As extraordinary as life at Beacon was, even it was not immune to the slippage of time thanks to routine.

Days melted into weeks, two weeks to be precise. I practically blinked and it had already been that long since I came to Beacon. Getting dressed, going to class, training with Ozpin, and then coming back to the dorm, that bastion of calm in the chaos of everything else. Although sometimes chaos found its way there, usually by way of Jeanne or Violet.

I did train with Ruby one day, she wiped the floor with me. I simply had no counter to her speed and strength, I couldn't exactly block that monstrous scythe she called a weapon! Maybe someday I'd be fast enough to clash with her, but for now I was more than happy to train with other people.

Blake and I had started to build a friendship through sparring, our fighting styles were comparable and we spotted weaknesses in each other's moves that other people might not have. Even Cinder seemed moderately impressed with how my style was being smoothed out. Although I deliberately kept anything I learned from Oz away from her, displaying none of it, because I didn't need her questioning where I was picking up anything that went starkly against my already established fighting style.

That was easier said than done, I wasn't an actor, but given that Cinder only visited on weekends that meant I'd only had to pretend for two separate occasions, the first Saturday and the first Sunday. She seemed… torn on something, but I couldn't say what it was, I knew if I asked her, she would just deny that there was anything wrong. As expected of Cinder Fall, she didn't like showing weakness for any reason, even if there was nothing wrong with it.

I supposed I couldn't blame her for keeping secrets. After all, we were both keeping secrets, I just so happened to know most of hers, even if she didn't know that. I knew who she worked for, I knew what she did, I knew what her life was like before, what it would have been like after, and might still be like after, if I couldn't convince her to change the course she was on. Some part of me felt scummy, I knew so much about her and she knew so little about me. Granted, I knew very little about myself as well, thanks to my still annoyingly prevalent amnesia.

However, over those two weeks, I also gained some more scraps of memory. Nothing concrete, still, however I gained some more information about exactly who I was. Nobody of import, that was for sure, some pictures were starting to develop in my mind's eye. My bedroom, my appearance… I looked different back then, and based on how my room looked, I felt that if I had met the me from back then, it would have been more like meeting a stranger, instead of me.

That didn't mean I wasn't still yearning to finally remember who I lost, my family and friends. Who were they? What were they like? What were their names? Questions I didn't seem to be getting answers for anytime soon.

The second week was when I began to plan for my work against the White Fang and Torchwick. If I was going to try and curtail them as much as I could behind the scenes, I needed to start small. I couldn't attack their headquarters, not yet, even if I knew it was in a warehouse in the industrial district, which made it that much easier to actually find.

No, as much as I hated to admit it, Torchwick was still an extremely skilled fighter. He could go toe to toe with Blake and Sun and only got overwhelmed by both of them working together, and even then he was able to escape. No, if I was going to try and take him down, it would need to be later than the docks.

So, if I couldn't attack the big fish head on, I would have to starve it.

That meant trying to find information on something that I didn't know, what dust stores they were hitting.

I knew they'd hit one near the docks, but that wasn't until the end of the semester, and I didn't want to wait that long. So, instead I began using my free time to research dust stores in town, ones that hadn't shuttered temporarily due to robbery.

Dust till Dawn was open again, I wasn't sure if Torchwick would try his luck with that place again a second time though. I was sure the old man there had probably installed some extra security measures. There were a small handful of other dust shops still operating, which at least made it easier to narrow down possible targets.

I wished it was as easy to figure out as asking Cinder, but going up to her and asking 'Hey, Cinder, what dust store are you robbing next?' would do nothing but make things more complicated for both of us. No, instead I was going to have to keep researching, and if I could, tease some information out of her.

I wasn't sure exactly how I'd do that, and it felt scummy to even try, but I reminded myself why I was doing this. If I didn't stop her, things would just keep getting worse.

I kept contemplating this throughout the second week, and it was only on Saturday that a possible answer had come to me, well, more like it sloppily parkoured up a building to me.

Cinder and I had settled on training on Fridays and Saturdays, both of us appreciated a day totally free of any work, it seemed, and that day was Sunday for us. I had taken a seat in one of the garden chairs while I waited on her, and once I heard her glass heels touch the ground, I looked over to her, having been resting my cheek on my palm while staring out at the courtyard.

I felt like a bored prince staring out at his kingdom of books and hunters-in-training. Of course, I was no such thing. Cinder looked just as troubled today as she had been last Saturday. I smiled at her, "Evening, how's your day been?"

Cinder huffed at my casual greeting and walked over before sitting down next to me, crossing one leg on top of the other in her usual ladylike manner, "Busy. Are you ready to train?" She sounded anxious, dare I say nervous, but what about?

She didn't look like she planned on telling me, so I just nodded, "Alright." Then I stood up from my chair and we got ready to spar.

Cinder stayed sitting there for a while longer, she looked as if there was something she wanted to say, but instead of saying it, she stood up and we began to work through my usual training routine.

It was only after two hours of training, just after midnight, that Cinder decided to speak her mind while I was wiping sweat off my brow and drinking from a water bottle I had brought. She and I were sitting in our chairs again when she asked, "All of this training the past two weeks combined with schoolwork has been exhausting you, hasn't it, Neve?"

I swallowed my water before raising an eyebrow, sure it was tiring but I wouldn't say I was exhausted, "Uhm-"

However before I could get a word in, she cut me off and spoke quickly, "Me too. How about we go to the cafe tomorrow? It wouldn't do to be exhausted if you're supposed to continue training."

I furrowed my brow and turned my head towards her.

My heart fluttered at the sight I was greeted with.

Cinder's face was red, she looked…shy? She wasn't looking at me either, and upon spotting my gaze she looked away, practically hiding her face under her hair. Was she… trying to…?

She didn't say it was a date, I wouldn't say it either, because for all intents and purposes it couldn't be a date. We were night and day, fall and winter, if she had said that, if she had revealed how she felt, it would have just made things hurt all the more when we eventually had to fight.

I recognized that, and I accepted it, as much as I wished I didn't have to, "...Yeah, I'm pretty exhausted." I lied, "Does… six work for you?" I asked tentatively, I even worded it like the books and movies did, I didn't mean to. It just… happened.

