Shattered Assumptions Chapter 30: Stars, a rwby fanfic

Vacuo had suffered some pretty serious damage, and the battle was not without casualties.

Some Hunters, soldiers, and unlucky civilians had been killed or injured. Aurum lost a leg, but she was thankfully otherwise unharmed, as was Cobalt. The rest of my team thankfully escaped without injury, as did Team RWBY. Yang and Cinder both felt bad that they could be at Shade, but they had been weighed down by the waves of Grimm.

I felt it was better that way. If Orchid still had the means to steal Maiden powers, and I had no reason to doubt that she did, we didn't need to risk them unless it was absolutely necessary.

We looked into Astra and found she had no family, it seemed that her parents were long gone. Pyrrha stated that the traditional funeral rites of Argus were similar to Vacuo's in that cremation was the generally accepted means of burial. I found that this was incredibly common across Remnant, I have to assume it's to avoid potential defilement by Grimm looking for a quick snack.

We ended up having Astra and Haimon cremated. Pyrrha said that it was better that her parents didn't know that Haimon had lived. It was also better, she felt, that they only remembered who he had been, not who he became. I could tell she was torn up over it, but being the ever reserved Pyrrha, I was certain she was holding back her emotions. I just hoped she'd work them out.

She had Jaune and the rest of her team, and they would help her, I knew they would, at least once we had time to collect our thoughts. Fortunately, the relief effort didn't take very long at all to reach Vacuo. A day of picking up the pieces with those who were in a good enough shape to do so, and then we had the first ships, Valean and Atlesian alike.

That meant that our time to say our goodbyes to everyone was short, after all, we were carrying precious cargo, but there were two people I wanted to say farewell to. Luckily for me, they came looking for me before I could start looking for them.

It was the morning of the day we were set to leave, and I was helping overlook distribution of some of the relief aid amongst the civilian population. The skies were overcast; the rain from the day before had ceased but the clouds had yet to clear. Thunder in the distance promised more rain, but we'd be gone by then.

"Hey, Snowfall!" I heard someone call to me. I recognized the voice immediately as belonging to Roman.

I turned towards the sound and sure enough I saw Roman and Neo walking towards me. He raised a hand in greeting and I nodded in his direction and greeted him, "Roman. It's been too long, how're you these days?"

He took his cigar into his hand that wasn't on his cane as he responded, "Oh, you know. I've been taking it real easy ever since that whole business in Vale. On an… extended vacation, so to speak." He smirked, "Although after this business I think it's about time I head back home. No place like home, right?"

I hummed as I nodded, "No place like home." Then I smirked, "I hear you helped Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald. You've got a real knack for showing up at the best times, you know that? They say that you were a big help, you and Neo both."

Neo smirked and placed her hand on her hip while Roman grinned, "What can I say, the Grimm ruined my vacation. I couldn't let that stand." Then, his grin died as he frowned slightly, "I… Heard you've been through a lot, kid. You got kidnapped for a while or something, right?"

I was surprised that he had found out about that, but I just responded with a nod. Roman scowled, "That crazy bitch, Orchid, right? She's really a piece of work. There's no rhyme or reason to her, is there? She's just a lunatic." I nodded again and he sighed, "Well, if you need any help while you're in Atlas, Neo here is going to be in the city for a while." She nodded and he continued, "She's looking to… expand our operations, get me? She's made it clear she wants to help, especially with that daughter of yours."

Not for the first time I was a bit concerned about Neo teaching Shi anything, but I knew Shi wasn't that easily influenced. So, I just smiled, "Well, when we get settled in, I'll make sure to send her a text. Maybe we can work something out, Shi would certainly appreciate the help."

Neo smiled at that and then sent me a text that read, "Looking forward to it ;)"

Roman then patted her on the back and said, "Right. We should get going, got some work to do before we split again. Looks like you're busy too, so… Till next time. I'll probably stop by Atlas once or twice." He raised his hand in farewell and started to leave with Neo.

I called back to them, "Goodnight, then!" before looking back to the people I was overseeing and focusing on that.

Nothing of interest happened before we had to leave, thankfully. My birthday was coming up, and as long as nothing happened, which was unlikely, based on my track record, I would be able to enjoy it in Atlas.

Cobalt and Aurum planned to go with us so they could commission a prosthetic leg for Aurum. I knew Pietro would be able to help them with no problem, that was his job, and his passion, after all.

It also meant that I would see Penny again, I knew I would.

I still felt incredibly guilty about letting myself fall victim to what happened at the Vytal Festival, and I knew I was going to have to apologize. I also knew that Penny likely wasn't going to see anything worth making an apology about, but even if she felt it wasn't a big deal, I still wanted to do it.

When the time came, we all boarded an airship that was to take us to Atlas, save for Qrow, who opted to stay back for a few extra days in order to help the relief effort. It was just us, the soldiers and crew, and some civilians who wanted to leave Vacuo after the attack. I had to wonder how it was going to affect the already somewhat small city's population. Vacuo was a small place, and compared to Atlas and Vale it was far from the height of safety and comfort.

Maybe, some day, it'd be better. I hoped it would, for all those who would rather stay and not see their culture scattered to the wind.

The ship was, itself, fairly large. It was a carrier designed to bring supplies and workers to help Vacuo while shepherding those who wanted to leave for Atlas on its return trip. As 'VIPs' we had our own bedrooms, which was nice, and while they weren't that large, they were clean and comfortable, and that was what mattered the most to me.

Most of us spent the time recovering; the Battle for Vacuo was tiring for us all. Violet was able to use Aura to guide her around, thankfully, so she was mostly fine on her own, although I could tell not being able to see was weighing on her.

Along with something else.

I had an idea of what it was, but I didn't know for sure until our second night on the ship (the carrier was a lot slower than most other forms of air transport due to its size and weight). The bedrooms we were given were single person, with twin-sized beds with gray and white sheets, tile flooring, a nightstand with a lamp on it, a desk, and a place to put any suitcases or bags we had.

