Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…

She counted down the seconds in her mind while she stared at the fabric of her tent above. This would be about the fortieth time she had counted down from one hundred.

Five… Four… Three…

She would not let the White Fang kill any innocent people while she was with them. There was only one person that needed to die.

Two… One…

Weiss sat up on her bedding and listened to the noises going on outside her tent. She would not even be able to see if it were not for the torches' light bleeding through the tent's walls.

I can't just sit here and do nothing…

She plucked her mask from the ground beside her and threw her cloak over her shoulders, intent on enacting the plan she had been formulating for the past few hours.

The first thing she needed to do was make sure Adam was asleep. She had given him ample time to do so by now, so it was time to get to the cage where the villagers they found from the destroyed village were being held.

Hopefully, there would not be any White Fang soldiers guarding them. Their patrol patterns were easy to memorize, so Weiss was not particularly worried about running into anyone.

She was fairly confident in her ability to carry out her plan to that point, but the difficult part would be what came next: getting the villagers out of the camp. An unknown variable she considered was how cooperative the villagers would be in following her directions. She knew they might be weary to follow her anywhere after the way they were treated. That, and the fact that she needed to sneak almost a dozen people out of a highly populated camp of people with night vision.

If the extraction is successful, she would then personally escort the villagers to the closest town in the north. She heard from Adam that they were only about a five-hour walk from there, currently, so she could most likely go there and come back before dawn if she ran as fast as she could.

But that meant Weiss needed to leave now.

She listened for a brief moment for any movement outside her tent. Satisfied with the quiet chirping of crickets, she slowly prodded the tent's flap to the side. A thorough scan of the outside prompted her to swiftly slip out.

Weiss glanced at the tent beside her own, hoping that Ilia was asleep inside. She stepped as quietly as she could through the grass.

"Weiss?"

She gritted her teeth and pursed her lips before turning around with a blank expression on her face. Ilia had peaked her head out of her tent the second she turned around.

"Did I wake you?" Weiss asked, feigning a sense of guilt.

"I wasn't asleep yet. I was just thinking about some… stuff," Ilia looked away as the scales on her cheeks momentarily flashed pink. "W-where are you going?"

"I had some things on my mind as well," Weiss sighed without skipping a beat. "I wanted to get some fresh air and clear my head since I was having some trouble sleeping."

"Oh, gotcha," Ilia nodded in understanding. "Hey… why don't I join you?"

"Y-you don't have to," Weiss spoke a little too fast as her heart rate spiked ever so slightly. She did not want to waste any more of the dark. "I wouldn't want you to lose sleep on my account."

"You don't have to worry about me," Ilia chuckled and stepped out of her tent. "I think a nice, quick, nighttime walk would be perfect. Besides, we can distract each other this way."

"I really don't…" Weiss began.

Ilia smiled and walked past Weiss.

"Come on," she beckoned, "Let's talk some more."

Weiss sighed, trying her best to hide her irritation, and followed.

For the first minute or so, Ilia said nothing. They simply walked, side-by-side, through the whisper-quiet camp. She would kindly wave at a soldier who was patrolling when they passed them. Perhaps Weiss could take advantage of this change of plans and bypass most of the soldiers.

"So…" Ilia finally spoke. "Is it getting easier? Living among the White Fang like this, I mean. Are we as scary as everyone makes us out to be?"

"It's definitely less structured than I expected," Weiss admitted truthfully. "Most of the time, it feels like we're all just a group of travelers or nomads. And I suppose it has gotten easier… or maybe I've simply gotten used to it."

"I'll be honest, usually we don't do long hikes like this," Ilia chuckled. "It's a lot easier for us to get around in Anima since our headquarters is in Mystral. It's a little harder to smuggle our equipment overseas to Vale."

"That makes sense," Weiss nodded. "That doesn't stop you from getting equipment to Atlas, though."

"We've got a few contacts on the northern coasts of Mystral and Vale," Ilia explained. "There's also plenty of bullheads and other Atlesian military equipment there that we uh… borrow."

"Now that, I knew," Weiss smirked.

"Whew! It's a little cold tonight," Ilia shivered and rubbed her exposed arms. "Wanna sit by the campfire for a while?"

"Sure," Weiss said after glancing in the direction of the cage. She needed to find a way to get Ilia to leave, soon.

The two women made their way to the fire and sat down beside one another. Ilia reached out and graciously warmed her icy fingers.

"Ah, that's nice," Ilia hummed. "I guess summer's ending soon, huh."

"I'm not sure. I lost track of the date a long time ago," Weiss blankly stared at the flames. She did not see Ilia frown at her.

