This is a little later than usual because I was at another awards ceremony today. It feels like June is the month for so many. Anyway, this was a smaller one (less than a hundred and fifty people) and I didn't even realise I was doing it because one of the sales team signed me up without telling me. Basically, it's run by a client, and sometimes the people who work in sales are so flipping desperate to please them.

Client asks "Oh, could the Editor come and do a speech and hand some awards out? That would be great if he could."

And rather than ask me, they just go "Oh, I need more sales from you in the future. Uh, yeah, of course he can! He'd love to."

And then I find out about it later – or, in this case, two days before the event – and have to make a speech up on the spot. Fun, fun, fun. I always tell the person responsible off, but it always happens, and at the end of the day, if they can sell, I'll keep them. It really wasn't worth my time, though. Stuck there for three hours or so, which is why this is being released a little later in the day.

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 70

If things had been awkward back at Beacon, they were doubly so now. Jaune walked with his two companions, neither of which seemed to go a minute or more without looking in his direction, and there hadn't been any meaningful conversation for what felt like hours. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were complete strangers, but they weren't. It was Ruby and Nora. That was what made the awkward silence feel even more… well, awkward.

Should I ask about Mistral? No, would that sound too much like whining? Maybe we could talk about Beacon, but that fell, and they're probably worried about Ren and Yang. And Pyrrha and Weiss, too, but the first two were more immediate for them.

"About Yang..."

"I told you it will be fine. The piece of us you placed in her will keep your girlfriend safe."

"Do you think she's angry?"

Remy didn't respond to that, which was probably answer enough. In hindsight, it was a pretty stupid question. Yeah, Yang was going to be angry. It was more a question of in what way, that he'd lied about being Hentacle, that he'd left her behind, or that he'd put a Grimm inside of her.

His eyes trailed to Ruby again. He'd have liked to wait until Yang woke up, but he knew Ruby's insistence they leave had been pointed toward him. She didn't want him around an injured Yang. Even if she trusted him a little, it was too much for her to trust him with her family. He'd agreed just to keep the peace, even if he'd wanted to stay and explain himself to his girlfriend.

I can't even blame her. Ruby is already placing her life in my hands. How can I expect her to trust me with her family's, as well?

"What's this guy we're going to see like?" Nora asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Jaune was more relieved for that than he dared admit.

"His name is Leo, or at least that's all I remember. He's the headmaster of Haven Academy."

"And he's a traitor?" Ruby asked. She sounded offended at the very idea.

"I'm not sure. I got the impression he wasn't so much loyal to Mom as just afraid of her." It wasn't like he'd ever met the man, but he'd been present in plenty of Salem's meetings with Uncle Watts and Hazel. "He wouldn't dare do anything to hurt us, or me anyway, and if we tell him we want to go to the Grimmlands, I bet he'll give us a Bullhead easily." If only to get them away and save his own skin. Uncle Watts hadn't given him the best impression of the guy.

"That's putting it lightly. How much of a coward do you have to be to run a school of anti-Grimm warriors, and still be afraid?"

"And then once we have a Bullhead, we can go to the Grimmlands." Ruby didn't sound as enthused about that as she had earlier. "What are the chances of your… your mom," she stumbled over the word, "giving Pyrrha back to us?"

"Honestly, I've no idea."

"Would she try and turn Pyrrha against us?" Nora asked.

"She might… but I can't imagine that working."

"Does she have mind control?"

"No."

"Would you know if she didn't? What if she already mind-controlled you into thinking she didn't?"

Jaune tried to argue but paused, his eyes crossing as he tried to work his way around Nora's odd logic. Ruby sighed and trudged on while he did, and such thoughts were quickly forgotten as they hurried to catch up.

"You know, I could get us an easier ride."

Nora cheered. "Ooh, ooh, a Beowolf?"

"Sure. Or some Nevermore."

"No Grimm," Ruby said, earning a moan from Nora. "We'll get in trouble if someone sees us riding them, not to mention if we get shot down by a huntsman."

Jaune sighed morosely, realising that yet again it was because she didn't trust him to summon Grimm around them. I guess I still have to prove I'm trustworthy, but how can I do that right now?

They'd already crossed the ocean from one continent to the other, catching a ride on a vessel without much trouble. Even there, Ruby and Nora had taken turns to keep an eye on him, despite that his only way out would have been to jump in the ocean. While he could have summoned Grimm to help him get back to land, there were other things in the deep that might have taken a bite out of him, sharks for instance. Landing in Mistral hadn't been much better.

