This week's been a long one for me, and this weekend's only going to be worse, since I have to work both days. At least I have off four days next weekend. As far as life goes, I've stumbled upon a curry recipe that completely blew me away when I made it. It's a fair bit of effort, taking about two to three hours all told, but well worth the effort, doubly so since it's still amazing as leftovers.

Thanks again for reviews, favorites, follows, and so on. It's nice to know people are liking the story. Now, on to the main event.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Weighty Matters

Beta: HybridAlabaster

Mercury lounged back on one bed, smiling at Cardin as he entered. Emerald stepped around him and sat next to Cinder, watching him without expression. Cinder gestured to the unoccupied bed at the other end of the room. He tried to sit casually, but a twinge of pain made him grab his stomach.

"Still recovering from your field trip under the city, I see," Cinder said. "You were very fortunate to make it out of there alive."

"And a little less fortunate when the arrow that saved me also cut Blake's bow."

Cinder's smile widened a touch. "Ah yes, how unfortunate indeed. The Dukes were chomping at the bit to slander her and further tarnish Ozpin's record."

"I take it that you've been helping me out with that?"

"Yes indeed." She leaned back on her bed, lifting a leg to tease him with her skirt. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

"And as a friend, you want me to keep helping you with your missing item, correct?"

"Quite." Her smile vanished, and she crossed her legs. "It is vital that it be found before the Vytal Festival."

"You plan to use the distraction to take it back?"

She flinched, and her eyes hardened. "That's a possibility. Do you think Ozpin would see through it?"

Cardin swallowed. A wrong move here, and Cinder would give him that gentle little push that would send him over the edge. "That would depend on whether or not you made him aware of your presence. If he knows someone's coming to steal it, he would naturally bolster his defenses." He thought for a moment, and added, "He may use the festival's security as an excuse to give it more protection. Perhaps if you saw defenses that looked out of place, it would give you a clue. "

Cinder gave him an approving nod. "I could arrange it so Ozpin has permission to move Huntsmen into the city."

"Give that as an excuse to delay the Vytal Festival," Cardin said. "A month to move Atlesian forces to the outskirts and bring in Huntsmen would give us a month to study the patrols and make a plan."

"It also gives Ozpin another month to find us." Cinder flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Not to mention, there's a particular Huntsman that may recognize us. Ozpin would almost certainly call him back to Vale."

"Would this Huntsman be one Ozpin trusts?"

"With everything," Cinder said.

"Then that's the one we watch. Depending on who they are, we could distract them and take what's yours before Ozpin realizes what has happened."

Cinder hummed tunelessly to herself. "And considering an unfortunate turn of events one of my underlings had suffered, it might be prudent to send Ironwood's forces elsewhere. Great job Cardin, you have been very helpful."

"It's the least I can do, considering that you saved my life."

"What are friends for?"

Emerald approached Cinder and bent to whisper in her ear. Cinder's grin widened as she heard her words.

"Speaking of friends, it would appear that you've been having trouble with one of yours. Orange hair, big hammer, at a staggering deficit of marbles, does that ring a bell?"

"Nora?" Cardin asked. "I have her on a leash."

"Really? It looked like the other way around. Of course, if you're into that kind of thing, I won't judge." She gave a mirthless chuckle. "Ask nicely, and I might be willing to help you with that."

"That won't be necessary."

"If you say so." She sat up and leaned forward, letting him see down her uniform. "It would be a simple matter to have her removed altogether. All I'd need is the video you took of her sneaking into the kitchens, along with some statements from concerned students, and you'd have one less problem on your hands." She pretended to do some math on her fingers. "If I'm calculating it right, that would equal zero problems."

He almost took her up on it right then and there, but another spasm in his gut forced him to take a few breaths. As his lungs toiled to bring in another shipment of oxygen, his brain used its dwindling reserves to process the pros and cons of Cinder's offer. While it would get rid of a persistent obstacle and help destabilize Pyrrha further, Glynda would invariably realize he had used his blackmail material, and the detentions would resume. Not to mention, if Yang put two and two together, he'd be back to square one with Team RWBY.

"I appreciate the offer, but you've done enough for me already."

