Behind Bars:

Part Seven: Visitors

In the two weeks that had passed since the lockdown, Yang hadn't come any closer to finding out what had caused the incident in the first place.

Rumors still buzzed around the Birdcage, most of them getting more ridiculous by the day. And the COs remained resolutely tight-lipped.

Only one thing was certain: the line between the humans and the Faunus was thicker than ever.

In the wake of all the chaos, tensions had spiked – eliminating whatever semblance of peace had existed before. Trust was a hard thing to come by in Briarcliff, but the recent wave of panic had broken the thin complacency that had settled between the warring factions of the Wilds.

As Cadeja had said, fear ruled them all.

But for today, Yang would set aside her search. Today – she had other things to worry about.

Today, her family was finally coming to visit.

After weeks of waiting, Yang had finally gotten word that her approved visitors list had made it through the system. From there, all it had taken was a simple phone call home – and Taiyang was practically already dragging Ruby out of the house, ready to go.

Yang smiled to herself, remembering. After so long, she'd been worried that the anticipation and the waiting would leave her nervous and even dreading the visit, but now that the day had finally arrived, she felt eager to see her family again.

A feeling of homesickness that she had rarely allowed herself to acknowledge had welled up inside her – with the recent fear and panic, she hadn't been able to suppress it completely. If nothing else, the visit would provide a welcome distraction.

So for two days – two days until visitors were allowed into Briarcliff, ferried in by weekend airships – Yang kept her head down, a stupid grin occasionally spreading across her face. Sometimes, she practically bounced around their cell – and Cadeja would roll her eyes and shake her head, the black-tufted tip of one white ear twitching.

She went to work and avoided the librarian – whose name was Darrah, she had learned – and for two, blessed days – she saw neither Sasha nor any of her followers.

The only hiccup was that she practically ran over Freya – the bent-eared rabbit Faunus – while running laps in the Yard. The strange, skittish little girl practically jumped out of her skin. Seeing Yang up close caused her lip to quiver, and with color rushing to her cheeks she bounded away across the green.

Barring that brief incident, Yang blew through the forty eight hours that separated her from her family – bringing her to the moment where she now sat in the visiting room, knee bouncing under the table and looking up at the door every time a new visitor was escorted in by one of the guards.

The room was a fairly large, rectangular space dotted with round metal tables and curved benches nailed to the floor. Fluorescent lights occasionally flickered, buzzing weakly from their perches on the high, vaulted ceiling.

Whoever had built the Birdcage had at least made an effort to force some cheeriness into the room, painting the walls a light shade of pink rather than the standard issue off-white.

For half an hour, she watched the door. A series of guests trickled in, a new group appearing every few minutes. After thirty minutes of waiting, Yang slumped in her seat – energy spent. Some of her initial excitement waned, replaced by impatience.

After watching yet another group ushered in by the guards, Yang glowered at the door. Paranoid thoughts kept tugging at her mind, buzzing around her brain.

What if they couldn't come?

What if something happened?

…what if the list wasn't really approved yet?

Mood darkening, Yang stewed in her seat, arm crossed over her chest. With an exasperated breath, she blew an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.

Finally, after another fifteen minutes of watching the door – listening to the sluggish tick tick of the clock above – Yang sat up straight as Ruby and Taiyang appeared in the doorway. Unconsciously, her hand gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles blanching white.

Ruby spotted her and waved, a characteristic smile spread across her face.

"Yang!" she called, crossing the room.

Taiyang followed her as they picked their way through the sea of tables. Rising from the bench, Yang was surprised to notice Qrow trailing close behind them, his eyes sifting through the faces in the room.

Ignoring the plastic signs hanging on the walls that posted warnings like "NO RUNNING" and "LIMITED CONTACT WITH INMATES," Ruby barreled into Yang's chest at top speed, nearly knocking her over in a fierce embrace. Worriedly, Yang caught a female CO's eye, but the woman simply grunted and turned away.

Relieved, Yang hugged her sister back as tightly as she could. She felt Ruby flinch when the stub of her right arm pressed into her back, but after a moment she quickly relaxed.