I was actually at the desk writing more of this book when it happened. I had moved the lamp to the desk so I could write in cozier lighting. I received a knock on the door, prompting me to look up from the page I was on and say, "It's open."

Aura opened the door and Violet stepped in, she had a white guiding cane and a pair of sunglasses that covered her eyes on, "Hey…" She smiled, and once she was fully inside Aura shut the door behind them and then dissipated back into Violet, "Uhm… Are you good to talk right now?"

I could tell that something was bothering her, more so than previously. So, I nodded, before remembering and then saying, "A-Ah, yeah. Here, let me help you sit down." I stood up and walked over to her, and she didn't protest me helping her, but I still felt her tense up when I put my hand on her back.

I guided her to sit on the bed, and she did so. I sat next to her and asked softly, "What's up, Vi? I can tell something's bothering you." Her breath had grown shaky and I could tell she was holding back tears, "Whatever it is, it'll be okay…"

She shook her head, "Will it, though?" Then she looked in my direction, "I…I lost my eyes, and… I could deal with that. We're gonna get it fixed, even if I lost my silver eyes, and even if the mechanical eyes will be a bit different…" She lowered her head, her tail remained still resting on the bed behind her, "What I can't excuse myself for is what I said to you, what I did…"

She sniffled, "It wasn't my place to kiss you like that. Sure, Cinder was fine with it when I told her, given the circumstances, but… I still feel guilty. I asked you to kiss me, and after I promised myself…" She reached up and gently touched her lips, "After I promised myself that I would never do anything to make anyone uncomfortable. That I would never get physical with my friends, never hug them without permission, never push them, never… Anything like that. Because I know what it's like to have no right to yourself…"

It felt wrong to interrupt, so I let her continue, "I asked you to kiss me, even though in my heart I knew that you didn't feel the same way. I knew that, in the position I was in, you'd feel obligated to…" I could see tears streaming down her face, out from under the glasses, "It went against everything I stand for! I couldn't stop myself, I just… I felt so vulnerable, and… you… you make me feel safe."

Her voice turned to a whisper as she said, "You've been through so much, and you fused with Ozpin, and you've been carrying all this weight on your shoulders. It scares me to know that, because I'm worried about you. That… That just makes me feel worse, because I know that you deserve better than that. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… You've done nothing but good things for me, and I repaid you like that. I'm… I'm a terrible friend, a terrible teammate, a-a terrible-"

That was when I cut her off by firmly saying, "Violet." I placed a hand on her shoulder as my voice softened, "Violet… You're none of those things. You've been a great friend to me, always have been, you're a wonderful teammate, a fierce fighter… You're a great person. We all have our times of weakness, and… believe it or not, I know what it means to be lonely. To feel like you're the only one who really 'gets it'. Yeah, I've been through a lot, but…"

I carefully pulled her closer so I could hug her, my hold loose enough so she could break out if she wanted. Yet she didn't, instead she just rested her head on my chest as I kept speaking, "That doesn't mean that you've been through any less. We've all had our trials in life, nobody's pain invalidates another."

We fell silent for a few moments, and then Violet started to speak softly, "I was born into a bad family. When I was a little girl, my parents, they… They'd make me do all the housework, even cooking, and… Whenever I got something wrong, they'd beat me." My eyes widened and my blood ran cold, but I didn't dare interrupt her, "I thought it was normal at first, how they'd hurt me, pull me hard enough to dislocate my arm, then force it back in place… How they'd chastise me for falling, even though I was just a kid… Then… I eventually started going to school.

The other kids would talk. They'd say their parents said not to talk to me, because they knew how bad my parents were… The kids thought there was something wrong with me. Most of them avoided me, some made fun of me, I… only had a friend in Mercury, when I met him, and even then… He eventually had to move away. I was alone, always alone… Then… One day…"

She took a shaky breath, "I broke a plate, watched it shatter, and my parents were… They were furious." I could tell this was a struggle for her, but she kept going nonetheless, "They beat me, and beat me, and… When they would normally stop, they kept going. They said they could just make another kid, a better one, and… I was afraid, then. So afraid…

"I felt something, then. Something primal burned inside, it grew, and grew… More than anything I wanted to live, I wanted someone to protect me, I wanted…. I wanted a friend. I got my wish, my aura ignited, then, and my semblance manifested. The first thing she did was protect me, she kept me alive, in the one way she could… With a single strike, she killed my parents."

She sighed, "...I don't regret their deaths, even if the orphanage I ended up in was filled with people who didn't like me, because they were the ones that had to shoulder the hospital bills I wracked up… I eventually got adopted by the person I call my grandpa, Greyson Merino. You remember him, with Oz's memories, I'm sure… He taught me to fight, he's why I'm here now, and… I don't know why I felt the need to say all this, but… I've never told anyone before, and I think… maybe… it'll help you understand why I feel the way I do."

I softly comforted her, "It's a lot to take in, but… I do understand. You've been through a lot, and you think you violated a principle you took on to be better than them, but… You are better than them, Violet. Looking at you now, I can say… you're easily one of the best people I've ever met. You're kind, understanding, funny, so very compassionate and altruistic…"

I gently rubbed her back, "You've suffered more than most, but… through it all, you've persevered. You've never given up, and I can tell you think that you've changed for the worse, that maybe you aren't yourself anyone, but… what you did wasn't a mistake, I could have turned you down. I didn't because I wanted to make you feel better… Violet… In spite of the abuse you suffered, in spite of the pain of rejection, in spite of life dealing you one bad hand after another, you're still all of those things I said you are, and that's amazing… In spite of everything, Violet, you're still you, and I'd never have it any other way."

Violet had started to sob, and much like on the very top of the ziggurat, much like that day on the couch, she wrapped her tail around me and hugged me back. She whispered, "Thank you. I… I really needed to hear that. I'm… I'd say I'm sorry for putting this on you, but… You'd probably say I shouldn't be sorry, right?"