"It would be no trouble," Cinder said. "If anything, I would take great pleasure in seeing her gone."

"As much pleasure as you'd get in regaining your lost possession?"

One of Cinder's eyebrows rose. "Are you suggesting the two are somehow connected?"

Cardin took as deep a breath as his bruised ribs would allow. "Not directly, no. However, what I've learned so far suggests that Team RWBY is connected with your lost possession."

There was a gleam in her golden eyes as she took in his words. "You don't say?"

"If Nora were to get expelled from the school, and it were discovered by them that I had a hand in it, none of them would be pleased."

Cinder kneaded the blankets with her left hand. "If you've gotten this much information, then surely you have an idea of which one specifically bears this connection."

Cardin knew the question as a test, but a poor one. Weiss had connections to the SDC that would likely compromise her, Blake was too independent and headstrong to make a good pawn, and though Yang was fierce, strong, and could be manipulated through her care for Ruby, that same care could make her ignore orders, and she was too quick to anger and reckless to be trusted.

"Ruby. Who else would it be?"

Cinder's brows furrowed, and for a heart-stopping moment, Cardin wondered if he had somehow missed his guess. Then her face relaxed, and Cardin slowly let out the breath he had been holding.

"Yes, you're right. She's young, almost too young, but that means she can be molded. Not to mention, she aspires to be a hero. Ozpin would have an easy time with her." She turned towards Emerald. "Redouble your efforts to befriend Ruby." To Cardin, she said, "I would appreciate it if you kept an eye on her as well. Notify me immediately if she gets summoned by Ozpin."

"Would you like to involve my other teammates as well?"

"No, it's best kept between us." She considered it for a moment. "Well, it shouldn't hurt. Tell them as little as possible, and only use them if necessary. Understood?"

Cardin nodded and fought back a yawn. Cinder turned to Mercury and tapped his leg with her foot. "Be a dear and escort Cardin back to his room, would you?"

Mercury rolled onto his feet and stretched. "You got it, boss." He held out a hand for Cardin and pulled him out of bed. Cardin grunted in pain, and Cinder glared at Mercury. He flinched as though he had been slapped.

"Sorry about that, it won't happen again."

As Mercury helped Cardin out the door, Cinder said, "It better not. I want him in one piece."

As they walked across the campus grounds, Cardin leaned on Mercury's shoulder. He was breathing more easily, but a dull throb made him lean forwards. The silence between them felt stifling, and Cardin couldn't resist the urge to make conversation.

"So, what happened between you and Yang?"

He nearly slipped off Mercury's shoulder when he came to a sudden stop. Mercury had his jaw clenched, and he looked at his feet.

"Sorry, bad question," Cardin said. "No need to talk about it."

Mercury took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Cardin's shoulders. Cardin fought back the urge to break away from his touch and accepted the extra support.

"I didn't want to dance with her in the first place."

"Any reason why?"

There was a long pause before Mercury finally answered. "My dad was a heavy drinker."

Inwardly, Cardin groaned.

"Anytime he came home drunk, he'd yell at me and beat me," Mercury said. "He'd have me train until I dropped and kick me as I lay in the dirt. One day, he went a little too far." He looked down at his legs. "Let's just say that what I lost is never coming back."

"Your virginity?" Cardin asked, feeling sick to his stomach.

Mercury flushed, and his grip around Cardin's shoulder slipped. "What? No, gross! Why the hell would you think that?"

Cardin chuckled weakly. "Well, you were really vague about it, so I thought-"

"Well, stop thinking. Let's just get you back to your room so I can go pour bleach on my brain."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Once they made it to the dorms, Cardin put a hand on the door handle. "Sorry I made that so awkward. Don't worry about me, I can make it up there." He straightened and pushed Mercury's hand aside. "I'm better now."

Mercury walked a step behind him as he went up the stairs and watched him enter his room from the hall. Sky was in bed, poring over notes on his Scroll, while Russell sat cross-legged on the floor, filing down the sides of Sky's freshly mended halberd. Gray lumps stood out from where the weapon had been welded back together.

"What did Ozpin want?" Russell asked without looking up from his work.

"More questions about Mount Glenn. They were looking into those Beetle Grimm."