All of this just happened. Not just the not-date, but our complicated and complex friendship, something that existed through an unspoken armistice that she didn't know I was agreeing to and I knew she didn't want to break.

Cinder looked excited for a split second, "Yes!" She responded with a smile I was used to only sneaking a glance at from the counter of the cafe, bright and sunny, it was amazing to get to see it up close. She cleared her throat and regained her composure, assuming her normal neutral expression, "Yes, six works. We'll meet there."

She made a show of looking at her watch, "I should go. I'll see you tomorrow." Too quickly, she left, jumping down the rooftop again and hurrying down the same path she'd taken before. As she was walking, I caught the faintest glimpse of a smile, and the butterflies in my stomach took flight once again.

That night I had to remind myself that I still had a job to do, a war was fought between two and the combatants names with Neve and Cadere. I wanted to find out what store they were going to hit next, but I also wanted to enjoy a not-date with Cinder. I wanted to just enjoy being back at the coffee shop, but responsibility told me there were more important things to worry about.

The war continued well into the next day, at five thirty I dressed in my huntsman clothes, minus Dawn, my coat, and vambraces, as I didn't need them, and headed out towards the cafe.

I was used to walking to it from a different direction, from Forever Fall. Still, it didn't take long for me to find the street it was on, and from there the cafe itself. It was open, of course, and not too busy. June started her usual greeting, "Welcome-" Then she saw me and her expression changed as she gasped, "Neve! Howdy, sweetie, what're you doing here?" She smiled at me, honestly she was the closest thing to a caretaker I had in this world, someone who offered a warm bed and an open ear to my troubles.

It was good to be back.

I smiled, "I'm meeting someone here in..." I checked my scroll, "Five minutes." I walked over to the counter and ordered myself a cup of coffee and the lowest sugar frappe I could while simultaneously ordering Cinder's usual and her favorite, a chocolate chip frappe.

June smiled, "My, on a date?" She teased playfully, her smile grew as she saw me blush. I wished I could tell her that no, it wasn't like that, it couldn't be like that, but I wasn't going to. I'd let her believe whatever she wanted to, because it was honestly what I wanted to believe as well, "With Cinder right? I knew you two would figure somethin' out eventually. I gotta tell ya, anytime I was in the shop, the way I saw you two stealing looks… It was real sweet!"

I huffed, crossed my arms, and responded with faux exasperation, "Thank you, mother." That got a laugh out of her as my smile grew, in spite of the embarrassment. As I started to take out my card, I saw her shaking her head. I smiled in gratitude before slipping my card back in my wallet and going to take my seat at Cinder's booth. I would have argued with her about it, but I knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. It'd have been a bigger insult to refuse her generosity than it was to accept it.

I waited, looking over the messages from Cinder that we had shared today. It wasn't anything special, just a confirmation of our plan and a message from a few minutes ago that said she had left her apartment.

I had no idea where she lived, I was only able to get here so early because I left Beacon early. I was sure she wasn't too far from here, at least, I didn't think she would go out of her way to come here if she lived elsewhere.

Eventually I saw her walking past the small window that was situated a small ways above the table. It was just big enough to let sunlight in without allowing everyone to see everything that happened in the cafe, it was comforting.

She walked through the front door and was greeted by June in her usual lighthearted tone, like me she didn't really bother with formalities with regulars.

The first thing that I noticed was that Cinder was not wearing her usual outfit. Instead of the minidress getup, she was wearing something a lot less… formal? Did her usual outfit count as formal? I wasn't sure. She was wearing a crimson colored crop top that exposed her midriff, a brown jacket that I recognized as the one she wore to the tournament in the other timeline, and a pair of dark green slacks.

It looked good on her, even if it was shocking to see her in another outfit.

Now, I had expected her to take her usual seat, the left booth, at least left from where you would be looking at it. It was her usual spot, she had never once broken that routine.

Until then.

Instead of sitting there, she slipped into the spot next to me, a small blush on her face that I was sure she was fighting with all her might even as she smiled a small, almost imperceptible smile at me, "Dressing down a bit?" She asked in a teasing tone.

I regarded my outside by looking down and casually giving it a once over, "No vambraces and no coat? Does that count as dressing down?" Sure, it meant I didn't have anything that marked me as a huntsman other than arguably my amulet and my scarf, but those things could easily be passed as just accessories.

Maybe that was what she meant, I looked entirely civilian. So did she, though, and it occurred to me exactly what that meant. Both of us, independent of each other, removed anything that could be used as a weapon. No dust infused clothes, no Midnight, no Dawn, nothing.

Yes, I supposed that counted as dressing down. More than anything though, it was a sign of trust, and an unspoken wish, 'Let's pretend we're civilians, for one evening. Let's live a fantasy. Together.'

It… was a bittersweet feeling. I loved it as much as I hated it, because I knew that whatever came of tonight would be fleeting, gone all too soon. I pushed down the thought as I finally smiled, "...I guess it does, huh? Same to you. You… look good."

Her reaction to the compliment was a slight reddening of her face as she looked away and brushed some of her hair away from her face. She responded in a voice that sounded like she was straining to act like her normal self, "O-Of course I do…I…I made the outfit myself. That's why… y-you look good too."

Cinder's face burned as red as mine, before I could respond June brought us our drinks, and our donuts. I usually didn't indulge, but this was a special occasion. Thankfully, June didn't tease us. She just smiled and left us with our orders.

I took hold of my frappe and sipped it while Cinder did much the same. She seemed to be focusing intently on it, yet I noticed something as she did so. She had begun brushing her arm against mine and leaned a bit into me, as if she wanted something but she didn't have the heart to say it.

I felt like I knew what it was. I decided then and there that if Cinder really wanted the same thing I did, wished for the same thing I did, yearned for the same thing I did, then just for that one night… We'd just live.

I moved my left arm, the one closest to her, I was completely unfamiliar with doing anything like this and a part of me worried that she might light me on fire for this transgression. Yet, as I wrapped my arm around her waist, she didn't light me on fire. Instead, something in her seemed to crack, maybe the dam that was keeping her composure?

That theory was proven true when she leaned into me completely and I noticed just how well her form fit into mine. She relaxed, more than I'd ever seen her relax before, as she sipped on her drink contentedly, her face practically glowed red just like her eyes glowed amber, but it wasn't out of embarrassment.

No, she was content.

