Cinder followed the spider into Lil Miss' web. Fusion jazz played as she entered, dozens of businessmen and women seated at the various tables and bars. Cinder glanced over the spiders as they went about their work, carrying trays covered with cloth.

None of them had on the spider earrings from before.

There were more guards around Lil Miss' table than last time; the two lolita's from before stood nearby with their arms crossed. The red lolita had on a pair of long, curved, aura cutting claws. Long, serrated blades jutted from the back of the white lolita's heels.

A pink and brown-haired woman stood in front of Lil Miss' table. She had her back to Cinder, and a frilly pink umbrella hung by her side.

"Cinder, my dear, right on time," Lil Miss said with a smile.

Neo turned, her face lighting up when she saw her. Cinder said nothing, looking at the guards as she came to a stop. The spider left her.

"You found out where Ruby is going?" she asked.

Lil Miss nodded. "Not that hard to eavesdrop on a house full of so many people. They're going to Argus, plan on getting into Atlas that way." She motioned to Neo. "Say hello to your friend there, she's been looking for you."

Cinder turned, facing Neo. She looked over her, watching the crowd from the corner of her eye. Neo's finger moved quickly as she signed at her.

The fusion jazz was playing, Neo's coat crinkling as she moved her arms. There was no talking, no clinking of glasses, no scraping of forks against plates.

The crowd was watching them, the spiders standing still.

"I really must say, you made quit the mess of our school, Cinder," Lil Miss said. Cinder kept her eyes on the crowd, but she could feel the smile forming on Lil Miss' fat face. "And you too, Neo. Gutting that poor noodle maker like that."

Neo's hands stopped.

"I don't usually lend my services to the police, but they paid handsomely for you two."

The spiders moved through the silent crowd, setting their trays down on the tables and bar counters, pulling the cloths away. The police grabbed the guns from the trays, loading them as they got from their seats.

Cinder turned to the crowd, exhaling in annoyance. Neo turned, scowling, her lip curling as she faced the crowd.

"Everything in my web is more expansive than anything you've ever owned, don't even think about fighting in here."

The police took aim at them, the safeties clicking off in a metallic chorus.

"I hope they paid you enough to replace all of this." Cinder said.

There was a sound of shattering glass as replicas of herself and Neo materialized, Neo leapt aside, unfolding her umbrella, and holding it in front of herself.

The police fired, the replicas of herself and Neo shattering. Cinder held up her hand, the bullets incinerating before reaching her. The police continued to fire at her, not paying attention to Neo.

Neo rushed toward the crowd, collapsing her umbrella before dropping to the ground, sliding between the legs of an officer, latching onto their leg with her umbrella handle. The officer cried out, firing a shot, blowing a hole in the head of one of their companions as they fell. Neo sprang up, slamming the top of Hush into the chin of an officer, smirking as the blade sprang out, blood shooting into the air as the tip poked through their head.

Neo yanked Hush free, smirking at the police as they turned toward her.

Cinder formed a fist, the melted bullets reforming into glass and obsidian shards. She shoved forward, the shards spraying out, the police crying out, blood spraying into the air as the shards cut through them.

Cinder ran forward, grabbing an officer trying to rip the obsidian free of their arm. She grunted, flipping them onto a nearby table, before jabbing her elbow down, breaking their neck. An officer rushed her, stabbing at her with a blood-soaked glass shard. She parried, twisting their arm before punching their elbow, snapping it. The officer screamed, the glass shard falling. Cinder snatched it from the air, slashing it across the officer's throat, blood spraying out, their screams becoming gurgled. She kicked, hurling them back into another officer.

Neo sidestepped an officer trying to club her with their pistol, smirking as she backflipped onto a table, her umbrella springing out, deflecting a shot as the officer fired at her. She collapsed her umbrella, leaping from the table, latching onto the officer's neck with her thighs. She jerked her body to the side, snapping their neck.

The body started to slump to the ground, and Neo twisted her body as it hit the ground, kicking the corpse away and into the dwindling crowd, knocking a few officers to the ground.

Cinder met Neo's gaze, and Neo smirked, her forked tongue sliding out and licking the blood off her lips.

Cinder rushed the crowd, Neo doing the same.