I chuckled as I patted her back, "Now you're getting the picture, Violet… Some day, you'll find someone who loves you as much as you love them. I know you will, and until then… you'll never be alone, you have a friend in me, in the rest of your team, in the rest of our group, the Saviors of Remnant… You will never be alone again. I promise."

She went silent for a few minutes, and I could hear her ragged breathing getting steadier and steadier, until eventually she whispered…

"...Thank you."

It only took us another day to get to Atlas, the Greatest Kingdom, as it calls itself.

On the approach, we all prepared to depart. I stood with the others as we waited for the ship to touch down, and I could see Cinder looked somewhat uncomfortable. I gave her a look of concern, a way of asking her if she needed to talk. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, and I could see that we'd have to discuss it later.

I guessed that it had to do with her history in Atlas, the Glass Unicorn may have been long gone, but its mark remained on her psyche.

She wasn't the only one with a bad history in Atlas, either. Weiss clearly looked uneasy returning to the city she was raised in, although I would hesitate to call it her home. Her teammates saw this, and they were there to comfort her, but I still felt I should ask, "Are you feeling okay, Weiss?"

She looked at me before managing a weak smile, "Oh, I'll be okay. I'm just a bit worried, I haven't heard from Whitley in some time, and my father hasn't tried to get in touch with me either. I don't particularly care about my father, but it's abnormal for Whitley to not send a message every so often."

It seemed to me that the Whitley that existed here had a much better relationship with Weiss than the one in the original timeline did, at least that was good. What wasn't good was his lack of contact with her, so I said, "Well, I'm sure we'll find out the details once we're in the city. We can ask the General about it, if need be."

That seemed to ease her somewhat, but I could tell it was still bothering her. I honestly never spent much time with or around Weiss, purely out of us not having much to talk about. She spent a lot of her time with Cobalt and her team, while I spent mine with my team, Cinder, and Shi. In spite of that lack of a connection, I still felt that it was my responsibility to make sure she, and everyone else in my group, was taken care of. So I'd take it upon myself to help her, if she needed it.

I looked out the window at Atlas as we entered our final approach. The sight was even more stunning in person, and Shi seemed to agree, as I heard her gasp in surprise and awe. I smiled, and I hoped that this would be one of the last major trips we'd have to make. Ideally, the second to last, and after this we could go back to Patch and try to live a normal life.

Not that that was guaranteed, I knew it wasn't, but I felt that Atlas was the place where we'd finally be able to take care of the troubles that have been plaguing us for so long. Call it intuition, or call it experience. I just hoped there were no giant Grimm whales involved. Although if it came to Atlas, I would nuke it with my cane without a second thought. I had nothing to lose from doing that, especially because the cane didn't seem to kill or hurt regular people when it did that, based on how not just Oscar but everyone else on the whale had survived, while Salem had been obliterated, presumably after killing Hazel.

Maybe that was another death that could be avoided. I hoped so.

The massive ship set down on a massive landing strip, where soldiers and air personnel were racing about to handle the landing procedures and other necessary measures. The dock opened, and we were allowed to leave. Stepping out into the chilly air of Atlas was a shock to all of us after being in Vacuo for so long, but it was a welcome change. The Vacuan heat was hard to deal with sometimes, and while we didn't exactly come to Atlas at the best of times (December), we would be able to adapt.

General Ironwood himself, along with Winter, were there waiting for us. While the civilians were shepherded off to be given the assistance they needed, I led my group to them. James had grown his beard at this point, and he smiled at us, "I'm happy to see you all in one piece. If I could have been in Vacuo myself, then I would have been right there with you."

I smiled at him, "Good to see you too, James. I think it's safe to say this visit has been a long time coming. How're things?"

Weiss stepped forward, "And… Have you heard from my brother?" She looked at Winter, "Have you? Winter?" Of course, I expected her to be more concerned about her brother than her father. What had Jacques ever done for her?

Winter looked down silently, "Whitley will be okay. We… Need to speak elsewhere."

Ironwood nodded, "Come with us to Atlas Academy, we've a great deal to talk about." He turned on his heels and started to walk away, prompting us to follow, "We'll need to catch all of you up to the situation here. Team Juniper, Caine, and Ozza are already well aware, and I'm sure they've said some of what has gone on, but I have more to share."

We were shown to an APC that was large enough to fit all of us in. It hovered in the air, and took us straight to Atlas Academy. Luckily, we didn't need to worry about traffic when we were riding with the General himself.

When we reached Atlas Academy, we were quickly shown to the General's office. I always appreciated how it looked, with the constellations on the ground and the general theme of space that it held, thanks to the General's love of astrology. He took a seat at his desk as we approached and came to a stop in various places around the room, with most everyone curiously looking around.

Cinder stayed on my right while Shi stayed on my left, and I could tell they were nervous for two very different reasons. I nodded to each of them before looking at Ironwood, "Well, James… What's the situation? We're here to help."

James rubbed his chin, "We've been hunting a group of terrorists that I believe to be an offshoot of the White Fang that simply call themselves the Silver Fang. They're mostly defunct at this point thanks to the efforts of your ally, Peregrine. She and your friends that you sent our way saw to that. However, she is still on the hunt for the ones believed to be pulling the strings. Namely, Tyrian Callows, likely with the assistance of at least one other collaborator."

He leaned forward, "That being said… We do have a situation. Jacques Schnee is dead."

That prompted Weiss, who had been standing near one of Ironwood's bookshelves, to gasp, "Father is dead?!" She stepped closer to Ironwood's desk, "When did this happen?! Why was I not told?"

I frowned and looked down briefly, muttering to myself with some amusement, "Guess I'm the last Jack Frost standing, hmm?"

Shi looked at me curiously, "Did you say something, Dad?"

I shook my head, "No, it's nothing."