"I guess we'll just have to play it by ear," Ruby said. "You can get us into the Grimmlands, right? You can make it so that Grimm don't attack us."

"I can, but I can't stop them reporting our presence to mom. She'd know."

"Then we can use you as a distraction. If you told us where to find Pyrrha, or made a Grimm to guide us, then you could keep her busy while we spring Pyrrha out and get her back to wherever we land the Bullhead."

It was as good a plan as any, and he liked the aspect where there was no actually trying to fight or kill his mother, or Cinder for that matter. While she might have kidnapped Pyrrha, she really could have – and probably should have – killed her. The kidnapping had been a mercy granted for his benefit.

"That should work. My uncles and Cinder, and my sisters when they come and go, use Bullheads, so there is actually a place to land them near mom's tower. It wouldn't be too suspicious. It'll depend where Pyrrha is kept, but it should work out."

"Right. We have our plan." Ruby slammed a fist into her empty palm. "Haven first, and then we meet up with Blake and Ren, and finally we all go to the Grimmlands to rescue Pyrrha. Then it's back to Beacon and everything is normal again."

Normal except for him…

"So, what's it like being the Prince of the Grimm?" Nora asked as she slid up next to him. She didn't seem nervous, but he knew better than to think she was fully relaxed. Ruby was listening too, even as she consulted a map she'd bought when they landed in Mistral. "You must be as rich as Weiss, right? Did you have servants? Did you have, like, a thousand rooms just to yourself?"

"Not that many. And yes, we had servants. They were… special Grimm, though, made for the role. As for how it was, I guess it was lonely. I had money, but I could only ever spend it on things that could be picked up by my uncles."

"No deliveries?"

"To the Grimmlands?"

Nora laughed. "Yeah, I can see how that might be weird."

"I spent most of my time in the library reading adventure stories. My uncles used to buy me books and I loved them. I told my mom I wanted to visit a library, but she couldn't really do that. Instead, she had the Grimm attack various libraries across Remnant and run off with books." He chuckled weakly. "She basically built me a library."

"That's… kind of cute. Sort of. Couldn't you have just visited a library, though? You look like a regular human."

"I didn't always. It took me a while to get the hang of switching between my forms. When I was younger, I'd change if I got angry or sad, and then change back to human if I was happy. It was too much of a risk to take me anywhere, even if my sisters wanted to once or twice."

"Why do you all hate humans so much, anyway?"

The question was an innocent one, sort of, but Jaune noticed Ruby suddenly become a lot more interested and he was aware of just how much weight rested on the answer. He wished he had a good one, but sadly all he could say was that he didn't know.

Ruby looked upset. "You don't know?"

"Well, it's not easy," he said. "My mom and the humans were at war when we were all born – and if history is to be believed, the war has been going on for hundreds and hundreds of years, maybe even more. I have no idea who started it or why it's still going, but at least for me and my sisters it's mostly self-defence."

"Jaune, the Grimm own more than ninety-five per cent of Remnant."

"I know, I know, but I mean for my sisters, who are like me. They grew up never knowing humans or meeting any, so it's not like they ever hated them, but at the same time the humans hate us. And maybe they're right to," he added when Ruby's mouth opened. "Maybe all the humans have good reason to, but that doesn't change the fact that we didn't technically do anything. We just grew up and tried to live our lives. Besides, I don't hate humans at all, but I'm still nervous about people knowing my secret. There are way too many people who would just kill me for it."

"I… I guess," Ruby sighed and looked away. "So, your sisters don't hate people?"

"That… depends."

"On…?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"On which sister it is, really. The younger ones are more like me, still making up their own minds, but some of my older sisters have met with and dealt with humans. Not always in the best of ways. But it's not all bad! In fact, one of my younger sisters even has a crush on a human."

"Really? Who?" Nora leaned forward, interested, and Jaune recalled at the last second exactly who Lavender had a crush on, and what said boy meant to Nora.

"Ah, well… uh… someone." Ruby seemed to realise who he meant and hid a laugh in her sleeve. When she recovered, she looked a little calmer, both with the situation and with him.

"You don't know why the Grimm and humans are at war, then, because it happened ages and ages ago. I wonder if Salem even remembers." Ruby sighed. "I wonder if anyone does. You know, this would all be a lot easier if both sides could talk it out."

"Yeah, if we knew the Grimm had a side," Nora pointed out. "Most people just assumed they were all mindless animals with no leadership. No one even knew there was someone we could talk to, let alone that she might be able to talk back." The ginger-haired girl shook her head. "Basically, the only person who could actually try and make peace with the Grimm is Ozpin."