The officer tried to fire at her, fear lighting up their face as their gun clicked. Cinder slammed her fist into their gut, her fist shooting up into their chin before she latched onto their throat. She snarled, spinning, and hurling the officer toward Neo. Neo sidestepped an officer's punches, her hand a blur as she drew Hush's blade and shoved it into the air. The officer Cinder threw screamed as they were impaled onto the blade.

Neo spun, moving with the momentum caused by the officer on her blade before kicking, hurling the officer off her blade and toward their companion, knocking them both to the floor. Neo leaped, flipping, and stabbing down, embedding her blade through both of their torso's.

Neo got to her feet, flicking the blood off Hush and sheathing it.

Cinder turned to Lil Miss' table, sneering. Lil Miss sighed and got up from her table, pulling her scroll from her dress' pocket.

"Try to at least save the good glasses, you two." She said, walking past Cinder.

Neo lunged at her, a blade springing from her umbrella. Lil Miss raised her hand; Neo halted in the air. Lil Miss flicked her hand, launching Neo into the bar, glass and booze spraying out.

Lil Miss put her scroll to her ear, reaching the door. "Detective Midori, I think you're going to need to send more men." The door swung shut behind her.

Neo crawled out from behind the bar, shooting a murderous glare at the door as she got to her feet, the blade in her umbrella retracting.

Cinder looked back at the two lolita's as they sauntered over. They came to a stop in front of Cinder, their arms crossed.

"Melanie, change the music to something we can dance to." The red one said.

"With pleasure, Miltia." The white one replied. She pulled out her scroll, swiping on it.

The fusion jazz stopped playing, EDM replacing it, the bass thumping, the puddles of blood on the floor pulsing with the bass.

Cinder eyed the aura cutter blades Miltia had, and started to step back, watching them, listening to Neo as she moved away from the bar.

The Twins surged forward, flanking her. Melanie lunged, kicking low, her blades glinting in the light. Cinder dodged, gasping as Miltia lunged from the other side, swinging at her. Cinder blocked, parrying Miltia's other claw with her arm. Cinder growled, her aura crackling around her arm as Miltia yanked her arm back, slicing open Cinder's arm. Blood soaked into the sleeve as Miltia moved to the side, Cinder spun, barely dodging Melanie's blades she kicked where Cinder's head had been.

Cinder grabbed a hold of Melanie's leg, hurling her into the air. Melanie sneered, turning in the air, her hands hitting the floor before she sprung backwards, landing on her feet.

Melanie gasped, sidestepping Neo's kick. Neo snarled, hurling a kick; Melanie grunted, hurling her own, their legs slamming against the others. They traded kicks before Hush shot out, knocking Melanie's legs out from underneath her. She hit the ground, growling. She pressed against the ground, lifting her lower body and spin kicking at Neo. Neo leapt aside, dodging Melanie's blades before Melanie got to her feet.

Cinder moved aside, Miltia's claws swiping past where she had been. Miltia turned, lunging at her, swinging and slashing. Cinder snarled, forming obsidian daggers, and catching Miltia's claws. Miltia yanked herself free and jumped back.

Miltia smirked, holding her hands back. "Don't think you're the only one with a useful semblance," she said. Fire engulfed one of her hands, ice encrusting the other. The fire and ice spread from her hands and over her claws.

Miltia rushed forward, swinging up, flames spewing forth. Cinder dodged to the side, growling as Miltia swung low with her other claw, ice spraying out, coating the floor.

Cinder lunged toward Miltia, stabbing, and slashing with her daggers, flames and snow spraying out as Miltia parried each of her blows. Cinder ducked low, bending her back as Miltia swung, flames spraying forth, the heat scorching. Cinder straightened out, sidestepping an icy claw, and slashing across Miltia's arm. She hissed, and staggered back, her aura crackling where she had been struck.

Cinder pressed her, moving through the ice and fire, slashing, and stabbing at where Miltia wasn't blocking. Milita leapt up, onto a table, before leaping over Cinder, rushing past her. Cinder looked back and saw Neo and Melanie fighting.

Melanie kicked aside Hush and kicked at Neo's head. Neo ducked, a sneer on her face. Cinder saw Miltia swing her iced claw; ice spider webbed out, coating the floor Neo was under. Surprise shot through Neo's eyes as she tried to lunge toward Melanie, tripping on the ice instead. She hit the floor, and Melanie slammed her heel down, the blade aimed at Neo's head.