So was I. The butterflies in my stomach and the reddening of my face were proof enough of that. We sipped our drinks in silence for a time, before Cinder eventually asked, "Neve…" I looked at her, and she asked, "Does… whatever we're doing always feel this warm?"

I didn't even realize how ironic that sentence was coming from her until later. At the moment, I just thought about how her words were sweet and sour. Sweet because… well, it was obvious. Sour because it meant she had no idea what we were doing was called, she'd never done it before, "...Snuggling?" I broached, she nodded passively as she looked down at her drink "...I think it does, but… I've never done it before, so I couldn't tell you."

She seemed oddly comforted to know that, closing her eyes for a few seconds as she spoke in the gentlest tone I'd ever heard from her, "...I wish we could do this all the time."

Her words both made my heart flutter and sting, my stomach tied into knots and filled with butterflies, yet through it I smiled, "...I do too." It was the truth, were this not an ephemeral moment in the one place we had separated from reality for a night, it wouldn't happen.

She knew it, and I knew it. Yet she didn't know how deep it really went, and that made me feel guilty… very guilty.

What could I do, though? I couldn't tell her. No, the only thing I could do was enjoy this night with her. If only it could last an eon, rather than an instant. Cinder eventually set her drink down and picked up a donut, she stared at it for a moment before she held it up to me. My eyes widened while hers looked away from me, "...They do this in books. It's supposed to be nice. I…I want to try it."

My face burned brighter than it already was, nervously I leaned down and took a bite. Then I took one of my own donuts and offered it to her, she responded by taking a bite out of it. Once she swallowed, she smiled gently and concluded, "They were right. It's…lovely."

We continued feeding each other the donuts we held, it was only when we had one piece remaining that Cinder popped hers into her mouth, so I did the same. In some cultures this might have been considered something… intimate. Like Mistral.

Wait…

I swallowed a lump in my throat nervously. If she had asked me right then and there to give up everything and run away with her, I would have done it without question. I knew she wouldn't, she still had her loyalty to Salem, and I still had mine to… everyone other than Salem.

We remained silent for a time, enjoying more of our food, and more of each other's presence, until Cinder eventually asked, "Are you…Are you sure you want to be a huntsman?"

She knew the answer to that question before she even asked, and while I didn't want to be one at first, I did now. I'd have still given that up, caught up in the moment as I was, but there was a part of me that remembered I would probably get killed if I did. I responded somberly, "...Yes. Do you still want to work for your… boss?"

Without looking up or really moving at all, she simply hummed, "Mhm." Her voice cracked as she did, I'd never heard her this shaken up before. What had prompted all of this? She seemed content with things going the way they were going before…

I decided I'd broach a question, "Do you… want to go for a walk after this?" If I could make this last longer, I would. I had a sinking feeling in my chest about what would happen when we had to part ways.

Cinder nodded gently, "...Yes." She responded, doing her best to get her voice under control, "That would be nice."

At some point she got a text, she read it before she suddenly had to excuse herself, so she left to the bathroom. Strangely, for some reason she left her phone there.

It was unlocked, and I saw the text she had received. It was from a group chat.

Roman: "Dust Up looks lovely, don't you think?"

Neo: "Should we go?"

Roman: "Nah, we'll have the boys run some errands and bring back some gifts on Friday. That work for you, Cinder?"

…Huh.

I wasn't even trying to work tonight and yet apparently I had just been tipped off to their next robbery, day and everything.

This would be a good start to my efforts, but for now I did the polite thing and pressed the button that closed her phone. Criminal activity or not, I didn't like looking at her private messages like that.

I knew Cinder was never normally the type of person to just… forget her scroll like that. She must have been incredibly distracted by whatever she was thinking. So was I, to be fair. I'd have probably done the same thing.

Eventually she came back, noticing her scroll was on the table, she momentarily seemed to gain a look of panic, but she settled down when she realized it was closed. She looked between the scroll and I before she sat down next to me. I got an idea, and asked, "Can I take a picture before we go?"

She seemed confused at first, but she seemed to get an idea, "Okay, but you have to let me take the picture, I'll send them to you afterward."

It didn't really matter who took the photo, so I just nodded. She took up her scroll and activated the camera. She waited, before I realized what she wanted. I slipped my arm around her waist, and she reciprocated, which was honestly a shock. She took one photo, resting her head on my shoulder while she did so with that warm, sunny smile on her face.

I thought that one would be enough, but with the speed of a trained huntress, or Maiden in her case, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. My eyes widened in shock as she snapped the photo. Then she pulled away, that wonderful smile faded back to her normal expression, "...Now we'll have something to remember tonight by."

She sent me both pictures, but I didn't take out my phone right now, I didn't need to look, I was sure they were perfect.

We both got up and left after that. I wondered just what Cinder's affection score was right now… It would certainly be a way to quantify how she felt about me, but it also felt… wrong. Not in general, but, right there and then? I felt like it would ruin something…

So instead I opted to wait.

We meandered close to each other, Cinder looked like she wanted to say or do something, but whatever it was she didn't seem intent on actually saying or doing it. In public like this, I was a mixture of embarrassed about showing affection and worried that, if I did, that might be the exact time one of Cinder's colleagues would come around and spot us.

I didn't want her to have to deal with that, nor did I want to get put on the radar of Salem's faction, or on the radar of any of Torchwick's associates.

We wandered in comfortable silence, aimlessly walking along a familiar path. Neither of us planned to end up where we did, but after months of taking this same road, these same directions, I supposed neither of us were surprised to find that the cobblestone path of the city gave way to the dirt path of a nature trail.

Falling leaves were what made me notice, pulled out of my thoughts as the orangish-red colored leaves fell around us. Cinder figured it out at the same time, for eyes widened and she seemed shocked, she still smiled.

Yet the smile was not the bright and sunny one I'd seen more often today than I had any other day, instead it was bitter, tortured. She cast her gaze downward and turned from the path, towards the clearing we'd trained in before. I both knew exactly why she wanted to go there and knew nothing about what she was planning at the same time.

Ever the paradox, Cinder Fall.

When we made it to the clearing, she stopped in the middle, the same way she did every time we were going to start training. Yet she was not looking at me, she was turned away, her back to me as her gaze turned downward. I wondered what she was thinking, what she was feeling.

