It would take a few hours to get to the first nest, made up of beowolves. Weiss and her team would clear it and rest. She didn't trust them to try and take on two nests on the same day. She could most likely take out both nests by herself, but knew that there was strength in numbers and there was always a chance she'd be blitzed when she wasn't looking. Besides, she didn't want to waste the Dust. Being criminals, they were only allowed a limited amount of Dust. Weiss herself only had one spare group of vials of each type of Dust her weapon used, and the others on her team had two. Very few people were concerned with the Trenches and their resources, and too many people were worried about giving known criminals an excess of Dust. There was really nothing they could do with it. Weiss found it funny that she, who came from a life where she could get any material object she wanted, was now deprived of even the means to survive. A younger Weiss would have been outraged, but she was not who she used to be. Survival was the only thing she wanted at the moment.

Weiss stared out at the early morning sky, slowly brightening as if to reflect her growing unease. Around her, in the dark, dusty airship that most likely hadn't been properly maintained in years, there wasn't much to inspire confidence. Garth, Lilac and Mona, the three warriors who possessed any semblance of skill, looked scared. Garth kept fixing his eyes on Weiss, not daring to look above her knees. She knew that he seemed to be fixated on her. That, combined with the knowledge she possessed of his crimes, made her wary of him. He had obsessed over a woman once before, and that ended in her murder. Mona was the most scared of the three; she was small, and her personality complemented her size. She was meek and easily rattled, and not out of survival instinct. It was hard to believe she was once a member of the White Fang. Lilac looked the least scared, but she was clearly afraid for her life. Usually calm and cool, she looked slightly queasy. That was, in part, due to her fear of heights, but Weiss knew that she was also terrified of death. Not even being a serial killer could make one comfortable with death. From the eager, foolish looks of the melee units to the pathetic, hopeless expressions on the faces of the ranged units, she only saw fear and pessimism. Not even the presence of one of the heroes of Remnant could give them confidence. It was then, however, that Weiss remembered what Ruby said. She had to fake confidence. She had to let her allies believe that they could survive, that they would survive. Regardless of her sincerity, she knew that even a small sign of confidence in her team could give them the courage they needed. Thinking back to the numerous times Ruby rallied her team against seemingly insurmountable odds, Weiss opened her mouth. She would do justice to her friend's wisdom.

"I know what you're all thinking. You expect to die, right? You expect your lives to end here. But I want to tell you that you're all wrong. Or, at least, you should want to be. Skill can only get one so far. Experience can only get one so far. There is a weapon that we all possess, should we choose to use it, that can be the difference between death and survival. That weapon, as you probably know, is our mind. If I tell my mind that I believe we can do this, that we can make it through this mission, then my body will react. I will be stronger. I will have a motive. Without a motive, what reason do we have to fight? If you tell yourselves that death awaits you, why even bother stepping onto the battlefield? Why bother carrying a weapon? If you tell yourself that you will die, you will. Your body will surrender," Weiss began. She stood, attempting to command the authority of everyone in the room.

"Belief doesn't win battles," Lilac replied.

"No, but you do. We all do. Belief is a tool in your arsenal, and like any good weapon, it needs maintenance. And if you think that my advice is naive, that I'm foolish to believe that determination is the difference between the dead and the survivors, then keep this in mind: I'm not the only one fighting. I have a team that I have no choice but to trust. You are all my only hope, my only option. Without you, I'm as good as dead. I want to believe in you all, desperately. I just hope you believe in me as well, and even more importantly, in each other. A hero of Remnant isn't exactly hard to have confidence in," Weiss said smugly. She wanted to come off as confident as possible, even arrogant. She wanted to see more than the empty stares of those who'd given up, and she was willing to say anything to get a response that showed even a little fighting spirit.

"You sound like a damn anime. This is the real world, Schnee! Odds actually mean something, and ours are shit!" Roan roared at her, getting up to stand closer to the small woman, attempting to intimidate her. She simply glared at him. Garth tensed, preparing to get up, but Roan slowly stepped back.

"I'm not saying this because I think belief is enough to get us through this. I'm saying this because you truly are my only option, my only chance of survival. I have no choice but to believe in you. The alternative doesn't seem very fun," she spat. Everyone around her was looking at the former heiress now, taking in what she said and how she sounded. She seemed desperate. To them, no falsehood could be detected. She truly had no other options. Weiss sat down and waited to land. She now knew how Ruby felt, trying to rally her team when they were all ready to give up. On occasion, she supposed, cold hard reason could be substituted for optimism.