"Was Ozpin," Ruby said.

"No," Jaune corrected with a sigh. "Is. Ozpin is… well, according to my mom, he's not the kind of guy who dies easily. She should know. She's been killing him for a while."

/-/

"You're not real!"

"I'm afraid I am."

"Shut up!" Oscar paced around the barn, eyes wide and mouth wider. His breath came out in harsh pants. Okay, this was bad, very bad. He had a voice in his head and – well, that was it, really, but it was enough. He was hearing voices. He was going insane.

"You're not going insane, Oscar."

"Stop reading my mind!"

"How can I read your mind if I don't exist?"

Ugh. No wait, this was easily explained. "It's because you're something I'm imagining, so now I'm imagining you being able to read my mind when it's just me reading my own mind." Or something. "You're not real and I'm too old to have an imaginary friend."

"Look in that mirror, Oscar," the voice urged. "Look and see the truth." Almost against his will his eyes tugged towards the burnished metal of an upturned feeding trough, which wasn't really a mirror but was clean enough to reflect his appearance – and that of the man beside him. "Now, do you understand? Can you deny this?"

"Sure can," he said, somewhat hysterical. "I already have voices in my head and now I'm hallucinating. They're both sighs of being crazy. M-Maybe I ate too much last night." He shook his head again and when the man in his reflection didn't shift, looked away. "I'll just ignore you until you go away."

"You can't ignore me, Oscar. There are things we must do."

"Like burn my house down and kill my parents?"

"I've told you you're not going insane. I'm not the early onset of psychopathy and would like to suggest you don't burn your house down or kill anyone." The voice paused. "Or, well, maybe you can kill some people, but only the ones I say-"

"La la la, I can't hear you!" Oscar dug his fork into the straw and flipped it over, wishing the rustling of straw hitting the barn wall was louder.

The voice in his head sighed dramatically. "You are being incredibly stubborn right now. Do you realise that?"

"THIS IS MY HEAD!"

"And all I'm asking for is a little co-operation."

"In doing what?"

"Running away, finding some errant teenagers, training them to face off against the embodiment of the Grimm and saving the world," the voice listed off. There was a pregnant pause. "Nothing too taxing, I assure you."

"You're insane!"

"Well, that makes a nice change from you believing that you are."

No, Oscar was still fairly sure he was insane, too, but it at least made more sense now that he knew the voice in his head was just as coo-coo. Why him? Why did he have to go from reading some comics to having visions and voices and other crazy stuff? It wasn't fair.

"If it makes you feel any better, I too was once in your situation. I know what it feels like, Oscar. I went through the same panic and confusion."

"And then what? You just… gave in?"

"Well, no. But eventually my mind was just sort of consumed and – that's not really important, anyway," the voice amended, laughing a little forcedly. "What's important is that I know you don't want to live the rest of your life working as a farmhand in Mistral, and thanks to me, you won't have to."

"Are you reading my mind again? And what was that about being consumed?"

"A slip of the thought-tongue, I assure you."

"Are you eating my brain?"

"I'm sure you would suffer some issues with motor function if I was doing that." Oscar tried to understand what he meant. "No, Oscar, I'm not."

Oscar sighed. The fork fell onto the floor, clattering against a bucket. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to find a little bird for me."

"A bird…"

"A man who can turn into a bird. His name is Qrow and he is an ally of mine."

"Why can he turn into a bird?"

"I gave him that power, so that he might spy on our enemy."

"Why a bird?"

"Because a human would stand out in the Grimmlands."

"Don't Grimm kill animals?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't a bird stand out just as much in the Grimmlands?"

"…"

"And, I mean, it would still be a bird with human negativity and all that, so it wouldn't actually fool the Grimm at all, would it?"

"…"

"Why did you let him turn into a bird again?"

"You know, Oscar, perhaps when you've been fighting some immortal monster for what feels like millennia, you can offer some criticism. And hey, look, you'll soon be getting your chance. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Yay…"

"That's the spirit. Now, we really do need to run away and leave your family behind."

"I really don't think I should trust a voice in my head…"

"And we could use some lien while we're at it, so see if you can't rob them while you're at it."

Ugh…

/-/

Weiss wasn't sure what to make of the current situation. On the one hand she was back in Atlas, forced to come by her father who had threatened to disown her unless she returned. Even then, she'd considered telling him to go ahead, but he'd then threatened to withdraw all funding for Beacon. Even though Beacon was mostly funded by Vale's Council, it also relied on `generous donations` from other people and companies, and the SDC heavily funded each of the four academies on Remnant.