Not waiting for them to break apart, Taiyang surrounded them both in his arms, leaning back and momentarily lifting them off the ground. That little display managed to draw another disgruntled sound from the guard so he let go and stepped away.

Beaming, Yang turned to face Qrow who, looking surprisingly sober, ruffled her hair and grinned.

"Hey kid," he said, sliding into the bench on the opposite side of the table.

Yang joined him, sitting back down. Ruby sat close to her on her left side, practically humming with excitement. Taiyang remained standing, smiling down at his two girls.

Ruby had already started to chatter incessantly in her ear about the things she had missed, but Yang only heard half of it – she felt like she was floating, the world a surreal blur: her family was finally here.

In one sense, Yang deeply regretted the fact that she was home but not home, locked inside the walls of Briarcliff with her father, sister, and her uncle. Underlying her thoughts was this nagging sadness, a cold spot in her chest.

But overriding it all was a feeling that bordered on relief. It almost felt like – without realizing it – Yang had been holding her breath, waiting for this moment before coming back to herself, back to her life and the world of the living.

She looked at her father, taking in the way the corners of his eyes crinkled up when he smiled. Those little laugh lines – those little hints of their life before – were things she'd missed without even knowing it.

Yang's attention drifted back to her sister as she sucked in a huge breath and said, "Yang! I almost forgot! We totally tried to bring Zwei, but the guards wouldn't let him in! It was ridiculous, I tried to tell them that he's a trained huntsmen's hound who has fought grimm on the side of good and he is a very well behaved corgi who wouldn't bother anyone and this place could probably use a service dog anyways what with all the gloom and doom-"

Ruby's sentence dissolved into a rapid fire pitter patter of words as Yang shook her head.

They would try to bring a dog in here, she thought – grinning all the while.

Even though she didn't seem to stop and take a breath – Ruby was somehow still going. Moving on, she had started talking about her plans to join up with the rest of team JNPR:

"…travel to Haven. I'm not really sure how the whole leader thing is going to work out, I'm sure Jaune won't really mind. Nora is super excited though! Not really sure how Ren feels about it all, but then that's normal for him. I'm not too worried about how long it'll take, the walk shouldn't be too bad…"

Yang – along with Taiyang and Qrow – were content to just sit and listen for a few minutes, enjoying the sense of normalcy. But after a while, Taiyang started to chime in with questions about life in the Birdcage.

"Any problems with your cellmate?" he asked, wearing his over-protective dad face and scanning the room as if her cellmate was there and waiting for a serious talking-to.

"No," Yang said, smiling, "Cadeja is great. Not always the easiest person to read, but I'm pretty lucky. It could've been a lot worse."

Not seeming entirely convinced, Taiyang narrowed his eyes and fired one question after another. Some Yang could answer, but most she couldn't – she still didn't really know much about the wolf Faunus. However, after a few anecdotes and shared memories she was able to convince him that things with Cadeja were fine.

As they chatted about her job in the library, the food in the cafe – sticking to light subjects and ducking the more serious questions – Qrow remained mostly silent, occasionally chuckling or nodding along.

After a while, Yang started watching the clock – dreading the end of visiting hours. She tried to stop looking up at it, worried about wasting what little time she had left.

But now they can come back, whenever they have time. Ruby won't be around, but she'll write – and dad…

Snapping out of it, Yang tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled, trying to get back into the flow of the conversation.

Qrow caught her eye. Cutting off Taiyang, he said, "How have things really been, Yang? I'll buy the story about your cellmate, but something's off. What's bothering you?"

His voice was calm and even, and his eyes never left Yang's as she struggled to maintain a neutral expression.

"Things are fine, nobody's bothering me," she said, trying to sound stern and resolute.

From what she could tell, he didn't buy it. Taiyang looked at them, his eyes questioning.

"Well something's certainly going on," Qrow said, "No way should it have taken this long for us to get in here to see you. The higher ups are really getting their money's worth out of making an example of you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Glancing around, she saw that Ruby was confused but her father was looking away, not making eye contact.