I only received the answer when I started to see her shake, tremble. I realized with worry that she was crying, and it plunged a knife into my heart because I had a feeling I knew exactly why she was crying, nothing but something seriously important could do this to her, ever immovable as she normally behaved. I wanted to speak, but she beat me to it, her voice trembling, "N-Neve… There's a reason… I wanted to take you out tonight… to go on a date tonight… Y-You know…" She took a deep breath, "W-We couldn't… I know… we couldn't, but… I don't think you know how serious it is…"

She spaced out her words, desperately holding onto what composure she had left, I felt my own tears welling up in my eyes. She continued, "M-My boss, she…. S-She has other plans for me…"

I wanted to speak, but quick as a flash she whirled around and wrapped her arms around me, her head against my chest, "I wanted… I wanted to see what it was like. I-I was… I am… selfish. I never…" My sweater was getting stained with tears, I could tell, "I never cared before t-today. She…She… wants me to go away, for… I don't know how long. I won't… We won't… I can't… She…" She couldn't even finish the sentence…

I knew I shouldn't have said anything, I knew I should have just taken it for what it was and left it there, because ultimately if we put an end to this, all of this, there would be no hard feelings when…

Yet, I didn't, I couldn't, because she deserved better. I was tired of pretending to be oblivious. I wrapped my arms around her, and muttered shakily, "She… You mean Salem." She looked up at me in shock, her eyes wide, and the tears didn't stop flowing, it broke my heart and all I wanted to do was wipe them away.

I moved one arm, as she went to speak I placed an index finger over her lips, "I knew… I always knew. Somewhere along the way, I stopped caring." I moved the index finger and instead wiped away some of her tears, "Listen… I'm not mad at you, I don't blame you, I… I could never blame you. You have your loyalty and I have mine… I think… I think we both knew that…" I swallowed a lump in my throat, "That…"

Why? Why was it so hard to say? I had thought it, imagined it, dreaded it and prepared for it, and yet now that I wanted to say it, I couldn't. I didn't want to admit it, because I didn't want it to be true. Tears streamed down my face as I gave up on admitting what we had both worried about, "J-Just know that… come what may, hell or highwater, fall or winter… I will never stop caring about you, Cinder Fall."

Her breath hitched, she looked desperately like she wanted to say something back. Instead, she pulled away and ran. Before I could say or do anything else, she was gone, vanished into the trees.

My arms felt empty, the warmth that was against my chest and leaked into my being was missing and growing cold.

I wiped the tears off my face, numbly I began to walk back towards the path. I needed to get back to Beacon… I needed to think.

It was kind of funny when I thought about it, Fall fleeing Forever Fall. Not as eternal as we would like.

Instead it was fleeting, so very fleeting…

Later, Cinder's apartment

She ran.

She ran and ran and ran. Straight to her apartment. It was no home, but it was something.

Cinder wondered why she had run, why she didn't say what she wanted to say, why she wasn't mad that he had apparently, somehow, known about Salem and didn't tell her. Why, apparently, her worries that he would hate her for learning that fact were unfounded, because he'd known all along and never tried to push her away. Instead, he let her in, just like she let him in.

She didn't want to do it. Things could have continued just as they were before without any trouble, but of course something had to go wrong. She didn't know how, but Salem learned of the time she was spending with Neve. If she found out who told her, she promised to make them regret ever being born. Then again, maybe nobody told her, maybe something she did or said made it obvious how she was spending her spare time. Salem was a very perceptive woman, perception born from thousands of years of life.

The message she received was loud and clear, whoever she was growing attached to either needed to get pulled into the fold and become one of her loyal lackeys, like Emerald, or she needed to drop them, because budding romance complicated the mission. Salem called it childish, maybe it was, but that didn't mean Cinder wanted to do what she did.

She walked to her bed and sat down against the wall. She had always been told that crying was for the weak.

If that's the case, then Cinder knew she was very, very weak.

Crying in the movies was always so beautiful, so refined, a single tear and unsullied makeup. Cinder found that crying was nothing like the movies, it was messy, very messy. Ruined makeup, red eyes, red face, she was glad there was no one around to see her like this. She was glad that he wasn't there to see her like this, even if she wanted nothing more than to lean against him and snuggle again.

She hadn't felt this weak, this raw, this exposed in a long, long time. She never allowed it, because if someone was able to do this to her, it meant that she would be vulnerable to betrayal and manipulation. Yet it seemed like Neve had slipped past all of her barriers and left her feeling this way.

Part of her hated it, the part of her educated by Salem, Fall, said she should be glad to be rid of him, to wash her hands of the whole situation and be done with him. After all, if he was her enemy, she was probably going to have to kill him at some point. Kill him, or capture him and keep him locked away so he couldn't do anything to ruin her plans.

Yet another part of her, the part of her that was basically raised by Rhodes and was named Ella, told her that she should take this as a sign. A sign that Salem didn't really care about her happiness, and that maybe, just maybe, she was on the wrong side. A sign that her priorities were all wrong, and that she had been ruled by anger, hate, and ambition for far too long.

She had no idea which side to believe, and she knew that she would need to think on this. She tried not to do much introspection, it usually led to her ruin, but she was already in ruin now. So maybe, just maybe, now was the time for her to turn inward.

Her tears started to run dry after a few minutes, eventually she took out her scroll. She looked at the pictures they had taken and remembered vividly how warm she had felt, it was everything she wanted, everything she could have ever dreamed of.

Cinder had never felt such warmth before, and maybe that's why she had never noticed how cold she felt without it, without him.

So cold, so very cold…

Beacon, Dorm Building Rooftop

I didn't want to go back to my dorm, not like this. The others would be worried about me, and what could I tell them? Oh, a girl I'm really into who works for an immortal witch was told she needed to stay away from me.

…I was sure I could tell them something else, lie about this like I lied about so much else, but I'd rather just avoid talking about it at all. I didn't need them to be preoccupied with something that was, for all intents and purposes, my fault.

I wanted to help her, I wanted to make her see the warmth and good that life could have. I wanted her to realize that she could get to where she wanted to be without taking from others, she didn't need the powers of the other maidens, she was enough as she was.

…If I had stuck to that, this wouldn't hurt so much. If I had just remained a friend, with no fantasies of romance and no dreams of something different, something better, for both of us, then I wouldn't have been hit so hard.

