Roman sat in a largely empty room save for a metal seat occupied by a tall, stocky man. He had a small brown goatee, intense brown eyes, and a head completely devoid of hair. The room was dark and so his dark clothes blended in well, while Roman's bright attire stood out.

"It's just like I said. I don't need to know your name or anything about you other than what I already do. I just need you to get in that prison and get to the filthy faunus. I gave you her picture, and that's a pretty damn recent one. You make sure that she knows that I sent you, and then you do whatever the hell you want, as long as she's begging to die by the end of it. I want her to suffer more than is considered humanly possible, do you understand me? And that doesn't just mean stabbing and hitting and burning and all that jazz. You can get more...intimate, if you really want to. Hell, I'd actually prefer if you do that. That stuff always freaks people out. Just don't kill her. Afterwards, my people will get you out of there and we can negotiate price. Or do you have something set?" The crime boss said with an informal air. The man before him didn't even bat an eyelash. He seemed completely unfazed by what he was being told.

"It all depends on how much fun I get out of her," he replied. Roman chuckled, a piercing, sinister sound that made the man raise an eyebrow ever so slightly. He knew who Roman was and what he could do to people if they got on his bad side, and came into the meeting wary. However, he found that things were going in his favor. He hadn't abducted anyone in a prison before, and it had been ages since his target was an attractive young woman. But there was one thing that gave him pause.

"And this is the woman who ripped out your tooth and stabbed you in the eye with it? The one who tortured you and killed thirty of your mooks?" Roman's smile turned upside-down at the man's words, and he clutched his cane like it was the edge of a cliff and he was dangling from it.

"...Yes, she is. But not when you're done with her. Then, she'll be just another victim. Got it?" At this, the man grinned.

"Got it."

Weiss' second day in Forever Fall went a lot better than the first. Only two people were injured in any serious way and there were no casualties. She felt a lot more confident than she did the day before, as did her entire team. Even Ursula was in a better mood, and even got a few kill shots in. While her team celebrated in the jet, Weiss stood in the forest, staring at nothing. Forever Fall brought back some memories. She remembered Jaune killing his first Grimm, and remembered feeling annoyed that she, Ruby and Pyrrha had just watched. She had wanted to kill the Grimm and get it over with, having no interest in Jaune's personal struggles or self-confidence issues. As she thought about that day, her thoughts turned from it to Jaune. She heard that he wasn't quite himself since his mistake cost Ruby her legs. It wasn't a leap in logic to assume that he blamed himself. While not high on the list of people Weiss was concerned for, he was still a good friend and she knew that he was never the most confident in his skills. She had insulted him many a time and still did, but she did respect him. He'd come a long way since Beacon, just as they all had. And as if being driven along in a thought train, Weiss found herself thinking of home in general. She thought of all the friends she had there and all of the problems they had, and for the first time since she left, she found herself feeling empty at their separation. She missed them.

"Weiss," Garth said from behind her. She had barely noticed him walk up behind her. Lost in thought as she was, she dared not take her mind off of the area around her. Grimm had strange ways of popping up when it wasn't expected.

"Hello. What brings you out here?" Weiss asked.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join us back in the ship. Surely, you're not afraid of a little celebration." The former heiress sighed. She certainly wasn't afraid of celebration. She'd been exposed to enough of it back at Beacon, what with Yang and Ruby on her team. She'd even enjoyed most of it.

"I'll be in shortly."

"Shortly?"

"You're not my father. I'll come to the ship when I see fit," Weiss said forcefully, ending the conversation.

"Alright," Garth replied, walking away slowly. She was growing uneasy about his attachment to her. She didn't want to talk to him about it, for fear of igniting some sort of argument. She had no fear of Garth at all, so far less skilled than her as he was, but wanted her team to be loyal to her. Right now, she decided, any kind of loyalty was better than none, even if it bordered on fanatic.

Jaune woke up to the cold and rough touch of Pyrrha, who shook his shoulder fiercely. He looked next to him to see that his outstretched arm, having been draped around her before they went to sleep, now lay on the bed.

"Wake up, Jaune," she said. The blonde shot up, and Pyrrha pulled her hand back.

"Sorry...I guess my hands are cold."

