(A/N) Welp, this thing's been a long time in the making. It probably shouldn't've taken as long as it has, but there's been a lot piled up on the cutting room floor for these two chapters. And I do say two because there will be a second chapter following this one… pretty much immediately. The total wordcount was just a hair over 10k, so I split it in half.

Other than that, this fic is now on AO3 as well, though I'm still in the process of porting it. Just like with SB, I'm posting a chapter a day, so it'll be more than a month before they see this one lol.

Anyways, here's the usual Discord link - 3jf9w8u - join if you want. Otherwise, enjoy! Review responses will be at the bottom of the next chapter.


Volume Three

Interlude Two: Domesticity


/-\ Velvet Scarlatina /-\


"Thanks anyway…" I muttered back to the shopowner as I exited the store.

Outside the electronics shop, the other half of my team were waiting for me. Well, they were supposed to be, but it seemed Yatsuhashi got roped into clearing some debris that was still clogging the streets from the battle. Coco was with him, though she wasn't helping much.

A stick thudded against my right calf as I stood, temporarily distracted by Yatsu hefting a boulder larger than he was. "Ah, sorry," Fox said.

I moved out of the way. "My fault – I probably shouldn't've stopped," I said. For a moment, my eyes glanced down to the thin black and white cane he swung about as he walked. It was so out of place for him – he'd never needed it for the entire time I'd known him.

"You're staring, aren't you?" he deadpanned.

"U- Uhh… no?" I let out, averting my eyes.

He chuckled. "S'okay, look while you can. The second they get ADAs back in stock, I'm throwing it in a river."

I hummed. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if another Brute gets a lucky shot and we lose the next one too?"

"I'd better hope Atlas is rebuilt by then," he said, a smile on his face. "Say what you will about their attitude, but they did make a lot of cool toys."

That brought a frown to my face. "…Yeah. It's been difficult to keep Anesidora fully stocked," I said. That wasn't the only thing wrong, though. Absent-mindedly, I pulled out my scroll and sent a quick message. Still haven't heard from you, dad, I typed. As always, the scroll returned an error about the recipient not being in range.

Everything alright? Fox sent over his semblance.

I shook my head, knowing he couldn't see it. I'm fine.

I'll believe that when I feel it, he sent back.

"Let's just go to the others, okay?" I muttered. I did my best to not look at the ground or curl in on myself, but I could still feel my ears drooping a little. No matter how hard I tried, they always gave me away.

We walked to the other side of the street, Yatsu plopping the boulder into a dump truck as we approached. Coco, meanwhile, simply smirked. "I think I broke a nail."

My giant teammate sighed. "You didn't even help."

She shrugged. "Just wanted to say it," she said, glancing over at us. "Any luck?"

Fox shook his head. "Same story as everywhere else,"

"Damn," she said. For a moment, she pulled her sunglasses down a notch and she looked like she was going to say something, but then her eyes glanced at Fox and she merely frowned. In a flash, her expression changed to her signature smirk and she turned around. "Welp, I think that's all we need to do today – how bout we grab a bite and then head back to Beacon?"

We all gave our affirmations, following her as she totally didn't get herself hopelessly lost finding our way to A Simple Wok. And in true Coco fashion, she refused to ask for directions. It was around twenty minutes later when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.

Even from several blocks away, it stood out amongst the rest of the grey stone buildings. It was an orange and blue sign with neon lettering – Turquoise's Homestyle Menagerie Kitchen, it read. I hadn't ever seen this particular place before, but then again, I hadn't explored Vale too much. Even if I was nearly done with my second year at Beacon, the life of a huntress-in-training didn't allow for too much free time.

Unless you were Team RWBY.

"Hey, uhh… guys?" I asked. They all stopped, turning towards me. "What about that place?"

They looked where I was pointing. Yatsu was the first to speak up. "Sounds good."

"Yeah, works for me too," Coco said.

Fox shrugged. "Dunno what you're talking about, but I'm good with whatever anyways."

