AN: Woo! Two chapters out in less than two weeks! And this one is pretty hefty, at more than 5750 words, too! I'm glad that I was able to get this done so quickly, as I'm trying to follow a RWBY POV schedule. It was a little bit impacted by Ruby waking up and the hospital attack, but I think I should be able to follow it again, now. As such, the next chapter should be in Yang's POV.

Anyway, this deals with some of the behind-the-scenes stuff going on with the SDC and the White Fang, and does introduce some of the canon from Season 4, but only in regards to Blake's background. Admittedly, I still haven't watched any episodes from S4 besides the first few, and if what I've seen on Tumblr is true about Jaune pretty much being more of a main character than Ruby, I don't know if I want to.

That aside, I hope that you have fun reading this chapter. As always, read, enjoy, and please review!

Who Watches the Watchers…

Blake sighed as she tugged off a plain black ball cap, her ears twitching in relief. She kicked her legs up onto the dusty desk that sat in the main room of what had once been a regularly used safe house of the White Fang, and her eyes fluttered blissfully shut as her lower back loosened, the tension that had been centered on her lower spine releasing with muted pops when she rolled her hips juuust so. Tension relieved, she tossed her hat onto the desk, and it slid passed her blue jean clad legs before coming to a stop next to her scuffed up boots. It had been a long few days, and she was glad for the chance to actually relax for once. She wouldn't have very long, as the Faunus she was supposed to be meeting here should be arriving shortly, but she'd take what little she could get.

For a moment, she missed her scroll…calling Yang would have been nice, or even playing some of the game apps or reading articles online would have helped pass the time, but she knew that, despite her own efforts to encrypt her phone as best as she could, there were organizations out there that had the finances and tech to burn through her encryptions in order to discover her location, most notably (that she knew of) the Atlesian armed forces. Granted, General Ironwood had no reason to act on knowing her location, but she also didn't trust him as far as she could throw him with the strength she had had when she was a nine-year-old. She also wouldn't be all that surprised if the Crimson Claw had someone dedicated to hacking scrolls, but they couldn't have the hard resources that Atlas did, so she bet that whatever cyber warfare assets they had could concentrate on a handful of targets at any given time, but they couldn't focus on all their targets all the time.

And speaking of that…her eyes flew open, brows furrowed in thought. War, if you can call it that, has been declared for a while, but other than recruitment efforts going up and Beacon asking its senior students and alumni to help work with the militia to form self-defense units, nothing has really happened in Vale. But elsewhere…her teeth worried her lip. Multiple terrorist attacks in other kingdoms, most notably in Atlas, including a very successful bombing against a Paladin manufacturing plant. Martial law had been declared, and her sources spoke of a strictly enforced curfew, with some humans and Faunus killed by overzealous soldiers, which, of course, only heightened tensions further. No protests were allowed, and no riots to speak of, likely from fear of how the Mantle government would react, but she wondered how long that would last. Vacuo and Mistral weren't as bad, and had suffered fewer attacks, and both Haven and Shade academies seemed content with having their students act as their defense forces, with students patrolling the streets. So far that had seemed to work well, but Blake was uncertain how well that would go as time went on…the academies taught their students how to fight Grimm, not how to act as keepers of the peace within a kingdom's walls. That's what the police were for.

And the Menagerie…father has been overly cheerful in his emails…he's deliberately not telling me what's going on at home. I know he's been working with Andrei and the White Fang, but everyone at home has got to be worried about this war…if the kingdoms lack a substantial Crimson Claw target upon which to focus, they might settle for the next best thing, the home realm of the majority of the Faunus. Her gut churned uneasily at that. Were her efforts and the efforts of her friends the only thing that stood in the way of a second Faunus war? She wished her sources were better back home, but the Schnee Dust Company was still viewed as the bogeyman in the Menagerie, and using SDC funds to do anything there was difficult, to say the least. Sure, she had her family, and some friends there, but they didn't know how to give the intelligence she needed, or they refused to give it for fear of making her worried.

