Oh boy, this hasn't been updated in a while. To be honest, I never intended for it to be this long without an update, but some because of some things that happened in my personal life I've been pretty busy. I was only able to get this chapter finished because I just had my wisdom teeth removed a few days ago and can't really do anything but write, play video games, or watch videos. And I decided to write. Obviously.

As for why I didn't update in so long, I'll go into it more in the author's note at the bottom, but for now just believe me when I say that my life has been pretty shitty these past few months. I wanted to write, but each time I tried to sit down and do it I felt guilty because there was so much else I needed to be doing and I just couldn't work past it.

Its probably going to be pretty apparent, but this chapter didn't have a Beta Reader. I felt too embarassed to contact my Beta Reader after dissapearing for three months to try and contact him again, so the grammer and spelling in this chapter might be a bit off. I did proofread it a few times, but when its your own writing you tend to miss a few things.

Regardless, here is the newest chapter of Silver Spectre, after the longest wait yet.


Light streamed into the room, disturbing a certain white-haired girl from her slumber. Weiss's eyes fluttered rapidly as she tried to shake off the sudden wave of drowsiness that hit her. Habitually, her hand sought to grab at her rapier, which she found leaning against the bed she had been resting in. Getting up with a wince, she quickly took in her surroundings.

She was in a large, open room with beds lined along the walls. Occupying the beds were members of the town guard in varying states of injury. Some seemed to only have minor scrapes, while others were so heavily wrapped in bandages that Weiss was unable to see their faces. Workers rushed to and from the beds, carrying wet rags to soothe the soldiers' wound, and all manner of poultices to try and alleviate their pain.

The ex-heiress's eyes darted around looking for her companion, eventually finding the spectre huddled near the doorway and facing away from the crowded room. Before she could do anything, Weiss saw a familiar blonde-haired woman approach her purposefully, green eyes slightly narrowed and a stern expression on her face.

"Weiss Schnee," Glynda Goodwitch began. "Before I say anything, I feel I must ask how you are feeling?" The powerful mage questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"My head is pounding, and it feels like I'm stuck underwater. But aside from that, I don't think I have any injuries," Weiss explained with a wince. Glynda just nodded along, jotting a few things down in a small journal she was carrying with her.

"Good. You were very fortunate that we arrived when we did. Had it not been for one of the knights accompanying me knowing healing magic, your condition would be much worse. As it is, she says that it will take several hours for the concussion to subside," She lectured, pushing her glasses up further along her nose as she flipped through the journal she held in her hands.

"Now that that's out of the way," Glynda declared just before she slammed her journal shut with enough force to make Weiss jump. "What on Remnant were you thinking, young lady? Rushing into a criminal's hideout without any information or backup? Do you have a deathwish?" The stern woman scolded her harshly.

"We did have backup, though. Jaune was running to get help, and-" Weiss tried to say, but was cut off.

"So your entire plan hinged on the gamble that the Arc boy would be able to find suitable reinforcements? You had no means of communicating with him, thus he lacked knowledge as to the number and skill of his opponents. And what if he had not been able to find enough help to aid you? The city guard is not composed of soldiers just waiting around for something to happen. Most of them were out and about the city, warding off crime. You were fortunate that both I and the Winchester boy and his squadron were there," The blonde women rebuked.

"I... see," Weiss stated shyly. She ought to have been used to being scolded so much; after all, her sister was very harsh, yet having her faults exposed in such a public setting was rather mortifying to the noble. "But our original intention was never to take on the entire hideout. We only planned on taking out their leaders, then allowing the town guard to take care of the rest," She reasoned.

"And look how well that turned out. You were very nearly killed by the lieutenant, and only managed to kill him in turn thanks to luck, and while Ms. Xiao-Long tells me she and her companion were able to stand their ground against Torchwick, we have nothing to show for it because they got away," Replied the mage general.

Weiss wanted to retort and say that wasn't necessarily her fault, but bit her cheek to keep herself from doing so. It was her fault in a way. Lady Goodwitch was an unparalleled user of the arcane arts, and there was no way a street thug like Torchwick should've been able to slip past her had she been focused. But she had been in a rush to try and help the three reckless girls who had charged into a White Fang compound and needed her help. She had been too distracted to properly deal with the situation.

Almost none of what she had said had been wrong. Weiss had been reckless and impulsive, and she did have nothing to show for her actions. The only thing Glynda had gotten wrong was how she had killed the White Fang Lieutenant, Bane. It hadn't been luck that gave her the opening to take him down, it was her necromancy. Of course, she wasn't going to say that to the powerful mage, so it was a moot point.

Lady Goodwitch's face softened slightly as she continued to speak. "I apologize, Ms. Schnee, but I must be harsh. You did well to act when you did, I only wish that you had chosen to fall back upon finding Torchwick, and wait for Jaune to return with help. My friend Bartholomew speaks highly of you, and I would hate to have to inform him that you were captured by the White Fang."

Weiss nodded in response, prompting a sigh from Glynda. "I'm aware of how much you wanted to capture Torchwick and recover whatever it was he stole from you, but please try not to be so reckless in the future," She advised. Upon seeing Weiss's determined nod, she let out another sigh, knowing that her words likely fell upon deaf ears.