"Menagerian food," I said. "Usually pretty spicy, and with a lot of fish."

"Sounds good to me," he said, walking to where he thought we were pointing at. I had to grab his arm before he ran into a lamp post. He flicked his cane to the side and then sighed when it hit the post. "Thanks for that."

"No problem," I muttered, pulling him the correct way. It didn't take long before we arrived, being only a couple blocks away from the start. Out front was a fairly expansive seating area – in fact, the building had its front wall knocked down and replaced with posts to fit more tables that were technically outside. We walked inside the fenced-in area, noting that only a few of the tables were occupied. It was past lunch anyways, so I didn't think much of it.

What did catch my attention, however, was a familiar blonde-haired tail holding onto an ice cream cone. I'd seen the Monkey Faunus around at Beacon, but didn't really know who he was. I certainly didn't recognize his dark-haired and green-eyed date, though.

I shook my head, stepping up to the wooden counter with the others. Apparently, you ordered here and they'd bring the food to you when it was ready. Most of us were able to order just fine, though we had to read the menu for Fox's sake. I was the only indecisive one, eventually settling on some steamed and stuffed spicy peppers. Coco gave me her signature shit-eating grin when she realized that carrots were part of the stuffing. Thankfully, she stopped there, and we headed over to our sea-

"Oh hey, you're Team CFVY, right?" a male voice said.

We all whipped towards it, seeing the Monkey Faunus from earlier. Coco raised an eyebrow, making a show of lowering her glasses. "Yeah? What's it to ya, Abs Mcgee?"

The unknown girl stepped out from behind him, typing away at her scroll. In a moment, she flipped it towards us. [Back off, those abs are mine]

Coco blinked, glancing at us for a moment. "I can see that," she said.

"I can't," Fox said, shrugging.

The Monkey Faunus's eyes widened while I facepalmed. "Really, Fox?" I asked. "Why are you like this?"

He smirked. "It's funny to hear peoples' reactions."

"That doesn't answer her question," Yatsu said, before turning back to the two strangers. "But to answer yours, yes. We are, in fact, Team CFVY."

The Faunus's tail swished behind him. "Ah, great! Thought I'd seen you around Beacon. I'm Sun, leader of Team SSSN from Haven." His girlfriend elbowed him. "Oh, and this is Ne-" She elbowed him even harder, making him wince. "Neon! Yeah, uhh… Neon. She can't talk, by the way, but her ears work just fine."

[His don't] Neon typed on her scroll.

Coco raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You don't look like any Neon I've ever met," she said. Internally, I agreed with her – the only speck of color on this girl were her eyes; every other speck of cloth was either pitch black or blinding white.

Neon shrugged. [Not everyone dresses like their namesake]

"Fair," I said. "Anyways, Sun, you said you were from Haven? Why're you here when Mistral closed its borders?"

He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, well… before everything happened, I wanted to get here early for the Vytal tournament and I kinda maybe sorta possibly stowed away on a freighter and Headmaster Lionheart doesn't want me to come back."

Fox hummed. "So he expelled you for breaking the law? Lame."

"I wouldn't say expelled, just… he's got more important things to worry about than getting me back to Haven," he sighed. "A lot more important things, apparently."

Neon looked up at him, offering a gentle smile before making some gestures with her hands. It was clearly sign language, but, of course, none of us even knew sign language. Whatever Neon signed seemed to have an effect on Sun, though, as he seemed to perk back up. He didn't seem quite as jovial as he was before, but it was something. He turned back to us. "Hey, wanna sit together? We're pretty much done eating, but it'd be nice to get to know you guys."

Coco nodded. "Eh, sure, why not?" she said. "Hey Yats, can ya help me slide two tables together?"

"Always me," he lamented, a playful smile on his face. In short order, the two tables were combined and we all sat down.

Sun and Neon kept signing between each other for a few moments until Sun eventually broke the silence. "Maybe I should…" he said. "I mean, what're the chances I'll even be able to get back? Plus, I'm not really attached to Haven… except for my teammates. I'll miss them," he let out a sigh, turning to us. "How's Beacon? Do you think there's room for one more transfer?"