James looked at Weiss, "Nobody was told other than the SDC's board of directors. This happened two days ago. Jacques Schnee was assassinated in his own home by a skilled assailant. Your brother and mother attempted to fight this assassin, but while your mother is a former Huntress and your brother is training to enter Beacon, neither were able to get the upper-hand due to the suddenness of the attack and lack of available weapons. They were both in critical condition until yesterday, and now they're in medically induced comas until they recover.

Nobody knows who did it, but… There is talk." He leaned back in his chair, "As preposterous as it is, the SDC's board of directors believe that you were responsible for placing the hit."

The whole room erupted in outrage immediately.

Ruby spoke for her friend, "Weiss would never do something like that!"

Blake made her disagreement known, "It would be like corporate executives to pin the blame on the most convenient target, even when there's no evidence."

Yang rose to her defense as well, "Yeah! They can't just make assumptions like that, it's bullshit!"

There were similar disagreements from JNPR and the rest, while Cinder and I remained silent. I knew that if Cobalt and Aurum were there, they'd be outraged too, but they had gone down to Mantle to meet with Pietro.

James spoke up, "I know, I know!" He shook his head, "Listen to me, all of you. I know Weiss would have no reason to order a hit. Nor is she the type of person who would do that. The accusations are baseless, but…" He thinned his lips, "We may have to at least pay them lip service. Otherwise the SDC might decide to go public before we can, even if it's against the law, and if they bring this to light, there will be no salvaging the public's opinion. I may be General, but I have to pay attention to the wishes of the people, and the rest of the council will do the same."

He sighed, "It doesn't help that Jacques was one of Atlas' councilors. He and Robyn Hill replaced the last two. Councilor Sleet died of natural causes and triggered an emergency election, and not long after that Councilor Camilla retired. Between that and the attacks perpetrated by the terrorists prior to being mostly weeded out, Atlas has entered a very turbulent period."

Everyone calmed down somewhat at the news that Ironwood was on their side. Yet, Weiss still looked anxious, "So… What do we do? What do I need to do?"

I knew where he was going with this before he even said it. He began, "We're going to need to… 'Arrest' you, Weiss. To give the SDC the impression that we're playing their game while the rest of us look for the real culprit. In reality, you'll be kept here, in Atlas Academy, until such time that we can clear your name. I know how it sounds, but it's for the best, we need to buy time. I'm sure Neve will agree."

Everyone, again, seemed shocked. Yet, it was more subdued this time. I spoke up, "I don't like it, but if that's the situation we're dealing with, then we'll need to play along. We can't let the SDC start a smear campaign against Weiss, that would make finding and convicting the actual murderer that much harder."

Cinder crossed her arms and nodded, "If I know anything about who we're facing, and I have no reason to doubt myself, then they want us to turn against each other. They want to see Weiss get her name dragged through the mud, the surge of negative emotion this going public would cause is exactly what they want. The more we're divided, the angrier we are, the easier it'll be for them to kill us all."

Emerald agreed, "We can't let this get out of hand. It's bad enough as it is, and if we fight, it'll only get worse."

Finally, Weiss sighed and looked down, "Then… I'll stay here. The rest of you need to hurry up to find the real murderer, alright? Then let me know. I will not forgive you if you take them out without me."

There was little else that could be said, none of us liked this, but at least Weiss wouldn't be locked in an actual prison cell. I was relieved Ironwood had kept his sanity, although I didn't doubt we'd be able to handle him even if he hadn't, and without dropping Atlas into Mantle.

Before we did anything, we needed rest.

Weiss was given a dorm to stay in, and Team RWBY opted to sleep there with her whenever they could. There wasn't enough space for all of us to have our own dorms, given that the school year was going to be starting soon, the rest of us had planned to rent an apartment with our combined funds, but then Moss Grove, shockingly, got in contact with us.

He had heard about what happened in Vacuo over the CCTS and while he wasn't sure if we were in Atlas at that point, he said that if we ever did end up there, we could use his townhouse. He still owned it, although we would have to activate the utilities ourselves. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, the works.

That solved the problem for Team CALM, Cinder, and Shi. Team JNPR and the others, with the help of Pyrrha's connections, got an apartment in a complex known as Epsilon Heights. It was nice, in some ways, being able to be separate like that after living together for so long. As much as I enjoyed the company of JNPR and the others, the Vacuo house got crowded towards the final few months.

Now? Well, it felt a bit closer to what it was like on Patch.

Except we'd be staying in the place where one of our greatest foes grew up. That was a bit jarring, but we weren't going to say no to it. At least, after we did a sweep of the place to make sure there were no traps, nor anything else malicious waiting for us there. I didn't suspect Moss Grove of being on her side, but I wouldn't have put it past Orchid to bug her family home.

It was unlikely. Atlas knew what Orchid looked like, she'd have a hard time getting around without being spotted. It was likely that, if she was in the area, she was likely down in Mantle. Yet, I wasn't so sure about her being there at all. Considering what Violet told me about her fight, it was likely that Orchid had retreated to Evernight Castle to recover from her injuries. That would buy us time.

That didn't stop me from having us meticulously check the entire house for anything that could be used to spy on us. I even used a spell to try and detect anything out of the ordinary. Luckily, there was nothing, and so we at least didn't have to worry about that.

It was kind of… eerie, how normal the house was. Wooden floors, a spacious living room with a fireplace with a holo-TV on top of it, bookshelves filled with all sorts of material, and a generally cozy atmosphere. The kitchen was cozy and had everything any of us could want when it came to making food, although we were obviously going to have to go shopping for our own groceries.

There were three bedrooms. The first two were the master bedroom and the guest bedroom, both with queen sized beds. Those two bedrooms were devoid of anything personal. No pictures, no mementos, nothing. At least that made it easy for me to claim the master for myself and Cinder.