"May I ask what you plan to do? About Torchwick working with the Fang?" Weiss asked, partially because she was curious and partly because she needed to get the translator from him. Glynda just opened her journal once again and flipped through, allowing Weiss to see diagrams and maps of the city, with several buildings marked with large circles and arrows leading to and from them.

"I've collected all information I can about Torchwick and his criminal enterprise and mobilized the town guard, as well as several knights, to systematically take down his various safehouses and topple his entire organization. I've ordered a temporary curfew, as well as mandatory searches of every merchant vessel leaving Vale. Before, doing all this seemed like too much to capture only a criminal, but upon seeing him work with the White Fang, his majesty King Ozpin has instructed me to seize this man as quickly as possible."

Weiss took the book from Glynda's hands and flipped through, marveling at the complex diagrams and detailed reports. She had seemingly planned for every eventuality, up to and including the entire White Fang rapidly mobilizing to protect Torchwick. An unlikely scenario, but it seemed Glynda Goodwitch was unwilling to leave that to chance.

Returning the book to Glynda, Weiss felt her hopes get lifted slightly. Torchwick was notoriously paranoid, and likely had safehouses no one knew of, but he couldn't hide forever. It would likely be a few days at most before he was caught and brought to justice. And thanks to the increased security around the docks, it wouldn't be likely that he would sneak through. Unless of course, he had an item capable of helping him do so.

"What do you plan to do about the mirror he and Neo used to escape?" Weiss blurted out without thinking, to which Glynda just opened the journal to a certain page and explained.

"Given how they only used the mirror as a last resort, we can assume it must have some kind of drawback. I took the liberty to comb through any reports of stolen magical items from the past ten years and found that, around three years ago, a merchant lost a valuable artifact that allowed its user to travel through a sort of 'mirror world' unseen by everyone else. However, doing so placed enormous strain on the user of the artifact, more so if the user brought a companion through as well. The pair are likely exhausted from using it to escape, and will not be able to travel far should they try to use it again," The green-eyed woman explained thoroughly.

Weiss just nodded along dumbly. To her understanding, Torchwick's greatest strength was his unpredictability, yet Lady Goodwitch's plan seemed prepared to counter anything he threw at her. Weiss knew that General Ironwood of Atlas was considered by many to be a military genius without match, yet Weiss would be hard-pressed to believe that he could be a better strategist than the women in front of her.

"On that note Ms. Schnee, I must ask you something," Glynda declared, before her expression became harsh. "If you have any information, be it on Torchwick or the White Fang, I ask that you inform me of it now. That information could be the difference between catching Torchwick and letting him slip away," She declared gravely.

Weiss thought long and hard, trying to come up with anything that she had not already informed during any previous instance. She could not think of any information that she hadn't shared prior about Torchwick, so she tried to think of anything she might've overheard from the White Fang. They had been transporting dust, but Goodwitch likely found that out by searching the compound. Had Bane mentioned anything worth noting?

All of a sudden, she felt a sudden wave of realization. "Blake is a former member of the White Fang. She could be a valuable source of information," Weiss thought to herself. The ex-heiress opened her mouth to voice these thoughts, but held herself back before she could say anything. Blake, despite her many faults, had thus far been helpful in aiding her goal. It would be wrong to repay that by throwing her to the wolves.

"Nothing. I have no information that I haven't given in the past," Weiss lied as naturally as she breathed. Glynda raised an eyebrow at her words, before relaxing her face and giving her a nod.

"Very well. After healing you, Lady Scarlatina informed me that you would be healthy enough to leave. But I must advise you to take it easy. You aren't in any shape to fight. You can return to Beacon Castle, or explore the town, just don't try and interfere with the guards' operations," Glynda warned before walking off to talk with some of the wounded guards. Weiss stood up from her bed and stretched.

Walking out the door, she made her way down a set of stairs and nodded at a receptionist sitting behind a desk before walking out the front door of the improvised hospital. Weiss knew it was common practice for wealthy people to offer their homes as makeshift hospitals for guards to improve their relationships with the city guard. Her father had never done such a thing, but minor nobles frequently did so.

Looking up at the sun, Weiss saw that it was about noon. It had been just after sunrise when she and her companions had entered Tukson's Book Trade, meaning she had been unconscious for several hours. Weiss was about to comment as such to her ghostly friend, but hesitated when she saw the expression the girl had on her face.

Ruby's silver eyes that normally brimmed with light seems dim, and her body was a dull grey rather than her usual vibrant silver. Her expression was downcast, and the younger girl kept taking nervous glances at the girl in front of her. Weiss was about to ask her what was wrong, but was cut off by a familiar boy shouting at her.

"Weiss! Over here!" Jaune called out, waving her down. The young women in question glanced at Ruby. She couldn't just ignore that something was wrong, but she also couldn't just ignore Jaune either. With a groan, she walked over to the blonde knight in training, who gave her a wide grin.

"What is it, Jaune?" Weiss asked exhaustedly, Jaune's grin faltered a bit when he heard how tired she was, but he nevertheless continued to grin as he began to walk along the road with her.