"That, and you were crushing my shoulder. Sometimes, being your boyfriend is painful," Jaune sighed. He was smiling.

"Come on, tough guy. We've got breakfast to eat," Pyrrha replied, tossing him some clothes. He caught them out of the air and got out of bed, his muscular, powerful body exposed. The redhead laughed at his boxers; they were covered with the Schnee Dust Company logo.

"What? Weiss got them for me on my birthday last year," he said.

"I wonder if she knows you actually wear them."

"Well, it's not like I'm ever gonna tell her in casual conversation. I can just see it now: 'Hey Weiss, guess what? I wear underwear with your family logo on it! Pretty cool, huh? How about you? Do you wear undies with the Arc family crest on them?' And then she glares at me and says something mean," Jaune said as he put on his clothes, drawing another laugh from Pyrrha. As he pulled his shirt over his head, she walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Why settle for underwear when I can have a real life Arc living with me?"

As Pyrrha and Jaune drove away in their separate cars, Jaune's being another hand-me-down from his family and Pyrrha's being a car she bought a few years ago, the blonde Hunter began to think about Ruby and Yang. He had decided that he'd visit them today, as it was as good a day as any. Being a team leader, he had paperwork to fill out, and so stayed later than normal Hunters and Huntresses, but he would get out early enough to drive to their place and make sure that they knew how sorry he was and how he'd try and had tried to make it up to them. Both of them. Yang was just as invested in Ruby's bright future as Ruby herself; her sister's inability to use her legs hurt her just as much as it did Ruby. Jaune thought he'd give Ruby a heads-up, as today marked the day that she'd start working with the First Division as a maintenance person. She'd be repairing and, knowing her, tweaking every weapon that needed it. Jaune hoped that his sword wouldn't turn into a flamethrower when she was done with it, and that thought made him chuckle.

Jaune had his team gathered around the briefing room. They all sat at rotating metal chairs with black foam padding, some propping their feet up on the smooth wooden table. The walls around them were a very light brown, and in front of them was an empty wall that would be filled with screens and holograms when they were needed. A bright chandelier hung above them, shining light on the room. At the end of the table, smiling brightly at all of her teammates, was Ruby. She had Crescent Rose leaned up against a wall, telling Yang that it would do her sweetheart good to be back. Yang, although worried that someone might try to steal it and Ruby would be left weaponless, let her bring it. She had driven Ruby up and then went to her own Division, wishing her sister a great first day and then ruffling her hair, pulling her hood over her head, and pushing her into the meeting room.

"Alright, so, as you know, we have a new maintenance person in our group, and she's the best we could ever hope for. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ruby Rose!" Jaune said with a flourish, and the brunette waved.

"Hey there, fellow Hunters and Huntresses! Last we met, I was your leader. Now I take care of your weapons. But we are still brothers and sisters in arms! And...I was going somewhere with that, I promise. Anyway, it's great to see you all again and I look forward to working with you!" Everyone waved back and went up to greet her, offering congratulations. Nora even brought a few cookies that Ren had made; he'd always had a soft spot for Ruby. He admired her skill and was reminded of Nora by her energy.

"Alright, now that we're all up to speed on our new and improved weapons person, we can begin the daily grind. Everyone is patrolling as usual. Group A, you take the outskirts of the city. Group B, take the Emerald Forest. Group C, you're at the edges of Forever Fall. And in reply to Nora's suggestion that we think of cooler names than Groups A, B, and C, I'm all ears," Jaune said kindly. Ruby could tell that people liked him. He was approachable, intelligent, and patient. Seeing him up there, talking to his team, reminded Ruby of the good old days and she looked down, pretending to eat a cookie. In reality, she'd finished them all long ago. Thinking of the time when she had her legs and her position as leader wasn't pleasant. It reminded her even more of how empty she felt below her waist, and how empty that left her inside. She'd lost more than just her legs that day; she'd lost a part of who she was. A Huntress, a leader, a fighter. She couldn't be that person anymore.

"Well, I think we should have Group pancakes, group sloths, and group Ruby!" At this, the younger woman glanced up.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I like that. Group pancakes, group sloths...and group Ruby. In honor of our former leader, the greatest leader we've ever had. No offense to Weiss, she was good too," Jaune said, smiling at Ruby. She beamed back.