Violet and Jeanne got the guest bedroom while Lunus volunteered to sleep on the couch. There was a bit of a scuffle as Jeanne felt that wasn't fair to him, but he pointed out that Violet should have a bed, since she didn't have her mechanical eyes yet, and Lunus didn't feel comfortable sharing a bed with someone like that, even a teammate. Jeanne couldn't exactly push back against that, although I could tell Violet felt guilty.

The final bedroom stood out, compared to the others.

Shi had been the one to really look through it first, and she felt so strongly about it that she asked me to transcribe her written account here.

Shi POV

When I first opened the door to the bedroom, I immediately knew it was different from the others.

The other bedrooms were devoid of anything that'd say who they belonged to, they made me feel very weird. Kind of like when we would stay at a hotel, you know people slept there, stayed there, but there was nothing to tell you who they were or what they were like. I'd only ever heard about Moss Grove, and I've never seen Orchid up close, so it was very unnerving. I think that's the word, at least.

This bedroom had dark blue carpet, a twin-sized bed pushed into the back right corner, a window towards the foot of the bed, an empty flower planter, and a pair of dark blue curtains that covered a pair of blinds. It had a vanity against the right wall, with a wooden chair pushed into it. On the opposite side was a closet with a well worn acoustic guitar propped up against the wall next to it.

The dark mahogany door that led into the bedroom had a necklace in the form of a snowflake, fashioned with ice dust hung on the inner door knob. Dad would know more about that sort of thing than me, but I remembered hearing that that sort of thing used to be more common, and it was a very costly and time-consuming way to make jewelry. I knew that whoever had gotten it, either had money, or someone willing to spend money on them.

Of course, I knew who it had belonged to. The whole bedroom was covered in thick layers of dust, even the pictures that hung against the wall were hard to make out, but I carefully dusted them off with my hand.

They were pictures of Orchid at various points in her life. The oldest pictures were her as a little girl, while the newest were of her as a teenager. I'd been told that she had a brand covering one of her eyes, but these pictures were free of that. In some pictures, she was with Weiss, others she was with her dad, sometimes it was both. Rarely, she was alone.

She looked so happy in all of the pictures, I had to wonder if she'd really been faking it the whole time, like Dad said she had been. I knew that she was evil, I could never forgive her for what she had done to him, but… Something felt… different about her in those pictures.

I had almost resigned myself to never knowing the truth, when I noticed something on the nightstand against the bed. There were several small diaries, stacked there and looking much the same as the rest of the room, they'd not been touched in years.

The curiosity was eating at me, and so I sat on the bed and dusted off the diaries before starting to thumb through them.

I asked Dad to transcribe some of what I read here, so you can see what I did.

The first entry was dated twelve years ago, Dad later told me that made Orchid seven when she wrote it..

'Dear Diary,

Dad gave me this as a way to talk about my feelings, I hope you won't judge me.

Weiss and I met two years ago today, and she said that anniversaries are a big deal. I believed her, and I celebrated with her by playing music, but I couldn't really… feel it. She seemed super happy though, so I guess that means I did the right thing. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but… sometimes I feel like there's something missing.

I don't get it, but maybe someday I will.

Sincerely,

Orchid.'

There were more entries in that same vein in the first book, she talked about her days with Weiss, and how she had trouble feeling, but she tried her best to act as she was expected to.

The next book was started nine years ago, Orchid was ten.

'Dear Diary,

I got another one of you because the last one was full. I went a while without writing, but I decided to try again after today.

Some kids tried to pick on me again, they usually don't anymore, now that I hang out with Weiss so much, but sometimes someone gets it in their head that they can pick on the Faunus girl. They stop trying after I finish with them, and they always look so afraid after I beat them up. I don't know what they expected, calling me names, throwing things at me, that's the only way to stop it, right?

One of them asked me, "What kind of monster are you?" After he saw me break his friend's leg.

I'm not a monster, I told him, and I said that if he was smart he and his friends would leave me alone. Weiss Schnee is my friend, and they would be the ones in jail if they told anyone about what happened.

They ran off, and later my dad found out what I did, because I told him. He looked disappointed, but didn't get angry at me like he usually did. He just told me that I needed to learn to restrain myself. The way he looked made me feel… bad? Maybe that's what it was. Guilt? But I don't regret what I did.

Maybe I regret that he found out.'

Most entries were minor and didn't talk of anything important. She didn't write every day, and the final entry of that book was made when she was twelve.

'Dear Diary,

I joined Lighthouse Academy, here in Atlas. Weiss talks a lot about being a Huntress, and going to Beacon when she's old enough. If she left, I think I'd be out of reasons to try and be better. It's hard to think about other people when you can't feel what they do. Maybe that's my problem?

If I fight to protect people, then maybe I'll understand them. Maybe they won't call me a weirdo, or a monster, anymore. Maybe they'll call me a hero, even though I can't feel what they do. Maybe the Grimm will learn to be afraid of me, because I'm not like the others.'

There was a gap in time before the next journal started, Orchid was fifteen.

'Dear Diary,

I've been really busy so I haven't had time to start one of these, but I decided to do it again after what happened today.

Weiss told me that she likes me a lot. She said that I'm cute, pretty, all of those things. Her face was really red, I could tell it meant a lot to her, and so I told her that I liked her back. I really do want her to be happy, I wish I could explain to her that I don't understand everything that she feels, but I don't want to hurt her. I get worried that maybe if I explain everything to her, she'll think I'm weird, or a monster, like the others do.

So I won't tell her.'

The next entry was made the next day.

'Dear Diary,

I didn't get much sleep last night.

I stayed up and kept asking myself why I'm like this. Why can't I feel the same things that others feel? I want to! I want to be happy, I even want to feel sad, and know what it's like to be that way. I don't know what it's like, and it's so frustrating.

I wish I could feel what they do. Last night wasn't the first night I stayed up late and tried to imagine what it's like to feel really happy, or really sad, to feel like the people in the movies do when they're in love.