And speaking of limited intelligence…she needed to get into contact with Beacon. Yang's contacts in the underground were focused with the organized criminal activity within Vale…few organizations extended past the walls, save for a lucrative black market, but the smugglers that worked it were very good at keeping to themselves and didn't share information…their very lives depended on their ability to keep their movements secret from everyone else. A slip of the lip could result in police waiting at your drop point, at best, or a rival crew or gang, at worst. Cops would arrest them…rivals would eliminate the competition. Her own contacts were tied in with the other kingdoms and rival major companies. She knew a lot about rival dust corporations, and received a LOT of information about trade deals, social stability, trade routes, and possible scandals to either take advantage of in other companies or to silence if they were from within the SDC ranks. But for places that didn't work with the SDC or were connected with SDC business to, say, oh about the tertiary level…SDC funds were vast, but not unlimited, so her intelligence community, though extensive, wasn't infinite. There was a great deal of intel that she simply didn't know, and right now, that was a problem, particularly within the independent settlements out in the wilds.

Rumors…only rumors, but some of the outlying towns and villages, the ones living away from the major roads and trade routes…they had gone silent. There hadn't been many chances to go and investigate many of them, but according to hearsay, what few Hunter teams that had been able to had reported complete annihilation at the towns they had made it to, some rumors saying that the buildings were intact but the people gone without a trace or even a sign of struggle, others saying that the buildings and the people were simply gone as though they had never existed, with only clearings remaining to show where the settlement used to be, and still others reported that the villages in question had been destroyed by a great inferno, with their people burnt down to ash. Blake wondered how much of that was true, and what was exaggerated rumor, but her sources couldn't confirm. She'd have to link up with Miss Goodwitch and see if she could either speak to one of the Hunter teams that had been to one of these places, or to join along with any team sent to investigate any future claims. If the Crimson Claw was targeting outlying settlements…

Her cat ears twitched at the sound of a single set of feet coming up the stairs left deliberately creaky, and she removed her feet from the desk, sitting up completely straight as she focused on the door, hand dropping to the hilt of Gambol Shroud as her heart began to beat faster in anticipation. The Crimson Claw would know about this place, but it was the most appropriate location that she could think of, given who she was meeting, and no one in the SDC besides her knew about this dusty set of rooms that likely hadn't been used since Adam had been in charge of the White Fang.

If I've been betrayed and that's not who it's supposed to be, I'll unleash some of my shadow clones and flee through the window. Third story, no fire escapes, so even if they're waiting for me in the street, they won't be able to hit me right outside the window. I should be able to evade any pursuit.

The feet came up to this landing, walked down the hall, and paused outside the door, and her grip tightened on Gambol Shroud. Then the person knocked, and did the code that was previously agreed upon, but that wasn't a guarantee. "Enter," she commanded as she rose to her feet, muscles tensing in preparation for sudden, decisive movement. But then the door opened, revealing Sarisha, the snake Faunus, who was wearing non-descript street clothing that was sufficiently baggy enough to conceal any weapons that she might be carrying. Blake relaxed, but only just. Of course they sent her, only makes sense that she'd fill that role in the White Fang. "The crow flies at midnight," she challenged, eyes narrowed.

Sarisha rolled her eyes with a smirk. "And beats its wings alone," she returned, and Blake relaxed still further, hand leaving Gambol Shroud's hilt.

"Come in, and shut the door. You're sure you weren't followed?"

Sarisha closed and locked the door behind her, and nodded. "Just as sure as you were that you weren't followed when you came here, I'm sure. Is this place secure?" She tilted her head quizzically to the side, silver eyes glinting under long, dark eyelashes. "The last thing either of us needs is for someone listening in on our discussion."

"Of course," Blake replied, pointing to a device that sat in the corner. Electronic bug finder, and a green light shone on its control panel, showing that it was putting out signals that would disrupt any electronic devices, either local or long distance, that could be used to snoop on their meeting.