"I'm just relieved to see you're okay," He explained. "When I saw you pass out earlier, I assumed the worst. And with what Yang and Blake told me, you got the worst of it today," The boy said as they passed through a small crowd of people who were watching as members of the city guard carried an injured man on a stretcher towards the hospital Weiss had just left.

"Well, I'm fine now Jaune," Weiss declared. However, she shook unsteadily as she did so, proving to Jaune that she wasn't quite 'fine' yet.

"Are you ky? Do you need to sit down?" The blue-eyed boy asked, worry evident in his eyes. Weiss just shook her head and continued walking purposefully, heading out of the residential district and to the commercial district.

"No. I've spent long enough wasting my time in bed today. I'm too restless to sit still," Weiss explained. Jaune nodded in understanding, and an awkward silence fell over them. They walked together for a little while longer with no words shared between them, until Jaune at last broke the silence with a clearing of his throat.

"Ahem. I just wanted to let you know how worried we were about you. The entire time I was trying to get help, I kept thinking to myself how awful it would be if you all got hurt because I didn't arrive in time. I was in such a rush, I nearly ran over Lady Goodwitch when I arrived at the barracks," The knight in training said with a sheepish laugh.

"Hm. It was my fault for receiving these injuries. I should've been more careful in my fight against that White Fang Lieutenant. And I definitely shouldn't have underestimated the lengths some of them will go to to get their 'revenge' on me and my family," Weiss chastised herself, but Jaune just put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. From what I heard about him from the others, none of us could've predicted how crazy that Bane guy was going to be," The noble boy reasoned before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Or at least, neither of us could've. Blake might've been able to warn you about it ahead of time."

Weiss just dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "She seemed genuinely surprised when Bane became all feral and insane. My first impression of him was a quiet and taciturn man. It was only after seeing me that he became aggressive," The white-haired girl defended the faunus without thinking, prompting a surprised look from Jaune.

"Hey Weiss, what do you think about this whole Blake being a former member of the White Fang thing?" Jaune asked cautiously. "Because you seem really calm and unbothered compared to how you were before. Are you... okay with it?"

"Of course I'm not okay with it!" Weiss snapped, drawing several looks from the citizens milling about the markets. "It's just... right now, I don't have a lot of options. I need to finish my goal, but I can't accomplish it all on my own. I need support, and so far only you three have been willing to give it to me. Everyone else only sees me as a spoiled princess or a whiny brat. I may not like it, but right now I need Blake's skills," She explained.

"What's so important about what you're doing, anyway?" Jaune inquired with a curious look on his face. "You explained that you were trying to translate this old book that your grandfather tried and failed to as well, but that doesn't explain why you're going to such lengths to accomplish this," The scion of the Arc house asked.

Weiss just scoffed and responded with a practiced answer. "This book is one of the last things from my grandfather that my father hasn't ruined. I want to finish his work as a way of honoring the Schnee name," She quickly replied, but Jaune just furrowed his brow.

"Yeah, but why are you really doing all of this? It doesn't make sense that you'd go so far just for some boo-" Jaune tried to say, but was cut off by a cold glare from his white-haired friend.

"It may not matter to you, Jaune, but I assure you that to me, this book matters more than my own life," Weiss declared such conviction that Jaune was a little taken aback.

"Yeah. Okay. I won't say I get it, but I'll just drop that subject for now," He awkwardly said as he rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. "Anyways, what do you plan on doing for the rest of the day?" Weiss just shrugged and continued walking through the marketplace.

"I'll probably just spend my day walking around Vale. I know I'm not to interfere, I just want to be able to find out quickly if something goes wrong," She explained to the boy, who nodded along with her words.

"I get it. I somewhat feel the same," He admitted.

"Are you not allowed to help out with the raids?"

"No, Lady Goodwitch gave Yang, Blake, and I the day off. She told us not to interfere unless it was absolutely necessary," Jaune explained.

"I see. And where are the others?"

"They went back to Beacon to rest. They told me to tell you they were worried about you," He answered, but Weiss just laughed at his words.

"I know a lie when I hear one, Jaune," Weiss said through her bitter laughs, causing Jaune to frown.

"Weiss... why are you so mad at Yang? I can kind of understand Blake, but I don't get why you and Yang seem to be at each other's throats so much," The young man inquired, but the ex-heiress just shrugged.

"I imagine she finds me spoiled and bratty for being so determined to accomplish what she considers a childish goal. I can't stand how immature she's being about this whole situation. She isn't taking anything seriously," Weiss explained.

Jaune just gave a sad sigh. "It's a shame. You two seemed like you'd be great friends. You're pretty similar, all things considered," The blonde boy said, prompting Weiss to raise an eyebrow and question him.

"How so?"

"Well, you both are skilled fighters. You both are very stubborn and strong-willed. And you both are so determined to accomplish whatever you set your minds to that nothing seems to get in your way," He compared the two, and Weiss found herself agreeing with his assessment. They were similar in a way, and those similarities are likely why they couldn't stand each other.

"How long have you known Yang?" Weiss queried. Jaune just paused gazed off into the crowds, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"About six years. I was friends with her little sister, Ruby. We both wanted to be knights, just like our parents. We wanted to save people, fight monsters, and serve our country. Yang teased us both, but ended up joining the knights anyway. She always said it was to protect Ruby, but I always knew she wanted to be a knight too."

