before? Ever?"

"What does that matter?"

"Raven… People are capable of blowing apart entire blocks of a city with magic. There are Magi who can fly, who can give themselves enough strength to crush diamonds into dust. Because of people like yourself, the Church implemented a policy. Any town that seeks its protection must agree to have a magic nullifying barrier erected to hold Magi." Well, that sucked. "And… Magi found in contempt are, to my understanding, taken away by the Church to more secure holdings by Hunters after their arrest."

Okay, when he phrased it like that… "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"In a town probably under the Church's jurisdiction," he said. "Meaning no magic to break us out."

Fuck. "Fine, you break us out of here."

Tai blinked. Slowly. Took one look at the locked door, the bars three inches thick, and the sealed window behind them, barely large enough to fit their arm out even if the bars were removed. He put his hands up in defeat. "Sure. Let me just break the wall with bare fists, no problem."

"Bah, useless man!"

"Raven." Tai's voice sounded calm, although it raised a bit as he spoke her name. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't. We're already in hot enough water as it is."

"Tai. The girls need us, we can't stay locked up in this cage like some pet!"

"Okay, one, don't use the girls as an excuse to break out of here. You don't want to stay here because you hate the idea of being held accountable for your actions." The bastard had the gall to put his finger in her face before she could tell him how wrong he was. Thin ice didn't even begin to cover it.

"You know what they do to the weaker people in prison, right?" Raven growled.

"If I was remotely worried about my wellbeing with you I'd have asked to be put in a different cell." Turning his back to her she stewed in silence as he claimed the lone cot in the room, laying down and putting his back to her. "Relax. We'll figure something out. Attacking people, again, or trying to break out will only make things worse."

"And what would you have me do instead? Wait until Hunters show up to take us away? I'd have to fight at that point, you know!"

A yawn. He yawned at her! "It's getting late." The sun still shone through the cell's window. "Wake me up when they bring us food."

As if. She would eat all of whatever scraps they brought them out of pure spite. "That's the only bed in the room."

"Sure is."

"I want it." When he didn't move Raven ground her teeth. "Get up, I want it."

"No you don't," Tai mumbled, tucking an arm beneath his head as he rolled onto his side. "Not that comfortable."

"Then get up!"

"Nope."

"Taiyang Xiao Long, if they think putting me in this cell will keep me from murdering - Don't you turn your back on me! Look at me!" That snoring had to be fake, no one fell asleep that quickly. Or snored that loudly. Hands trembling at her sides, Raven considered just tearing Tai from the bed but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Instead, she dropped into a seated position against the wall and folded her arms. Sulked like a damned child and glared at Tai's back.

"Jail sucks…"

/+/+/+/+/+/

"Weiss, we need to talk."

Having endured seeing her friends kidnapped, suffering injuries in numerous attempts on her life, and faced down innumerable Grimm, Weiss could safely say that this impending conversation was the scariest thing ever.

She had wanted to approach Ruby the moment they stepped out of Pradalia. Wanted to apologize for what had happened and try to make amends. Yet her partner had kept her distance. Not been cold, thank the gods, since Weiss would have broken at that. But she'd stayed closer to her sister at every opportunity; dinner was eaten at Yang's side, not hers. They slept closer together, walked, and left to bathe on their own too. Whenever she saw Ruby over the last few days it had been at a distance. The small, pained smiles shared between them had been the only sign that everything wasn't entirely lost.

Then Ruby approached her on her own, took her by the elbow and pulled her aside. While the rest of their ramshackle group prepared dinner and camp she and Ruby found a secluded spot along the roadside, a divot hidden by waist high bluegrass. When they arrived Ruby released her, bit her lip, and fixed her eyes on the ground.

Neither of them spoke.

The grass whispered around them, blades whistling as wind coaxed sweet sounds out of them. With the sun setting to the west the sky had become a pleasant, painted orange and red, wispy white tufts scrawling across the heavens. Cool air kissed her skin, and a full meal thanks to Blake and Qrow's efforts awaited them. Sleeping would be rough - they had no sleeping rolls anymore, but they could make do. All things considered it was a nice moment.