It makes me aggravated to no end, to know that I have no way of knowing what it's like to feel what Weiss does. I try to be normal and look happy, for her. Sometimes, I think I do feel happy, and maybe I do, but it never lasts, and it's never that big. Not like how Weiss seems on her best nights.

I asked the stars last night why they did this to me, why I was born this way.

They didn't answer.

The stars keep shining like nothing is wrong.'

Something about the way that was written made me shudder. I almost didn't want to keep reading, but I was too far in to stop. The next one was dated a few days later.

'Dear Diary,

We went on our first date today. Weiss seemed happy, we went to the movies and I played my guitar for her in the park. The way she looked, the way she smiled, I know I want to keep trying to make her happy.

If I can do that, then I know I'm not a monster.'

There were several more entries in that vein, Orchid wanting to feel, wanting to make Weiss happy.

Then, towards the end of the journal, there were two entries without dates. The first one read simply.

'I'm a monster.'

The next one went into more detail, the writing was sloppier than it had been before.

'He called me a monster, Weiss said that I'm just the garden girl, that she's better than me.

Was she pretending the whole time too?

I kept trying to see her and she seemed happy, she told me that she had been lying, but I wasn't sure if that was true or not.

Jacques caught me trying to talk to her again and he forced me to lower my aura so he could have me branded. I lost one of my eyes. I would have killed him if I had my guitar at the time, but I didn't, and there were too many guards.

I couldn't take Weiss' crying. I couldn't take how she was lying to me. I thought I knew what light was, burning bright, and I thought I knew what love was, even if I didn't understand it.

It's over now. There's no point. Why should I try to be better? I finally see that this world doesn't care for me.

I asked the stars again to tell me why, but they kept shining.

I have nothing left now, so I'm going to make them know just what a monster I can be.

I'll make the stars fade, I'll make them go out.

At the end of everything, I will be the only one that's still shining.'

I shuddered, and I had to wonder what things would have been like if it went differently. She really was trying to be better, but she couldn't. I had no way of knowing what it was like to feel the way she did, to not feel anything.

It sounded empty.

I wasn't sure how I felt about sleeping in this room, anymore.

I decided to talk to Dad about it, so I gathered up the journals and went to talk to him.

Neve POV

I couldn't blame Shi for not wanting to sleep in that room. Even if there was no threat, it didn't sound good for anyone's mental state, let alone hers.

I decided to let her sleep in the Master bedroom with Cinder. I knew neither of them would have minded me sleeping there too, but it would have been incredibly crowded. So, I opted to sleep in the armchair in the living room, while Lunus got the couch.

That night, as I sat on the chair and stared at the crackling fireplace, I found myself deep in thought. At first I was thinking about Orchid, I had the beginnings of an idea for a spell I could craft to use on her specifically, but… There was no guarantee it would work. It'd need a great deal of time to be prepared, and it'd take a lot of magic to work, but if it could work… Maybe it'd be worth it.

Yet, my thoughts didn't stay on that for long.

There hadn't been a lot of time for me to do anything like that, to be introspective, lately. Not for the past several months.

I didn't like to think too much about myself anymore, I still don't, but maybe not for the same reason one might think.

I reached into my mind…

"Oz…? Are you there?"

But nobody came.

I closed my eyes and looked down, wondering if this was what he felt after the version of him that came before assimilated into him. It was lonely, being the only person with the experiences that I have, with the knowledge that I hold, the only person that could ever possibly relate was the one person on the planet who wanted me dead more than anyone else.

I have all of my friends, and yet, it still felt weirdly empty. Like I was missing something, and I couldn't tell you what.

"We're almost there, I think… Maybe this will all be over soon. I… hope there's some part of you getting rest. You deserve it. I'll admit, though… Even with all of your memories and experiences, I still feel like I barely know anything. Everyone expects me to have all the answers, but… I'm guessing as much as they are."

My guesses might be right, oftentimes, but that didn't make me feel any more certain. I was confident in myself, sure, I knew I was strong and smart, but…

"I… I miss being able to talk to you. You grounded me better than anyone else, Oz. Even just feeling you there, looking over my shoulder, through my eyes. It helped a lot. It's… really, really quiet in here, without you. Now I can only keep myself leveled, and I can only hope that I'm doing the right thing, and doing right by your legacy."

As I began to drift to sleep, I thought, "...Maybe I'll be able to rest soon, too. Beacon needs its headmaster…"

When I woke up the next day, I felt something in my pocket that wasn't there before.

Lunus, and presumably everyone else, was still sleeping. The fire had gone out, and sunlight was beginning to illuminate the house.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out… another letter. It looked the same as the one I got before. I hesitated for a moment before I moved to open it.

'My Dearly Beloved Brother,

It's been a few months since I wrote to you last, I hope this letter finds you, and finds you well.

I wish I could say that there's a lot that's been super interesting about my life, but there really hasn't been much. I made some more friends, Hilda and Carina. Hilda's super cool and confident, her dad runs a restaurant chain in the state that does really well. She's got a lot of money, and wants to take us on vacation with her next summer.

Carina is super strong and tall, she's the quarterback on the football team! She's the whole reason our team's been doing as good as it has been, and she's been getting really into MMA too. Nobody would ever dream of saying anything bad about me or my other friends, because she's always quick to protect us.

I've told them all about you, and all of my friends wish they could have met you. I told them about the dreams too, and why I draw so much. They didn't really believe me at first, but it's hard to deny the results, the drawings, the stories, and most of all, the scarf. I tore it once, and got really sad, but then I woke up the next day and it was repaired, good as new!

I don't know how that happened, but I'm so glad it did. I never want to lose it, it's like having you with me, always.

As for the dreams, I saw one of you fighting some guy with a katana, and I saw you fighting monsters in a city. I don't know if those actually happened to you, but I hope that you're happy, wherever you are. There were other dreams, too, like a skinny boy with a sword getting ready to fight some giant monster that looked like a gorilla with claws, and another of someone in a city that looks a lot like the ones on Earth, he was with a green haired girl, and they were fighting monsters together too.