"You don't have to do that! There are a lot cooler group names than Ruby," she said.

"Nope," Jaune replied.

"It's a little late to start throwing my own words back at me, Jaune." The blonde chuckled.

"Well, it's settled. Group A is group pancakes, group B is group sloths, and group C is group Ruby. Anyone have any objections?" No one spoke out.

"Okay then. Ruby, I have some stuff for you..." Jaune trailed off as the groups went off to do their usual patrol. The blonde pulled, from under the table, a binder full of blueprints.

"Since no one's weapons need maintenance, I figured I'd give you these so you know what to do when they come in for repairs," he said. Ruby grinned, snatching them up.

"Well, I already know about Crocea Mors and Magnhild. I studied them in secret when we were at Beacon," she said. Jaune sighed.

"Of course you did...say, around our third year, my sword and shield got lighter. Was that...?"

"Yep, that was me. Oh, and before you go...I just want to say that you're a great leader," Ruby told her friend. She meant it. Jaune beamed.

"Well, I'm not as good as the original. And Ruby? I'm gonna ambush you and Yang tonight. I...I need to tell you something. Don't worry, it's nothing to do with either of you," he said, his tone turning serious. Ruby nodded, still smiling.

"See you," she said. Jaune waved and hurried after his group. Ruby watched him leave, looked at the blueprints, and against her mind's wishes, her eyes began to tear up and she silently cried.

"There are twelve grown Nevermores circling a massive nest. The nest is in an open area; there's a circle of trees around the perimeter and there are clear skies within that. We're gonna be doing some heavy exterminating," Ursula reported to Weiss as they stood in a circle of thick trees.

"How long do you think it'll take to finish them off?" The former heiress asked, hoping they could finish the group in time to help her with the Nevermores. She was doubtful she could take twelve of them by herself, strong as she was. The armies of Grimm, more than anything, had strength in numbers. No matter how powerful humanity got, they would always be outnumbered. Their mortal enemies seemed to come from nowhere.

"I'm inclined to say half an hour at the most. How long do you think the full-grown ones should take to bring down?" Urusla asked, and Weiss bit her lip.

"I think I can manage around the same time as you, if I can do it at all. If I'm in trouble, I might pull one of you out of battle. Now, before we go in, let's review our strategy. We'll get in close and I'll jump out at the full-grown Nevermores first. I can surprise them, and you can all run in to exterminate the adolescents. We'll finish our jobs and whoever does so first helps the other. Any ranged unit who runs out of Dust during the fight must retreat. Now, be sure not to underestimate your opponent. Their wings aren't as developed as their full-grown counterparts, but they can still fly, hurt, and even kill you with them. If we can do this quickly, we can get back to Vale by eight. Just make sure it isn't in a body bag. Now...let's go. And remember: I'll be in the sky. I won't hear you cry for help or see you. You're all on your own. Make smart decisions," she said. slipping between the trees. Garth, Lilac, and Mona followed her, the melee units followed them, and the ranged units trailed behind. She had eleven teammates left fighting; one was dead, two were injured, and one had no weapon. They were all tired and they had used a good amount of ammo. Unlike yesterday, she expected casualties. Also unlike yesterday, she wasn't sure if she wouldn't be among them.