Yet those things were precisely what I did. I fantasized about a life where she was a Beacon student like me, where she hadn't fallen under Salem's grasp, where she and I could lean on each other for support and face every challenge the world had to offer with confidence.

A world where an unfettered romance could bloom, much like it would with Pyrrha and Jaune. A romance that came from being supportive and kind, from genuine affection and the safety we felt in each other's arms. Yet such a romance was never to be, such a rose would only ever bloom black. As long as she was working for Salem, we could never be anything more than enemies.

I was sitting in the same chair I had been in when she asked me on the not-date, it was dark now, the sun had set. My tears had already dried up, and now I was staring up at the shattered moon and wishing things were different.

Sometimes when I thought hard enough I could imagine that the moon was whole. I remembered that the moon back in my old world, my old home, was whole. Unshattered and beautiful, imagining that moon in place of this one made me dream another fantasy. Where Cinder was a girl from my world and we lived an entirely normal life in that place, where there was no Grimm, no Salem, nothing like that.

I was sure that world had its own problems, but I knew we'd have been able to make it. She could have met my parents, whose faces I still couldn't visualize, and we'd earn their blessing. We could weather any storm together, in that reality, what had been my reality.

In this reality though, things were a lot harder, a lot more severe. I wished I knew how to solve our problems, anyone's problems, but I didn't. Instead I was afraid, filled with fear over how uncertain things were now. When would I see her again, what would she think, what would I think? Would she still show up at the end of the semester, and would she still try to plant the virus in the CCTS tower?

Would I have to fight her?

That was what scared me the most. Not the idea that she might kill me, but the idea that we'd have to fight at all. If she didn't stray, if she didn't turn around, it was inevitable. I would confront her there, and if I failed and didn't subdue her, I would fight her again later, if she didn't kill me then and there. I would let Ozpin know and turn all of Beacon on her and her 'friends' before any more damage could be done.

I didn't want to do that though, I wanted her to see the error of her ways, I wanted her to be willing to turncoat, to repent for the crimes of her past and to fight for a brighter future for herself and for everyone.

Even if I did that, though, she would become a target for Salem. She would be hunted, she would need to fight for her life, and I would have to fight alongside her. I could do that, but would it be enough?

There was so much I was scared of, especially now. I felt alone, it wasn't uncommon for me to feel that way, given all of the circumstances, but it was especially noticeable now. I sighed shakily, and I realized that I might cry again, but I wasn't sure what else to do. My mind was spiraling, filled with worst case scenarios for every outcome.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and furrowed my brow as I wondered who would be up here this late. I turned around slightly to see… Violet's aura? They were shaped and looked just like her, except it was made out of a semi-translucent charcoal color. They smiled at me, it seemed to know I wasn't feeling good. I had no idea how it found me, but it gave me a hug, which shocked me.

I had no recourse but to return the hug, and that was when another voice called to me from near the roof entrance. It was Lunus, "I was wondering why Aura was acting so strangely. I guess I have my answer now."

Aura let go of me and stepped back a bit, a smile on… her? Face. I turned back in my chair slightly and saw Lunus walking over to me.

He was wearing his night clothes, checkered white and black pajama bottoms with a white T-shirt, he also had on his shoes. He was holding two sodas in his hand, one was my favorite, which was in a dark red can, the other was Lunus favorite, in a light blue can.

He held the red one out to me once he got close enough, "Something's bothering you. I'm… not super good with people, but I can see that." Once I took the drink, he walked over to the seat Cinder usually took and sat there, with Aura just staying next to me without taking a seat.

He cracked open his drink and explained, "I couldn't sleep. Violet and Jeanne are already knocked out, I was just gonna lay there, but then Aura started acting really weird. They…it…she separated from Violet and started poking me, I was just gonna ignore her until she started flailing her arms and pointing up. I know you come up here a lot at night, so I figured it must have been something to do with you."

So Aura could tell I was feeling down… I had no idea how that worked, but I was still kind of glad that it did. I opened my drink and took a sip, the soda definitely hit the spot after so much crying, "Ah… I appreciate it. Yeah, uhm…" My voice broke up, Aura leaned towards me slightly and then put an arm around my shoulders, smiling supportively. I smiled back before continuing, "I just… I've been having these doubts… It's gonna sound stupid, but it's at least in part a girl…"

Lunus nodded, listening along as I continued to explain, "Her…. mom, who is also her boss… She found out we were hanging out, and… well, she didn't want us to. Her mom told her to stop or face the consequences, so… she had to. We… we weren't a thing or anything, but… well, we wanted to be. I did, at least." I looked down and sipped my drink, "It's… ah… We went on a… not-date and it was… it was great. I was really really happy, and she was too, but then she told me she couldn't hang out with me anymore and now… well, she's gone."

I didn't know for sure if Salem had told her to stop hanging out with me, but based on the betting odds at this point I was going to assume she did. If she didn't, well, it wouldn't be the first assumption of mine to shatter like glass. I took a sip of my drink and finally said, "If it was just that I think I'd be fine, but… I'm worried about… a lot of personal stuff. I can't really talk about all of it, but Lunus…Aura…" I looked between the two of them, "I'm afraid. I'm really, seriously afraid. There's… so much that could go wrong." I looked down at my drink, I could feel fresh tears starting to well up as I admitted the truth, not just to them but to myself. Saying it out loud was different than thinking it.

Lunus stood up and moved his chair so it was facing me, then he sat down again, he awkwardly tried his hand at comforting me, "That's rough buddy…" Then he seemed to figure out something better to say, "Look, I don't know what you're afraid of, exactly, but… All of this has to be tough. If I were in your shoes… I don't think I'd be able to handle it."

Sometimes I doubted I was handling it at all. Still, he continued, "Life isn't easy, never has been, but we keep going all the same. You've got this girl, and your other problems. Do you like this girl, and does she like you?" I stared at my drink for a moment before I nodded. He smiled, "Well, that's already a good sign. If you two really care about each other, then nothing's gonna keep you apart. Ruby and I… we were told a few times to stop talking when we were younger, before Taiyang really came around to me. It never stopped us, though, she'd sneak over to my place, I'd sneak over to hers, we'd talk at school… It's not the same, I know, but… Point is, if you care about someone, you'll find a way."

