Pyrrha limped out of the throne room as pure aura continued to radiate off her body. Salem remained relievingly silent as she began to navigated the many halls of the building. Panicked and shell-shocked as she was, Pyrrha failed to notice her mind filling in the blanks of her escape. The knowledge was simply there. She hit a crossroads and turned without thinking- impossible muscle memory guiding her through a maze in which she had never set foot.

A moment later she rounded a corner and almost stumbled headfirst into Emerald Sustrai. The thief took in the Beowulf limbs and the wild look in Pyrrha's eyes and decided it was better to ask questions later. Years on the street had given her the ability to read people in an instant, but the way the redhead carried herself was unsettling. She jumped away from Emerald when she saw her, but there was no defensive stance or raised fists- it was almost like she holding herself back, as if Emerald was the one who needed protecting.

They stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Pyrrha looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and Emerald was trying very hard not to spook that deer into running in the opposite direction.

Eventually, she realized one of them would have to do something. Throwing caution to the wind, Emerald reached out and grabbed Pyrrha by the arm. The redhead's skin felt like live electricity, regardless, she dragged the poor woman behind her as she ran.

The pair found themselves in front of a large iron door. Emerald rattled it once before declaring it locked. Pyrrha very quietly asked the thief to step back. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy, it sounded painful to speak. When she was far enough away the door dissolved into a bubbling liquid. Don't ask questions. Freezing air flooded the hall as the elements found their way through the empty doorframe.

Snow fell like a thick blanket over the landscape and Emerald briefly considered staying, if only to avoid the cold. Her aura prevented the snow from clinging to her body, but did little to prevent the chill that already seeped into her bones. She hated it.

Pyrrha could barely feel the snow beneath her feet. The cold was there but it was dull, muted. The thin shirt and trousers she'd been given did nothing to keep out the elements, yet she felt fine. Briefly she considered hypothermia, but no, she hadn't been outside long enough for that.

They trudged through the silent landscape for several hours. Every few minutes Emerald would check her scroll, but aside from that there was nothing to do but walk. Faint mist curled in front of their faces and every breath tasted like ice.

Eventually, an old platform could be made out in the distance. A small building sat beside it, and railroad tracks appeared out of the snow as they continued forward.

To the pair's relief, the platform was empty and the inside of the building was a single damp room. A couple of vending machines and a musty sofa sat in the corner, but it was evident nobody had used this station in a long while.

Emerald fiddled with the ticket machine until Lien spilled out of the change compartment. She grinned and counted out the coins before slipping them into her pocket.

"You shouldn't do that."

"Do what?"

"Steal."

The thief looked up and scowled. "I suppose you'd rather starve?"

Pyrrha bit her lip and lapsed back into silence.

A layer of dust shifted onto the redhead's clothes when she sat on the ancient sofa, but she didn't care. She was exhausted. She fell asleep to the clinking of Emerald dropping stolen Lien into one of the vending machines.

Hazel Rainart watched the two figures run out into the snow. He frowned, but did nothing to stop them from leaving. The man felt a twinge of pity for the Queen's new host, whatever power had halted her takeover wasn't likely to hold for long.

Sighing, he adjusted his jacket and began to walk in the opposite direction. The thread of his semblance remained tied to Salem, fate would guide him to her side when he was needed.

Pyrrha was rudely shaken awake several hours later. The screeching of wheels almost entirely drowned out Emerald yelling "Train!" repeatedly into her ear. Almost.

She jumped up and hurried out of the tiny building and through the sliding doors just as they were about to close.

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, and froze. An old woman holding a half-knitted scarf met her gaze. She waited for shouts of recognition and horror, but none came. The woman just gave a small wave and returned to her knitting. Pyrrha turned to Emerald in confusion but the thief just winked and gestured towards an empty carriage.

Once they were seated they sat in silence for a few seconds before Pyrrha opened her mouth.

"Illusion semblance," Emerald said before she could get anything out. "That's what you were going to ask about right? Why the old woman didn't go screaming down the carriage? I took the time to alter your appearance a little bit while we were at the station."

"Oh," She hugged herself. "Thank you, I'm not sure what I would've done otherwise."

"Killed her, probably."

Pyrrha let out a small, horrified noise.

"Oh don't look at me like that, I doubt you'd hurt a fly even if it murdered your whole goddam family." She scowled.

Neither of them said anything after that. For several miles there was no sound except for the rumbling of the train. Then- "Why did you help me?"

"Oum Nikos! Did you really think-?" Emerald paused and looked at Pyrrha, really looked at her. She had the look of someone who'd had their world shattered multiple times in quick succession. She looked broken. Emerald realized that yes, she had thought that. The thief's voice became softer and she gently reached out a hand. "I'm a criminal, not a monster. Whatever they did to you, whatever they were going to do next, it's bullshit and I didn't sign up for that. You understand?"

She nodded.

"You got anyone to go to? Your team, JNPR wasn't it? Do you know where they are?"

"No idea," Pyrrha slumped. "They think I'm dead."

"Parents?"

"I cut contact with my family two years ago." She stared out the window. "Once I became their primary source of income they got.. greedy."

"Great." Emerald leaned back and rubbed her eyes. "Any friends?"

"I.. I had a partner, before Beacon. She should still be at Haven." Pyrrha swallowed, "Sorry.. sorry, this is a lot."

Emerald decided to ignore the muttered apologies. "Good. This train will pass through Mistral in seven, you can get off there and find her. I'll go to Vacuo and then we won't have to see each other ever again."

"Right.. yes." Pyrrha nodded. She glanced back at her companion only to find the thief had her head rested up against the glass, already asleep. "Thank you."

D iscord . gg (slash) v5HHnpS

Thank you for reading and I'll see you in two weeks.