Sarisha glanced at the device, and then nodded, satisfied. "Introductions are in order, I believe." She strode forward, offering a hand, and Blake took a moment to take stock of her. Shorter than I expected. Lithe frame, movements are very graceful. Gives of an air of danger, but not necessarily one born of a strong ability at combat…strange. "Sarisha Aspis, Head of Intelligence for the White Fang. A pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sure," Blake dryly retorted. "Blake Belladona, Chief of Security of the Schnee Dust Company."

"Hn. I doubt that that's just physical security," she said with a small smirk. "I rather imagine that we serve very, very similar roles within our respective organizations." She gestured at a chair. "May I?"

Blake nodded as she sank back down into her own chair. Once Sarisha had sat down, she began. "If the SDC and the White Fang are going to work together, we need to start sharing information now, in order to defeat the Crimson Claw and stop this senseless in-fighting. That said, we need to ask a favor."

Sarisha's grin was sly. "A favor? Blake Belladonna, arguably one of the most powerful Faunus in all of Remnant, asking for a favor? Oh, do go on."

And now for the fun part. "You are familiar with the Crimson Claw assault on the hospital, yes?" Of course she was…she might even know more about it than even Blake did, depending on just how good her intelligence network was. "The reason I was able to mobilize the Vale Police and get Weiss and Yang there soon enough to prevent Ruby's death was because I had a certain source of intelligence, and we need help relocating him. He's a rabbit Faunus by the name of-"

"Vern Williams," Sarisha ended for her, sitting back and frowning. "We had wondered what had happened to him. We knew he was being used by the Crimson Claw to pass messages, and he occasionally dropped us what information he could without catching any undue attention, but he disappeared a week or so ago…we were afraid that the Crimson Claw had killed him to silence any leads. You have him?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. I'm actually rather surprised he gave you any intelligence at all. He might have given us information, but he used to be White Fang. For him to reveal such crucial intel to the SDC…" she trailed off, and then narrowed her eyes at Blake. "Just how did you convince Mr. Williams to give you that intelligence."

"I used sensory deprivation over an extended amount of time to break his will," Blake replied coolly.

Sarisha drew in a sharp breath. "So, Weiss Schnee speaks of peace, and then she interrogates our former members. I do not find that to be comforting, Miss Belladonna."

"Actually, she didn't know anything about the interrogation, nor the location that it occurred at. Such methods were solely of my accord," Blake replied, and Sarisha stared at her for a long moment before she grinned, expression almost delight, if not for the chill glint in her silver eyes.

"Oh, so that's why you fell out of favor!" she almost crowed. "Schnee must have found out about your activities. Just how angry was she?"

"Angry enough that if I was anybody else, she'd have fired me, possibly had me arrested. I've spent the last few days demolishing the site."

Sarisha scoffed, rolling her eyes. "A waste, then."

Blake blinked, surprised. "I'm…sorry?"

Sarisha waved a hand as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, trust me, it's very reassuring to hear that Schnee didn't condone your activity, but…well, have you only interrogated Faunus?"

As if that could actually be an honest question. "No, of course not. We were very thorough in our methods to find and eliminate corruption within the SDC, human or Faunus borne."

Sarisha's grin definitely had a hard, cruel edge to it. "Oh, I can only imagine."

Blake hesitated for a moment. "You seem to be taking this rather well."

Sarisha shrugged. "I'm head of the White Fang's intelligence body. We were likewise very busy removing the last vestiges of that scum Taurus's influence from the White Fang though…" and again, her eyes glittered dangerously, "…I imagine our methods were rather more permanent than yours."

Well. That was…disconcerting. "I've got the feeling that you are a rather pragmatic individual when it comes to security," Blake hedged cautiously, and Sarisha spread her hands in an oh, well gesture.

"Ours is a hard world, Miss Belladonna, and it is at times better to remove the cancer than it is to try and rehabilitate. Andrei…he knows this truth. He lost leadership that first time because of an unwillingness to remove said cancer, and he is determined to not make the same mistakes."