His words were already starting to give me hope, maybe there was some way to bring her around still. If she did come to Beacon like she did in the original timeline, then I would see her then, I would get another chance. Lunus sipped his drink and he asked, "As for your other problems… Can you elaborate on them a bit?"

I'd certainly give it my best shot, I vocalized my earlier thoughts, "I'm… afraid that I'll mess things up. That I'll fail with her, I'll fail being a huntsman, and that I won't do what I want to do with my life. I'm afraid that if I win, things will happen that make everything worse for everyone else, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you guys, or anyone that I care about, when you really need me. I just… I'm afraid that I'm not enough. I'm just… just the coffee boy. I should still be working at a coffee shop, not… being here."

Lunus shook his head, "You're a decent student, a good fighter, and a great friend, you absolutely belong here! What's your dream?" Aura took this opportunity to grab my chair and move it, with me still in it, she lifted it slightly, moved me and the chair so I was facing Lunus, and then set me down again. Then they smiled at me and continued to listen.

I hadn't always wanted to do it, I always thought it was a childish dream, something that only people with bright eyed idealism would ever try to do. Yet, here I was, against my will or not. I took a sip of my drink before I responded, "It's stupid, but… I want to be a hero. To the people I love, to Vale, to all of Remnant… I want to be someone that inspires people, that makes them… That makes them feel like they can make it too, you know? After all… If a barista can go on to be a hero, then anyone can do anything, right?" With or without the powers I was gifted.

I had no reason to, but I expected Lunus to scoff at the idea, to dismiss it and say it was stupid. Instead, his smile brightened and he reached over with one hand and patted my arm, "That's not stupid at all. A lot of people wish they could be a hero when they're kids, but then they give up on it for more realistic dreams. The fact that you're right here, right now, fully aware of how difficult that path is and telling me that you still want to be a hero… Well, I think that's a good start already."

I felt a smile starting to find its way onto my face. Even if my eyes were tired from crying, and from everything today. Even if I was still afraid and still worried that maybe I wasn't enough, I smiled. I met his gaze, and he met mine. He grinned at me and continued, "And…look, we're a team. You, me, Violet, Jeanne, and even Aura. We're all here to support you. I know that it can get tiresome just… being around the girls sometimes, but hey, I'm here too, you know? If you've got something you don't want to tell them, you can always tell me. I know you'd do the same for me, for any of us. Hell… every time one of us is down, worried we're not learning enough, that we're stupid or not good fighters, who's the first person that cheers us up?"

I already knew the answer, but he said it anyway, "It's you! You're always there with a smile and some words of encouragement, from the first day we met, you were encouraging me to try to be more social, you were telling Jeanne she wasn't useless, and you became Violet's first friend! You might not see it, but that means something. To all of us. So if you want to try to be a hero, I'll be with you every step of the way. We all will be."

My smile grew further, "You're… You're right. I'm still here, and I've got you guys! I can't give up, not on Cinder, not on being a huntsman, not on any of this! Especially not on my dream. You guys will be with me through it all, right?" My spirits were raised in a way that I was sure they'd never been raised before. I'd never really paid much attention to just how much my team meant to me, nor did I ever really realize how much I meant to them…

Lunus nodded and reassured me, "To the moon and back." Then he raised his drink for a toast, "To Team CALM!"

I grinned and raised mine for the other half of the toast, "To Team CALM!"

That was when Aura turned their right hand into a mock soda can and joined the toast with a grin on their face. The absurdity of it made Lunus laugh, which in turn made me laugh. I was sure if Aura could laugh they would be doing it too, they seemed happy enough.

We stayed up there while we finished our drinks and then once we were done all three of us headed back downstairs, Aura returned to Violet while Lunus got into bed. I got into my bed after I changed into my night clothes.

Before I went to bed, I checked my relationship with Cinder out of morbid curiosity.

Cinder Fall

90/100 - Good Friend (Tier 1)

110/100 - Infatuated (Tier 1)

I was surprised the number could go past one-hundred, but I guess it made sense in some way. It was reassuring that she felt this way, maybe she and I would be able to cross the gap, sooner rather than later…

With my spirits lifted and my resolve strengthened, I started to plan on how to stop a dust heist.

After that I threw myself into everything with more determination than I ever had before. Things were difficult and I missed Cinder, but anytime I did I just looked at the pictures she'd sent me. She hadn't texted me anything else after that, and while I wished she would, I understood that it probably wasn't safe. I just saved the pictures to my phone, in case she had to delete them from her messages for some reason. Although it didn't seem like she would.

I knew there would still be times where I faltered, but the pendant around my neck reminded me not just of the duty and responsibility I'd been given, but of the aspirations I had set for myself, the dream I told Lunus. It might have not always been my dream, but if I was going to have to do it anyway, why not do it with everything I had?

The fact that the dust robbery was on Friday was an inconvenience. Yet, I still fully intended to stop it. I was sure the professors would all understand.

I even received a substory that night!

Anti-Crime Crusader!

Armed with a location and a lead, you're prepared to go hunting criminals. In this city there is a cancer, the cancer of crime! A cancer that must be cut before it can infect more people! Or something like that. It all starts in one store, in one part of the city, save them from crime and be rewarded!

Rewards

200 Lien, New System: Notoriety, Relationship increase with several people, Relationship decrease with several people.

Penalties for Failure

Not stopping crime, not being cool, getting laughed at for trying to do a police officer's job, pain courtesy of the criminals.

I wondered why it was only a substory and not a main quest… maybe it was because succeeding at this one thing wouldn't have a major impact on the world at large, or my overall 'primary quest' of stopping Salem? Maybe. Still, it would help!

That Friday morning, instead of getting dressed in my school garb, I got dressed in my huntsman gear. Once again I was the first one awake, and once again Jeanne was the second person to wake up. She did so of her own accord this time, and after she yawned, she looked at me and blinked a few times, "...Why are you getting dressed in your huntsman clothes?"

I looked at her and started to smile. I raised a finger up to my lips in a 'shush' gesture and grinned a playful grin, "Sshhh. This is all just a dream… You're still sleeping!"

Jeanne blinked dumbly a few times, "Oh… I am? Okay…" She laid back down and closed her eyes. My ploy worked!