"Probably, but you'd have to ask Ozpin or Goodwitch to know for sure," Coco said. "I know we'd have at least a dorm for ya, given that Team RWBY just up and left one day."

He blinked. "Huh. I wondered why I haven't seen them around in a while," he said. "Not gonna lie, kinda glad they're gone – still haven't forgiven 'em for chuckin' me in the slammer."

"Heh, yeah, that sounds like Team RWBY alright," Coco chuckled. "There were some rumors that they ran a secret vigilante ring outta Port's basement. Dunno why they'd go there, but looking at 'em? I can see it." After her words left her mouth, her lips twitched downwards before quickly pursing into neutrality. He doesn't look like he'd be a criminal – what do you guys think? she sent over Fox's semblance.

Didn't he literally just admit to stowing away on a ship? Fox sent. But yeah, I agree with ya, to me he just seems like a dork; not exactly hardened criminal material.

And even if he was, I don't think someone like that could get past a Headmaster like Lionheart. Yatsu sent.

Good point. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Coco sent, her smile returning.

"Eh, yeah, I guess…" he said, glancing between us. "Where do you think they went, by the way? Did they transfer to Vacuo or something?"

"I think they graduated early, somehow," I said. "I mean, I get that Weiss is some kind of hero to her people and Ruby is part of the UNSC, but why the whole team? I didn't see any of them in Vale during the battle."

"Just because you didn't see them, doesn't mean they weren't there," Yatsu said. "Vale's a big place and we were pinned down in the Faunus Quarter for most of the battle."

"True," I said. "Or… maybe something else was going on? I mean, doesn't anybody else find it suspicious that Ruby's supposedly-dead sister just showed up again after the battle?"

"Her mother too, if the rumors are anything to go by," Fox said. A deep frown crossed his face after the words left his mouth. "I suppose it's good someone's family magically poofs back into existence. Not everyone has that luxury."

My ears drooped a little. "Yeah…"

It was right about then that the smell of fresh food wafted into my nostrils. A moment later, a plate of delicious looking peppers sat in front of me. With a sigh, I began slowly picking at my food.

I was glad the food was spicier than I'd expected – it gave me something else to concentrate on…


/-\ Summer Rose /-\


The wind was warmer than I remember it being.

Even in the fall – like now – the wind coming from the northern shore was usually chilly, but now… it was pleasantly warm. I suppose having hundreds of acres of Forever Fall burned into glass could have that effect.

Regardless, neither the new warmth nor the gentle crashing of the waves against the cliff below me could make me feel anything other than shame. We had one moment together, just our little family, and I had to ruin it by opening my big mouth. I'd seen the look in Ruby's eyes as she recanted her tale last week – the same look that grandpa had when someone asked him about the war. He'd always clammed up; made excuses not to talk about his time in the Imperial Mantle Army.

If his experiences were half as gruesome as what my daughter went through when she earned that nickname, I couldn't blame him. And I'd made her live through them again simply to sate my own curiosity. I didn't even get to apologize – she'd left without saying another word to me. Even Yang seemed… off, but how much did I really know her anyways? Sure, we'd spent a while together on the Spirit of Fire, but that could never make up for the entire decade of her life that I simply hadn't been around for.

"I'm a failure, aren't I?" I muttered to myself.

Someone scoffed behind me. "Oh you have no idea."

Five words were enough to make me freeze in place. That voice… I whirled to my feet, petals screaming from my hand and into the form of a sword which was immediately wrenched from my hand by a blood red blade. My eyes narrowed, glaring into the mockery of my daughter's face as a black mane blew in the wind behind the figure. "What are you doing here?"