"Well said, but I have to wonder. Who watches us watchers?"

"A philosophical question. My absolute devotion to Andrei and my ability to look at things logically keep me in line. That, and I have a very long list of limits that Andrei expects me to follow, to the letter. You? You've got Schnee and her sense of morality. Why else did you keep the existence of your fun house secret for so long?"

"True."

"Oh, speaking of which, should you need information from any unruly subjects from here on in, just let us know. We can take custody of such individuals and make the determination of whether or not they need more energetic questioning."

Blake stared at Sarisha, brows shooting up at her words. "You'd…interrogate people for the SDC?"

Sarisha glared back at her, lips thinning with displeasure. "No, we'd never do the SDC's dirty work. We've no interest in trade deals or finding out blackmail to use against your corporate rivals. However, if you've captured someone who might have information pertaining to the safety of your team, or who has intel on the Crimson Claw, or who has information about a possible terrorist attack, particularly against the White Fang or the SDC, give them to us. We'll make the decision on what steps are appropriate."

Blake leaned back in her chair. "Seems a bit risky. What guarantee do I have that you wouldn't do something worse to them than what I'd do?"

"Well, for starters, we were planning on extracting Mister Williams and giving him asylum away from the Crimson Claw, and I assure you, after I was done with him, nobody that I didn't want to find him could do so. But your compatriots beat us to the punch…and given that Yang Xiao Long was the one to apprehend him, I mean that quite literally." She paused, and then shrugged. "As for others, well…there are some issues that only a noose will solve, as the saying goes. But said noose will only be applied if Andrei gives the go ahead, and if we Faunus had to trust anyone to make the right decision in such cases, shouldn't we trust him?"

Blake thought that over, and nodded. "I can see this working, especially since you have a sort of…oh, say, a jurisdiction over the Faunus. Better for the SDC to give the White Fang captured Faunus than for us to keep and interrogate them on our own."

"My thoughts exactly. Now, what gaps do you have in your intelligence networks?"

Oof, now that was a troubling question to hear, and a hard one to answer. Sure, they were working with the White Fang now, but it would be like Vale asking Mantle what holes they had in their defenses. Sure, they might be asking out of an honest effort to help shore up said holes because they were allies, but alliances didn't last forever, and there was no guarantee that said information couldn't eventually be used against them. If the White Fang knew how to avoid SDC attention, or even where SDC intel was lacking…another Adam Taurus could use that to crippling effect, possibly even destroy the company. She could well remember the fear and frustration of sending teams out, not knowing if they'd succeed, much less come back home in one piece. More times than not, their various targets weren't when they were supposed to be, and at other times, the targets were in the right place, but had too much security for their lightly armed fighters to overcome. Still other times…other times, there was only SDC security waiting for them, security that knew when and where the White Fang were going to be arriving. Those were the worst missions, and Adam raged the most at those failures.

"I'm not sure…that I want to answer that question," she replied tentatively.

Sarisha sighed before giving a begrudging nod. "I can respect that. I just didn't want to give you information you had already heard. We don't have much time. What have you heard from Menagerie?"

At least that was safe information. Sarisha likely knew that there wouldn't be much official interest there because the SDC didn't have any assets for anyone to attack there. "Nothing much. My father has been hiding what's actually been going on over there, which is troubling, given who he is."

Sarisha gave a puzzled blink, frowned as she really looked at Blake, and then paled. "Wait, your father is the Ghira Belladonna?"

Blake looked at her in surprise. "Wait, you didn't know that?"

"No, of course I didn't! I thought you were part of one of the offshoots of the Belladonna clan, not the daughter of the chieftain of the whole bloody Menagerie!" She stood up, and started pacing wringing her hands. "Oh, this isn't good!"

"What isn't good? What's going on?" Blake demanded as she, too, stood up.