Weiss nodded along with his story, occasionally flicking her gaze to her spectral friend, who looked lost in thought and didn't seem to be paying too much attention. "I see. I apologize if I brought up any bad memories," She apologized, knowing that Jaune likely missed the younger sister very much. From what Ruby had explained, the two had been very close friends.

"It's fine. She was my best friend, so I knew her pretty well. And I can tell you the last thing she'd want is for her friends and family to mourn her," Jaune reasoned. "It's painful, but it's important to remember all of the good memories."

Weiss gave an understanding nod. The two spent several more minutes walking through the markets, chatting about mundane subjects such as dust prices and the state of Vale's nobility. Neither topics were very entertaining, but Weiss decided a boring conversation was better than an upsetting one.

Eventually, Jaune asked a question that seemed to have been gnawing at him for a while. "Weiss, what should we do about Blake?" He questioned. "She was a member of the White Fang. She could have information, or she could be a spy. Ordinarily, I wouldn't hesitate to tell someone about it, but she's Yang's friend. I don't know what to do," The blonde boy explained with a conflicted expression on his face.

Weiss just shrugged her shoulders and questioned the boy. "Why are you asking me this? It's up to you whether you tell anyone about her, not me. Don't let anyone else decide things like this for you," The ex-heiress advised.

"Yeah, I know that. I just... I don't want to betray Yang's trust, but at the same time, she did exactly that by inviting Blake along without telling us about her background. That wasn't something she should've just left out. But since the White Fang has a problem with your family specifically, I was asking you for advice. I'll follow your lead on whether we should turn her in or not," The knight-in-training declared.

"Well, I have no intention of turning Blake in," Weiss stated, much to Jaune's surprise. The blonde boy's eyes widened at her words, leaving him speechless.

"W-what? Really?" He queried, dumbfounded. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to get her in trouble."

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not doing it out of kindness. But so far, Blake has been helpful in aiding me with my goals. If I were to turn her in despite that, I'd gain a reputation for being a heartless princess who tosses people aside once she's done using them. No one would ever offer me help again after I did such a thing.'

Jaune gave her a friendly smile. "Well, you can be sure that I'll always be willing to offer you my help! After all, isn't that what friends do?" He reasoned to the white-haired noble, who cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

"You consider us friends?"

"You don't?"

Weiss winced at his retort, wishing she had worded her question differently. "N-no, that's not it. I just... I thought you'd feel bitter towards me after I've done nothing but use you for my own goals," She weakly explained.

Jaune just laughed. "Weiss, you aren't using us. You asked us for help, and we gave it to you. Don't forget, we're getting reimbursed for this. You aren't some heartless manipulator whose plans we are unknowingly following. You're my friend."

Weiss stiffened at his words, before a slight smile crept onto her face. She hadn't realized that Jaune considered her a friend, so it was touching to hear that he did. "Thank you, Jaune. Your one of few people who I can truly call a friend."

Jaune gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, if you made up with Yang I bet you'd have at least two more friends," The young man reasoned. Weiss held herself back from retorting. "Look, I know you don't get along, but I know that if you both would be great friends if you could just get past this. Trust me."

The necromancer sighed deeply before speaking. "Fine. I'll make an effort to repair my relationship with Yang," She declared, drawing Ruby's attention. The ghost had been reserved and lost in thought but perked up at Weiss's words. "I'll do it for her sake. It's not fair to make her choose between me and her sister" Weiss thought to herself.

"That's good to hear. I hope you two are able to become friends," Jaune said before glancing up at the sky, "Well, it's probably best for me to head back to Beacon Castle. I have to be at the training grounds in about an hour," The knight-in-training explained.

Weiss nodded and held out her hand. "I'm going to walk around for a bit more. It was nice talking to you, Jaune," She said as he shook her hand. The lanky boy ran off quickly, heading back to the castle. Weiss watched him go, and couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. Yet unbeknownst to the young woman, her friend stood behind her with a haunted look in her eyes.


Ruby just couldn't shake off the image of the faunus Weiss had fought. She knew that there were bad people in the world, and she knew that sometimes her friends and family had been forced to kill those bad people, but she'd never actually seen someone be killed in front of her. She kept seeing the scene over and over in her head.

Weiss's sword tore through Bane's chest, the blade emerging from his back dyed red with blood. She recalled the visceral way Weiss had torn her sword from him, causing the faunus to slump over unnaturally. She just couldn't forget. A part of her tried to reason that it was alright, that Bane had been a bad person. It was alright, because Bane had killed people too. Bane killed innocent people. He had deserved to die.

Yet Ruby couldn't convince herself. She knew that Bane had been a bad person, but she couldn't consider him evil. He had been fighting for a cause he believed was right. He thought he was doing the right thing. And he died because of it.

Death was something she was intimately familiar with. Even before her death, she'd had to deal with the loss of her mother from a young age. Yet something was bothering her. Bane had been killed. He didn't just die. There was a deliberate reason for his death. Weiss had killed him. Weiss had killed him to accomplish her goal. Her goal, which was to help Ruby. Weiss had killed someone for Ruby's sake.