A few more minutes of silence flooded the air, making it hard to breathe.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Ilia suddenly asked.

Weiss did not answer immediately. She had to admit she was curious, though.

"What is it?" Weiss looked at Ilia.

"What will you do after we kill Jacques?"

Weiss sighed and gazed into the flickering flames. She had been asking herself that question for a while now. It was not like she had anyone or any life to return to after that.

"After I kill my own father?" Weiss rephrased the question. "Nothing. I plan to do nothing."

"What do you mean?" Ilia furrowed her brows. "Like, you want to settle down somewhere? Live a quiet life?"

"No," Weiss shook her head. "I plan to do nothing. After my father is dead, I'll stand there and wait. I'll be arrested or killed: it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the world will be better off after we complete our mission."

"Stop it…"

"What?" Weiss looked at Ilia.

Ilia was looking right at her. Her fists were clenched in her lap and there was an angry frown on her face.

"I said stop it!" Ilia slammed her fist into the grass. "Stop talking like your life doesn't matter! Or else what's even the point of doing all this?!"

"I-Ilia…" Weiss stuttered as she watched the faunus girl hastily look away and wipe at her face.

What's gotten into her…? Does she… actually care about me?

"Ilia, I'm sorry," Weiss cooed as she placed her hand on Ilia's shoulder. "I just… I don't know what to do… After we kill my father, I'll be a fugitive. That, or the world will still think I'm dead if we manage to get away without being detected. There will be nothing left for me…"

"But what about…" Ilia began but seemingly changed her mind. "Don't you have anyone special back home? Someone that'll be so relieved to know you're okay that they wouldn't care about what we did?"

Weiss pulled her hand back and sighed as she scratched her temple.

Blake…

"I… I don't have anyone like that," Weiss frowned. "Not anymore."

"But there was someone?"

"It wasn't meant to be," Weiss shook her head.

The two women sat at the fire for a few more seconds, not knowing what to say.

"Well," Ilia weakly smiled at last, "We still have a long way to go. That's plenty of time for you to think of something."

Weiss could only stare at Ilia for a moment before she smiled back.

"I suppose you're right."

"This conversation did not go how I thought it would," Ilia chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "But I can definitely rest easy now. I think I'm going to go to sleep."

"Sounds good," Weiss said. "I'm going to stay out here for a little longer. You go on without me."

"Sure," Ilia nodded and stood up. She started for her tent but stopped. "Hey, Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"If you ever need help thinking of what you want to do after our mission, I want you to know that I'm here for you."

Weiss was briefly taken aback, but could not resist the genuine smile that broke through.

"Thank you, Ilia. I'm glad to hear that."

"Goodnight, Weiss," Ilia smiled back and waved over her shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

Weiss watched Ilia leave while enjoying the warm smile Ilia's words had given her. It was quite pleasant to have someone that gave a damn about her again.

Perhaps I should treat Ilia with a little more affability… Maybe act more genuine around her…

The smile on her face gradually diminished over time and was steadily replaced by a feeling of determination. She still had a job to do.

Weiss slipped her mask on, and her hood was drawn over her silky, white braid. She knew where all the White Fang soldiers were patrolling thanks to her walk with Ilia, so she was able to reach the cage containing the human prisoners hastily.

As she approached the cage, she could see the settlers huddling together for warmth. Only the children seemed to be sleeping while their mothers hugged them close in the tight space they were enclosed within.

A few of the prisoners watched skeptically while Weiss drew her dagger and cut the ropes holding the cage closed. Suddenly the door was wide open.

"I'm going to get you all out of here," Weiss whispered. "I'll explain more once we're out of the camp."

The settlers did not move at first, but after a moment of hesitation, one of them spoke. He was the same man that tried to steal her dagger when they first arrived at the camp.

"Why should we trust you?" the man sneered. "You could be leading us to a slaughter…"

"If we really wanted you dead, you wouldn't be breathing right now," Weiss said impatiently. "We don't have time to waste. You must come with me now."

The man eyed Weiss' masked face with a mixture of annoyance and hesitation. He looked back at the rest of the prisoners.

"Come on, everyone. We won't have another chance like this," he said.

One by one, the villagers emerged from the cage and formed a group in front of Weiss.

"Stay calm and follow my lead," Weiss told the villagers. "And stay close to each other. We're not leaving anyone behind."

With that, Weiss began to lead the group through the camp. She was surprised by how well the people behind her were keeping their composure. She supposed that was why they survived the initial Grimm attack on their settlement.