"Things aren't going well in Menagerie. In some cities, there's open fighting between Ghira's men and the Crimson Claw. The White Fang helps where we can, but a lot of our more militant members were the ones who joined the Crimson Claw when it was formed. We've mainly been working hard to keep everything under wraps, to keep the other Kingdoms blind to what's going on."

"But why? Couldn't we help dad…oh. Oh, no."

Sarisha's face was grim. "You see, don't you? If it was common knowledge that the Crimson Claw was taking over parts of Menagerie, how do you think the Kingdoms would react? They wouldn't come to help us fight, they'd come to bomb everything into submission. Have a couple Atlesian show up to try and bombard the Crimson Claw into submission, and everything would devolve. Oh, we've got to get your family out of there, like, now!"

"Why, I thought you said he was fighting back?"

"Yeah, he is, but…it isn't going well. Vale's declaration of war was mild, but Mantle was much more hardline, with Vacuo and Mistral falling in the middle. Mantle basically made it sound like a return of the Faunus Rights Revolution. They didn't quite declare war on the Faunus, but they came awful close. Folks in Menagerie took that pretty hard, and Ghira tried to take a moderate line. The Crimson Claw seized the chance, and began using really inflammatory rhetoric, stating that Ghira is a human sympathizer that won't stand up for Faunus rights. He's doing okay right now, but if it were discovered that his daughter was working with the hated Schnee Dust Company…"

"…dad would lose a lot of credibility…" Blake murmured, worry for him and her mom fluttering in her chest. To find out that things were that bad back home…

"And he's already had multiple assassination attempts against him. If the Crimson Claw found out he was the father of one of their greatest opponents, then they'd try even harder to kill him, or worse, capture him." Blake squeezed her eyes shut, the worry from before becoming even stronger. As much as she would love for her dad to come here, where he'd be safe…

"No, he's got to stay in Menagerie. If he fled now, then Menagerie is truly lost, and then nothing would stop the human kingdoms from destroying it. He needs to stay and try to fight for as long as possible. What does he need in support?"

"Money, of course. Weapons, if you can figure out how to get them to him without the SDC being affiliated with them in any way. How capable is the SDC of getting that stuff to him on the down low?"

"We can do it, but it'll be expensive," Blake murmured as her mind raced. Smugglers. She'd have to get in contact with the smugglers. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to go home herself and fight by her father's side, but she was too well-known. Her presence might make the situation worse, and she could honestly do more good than bad from Vale, working with Weiss, Winter, and the SDC, though she absolutely hated to admit it. She also needed people that she trusted at hand in Menagerie, ready to extract her family if things went pear shaped. Velvet and Sun Wukong…they'd be the best bet. Maybe have the rest of their teams hidden away nearby, to act as a quick reaction force, but that could be an issue…any humans in Menagerie right now could be in danger of being attacked, or even of making things worse just by being there. "We'll pursue those options, but if anything big happens, I need the information immediately. Can you do that for me, please?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, really. This…I figured things weren't good back home, but for it to be this bad…"

"Yeah, things aren't going well. How's Miss Rose doing?"

Blake was able to give a small smile at the question, even if she was still reeling over the shock of finding out her dad was involved in a civil war. "Doing much better. She's been doing physical therapy for three days now, and is improving rapidly." She glanced at her watch. "Actually, she should be finishing up today's session now. It's time I ended my exile and saw her in person while she's awake." At her words, her smile grew strained. To have not had the chance to see Ruby after her wake up, especially this far in…she missed her friend.

"That sounds good. Go, see her. All of your hard work will be for nothing if you don't see the people that you are sacrificing yourself for."

Blake nodded. "Wisely put. In the meantime, we'll work on keeping in touch. Weiss may have noble intentions about this partnership with the White Fang, but we both know that it's success depends on people like us, haggling out the minor, dark details behind the scenes."

"Speaking of dark details, where is Mister Williams?"

