TW: Intrusive thoughts? probably.

Cinder was laughing. This was unbelievable. Unacceptable.

Glynda thrust her riding crop out, grateful she'd chosen clothes acceptable for fighting. Her green eyes were focused, watching the woman who destroyed the person she was sworn to protect. As fire billowed out from the point of the crop, uncontrolled and wild, her power seemed, again, to speak for her. Destroy her. Kill her. Reunite your power and claim what is rightfully yours.

It sounded like a fucking fantastic idea.

With a couple methodical switches of the crop, Glynda telekinetically lifted the small bag of sugar that sat next to a couple more hot beverages, prepared for god knew who. Dumping it into thin air was the first step. Then, she ignited it.

The force of the explosion blew a surprised Cinder back, and Glynda grinned grimly, glad for once she'd paid attention in her freshman year Applied Explosives course. Cinder's feet skid on the hardwood floor so hard they left marks as the woman tried to regain her footing. However, Glynda wasn't done yet; she intended to keep on the attack.

Good, said her Maiden powers. She can use the flames better than you can, but only if you give her the chance. Don't.

Abandoning her predictable pyrotechnics and telekinesis, Glynda jumped onto a nearby chandelier and swung, gaining momentum, aiming to land right on Cinder's head. It seemed, however, that Cinder herself had other ideas. The older woman flipped out of the way in an elaborate technique that could only be defined as showing off.

As Glynda landed, a dark red glyph formed under her and she cursed. She'd barely managed to roll to the side when a pillar of fire erupted. From her position on the floor, she could see Cinder, still grinning. The sight seemed to stoke the fire in Glynda's soul. She managed to pop back up and flick her crop once again… this time, not in a way that would invoke power, but simply in a way that would evoke pain.

Cinder Fall did not seem to have a weapon on her, apart from obvious dust woven into her short, short dress. Glynda didn't hesitate or pause to think what that meant. She simply cracked her crop, over and over, aiming for Cinder's neck, her knees, her weak spots. For her part, Cinder parried the blows as well as one could with no weapon. Arms and legs blocked softer parts, and though it must have hurt, Glynda couldn't see a bit of pain on Cinder's face. There was only excitement. Adrenaline.

Unexpectedly, Glynda kicked out her own leg, and Cinder toppled to the floor. Glynda smirked. There was no way this was the end, but it felt good to have the upper hand once more and…

The door blew open with a loud shot.

Both women turned to look automatically, not minding that they should have been keeping their eyes on each other. Standing in the remains of the doorway were Emerald, Mercury, and Neo. They looked more annoyed than anything. "Stop! Both of you!" Emerald exclaimed.

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Cinder, haven't you always been the one who said we're all supposed to fight together?"

"I have," said Cinder calmly. "However, you three were late, and I wasn't left with much choice. Will you please make sure your Maiden is okay now?"

Glynda had half a mind to destroy Cinder right there, in front of her very Guard… it would serve them all right. However, before she could move, it seemed Neo was at her side, picking up her arm and examining it. Emerald and Mercury weren't far behind. "Miss Goodwitch," Emerald said in a tone of voice that was almost reverent. "Are you injured? Is everything okay?"

"I meant me," said Cinder. Irritability seeped into her voice.

"How were we supposed to know? You didn't specify," Mercury pointed out. "Besides, we know you. You're not dying, probably."

Glynda snapped her arm away from Neo and tried to swat the other two away. "What are you going on about?"

Emerald smiled. "Well, you were asleep when we swore it, but we're your Maiden Guard. That means you really shouldn't be fighting without us. Or, uh, with the other Maiden we're guarding. It makes things very, very complicated."

For a brief moment, Glynda thought that they might be lying. However, the way they were treating her was just as she would have treated Amber, back in the day. There was no reason to lie about it either, not that she could think of. However, there was also no reason for any of them to have taken on the important mantle. To have sworn themselves as her Guard was serious. Honor bound them to take on the task until the day one of them died. What would compel them to sacrifice their lives to her?

"Why?" she vocalized.

Emerald's eyes, formerly analyzing the arm that Neo hadn't yet checked, flicked up to look at Glynda. "We all take Maidens very seriously here. Tradition and honor dictates you get a Guard. Cinder and Salem insisted that we follow that tradition."

"Salem?"

Cinder, standing alone, smiled. It was not devious or mean this time. "You never did let me finish explaining before you attacked. Would you care to sit down?"