With how much damage Beacon had taken, the loss of the SDC's support would be catastrophic. And so, reluctantly, she'd agreed to come back.

But I never said how long I'd stay, she thought, eyeing her father with more defiance than she ever had before. She had a team to get back to, and she was sure they were doing something stupid and dangerous without her stellar leadership. Gods, she wouldn't be surprised if those two idiots hadn't decided to march off to the Grimmlands or something to avenge Pyrrha.

"It's time you stopped playing games and focused more on what is important," Jacques Schnee said. She rarely referred to him as her father, even when she'd been younger. She had been raised more by Winter than him, with the aid of several servants and nannies.

"Yes, father."

"You will take back up your singing. Reputation is important. I'll have someone provide makeup to cover that hideous scar."

"Yes, father," Weiss gritted, hands clenched on the armrests of the car they travelled in. "What about Beacon?" He shot her a glare, a dangerous one, and she quickly explained, "I mean their funding. You promised to keep it going." He relaxed once he realised she wasn't talking about going back.

"And I shall. The Academy will need much support. I already have a few charity events planned, and I will increase the family's funding. Perhaps I will ask them to name a wing after us." He laughed, and Weiss echoed it weakly, stomach rolling.

Gods, she hated this. She hated it so much.

But what could she do?

Beacon had fallen and Pyrrha was dead. If she'd turned down his offer, she could have stayed with her team – but then what? She couldn't help them in any meaningful way and Jacques would cut the support for Beacon, abandoning the school at a time when it needed the SDC most. She couldn't accept that. She couldn't put her happiness above everyone else's like that.

And I certainly can't leave the SDC in the hands of Whitley! He takes after his father too much.

It had long been her dream to reform the SDC into something more worthwhile, and she just couldn't do that if she got herself disowned now. It was frustrating, but it was what it was. She had to play his game for now, until she could take control.

But how long would that take? A decade? Two…?

"We are here."

The car pulled into the long, well-maintained driveway of the Schnee mansion, and the tall, imposing structure filled Weiss' window. It filled her heart too, though with a despair she'd long since forgotten. The Schnee manor had always been home before, but now, after spending so much time in Beacon, she longed for the cramped room with her teammates.

But appearances counted and she would have to play the game. Weiss allowed a butler to get the door and stepped out smoothly, dusting down her skirt. Jacques wasted no time with pleasantries and stalked past, saying something about work, his office, and her not doing anything foolish. It was just like him and Weiss scoffed silently. So far, everything was just like how she'd remembered, right down to the polite but mostly fearful looks the staff sent her.

And that was where normality seemed to take something of a… steep dive.

"Miss Schnee, I didn't realise you went out for a ride with your father," one of the maids said.

"Went out…?"

"Yes. We would have prepared a meal for you if you had."

Weiss raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. It would have been something for them to make a meal and deliver it all to Vale, she supposed. There was going above and beyond, and then there was just expecting too much.

"It's fine. Is my sister here?"

"Miss Winter came by earlier but left soon after. I thought she had spoken to you, ma'am."

"No. She hasn't. Very well, is my room prepared?"

The woman looked suddenly nervous. "B-Begging your pardon, Miss Schnee, but you instructed us not to enter without express permission, a-and we thought you were still in your room. I apologise. If you would like, I can have it cleaned and made in less than ten minutes."

"No, that's fine." Weiss' eyes narrowed. There was something going on here. "Did I give you any instructions specifically? When was this?"

"N-No, ma'am. Klein brought you your breakfast as always. You told him, or so we were informed."

"I see." Her hand fell to Myrtenaster. No need to panic yet, even if her heart was beating a little faster. She took a deep breath and let it go, the picture of calm. "I'm quite tired from the long journey and don't want to impress on any of you at the moment. I think I'll take a short nap. Can you have some refreshments brought for me later? But please, leave them outside the door."

"Of course, Miss Schnee!"

"And please jog my memory, I'm afraid it's a little muddled from this morning. Which room did I take, again? My old one?"

"Yes. On the sixth floor, Miss Schnee."

"Thank you."

Weiss didn't wait for the woman to leave and was already moving the moment she said her thanks – which seemed enough to shock many of them anyway. She'd never really been one for kindness before, disliking the staff here for their false kindness. Klein was different and she treated him so, but so many of the others despised her, she could tell. She'd responded in kind, but now she could look back and realise that had been the wrong approach.