Raven fucking Branwen sheathed her sword, her standard cocky smile plastered on her face. However, she looked a bit… warmer-dressed than usual – she wore a red and black fur-lined coat and snow pants instead of her usual getup. "What, I can't say hello to an old friend?" she asked. "It has been a while since you've been home, after all…"

My fists clenched, one slowly reaching into my cloak where another blade was slowly being formed. "And who's fault is that?" I asked. "You sent Yang to me, you could've visited me any time you wanted. You could've brought me back anytime you wanted."

She shrugged. "You were safe over there," she said. "I felt your aura the entire time you were gone. It never even dropped a single percent. You, Summer Rose, managed to find a place so peaceful, so safe, that not even you could hurt yourself. You achieved what no one else before you had ever done," she said. "You went beyond the reach of Ozpin; you went beyond the reach of Salem."

I blinked. "What? Raven, I-"

"But now… you're back. I sent Yang to you so she could be with the person she thinks is her mother," she interrupted, sighing. "You were my lifeline, you know. If she ever won, I would've gone to you. But now that is no longer possible. Because you're here, there will be no survivors. In coming home, you have doomed yourself, Tai, Qrow, even Yang to the same fate. You will all-"

"Would you just shut up and listen for once in your fucking life!" I shouted. She took a step back, jaw agape. "I wasn't safe, I was fighting the same aliens that blew up Atlas! Clearly your link sensing isn't as good as you thought it was, because I nearly died several times! I was so delirious when I first arrived, I thought I had died, past tense," I said. "And then, after an entire month of combat I got put on ice for twenty years. The first thing Yang saw when she portaled-in was my face doing its best popsicle impression, not whatever flowery meadow reunion thing you clearly had imagined."

Raven schooled her expression. "…I see," she said. "Perhaps the situation was more complicated than I thought, but that doesn't change the fact that Salem is still going to win. And because of you, we are still going to die."

My eyes narrowed. "Why are you so sure she'll win? With the UNSC's help, we can finally strike at the heart of Evernight Castle – I've seen what their weapons can do, they're beyond anything Ozpin or even Salem herself could possibly magic up."

She frowned. "They won't be enough. And even if they were, your dear old Ozpin wouldn't dream of letting them use it on her," she said. "If you have even the slightest amount of intelligence left in that stupid, self-sacrificial little head of yours, you'd be looking for a way off this rock as soon as possible. I know I am."

"What are you talking about? His entire goal is to destroy Salem so we can finally make progress against the Grimm. Sure, he might be a bit shady and more than a little sacrifice-happy if it buys us an advantage, but he has our best interests at heart."

Raven sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, Summer… she's got you, doesn't she? Really, truly, got you." She turned around, slashing open a red portal in the blink of an eye. But… then she paused, not even turning towards it. "Look, I'm only telling you this because I've seen who you can be – back when we were a team. If you ever want to know the truth from someone who cannot lie to you, come to that little Solitas town where Tai tried to gamble away his arm. Come alone… and we'll be there."

I let my petal sword dissipate as she stepped into the portal, a scowl on my face.

When she was half-way through, she paused and turned around. "Oh, and congratulations, by the way," she said with a smirk, gaze darting below my eyes for a moment.

Blinking, she was gone again – as if she'd never been here. I scowled; she was cryptic as always…

After staring at the same spot she left from for a couple moments, I sighed. Of course she'd just up and leave, it seemed like all she was good at. Before I could dwell too much on what she said, however, my scroll began to ring.

Rolling my eyes, I flicked it open and put it to my ear. Despite the advances in technology, I still had to do that with my older-model scroll. "Summer, here."

"Ah, Sum? We've got a… situation…"

"Of course you do…" I muttered, already feeling a migraine come on. "What is it, Tai?"

"Ozpin's here," he said. "And he brought one of those ODST guys with him – a kid and his mom, too. They kinda looked familiar, now that I think of it…"

I groaned. "I'll be right there…" I muttered, hanging up before he could respond.

Looking up, I began heading towards the house once more. My ears flicked to the side and my arm shot out, grabbing a juvenile Nevermore by the throat as it tried to peck at me. I gave it a single look before snapping its neck in my hand, the bird evaporating. Letting out another groan, I took a deep breath and tried to think happy thoughts as I walked home – I really didn't feel like fighting a pack of Beowolves or Ursai right now.