"It's no coincidence you were sent here," he said, indicating the room with his arms, "and that they've been slow getting your paperwork through the system. Your case was very public Yang – thousands of people saw that video live, never mind what followed after…"

For a moment his voice trailed off, his eyes still studying Yang.

"By punishing you – and making it all a very visible affair – the Council has managed to take back some control in the city of Vale. What happened at Beacon shook their hold on the public, but by picking an enemy they can control – namely, you – and locking her away with the baddest of the bad, the Council looks like they're solving some of the underlying problems in the city."

Yang stared, disbelieving.

They wouldn't… but…

Before she could finish her thought, she felt her dad's hand on her shoulder – warm through the fabric of her shirt.

"I think that's enough, Qrow. Let's not dwell on it for today," he said.

Qrow shrugged, leaning back on the bench.

Looking away, Yang's eyes flicked back towards the door. As she looked, the door banged open and a guard escorted an inmate into the room, late for visitation. Yang tensed, trying to look away before Qrow or her dad noticed.

Sasha walked in, hips swaying. She spotted Yang and the corner of her mouth perked up into a lopsided smirk.

Two whole days and nothing! Of course she'd show up now…

Something on her face must've given her away, because Qrow turned to look over his shoulder. When he made eye contact with Sasha, her step faltered and her smug smile slipped for a moment before she tossed her hair, looking away. Striding past them, she went to a table in the far corner of the room where two women sat, waiting.

Trying to steer the conversation back to trivial things, Yang turned to Ruby and asked if she'd heard anything from Weiss in Atlas. Seizing the topic, Ruby dove back into her narrative of life back home. Qrow and Taiyang seemed to relax, but occasionally Yang would still catch Qrow studying her when he thought she wasn't looking.

Eventually, one of the guards gave a five minute warning – encouraging families and friends to say goodbye.

Yang and her family rose, standing next to the table in a loose circle. Still chatting, Ruby took Yang's hand in hers, squeezing lightly.

Yang stepped over to her father to hug him goodbye, dragging Ruby with her, but as she reached out toward him an alarm blared to life from the speakers tucked into the walls. Yang froze as a red light bled into the room, bleaching it of all other colors.

A siren wailed and behind the noise of the alarm a vague male voice crackled through the intercom, but it was impossible to make out the words.

The moment the speakers came on and the red light buzzed to life, every CO in the room started shouting. The woman standing nearest to Yang turned and yelled:

"Inmates, hit the floor, now! Step away from the visitors!"

Yang hesitated. Startled by the alarm, her father had pulled her to his side. Ruby still clung to her hand, eyes scanning the room. Of their group, only Qrow looked calm.

All around them, inmates started to put their hands up and sink the floor, lying down face first. Still being held by her family, Yang didn't move – she remained standing.

The female guard caught her eye, and took a step forward.

"Inmate! I said hit the floor! NOW!"

Yang just stared dumbly, first at the guard and then at her father. Not reacting quickly enough, a male CO stepped up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulder. Wrenching her around, he threw her at the floor, his boot landing on the small of her back.

"Yang!" Ruby cried, Qrow restraining her.

Yang winced, her shoulder throbbing where she'd hit the ground. Mixed in with the sound of the siren, she heard Ruby yelling.

"Stop it! Don't hurt her – get your foot off my sister! Yang!"

Yang squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to stay lying on her stomach.

"Get them out!" yelled a guard, waving his hand toward the door.

A mass exodus had already started as scared family members and friends rushed towards the door. Some were slower to move than others, and some – like Yang's family – stood rooted in place. Guards stormed through the room, dragging people with them towards the exit.

"ALL VISITORS OUT NOW!"

Yang could hear a clamor of voices – some demanding to know what was going on, others yelling goodbyes to their loved ones over their shoulders. Somewhere, a child wailed.

Through it all, she could still hear Ruby screaming –

"YANG! YAAAAAAANG!"

Her voice grew distant as she was dragged out of the room. Yang buried her face in her hand.

Ruby – I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…

After the guards had managed to clear the visitors out of the room, supposedly marshalling them down the corridor and back the way they'd come, they turned their attention to the inmates. Scattered throughout the room, they all laid down on the floor – most of them protectively covering their heads with their hands.

Somebody barked an order that Yang couldn't hear – and after a moment she felt a rough hand under her arm, lifting her from the floor. Single-file, they were lined up at the door leading back to the main part of the Briarcliff compound.

Once everyone was standing, they were marched back to their cells. Each group that broke off to head to their respective cellblocks was escorted by COs with their weapons drawn. One of them – a young, scrawny kid with short red hair – was shaking, his eyes casting down the hallway as if looking for invisible threats.

Everywhere they went, the alarms continued to blare and lights flashed, making it hard to judge distances amidst the dance of fuzzy, whirling red and black shadows.

When she was finally shoved back into her cell, Yang found that Cadeja was already there. They must have removed everyone from their work duties just as quickly as they'd cleared out the visitors' center because the laundry room where Cadeja worked was nearly as far away from D block.

Shouting to be heard over the alarms, Yang asked, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Cadeja nodded.

"Yeah, I heard some guards yelling about it," she answered. "There was a fight in the Yard – sounds like it was some of Sasha's crew against a group of Faunus. No idea who started it."

Even as Cadeja was still shouting, the alarm suddenly cut out and the yellow fluorescents glimmered back to life. The sudden silence shocked Yang's senses – leaving a distinct ringing in her ears.

Cadeja grunted, twitching the ears on top of her head.

"Sounds like whatever it was it's been broken up now," she said.

Wiggling a finger in her ear and working her jaw, Yang fidgeted until she heard a pop and her hearing seemed to normalize.

"Was it any of Leonie's girls?" she asked.

"No, and I don't much like the idea of asking her about it. That old mountain cat and I are both veterans of the Birdcage, and we've come to an understanding."

"Let me guess, 'You don't fuck with her and she don't fuck with you?'" said Yang, doing a poor imitation of Cadeja's accent.

Cadeja laughed, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're catching on, Xiao Long."

"How dangerous is she, exactly? Is she White Fang?"

Cadeja paused, catching Yang's eye with a serious look.

"In here, you never really know who is who – but I do know this: Leonie is not White Fang," Cadeja growled.

Yang was startled – unable to figure out why Cadeja sounded quite so… angry. She could've been defending Leonie, but Yang didn't quite think that was it.

"That being said, never assume anyone isn't dangerous because they're not part of the Fang. There's more than one group looking to get even with humans out there, ave rota."

Yang nodded, knowing better than to brush off her warning.

Leaning back into her bed, Cadeja relaxed.

"Might as well get some rest, rubia, it's gonna be a while," she said, closing her eyes.

Nodding, Yang scrambled up into her bed. Lying on her side, she reached under her pillow and let her hand rest on that first letter she'd received from Taiyang. She didn't pull it out to read it – she didn't need to at this point –she just let her hand rest there as she drifted off.

The next day they woke up to the wonderful news that – thanks to the incident in the Yard – all the residents of the Wilds had lost rec privileges for a week.

What that meant for Yang was extra work duty in the library – and more time spent ducking Darrah. The bespectacled librarian's grudge against Yang hadn't waned over time – if anything, it had grown sharper and more derisive.

The day after her family had visited, Yang found herself squirreled away in the stacks – sitting at a table covered in books with yellowed pages and worn-out spines. Bored, she dozed slightly, her head drooping down to her chest and then snapping up every few minutes – shocked awake as she nearly fell out of her chair.

In one of those more conscious moments, she heard the door to the library slam open. In the distance she heard a gruff voice, followed by Darrah's. Listening intently, Yang caught the click clack of hobnail boots striding across the linoleum in her direction.

After a moment, CO Kowalski popped into view around one of the bookshelves. Yang couldn't help but recognize him and his bushy but highly groomed mutton chop sideburns.

"Xiao Long?" he grunted.

She nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Get up – you got an appointment with your counselor."

As she stood up, his eyes drifted to her right arm and his face registered with recognition. She shuffled away from the table, turning to the side so he was on her left – shielding her right arm from view.

His broad hand wrapped around her bicep, displaying finger nails cut meticulously short. Everything about him – from his pin-straight uniform to his perfectly shaped sideburns and well-cared for nails – suggested a methodical nature. The only flaw was the yellow-gray color of his teeth, looking as if he'd smoked too many cigarettes.

Leading her out of the library, the pressure on her arm didn't lessen, if anything he seemed to grip her more tightly. The guards they passed looked on-edge, hands hovering by nightsticks and tasers, eyes warily roving over every inch of the halls.

As they headed away from the center of the compound, they had to cross through more and more security gates – pausing at each one as Kowalski flashed his credentials to buzz them through.

Sneaking glances, Yang tried to figure out why Cadeja hated Kowalski more so than any other CO. She even seemed to fear him, if that was at all possible. The wolf Faunus didn't seem fazed by much – at least, not on the outside.

Sure, the guy was rough – and he never hesitated to bark out insults and swear at the inmates, but that was common enough amongst the guards, especially the ones who'd been around for a while.

The only thing she found unsettling about the man was the way he stared at her ruined arm each time he saw her – something in his gaze making her want to squirm out of her own skin.

Yang continued to mull it over as they walked. Eventually, she recognized the long hallway of doors where the counselor's office was located.

Allowing herself to be steered towards one of the doors on the left, Yang ambled down the hallway with Kowalski's vise-like grip still wrapped around her arm. Her fingertips had gone numb, starting to buzz with pins and needles.

But as they approached the door, it opened from within and out walked the small-framed form of Roxie, Sasha's little shadow. As she came out of the room, her eyes met Yang's and she tossed the ice-blonde sheet of her hair over her shoulder.

Grinning, she walked away wordlessly – escorted by a female CO down the hall in the direction from which Yang had just come. Watching her go, Yang saw Roxie cast one last look at her – still smiling, her mouth slightly parted and flashing brilliant white teeth.

Still looking at Roxie's retreating figure, Yang's head snapped back around as Kowalski jerked her into the counselor's office. Rather than follow her into the room, Kowalski stayed outside and slammed the door behind her – leaving Yang to walk over to one of the chairs opposite Adrienne's desk.

As Yang crossed the room and plopped down in one of the chairs, she noticed the counselor eyeing the closed door, frowning. It was another moment before she even seemed to realize Yang was seated in front of her.

The tense line of her mouth relaxed and a small smile – presumably supposed to seem welcoming – slid over her features. Yang suppressed a shudder, noting the eerie similarities between the gesture and what Roxie had just done, walking past her in the hallway.

"Ms. Xiao Long," she said, folding her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry it's been so long since we've had the chance to talk. I had scheduled a one month check-in appointment for you a few days ago, but thanks to recent events, my schedule's been a little backed-up."

Not surprising, thought Yang. A bunch of women are still panicked after the lockdown, and now the Faunus and the humans are getting into fights in the Yard…

Tucking a few loose light brown strands of hair behind her ear, Adrienne continued.

"It's usually my practice to meet with inmates after they've been here for a full month. Many girls still aren't quite… settled in by then, especially the younger ones and first-time offenders. Your first month here has been particularly eventful, what with your little accident – falling out of bed was it? – and then the lockdown, of course," she said, watching Yang's reactions as she spoke.

She sighed, raising her clasped hands to rest on the desk.

"Where to begin?" she mused, more to herself than to Yang. "I often ask to know how things are going with your cellmate, but in your case, I believe I'd already have a fairly good idea. Miss Álvarez is no stranger to Briarcliff, but as far as frequent fliers go – she's rather… tame," she said, smiling to herself as if enjoying some private joke.

"So no problems there?" she asked, looking to Yang for confirmation.

Slightly put off, Yang simply shook her head.

"Good, good," said Adrienne. "And no further accidents in your bunk? I don't see any new bruises…"

Again, Yang shook her head.

"No, no new incidents ma'am."

"Nothing in particular that you'd like to report?"

Yang gritted her teeth.

Yeah actually – Sasha beat the ever-loving crap out of me and has been on my case since I got here. Let me just tell you all about it – oh, you know Sasha, don't you? She's BFFs with that chick who just left your office smiling like a damned idiot…

"No, ma'am, nothing."

Adrienne frowned.

"Well then," she said, her voice clipped, "let's move on. I've been checking in with each of the girls assigned to me about their experiences during and after the lockdown. These events can be incredibly stressful, especially if you've never been through one before. Do you find yourself troubled by any of the procedures? Any anxieties, bad dreams – things like that that you've noticed recently?"

"I'm sorry ma'am," said Yang, her eyes defiant, "but these 'stressful events' don't affect me as much as they do some of the others. I was a huntress-in-training, I've seen much worse than a few flashing lights and blaring sirens."

"Of course," she said, unflinchingly returning Yang's gaze.

"What about those around you? Are there any individuals whom you think would benefit from my help? There have been instances when I couldn't see whether a girl needed help or not, only to find out too late."

Something about Adrienne's face shifted when she spoke – the skin around her eyes tightened and the frown lines along her brow deepened. From what Yang could tell, she was being sincere.

"I tend to keep to myself, ma'am, so I can't really help."

"I'm sure you do…"

She paused, and a moment of uninterrupted silence settled between them. Adrienne's gaze had drifted – again eying the door behind Yang.

Still looking away, she eventually said, "I'm glad your family finally had a chance to visit. How are you doing in the wake of all that? It can be tough, both to have them come to a place like this, and to watch them leave – even when it's not in the midst of a crisis like we had yesterday in the Yard."

Yang considered her words carefully, feeling that some honesty on this subject wouldn't be particularly dangerous.

"It was… tough. After so many weeks, some things have started to feel normal, but seeing them broke that illusion for me. I knew it would. But it was worth it – to see them, to have that piece of home. I only wish my sister hadn't seen what happened with the guards."

Adrienne's lips briefly flicked up into a small smile, a hint of early crow's feet crinkling at the edges of her eyes. Yang watched her carefully, wondering if she'd said too much, and hoping that by finally saying more than "yes ma'am, no ma'am," she'd placated Adrienne's curiosity for the day.

Perhaps because Yang's ploy had worked, or perhaps because she'd simply asked all of the questions she'd intended too – Adrienne drew the appointment to a close.

"Thank you for sharing that, Miss Xiao Long. As I said before, I don't expect you to trust me right now, but I do hope that in time you'll find it easier to talk to me. I can be an important resource for you in a place like this, where you won't find many friendly faces. Please, feel free to request an appointment anytime you need to talk."

Yang nodded and mumbled something to the effect of "I'll remember that."

"If that's all, you can go for today. I'll see you again in a month, unless you wish to see me sooner. An officer should be waiting outside to take you back."

With that, Yang was dismissed. She pushed herself out of her chair with her left arm and crossed back over to the door.

As she pulled the door open, she thought she heard Adrienne draw in a breath – as if to say something else – but when she remained silent, Yang stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Kowalski had disappeared, replaced by another guard. Seeing Yang, he grabbed her arm and guided her back towards cellblock D. As they walked away, she saw yet another girl being led to Adrienne's office, the next of many she assumed.

Remembering her surprise at seeing Roxie just as she had arrived, Yang shook her head.

Maybe it really was just a coincidence. It seems like all of D block is being processed through here, either with Adrienne or with whatever other counselors Briarcliff employs.

But then she remembered the girl's manic smile.

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

Author's note: Hey guys! Slightly more low key chapter after that last one - a little lull before the storm. Gonna be building up to the climax of this arc of the story over the next few chapters so stay tuned! Got some really exciting stuff in store, connecting the dots between all of these little goings-on. As it is, some of my friends who preview these got all excited after this chapter because they're starting to figure stuff out. Nice job guys!

I don't think I'll be posting again during the holidays, even though chapters 8 and 9 are already underway. I hope to update the story possibly on Monday or Tuesday next week? We'll see how it goes.

As always, please hit me up with any reviews/PMs and whatever comments/suggestions/queries/theories you've got! As a little holiday gift, here's a preview for the next chapter:

Chapter 8: Into the Wilds. A new crop of inmates arrives at the Birdcage, and among them is a familiar face for one of our characters. Human vs. Faunus tensions continue to rise, coming to a head at a rare event: Movie night in the rec center.