"I wish you had gotten a picture," Sky said. "Goodwitch got one, but the lighting was awful."

"I was a little busy running for my life. Plus, I had my hands full."

"You could've left her behind," Sky said with a teasing smile. Russell looked up and watched Cardin intently.

"Tempting. I might've done it if I'd gotten a peek at her ears before I made it out. And no, I still wouldn't have stopped to take pictures."

Sky shrugged and went back to his notes. "When do you think they'll go public with this new Grimm? We were asked not to say anything about it, so I'm guessing they're waiting to make a formal announcement."

"They better do it before the Vytal Festival," Russell said. "I know I'd be pissed if the restaurant I went to hid the fact they had roaches in the walls."

"They might not say anything at all," Cardin said. "Other nations would suggest that the Festival be moved to somewhere not crawling with an unknown species of Grimm."

"But Ironwood already knows."

"I'm betting he's hanging that information over Ozpin," Cardin said. "He could use it as an excuse to move more of Atlas' military into Vale."

Russell grunted. "Just what we need, more bots clacking around on the streets."

"Well, I think they're fascinating," Sky said. "I'd love to know how they program their behavior."

"No one asked you." Russell brushed off some metal shavings with a rag. "Speaking of the Vytal Festival, how are the preparations going?"

"I just got word that the Festival will experience some unexpected delays."

"Ozpin said it?"

"Cinder."

Russell smiled. "Did she stop by your hospital bed, perhaps give you a good morning kiss?"

"I paid her a visit once I got out of bed."

Shaking his head, Russell said, "You should take it easy. You only just got out of the hospital. Still, I have to respect that."

"It wasn't like that."

"If you say so."

Cardin sat in bed for the next hour, until his grumbling stomach forced him down to the cafeteria. Formal mealtimes had been discarded since so much of the campus had left, but a quick word with one of the cooks brought him some cold ham, a slice of cheese, raw broccoli and French onion dip, and a slice of toast. He tore through the plate and went back for seconds before he was satisfied.

With such a heavy meal weighing him down, Cardin felt his eyelids drooping, but when he rose from the table, he remembered his intent to ask Oobleck about his Semblance. With most students still out on their assignments and paperwork largely done for the year, now would be the best time to catch him.

The door to Oobleck's office was open. He checked around the door and entered when he saw that the teacher was alone. Doctor Oobleck had four books in front of him, and one hand flitted across their pages. His thermos was in the other hand, and he frequently took a long swig from it.

Since the professor hadn't seemed to notice him, Cardin knocked on the door. Oobleck looked up with a start.

"Goodness, Mr. Winchester, how long were you standing there?"

"Just a few seconds." He came in and sat down on the chair. "If you don't mind, I have some questions about my Semblance."

Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "If there's anything wrong with it, I'm afraid I'm the wrong doctor to ask."

"I don't think there's anything wrong. It acted strange in Mount Glenn, before I even saw the beetles, and I'm trying to figure out why."

Oobleck set bookmarks in the pages and swept his books aside. "Strange how?"

Cardin explained how the boulder had suddenly risen and fallen when he touched it. Once he was done, the professor asked question after clarifying question, whether he was still touching it when it started to fall, was he applying any upward force, what does he envision when he activates his Semblance. Once the questions were over, Oobleck folded his hands and rested his head on his fingers. He muttered to himself as he stared into the middle distance behind Cardin's head. Abruptly, he stood up and went to the door.

"I have a theory, but I need some equipment to test it. Wait right there."

Within a minute, Oobleck returned, holding a black plastic case. He tossed it on his desk and undid the latches. Inside was a ruler, a long, thick spring, and a series of weights. He attached two pounds to one end and handed the other to Cardin.

"Lift this without activating your Semblance."

Cardin complied. The spring sagged underneath the weight, and Oobleck measured its length with the ruler. He snapped up a book and scribbled a number on the corner of a page.

"Now, with your Semblance. Concentrate on lifting it up."

Cardin's arm tingled as his Aura acted on the spring and weight. The load felt lighter, and the weight crept up the spring until it was nearly its original length. Oobleck smiled as he took a second measurement and wrote down that value.

"All lining up with my theory so far. Let's try some more weights."