Once again, Weiss was able to avoid all the White Fang soldiers at their night watch posts thanks to her quick 'recon' with Ilia. They were soon out of earshot from the camp, allowing her to let out the nervous breath she had been holding at last.

"Well done everyone," Weiss said to the villagers. "That's the hard part done with."

"Now what?" asked the man whom Weiss now assumed was the villagers' leader.

"Now, we go north," Weiss answered and pointed behind herself. "The closest town is about a five-hour hike upstream. Don't worry, I don't expect you all to go alone. I'll make sure you get there, personally."

"You expect all of us to walk several miles through a Grimm-infested forest in the dead of night?" the village leader snarked. "Sure, you got us out of the frying pan by getting us out of that prison, but now you're throwing us straight into the fire! We won't make it like this! We need weapons, armor, anything besides our bare fists!"

"I understand you're worried, but I just can't get you any weapons," Weiss shook her head. "I don't have any to spare, and we can't go back to the camp to get some. You just have to trust me. I know what I'm doing. I can protect you."

"Trust you?" the leader nearly chuckled. "Trust one of the rabid faunus that got us stuck in this mess in the first place?"

"You honestly don't have much of a choice," Weiss huffed as her ire grew and she placed her hands on her hips. "Unless you'd rather go back to your cage and wait around for our leader to decide what to do with you."

"No, no… This was a trap all along," the leader said with a deranged look in his eyes. He glanced at Myrtenaster on Weiss' hip. "There's one other option after all…"

"What are you—"

Before Weiss could activate her aura, she felt something heavy slam into her temple. It appeared someone from the group had thrown a sizable rock at her head. She could only blink as the world around her became unsteady. Suddenly, she was on the grass phasing in and out of consciousness.

"You won't torture us anymore, you fucking animal," the leader growled and plucked Myrtenaster from Weiss' unmoving form.

The village leader's boot collided with Weiss' ribs with unyielding force, knocking the wind out of her as a sharp pain cracked through her chest.

"We'll make sure your kind doesn't harm a single hair on another human's head," the man sneered.

Another kick wracked Weiss' body with pain.

The man put his foot on Weiss' head.

"Taste that dirt like the filthy animal you are," He drawled with venom seeping from his maw as he raised Myrtenaster to strike. "I'll skewer you like one, too."

Weiss tried desperately to focus on activating her aura, but the thought of how foolish she was for not expecting this was distracting her.

How could I have not seen this coming? Maybe I wouldn't have been able to protect them after all…

Once again, she had proven that she was not strong enough to do what must be done. For the second time, she found herself at the mercy of some tyrant for simply being who she was. She could only remember the feeling she had when Adam was about to kill her, only this time, she did not have the onyx pendant to provide one last bit of comfort.

I… I can't die yet… I need to finish my mission… I can't let him win…

Weiss could not focus. Her head was still spinning underneath the villager's boot.

Someone, save me…

Ilia… Please save me again…

"AHHH!"

Myrtenaster clanged against the dirt, followed by a soft thud beside Weiss' head. Right before her eyes, a human hand was lying in the grass. The boot holding her down was forcibly shoved off, allowing her to see what had happened.

The villager was now on his knees; screaming in pain and clutching his bleeding stump of a wrist. The other villagers were huddling together, surrounded by a few White Fang soldiers.

Weiss could barely comprehend what she was seeing while her heart rate gradually came down from its imprudent peak. All she could manage to do was sit up and use her hand to steady her spinning head.

"Human, fools," Adam murmured under his breath as he wiped the blood off his blade. "Even when you're offered so much, you still can't help but demand more. Your greed will always be your downfall."

"A-Adam…" Weiss stuttered as she looked up at the familiar pattern of his Grimm mask. She had never been happier to see that ornate design in her life.

"Weiss! Are you okay?" a voice from beside Weiss suddenly spoke.

"Ilia…" Weiss almost laughed. "What did I say about sneaking up on me like that…"

"Can you stand?" Ilia smiled and grasped Weiss' hand.

Weiss nodded and was helped onto her feet. It took a moment for her to regain her balance, but Ilia was there to keep her from falling.

"Well, Schnee?" Adam folded his arms and looked down upon Weiss. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Weiss could not bring herself to look Adam in the mask. There was something extremely unsettling about him asking her a question so casually over the sound of a man shrieking in pain on the grass.

"I… I was just…"

"This must have been a good learning experience for you," Adam huffed and looked at the crying villager. "They weren't as thankful for your help as you had hoped, were they?"

"No…" Weiss mumbled and looked at the villager, herself. "They were not."

"This is why we show no weakness. Compassion is something easily exploitable," Adam said and turned his focus on the man on the ground. "Stop crying. You'll attract the Grimm, and they would make your death much more painful than we."