They feared her, yes, but by acting the spoilt and uncaring brat, all she'd done was confirm those fears, painting herself out to be just as bad as they thought she was. It wasn't their fault they were nervous around her. Jacques did not always paint the kindest image of a Schnee.

As she ascended the staircase many other servants bowed and nodded to her, and some spoke.

"Miss Schnee? I hadn't realised you left."

"Miss Schnee, your sister called for you earlier and you didn't respond."

"Miss Schnee, would you like me to wash the clothes you wore yesterday?"

Weiss' pace increased. As she reached the hallway, Myrtenaster shifted, though she didn't draw it – not yet. Some things just didn't add up. If this were an imposter, then it was one able to fool all the staff here, which should have been impossible. Also, her father seemingly did not know, otherwise he would have said something.

Her back hit the wall outside her door. She looked left and right and motioned for a nearby servant to find something else to do with their time. They bowed and left quickly. Myrtenaster came free with a near-silent hiss. Her hand reached out, rapping on the door once.

"I-I'm busy," a voice responded. It was close to hers, but not quite – strained in a way that made it clear someone was trying too hard. It was the final straw, and confirmation. This was her house, her room, and this person was acting like it was theirs.

The door slammed open. Something hit her – not a weapon, but rather a familiar feeling. Before her eyes, green shifted immediately to white as she found herself facing off against a perfect clone. The clone looked to her in anger, but that soon faded, as did much of the blood to her face. Weiss had always been pale, and she knew that from looking in the mirror, but now she – or the other version of her – looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"I-I can explain," the doppelganger said.

Weiss closed the door swiftly, though she didn't take her rapier away from the fake's throat.

"Oh, I certainly hope you can, because I'm all ears."

Not-Weiss gulped, and mumbled under her breath. "I bet Mercury isn't having as bad a time of this as me…"

/-/

Mercury wasn't having the best of times.

"You claim you had no idea what your own team leader was planning?"

"That's what I said."

"And we're supposed to believe that?" The officer slammed his hands down on the desk, and while that might not have been incredibly intimidating normally, there was Professor Oobleck in the corner, and Mercury was unarmed.

Which technically meant he was un-legged. As in, they'd taken his feet off for this and he was sat a little awkwardly as a result.

"Look, my team leader ran off and left me behind. Don't you think I'd have gone with her if I knew about this? I fought alongside Beacon against the White Fang! You can ask any of the people I was with."

"Your other teammates have vanished, too," the man said, pacing around him. "Odd that your team leader apparently worked alone, and yet everyone saw reason to flee."

For fuck's sake, Emerald. Thanks for that. He'd have said the same for Neo, but no one expected her to be loyal. Bloody Torchwick and her were probably getting blitzed right now, toasting a great success since they'd come out pretty much unharmed.

"Maybe they were working with her, I don't know. All I know is that I'm still here. I didn't try and run."

He'd not have been able to, since he was with Velvet and her team for the invasion, and then surrounded by teachers once it was done. It took them a while to realise what had gone on and hunt him down, by which point he'd realised just how screwed he was. At that point, knowing no aid from Cinder was coming, Mercury decided to do what he did best.

Survive.

"Look, I don't know what her plans were, and I wasn't loyal to her." Not even a lie. "But I can tell you all sorts of things about what she did, some of which, looking back, were a little odd."

The officer, and Oobleck, leaned forward, intrigued.

"Thing is, you already think I'm guilty - which I'm not - so I want it on record I offered this willingly."

"It would go some way to absolving you of guilt," Oobleck said.

"What?" The officer turned on him. "You can't just-" Oobleck flashed something Mercury couldn't see, and the man went pale. Very pale. "O-Or you can," he said weakly. "Fine, kid. You want a plea deal. You've got a plea deal. This better be good."

"Oh, trust me, it is. I overheard a lot."

Well, it wasn't selling someone out if they abandoned you first, was it?

/-/

Blake felt an odd sense of disconnect as Menagerie showed itself on the horizon. Home, in a sense. It hadn't been that for a while, and even after she left the White Fang she'd felt reluctant to return, reluctant to admit she'd been wrong, that they'd known better.

That she, in the infinite wisdom of youth, had made a mistake.

Hard words had been exchanged, terrible words. But actions spoke louder, bit deeper, and her turning her back on them… Well, she'd run away before she could see what effect that had. Running away. She'd done that too often.

But no longer. I'm back, and I'm here with a purpose.

"Hold on, Ren," she whispered into the sea-salt air. "We'll get you out of there safely. I promise."