Which made the fact Weiss felt violently ill as Ruby finally looked at her all the more distressing. She made the smile stay on her face even as gravity sought to drag it, and her, down. Maintained her posture, kept eye contact, and focused on breathing as her stomach roiled.

"Weiss, are you," Ruby trailed off, swallowed, and gestured to her. "Are you okay?"

"I, um…"

"I mean, like, are you okay-okay. Okay, maybe not 'okay-okay' since, you know, there's been kind of a lot going on." Ruby laughed and Weiss felt the line between them draw tighter. "I mean we left Vale, got attacked by a giant sea monster while getting here, and then, uh, stuff happened, and now we're traveling again. So maybe 'okay-okay' isn't, I mean." Ruby took a deep breath and smacked her own cheeks before leveling a stare at Weiss. "How are you doing?"

She should be asking Ruby that. Unbidden, her eyes drifted towards the shoulder she had stabbed. The injury she knew would still be there since they hadn't had access to a proper healer since leaving Cinder's ship. If it was sore Ruby made no indications of it. Yet it still had to hurt, Weiss knew, and more than just a physical sense too.

"I'm fine," she answered curtly.

Too clipped for Ruby's liking considering the wince she gave in reply. "That's… Good? I mean it's not good, because 'fine' is what you usually say when there's something wrong, but you don't want to admit it?"

"Ruby, I'm fine."

"And I get it, I do! I have a bad habit of hiding stuff too, you know? Like one time in initiation Nora made a joke about me eating too much and blowing up like a boarbatusk, and I laughed it off but then I worried I would start getting fat. So, I'd go for morning runs every day just to burn it off."

"Ruby," Weiss almost whispered.

"And then there was the time that Yang got hurt back outside of Holbrook! I pretended like everything was fine and dandy when we finally met but I could tell she was sore and stuff. But panicking doesn't help anything right? Hah, and so I just pretended like everything was fine when we saw each other and -"

Weiss grabbed Ruby's shoulders, cringing at the way Ruby yelped and recoiled. "Ruby," she said gently, rubbing her partner's bicep. Not her shoulder. She wouldn't allow her hands anywhere near it. "I'm… I'm as good as I can be, okay? But more importantly, how are you?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fi -" Realizing her mistake the moment Weiss glowered Ruby let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm okay. It's been… A lot lately. And I was really hoping to get to actually explore a new city. Try new foods, see what people were like."

"Bigoted and self-entitled as always," Weiss grumbled.

"Not all of them! We both know there were some good people in that city, Weiss. Probably more good than bad, even! It's just, well, we both know that changing things isn't easy."

Wasn't that the truth. Weiss allowed a nod and eased her hands off Ruby's shoulders, burying the twinge of disappointment when her partner made no effort to maintain contact between them. That was fine. She didn't expect Ruby to want to touch her. Hells, she still couldn't figure out quite why Ruby wanted to speak to her. She voiced that very question and watched Ruby's face flicker between surprise, then anxiousness, then a sort of resignation that made Weiss' insides freeze over.

"Weiss, you know that I care about you, right? Like, a lot."

Somehow, she found enough of her voice to reply with a faint, "Yes."

"And you care about me." That went without saying. Ruby's smile looked much too fragile to be reassuring. Her hands fumbled together, and she began shuffling in place. "You're my partner and we, um, we kissed. A few times," she recounted, her giggle tapering off and dying with a sour note. "And I really liked it. I really like you, and I want to spend a lot of time with you."

"But?"

A long, deep breath, then a moment of silence that made Weiss want to screech. "You attacked me," Ruby whispered, lowering her head and grasping her shoulder. Weiss couldn't nod, couldn't reply in any way. Breathing became nigh impossible as her chest tightened like a Beringel had her in its clutches. "And I know you probably didn't mean it."

"Of course I didn't mean it," Weiss said, voice breaking. "Ruby, I would never hurt you."