Neo rolled aside, Melanie's blade lodging into the ice. Chunks flew out as Melanie yanked herself free, glowering at Neo as Miltia joined her side.

Cinder ran toward them, sliding to a stop next to Neo.

The Twins were breathing heavy, and the flames surrounding Miltia's hand seemed smaller. Cinder glanced at Neo. Neo nodded at her, murder in her multicolored eyes.

They charged the two, weaving through their swings and kicks, pushing them back toward the glass backwall.

Cinder tossed her daggers aside, ducking under one of Melanie's kicks and grabbing her heel, turning, and hurling her toward her sister. The two of them went crashing through Lil Miss' table with a scream.

Neo smirked, and Cinder exhaled.

Light shown through the glass backwall as two airships rose up. Cinder looked back as the doors behind them were kicked open, more police funneling into the room. They were heavily armored and carried rifles.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Cinder said.

She held up her hand and pointed at one of the airships. A bolt of lightning shot down, striking the airship, igniting it. The second airship moved away, the one on fire struggling to stay in the air before crashing into the building.

Cinder fell to her knees, the building shaking, glass, and fire spraying out, the area around Lil Miss' table collapsing and falling into the open air.

"Open fire!"

Cinder, struggled to her feet, throwing a hand behind her, melting the bullets. Neo looked at her and she jerked her head toward the gaping hole. Neo nodded, sprinting forward before leaping into the open air, unfurling her umbrella, and starting to drift down.

Cinder turned, backing up as the police continued to fire at her. She reached the edge, and reformed the bullets into glass, shoving forward and launching them toward the police. Most of it bounced off their armor, a few cried out as the glass pierced them.

Cinder leapt back, free falling through the night sky.

She hit the ground with a grunt, smoke choking the alleyway. Bits of rubble and glass covered the stone street, and the airship was lodged between Lil Miss' bar and a nearby building.

Cinder growled, looking up at the sky as the other airship soared past. She heard a metallic clink and looked aside. Neo stood over the unconscious Malachite twins, her umbrella raised in the air, the blade catching the streetlights.

"Don't," Cinder said.

Neo looked back at her, her lip curling as she pointed at them with her free hand. Cinder shook her head.

"We're going to need them for right now; the dead don't make good hostages."

Neo hand tightened around the handle of her umbrella before she lowered it to the ground, the blade retracting. She shook her head, exhaling. She turned to Cinder, hanging her umbrella on her arm before signing "Fine. But you can carry them."

Saphron held the door open for them, a comfortable warmth washing over Pyrrha as she entered.

The walls and furnishings were warm shades of red, yellow, and cool shades of gray. A large wooden bookshelf took up the backwall, photos and books crammed into it. Next to the entrance was a stairway. Two sofas sat around a large, wooden coffee table. A blonde woman in jeans and a yellow sweater sat on the sofa, a toddler in her arms.

Pyrrha halted as the woman looked up, an eyepatch covered her right eye, and claw marks covered her face.

"Dijon," Pyrrha said.

Dijon said nothing, getting up from the couch and going to Saphron and Terra, handing the toddler to Terra. Saphron cocked her head, looking between her and Dijon.

"Have you two met before?" Saphron asked.

Dijon nodded. "I visited Pyrrha in the hospital after the Fall," she turned, looking past Pyrrha, at Ren and Nora. "But I don't think I ever met the other members of Jaune's team."

"I'm Nora," Nora pointed to Ren. "And that's Ren." She said. Ren waved politely.

Dijon smiled at them. "Nice to meet you." She looked over at Saphron. "If you don't have a spare room for them, I'm fine sleeping on the couch."

"We have another guest room; I don't think it should be an issue." Terra said, shifting the sleeping infant in her arms. She looked over at them. "You three would have to share the bed though, or we can find an air mattress for one of you if you would prefer."

Nora waved a hand "Psh, sharing a bed is nothing, try sharing a single blanket in the pouring rain."

Alarm shot through Saphron's eyes, familiarity through Dijon's.

"If you kids are hungry, I can make you something," Terra glanced at Saphron. "We were planning on going out to eat after the play, but, uh, I don't think we could really take you with us."