Despite not having a stomach, Ruby felt like she was going to vomit. She had never really realized it until now, but Weiss was doing so much for her sake. She'd studied a type of magic considered forbidden in almost every civilization that had existed on Remnant. She'd fought through a fortress full of Grimm that hadn't been disturbed for decades at the very least.

And she'd killed someone. A life had come to an end, because that life stood in the way of their goal. Ruby knew Weiss was determined to see this through, but the silver-eyed girl feared that in doing so, she'd have to sacrifice even more.

Yet the spectre couldn't confront Weiss over this. "She's too determined. She's come this far, and she won't give up until she sees this though," Ruby thought to herself fearfully. What if she died trying to accomplish this? They hadn't even begun to translate the tome yet. There was still so much of this journey left ahead of them. And Ruby knew deep down that more people would likely die along the way. And in a way, their blood would be on her hands.

Ruby had heard Weiss say she'd make an effort to reconcile with Yang, but the joy that statement brought was overshadowed by the dread that had been plaguing the ghost. She cared too much about Weiss to watch her treasured friend throw away everything just to bring her back. Yet she was paralyzed every time she tried to open her mouth.

It had been one thing when the creatures of Grimm were the only thing that stood in their way. Grimm were monsters that took and took and served no purpose but to destroy. It was only fair that they be destroyed in turn. But people were different. Even the cruelest person had the capacity to do good. Summer had always taught her that everyone at least deserved a chance to redeem themselves.

Ruby was grateful she could fly, since her knees felt too weak to support her. It wasn't just Weiss who had killed. She kept seeing the sight of someone she knew standing over Bane's corpse. Sometimes she imagined it was Yang or Jaune. She had pictured Uncle Qrow pulling his scythe out of the corpse several times. She had even pictured her mom standing over the body of that faunus.

The ghostly girl followed Weiss as she made her way through the market district towards the docks, walking downhill along winding cobblestone roads, weaving through crowds of civilians. Occasionally, the blue-eyed noble would stop to watch as guards and knights stormed into a building, dragging out rough-looking men and women and carrying them towards the nearest prison.

Despite knowing it hadn't been possible, Ruby wondered what would've happened if they had subdued Bane instead of killing him. They might have been able to figure out why Torchwick was working with the White Fang. But on the other hand, the Fang might not have been so panicked and instead would've tried to break their leader out of prison. "See, it's for the best that we killed Bane. Otherwise, more people would've died," Ruby tried to reassure herself.

But the thoughts felt wrong. Ruby knew that killing Bane had prevented more deaths, but at the same time she felt that she could've done something else entirely. They never should've tried to break into the White Fang compound.

"Are you okay?" Weiss suddenly asked, surprising Ruby.

"W-what? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," She stuttered out, cursing herself for sounding so unconvincing. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her words, but Ruby cut her off.

"I'm just a bit freaked out, that's all. No need to worry about me!" Ruby rambled in a panic, watching as Weiss's icy-blue eyes peered through her both literally and metaphorically. She really didn't want to have this conversation with Weiss, and desperately glanced around for a way out.

"Hmm. I'm not sure I believe that. You've been acting oddly for a while now. We've spent the past year together, I'd think I know you enough by now to tell when something's bothering you," The noble spoke softly so as not to be overheard. "I think your behavior stems from something a bit more serious than being 'a bit freaked out' as you say."

Ruby just shook her head violently in denial. "Nope. Nothing wrong here. I'm just shaken up from what we saw in that White Fang compound," She hastily explained, cursing herself as she did so. She was never any good at lying. She knew how to lie, and was good at coming up with a believable story, but when it came to her demeanor while lying she was about as subtle as an Ursa Major in the streets of Vale.

"Ruby, we both know that was a lie. Please just tell me what's wrong, okay?" Weiss asked tenderly, her expression filled with concern and empathy. Ruby wanted to speak her mind, but the words died in her throat. Weiss had done so much for her, and to burden her further with her issues felt wrong. So she said nothing.

"Ruby? Are you going to say anything?" Weiss asked, but Ruby said nothing. If she couldn't lie, then she just wouldn't say anything.

"Is it about Yang and Blake? If that's the problem, I'll try to make amends," The heiress tried to get a response, but received nothing.

"Is it what I didn't mention to Lady Goodwitch? I'll go back and tell her if you wish," The noble offered, but Ruby said not a single word.

"Is it about Jaune? Do you miss him?" Weiss prompted, but was met with silence.

"Is it Vale? Are you homesick, and miss all the people we've met? Is that the issue?" Weiss pleaded with Ruby to open up, but the ghost remained closed off. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Is it me? Are you upset at me?" Weiss asked softly, barely above a whisper. At that, Ruby whipped around and violently shook her head 'no', aghast at the thought of it. Ruby may have been upset and confused at Weiss's actions and concerned about her, but that came from a place of love for her white-haired friend. She wasn't angry or upset with her.

"Then what is it?" Weiss asked, her voice full of several complex emotions. Concern. Confusion. Frustration. Sadness. Ruby opened her mouth to alleviate her worries, to lie and say that she was just worried about Weiss having made an enemy of the White Fang when she saw a mop of dark hair in the distance, seemingly being jostled around. To her surprise, she somewhat recognized the mop of hair.