…That was until precisely five seconds later when Aura tapped my shoulder, I whirled around and saw her beaming at me. She waved playfully, and I whispered, "Aura! I'm going to do… stuff! Just… Keep a secret for me?"

The playful glint in her eye told me she was not going to do that. She vanished and reappeared next to Jeanne before pushing her out of bed, causing the girl to yelp and then jump up, looking around in a karate stance, which made her look hilarious in her pajama bottoms and tank-top with a cute bunny logo on it, "W-WHO? WHAT? HUH?!" Then she spotted me and pointed, "Wait! You're not Dream Neve! You really are going to do something! So what are you going to do?!"

The others woke up from the sudden loud noises courtesy of Jeanne, with Lunus sitting up and scratching his head, "Jeanne… what's with the noise?"

Violet blinked herself awake and stretched as she did so. Once she sat up, she looked at Aura, "Aura! What are you doing?" The menace that was Aura retreated back into her and she furrowed her brow, confused. Then she saw me, "Hey! What's with the huntsman gear?!"

I was now trapped, damn you Aura! If I knew how to get back at her, I would! But she's an ephemeral being, so I probably couldn't! I crossed my arms and looked away from the three of them, "Look, I'm gonna have to miss class today, I just… I need to do stuff!" Normally I was much better at lying, almost a pro at it, but I already was sort of okay with taking them with me, and besides, they were all looking at me, and I knew no excuse I came up with would be enough.

Lunus tilted his head as he moved to sit on the edge of his bed, "Stuff? What stuff?"

Violet gasped, thoroughly taken aback by this information and speaking in an over dramatic voice, "And you're not inviting US?! I'm thoroughly scandalized!"

Jeanne, too, placed her hands on her hips and pitched her body forward towards me ever so slightly, "Yeah! What stuff? Is it fun stuff?" She gasped as she gained a look of betrayal on her face, "I wanna do fun stuff! Take me with you!"

I could see I wasn't getting out of this, I sighed, "I… found out that someone's gonna try to rob a dust store today. I wanted to wait there and see if I couldn't beat them and take them into custody! Maybe they'd know something about other robberies that are being planned, you know?"

I looked between the three of them. Lunus had an intrigued expression, while Jeanne and Violet looked like they were extremely excited. Seeing those two look like that told me there was no way they weren't going to be coming with me.

Jeanne confirmed this by declaring, "You're taking us with you! We're gonna be a team of crime stoppers! All the criminals in Vale will know to be afraid of our collective power!" She walked towards her closet to fish out her outfit and her armor.

Well… at least I wouldn't be bored out of my mind while I was there.

I agreed to take the others with me and before long they had all changed into their huntsman/huntress outfits (once again Jeanne changed in the closet, I was beginning to get suspicious and worried but I decided to wait to ask her about it) and armed themselves with their weapons. Once everyone was ready, I led them to the store that was the target of the robbery.

Once we got there, we started to wait, passing the time by talking, browsing the shelves, buying dust, and other things like playing on our scrolls.

The shop owner didn't care that we were loitering in his store since we had all bought stuff from him. Violet didn't have any money on her, so I bought her what she wanted, including the latest Shonen Jump. After all, it was because of me that they were there in the first place, it was only right.

We waited… and waited… and waited.

Classes were over and done with and I was sure there was going to be some explaining we'd have to do once we got back, but the day wasn't out yet!

The sun had started to set, Jeanne was getting antsy, but still we held out.

Finally our patience was rewarded when a large group of seedy looking people arrived at the front of the store. There had to be at least twenty of them! I found myself grateful that the others had insisted on coming. They looked like a mixture of white fang terrorists, masks, body armor, and all, and those mafia looking goons that Roman had hired to rob Dust till Dawn. He must have really wanted to make sure this one went right…

Only one of them entered, one of the goons with the mafia look. He declared, "Alright! Now, this is a robbery! I got my boys out there, and they're gonna start comin' in and taking dust, capisce? This doesn't have to get violent!"

The four of us were all standing together just looking at our scrolls when this happened. We all looked up from our respective scrolls and shared a look before looking back at the robber. Jeanne asked the obvious question with an intentionally dumb look on her face, "Wait… You're robbing us?"

The mafia guy growled and looked at us, "Duh! I just said that!"

Violet grinned a wicked and wild grin, "Oooh."

Lunus smirked, "Big mistake."

Aura separated from Violet and manifested in front of the mafia guy, he had no time to react before getting punched so hard he was sent flying through the storefront window, unfortunately missing the crowd of would-be robbers, who all either recoiled in shock or drew their weapons, some of them must have been inexperienced.

I pointed forward, "They seem a bit excited! Let's CALM them down!"

…Don't look at me, it was Violet's idea.

We all drew our weapons, with Lunus being the first to charge forward. He spun up his buzzsaw and leaped out of the window, swinging his oversized carpentry equipment in a semi-circle in front of him, cutting into a couple of the mobsters and getting them sent flying backward from the force of the attack while the rest of the bandits fanned out.

I rushed to join Lunus, leaping out of the already-broken window and looking at the assorted bandits, "There's a lot of them. Person who takes out the least has to buy everyone dinner!"

Violet and Jeanne joined us outside by jumping out the same window I did. Violet held Suncutter in her hands as she declared, "Not gonna be me, I can't even afford a magazine right now!"

Similarly, Jeanne brandished Alba Mors, "Better get ready to pay up, Neve! I'd love some free takeout!"

Thus we launched into the fight, each splitting up to take on as many as we could. To us, it was more a game than anything, given that these guys were mostly untrained.

The biggest threat were the small number of White Fang terrorists that were interspersed within the mobsters, they actually had some form of combat training.

I watched as Jeanne took a broad swing with her claymore and sent three of the mobsters who had charged at her onto the ground, "Begone, evildoers! Surrender and you won't be harmed!"

Well, she was taking this whole 'stopping crime' thing seriously.

Violet was dealing with her own group, also around five, they seemed to be trying to overwhelm us with numbers, but it wasn't going to work! The five mobsters charged at her simultaneously, only to be stopped as Aura formed in front of her and transformed into a wall that they crashed into. While they staggered back, Aura returned to Violet, who had taken that time to turn Suncutter into its two separate forms, chakram and rifle. The chakram flew forward and sliced into three of them, while she shot a dust round at the last two, the whole group was down and out before they could react!