Pyrrha nodded, and she saw Ren do the same. Nora grinned, zipping toward the kitchen. Saphron took the toddler from Terra, and kissed her on the cheek, pulling back with a smile. Terra smiled back and followed Nora.

Ren went to the sofa, and Saphron went up the stairs, running hand over the back of her son. Dijon went to the other end of the room, to a sliding glass door, opened it, and stepped outside. Pyrrha glanced at Ren before following Dijon.

She was sitting on a porch, the light from inside illuminating her back. Snow drifted past her, the backyard a white blanket. Pyrrha slid the door shut behind her and leaned against it.

"Are you used to it, yet?" Dijon asked.

Pyrrha cocked her head. "Used to what?"

"The eyepatch." Dijon said. Pyrrha ran a hand over the eyepatch, brushing the bits of her hair covering it aside. "I used to wear my hair down and try to hide it when I first started to wear it. Recognized the style."

Pyrrha's hand fell to her side. "I'm… still getting used to it." She admitted.

Dijon patted the spot next to her. Pyrrha hesitated, before going to the end of the porch, taking the spot next to Dijon. Dijon was looking up at the sky, at the gray snow clouds lit up by the city's lights.

"What are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied.

Pyrrha sighed and rested her arms on her knees. "Trying to get into Atlas. The people I'm traveling with, we're… trying to stop the people who caused the Fall."

Dijon was quiet for a moment before saying "I'm visiting my sister and nephew." She shifted, propping a leg up. "Saph was born after I was, and I've always been closer to her than my other sisters. Most of the others were too young for me to really form a connection with, out working as a Hunter and all that crap. Jaune was born after Jaunir, Saph and I's other sister, was born. He was a nice bridge, getting to be an older sibling to the youngest when we were moving out, and we had someone to take care of growing up." Dijon kept looking at the sky, and she exhaled through her nose. "Saph took his death pretty hard, she's been living out here in Argus for years now, and my family didn't bother telling her that Jaune had run off to Beacon, that he wanted to be like me. So, imagine her surprise when she saw him on tv during the Festival,"

"I was the one who had to tell her what happened. After the Fall I took him back to the Arc estate, and we had him buried in the family cemetery. Saph and Jaunir weren't there for it. They had no way of knowing what had happened. Until I came to visit them." Dijon's gaze fell to the ground, to the white blanket before them. "My sister needs me here, and I don't really know when I'll be leaving."

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said.

Dijon shook her head. "Don't be, it's not your fault."

"But it is, if I didn't let him go with me, if I had-"

"Stop." Pyrrha closed her mouth. Dijon looked at her. "I've been down that mental road, Pyrrha. I blamed my father for being so harsh on Jaune growing up and forcing him to try and be a Hunter. I blamed Ozpin for accepting him with fake transcripts, but most of all, I blamed myself for not going and getting him out of Beacon when I knew he wasn't cut out for Hunting. Jaune's death isn't your fault. And it isn't mine. Jaune made his decisions, and I don't think he would change them if he had the chance."

Pyrrha frowned and looked away.

"When you said you're going to stop the people who caused the Fall, what did you mean by that?"

Pyrrha moved her hands from her knees to the cold wood beneath her, gripping it. "I… I wanted to kill the woman who took Jaune from me. Who did," she motioned to her face, to the eyepatch and scars "this to me."

"You killed a girl during the Fall, didn't you? That Penny girl?" Pyrrha grimaced and nodded. "And how did you feel after that?"

"I…I…" Pyrrha tightened her grip on the wood, "I felt awful. I thought I would never be able to live with myself after hurting someone like that. I… I still have nightmares about it."

"And do you think that killing that woman would be any different?"

Pyrrha scowled as she looked at Dijon. "Penny didn't deserve to die, Cinder did."

Dijon nodded. "I'm sure she did. But would killing her make you any better?"

Pyrrha felt her scowl falter as Dijon looked at her. "I…"

"Will killing her bring Jaune back to you? Will it bring your eye back?"

"…no." Pyrrha released her grip on the wood and took a breath. "It doesn't matter anymore anyway, Cinder died at Haven."

"If she's dead, then why are you going to Atlas?"

"I… I don't really know."

"Have you felt any better since she died?"

Pyrrha said nothing, simply staring at Dijon. Dijon offered a sad smile.