The man whimpered as Trifa pulled him to his knees and stood behind him.

"Better… I want all of you humans to listen up. Seeing as you have rewarded my friend's hospitality with such discourtesy…" Adam said and placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I think it's only fair that she decides whether or not you all get to live."

Weiss nearly flinched. She looked at Adam, thankful that her mask hid her surprised expression.

"You're letting me choose?" she asked. "You aren't just going to kill them…? Why?"

"Now you've experienced what we faunus live through on a daily basis," Adam explained. "If you are able to let them live after the way they treated you… Well, that would be… remarkable. And perhaps foolish. Go on… I will respect your decision either way."

"Adam, this is nonsense!" Trifa stomped.

"We will respect her decision," Adam's tone left no room for debate.

Weiss looked down upon the man who, just a few minutes ago, had his boot on her head. He looked like a pathetic, broken coward with tears and snot all over his face.

"P-please, Miss. Don't kill me," the man pleaded. "We're sorry. W-we just wanted to be able to protect ourselves."

Then why didn't you just walk away with my weapon? Why did you try to kill me?

"You know what? Adam was right… People like you really only believe in violence. You honestly see no other way to solve this conflict. The way you treat the Faunus is unforgivable…" Weiss said and tightened her hands into white-knuckled fists. "Maybe you do deserve to die… but I won't let that happen… because I have hope that one day, people like you will see that violence isn't the answer."

Adam nodded his head and withdrew his hand from Weiss' shoulder.

"You got lucky tonight, human. What do you have to say to her?" Adam asked the villager.

"T-thank you…"

Adam hummed with satisfaction and turned to address the White Fang soldiers.

"Get them back to their cage. We'll take them to the next town in the morning. And get that man's arm patched up. We don't want him dying on us, do we?"

Weiss watched as the soldiers rounded up the villagers and started escorting them back to the camp. Adam and Ilia stayed with Weiss until everyone was ahead of them.

"Where's your sword?" Adam asked.

Weiss felt her hip and panicked for a split second before finding Myrtenaster lying in the grass. Before she could pick it up, Adam beat her to it.

"Didn't I tell you to do better looking after your equipment?" Adam said as he brushed some dirt off the hilt before handing the blade back to Weiss.

"I'm sorry."

"Come on, you two. You both should still try to get some rest," Adam seemingly ignored her apology.

Adam began walking with Ilia and Weiss tailing behind. Weiss stared at the ground as she walked. It was getting difficult to endure the silence.

All things considered, she did not expect to get off so easily. She disobeyed Adam's orders and tried to free the villagers while he slept. Even still, the villagers were alive and would be safely delivered to the next village while Weiss was let off with a half-baked scolding.

I can't just act like nothing happened…

Weiss left Ilia's side and walked beside Adam.

"Thank you… for saving me back there," Weiss said, timidly, "and… and I'm sorry for going behind your back like that. It was a betrayal of your trust."

"I appreciate you saying that," Adam huffed with a smirk. "Just don't do it again, or you will be the one losing an arm."

The smirk on Adam's face made his words seem like a joke, but Weiss was not entirely sure if it was. She decided a nervous chuckle was appropriate as a response.

"By the way, you should be thanking Ilia instead of me. She woke me up and told me what was happening right after you left," Adam added. "That's twice, she's saved your life now."

Weiss looked back and saw Ilia playing with her ponytail with a guilty blush on her masked face.

"I kind of knew you were going to try something like this after our… discussion by the bonfire," Ilia mumbled, "I only told him because I was worried. I didn't want you to get in trouble—"

"Thank you, Ilia," Weiss smiled. "You… have been a really good friend to me."

Now the scales on Ilia's face were bright pink.

"Y-you're welcome," she sputtered and looked away.

Weiss looked ahead and finally took a moment to breathe. She was getting tired of these close calls. She almost died in Vale by Adam's hand. She almost lost Blake to the library explosion. She almost died very stupidly tonight.

She was perplexed by Adam's mercy. She would easily understand if they decided to tie her up and keep her as a prisoner not much different than the villagers.

He didn't even seem surprised by what I did… Did he know I was going to do this all along?

Weiss glanced at Adam for the briefest of moments. She did not want to know the answer to her question.

Adam was an experienced fighter and leader; much more experienced than herself. He clearly knew what he was talking about when it came to the survival of his troops and himself.

Weiss still did not agree with his methods, but she now understood his motives. And going forward, she would be sure not to underestimate his wisdom ever again.

A/N: Sorry I missed a few weeks! I was on vacation. Please leave a review!