Cinder Fall was beautiful. There was no other way to put it. Her long black hair, her shimmering amber eyes, her lithe figure, everything about the crime lordess' looks demanded attention. It was, truthfully, part of the reason for her success. So it was no surprise to her that as she attended Beacon Academy under the alias of Ella Ember to carry out her plans, she turned the heads of many hormonal youths.

What did surprise, however, was that her head began to turn as well.

But from that shared gaze came conversation, meetings outside of her schedule... Even a sort of friendship.

Which all came to a head one beautiful evening. Ella was sitting rather comfortably under a maple tree just outside of Beacon, watching the sunset. At her side was this newfound… friend who called herself Ruby Rose.

"Thanks again for joining me here, Ella," she said, her head nestled against the tree. "It's nice to be here with someone outside my team."

"You seem to really like this little tree," replied Ella.

Ruby shuffled against the ground a little. "Yeah, it's pretty great. You'd be hard-pressed to find a spot on the grounds with a better view of the sunset. Only other safe place I've ever found with a view like this is…" She stopped abruptly, her head sinking forward a bit.

Ella turned her head, curious. "Where?"

Ruby slowly turned her head to face her friend. "My mother's grave."

Ella's face dropped slightly at these words. "You never told me your…"

"Yeah, it's not exactly something I tell a lot of people. Only those I trust."

Cinder internally flinched at that word: "Trust." Not something she was used to hearing of herself. 'No honor among thieves,' and all that. It was new… She thought she liked it.

"Do you want to tell me about her?" Ella asked. "If not, I won't pry."

"I think you've earned the full story." Ruby's head found its way onto Ella's shoulder, and she spoke.

"Her name was Summer Rose. She died when I was really young, but from what I've heard from my dad and uncle, she was one of the best fighters of her generation. Not a bad mom to my half-sister, Yang, either.

"But one day, ten years ago, while she was on a mission outside of Atlas, she was just… Overrun. By what, no one knew. There weren't that many Grimm in the area she was in. Whatever it was, it left her bleeding, crippled, and… And…"

By this point in her story, Ruby had begun to break down, not quite to the point of tears, but enough that she couldn't keep on the subject if she tried. Sensing this, Ella's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Ruby."

"I miss her, Ella. Every day of my life, I miss her."

"Wherever she is, Ruby, I'm sure she's proud of what you've become."

Ruby's head once again turned, to look into Ella's amber eyes. "Thanks, Ella. I'm so glad I met you."

"So am I, Ruby," said Ella, as she brought her face closer to Ruby's, and she did the same. "So am I."

Their lips pressed against each other in a tender, beautiful kiss that seemed to shimmer in the light of the setting sun.

As they broke apart, Ella rose to her feet. "I ought to get back to my dorm before dark."

"What, you gonna turn into a pumpkin?" Ruby quipped.

"Something like that, maybe," Ella responded with a chuckle, causing Ruby to laugh as well. "Goodnight, Ruby."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ella."

Ruby watched as her… "more-than-friend" walked off to the dorms, then turned her head back to the horizon to watch as the sun disappeared.

A wise man once said that the best way to get ahead in life is to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. While she never planned on getting… quite that close… it got her what she needed.

As the dusk settled into night and the sky filled with stars, Cinder pulled her scroll out of her pocket, dialing up her subordinate.

"Change of plans, Mercury. We have a new secondary target." Her lips curled into a smirk. "I found her daughter."

Note of the Author: Dun dun DUUUN! Oh damn! Cinder was kill!

On a more authorial note, my idea for this chapter was to write Cinder and her alias as two different characters. Feel free as the solar wind to let me know how I did.

Check back later for Ozpin's chapter… and a special announcement.