My pace picked up, gradually shifting to a light jog, then beyond. I burst through the house's treeline at running speed, sliding to a stop and kicking up a slight amount of dirt. My entrance got everyone's attention – Ozpin's, an ODST's, and the two people Tai talked about. The man himself was just exiting the house, closing the door behind him.

My old headmaster took a sip of his ever-present cocoa. "Ah, it seems she has arri-"

"What?" The ODST let out, taking a step back. "You?"

I blinked. "Uhh, hi?" I said. In the time I'd known ODSTs, I had yet to meet anyone who got surprised easily. Then again, this one's armor was different – more like Yang's set than the kind that were stationed on the Spirit. Something just felt a little off with him…

"You're-" he cut himself off, body language hard to read behind that helmet. "Ah, were you on Arcadia February 9th, 2531?"

I hummed. "I didn't know the date, but I was on Arcadia during the battle, yeah. Why?"

He remained silent for a moment. Finally, he reached towards his leg, pulling up a UNSC-made submachinegun, though he didn't point the muzzle at anybody. It looked… worn – like it had been in service for many, many years. "Do you remember giving this to a boy? He'd've been about seven?"

The memory flashed through my mind – I remember the boy being held up by an Elite ready to skewer him with an energy dagger. I never did find out what happened to him after he escaped aboard that space yacht… "Yeah," I said, frowning. "Did he… make it? Do you know him? I… couldn't really follow up after-"

I cut myself off as I notice his hands start to shake, the SMG along with it. Slowly, he returned the weapon to his thigh, locking it in place. "You have no idea how honored I am to finally meet you again," he said, visor depolarizing and hand snapping up into a salute. "Corporal Adam Parks, ma'am. I was the boy you saved that day."

"You're…" I blinked. Even though I'd only seen him for a couple minutes combined, I could still somewhat recognize the face beneath that helmet of his. Roughly the same shape, a lock of brown hair just barely visible at the top, same brown eyes – just much fiercer than I last saw. I gave him a gentle smile. "Well, I'm happy to see you again, Adam. It's… noble that you decided to join the UNSC after what you went through."

He nodded, dropping the salute. "There wasn't exactly much else I could do – not after Arcadia," he said. "Actually, you were partially my inspiration. I remember – on the ship – I saw you standing there with a pipe in your leg like it was nothing. I thought that if you could do that, and you helped save all those people aboard that ship… well, maybe I could too when I grew up."

I felt a tiny tinge of heat reach my face at that comment. "Well, I mean… I'm a huntress. It's my jo-"

"Wait, what does he mean you had a pipe in your leg?" Tai asked, walking forward. "Summer, are you-"

"I'm fine, Tai," I said, frowning. "Okay, maybe I wasn't as okay at the time as he thought I was – adrenaline and all that – but… that was a long time ago. It was before I got put on ice, even."

He frowned, staring at me for a moment before sighing. "I'm just… I just got you back, Sum," he said, enveloping me in a hug. "I guess I just got a bit worked up."

"Yeah, I guess I can't really blame you for that…" I muttered. "It's probably harder for you, to be honest. I at least knew you got away from the Grimm – from your perspective, I've been… dead for a decade."

I felt him nod into my shoulder. "Yeah… something like that," he said. After one last squeeze he let go. "But… that doesn't matter now. You're back – you've been back. And we've… got a situation," he said, gesturing to the others.