Ursula grimaced as Weiss stepped out of the jet and next to the two transport vehicles that awaited them. The ground was covered with red leaves, reminding the wolf faunus of pools of blood. Behind Weiss and the cars, red leaves blew in the rough, wild wind. The leaves that were farther away almost looked like dots of blood. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of the liquid that pulsed through her veins and those of everyone around her. She had been arrested for bank robbery, and she never had to kill or hurt anyone. She wasn't the hardened criminal that a lot of others in the Trenches were, or at least claimed to be. She didn't know if she could make it. Her stomach churned. Walking down the incline that was the opened hatch of the ship to get to her car didn't help issues. She hated the red around her, it was a reminder of her mortality. She could bleed and die, and she would die if she didn't stay on her toes. She hopped into the nearest car. It was a combination of red and black in an attempt to blend in with the forest, and it had wheels that were half the size of an adult. Weiss used her glyphs to lead her team, going slowly with the cars. Forever Fall was a tightly packed forest, and if the group went too fast they could hit a tree. Ursula clutched her gun, her mind playing out more scenarios in which the forest could be littered with red that wasn't from leaves.

"Alright, we're at least a minute away from the Beowolf camp. Ranged units, get out of the car and scan the area for stray Beowolves. We don't want them alerting the pack to our presence. If you can kill them without attracting any attention, do it. You have your earpieces to call me if something goes wrong. And make sure to spread out in a circle. Don't go straight forward," Weiss said with authority, making sure that her team knew that she was in control of the situation. She had needed to appeal to their compassion before by seeming desperate, now she needed to appeal to their courage by seeming fearless. She watched as the four dispersed, looking around.

"Get out and stretch. I can't have you all stiff before we engage the Beowolves," she said, her earpiece picking up her voice and transmitting it to her team. Everyone quickly got out of their vehicles and began to stretch out, waiting for news of the ranged units. Weiss spun Myrtenaster absentmindedly, listening for any sounds that might indicate that something went wrong. Behind her, she heard someone laugh and almost smiled. Laughter was a good sign. It wasn't the end of the world yet; people were still cracking jokes. She found that it reminded her of Yang, always there to make light of a dark situation. Weiss could always be assured that things would be alright knowing that Yang was still spouting some inane one-liner or tasteless joke. She realized how much she missed the blonde's presence in her life, reinforcing her decision to question her about her reclusive ways. As Weiss' thoughts drifted even farther from the present, she heard a shot fire and a voice cry out to bring her back to reality.

"Liam is down! We need backup!" Ursula cried.

Liam, the snake faunus, was lying a bleeding heap next to Ursula, his blood blending with the leaves. The two remaining ranged units were doing their best to fend off the approaching hoard of Beowolves, but they weren't doing enough. They used the dark blue Dust, knocking back the growing tide of enemies, but they weren't doing much damage. Ursula's gun was laid upon the ground, and her hand was pressed over a massive gash in Liam's chest. Weiss landed gracefully next to them.

"He needs medical attention! Take him back to the car!" She cried. Weiss grimaced but shook her head.

"Carry him there yourself. I need to fend of the Beowolves," she replied.

"But-"

"Either you carry him back or two more of your friends will die!" Ursula bit her lip and hefted Liam up. Weiss touched his stomach with Myrtenaster and created a thin layer of ice over his wound. She hated to waste Dust, but she had no choice. She would not let a teammate die.

"Save him," she said. Ursula nodded, lifting Liam on her shoulder and running off.

"Stop using the dark blue rounds! Fire normally!" Weiss shouted to the remaining two units, a human man and woman. They nodded as Weiss used a glyph to send herself hurtling towards the Beowolves. Bullets flew past her and into the skulls of the approaching Grimm, and when she got closer enough, she made her move. A large glyph appeared beneath the Grimm that pushed them back. Some flew into trees and died on impact, others skidded across the forest but were unhurt. Weiss quickly dashed in the middle of the sea of black and white, bringing her rapier across her chest as she turned with it, the result being a wide slash that cut a Beowolf in two. She came to a stop near three Beowolves, who she dispatched with ease. The first one was hit with a thrust. Weiss used a glyph to dash behind the Beowolf, killing it and stopping behind the other two. The closer one was decapitated with a lazy flick of Weiss' wrist. Her blade ripped through its neck and she immediately pulled it back the way it slashed, bringing it down in an arc and then up as another Beowolf approached. She cut through its head in a vertical line and spun out of the way, dodging its falling body and bringing her sword down in another arc to fell another Beowolf. Each strike she ended was immediately turned into a new one, as if she was making a painting with a single stroke. The Beowolves stormed her, but she wove her way through them, cutting in wide yet controlled slashes. She parried the occasional claw swipe with a quick strike, keeping her sword close to her body as she did so so as to hastily follow up with an offensive slash. Around her, there was the occasional Beowolf to fall with a bullet in its skull; the ranged units missed more than Weiss wanted them to.