"What was that kid's name again? Omar? Oslo? No, Oscar!" She thought to herself before pointing towards him and speaking. "Isn't that Oscar? The kid from my dad's farm?" She asked, and Weiss's gaze drifted to where she was pointing before a scowl worked its way across her face at what she saw.

The poor kid was standing in front of a stall that seemed to be selling cuts of meat. The black-haired boy was being yelled at by the vendor of the stall, and a small crowd was beginning to form around them. Ruby and Weiss didn't really know Oscar all that well, but they felt guilty leaving him to get yelled at, and so, with an unspoken agreement to finish their conversation later, Weiss made her way to them, Ruby following as a wisp of silver flame.

Ruby honestly found herself thanking the gods that they'd seen Oscar. She hadn't wanted to continue that conversation. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep lying and misdirecting Weiss, but she just couldn't find the words to express her fears and worries over her friend's actions.

The friend in question pushed her way through the crowd with a confident stride that demanded the attention and respect of all those who saw her. Despite the slight limp in her step from her previous injuries, she carried herself with an air of confidence and authority. No matter how many times she'd seen Weiss do it, Ruby would never fail to be impressed by how quickly she could take command of a situation. Some people were just naturally leaders.

Reforming into her ghostly form, she saw Weiss make a show out of taking in the situation. She slowly turned her head towards the vendor, looking him up and down, before shifting her attention towards Oscar, who stood several feet away, slightly hunched over and tensed, clutching a small leather bag to his chest. A bright handprint on his face told them he'd been slapped by the vendor, and some of the skin on his arm was paler than usual, telling Ruby that he'd been grabbed by his arm recently.

"Would someone mind explaining to me what happened here?" Weiss asked, her voice both dispassionate and authoritative. The vendor gave her a scheming smirk when he noticed her, and Oscar looked at them with confusion, followed by a vague looking of familiarity, before suddenly shifting to recognition, ending in her staring at them with curiosity.

"Well, you see, this 'er kid tried to scam me out of my money, so I tried to beat 'im," The vendor, a tall man with dirty blonde hair in a messy mullet and a bloodstained apron explained. Weiss prompted him to elaborate with a raised eyebrow, so the man continued. "He came up to me askin' for a cut of sirloin. I told him it'd be twenty-nine lien, but this bastard tried shortchangin' me with twenty-two lien."

Weiss's raised eyebrow crept higher. "You were willing to beat up a kid over seven lien?" The man gave an unabashed nod at her response, and to both Weiss's and Ruby's disbelief no one in the crowd seemed all that upset by his words.

"Course I would. Even if that's a small amount, that's still enough to buy some bread for the day. 'Sides, if I let him get away with it now, someone else might try it again in the future with more money. I gotta discourage it always," The vendor explained, gesturing as he did so and occasionally flicking his gaze to glare at Oscar, who sheepishly shuffled his feet.

"I see then. Now, would you explain what happened here?" Weiss asked Oscar, much to the shock of both him and the vendor.

"Oi, what'd ya need his story for? I already told ya what happened 'ere!" The vendor shouted in anger, and some murmurs spread through the crowd. Weiss silenced them by shifting her cloak and placing a hand on Myrtenaster. Nobody was willing to mess with the mysterious and foreign swordswomen, so they wisely kept their grievances to themselves. Weiss turned her attention back to Oscar, but he just continued to awkwardly shuffle on his feet.

"Oscar, wasn't it?" She questioned, receiving a nod. "I need to know what happened here. Did you try to shortchange this man?" Weiss received a vigorous head shake no in response. "Are you saying the man is lying about what happened?" Again, a head shakes no. "Are you lying about what happened?" Yet another headshake. Weiss was clearly growing frustrated with the boy. "Then what's the problem then?!"

Ruby quickly stood between them, though only Weiss could see her. "Weiss, let's calm down here. I think I know what the problem is," Weiss's frustration did not disappear from her face, but she did subtly gesture for Ruby to continue. "Oscar... he seems really embarrassed about something, and I don't think it's because he was caught doing something wrong."

"Then what is he embarrassed about?" Weiss asked under her breath.

Ruby hesitated for a moment before explaining. "I... I don't think he knows how to count, Weiss," Ruby explained, and Weiss hesitated. The frustration vanished from her face, and a look of understanding and sympathy crossed her face. "He probably didn't mean to shortchange the vendor, he just didn't realize he didn't give him enough money. The vendor didn't bother to try and work it out with him."

"I understand," Weiss said, loud enough for Oscar and the vendor to hear. Embarrassment flashed across Oscar's face, and confusion on the vendor's. Weiss reached a hand into her cloak and fished around before pulling out seven Atlesian lien coins, tossing them to the vendor. There was no financial difference between a lien from Atlas or a lien from Vale or Mistral. The kingdoms all used the same currency, but each kingdom had its own mint where the coins were made. An Atlesian lien bore the crest of Atlas on one side and an image of the city on the other. Vale's bore their crest and an image of their king, Ozpin.

The vendor looked the lien over and, determining them to be legitimate, waved them off. Weiss walked towards Oscar and put a hand on his shoulder, gently guiding him through the crowds until they reached a mostly empty near a few benches facing the ocean. Ruby gave them both worried glances but said nothing. It wouldn't do to distract Weiss and make her look crazy. The white-haired girl and the boy with multicolored eyes sat in silence for several minutes before Oscar finally spoke up.