With the wind in her hair and the spray on her face, it was a peaceful moment of reflection, one of determination, of deliberation. It was—

"I don't see why you're here at all. Don't you have a team to look after? Don't tell me you abandoned them just to chase after a girl. How selfish are you?"

"Hey, my team can look after themselves, and I did talk to them about this. They told me to chase my dreams."

"You freely admit to Blake being the content of your late-night fantasies? Does your perversion know no end?"

"I didn't say that!"

"You didn't deny it, either."

Ilia stood a small distance from Sun with crossed arms and a defensive posture. Her weapon was back on her waist, even if Blake wasn't entirely sure of the wisdom of that. Ilia knew her way around Menagerie and would be an asset should they need to deal with the White Fang.

Sun, on the other hand, offered little to the table other than skill and muscle, but that would be useful in its own right, especially if Ilia turned on them. He was far more relaxed about the whole affair, though when wasn't he? The monkey faunus was perched on the railing, one leg crossed, and little care given for the prospect of falling in the ocean.

Then again, they had just fought off some giant ocean-Grimm, so maybe his confidence wasn't misplaced.

They were both useful and she needed them, but… well…

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I wish Nora was here.

Or Ren or Yang, obviously, but at least Nora – even at her most enthusiastic – wasn't quite so aggravating. She'd once thought Nora's constant chatter around Ren annoying, but nothing compared to the constant bickering between Ilia and Sun.

"What do you know, anyway? You were a part of the White Fang. You still are!"

"Sure, shout that out loud why don't you. No need for subtlety."

"We're coming in to Menagerie! It's not like the White Fang has to hide here."

"No, just stupid blonds."

"What's your problem? I'm not the one who attacked a school full of innocent people. In fact, I'm one of the people who saved you from being nommed by a giant dragon!"

"Blake saved me," Ilia countered.

"Or the guy we're going to save, Ren, did."

"And I'll thank him properly when I meet him."

"He's also the guy Blake went to the school dance with," Sun said in an offhand way. It wasn't, obviously, and he grinned victoriously when Ilia staggered back, eyes wide.

Blake looked down at her scroll, at a picture of her team – her, sat petulantly with Nora's arm wrapped around her shoulder, trying to read. Behind her, Yang had dragged Ren into the shot, holding two fingers up in a peace sign and refusing to let Ren go. His head was above Nora's, his face calm but his smile serene. She missed them already.

A great sigh escaped her.

Further down the ship, a young man caught her eye, or rather she caught him looking. It appeared like he might try his luck talking to her, but he took a glimpse at the drama happening behind her and wisely decided he'd find less troublesome women to talk to.

Blake sighed again, turning as the ship pulled into harbour.

"Come on, you two. It's time to find Ren. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go back to Mistral and head to the Grimmlands." And now that she said it, she realised just how unappealing that sounded.

"Are we going to visit your parents?" Ilia asked.

"I'd rather not." She regarded them with something akin to despair. "I'd prefer not to introduce them to… my confusing life." In her credit, she tried her hardest not to say `you two`. There were some things you just didn't want your parents to know about. That you'd collected the full set of terrorist and non-terrorist stalkers probably wasn't on the list for most people. It was for her.

"Blake has parents?"

"Her mother and father run this place," Ilia said. "Which you would know if you were as close with her as you like to think you are."

You only know because you knew them in the past, Blake thought with a shake of her head. She made to whisper a quick apology to Sun, but he didn't look bothered by it. He was surprisingly thick skinned.

"Are they cat faunus, too? With black hair?"

"Yes. I don't look dissimilar to them. We parted on… difficult terms."

"You don't look like your father, though. He's a huge guy."

"He is." And how did Sun know that? "Why?"

"They're right there," Sun said, pointing.

Blake's ears flattened so hard her bow did the same. Her eyes snapped in the direction he was pointing, and her mouth went instantly dry. Her mother and father, side by side, Kali waving happily, and between them, looking like he'd seen too much, heard too much, and been subjected to far too much, stood Lie Ren himself.

Worse, her father had a firm hand on his shoulder and her mother had a hold of his arm, which she clutched between one arm and her breast, while the other waved. The look on her face said they had a lot of catching up to do, and that every little bit of it had to do with her and the young man she'd taken prisoner. Blake whimpered.

She wondered if it was too late to throw herself in the ocean and drown.