Looking around, Weiss spied the melee and special units in the distance. She turned back around and twirled her blade, cutting through a Beowolf. She leaned forward into her next strike, using her twirl for momentum. She slashed in diagonal arcs, going up and then down, still using her forward momentum to lead into her next attack. She sometimes spun backwards to take out any Beowolves that were sneaking up on her, and was doing well. No Beowolf had even come close to touching her. However, she was getting swarmed, and she wasn't omniscient. Her eyes could only focus on so much, and she'd be killed if she missed a single Beowolf in the heat of the scuffle. She needed to get to safer ground, and she did. Using her glyphs, she fired herself under the leg of one Beowolf, power sliding as she cut through its torso with her blade, and then turned her body so that her next glyph shot her slightly upwards. She flipped around so that her feet were in front of her, and she kicked a Beowolf in the head. Rebounding and flipping off of it gracefully, she landed in a more open area as the Beowolf was shot back into its allies. Around her, she began to hear screams as the melee units attacked. Weiss shot herself into the air with a glyph to see how she could help, and flew back down into the battle when she saw a Grimm come up behind a woman and try to decapitate her. She killed it and flipped over another Grimm that the woman buried an axe in. Weiss then made a hand gesture while still in the air, and Roan, who was nearby, was pulled away from a fatal swipe by an attraction glyph. He used his backward momentum to roll under another Beowolf before ramming his sword in its head. He pulled it out and cut through the skull of yet another, and Weiss landed on the ground in a group of three Beowolves. She took them out easily and spotted Garth nearby, doing a fine job.

Beowolves were the weakest of the Grimm, and as such, individually, they presented a moderate threat at best to the three special units. Garth was quick to dispatch his group of enemies, clearly not wanting to waste the Dust in his sword on them. He cut quickly and jerkily, using two hands to grip his blade. His movements lacked grace, but they got the job done. However, he was clearly not paying enough attention to his enemy, too focused on who would attack him next. There were a few Grimm he ignored that were preparing to attack, and Weiss quickly used her glyphs to shoot their heads from their bodies and into more oncoming Beowolves. Next to him, Mona fought with a different attitude. She threw her chakram at groups of enemies and it cut through them, and she used her Semblance quickly and rapidly to teleport to her weapon. She was going all-out. She would often resort to punches if her chakram got buried in the skull of an enemy, and she kept leaning too far into them. Weiss sometimes had to push Beowolves away from her to give her more space. Lilac was a little farther away. Her limbs moved quickly and forcefully as the occasional burst of wind propelled her blows to new levels, and she would rip through multiple Beowolves with one attack. However, she only used her Dust sparingly. Without it, however, she tended to slow down, and Weiss would occasionally speed through and kill a Beowolf that she wasn't ready for. The melee units needed her help in a similar matter, but the ranged units were allowed quite the respite, as they were largely ignored by the Beowolf pack. Things were going well, all things considered.

Nora's eyes shot open and she immediately took in her surroundings. Her room, which was white with shades of pink, was littered with spare ammo, clothes, and the occasional plate or cup. She sat up in her bed, which was largely plain save for the castle-like headboard and turret-like footboards. Her covers and quilt, both shockingly pink, contrasted the mostly light room. Across from her bed was the door, and across from her door was a desk that looked like it was used frequently, but wasn't. It was covered with papers from Nora's days at Beacon which she hadn't bothered to clean or hadn't wanted to. Next to that was the dresser. A nightstand was next to her bed, complete with a lamp, a castle-shaped alarm, and a glass of water. The lampshade was, amusingly, covered with drawings of sloths. Nora hopped out of bed, smiling widely, and went to her dresser, putting on some clothes that she didn't bother to look at. After cracking her knuckles, toes, and neck, she was prepared to start the day. She walked out of her room with a skip in her step, and proceeded down a long hallway for a few seconds before reaching a green door. Opening it forcefully, and stepping into a green, spotless room, she announced her presence with glee.

"Wakey wakey, sunshine! It's a beautiful morning and I need my pancakes!" A groan came from the bundle of sheets on the bed, and they moved as the figure beneath them shifted.

"Time to face the day, Ren!" Nora jumped on the lump on the bed and Lie Ren grunted in pain. He revealed his head, his hair a wild mess, and frowned.