"I know you wouldn't. But you still did," Ruby pointed out. "And I'm not blaming you for it! I mean, it's not something you can control, right? You've never hurt me before and you wouldn't without that mark, I know you wouldn't because that's not who you are. But, well, you have it and -"

"She hasn't spoken to me since we were on the ship," Weiss blurted out. At Ruby's confused expression she stepped forward, grasping for the brunette and coming up empty handed. "Maybe I'm outside of her, outside of Salem's range." She didn't have time to explain that one, not when the words came tumbling out faster than her mind could process them. "Maybe I'm safe from it now. Or maybe the power she can exert is weaker. Ozpin too; no one's magic is strong enough to function at such a distance. Influencing me all the way in Mistral would be impossible!"

"Just like how making Grimm-human hybrids is impossible, right?"

"Ruby, please…"

"Weiss, I love you. I love you so much that it hurts sometimes. And that made what happened all the worse. I couldn't, still don't, understand how you could do that." Ruby shook her head quickly. "I know it wasn't you, I know that, but I still saw you do it, Weiss. And I've dreamed about it every night since then. I've been sleeping with Yang because she knows how to calm me down when I have nightmares." She laughed, barely. "She's always been great at that, keeping me calm. She's the best."

Panic had become a consistent companion in the conversation. Weiss recognized that emotion without a second thought. It was this new, ugly feeling coming to the surface that made her shudder and grimace, her face contorting in a bitter snarl. "This was Yang's idea, wasn't it?"

"I trust you, Weiss. You, not that thing Ozpin put on you."

"Answer the question, Ruby!" she screeched.

Blake heard that, she knew. The others probably did too from how shrill her scream had been. Weiss couldn't help it, couldn't care, not as she felt her eyes begin to burn and her world be torn down right before her.

Ruby took a half step back and looked away. "We have a lot to worry about right now. Finding this Maria lady, reaching the capital, Cinder, and all the other junk besides that." She rubbed at her arm and dipped her head slightly. "We can't, I mean, if I get close to you and it happens again…"

"It wasn't my fault! You know it wasn't. Ruby, I'm sorry it happened. I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to stop it, and I'm sorry that I can't remove it. But I will, I promise! I'll remove it, and I'll save Yang, and we'll find a way to return your magic to you. I can do it, Ruby, I know I can." Raven had to have wanted her for some reason. Ozpin too, and Rhodes. She wasn't the goddess that Nike's warped mind viewed her as but there had to be something to her that made her important. Right? "I can do this, Ruby," she pleaded, whimpered. "Please, I need you with me for this. I can't do this alone."

Ruby gave her a look of shock and took a step towards her again, reaching out before drawing her hand back. As if she expected to be bitten. "You're not alone! Weiss, I'm not saying we leave you by yourself, I'm just saying that, us, we," she shook her head. "I can't be with you, Weiss, until we take care of this other stuff. I'm sorry, but it's just too much."

All things considered it was a fair decision. A small, infinitesimally suppressed part of Weiss' mind understood that. Unfortunately, the emotional part found itself running circles around it, screaming and flailing in a blind panic.

"I'm okay, Ruby, please. I'll suppress it. I'll try some runes, I can do it. Just give me tomorrow and I'll be good as new."

"You don't know them, Weiss, you said so yourself. And we both know how dangerous it is to mess with them." Ruby smiled weakly. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She could do this. She could suffer not having the intimacy she wanted so long as Ruby was still with her. She had her friends too, she wasn't alone, even if an invisible chasm continued to stretch out before her. Moisture pooled in her eyes, and she raised trembling arms, trying and failing to suppress a choked sob. "May I at least have a hug?"

Ruby's arms started to raise before she held her hands to her chest. Her face crumpled and she stepped away again, stretching that chasm between them further. "Blake said I shouldn't risk it."

"Blake?" Weiss threw a look back at the high grass behind her, trying to pick out the Faunus girl back at their camp. "You spoke to her about this too? And Qrow, I assume?"

Did they all think she was unstable? That she couldn't be trusted? She knew the answer: of course they didn't. Qrow had insisted on traveling close to her even now, acting as a physical barrier between her and Ruby. They always conveniently ended up sleeping away from her, her only constant companion Nike, and to a lesser degree Cinder and her companions. Weiss' nails dug into her palms and broke skin as her shoulders shook. They had all collectively decided she couldn't be relied upon, and yet she was somehow supposed to fix all of them.