/-/

Emerald finished her story and fell to her knees, now back in her natural form and feeling all the more naked for it. In the end, she'd told Weiss everything – or everything she could, anyway. It wasn't like Weiss didn't know she was Cinder's teammate, and she wouldn't believe Emerald's innocence on the matter either. If she was innocent, then why did she run? Why not face justice in Vale? Why pretend to be someone she wasn't to escape Beacon?

The facts didn't add up and she was trapped.

"You worked with the enemy," Weiss snapped.

"O-Only at first. Cinder didn't want to attack Beacon in the end – that was the White Fang. We fought in its defence."

"Cinder killed my teammate."

"I… I didn't know she would. I don't think she even did. Our last orders were to defend Beacon and stop the White Fang. I had nothing to do with it, I swear."

Weiss crossed her arms, sat cross-legged on the end of her bed while Emerald prostrated herself before the girl. It was galling, and yet right now she had no one to rely on. Her life had always been one in which she followed others. She'd followed Cinder because Cinder took her off the streets. She'd been prepared to die for Cinder, just so long as she wasn't abandoned.

And she might not technically have been abandoned. Cinder had been forced to flee, so it wasn't like she could have taken the two of them with her. And there's no telling where Mercury is right now. But even so, she was now without direction, without leadership and without protection. She had nothing except for a whole load of people who would want to see her dead or in prison.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell everyone who you are?" Weiss snapped. "A single reason."

"B-Because they'd find out about your partner. If they interrogated me, I'd have to tell them about Jaune – about what he is."

"Threatening me isn't a good way to convince me to help you."

"N-No, but it's true."

"Gods," Weiss ran a hand down her face. "And you're saying that Jaune, my idiot partner, was Hentacle?"

"Yes."

"You are absolutely certain?"

"I felt his tentacles myself. It was when our hair got dyed the opposite colour," she explained. She went on to tell of Cardin's plan at the time, and how she'd had to step in to stop any suspicion falling onto Jaune.

"That idiot," Weiss snapped. "I have no idea what to think, but I want answers. He's my partner. He- I am his team leader. He relied on me, and I'll at least hear him out before I decide what the hell I'm supposed to do with him. Half-Grimm or not." The heiress sighed again and shook her head, but such didn't last. Her eyes fixed onto Emerald once more. "But I still have no idea what to do with you. Even if you weren't directly involved in Beacon's fall, you're still a criminal, not to mention you've impersonated me. That Semblance of yours is dangerous…"

Emerald's eyes widened. She took a wild chance. "But it can be useful, too. I can be useful."

Weiss caught on quickly. "You want to serve me?"

"I… I'm not sure I have much of a choice," Emerald said, knowing some honesty would go a long way. "Cinder abandoned me and I doubt she'll ever come back. I'd have followed Jaune's orders, but he's not here. You're at least his team leader. I can do whatever you say. I can use my Semblance on your behalf. I can pretend to be you. I can do whatever you need me to."

Just so long as Weiss kept her safe. If the heiress of the SDC said she'd not been involved in the fall of Beacon, if she claimed Emerald had been with her and thus innocent, then the world would be forced to believe it.

Weiss didn't respond for the longest time. Her fingers tapped on her mattress, though Emerald dared to hope. It wasn't a rejection. Weiss was thinking about it.

"How versatile is your Semblance?"

"It was enough to help Cinder beat the Fall Maiden," Emerald said proudly. "It has limits, but it can do amazing things. I was able to sneak in here and convince almost everyone that I was you."

"Yes… and I suppose my father never realised, because he was already en route to Vale to pick me up. He and Winter barely ever talk, so it makes sense she wouldn't have told him she had me or vice versa." Weiss frowned, though it didn't feel like it was directed at her. The heiress looked… contemplative.

Emerald decided to try and seal the deal. "I could do a lot of things for you, Weiss. I could cover for you in meetings. I could let you spy on someone and they wouldn't ever realise you were there. Heck, you could probably even use me to steal money from the SDC or influence someone to do something. I can-" A hand stopped her.

"As long as I can trust you not to stab me in the back."

"I never did to Cinder," Emerald pointed out. "As long as you cover for me, I'll be loyal. I have no one else to turn to."

"True…" Weiss' smile turned vicious. "Well, then, I think we might be able to come to something of an agreement.

"Yeah?" Emerald rose, her spirits with her. Without really meaning to, she fell back into old habits. "Then what's the plan, ma'am? What are we working towards?"

Weiss uncrossed her legs and stood, moving slowly over to the balcony that overlooked the gardens, and beyond that, Atlas itself. She took a deep breath and let it go, and some invisible weight seemed to leave her.

