Weiss awoke to find herself propped up against a cold stone wall, wrists and ankles tied. She was stiff, and her head was hammering. Once she acclimated to the immediate unpleasantness, however, she became very aware that Myrtenaster was missing from her hip.

"What? What's going on?"

"My apologies, Miss Schnee," she knew that voice, "but I have a schedule to keep, I'm sure that you understand,"

"Mina? What is this?" Weiss demanded as she struggled with her bounds.

"Those, Miss Schnee, are called bindings," Mina smiled from where she was seated in the windowsill, "I can't have you running off now,"

"I can see that much," Weiss couldn't resist rolling her eyes as she tried to stand, failing miserably, "But why do you have me tied up like this?"

"I do recall mentioning that I prefer high-born virgins," Mina shrugged.

"You didn't-,"

"No, but it was certainly a temptation,"

Trying to ignore that last remark, Weiss shook her head as she remembered struggling for air earlier, "You tried to strangle me!"

"Yes, I was worried about that to be honest," Mina sighed, "I was worried that I'd killed you for a while there,"

"Stop joking Mina!" Weiss demanded, "I don't understand-, I thought we were friends?"

"Yes, friends," Mina smiled, though with her back to the dusk outside the bay window, her facial features were barely discernable from where Weiss was slumped across the room, "I do hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for this," she stood, and walked across the room and crouched in front of Weiss so as to be face to face, reaching forward to stroke Weiss's hair and cheek, "It's a pity, but I presently have need of you,"

Weiss's eyes widened, "You… You are with the White Fang, aren't you?"

Mina smiled broadly enough to bare her fangs, "Yes Miss Schnee; for what precious little it may be worth, you were right to suspect me, it's just such a pity that you decided you wanted start trusting people,"

"But-, but what about Blake? She-,"

"Should've noticed?" Mina's smile took on a sad quality, "She did, but alas, my dear Blake required some… persuasion… to acknowledge me… And I suspect that she did not share her knowledge for fear that I might do something like this… The irony of it all…"

The longing tone in Mina's voice didn't escape Weiss's notice, and she tried to jerk away from Mina's fingers, currently running through her hair, "You're here for her?"

"Very astute," Mina stood and stepped away, "We have a mutual acquaintance who's not keen on loose ends, you might say,"

"But then why-?"

"Is it not obvious, Miss Schnee?" Mina cut her off, "You are bait,"

"What do you mean 'she's in the White Fang ,' though?" Ruby was horrified, "She won't... You know..."

"And how long have you known this?" Yang demanded, grabbing by the collar and forcing her to make eye contact, "Be honest with me Blake,"

Blake nodded, swallowing, "I know her from when I was with the White Fang… We were… close…"

"So why didn't you report the bitch to Ozpin?" Yang shook her, "Or at least tell us?"

"I-,"

"Blake-!"

"No!" Ruby shouted, cutting Yang of before she could get into the swing of the reprimand, though equally ignorant of the various other passengers of the airship, "Can we worry about fault later? I just wanna rescue Weiss!"

Yang gritted her teeth, "Fine," she turned back to Blake, "but you have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when this is over,"

Blake nodded, "Mina's probably got her somewhere quiet; somewhere she can take full advantage of her ears-, probably a condemned building in a less-trafficked part of the city,"

Yang pulled out her scroll ad began searching various maps of the city as Blake continued.

"Weiss should be fine for now; she's after me-,"

"But then why would she kidnap Weiss?" Ruby demanded, "she could have taken Jaune and we still would have come for him-,"

Blake shook her head, "True, but that would've involved Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora; plus, on the off-chance that we didn't respond, she'd still have the Schnee heiress. Mina is a planner; she doesn't leave things to chance,"

"Oh yeah?" Yang snorted, "Well she can take her plan and shove it!"

Ruby nodded, more worry on her face than anger though, "But we have to find her first,"

"Look at it this way," Mina offered, resuming her seat in the bay window, "When word gets out that the Schnee princess has been kidnapped, I'm sure that that the chairman will send someone after his daughter. Not that we'll be here long enough for that,"

I will not be cowed by a pack of damned animals!

Weiss laughed bitterly, "I doubt it,"

Mina raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"My father didn't ransom his own brother after you kidnapped him,"

"Hmmm…" Mina seemed to consider the words a moment, but was ultimately unmoved, "Such would indeed serve to explain why the man finds himself rapidly running short of relatives,"

"So that's it then? You don't care?" Weiss demanded, incredulously, wholly unprepared for the answer.

"Precisely,"

"What? Then why kidnap me?"

"Simple, Miss Schnee: I don't personally care whether he does or doesn't respond, but there are those above me who are more… optimistic..." There was a pause, "would you like a drink?"

Baffled, Weiss looked at the flask being held up in the light, "Are you kidding me?"

"It is not poisoned, if that is what worries you,"

"No!" Weiss shook her head, "You've gone so far as to tie me up, dragged me God only knows where, and hold me hostage, and yet you're going to offer me a drink like we're still friends?"

Mina sighed, "I suppose that was too much to hope for…" She stood again, "But friends or no, it's been some time since you've had anything to drink Miss Schnee, and we may be here a while yet; I cannot have you succumbing to dehydration," Mina held the flask to Weiss' lips, "Now, be a dear and drink,"

She was thirsty, so despite herself, she drank deep, spluttering as the flask was withdrawn once empty, "Thanks, I guess," She said bitterly, uncomfortably aware of the droplets of water rolling down her chin and neck.