"Now." Before anyone on her team could even blink, Weiss launched herself into the air with a glyph and flew towards the nearest Nevermore. A swipe of Myrtenaster created two blue energy beams that curved towards the Nevermore's wings, and they were frozen. Unable to break free, the massive Grimm fell to the ground, the group of smaller Nevermore scattering as it fell on its head and died instantly. Weiss hopped higher into the air, standing on a glyph when she'd gotten enough height to reach the other Nevermores. They gazed at her, screeching, as they circled the small woman like vultures. Beneath her, her team had reached the adolescents and were beginning to kill them. A few Nevermores hurtled down towards them, their cries growing louder, but Weiss conjured a glyph right in front of two of them and they slammed into it, dazed and weakened. Using her glyph, she hurtled towards one and by using her violet Dust, delivered a powerful strike and decapitated the beast. Switching to the other, she did the same. The third Nevermore flew at her team, preparing to shoot out feathers, and Weiss fell towards it, using her glyphs for added speed. Landing on the Grimm, she held onto its feathers and tapped it with Myrtenaster. Ice spread along its wings as it tried to fly upwards, and it fell. Using a repulsion glyph so it would hit the ground faster, Weiss turned and found herself staring up at hails of feathers. Using a few massive glyphs, she blocked them and they bounced off the glyphs and fell down around her. However, she wasn't done with them yet. Placing glyphs under the falling feathers and herself to keep from falling, she redirected them. They turned towards the Grimm and shot at them with a level of force the Grimm couldn't hope to possess, and two were skewered by them. Five Nevermores were down, and there were seven to go. One came out of nowhere and charged Weiss, who jumped over it with a well-placed glyph. She shot at it, chasing the beast across the sky with glyph-powered leaps. Two more came at her, and she flipped the first one and shot under the second, angling her body so that it flew over her just barely, allowing her to slide under it with a glyph and use red Dust to set it on fire with a quick slash of Myrtenaster. The two had flown at her at the same time, and she saw them get just close enough so that the Aura-powered flames could flicker from one and land on the other. They both screeched, unable to see where they were going although protected from the flame by their tough feathers, and almost collided with some of their kin. This gave Weiss time to see what was going on below her.

The group was doing fairly well until the giant Nevermore attacked. The melee units were taking small hits, nothing to keep them out of the fight. The special units were doing well as always, and the two ranged units were focused less on killing and more on providing covering fire for their allies, taking out any Grimm that might be near. However, a shadow was soon seen above them, and a hail of feathers flew at the group like bullets raining from the sky. Mona quickly tried to teleport whoever she could out of the way, but it wasn't enough. Three of the melee units were skewered immediately, and Mona herself screamed in pain as most of her right arm was blown clean off from the sheer force of the feather. Throwing a chakram to give herself some space, it cut through a few adolescents and she then teleported to catch it. Turning it into a shield as some of the Grimm hurled feathers at her, she deflected the projectiles and teleported behind the adolescents who shot them at her and punched through their heads into pieces with two concentrated Aura blasts. She then went back to her shield and caught it before it fell to the ground, turning it back into a chakram.

"I need help! I'm losing...losing blood here!" The normally shy woman bellowed. She was timid in social life, but one couldn't be timid in battle. One couldn't be a White Fang member without being a survivor. She sighed, seeing no one around, and then saw the full-grown Nevermore coming in for a second attack. She didn't dare teleport again. She was losing too much blood and was too weak. She had no choice but to wait and dodge as best she could. Around her, however, adolescents began to swarm, and she knew that wouldn't be easy. As the beast reared back for a volley of wings, a massive ice blast encased it and a giant glyph appeared that launched it high into the air.

"Can you teleport out of there?!" Weiss shouted, falling to the battlefield with a wild, panicked look on her face. Her eyes became the size of dinner plates when she saw Mona's arm.

"I...I can't..."

"Then give me your hand." Mona did as Weiss instructed, and she was sped away from the battlefield. Behind them, the massive, ice-encased Grimm fell to the ground and shattered, crushing some of the adolescents beneath it.

"Get to the drop point. That's your only hope; you won't be of any help here in your state," the former heiress said with concern.

"Thanks...I can make it. Get back to the fight...you're...needed there," was the reply. Weiss nodded sadly and flew towards the battle to see green lights harmlessly slam into the full-grown Nevermores. Mona looked at her go, and slowly moved through the forest, crying as she went. Her Aura couldn't keep her conscious long enough for her to survive. Today, she would die. Her sobs racked her body, and she sometimes stumbled. She wouldn't live, it was almost certain. There was almost no way for her to survive long enough. The drop point, where some healing supplies were stored in case of emergencies, was minutes away; she probably wouldn't make it, and Weiss knew that. But if there was a chance she could live, even if just a small one, she would take it. She would survive; she wouldn't die as a criminal for doing what she believed in, for fighting for her kin.