"I think that it's time for change around here, Emerald. My father… I don't believe he's the best person to run the SDC anymore." Weiss didn't look towards her, but she did smile. "What do you think?"

Emerald, no fool, moved up to stand next to her.

"I think you could do better, ma'am."

Weiss smiled.

"My thoughts exactly. And call me Weiss."

/-/

Ruby and Nora lowered their weapons as the golem – or the strange spirit possessing it – left its rocky host, allowing the boulders to tumble to the floor. It hovered in the air before Jaune, before them, but made no move to attack.

"Tell it to go back to the Grimmlands," Ruby suggested. "Tell it not to come back here."

Jaune nodded and relayed the message. The Grimm looked to her, perhaps even recognising it was her request instead of its Prince's, but it nodded regardless and rose into the air. Whether it dissipated entirely or just became so thin she couldn't see it was unknown, but the threat was dealt with. The people of the small village would feel a lot safer.

"You know, this feels like cheating," Nora said. "And we're going to get paid for this?"

"We technically did what they wanted," Ruby said. "Think of it more like an exorcism."

"Ooh, can we get some long, black coats to wear?"

Ruby ignored Nora, who quickly went over to clamber on top of the once-golem and poke at the various pieces of rock. She turned to Jaune and nodded, grateful for his help and maybe even a little relieved that he'd given it.

He's just like he's always been, a part of her whispered. Ruby tried her best to ignore it. He was, and that was the problem. Not trusting him would have been so much easier if he acted differently, but he didn't. He was just himself.

She wanted to trust him. No, she did trust him, and that was the problem. She was meant to be keeping an eye on him, but she didn't think she could. What kind of watcher would she be if she just believed everything he said? She was too emotionally involved to be objective around him.

And worse, he kept giving her that look – something between a hopeful "Did I do good" and a sorrowful "Why don't you trust me" kind of thing. It broke her heart every time. He was giving her the proud version this time, like he was desperately hoping she'd praise him.

"G-Good job, Jaune."

Damn it, Ruby. Be strong.

"I'm glad we could sort it out without any fights," he replied. "And I get what Nora means about the money, but we kind of need it."

"Yeah, I know. Food and lodging isn't cheap, and we still need to make it to Haven." Using Jaune's not-insignificant reserves of lien was tempting, but people would probably notice that. After what Cinder had done in Beacon, Ruby wasn't sure if Jaune's family would be out looking for him or not.

Or how upset they might be to find him with them…

"Ruby, I…" Jaune broke off with a frustrated sigh, looking away. "We should… we should move on…"

"Jaune… I do trust you. It's just…"

"Too much?"

"No. It's just that things are too crazy. I trust you, but that's me. We were friends. We are friends," she quickly amended when his face fell. "Look, now isn't the time for this. We should focus on getting everyone back together first, and then we can sort this out. We're still friends. I still think of you as the friend who helped pick me up all the way back in Beacon." And even back then there had been a strange feeling when she looked him in the eye. How could she have known it was this?

"I'm glad. I feel the same. I really am on your side, Ruby. I swear."

"I…" She what? She knew? She didn't know and that was the problem. She thought she did, but did she know good enough to risk the lives of everyone she loved? What right did she have to do any of that?

Her face twisted.

"I believe you," she said, instead. "I believe you, but we need to save Pyrrha. Preferably before your family realise what you're doing and send someone out to collect you. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to show everyone you can be trusted." Ruby beamed and punched his arm gently. It wasn't her he had to convince, after all. It was everyone else. "No one will be able to deny it once we rescue Pyrrha, Ren and Weiss."

The worry in his face relaxed and a tentative smile came forth. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You know I am! We have a plan and we have a mission." Ruby struck a heroic pose, if only to cheer him up. It worked, since he started laughing almost immediately. "Nothing can stop us now!"

A familiar shape burst from the bushes, covered in twigs.

"There you are," Uncle Qrow said, gasping for breath. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you lot?"

Ruby's face fell.

Jaune's smile died.

Nora sighed. "You were saying, fearless leader?"

"Crud…"

So, we're setting up in parallel to canon and skipping just as aggressively – and there will be a few more skips, too. I don't necessarily think V4 was wrong to skip, but it didn't balance the interest well across the arcs. Weiss' was boring. Blake's was boring, and honestly, Yang's was okay but slow to get off. We'll be different, and also a little faster.

How will Qrow and Ozpin's goals clash with Jaune and Ruby's? Well, you can probably imagine.

Apologies for no Yang or Ren this week. They'll play a bigger part next.

Next Chapter: 21st June

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur