Hey, you know how I occasionally have really bad days and post a chapter to get a rush of endorphins? Yeah, it's that time again.

— X Blake X—

Blake jumped in place as Satanachia suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, sitting on air and lacing her fingers, quiet authority oozing from her frame, "So anyways, back on topic, Blake's past!"

Say it cheerfully, why don't you.

"Do we have to talk about this?" Blake asked, more resigned than anything. They already knew about Adam, did they really need to know about the fact that she was part of the White Fang?

"They're gonna find out eventually," Satanachia said, "listen, it was a nothing thing in my timeline. You running away was the biggest thing that happened, and we found you a day later."

"Fine," Blake breathed in, "I was part of the White Fang. Menagerie and Vale Branch."

"Which, in hindsight, was pretty obvious," Satanachia said like it wasn't a dropped bomb, "since your dad is the founder and all that. Didn't even use a fake name to enter Beacon."

"Ghira Bella- donna-" Weiss started, before trailing off and sitting down, eyebrows practically touching, "That does seem obvious in hindsight. So you were part of the White Fang."

The last part was dripping with vitriol.

"I grew up in the Fang," Blake said, "I used to travel the circuit with Dad and Mom, joining protests with Mom while Dad gave speeches but then… Dad stopped, Dad quit and let Sienna take over as leader and he never explained why. Do you know why?"

The last sentence was directed at Satanachia, who shrugged, "I don't know everything, Blake. Any illusion of omniscience I've shown comes from reading ahead in the proverbial script. You'll have to ask your Dad when we go to see him, and me and my Blake are going to go see him, you don't have to come if you don't want to, but Blake's waited 600 years to see her parents again."

"Well, anyways, I couldn't let that be the end," Blake said, turning towards Weiss, "So I signed on at the Menagerie branch of the White Fang as a full time member, was put on Adam's team, and then… then came out here when he was assigned as Branch Leader for Vale. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, Weiss, you have to believe me about that, I would never have wanted anyone to die-"

"And then, at some point," Satanachia said, "Adam signed on with Cinder Fall for a plan to destroy Beacon."

"He what!?" Blake whipped around to look at Satanachia.

"We called it the Fall of Beacon,". Satanachia said, "Adam used bullheads to carry Grimm to Beacon's front door while Cinder whipped the people of Vale into a frenzy through a series of well timed tricks. Framing Yang for crippling the competition at the Vytal Festival, tricking Pyrrha into killing an Atlesian competitor, ranting about how it was all Ozpin and Ironwood's fault instead of her own…"

"Adam would never-!" Blake started, before stopping as she realized what she was about to say

"Never work with a human?" Blake nodded weakly, "I don't know what Cinder did to force him to agree, but he was at the Fall. That's where he took off Yang's arm. I know you don't want to believe this, Blake, but Adam has run up a butcher's bill and needs to die, or at least be locked up for the rest of his days. You leaving destroyed whatever fragments of sanity he has, he is obsessed with making you pay for leaving him, and I have little doubt he won't carry that grudge onto my wife for doing the same."

Blake's mind skipped.

"You're- you and me, I- what?" Blake pointed between herself and Ruby, who's face had turned cherry red.

"Yeah," Satanachia's grin was so different from the one outside, instead of a predatory thing, Blake could only describe it as "shit eating", "A lot happened over six hundred years kiddos. Weiss is the only one who hasn't tied the knot."

— X Hazel X—

Hazel sat in the conference room of Evernight, wondering why Salem had called for them so suddenly. It wasn't too much of an inconvenience, as he had been sitting around Evernight anyways, but it was strange, "Do you know anything about this?"

"I can't say I do," Arthur said as he walked in and sat down next to him, "perhaps the urchin failed?"

Tyrian giggled from his spot across from them, causing Hazel to roll his eyes and say, "Don't sound so enthusiastic about Salem's plans failing, Tyrian."

That stopped the giggling dead, even if it got a sullen glare in response instead. Before Tyrian could say anything, Salem herself came into the room with a Seer floating behind her, "You may remain seated, I want this meeting over quickly."

The Grimm settled onto the table, before Cinder's face appeared in the smoke within.

"Cinder, I have good news and I have bad news. I'll start with the good, Ozpin has become desperate enough to call another Maiden to Vale," Everyone shifted at that, watching Cinder's eyes widen in the reflection, "The bad news is that she made herself known by killing the Wyvern."

Everyone in the room shifted at that, and Cinder's eyes widened further, "You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Salem said, clearly irritated at being questioned but waving her hand. The image in the Seer changed to show a blond haired woman with fire in her hands plummeting and blowing the Wyvern to pieces in a single double punch. The smoke shifted, showing Cinder again, "You're going to have to be more careful, you aren't ready to fight a Maiden at full power yet."

"I beat Autumn-"

"You ambushed Autumn, you are not prepared to fight a Maiden," Salem repeated, sending a glare at Cinder, "am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cinder muttered.

"Good. I'm sending Hazel to assist you, since such a large part of the plan was, quite literally, blown to pieces. Be careful, but be ready. If we can claim two Maidens in one stroke, it will be a devastating blow to Ozpin."