"You're... Weiss, right? I remember meeting you a few weeks back," Oscar began, but hesitated. After a silence so awkward Ruby felt like cringing, he continued. "Thanks for that, back there. I didn't mean to cause you trouble." Weiss waved off his apology dismissively.

"You don't need to be sorry. That vendor was the one in the wrong. I assume your guardian asked you to buy that meat?" Weiss asked, to which Oscar replied with a nod. "I see. Then consider that as me repaying Tai for allowing me to sleep under his roof a few weeks ago. I still feel I owe him from that."

Oscar let out a small laugh. "Yeah, same," Both Weiss and Ruby gave him curious looks, not that the younger boy could see Ruby.

"Do you mind elaborating on that? I understand Tai is sheltering you, but I was under the impression that he was having you do work in return for it?" Weiss asked curiously, Ruby nodding along as she spoke. Oscar just laughed awkwardly and gazed out towards the ocean.

"It's... a lot more complicated than that. Do you know what's happening out in Mistral right now? The whole Oniyuri Rebellion that's been going on for the past several years?" The black-haired boy asked.

"Yes. While information on the conflict is scarce outside of the Kingdom of Mistral, I am aware of the circumstances of the conflict, as well as the current state of said conflict," Weiss explained. Ruby was a bit lost, however. She'd heard about the rebellion during Weiss's history lessons, but she still didn't quite understand it. She just knew it had something to do with one group wanting revenge over a destroyed city.

"Yeah. The war's been dragging on for a long time now. Since the rebels tend to stay in Western Mistral, King Lionheart has been sending soldiers out there to try and end things once and for all. But because they're so far from the capital, they need supplies. It's not uncommon for farms and settlements to be burnt to the ground by the army just because," Oscar explained bitterly.

"I'm... sorry to hear that. I admit, I have not cared in the past. I feel guilty for having felt that way about it," Wess spoke apologetically, but Oscar waved her off with a good-natured smile.

"Nah, that's fine. If we all were worried about every little problem on the other side of the world, we'd all be swarmed by Grimm. Besides, there wasn't much you could've done. From what I understand, you didn't have a lot of freedom back when you lived in Atlas, and one swordswoman isn't going to force two warring sides to stop fighting."

Weiss gave him a small smile, and Ruby felt a small frown make its way across her lips. Oscar was fourteen, for Brothers' sake. He shouldn't have such a mature worldview. He should be ranting and raving at Weiss with all the passion of youth. Or he should be horsing around with friends and doing normal fourteen-year-old things. He shouldn't be having to deal with the harshness of war and being forced to leave his home.

The silver spectre thought to herself about what she did when she was fourteen, and her scowl turned into a grimace. She... wasn't the best example of someone with an easy childhood. Dying tends to do that to a person.

"But anyway, my aunt sent me away from Mistral. She wanted me as far away from Mistral as possible, so she sent me to Vale. I was supposed to try and get a job from an old family friend, but he turned me away. So I was living off the last bit of money my aunt gave me when Tai found me. He offered me a job, and the rest is history," The boy spoke with a fond smile.

Weiss shook her head with a slight smirk. "I swear, that man... He really is incredible, right?"

Oscar nodded vigorously. "The whole family is. I started working for them not three months after he lost his youngest daughter, and ever since then, he's treated me like I was part of his family. And Yang had some problems at first, but in the end, she's a great person. She offered to teach me how to fight, so that next time I won't have to flee my home. She's a bit..."

"Rude? Awful? Insensitive?"

"I was going to say 'abrasive', but if you want to use those words I won't stop you," Oscar explained. "C-can I ask a question? I heard from Tai that Yang has been complaining about you, so can I just ask what's wrong between the two of you?" The boy asked. Ruby could see the frustration rise to Weiss's face, only for it to fall when she saw the earnest and innocently curious look on his face.

"This may be surprising based on what you've heard, but I don't hate Yang," Weiss began. "I respect her skills with a sword, and while she may not be the most intelligent of people, she is very charismatic, and has great instincts in a fight. But she and I simply cannot get along. Our personalities are too similar for that to work. Besides, I doubt either of us will ever be able to work through our current issues," Weiss said bitterly.

"Well, that's a shame," Oscar reasoned. "You two seem like you'd be great friends. You're both similar, but different in ways that complement each other. Yang has confidence and can inspire anyone to join her in a heroic charge towards the enemy, but you have a cold, ruthless authority about you that demands respect from people. You both are extremely skilled fighters, and you both have an unshakeable determination. At least, that's how it seems to me," Oscar surmised, before sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Ruby gaped in surprise, and Weiss's eyes were wide. Neither had been expecting such an apt analysis of their personalities, especially from someone they had only spoken to a few times. "W-well. You certainly have a talent for analyzing people. As much as I hate to admit it, you do have a point. Our strengths complement each other. But as you said, we both have unshakeable determination. Yang has gotten it set into her mind that I am a spoiled little princess who is throwing a tantrum, and I doubt I'd be able to break that image,"

Oscar shrugged. "Huh. You certainly took that better than expected. When Tai told Yang you two were similar she scoffed and got mad. I don't think you're wrong about what she thinks about you. She did say a lot of things about how spoiled and egotistical she thought you were," Oscar explained.