"He's in a secure location, with some of my best, most trusted guards watching over him. We're planning on moving him tomorrow. You can meet us if you would like to take custody of him. The Schnee Dust Company will reimburse the White Fang for the cost of relocating him to a safe location, and that's from Weiss Schnee herself."

Sarisha stared at her for a moment, face expressionless. "That's awful kind of her."

"Like I said, she was really not happy when she found out the details of his case."

"I can see that. Well, rest assured, we'll take care of it. Now, seriously, go! I'm sure that your friend wants to see you!"

Blake nodded, and put her ball cap back on before pulling out a pair of sunglasses from her jacket pocket. She put on the shades, retrieved the anti-surveillance device in the corner, and went to the door. "May all our meetings go as productively as this one," she said over her shoulder, and Sarisha laughed.

"You know they won't be."

"But I can hope, can't I?" And then she was through the door and heading down the stairs. She got some odd stares upon reaching the street, as the device was unusual looking, but no one tried to talk to her. Of course, this was the part of town that people really weren't to chatty, and it's not like anyone would recognize her. She was actually fairly confident that she could probably walk right past even Yang and not be recognized. It was amazing what changing your hair style (even something so simple as putting your hair in a braid that your friends hadn't seen you use before!), wearing concealing clothing (even just a hat and sunglasses went a long way), and changing how you carried yourself would do for you. Her friends would expect to see her standing tall and proud, ears bared for all to see, and usually wearing something to show her employment with the SDC. They'd probably walk right past this dark haired, pale-skinned girl walking meekly down the road, head slightly bowed, which only served to further obscure her face. Maybe if someone was really looking for her they'd notice her and look deeper than the clothes, but for everyday travel, she was as invisible as one could be walking down the street.

So, unsurprisingly, she made it to her car without incident. Not Bagheera today, but instead a decade old sedan with a dented fender, one door that wasn't the same color as the rest of the car, and rust running along the edge of the undercarriage. Nevermind the fact that the frame was not only in superb condition, but was actually reinforced to be able to survive hits that would total the standard car on the road, and that it had an AWD drive train and a supercharged V8 engine. It looked like a beater not worth anyone's attention, but it could run most cars on the road into the ground. She smiled as she put the device in the trunk, remembering the time that she crushed some dumb jock in a sports car his daddy probably got him in a drag race. She could clearly recall the look of horrified shock on his face that she could see in her rearview mirror as she made him eat her dust. Ah, good times.

A quick scan of the car revealed no signs of possible tampering (including looking underneath the car just in case someone had tried to plant a bomb…the difference between life and death was often attention to detail and being methodical about it) and soon she was on her way to the hospital. Traffic was light, and twenty minutes later she was parking in the hospital's parking garage. A minute to take her hair out of her braid, and then she was on her way in, jacket, hat, and sunglasses left in the car. The trek through the maze of the hospital was just as uneventful as the drive in, and soon she was entering the new ICU. She nodded respectfully to the staff and patients that she encountered, and then she was pausing in front of Ruby's door, ears flicking with worry. Oh, she really should have expected that.

She could hear Ruby and Weiss talking inside, though their voices were too low for her to catch what they were actually saying, even with her Faunus hearing. She reached out before hesitating, her fingers inches from the handle of the sliding glass door, and she stared at the drawn curtain that barred Ruby and Weiss from her sight. Would she be welcome? She knew that Ruby would be happy to see her, but Weiss…her fingers curled into a fist. No! She would not run away from her problems again! If Weiss had an issue with her being here, too bad, Ruby was her friend, too!

Resolve hardened, she slid the door open, and brushed aside the curtain. "Hi, Ruby, how are you-?" she started, and then faltered on the threshold. She had been expecting to see bandages, not this.