Numbly, Glynda obliged. Her… her Guard… backed away and also settled into various seats around the bridge.

"Now, I believe it was your turn to ask questions. Was your first one about Salem, then?"

"Seeing as I don't know who that is, then yes. Why don't we start with them?"

Nobody seemed to notice Glynda's slight venom. Instead, Cinder smiled and began an explanation. "Salem is an aunt of mine, in a way. She was my late mother's best friend. After my mother's death, she raised me, and I would say she raised me right. We still keep in touch regularly and work together on a number of projects."

"Which include?"

Cinder shook her head. "Not yet. I'll gladly be honest, but before I can go into much more detail, I need to know things from you. So here's my question. They say you murdered Yang Xiao Long. Did you?"

"No!" The word was out before Glynda even thought about it. "Why would I? I was framed by Ironwood."

"Why would such an outstanding man frame you?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. It was like she already knew exactly why.

Still, Glynda didn't answer. Only part of that was because she didn't know herself. There was the simple reason: her scroll landed conveniently in a place where she could easily be framed. Of course, there was also the fact that Ironwood probably knew she overheard him, and she definitely knew too much. Was there more to it? Did he tire of having a younger Guard around, always asking too many questions and trying too hard to be sympathetic? Was he upset that she was a wild card, with only ritual bonds to him and his cause? That wasn't impossible; while he, Ozpin, and Qrow had all gone to school at the same time, she was a generation younger.

Glynda rose. "I'd like to pause this and retire now," she said. Her voice was stilted and formal. "I'll be happy to answer questions at any time but this. That battle took a lot out of me, as I'm sure you'll imagine."

She did not wait for an answer. She simply began to walk past the other Maiden and towards the room she had been in earlier. As she passed, however, Cinder grabbed her bare hand.

Heat raced through the spot where their skin touched, like a welcome hearthfire. Inside Glynda, power hissed happily. For the first time since she'd taken the Maiden abilities, Glynda felt complete. From the look of shock in Cinder's golden eyes, the other Maiden felt it too.

They stood there for a long moment, simply feeling. Feeling good, feeling strong, feeling powerful. Perhaps, Glynda later mused, they would have done that for hours, but after a couple of minutes Emerald finally interrupted. "Are you two okay?"

Cinder dropped Glynda's hand, and the hunger abruptly returned. Glynda's stomach seemed to drop, and she began to feel almost nauseous. "Of course. Yes," Cinder obviously lied, right beside her. "I simply needed to get dear Miss Goodwitch's attention." She turned to Glynda. "I want you to know that we will not turn you in, and will, in fact protect you. These three are honor bound to that end. However, we can only help you as long as you don't run. Do you understand that?"

"I don't need a Maiden Guard I don't know," Glynda responded as heatedly as she could when both her power and her being were screaming TOUCH ME AGAIN! She worked hard to make sure her logic could reel in that feeling.

Cinder's glance flicked to Glynda's hand, then to the three teenagers (were they teenagers? Or were they too adults?) behind her. "Get to know them, then," she advised. "They're nice kids."

Behind Cinder, Mercury made a face, perhaps at being called a "nice kid."

Glynda began to walk away, though her power protested. Touch her! Again! She has what we need! "I'll consider it," she said as coolly as she could muster, then turned back into the room she'd slept the last couple days in.

As soon as she was alone, Cinder gave Salem a call.

The strange woman picked up quickly. "Cinder. What's the status?"

"Miss Goodwitch is awake. She's not giving us any new information yet, but we're working on it." Cinder stood up straight, but couldn't help fidgeting nervously. "Salem, that's not entirely why I called. There's been… there's been an issue."

Salem now sat up straighter. Her white curls fell back as she ran a hand through them. "Tell me."

"We touched. There was a moment of wholeness. It's… distracting."

"It's simply the power manifesting itself, waiting to be reunited. Don't let it bother you. Get the information, then reunite the Maiden power as it wants."

Cinder looked at the hand she'd grabbed Glynda with. It didn't seem to be changed at all, but something in her had. "I thought I liked the hunger," she murmured, more to herself than to Salem. "I thought it motivated me, helped me along. I knew what to do, even without truly knowing. I thought the hunger was a good thing. Now, I'm not so sure. I want to… I want to do whatever it takes to feel this whole all the time, now. Maybe that's the real motivator."

She tore her gaze off her hand and looked again to Salem. "I wish that the Maiden powers came with a built in instructor, sometimes. It'd be so much easier if they could tell me how to use them. Every day of this guessing game, I end up shocked by something new."