Those monsters were different, though, not like the ones I saw you fighting. It's strange, but… I just hope that you're happy, and that you'll get your rest, when your job is done. I still think about you every day, and I'm still chasing your shadow.

Maybe, some day, I'll get to fight monsters too. Maybe someday I'll be a hero like you, and maybe someday I'll do it while I'm right next to you.

If not that, then I just want to be able to hug you again. I want to share the same sky as you, and sit with you while we count the stars and talk about anything and everything we want. I love you, Osiris. Please be safe.

Your dearly beloved sister,

Serina.'

I wiped some tears from my eyes as I finished reading. Then I folded up the letter and slipped it in my pocket before standing up.

Today was the day we were set to go to visit Pietro. Cobalt and Aurum had already arrived there last night, and were staying at a hotel not far from where he worked.

Before we could do that, though, I wanted to make something for everyone. Since I was up early, I opted to slip out and head to the grocery store, my scroll told me there was one not far from where the house was located.

I reached the store and started going about shopping, and while I was on autopilot I almost ran into someone else's cart, "Oh, sorry- Wait, aren't you Klein?"

Sure enough, Klein was there, shopping just the same as I was. He smiled, "Ah, you must be one of Weiss' friends. Allow me to introduce myself, Klein Sieben. I believe I may have seen you before, in the news…"

I greeted him in kind, "Neve Cadere, and… possibly. There's been a few times when the news has wanted to talk about what my group's been doing." I didn't want to talk about that, though, instead I switched the topic, "So what brings you here? Doing some shopping for yourself, or…?"

Klein shook his head and took hold of something in the cart before lifting it up. It was a tub of blueberry frozen yogurt, "With Weiss' return, I figured I'd get her something to lift her spirits. I heard about what the SDC wants… dreadful business." He set the tub back into the cart, "That and picking up some things for the young master, once he awakens, I'm sure he'll need some comfort food. Being given control of the SDC under these circumstances… Especially with his mother also in such an injured state." He seemed to not want to dwell on that, "How about yourself? Doing some grocery shopping?"

I nodded and scratched my cheek, "Trying to get together stuff to make breakfast for my friends, and my daughter." I huffed, "It's kind of hard, trying to figure out what she likes. Seems like every day it's something different, or nothing at all."

Klein seemed amused, "Oh? How old is she?" Once I told him, eleven, he chuckled, "Yes, that's not all too uncommon. Weiss was the same way at her she starts puberty she's going to want to try a great deal of different foods. How about I give you some recipes? They're easy and fairly inexpensive. Maybe they'll help."

I greatly appreciated that, so of course I accepted. It confused me somewhat, that it was normal for some people to be that finicky as they got older. When I was her age, I could basically eat the same thing everyday for months before I got sick of it. Granted, that wasn't healthy, but I still ate it.

I guess it's different for everyone, to some extent.

We parted ways after that, and I was relieved to have more things I could try making. Klein was an expert chef, so I was glad to be able to have him for some pointers.

I was turning twenty that week, although I hadn't been thinking about it that much, and yet I already felt old, trying to figure all of this stuff out. Maybe that was at least in part due to having Oz's memories, but that only made it worse!

Everyone was happy with the meal I made, although Lunus commented that it was more like I'd been spoiling them for so long that eating Atlesian cafeteria food for a few days was almost unbearable. I took that as a compliment, and after we ate we left to link up with Team JNPR and the others before heading down to Mantle.

Mantle, thankfully, didn't look as bad as I remembered it looking in the show. Granted, that was because this was late in a timeline where Robyn became a councilwoman, but still. At least it seemed like there was some quiet optimism about the way people seemed to be going about their day. Maybe things weren't the best, then and there, but they'd get there.

Pietro's workshop was easy for us to find, although when we got there and knocked on the door, the person who answered was decidedly not Pietro. Instead, it was a somewhat tired sounding girl, "Come in."

Jaune and Jeanne both immediately perked up. They shared a look before Jeanne gasped, "No way!" She hurried forward and threw open the door, "Hey, hey!" The rest of us were confused as we followed behind her and Jaune, who seemed eager as well, albeit a bit more restrained.

Inside, sitting at Pietro's desk, was a rather thin looking girl who looked to be about Ruby's age, seventeen. She has pale blonde hair that falls to the middle of her back and is incredibly fluffy and thick. Her ocean blue eyes were hidden under a pair of rimless glasses and had bags under them, and her skin was very light, it seemed she didn't get a lot of sunlight, but I would hesitate to call her pale.

As she began to stand up, I saw she was wearing a pair of brown dress pants alongside a black long-sleeved button-up shirt with teal stripes, and a white vest with gold accents. She had strange pauldrons with white and gold accents on them on her shoulders and on her outer thighs, they reminded me of Winter's power armor. I could see that beneath her shirt she was wearing something else that was pure white, at least from the bit I could see from under her sleeve.

She cleared her throat as she left from behind the desk to stand in front of it, "Jaune, Jeanne, I didn't expect you so-" Then, as they began to run towards her, she threw out her hands and waved them around, "Wait, wait, WAIT-"

Yet, the Arc twins didn't listen. Instead they both wrapped her in a tight hug that caused her to groan. Jeanne laughed, "Sarcy! What are you doing here?! Last I checked you were in Domremy!"

Jaune was the first to let go as Sarcy continued to grumble, he turned towards us and said, "Right, guys. This is my little sister, Sarcelle. She's super smart, really good with tech, she's the reason I was able to get into Beacon."

As Jeanne finally let go of her, Sarcelle cleared her throat, "It was easy, forging transcripts and putting them into the right systems…" Then she shook her head, "A-Anyway, yes, I'm Sarcelle Arc." She placed a hand on her chest and gave a small bow, she only dipped forward a few inches before standing up straight again, "I've heard a lot about you guys from my siblings… The Saviors of Remnant."

