"Reports are pouring in of an explosion at one of the Dust mines near the border of the wildlands and the capital, prompting officials to wonder if this was a premeditated act, or if it was just a freak accident that happened by chance," the news blared on the television in the pub as Qrow sat staring at it, taking a long swig of his whiskey before placing it back down on the wooden countertop, the ice clinked around inside and the bartender looked at the glass before glancing back up at him. "Considering how late in the evening this occurred, well after the working hours, it's hard to believe that the explosion wasn't caused on purpose, though the authorities aren't willing to jump quickly to conclusions."

"Hey, Rusty," Qrow shouted at the bartender who shook his head and took the glass.

"Are you wanting another one, Mr. Branwen?" Rusty asked as he rinsed it out.

"No, actually I have to get going, but I was wondering if you could help me with something," Qrow inquired. "Where is the closest Dust mine?"

"Just northeast of here. You think that someone bombed the first one on purpose?" Rusty asked as Qrow stood, groaning as he stretched everything out.

"Trust me, they don't have large scale accidents like that," Qrow replied. "Especially when nobody's there." Qrow threw the lien on the counter and made his way to the door, opening it and shivering as the chilling air blasted in, snow falling sideways past the exit. Everywhere else was enjoying spring, but Atlas was so far north that Winter wouldn't begin thawing out for a few more days, so it was understandable why someone would attack now and in the middle of the night. He closed the door behind him, taking his bird form and flying for the mines as swiftly as he could and well before reaching them he spotted a woman that appeared to be riding on a mechanical ursa. He kept his distance for the moment, coming in closer as she dismounted and took a device from her pouch as she approached the entrance. He recognized this girl from the fundraiser ball and decided to feel her out before addressing her.

Mattachanna blasted the gate open, her staff attracting the majority of Qrow attention at this point and he became human once again as he snuck in after her, making sure that her mech didn't notice him. She made her way quietly and flawlessly through the dark, her Faunus eyes were much better at seeing down here than his and she had no problems navigating the long, winding paths that followed along the cavern walls. She reached the storeroom which sat just beneath the office, placing the charges and preparing to thread the fuse when the lights all powered on and she leapt up. She stumbled back, glancing around until she spotted Qrow who stood in the office, staring at her through the window.

"Kid, let's not do this," Qrow said over the PA. "Are you here with the White Fang?"

"So what if I am?" She asked.

"Listen, I don't know what Athena told you, but what you're doing right here is a step in the wrong direction. Fear doesn't make the humans acknowledge you as stronger, it only makes them want to put you all on a shorter leash, so to speak," Qrow told her. His eyes were sympathetic, but Athena had warned her that the humans would say whatever they needed to so that they'd get their way.

"Athena says that they'll notice us. They're in desperate need of Dust, if I destroy these mines it sends a message and it gets them out of my home on Menagerie," Matta argued. Qrow chuckled and shook his head.

"You're right, we do need Dust," Qrow replied. "If we can't get it here, what do you think we'll do instead?" She bit her lip and looked up at him with rage-filled eyes. "Is this really what you want to be doing? The island will become their number one priority."

"No, they'll leave or…" She was cut off.

"You'll kill them?" Qrow asked. She turned away and began laying the fuse again. "You can live having their blood on your hands?"

"If that's what it takes to keep my people safe, then yes," she muttered.

"Atlas does not want to harm your people," Qrow groaned.

"Athena says that they'll enslave us," Matta shouted laying the fuse faster and trying to ignore him. "They'll kill us."

"I don't think you believe that," Qrow said. She glanced up to find him standing above her.

"Bjorn!" She yelled. Qrow looked her over for a moment before rolling out of the way at the last moment, sliding across the ground before leaping to his feet with the assistance of his scythe. The mechanical ursa roared at him, gears spinning violently as it charged him and he leapt over it, his scythe sliding across the top instead of cutting through it, and he landed beside Matta as he transformed his sword. Their weapons met, throwing her away from him and she crashed into a cart full of Dust, toppling it over as Bjorn managed to swat Qrow back towards the entrance. He rolled over several times before coming to a stop and groaning.

"The one week that I tell Ruby she can have off," Qrow grumbled. Mattachanna raced out of the mine with alarming speed as he found his feet, grabbing him by the neck and sprinting for some distance before he could swing out Harbinger and stop her. The scythe stopped them dead in their tracks, and Qrow noted the armor that she now wore that hadn't been present before. He chuckled as he struggled to breathe, her body stumbling forward as he became a bird and quickly maneuvering behind her. "Quite the strength you've got there wearing that."

"It's a little something that I whipped together on Menagerie," she replied.

"And the staff?" Qrow asked. His sword clashed against it again, both of them making broad, wide swings at each other and equaling the strength of their opponent.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone in the middle of a fight," Matta exclaimed. He fired at her and the shots ricochet off of her armor, though still pushing her back. He rushed in, his scythe just missing her and she fired her staff at him, lifting him off of his feet and blasting him more than fifty yards away. Qrow crash-landed into the snow, the powder bursting into a cloud around him. His body was in shock for a minute, his brain grinding through the haze back up to speed. He hadn't seen a weapon with that kind of power in a long time. She was from Menagerie, wasn't she?

"The stone of death…" Qrow grunted. He stood, Mattachanna was already feet away and he ducked under her attack, hooking her with his scythe. He ran with her, dragging her through the snow before whipping her around, greeting her with his blade to her stomach as she reoriented herself. She left the ground and he slammed her onto her chest, holding his foot on top of her. "I think if you hand that staff over to me we can just talk out the rest of this and everybody can get what they want."