Salem's eyes gleamed. "Unfortunately, powers don't talk, but at least you have me to keep you on track. You're right; you are distracted."

Cinder was quiet when she spoke. "Right now it's very hard not to be."

Glynda's powers were shrieking at her, their words hissing and burning in the ex-professor's very blood. Nearly complete! Nearly complete! So close to full, can't you feel it?

"Yes, yes," Glynda said aloud. She was annoyed. She was annoyed at her powers, which wouldn't shut up… she was annoyed at herself, for being unable to weave the clues and bits of information she had and figure out what was going on… she was annoyed at Cinder, who up until the touch had been so calm and collected and expectant.

Take it. Wait for the Guard not to know. Kill her.

"Perhaps."

Then, she blinked. Perhaps? Did she mean that? Could she kill someone?

Did she have a choice?

No, no. She couldn't think like that. Glynda knew she hadn't been making the best decisions, but they were decisions she could justify. Ironwood was more than likely bad. She rescued the powers… she didn't simply steal them like a common thief. Since she was now a Maiden, she was no more a Maiden Guard, which meant she had no obligation to murder Cinder simply for doing the exact same crime Glynda herself had done.

Oh, did that fire in her blood burn in protest at that thought. Cinder must die at your hand. You must become complete.

"I am complete," muttered Glynda, though she didn't feel it was true. "Simply because I only have half the power doesn't mean I'm not a full person. I'm not going to kill her for no reason."

Isn't her existence, her insolence, reason enough?

The scary part was that Glynda actually considered that. Then, she tried to push the power automatically gathering in her left eye back. "No. No, not yet it isn't."

Glynda's aura seemed to be almost battling with itself. With all of her heart and soul, Glynda tried to control the power that bubbled, brewed, and cursed her. The power pushed back with an almost tangible force, wordlessly demanding an obedience Glynda wasn't willing to give. As she grappled for control, for a moment of quiet, the room seemed to quiver and shake. She was knocked off her feet by some sort of force, and fell onto the ground. The room seemed to rock around her. "Stop!" she ordered, her voice raising to a near scream.

"Glynda!"

"I said, stop!" she cried out again, and shut her eyes tight.

"Come on, Miss Goodwitch!"

The power didn't call her that. The power, so far, didn't call her much of anything besides "Maiden." As soon as she realized that, her very literally internal conflict seemed to die down. She opened one eye.

Standing above her were Emerald and Mercury. A little ways away was Cinder, perhaps trying to avoid a repeat of the touch incident.

"What's going on?" asked Glynda weakly.

Emerald's eyes were concerned. "We're under attack," she explained. "There's been a slip-up. We didn't realize there's a civilian air ban right now. So far they're only sending warning pulses to try and shake us up a little, but they're asking to board. They can't find you. And we can't hold them off for more than five minutes."

Kill them all, whispered the power, and Glynda was pleased to find that it was much more ignorable now.

"Do you have a hiding place?"

Cinder was the one to cut in. "We have no clue where they'll be planning to look. Anywhere we hide you would have its risks. Except, of course, in plain sight."

"Excuse me?" Any soldier or hunter worth their salt wouldn't buy that old trick. Even with short hair and a new outfit, Glynda doubted she'd be able to fool anyone who could be actively looking for her. Blending into the background was difficult enough in a crowd. On a near-empty skyliner, it was impossible.

Emerald gave Glynda a steady look. "It's my semblance. I do illusions. As long as you stay near me, they won't be able to see you once I set it up. Nobody will… you'll look like absolutely nothing."

"It only works for one person at a time, though. Two at most," Cinder noted. "We'll get them to split up. I'm sure it will be fine."

The ship shook once again. "They're getting impatient," muttered Mercury.

"Emerald!" Cinder snapped. "Are you sure you can do this?"

Emerald nodded. "I've got no choice. She's my Maiden."

"Then prepare for boarding. And Glynda, stay within three meters of Emerald at all times, unless you want this to get messy." With no energy left to argue, and both her and her powers desperate to survive and stay free, Glynda nodded. As she did, Cinder brought her scroll out from her pocket and raised it to her lips. "Neo? Let them board."

As the ship shook one final time, so did Glynda Goodwitch's stomach.

Summary: After touching Cinder, Glynda's power begins to go wild, filling her mind with murderous thoughts and feelings. Only a sudden jolt manages to snap her out of it... the ship is being attacked.