Mina smiled again, "Violent antipathy is no excuse for a lack of civility,"

Weiss couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "Are you serious?"

"Why would I not be?" Mina challenged, "I am in control here, and I have nothing to gain from treating you with disdain that I do not feel, Miss Schnee,"

Weiss furrowed her brow as she looked up at the bat-Faunus as she walked back to her seat at the bay window; Mina was certainly right that she was the one in control of the situation here, but surely she'd misspoken, "What do you mean?"

"Precisely what I said, Miss Schnee," Mina answered as she sat down again, "Although that has admittedly been a rarity of late, I suppose…"

"But doesn't the White Fang hate us?" Weiss asked confusedly, "If you didn't, why all the kidnapping and murder?"

"The White Fang does hate you, rather passionately, it must be said," Mina allowed, "But its members are not all of one mind,"

Weiss' eyes narrowed, "Not you then? But then… why this?" She raised her bound wrists for effect, "What's the point?"

"You see, Miss Schnee, some time ago it was decided that protest and petition were getting us nowhere," Mina explained patiently, "SO more… drastic measures were resorted to; and since then, progress had been more readily forthcoming,"

"But that doesn't-,"

"I'm not finished, Miss Schnee," Mina cut Weiss off before she could finish, "What ultimately motivates the White Fang at the very root, is of course the desire to be regarded on equal footing with humanity, and this, coupled with years of frustration, becomes a crusade for revenge in the name of 'justice,'"

The note of contempt slipping into Mina's voice was puzzling, "You sound like you…"

"Like I do not approve," Mina laughed, "Perish the thought; my contempt, Miss Schnee, is reserved not for the violence you see, but for the pathetic delusion of justice,"

Weiss was very confuse now, almost to the point that she'd forgotten that she was presently bond and propped up against a dusty wall in a poorly lit room, "So you don't even believe in the justice of your cause?"

"Consider this, Miss Schnee; does the ruin we most certainly made of your childhood in any way fix or compensate for the subjugation of the Faunus?" Mina shook her head, "Of course not; but in all honesty, Miss Schnee, any who consider the circumstances rationally will find that practicality is the guiding star of the White Fang; the vaunted notion of 'justice' doesn't enter into it, no matter how one attempts to deceive oneself. Violence has thus far served the stated goal of the White Fang most effectively hereto, Miss Schnee, and so this has remained the preferred modus operandi,"

"How… How can you even say that? It's… It's horrible…"

"Hardly; It's merely the way of nature, Miss Schnee," Mina shook her head, the surprisingly patient look on her face better illuminated by the light of the one candle in the room now that the sky beyond the window in which she sat was dark, "Consider this: where is the sense to be found in a shepherd who rages in 'righteous' indignation at the lion which savages his sheep?"

Weiss didn't quite understand, and was silent.

"You see, Miss Schnee," Mina continued, "Never was a man or Faunus a slave who did not allow himself to be; there always exists a choice, not always an attractive one, I grant, but a choice nonetheless. The sensible shepherd, you see, draws his sword against the offending beast, which shall in turn use tooth and claw to rend the shepherd's flesh and bones, and to the victor go the spoils; it simply is what is. One expecting those with whom he or she is in conflict to respect his rights, life, and livelihood assumes the role of bleating, powerless sheep, at the mercy of whomever emerges victorious,"

"So… all the bloodshed and… It's… it's all nature to you?"

"I don't expect you to understand, Miss Schnee," Mina allowed, then seemingly changed the subject, "I've joked about my blood preferences, but the underlying reality is that I do in fact require to feed upon the blood of others to survive; there are few proper foods that do not cause me wretching illness; would you say than that I am evil for being burdened with such a need, rather than based upon my actions?" she grinned meaningfully, "Though I suspect, given present circumstances , the answer would be the same either way,"

"I…"

"Understand, Miss Schnee, that nature is an ugly place that cares nothing for your, or anyone's notions of right and wrong; I begrudge neither you, nor your father, nor anyone else for that matter, for the oppression to which I was born," Mina elaborated, "I am not so deluded as to think that humanity would be treated equitably were our positions reversed; the true altruist is a rare, and sheltered breed,"

"I suppose you expect me to approve of your actions then?" Weiss snorted, finally collecting herself.

Mina chuckled, "Not at all; my point, Miss Schnee, is that we all have our own wants and needs, and that conflict between them is simply inevitable, thus it is wholly irrational to waste one's own time and energy condemning actions taken by others in pursuit of such when that effort could more… usefully be spent seizing one's own ends and needs..." The enjoyment faded from her face as she walked over again, "although… Speaking of my personal needs… It has been some time since I have fed…"

Weiss tensed, "You're going to-,"

"Yes…" Mina nodded as she crouched before Weiss again, "And no, I won't pretend to give you a choice in the matter, Miss Schnee; you are free to struggle if you so desire, but in the spirit of whatever friendship we did or didn't have... I warn you that this will be much more painful if you do…"

Author's Note: Well, there it is, Mina's worldview in nutshell. I'm interested to know what you all think of it, so please let me know in reviews & such if you have an opinion that you're willing to share. I hope you enjoyed it, and look forward to the next one.