"Not a chance," she replied. Her armor leapt off of her, forming back into an ursa and rushing at Qrow again. Qrow blocked with his sword, taking two shots at it after leaping back, making it angry, but doing little to damage it. Bjorn tried again, this time overpowering Qrow and launching him towards Mattachanna who blasted him in the stomach with the staff. Qrow soared through the air once again, pinballed between the Faunus and her machine, hoping it would end before he broke. By a stroke of bad luck, at least in the case of the SDC, the bomb exploded, sending the mine up in flames and the blast threw him off course.

"I'm getting too old for this," Qrow gasped. He established a footing once more, cracking his back and rushing towards Matta. He couldn't let her leave, at least for the sake of Ruby getting the stone of death. He scanned the wreckage and flames, noting her silhouette on the back of her mech as she rode away, Qrow giving chase as a bird and landing on the back before transforming into a human and throwing her into the snow. He leapt off the back, lifting her up and whipping her around so that she was in between him and the ursa. "Just hand it over. I can't let you run around with something as dangerous as this."

"You don't really think you can stop me, do you?" Mattachanna asked. The mech became armor once again and she threw him away, blasting him for extra measure but he blocked it with his sword. He reached into his coat, calling someone on his scroll while approaching her slowly.

"I get it," Qrow shouted. "I was part of a tribe once and we were always running scared for our lives. However, I have the power to pull the strings this time. If you want to talk to the Schnees, I can make it happen, there's no need for all of this. How many more of these are you going to blow up? Athena is trying to start a war, I don't care what she's told you, you know that much to be true."

"Maybe that's what you humans need," Matta told him. "A war to remind you just how powerful the Faunus are."

"Why have I suddenly become the family's speed dial support huntress?" Raven asked as she stepped out of a portal beside Qrow and glanced at him. "You can't handle a teenage Faunus by yourself? Is this some kind of prank or something, because if it is, it isn't funny."

"Did you have something better going on?" Qrow asked as he prepared to fight. Mattachanna watched them.

"I was helping Tai with dinner, you're just lucky that he was the one who saw your message and not me, I would have ignored it," Raven explained.

"Wait, say that all again," Qrow requested with a smirk. "I think you're going soft on me."

"Careful Qrow, I might help the girl instead," Raven said.

"Have you heard of the stone of death?" Qrow asked relaxing for a moment.

"I'm one of the most powerful 'criminals' in Remnant and I used to be a maiden. You're wondering if I know about Ozpin's relics? What were you doing those couple of years we spent at the school that we were supposed to be spying on him," Raven chuckled.

"Spying for him. You always seemed to get that confused," Qrow smirked.

"Are the two of you finished?" Mattachana called out at them.

"Now she's impatient," Qrow laughed cracking his neck. "Are you proud of yourself?" Raven concealed a smile. It was hard to convince herself that she didn't miss this, she and Qrow hadn't fought on the same side since 'that day'. She selected gravity Dust and prepared to run at his side. "She'll have to be perfect to keep both of us off of her. You ready?"

"You're the one stalling now, Qrow," she scolded him playfully. They rushed in at the same time, Raven arriving first and clashing her blade against Matta's weapon. Qrow's sword crashed into her stomach but she maintained her ground until Raven swung back around, activating the Dust and rocketing the girl back at Qrow. He caught a plate of her armor with his scythe, bringing her around over his head and slamming her into the ground. She cried out in pain, clinging to her staff which shot out beams of light energy, slamming into Raven who was rushing in.

Raven landed on her back as well, lying there for a moment as she felt her body over for any permanent damage, noting the pain in her chest. The stones were more powerful than she thought and it seemed as though the girl's unchecked emotions were fueling it. Raven ran out with speed that was unfollowable, tackling Qrow's as he was nearly hit by a follow-up blast. Qrow looked at her wide-eyed as she stood and charged the girl. Matta tried for another power attack which Raven deflected with her sword, her feet slipping back slowly as she was pushed through the snow.

"Qrow!" Raven shouted. Qrow rushed past her, firing at the Faunus who'd changed targets, throwing her off balance and causing her to miss. The Branwens attacked together, her staff catching both blades as they shoved her back. Bjorn leapt off of her body, gripping Qrow by the arm and damaging his Aura as it dragged him away and continued running with no signs of stopping.

"Get the stone!" Qrow shouted out. Raven glared into Matta's eyes, seeing her own reflection, only the Faunus was her, terrified and fearing for her life in a fight that seemed unwinnable. Raven played the part of her own father, a force that would surely kill her if she gave up.

"Why?" Raven asked struggling. Raven knew the fear the girl was feeling. It was the same fear that prompted her to run every time she was faced with an opponent she couldn't defeat. "Why do you fight if you're so scared?"

"If I run away," Matta exclaimed struggling on the verge of tears. "The people that I love might get hurt!" The stone absorbed her hate and pain, redistributing it at Raven who was hit in the leg and her aura was shattered. She fell into the snow, gripping the burn and looking up for the Faunus, but she was gone. Raven grabbed up her sword, sheathing it before opening a portal to find Qrow had been left in a snowdrift.

"You alright?" Raven asked helping him sit. Qrow gripped his coat, searching for something before spotting it in the snow and picking it up. He unscrewed the lid and took a swig from his flask.

"Look at you caring," Qrow teased. She shoved him into the snow as he laughed. "You act like that's a bad thing."

"Goodbye, Qrow!" She shouted at him.

"She'd be happy to see you like this again you know!" Qrow called after her. Raven stopped before opening her portal.

"Let Ruby know that the Fang have the stone," Raven replied, leaving him behind.

Mattachanna has the stone... Next Week, Chapter 96 - Panty Raid?

A big thank you to Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.

Until next week, stay classy!