"And this is why I'm getting an alarm clock," he said grumpily.

"Oh, you know you love it when I get you up in the morning, silly. My melodious voice is better than any stupid beeping clock," Nora replied. Ren didn't look amused. Nora knew he wasn't a morning person, and liked to use it to tease him. Besides, she loved mornings, and she had been waking Ren up ever since they knew each other as kids. It was a tradition that never stopped.

"I can't really get up if you're lying on top of me," Ren told her, struggling to free himself. He was making no progress. Nora smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before getting up and walking to his dresser. He slowly pushed himself up, fluffing out his pillow and carefully getting out of bed. He folded his covers over gently, making sure that the corners weren't overlapping the bed frame. Nora hurled some clothes at him, and he snatched them out of midair.

"If you get out the ingredients, I can make the pancakes as soon as I'm changed," he said. Nora hurried out of the room with a laugh.

"Ah, pancakes. I've never met one I didn't like! Or eat," she said absentmindedly.

Nora sat at the small, circular table in the small, circular kitchen. Ren was just finished making the pancakes and he distributed them in the normal amount, seven for Nora and two for him. Hers had chocolate chips, were covered in syrup, and were extra fluffy.

"Hehehe," she laughed sinisterly as she began to shove an entire pancake in her mouth. Ren sighed, his mouth curved into a kind smile. He knew Nora inside out, and she knew him the same way. They'd been friends ever since they were young, and until recently, they had always stayed that way. Now, they were dating. Nora was the one who put the chain of events leading up to their getting together as a couple into motion, and Ren was glad she did. He had never given any thought to dating Nora. He always saw their relationship as something of a comedy routine, not that he didn't take it seriously. He was often playing the straight man to Nora's one woman show, and although the two had a very special bond, having been the best of friends since childhood, he never thought that they could have a mature, adult relationship. But when Nora asked him out, he decided to give it a try. One thing led to another, and they moved in together. He was pleased with how she'd grown. Although she was still the infinitely energetic glutton with a powerful imagination that he had always known, she had transitioned into the adult world quite well. She always knew what she wanted to do and did it, becoming a Huntress even before Ren became a Hunter. She embraced life's challenges in a different way from Ren; she put a fun spin on everything she did. Ren, who was focused and got to where he was today through determination and hard work, had to admire Nora for taking a different approach. By never taking anything too seriously, she was never stressed out. That allowed her to go through life with an open mind. It was what made him love her so much; she was so different from anyone he'd ever met in the way she approached life. He reflected on this as she practically inhaled her pancakes, and then he asked a question. He hadn't had the chance to do so the day before.

"So, Nora. Did Sun say anything about his visit with Yang?" Nora slurped up her last pancake and swallowed it quickly, impressing Ren with her seeming immunity to choking.

"It didn't go too well," Nora replied sadly. Ren bit his lip.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Yang got mad at him and left, apparently. He brought up her drinking," Nora informed Ren, sighing.

"I never saw Yang as the type to retreat to the bottle...it all started when Ruby lost the use of her legs, didn't it?"

"Yeah...Sun wants me to stand at the bar she goes to at night, and he was wondering if he could talk to you about tonight's heist," Nora said seriously. Ren nodded.

"Of course."

"...Should we tell Ruby?" At this, the tension in the room rose dramatically. Nora wasn't sure what made her ask such a question, but she felt they had to do something. Yang was their friend, and she couldn't go on like this.

"That will only make things worse, as Sun pointed out. Yang will feel betrayed. We can't go behind her back, as much as we want to. Our hands are tied," was the reply. Ren, as always, was the voice of reason. Nora knew he was right, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"I demand more pancakes! And make the chocolate chips look like smiley faces this time," she said.

"We have to go, Nora."

"But I need my comfort pancakes!" And just like that, the tension in the room dissipated along with Nora's patience. She had a way of livening things up.

The battle was over. Liam was dead, one of the ranged units had their gun destroyed, five of the melee units were injured, three of those injuries being life-threatening, and Lilac had broken one of her gauntlets. The day was won, but there was no joy in victory. Weiss was tending to the injured along with a man who had once been a doctor until he started mercy killing his patients. Lilac worked on her gauntlet, Ursula was ordered to train to prepare herself for the next battle, and everyone else was refilling their ammo. This wasn't like at Beacon, when Weiss had friends to fall back on. No one seemed interested in saying anything about the battle, despite her attempts to get people talking. She needed people to cooperate, because tomorrow they would face the boarbatusks and they needed to be prepared.