He had Cardin go down the entire line of weights and wrote values for each of them. Once they were done, Oobleck tore out the written-on page corner and turned it for Cardin to see.

"An elastic material, such as this spring, expands and contracts linearly with the application of force, in accordance with Hooke's law. To be specific, the force applied on an elastic material is equal to the spring constant multiplied by the distance the spring is stretched. This, of course, only works so far as the spring behaves as a perfectly elastic material. The equation breaks down if the spring is stretched too far, but for what we've been doing, it's perfectly acceptable to assume the spring behaves in accordance with this law."

Cardin reined in his impatience as he waited for the Professor to get to the point.

"I imagine that, at this point, you're wondering how all this math applies to your Semblance. Well, it's quite simple. All the stretching the spring does in this scenario is due to the downward force of the weight attached on the other end, which is itself the mass of the object times the gravitational constant. Any additional upward force you apply would go into moving the entire system upward. Therefore, if your Semblance, as we previously thought, allowed you to increase the force exerted by your arms, then the length of the spring would not change because the gravitational force and the spring constant would remain the same."

"Wait, you're saying my Semblance doesn't make me stronger?"

"That appears to be the case." Oobleck pointed with his pen at the figures. "In all instances we had measured, there was more than a tenfold reduction in the total displacement of the spring. Therefore, there can be only two explanations. The first, is that your Semblance reduces the spring constant, which would fail to explain the other applications of your Semblance, such as your ability to lift unreasonably heavy objects. The other, is that you are reducing the downward force exerted by the mass at the other end of the spring."

"So, I make objects lighter?"

"Exactly. That would explain why Professor Goodwitch was able to lift the rock while you were touching it, and unable to lift it once your lost direct contact with it."

Cardin studied the numbers and handed the page back to Oobleck. "If that's the case, then wouldn't my attacks be weaker while I'm using my Semblance?"

"Considering that the mass of your weapon would be reduced, most likely." The professor frowned. "Oh. Now I see what you're getting at." He brought out his Scroll, and after some browsing, he found video footage of one of Cardin's fights. He replayed a moment where one of Cardin's swings smashed the stone at his feet.

"Knowing that your Semblance can make objects lighter," Oobleck said, "I wonder if it can make them heavier too. Concentrate on forcing the spring downward, if you would."

Cardin held up the spring and imagined himself pushing it down. The weight trembled and sank to the floor, stretching the spring until it looked ready to snap.

Oobleck turned the ruler end over end until he measured the extended spring's length and scribbled the number in minute writing next to other values. "Let's do the rest, shall we? I think that weight was a bit heavy for our spring."

Only the three lightest weights kept from hitting the floor. Oobleck measured those and discarded the other values. "As I thought. You can increase and decrease mass." After reflection, he added, "Or the gravitational constant. That's tricky, we need a way of taking gravity out of our measurements of mass." He browsed through his Scroll and held it up in front of Cardin. "Deactivate your Semblance and jerk the spring upward. Then make it lighter and do the same thing, in as similar a motion as possible."

Cardin complied, and after a few takes, the professor compared the two videos.

"I'm comparing the spring's change in length as it is accelerated upward. The additional stretching would be independent of the gravitational constant. Long story short, I'm pretty sure it's mass, but I'd need a more refined setup to make sure."

Cardin set the spring down on the desk. "I really appreciate your help with this. I would've never figured it out on my own."

"It was nothing, Mr. Winchester, I was happy to help. I can't believe no one figured this out until now." He typed on his Scroll and muttered, "I'll have to amend the school records."

Cardin reached across the desk and put one hand over Oobleck's Scroll. "Why don't we keep this between ourselves?" he asked.

"Why on Remnant would we do that?"

"Well, let's just say that people have access to those records, people who would be competing in the Vytal Festival. It might be to my advantage if people have the wrong idea about how my Semblance works."

The professor mulled it over as he emptied his thermos. With a troubled sigh, he put his Scroll away and brought out his books.

"I think I'm quite distracted by all this research the Headmaster had asked me to do on this new Grimm we've found. I may forget to add a certain new detail about a student's Semblance to the records." With a shy smile, he added, "No one would think anything of it, with the way I rush through everything."