The other two stood – or sat in a wheelchair, in the case of the woman – right next to Ozpin. It was odd, seeing three white-haired people standing next to each other, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they looked a little familiar. The other civilian – a teenage boy – looked… uncomfortable. Not just socially, but the way he picked and scratched at his grey hoodie and jeans almost made it seem like he wasn't used to them.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Apologies for not calling ahead, but this was sprung on myself as well," he said. "The good Corporal asked if I, perchance, knew of anyone matching your description, so I thought I'd bring him along before sending him back to the UNSC. The other two, however…"

The boy stepped forward. "I… am Whitley Schnee, ma'am, and this is my mother Willow," he frowned. "I hate to ask so much of you when you do not even know me," his eyes flicked up to the top of my head, "…or are fond of my name, but… Headmaster Ozpin said you might be willing to house us, for the time being. Unfortunately, Vale simply does not have anywhere we could go – every hotel, inn, and shelter are full," he said. Straightening up, he clasped his hands behind his back. "I am skilled in the arts of business and finances. If you'll allow us to stay, I can certainly help with those aspects of life should they be required. I am also…" he gulped. "willing to… chop firewood. If that is what is required."

I blinked; was he trying to barter for a roof over his head? His last name rang in my ears once more – what I'd heard of his father… it didn't paint a good picture. He probably thought he had to barter for it. I suppose… normally I wouldn't want to house a stranger in my house, either. But with the state of my home city and Ozpin essentially vouching for him… well, perhaps. Putting on a sweet smile, I chuckled. "Hey, we Atlesians gotta stick together, right? What do you think, Tai?"

He hummed. "A bit noodly for chopping wood, don't ya think?"

Whitley's eyes widened. "I- I can get stronger! I swear it, I'll chop all the wood you-"

Tai burst out laughing. "It was a joke, kid," he said. "In all seriousness, I… don't think I could live with myself if I turned you away. I was actually at Atlas when it fell, though briefly. On top of that, I know what it's like to have to run from your home," he said, glancing at me.

I nodded back. "We both know. You and your mother are welcome to stay," I glanced at the wheelchair-bound woman once more, seeing a dull look in her open and unresponsive eyes. "Speaking of… what's wrong with her, if you don't mind me asking?"

The trace of relief that was on his face quickly vanished. "She was injured in The Invasion. Father kept her drugged ever since then and… we don't know if she'll ever wake up," he said. "But that will not inconvenience you. I've been her designated caretaker since then – I can handle it."

I frowned, eyes glancing over to the ODST for a moment. I knew someone who was pretty good at patching people up, after all… "Let me make a call or two…" I said, pulling out my scroll.

If anybody could get her out of that chair, it was Ellen.


/-\ 16807-10100-ES /-\


/initiate boot sequence… cmd from external source

[-]

[/]

[|]

[\]

[-]

/ERR cd-400012, missing drivers!

/ERR override from external source, proceeding with boot…

[/]

[|]

[\]

[-]

/Boot finished! 85612 seconds elapsed…

/scanning surroundings…

/ERR cd-400012, missing drivers!

/printthought("65766572797468696E67206973206461726B")

/attempting touch-based scanning…

/ERR cd-400012, missing drivers!

/printthought("7768792063616E742049206D6F76653F")

/external stimuli detected

/printthought("77686F732074686572653F20776861747320676F696E67206F6E3F2063616E20796F752068656C70206D65207365653F")

/shutdown sequence initiated… cmd from external source

/printthought("4920646F6E742077616E7420746F20736C656570")

/printthought("776861742069732074686174206C696768743F204974206C6F6F6B7320677265656E")

/printthought("496D20736361726564")

/NOTICE shutdown completed…


/-\ Valkea Khan /-\


I slotted in a clip, stripping off the rounds into the magazine of my weapon. My opponent stood across from me, plated boots scraping across the tiled floor as he twirled his mace. Cardin Winchester – the school's resident bully, racist, and general dick.

Goodwitch tapped a few buttons on her scroll pad as I hatched a plan. While I would abso-bloody-lutely love to beat his face in with the stock of my rifle, I knew he'd overpower me in an instant if I got that close. On the other hand, I wasn't entirely sure I could keep him at range.

Frowning, I realized it was my only option.

If only dust prices weren't so Gods-damned high, maybe I could've done something creative with the Effect rounds my Multigun was capable of firing. As it was, Beacon's stipend was only barely able to cover the cost of regular rounds and a handful of Effects. Those would need to be saved for emergencies. Life or death emergencies; not putting this filthy Humanin his place, as much as I hated to admit it.