"How do you think they'll be?" She asked, standing up. There was nothing she could do for her wounded teammates; there was only so much that could be done with Aura healing, and she was no doctor. She had planning to do.

"They'll most certainly live; it's a good thing you got them here so quickly after they were injured. However, they won't be participating in tomorrow's battle. At least, most of them won't. Roan and Francine have less series injuries than the others. They should be fine as long as they stay out of the thick of the fight. Shall I stay behind with the injured?" The doctor was very polite, and Weiss was grateful for it. He was among those who had grown to admire their leader.

"Yes, I think that's for the best." She walked away, thanking the former doctor, and made a quick announcement to the group.

"Samay, I think it's best that you only reload with one vial for each chamber. I have plans for the others, and we need to save ammo for the Nevermore nest. Lilac, if you can't repair your gauntlet, forget about it. You all have fifteen minutes to finish your preparations for tomorrow. We need to rest soon."

Outside, Ursula and Garth sat against a tree. They were talking about the battle, trying to come to terms with what happened. They both stopped talking and perked up when Weiss came out, walking near them.

"We have fifteen minutes before we need to sleep. Ursula, I suggest you reload your weapon," she said.

"Am I going out tomorrow?" The wolf faunus asked.

"Do you think you can?" Weiss asked.

"...Yes. I'm scared, but our team's shrinking enough as it is. We need everyone fighting," she replied. Weiss smiled.

"Yes, we do." Next to Ursula, Garth smiled as well.

"I...I have no idea how you can be so confident," he said.

"I believe in myself. You should do the same."

"I already believe in you, more than you know. Weiss, you...you are our salvation," was the reply, full of admiration. Flattered as she was, Weiss didn't mean what he thought she did. But although it wasn't too important to her, she did notice that he was the only one who called her by her first name.

"I meant in yourself. Cling to your life like a drowning cat, grasp for anything you can to hold onto. No matter how silly it may seem, no matter how naive it might be, you need to believe that you have a reason to live," she told him. Ursula sighed and got up. She found herself more able to stomach the red of the forest than she used to. She was shocked when Liam died, unstable and uneasy. But it was only temporary. The Trenches may be home to incompetent soldiers and foolish soldiers, but no one who went to the Trenches was weak-willed. She wasn't a hardened criminal, but she was a survivor. Fear didn't rule her. As uneasy as she felt, she needed to fight. Of course, it also helped that she had vomited for a good minute half an hour before Weiss came out.

"Feeling better?" Garth asked her. She nodded, thanked him, and walked away. As she left Weiss' line of sight, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness at the idea that she might kill the woman. She was not her father's daughter. Ursula was dimly aware of Garth going into a long-winded speech behind her, and recalled his endless praise for Weiss back when they were alone in the forest. His infatuation with her was getting a little out of hand.

Roman Torchwick made a call. He picked up his phone, dialed a number, and calmly gave a few instructions before hanging up. He had a problem. He couldn't sleep well anymore. He couldn't recall the last night that he'd had peace in his dreams. It was only a month since the nightmares began, but it felt like years. His mind was plagued by a shadow, and he needed to be rid of it. He needed to escape his fear. He needed to escape his fear of sleeping, of even closing his eyes. He needed to escape his fear of leaving his base, of going outside. Most of all, he needed to escape his fear of her. She was like a wisp to him, an entity he couldn't touch and never would. She seemed beyond him. She could torment him and he could do nothing about it, so he needed to remind himself that she was still a living, breathing faunus. She was not beyond him. He could hurt her.

Well, chapter 7 is done! I'm a little iffy about this one, so I'd really like to know what people think. I find it hard to write for the side characters of the story. I don't want their issues overlapping those of the main cast but I want to give them personality as well. And I apologize to anyone who may have been really looking forward to the next chapter for taking so long. I was really stuck on how to continue the story, but I think I'm over that now. I've got some stuff planned now that I've given myself time to look back and reflect.

How about RWBY volume 2, huh? Only two episodes in and it's already improved on volume 1 in so many ways! Everything's so damn awesome! I'm especially intrigued by this new side of Blake that we're seeing. She seems a lot more vulnerable now, and I can't wait to see how she deals with the oncoming storm. It helps that Arryn Zech is amazing at her job and knows her character so well. I can really feel the emotion behind her words! Also, I practically squealed when Weiss called Blake out on her attitude problem. Weiss was the only person to notice and care that something was wrong with her, and it really shows how much she cares about her friends (and it makes me ship Monochrome so much harder!).

Also, Emerald is really cool. I want to write her so bad!