"Good doing business with you. I'll let you get back to your Grimm research."

He was halfway back to his bed when he was ambushed in a hallway by Yang. She had a stony expression, and her crossed arms said he wouldn't be passing her with a mace in his hands.

"We need to talk," she said. "I stopped by your room earlier, and they said you went to lunch."

"I got a bit sidetracked on the way back from that."

"I noticed." She gestured to an empty classroom. Cardin looked inside, making sure no one else was waiting to jump him, before entering. He sat in one of the desks, and Yang leaned against another.

"You weren't really interested in Neo," Yang said. "You were more interested in the Grimm statues."

Cardin could hardly deny it. He nodded, expecting to see Yang smile at that, but her expression remained grim.

"We were discussing it earlier, and none of us really has an idea of what happened. I think Ozpin does. And you."

Cardin shrugged. Inside, he felt his stomach churning. Depending on how he played his cards, he could either give away too much and cost himself whatever Cinder wanted with Ruby, or get a valuable source of information. "I don't have much of an idea myself. But you're right, Ozpin is hiding something. When I mentioned it to Ironwood and Ozpin, our Headmaster covered up the details. We all know it wasn't just a Dust explosion, but that's what he told Ironwood."

Yang pounded her fist on the table. "Damn it. For all I know, Ruby might be blind for the rest of her life, and Ozpin's keeping secrets from us? Shouldn't we know what's going on?"

"It might be for her sake." Cardin took a deep breath and stared at Yang. Her eyes had a red tinge as they stared back at him. "If it's what I think it is, there's a lot of people who would want their hands on her."

"You think she turned all those Grimm to stone."

Cardin held up a finger in front of him. "Be careful who you say that around. If other nations caught wind of someone with a Grimm insta-kill Semblance, things would get ugly."

"But her Semblance is speed-"

"Which makes what happened all the more confusing."

"Yeah, I know. So, what do we do?"

"We?"

"Yeah, we." Yang walked over to him and put both hands on his desk. "I don't know what's happening with Ruby, but I do know that if anyone's going to get that secret out of Ozpin, it's you. So, help me out with this, and I'll do you a favor."

When Cardin opened his mouth, Yang quickly added, "Nothing too messed up. Make it reasonable."

Cardin nodded. "I'll need to know what's going on with Ruby. Keep me updated on how she's doing, and call me if she gets summoned by Ozpin."

"Got it. Hand over your Scroll."

A few flicks of her finger later, Yang had added her number under 'Blonde Bombshel.'

"Not enough room for another 'l'," she muttered angrily, "But whatever."

While she wasn't looking, Cardin changed it to a less flattering B-word that fit in the character limit.

"That's not the favor, by the way," Cardin said. "That's what I need to help you out."

"Yeah, I got that much. If I thought you were stalking Ruby, I'd break your nose so hard it'd poke out the back of your head."

"Noted. So, on to my favor." He thought back to how Yang and Nora interacted when she had carried him in. "Would you say you're friends with Nora?"

"I guess? She's crazy, but pretty fun."

"Any chance you could talk her into not breaking my kneecaps?"

Yang winced. "That'll be tough. She really has it out for you. There's this conspiracy theory she has where you forced Jaune and Blake to start dating each other, among other things."

Cardin put on his best neutral face and studied his hands. "She comes up with the craziest ideas, doesn't she?"

Yang stared at him with visible incredulity. "You didn't."

"What, Blake didn't tell you? You said she told you everything."

"Well, she clearly didn't!" She slammed her hands in front of him, making him jump. "Just when I think there was the tiniest chance you could be cool, I find out you forced the most awkward couple together for your own twisted amusement."

"Hey, at least they hit it off."

Yang grunted and stormed out of the room. Before she vanished, Cardin called after her. "Is the deal still on?"

She stopped at the doorway, with just her hair still visible. "Against my better judgement, yes. I'll text when I get something."

Her footsteps receded down the hall, but a moment later, she came back and poked her head in the room. "One more question. You aren't plotting with an army of squirrels to take over Remnant, are you?"

"Wait, what?"

Yang grinned. "Didn't think so. See ya."