As I scanned the area I saw that the ten of them that were mobsters were down and out, the last ten were White Fang members!

They all seemed to want to stay relatively close to each other, even as they moved to attack the four of us, no doubt afraid of trying to take us on one on one! I'd have used Dawn's bow form for this but I didn't want to leave any craters in the ground, besides, this was relatively close quarters!

Instead I brandished my blades and channeled some ice dust into them, I couldn't create a wave of it because that would get onto the road and probably get innocents hurt, so instead I raced forward and slashed horizontally with both parts of Dawn to send out a chilling mist in front of me!

The mist did its job and began to encase the thieves in ice, but they weren't down yet! I was preparing to go in and finish them off when suddenly Lunus raced towards them from the side and shot several flechettes out from Selene, as the mist began to dissipate they were greeted with several projectiles that were equally coated in ice!

Three of them fell while the others either blocked with their swords or managed to avoid them by breaking out of the ice that encased their legs and arms.

I finally reached the terrorists and stabbed my blades out, connecting with two of them and sending them down, it was a good thing that they had their auras unlocked, otherwise I had a feeling I'd have just killed two people.

Two of them managed to break out of their ice casting, both wielding swords. They raced towards me, the one on the right brought their blade down while the other slashed upward. I managed to block both, and soon they began to try to strike at me several times.

The clashing of metal rang out as I started to walk backward while trying to focus on blocking them. I had to admit, they were fairly skilled, but not on the level of a Beacon student, thankfully! I had to look for an opportunity to break through this and put an end to them…

The opportunity came when they both brought their swords up and slashed downward. I was able to block both with one sword and then slashed horizontally across their chests as quickly and harshly as I could. One fell right then and there, afterward I kicked outward and connected with the remaining one's chest, sending him sprawling on the ground, he looked thoroughly unwilling to get back up.

The remaining three were standing some ways behind the ones I had just brought down, I was prepared to leap forward and take them out when suddenly a charcoal colored blur shot past me! Aura formed in front of me and grabbed one of them before tossing them into the others with such force that it brought them all down!

I came to a stop as I saw that the remaining criminals were defeated. I couldn't help but feel that this was a bit anticlimactic, but they were just flunkies… I doubted the Fang and Torchwick were going to send their best men out to rob a dust shop.

As I slipped Dawn into their sheaths again, I heard Jeanne laugh, "Hah! Looks like you only got four of them Neve! I think that means you owe us some takeout, huh?"

…Shit.

Well, it was my own idea…

I sighed and deflated, "Alright. Let's round these guys up for the cops and check if we can't find anything about who they're working for."

That was when I got a notification that the quest was complete, along with getting a new quest in the same substory and a new system.

Anti-Crime Crusader!

After beating down some bandits, you've managed to stop at least one crime. The question is, will you be able to stop the future crimes planned by your enemies?

Rewards

200 Lien, New System: Notoriety, Relationship increase with team CALM, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and several civilians. Relationship decrease with Cinder Fall, Roman Torchwick, and Neopolitan.

Notoriety!

Notoriety is a measure of how groups of people view you. Be they as small as a book club or as large as a city, you can gain notoriety and reputation with just about every group on Remnant, if you work hard enough at it! Will you be loved, hated, or somewhere in between? Notoriety can and will reset to 0 over time, unless you do something big enough to leave a permanent impact on the people of a group.

Current Notoriety

People of Vale - 5/100 (Five Minutes of Fame)

Students of Beacon - 2/100 (Passing mention)

Staff of Beacon - 0/100 (Just another student)

Criminal Underworld - -5/100 (Vigilante nuisance)

New Substory Quest!

Neighborhood Huntsmen!

You and your team have successfully stopped one crime, but there are many more to come! Will you be able to leave an impact large enough to affect the events to come, or will your efforts ultimately be pointless? Only time will tell!

Rewards

200 Lien, Relationship increase with several people, relationship decrease with several people, increase in Notoriety with the people of Vale, the students of Beacon, and the staff of Beacon.

Well, that was a lot to take in all at once.

Oh well, I could think about all of that later. For now, I just focused on helping the rest of my team drag the unconscious criminals together for when the cops arrived.

Cinder's Apartment, a few hours later

Cinder had just finished planning and working with Roman and Neopolitan for the day when she arrived home, changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, then laid in bed to browse on her scroll. She may have had an image up outside of her apartment, but she had no such thing to worry about when she was alone!

As she got comfortable and prepared to spend the night doing nothing, she got a newsalert that caused her to raise an eyebrow, 'Beacon Students Stop Attempted Robbery of Dust Store!'

Cinder already didn't like the sound of that. There was only one high-profile robbery she was aware of that was supposed to happen today, and her worry was confirmed when she saw the rest of the article.

It talked about how a group of mobsters and terrorists had worked together to try to take the store 'Dust Up' for everything it was worth, and how only the heroic actions of the team of students that happened to be there at the time had stopped it from actually happening.

She gritted her teeth, already cursing whoever these students were. She scrolled down a bit more and her eyes widened as she saw a picture of Team CALM, with Neve front and center! She sighed and closed her eyes, "Damn it, Neve…"

Did he know? How could he have known? It wasn't like-

Cinder facepalmed herself as she remembered those few minutes she left her phone on the table during their not-date, the text that she had been sent was what else but the suggestion to rob that very store. So he had seen it! She wasn't sure if she should have been infuriated or impressed.

She groaned and was about to swipe off the article before she hesitated. Then, she saved the picture of Team CALM the news outlet had taken and started to crop it to just be Neve, "Why'd I have to fall for a wannabe hero like him… stupid cute Coffeeboy…"

She'd need to talk to Roman and go back to the drawing board for the rest of the robberies they had planned for the next month…

The game was afoot, and if Neve knew about Salem, there was no telling what else he knew about her plans, and the plans the others had. She still wasn't going to tell the others that she knew Neve, nor was she going to tell Emerald and Mercury that he knew about Salem, that would make him a target, because even Torchwick and Neopolitan didn't know about her.

However, she was going to try to stop him from doing something stupid that got him killed. If that just so happened to mean stopping him from playing hero and keeping him away from Torchwick and the others, then so be it.

Salem's orders be damned.