"Hm. That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," Weiss scoffed. Ruby couldn't say she disagreed. She loved her sister, but she could be very stubborn, and once she thought something about someone it wasn't easy to change her mind.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, but I should probably head back to Patch. It's getting pretty late and I still need to finish my work. Thanks for your help," Oscar said, rising from the bench. Ruby looked up at the sun in surprise. It was getting pretty low. She estimated it to be about five-o-clock. And she knew just how difficult working at her father's farm could be.

Because of the rocky soil in Patch, normal crops didn't grow that well. But Patch's soil was rich in a very specific thing that made it special. Magic. The crops her father grew drew nutrients from a large dust deposit a mile beneath the ground. This meant that the crops tended to grow quite quickly, and a lot of work was required to manage the fields. There was a reason why she used to wield a scythe as a weapon, and it wasn't just because of Uncle Qrow.

"Likewise. I had a pleasant conversation, and it was no trouble helping you out back there," Weiss said with a polite but genuine smile. She rose from the bench and began to walk away, Ruby falling into step behind her. Yet before they could leave, they heard Oscar clear his throat.

"Oh, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you a question for a while now," Oscar declared, turning around to jog up to them. Weiss straightened up and settled into what Ruby called her 'business face', the expression she wore when she was having a serious discussion with someone.

"Very well. What did you want to ask?" Weiss prompted, quickly glancing backward at Ruby to see what she thought. Ruby didn't mind. She tended to have to sit still whenever Weiss was talking to someone, and it was no problem for her to sit still for a few more minutes. Besides, it kept Weiss from bringing up their conversation from earlier.

"I... well... how do I put this without sounding crazy? Hmm," Oscar rambled quietly to himself, and Ruby and Weiss shared a confused look. Oscar failed to notice, too distracted with his muttering to himself. Weiss was about to reach out to grab Oscar's shoulder and shake him gently to ask his question when he spoke and cut them off. Ruby hadn't had blood for about a year now, but after hearing his words, hers probably would have frozen.

"What's with that silver light that keeps following you around?"


Cliffhangers are fun. I hate them when they happen to me, but after publishing this story I can say that I love them, just not when they happen to me. All jokes aside, you shouldn't have to worry about waiting to long for an update because I just had my wisdom teeth removed and can't do shit. But Regardless of all that, I owe my readers an apology.

Despite what problems I had, both with writer's block and personal issues, none of that could've stopped me from updating this story with a brief note saying that I would be going on a short hiatus. But I was scared that doing so would be met with backlash, and I was not prepared to deal with that. A bad excuse, but its the one I have. I didn't tell my readers that I wasn't sure when I'd update because I was scared they'd be mad. Stupid. I know.

Now, as for why I haven't been able to update. I know that this might be oversharing, but these past few months have been really hard on me, and writing this out has so far been pretty theraputic. So, here's the reason as to why I haven't updated in a while. Feel free to skip over this, its just me getting this off my chest. Also TW: Suicide.

A few months ago, my dad was laid of off his job of 20+ years. My dad had loved his job, and it was clear that it was as good for him as he was good at it. After being let go, he took it hard. He started drinking, and eventually tried to take his own life. My older brother and I were able to snap him out of it, but that left me a bit shaken up. I had always looked up to my dad, so to see him so low brought me a lot of complicated emotions. But that wasn't the issue. I'm a middle child, so I had a very young sibling to look after while my mom worked her job and my dad worked through his issues.

I had a ton of responsibilty thrust on me all of a sudden ,and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't handle it well. I treated my younger brother like shit, was an angry ball of hate to my mom and older brother, and I didn't even know how to act around my dad. I threw myself into school and work, trying to ease my parents stress as much as possible. Each time I sat down to play a video game, or watch a YouTube video or an episode of RWBY, I felt guilty. Whenever I opened my laptop and treid to start writng this chapter, the guilt was suffocating.

I felt like I could be doing something else. Something that actually helped my family, not just writing a God damn fanfiction. I couldn't get past the guilt, and the early drafts of this chapter all show that. As time went on, I reached a breaking point where I just snapped. I stopped caring about anything but school and work. I quit watching RWBY, I stopped playing video games, and I didn't practice for Cross Country, which had been a major part of my life for the past four years.

Recently, I was able to get out of this funk thanks to the help of some of my close friends. I started rewatching RWBY to catch up to what I missed. I started replaying all my favorite video games. But I didn't touch this story. In a cruel cycle, the lack of updates due to guilt led to further guilt over this story, and I just couldn't. But having four teeth removed gives you a lot of free time, and I decided to spend that hitting my head against my keyboard until I could get past this guilt and finally update this story.

So there it is. That's why I took so long to update. The next chapter is already like halfway done, and there's only about three chapters left planned for this arc. The next arc will hopefully be better then this one, but we can only reach that one once we finish this one. So I'll stop wasting my time and yours and get it finished already. I just hope you like this chapter, as well as the ones yet to come.

Thank you for all of your support.

-RabidBear