Weiss was perched on the side of Ruby's bed, holding a tube of ointment, her left hand in a glove, with some of the ointment smeared on her fingers, and she was looking at Blake nervously. Ruby was facing the door, a veritable mountain of bandages and dressings in her lap, and her face briefly lit up with a bright smile when she saw her…a smile that disappeared as Blake stopped talking, and Blake felt her own heart lurch with guilt as Ruby looked away from her, her grey eye flashing with many emotions, and none of them good. But as she turned away…

Blake squeezed her eyes shut as she took in a deep breath, steeling herself. It had been a long time since she had last seen Ruby's wounds from the observatory room while she was in surgery, and to see it now, when she wasn't expecting it…even through her closed eyes, she could see the gaping eye socket, staring sightlessly at her, a dark, accusing hole in Ruby's face. In many ways, that hole was Blake's fault, never mind the skin darkened by her severe burns, though the burns were shiny where Weiss had applied the ointment. Center yourself. Ruby needs you to be here for her. She doesn't need you to freak out, blaming yourself for her injuries!

Oh, but if only her intelligence had been better! If only she had known about the attack before it happened! If only she had done her job and prevented this from happening!

"Blake, how are you?" Ruby asked, and Blake forced her eyes back open to see Ruby still turned away from her, presenting only the damaged side of her face to Blake.

She took another deep, measured breath as she forced herself to look past the flesh that was bubbled and brown and angrily red and white and yellow and to her friend who needed her. "Good, but busy. And yourself?"

The right side of Ruby's mouth curled back in an ugly sneer that had to have hurt, but she did it anyway. "Peachy."

And then Blake blinked, suddenly noticing something else different about Ruby. "Oh! Your hair has been cut!" And it had, the hair cut almost down to a buzz cut, which really was the only way to even out the necessity borne and ragged haircut that she had been given for surgery. She looked…diminished without all of her hair.

Weiss sniffed haughtily. "Of course it has!"

Ruby's good arm crossed her body, briefly touching Weiss's knee, and Blake caught the minute blush in both their faces as Ruby withdrew her hand. "The nurses put me on a telemetry pack so I could leave the unit, and so Weiss and a staff member brought me outside where Weiss's hairdresser could give me a haircut which was super nice because I was getting real tired of having lopsided hair, you know?" she said with a rush, and Blake smiled gently.

And there's at least a measure of our old team leader, she told herself as she stepped further into the room. "I see that you're helping apply her medicine, Weiss. May I-?"

"No!"

She stopped short, hand frozen in midair at the harsh tone the Ruby's voice had taken. That hadn't been just a command, there had been real anger and fear in that word. "But I just want to help," she murmured, unable to keep the hurt hitch out of her voice.

Ruby looked up at her, her eye slightly wild. "No, only Weiss! Only Weiss can touch…can help me, okay? Blake, just…I don't…please, just wait outside."

"But…"

"Now!"

Weiss lay a gentle hand on Ruby's shoulder as she leaned towards Ruby's ear, and Ruby's breathing slowed, edging away from the near hyperventilation that she had been approaching. "It's okay," she whispered soothingly, and Blake fidgeted awkwardly as Ruby's hand sought Weiss's, gripping it like a drowning man in the middle of the ocean. Blake had the strongest feeling that she was witnessing something that she shouldn't be privy to, but before she could really focus on that feeling, Weiss turned towards Blake. "Blake, please, just wait outside, this will only take a few minutes, and then I can come out and get you, okay?" she asked, voice soft and eyes pleading.

"Yeah, sure," she heard herself saying, and then she was gently closing the curtain behind her as she stepped back into the hall, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. If Ruby was reacting to an offer for help from a friend like that, she was hurt a lot more that Blake had expected. She wanted to be there for Ruby, but if Ruby herself told her to leave…

What am I to do? What can I do to make things right again? She wasn't sure, but as she heard a soft sniffle and a comforting croon from the room behind her, she resolved to put aside her differences with Weiss and work with her boss to do what was right for Ruby, so that she could get better sooner. After all, she told herself, I owe her that much and so much more.

But she couldn't help that last, nagging though from creeping up in her mind. If the Crimson Claw could do that to Ruby, then what are they doing to the people in Menagerie…

Father, please…

Stay safe!