"When I lost my eye, I lost my partner as well. I hated the world, I hated everything, I just wanted to kill every Grimm I saw. I stopped taking missions because I wanted to protect people, I just wanted an excuse to fight the monsters responsible for my misery. And it didn't make me feel any better, nothing I did would dull the pain,"

"When Jaune died, I started to slip back into that mentality. And as soon as you walked through that door, I recognized that look in your eye. Because I had seen it for years in my own."

"… how did you make the pain go away?" Pyrrha asked.

Dijon shrugged. "It… never really goes away. The parts of you that you've lost, the parts that have died, can never really come back. You just… have to find a reason, a reason to keep living besides the hate and the anger. It will pop up every now and again, and you just have to handle it when it does."

"What was your reason?"

Dijon looked behind her, and Pyrrha followed her gaze. Nora and Terra were setting food onto the coffee table, and Saphron was coming down the stairs. She saw Dijon smile. "The people who care about me."

Tai picked up the flowers, shooting one last glare at Raven before going to Summer's grave. He got to his knees, setting the bouquet of white and red roses before her tombstone.

"Thought I'd let you know that things in Vale are getting better. That giant Grimm is still drawing Grimm to Beacon but a lot of the damage done to the city has been repaired." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's going to be winter soon, thought you might like some flowers this time, since it'll be a while before I can get you some more."

He sat in silence for a little while, staring at the faded gray stone, the wind a gentle caress as it blew. He exhaled and ran a hand over the gravestone. "Love you, Summer." He said.

He got up, heading back home, the sun setting.

The moon was shining down by the time he got home. Lights filtered through the windows; the door was unlocked when he grabbed the handle.

Raven's boots sat next to the door; Omen rested on the coffee table in the living room. He made his way to the kitchen, stopping and leaning against the doorway, crossing his arms.

Several empty instant noodle cups sat on the table as Raven slurped from her latest one, a half empty beer bottle near her. She glanced over at him, and finished slurping, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"You didn't change the lock."

"Never thought you'd keep the key."

Raven grunted and took a sip from her bottle. He went to the fridge, and grabbed his own bottle, twisting off the cap and taking a long sip from it. He lowered the beer, grimacing at the taste; always took a while before it started tasting good. He motioned to Raven with the bottle as she resumed eating. "Did you actually intend on seeing me or did I just walk in on you and make it too awkward for you to leave immediately?"

"Latter."

He chuckled. "Thought so." He took another sip. "So, are you gonna just eat and bounce?"

Raven said nothing for a moment, chewing slowly. She eventually shook her head. "Might as well get some rest while I'm here. Feathered One knows I won't get it back home."

"What makes you think I'll let you stay the night?"

Raven shrugged. "Be easy to break back in, and I highly doubt you're strong enough to keep me out."

Tai laughed and took another sip. "If you're staying, then I'm going to need to drink a lot more of these to make you tolerable."

"Feelings mutual."

Ruby tugged her cloak closer, the icy wind gusting around her.

Brunswick Farm was vacant, the plants in the greenhouses long since withered to nothing. The slashes and holes in the greenhouse tarps and plastic didn't look to be from Grimm claws, just from time. There wasn't a single track in the snow, not a footprint, tire print, or pawprint, nothing.

She glanced aside, past the greenhouses and barn. It looked like there was a shed, its door creaking on rusted hinges as it swung with the wind.

A large well sat before the manor; snow coated the rim of it, icicles hanging from the rim like translucent fangs. She glanced at it as she walked past, her blood turning as cold as the air around her, the hair on the ends of her neck sticking up.

I'm fighting for nothing, there's no way to beat Salem.

She shook her head, and wrapped her cloak tighter, hurrying past the well, the dark thoughts fading the further away from it she got.

She lowered her hood when she reached the front door, the porch partially shielding them from the snow and wind. She beat on the door and waited a moment. No answer.

"W-where i-is e-everyone?" Blake asked, rubbing herself.

"Maybe something spooked them, and made them leave?" Yang said.

Ruby reached for the handle and tried to turn it. It wouldn't budge, and she noticed the ice coating the hinges. "Yang, can you open this?" she asked, looking back at her sister.

Yang nodded and stepped over to the door. She lifted her boot and kicked with a grunt, the door swinging open, the ice coating the hinges shattering.

Ruby moved a hand to Crescent Rose, gripping its handle as she entered. It was dark, the only light the gray twilight from the windows and open door. Dust coated the floor and nearby doors and stairwell. A large clock sat against the wall; a plethora of dust covered photos hung nearby.

"Hello?" Ruby called out.

Silence.

Ruby glanced behind her as the door squeaked behind her. Maria shivered and tapped the end of her scythe against the door, nudging it closed. Qrow pocketed his flask, his hand going to Omen's handle as he looked up the stairs. Weiss stared ahead vacantly.

"I-I s-saw a-a chimney o-outside; f-fire would b-be good, right n-now," Blake said.

Ruby nodded, and Blake hurried past her into a nearby room.

"I'll try and find some blankets," Yang said. She nudged Weiss' shoulder, and Weiss blinked, and looked at Yang, seeming to realize where they were. "Can you help me with that?" Yang asked.

"With what?"

"Finding blankets, so we can get warm."

Weiss blinked. "This is cold for you? This is a late autumn day in Atlas."

Yang rubbed the back of her head. "The rest of us aren't used to this, Weiss." She looked at the various doors and then at the stairs. She started to climb them, Weiss following her.

Ruby heard Qrow, Maria, and Oscar go into the room Blake had gone into. She went to the wall, running her hand over the photos, wiping the dust off them. They were pictures of a family, the one she assumed lived on this farm. The other pictures were of people besides the family, farmhands, or Hunters hired to-

Ruby's head jerked up as Weiss screamed, and something thudded against the ceiling.

She bolted up the stairs, hearing Qrow and Blake running behind her.

"Weiss?!" Ruby yelled, reaching the top of the stairs, and running down the hallway.

One of the doors were open, and Weiss was scrambling backwards through the door, hyperventilating. Ruby slid to a stop next to Weiss, her heart leaping into her throat at what she saw.

A corpse, its skin gray and shriveled lay in a bed in the room. Yang was pinning herself against a wall, struggling to get Ember Celica to spring into place. A tall, nude, emaciated body stood near the corpse, its skin gray, hair patchy and missing, and its eyes shriveled.

"Hello?" the corpse said, the sound sending ice down Ruby's spine.

The voice was her own.

"Hello?" the corpse said, stumbling forward, reaching toward Yang.

Qrow shoved past her, drawing Omen, and firing a shot, blowing a hole into the corpse's torso. The corpse blinked, looking down at its chest. It opened its mouth, struggling to speak with its missing lungs. Qrow fired another shot, blowing off its head, the corpse slumping to the ground. He fired several more shots into it, reducing the corpse to nothing but a mealy brown stain.

Qrow exhaled, and turned toward them, starting feed fresh shells into Omen.

"What the fuck was that?!" Yang screamed.

"A Chill."

Weiss sat in front of the fire. Blake was hugging her, a blanket wrapped around the both of them. Blake rested her head on Weiss' shoulder, nuzzling the top of her head against Weiss' cheek.

"You're really warm," Blake mumbled.

how can you still love me when i'm a monster?

Weiss looked away from the fire as the front door opened. Ruby and Qrow came into the room, shaking off the snow coating them. Ruby pulled down her hood, her face solemn.

"Same thing in every building. Everyone died in their beds, like they fell asleep and didn't wake up," Qrow said.

"That thing, the Chill, did it kill everyone here?" Yang asked.

Qrow shrugged. "That's the only thing I can think of."

"Preposterous, Chill don't kill that way, they wouldn't be able to kill an entire farm like this." Maria said.

Qrow shrugged, and pulled out his flask, bringing it to his lips before frowning. He turned it over, and nothing came out. He sighed and pocketed it. "We didn't see any other signs of Grimm, or cabin fever, must have been a Chill that got this place."

Maria grunted, and turned away, burying herself further into her blankets.

"We're not staying here, right?" Weiss asked.

"That snowstorm is getting worse, we'd freeze to death before reaching Argus. We'll have to stay here until it blows over." Qrow said. He went to the fireplace, and squatted next to her, warming his hands. "Chill live in the shadows, and once they possess you, that's it, you're dead. Everybody needs to stick with a partner, don't go anywhere without someone coming with you."

"I thought you said you didn't see signs of any other Grimm?" Yang asked.

"We didn't, but with the Chill, that's what worries me. We can't see them until they get us, and they like to move around freely once its dark."

Ruby cleared her throat, and they all looked over at her. "Oscar, can we… talk to Ozpin? About all of this? About Legion, and Salem?"

"No." He said. Ruby frowned, and opened her mou- "Ruby, don't, I am not letting him take over. He can tell you why he lied once I'm gone, just let me live as myself for what little time I have left."

Ruby closed her mouth and nodded at him. She looked over at Weiss and Blake, and then at Yang. "There's still a little bit of sunlight, maybe we can find a truck or some food or something?"

Yang shrugged off her blanket, and stood up, looking over at her and Blake. Blake grimaced as Weiss got to her feet. Blake, begrudgingly, got to her feet, tightly wrapping the blanket around herself.

Yang's hair whipped behind her as the howling wind buffeted her. Blake trudged along behind her, shivering, even with the thick blanket wrapped around her. She could make out one of the barns in the gloom.

She slid the barn door open when she reached it, letting Blake enter before her. She slid the door shut, cutting off the wind and snow. She turned, her breath misting in the air, and looked over the barn.

Gray light filtered in through the windows; a multitude of shelves lined the walls, covered with rusted farm tools. A tarp covered tractor sat in the middle of the barn; the wooden floor was covered with moldy straw.

Yang formed her aura arm, casting a dull yellow light around her, and reached for a light switch near the door. It clicked, but no lights turned on. She sighed in annoyance, and looked at Blake, who had been watching her.

"I don't think that tractor will do us much good, but maybe there's something else here we can use." Blake said.

Yang nodded, and started to walk through the barn, glancing at the shelves, holding up her flaming arm to cast light on some of the more promising items. She reached the end of the barn and held up her arm. A long metal trailer was tucked against the wall. She looked it over, bit rusted but it should be able to hitch to bumblebee without an issue.

"Yang?"

Yang looked over at Blake. She didn't seem to be looking at her, but at the window next to her. Yang cocked her head to the side. "Yeah?"

"Did you ever believe in the gods?" Blake asked.

Yang rubbed the back of her head. "Not really. When I was really little, my mom would teach me and Ruby about the Brothers and all that junk. But I stopped believing in anything after my mom died." She lowered her hand. "I thought that there couldn't be a god so cruel as to make my mom a liar, to let her die and leave me behind. But I guess I was wrong. God's real, and he's an asshole."

Blake took a step forward; Yang cocked an eyebrow as Blake continued to stare out the window.

"I've always believed in my gods, Yang. Mother Devi, Krshi, Maut, Bijalee, Raat. All of them, they were a comfort, not only for myself, but for my people." Another step forward. "When the humans beat us, hunted us, murdered us, we were told it was because they lacked the love of the gods, they could only know hate, and we could handle anything the humans put us through because the gods were with us, we were loved in some way, even if it wasn't on Remnant."

Blake walked past Yang, stopping in front of the window. Blake's eyes looked dull to Yang, and she could see tears starting to form.

Blake's voice was low, barely audible above the winds buffeting the barn "If my gods are not real, then that means there truly is nothing for me, for my people. Nobody loves us, we have all been abandoned. All our suffering, all of our misery, none of it had any purpose."

Yang looked out the window, out into the flurry of gray snow. The well stood out in the gloom, a black spot in the twilight. The fatigue of hiking from the snow for so long suddenly hit her, her limbs feeling heavy, her aura arm flickering and growing dull.

Her gaze fell, and she saw black bracelet around her wrist. She looked aside at the yellow one on Blake's. She reached for Blake's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm… not really the best person to talk to about religion, but… you are loved, Blake," Yang said. Blake finally looked away from the window, and at her. "I love you, Blake, I love you like I love Ruby, and Weiss loves you too. And Sun, Neptune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, your parents. Legion is evil, and a lot of people might suck, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world for you. You'll always have us watching out for you."

Blake sniffled and squeezed Yang's hand.

Weiss walked beside Ruby in the gloom the floorboards squeaking beneath them. The light from Ruby's scroll cut through the darkness of the windowless hallways of the house.

A lone door sat at the end of the hallway, and Ruby glanced back at her before reaching for the handle. The door opened on squeaking hinges, revealing pitch black darkness. Ruby entered, shining her scroll throughout the room.

Weiss saw bits of metal on the walls reflecting off Ruby's scroll, and long, cobweb covered candles perched on the metal. Weiss raised a finger, and red glyphs formed around the wicks of the candles, igniting them.

The room lit up, bathing everything in flickering red light. A couple of dusty, faded couches took up one wall, and a bar counter sat opposite of it. Bottles of vodka filled the shelves behind the counter.

Ruby turned off her light, her nose wrinkling at the sight of the bottles. "Let's not tell my uncle about this room," she said.

Weiss looked at the vodka, at the way it caught the flickering red light. She rubbed her wrist and nodded.

A door was on the other side of the room. Ruby led the way, opening it, and flicking on her scroll's light.

Metal devices made up one of the walls; wooden barrels and empty glass bottles rested near it. Weiss rubbed her wrist, looking at the empty bottles.

"Great. More alcohol." Ruby grumbled.

She turned, moving the light. Weiss' skin crawled as the light shone over a cellar door, a massive iron chain tightly wrapped around the handles. The hair on the back of her neck started to stand up as lethargy washed over her. She felt her shoulders sag, her mind filling with the thoughts she had been trying to bury.

Ruby hates me. I'm a monster that deserves to die. Dust never loved me.

"Ruby?" Weiss said. Ruby looked at her, her light staying on the cellar door. "Do… do you hate me?"

Ruby's eyebrows shot up, her mouth parting. "Weiss?"

"Salem… she's…" Weiss took a breath. "I'm Trucii, I'm… I'm not a human, and…" She started to rub her wrists, feeling herself start to walk forward, toward the cellar door.

"Everything that's wrong on Remnant, all of it, it's all my fault. It's all my family's fault." She walked past Ruby, and stopped before the cellar, looking down at the chains. "My family's company, Salem, if we never existed, if I didn't exist, the world would be so much better."

"Dust is what gave me purpose and made my life manageable. When I looked at the bruises my father had given me, I told myself that I was repenting for the sins of my last life, that Dust would finally allow something good to happen when I had shown enough devotion." She heard herself laugh; the sound joyless. She felt something warm dripping down her cheeks. "Do you know what it feels like, Ruby? Knowing that the god you found comfort in was never real? That the only god who ever existed hates you for who you are? That your family drove god away from this world?"

"Weiss…"

"Everything would have been better if I had killed myself, if my mother had never saved me that night."

She started to reach for the chains.

"I'm glad you're alive, Weiss." Ruby said.

Weiss' hand stopped. She looked back at Ruby. Ruby looked away and lowered the light.

"Remnant isn't the way it is because of you, Weiss. It's my fault, my family's fault. Salem, the Relics, Legion, it's my fault. You being Trucii doesn't change anything. I still love you, just the way you are. And I wouldn't want anyone else to be my best friend. If you had never been born, if you managed to…" Ruby took a breath. "I don't know how we're going to fix all of this, or how we'll stop Salem, but I do know one thing." Ruby raised the light, and she gave Weiss a smile as she held out her hand. "We can do it, together."

Weiss moved toward Ruby, and away from the cellar door. She reached for Ruby's hand, and saw the white bracelet on Ruby's wrist, and the red one on her own. She clasped Ruby's hand, and Ruby smiled, and pulled her into a hug. Weiss nuzzled her cheek into Ruby's shoulder before noticing what Ruby's light was pointing at.

Cans of food lined the shelves on the wall. Weiss nudged Ruby with her head, and Ruby looked over at the wall. She broke the hug, and held up the light, running it down the length of the shelves. Dozens upon dozens of cans and bottled water was there. Ruby looked at her and flashed a grin before going to the shelves, grabbing as many cans and bottles as she could carry.

Weiss did the same and started to follow Ruby as she left the room. She stopped in the doorway and looked behind her. At the cellar door, and its thick iron chain.

"Weiss?" Weiss looked over at Ruby, who stood in the flickering red light of the bar room. "You coming?"

"Y-yeah." She said. She glanced back one last time before entering the bar, letting Ruby lead the way.

Away from the cellar.

I tweaked the Chill a little bit from their canon counterparts to make them a little more frightening.