I smiled at her, "It's nice to meet you, I'm Neve Cadere." I gave a small bow in return while everyone else introduced themselves. Then, I asked Jeanne, "So, I take it this is new?"

Jeanne nodded and Sarcelle explained as she went to sit in her chair behind Pietro's desk again, "It happened some time ago now. Atlas caught me… Sleuthing around using my semblance, Technomancy, and gave me two options. Join as a cyber security expert and Pietro's assistant, or get locked up in an Atlesian jail cell for a few years." She coughed into her hand before typing something into the computer on the desk, "The choice was obvious."

Jaune had a concern, "But, what about your… You know?"

Sarcelle shook her head, "Pietro gave me a bodysuit with some high-tech solutions to my immunodeficiency. I won't go into detail, but… While it's not a perfect fix, and I still get pretty sick sometimes, I can actually operate in the world now." She smiled, "Really, it's the least I can do to help him. Oh…" She looked at us, "You're here to see Pietro right?" She glanced at Violet, "Mmh, and I have an idea why." She typed something into the computer, "He'll be around in a few minutes. For now, sit your friend there on the patient bed and I'll start doing some initial diagnostic work."

I was surprised at how easily she talked about it, like doing this sort of thing was child's play to her, but for all I knew, it was. So, Lunus helped Violet sit on the patient bed while Sarcelle got up and grabbed some sort of high-tech first aid kit from behind the desk before striding over to the patient bed and starting to take out some instruments from it, "This is going to take awhile. Do what you guys want in the meantime, stay here, go somewhere else, doesn't matter to me."

Naturally most everyone wanted to stay to support Violet. I did too, but I also wanted to do some scouting around Mantle to see how things were. I mentioned that, prompting Cinder, Shi, Emerald, and Mercury to offer to come with me. Sarcelle seemed relieved that it wasn't going to be as crowded in the place as she had initially feared, and after wishing both her and Violet good luck, we left.

Walking around, we got to see how the average Mantler was living. At least I saw a great deal of them going to work, or working, several of them seemed to be on teams that were working on repairing Mantle's walls. Meanwhile, others were celebrating the death of Jacques Schnee with block parties, even though it had been three days since the man had died.

I couldn't say I blamed them.

I had said I wanted to go look around Mantle to scout, but that was really only half the truth. Really, I was looking for someone. However, that someone found me first. While we were walking down one of the streets that had people throwing a party, I caught sight of a flash of ginger hair.

Penny was, of course, in her 2.0 model, and she didn't see me at first. Emerald was the one to blink a few times before she said, "Isn't that…?"

Mercury finished for her, "The robot chick? Yep."

Shi called out, "Heyyyyy Penny!"

My eyes widened as Shi looked at me with a smug smile, as if she knew exactly what was about to happen. She had never met Penny, per-se, but I had told her stories about the robot girl and her proclivity for hugging at full speed. I looked in Penny's direction, and sure enough as soon as she locked eyes with me she gasped and gained a look of pure excitement on her face.

Then she prepared herself by placing her hand on the ground like she was a track runner, "Sal… U…." Then she burst forward at blinding speed before using her rocket boots to fly even faster, "TAAAATTATTIOONNSS!"

Even bracing myself wasn't enough to avoid getting knocked down as she tackled me into a hug. I was grateful my aura protected me from the worst of it, but I still groaned from the velocity of the impact. As she stood up again, she said, "It's great to see you, Neve!" Then she gasped, "Is Ruby here too?!"

I stood up and rubbed my head, "Y-Yeah, she's in Atlas right now. I'm sure she'll be coming down a bit later, though, she wants to see Pietro too, to check on one of our friends."

Penny frowned, "Oh no, is one of your friends hurt? If they're your friend, then they're my friend! I want to make sure they're happy."

I patted her shoulder and turned in the direction we came, "Yeah, it's… A long story. Come on, I'll tell you about it on the way there." And I'd have to apologize to her, too, but that could wait until I got a private moment with her.

For now, I was just glad to see her again.

(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

Somewhere in Mantle…

Watts grunted as his attempt to break into the Mantelian computer system failed again, "Blast it!" He rubbed his forehead, "That brat…" He was in a dark warehouse, somewhere far away from any prying eyes.

Yet, he was not alone.

Standing next to him was a fair skinned girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, she was tall at six feet and had shoulder-length brown hair that was pulled up into a bun. Her green eyes looked boredly at the computer screen Watts had been typing away at. She was wearing a black shirt under an asymmetrical peacoat, which was decorated with golden accents and had a popped collar. Rounding off her outfit was a black and gold scarf that wrapped a few times around her neck.

She sighed, "Father, I told you, if we're going to breach Mantle's new security, we're going to have to get our hands on the person who made it in the first place."

Watts rubbed his forehead, "You know it's not that easy, Irene. Even when she's working in Mantle, that girl is never too far from help, and she's got that damn weapon of hers. Not to mention her semblance…" He shook his head, "If it comes to it, we'll plan to take her at the right moment and extract the information from her. For now, we're going to keep doing this my way."

A deranged chuckle came from elsewhere in the room that caused Watts to roll his eyes. Tyrian, who was leaning on a wall with his arms crossed, said, "If our queen hadn't told me to listen to you, I could have had her here already. She looks so fragile, I bet I could break her spine with my tail!"

Watts sighed, "And what do you propose we do about the new arrivals in Atlas? They disabled our top fighter and killed two others!"

Tyrian cackled, "Oh, nothing! Nothing yet. We need to wait on our queen's failure of a pawn to recover! In the meantime… Let them run their wild goose chase with Jacques Schnee's murder! They'll have their hands full for more than enough time, and when the time is right? Well, the answer is simple…"

"We'll kill them! One. At. A. Time."