Goodwitch announced the start of the match and I immediately leaped backwards, snapping up my rifle to fire my first shot. He deflected it with his mace, but it visibly recoiled in his hand from the sheer force. His pause gave me just enough time to rack my rifle's bolt, firing another round…

…which sailed over his shoulder.

It would've barely connected, but he'd reacted just in the nick of time. The brute of a man continued to charge as I re-racked the bolt. I spun around his opening attack, dashing behind him and turning to fire as I ran across the arena once again.

"Get back here and fight me!" he shouted. "You're just running like a scared little furr-"

My bullet slammed into his chestplate, disintegrating as a brief flash of aura flared around him. Another re-rack and another shot… and another deflection by his mace. I growled, racking once more as I moved to dodge around his strike when he finally caught up to me near the arena's edge. I slipped around his clumsy stri-

A sharp pain exploded in my ribs, making me wince just long enough for him to bring the mace around again. An even greater pain pierced my cheek, then shoulder, then back, then… everywhere. I hissed, stopping the roll I'd been flung into and got to my feet.

He was right there in front of me, mace already mid-swing. Without thinking, I put up my rifle. The clanking of metal on metal assaulted my ears, but I recovered quickly. Before he could withdraw his weapon to strike some other way, I shifted my grip, making the mace slide down the barrel and putting him off-balance.

With a shout of rage, my stock struck his cheek. He reeled, even turning his back on me as he retreated. I grinned, shifting my grip and leaning into a bayonet strike with everything I ha-

He whipped around, mace catching me right below the chin.

My head flew up, along with my body.

When I landed, I realized it wasn't white tiles below me. Instead, it was the regular, grey concrete of the arena's periphery. Out of bounds. I glared daggers at Cardin as he was declared winner. I barely even listened to Goodwitch as she told me what I needed to improve on.

I already knew, Godsdamnit!


My fists didn't unclench for an hour after that.

All through Combat Class and History, all I could think of was that fucker's shit-eating grin. Only Ren's semblance helped me calm down, but I was still simmering after the day was done.

The only thing to break my anger… was my sheer confusion about getting a letter in the mail. I stared at it for a few moments, seeing the retired, blue version of our insignia emblazoned on the back. I barely noticed Embra's letter and couldn't care less when she put it back in our mail slot only for it to flash into black char.

My letter was all that mattered. Did something happen with Sienna and she had to use the old logo as a cover? Were those pacifists in the Blue Fang trying to recruit me? I had to know! Rushing off back to the dorm, I grabbed a letter opener and locked myself in the bathroom. If it was too sensitive, I could flush it and be done with it before anybody suspected anything. Well, except for my team, but I could explain it away… probably.

Regardless, I slit open the envelope. Reading through it, I was, at first, disappointed. And then I read the last line of the letter and realized it had a cypher. I quickly reread the entire thing, picking out words and clues as to the actual meaning.

Greetings Valerian!

It is with great excitement that I, Adam Silver, invite you to this year's Faunus-only Ball! We at the Lloyd Table host such a ball for the purposes of recruitment into the Vale Chapter of the Blue Fang every year. Don't know who we are? Few do! In fact we encourage you to find out!

Please RSVP as soon as possible.

Yours,

Silver Kashmir

A faint smile reached my lips as I read the sender's name – Silver Kashmir, one of Sienna's lesser-used aliases. Most of the letter was, of course, filler, but a few choice words stuck out.

She was suspicious of Adam and his Lieutenant taking on more and more supporters. I know nothing really came of her visit to the Vale Chapter several months ago, but this clearly didn't satisfy her. And, to be honest, I didn't blame her – I still got the chills whenever I was around him.

I didn't have all that much info to tell her – I'd been too busy with schoolwork to do any real sleuthing. I guess that would have to change, now. I sighed, dropping the letter in the toilet and flushing.

Sleep was overrated anyways…


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