"Weiss, we just want to make sure nothing happens. We don't want you to be upset."

"Well, you're doing a fine job of that!"

Ruby recoiled. "Weiss, I'm sorry, but I can't do that again. I can't do this, not if you might hurt me again."

"Yang has a Grimm inside of her. She could lose control at any moment too, you know. But you have no problem being close to her, do you?"

"Weiss, that isn't the same! Yang can control that, she has been. This isn't something you can control!"

"She could lose control Ruby! And yes I can! I'm controlling it now!" Nothing about this conversation was controlled. Weiss knew she had started yelling. Hypocritical did not even begin to explain what was happening to her. How could they single her out like this when they all needed her so badly? "If you can trust her then you can trust me!"

"She's my sister, Weiss!"

"And you're my partner!"

She needed some kind of contact to ground her and stop from spiraling. Just a touch. Ruby holding her hand, touching her arm, anything at all. Weiss had never needed anything so badly in her life, and she took a few steps forward to try and get it, lifting her arms again in a hopeful embrace. Ruby's hand dove into her pocket and she shimmered, darting around her in a blur and whimpering as she came to a standstill several feet away.

"You brought Dust with you."

"Weiss, please. I'm not going anywhere, I promise, we just," Ruby swallowed as tears began to spill. "I just need time, okay? We can try again when we're all better."

Ruby had brought Dust with her. In lieu of her magic she had come prepared to… To… Weiss didn't know what. All she could see was the green crystal in her partner's palm, skin turned pink from raw magic scalding it. Ruby had willingly harmed herself to keep a distance between them. Chose that pain over risking any contact.

"Weiss?" Ruby's voice trembled but she remained where she stood, hand gripping tighter around the crystal tucked between her fingers.

"I'm fine, Ruby."

"Weiss, I'm sorry, it's just -"

"I'm fine," Weiss repeated. Too hollow even to her own ears. She didn't smile, didn't bother to try.

She willed her mark to react, almost begged Salem to do something so all this pain could be justified. She had hurt Ruby, yes, but they had come a fair distance since then. No whispers, no urges, nothing. Either Salem and Ozpin were biding their time, or she had truly escaped their sphere of influence.

As if mocking her the mark remained dormant. No compulsions, no loss of control. A puppet manipulated and then left to face the consequences on its own.

Weiss smiled as her chest cleaved open and her heart spilled out. She felt her cheeks grow damp and shook her head as Ruby tried to talk to her again, unable to make out the words from the roaring in her ears. She couldn't do anything as Ruby turned, face stricken with grief, and raced back towards the camp, disappearing into the swaying blades of grass. She didn't try, really. Left alone in the field she listened to the dull thrum of her own heart, the soft hiss of grass, and the not-so-distant sobs and hushed voices.

Someone would come looking for her in a moment, she assumed. If Ruby's word held true then she wasn't being forced away from their group. Not ostracized but certainly held at arm's length.

Her heels dug into loamy earth and she trudged deeper into the grass, not bothering to push it aside as it scraped against her face, ignoring the irate chirps of crickets and lazy buzzing of flies as she waded through them. She vaguely felt the blades glancing against her skin, processed the stones digging into the soles of her boots, the warmth of the setting sun still stroking her tear-soaked face.

A dull beat of wings followed by a soft thud signaled Nike had come after her. Nike, not someone who considered her a friend.

Fitting, she supposed. Only someone out of their mind would willingly associate with her now.

Nike didn't speak to her as she walked and didn't attempt to bring her back. No efforts were made to stop her as they reached a shallow stream and Weiss stopped at its edge, looking down at her disheveled reflection. She hadn't bothered trying to tame her hair that morning, or smooth out the rumples in her clothing. Looking every bit the wreck she felt she sniffed, slowly sitting on the muddy bank and staring blankly across at the opposite bank.

She didn't know why she had come here, or where she was walking to.

Weiss found she didn't care either. It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

And another chapter done where nothing bad happens. Ever. Everyone is happy, the sun is shining, and everyone gets a free ice cream and cat. Unless you're not into cats. Then everything is not awesome.