"I just have to tell myself...I'm...going to live. I can...survive. I can..." Mona stumbled and quickly got back up, her injured arm grazing a tree. She hissed in pain and kept going. The tears kept falling.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Weiss snarled at Garth. He was attacking a full-grown Nevermore to no effect with his laser blades, and ignoring the fighting with his comrades around him.

"I'm keeping them at bay!"

"Your efforts are worthless. Go back to helping your team!" Weiss shot herself into the air to fight the remaining full-grown Grimm; the ones she'd set on fire were causing enough distraction so that the others weren't swooping down on her team immediately. The flaming Grimm collided with each other, leaving them free to be hurtled towards the ground through glyphs and killed on impact. There were now four left, but Weiss couldn't hit them. They were going too fast and she couldn't get a clear shot. Reloading her ice Dust cartridge, she prepared to chase a nearby Grimm that was heading towards her before noticing a green light hit it with no effect. Weiss looked down to see Garth back to fighting the full-grown Nevermores. She shot away from the Grimm and landed behind him, felling an adolescent he hadn't noticed.

"I told you to help your teammates!" She spat.

"You are my teammate. You're my leader! Taking on twelve Nevermores by yourself is insane, even for you!" Garth replied, anger present in his voice.

"Help the people down here," Weiss said simply before taking off at the Grimm she'd originally targeted. However, it was now preparing to fire feathers down upon the group, and she had to get them out of the way. She shot herself back down. As the black storm of projectiles came closer at an alarming rate, she noticed Garth trying to run. He was right in the middle of where the feathers would land and she didn't see him getting away quickly enough. Hoping the others would be alright, she landed next to him and held the man by the torso, using a glyph to shoot herself forward and through a small opening in the adolescent group. However, the feathers were right behind her. She felt herself fly forward and then felt a sharp object pierce her flesh. She could almost look behind her in slow motion to see the feather as it cut through her.

"Weiss!"

Jaune sighed as he pulled up to Ruby and Yang's house. He noticed that the car was gone, and assumed that Yang was out. He was quite relieved; he would now have a chance to talk to Ruby by herself. As much as he wanted to see the blonde, he wasn't sure how she'd react to him talking to Ruby. She'd gotten protective about her, he heard, and didn't think she'd react well to her sister talking to the man who may as well have confined her in her wheelchair. But he knew Ruby would be different, at least. He knew she'd listen to him. He made his way to the door and knocked a few times, waiting half a minute before Ruby wheeled up to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Jaune! I notice your sword's a little worn. Are you taking good enough care of it?" She asked, beckoning for the older man to come in. Jaune sighed.

"I'm a lot more worried about you right now, Ruby. You just walked right back into a life you had to leave behind, and I want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine, Jaune. I'm loving being in the whole Hunter and Huntress scene again!" Ruby seemed genuinely happy, but Jaune wasn't convinced. He knew that, more than anything, Ruby wanted her friends to be happy. And when it came to them, she was as honest as could be. But when it came to herself, she'd lie. Because that's how it was with her. The people she loved took absolute precedence. Her happiness came second.

More stuff happening! Weiss is getting injured, things are looking bad for Blake, and Ruby and Jaune are going to have an emotional conversation about things and stuff. Also, a lot of crying. I guess I was feeling in a sad mood. And Weiss wasn't kidding about valuing your own life; she's giving Mona even the slightest chance in hopes that it pays off. We'll see how that turns out! She's not one of the more prominent minor characters, but hopefully people will care enough about her so that her little scene won't just be an interruption from the hopefully-epic fight. I've always had a problem with fights, and the fact that I tend to write them in massive paragraphs probably doesn't help. I'd really like feedback on the battle, if anyone feels so inclined. As well as anything else, of course.

Also, while I like to keep these author's notes RWBY and story-related, I just have to say: The Legend of Korra season 3 finale was SO SAD! Now, there are spoilers ahead, so don't read any further if you haven't seen it!

I mean, I liked seeing Korra in her badass Avatar state, and it's cool to see that Mako and Bolin have come a long way as benders since season 1 (still not a lot of action from Asami; that's a shame), and the heroes did win, but come on! They put Korra in a wheelchair! It's like what I did to Ruby, except a lot more sad. I mean, this is Korra we're talking about here! She's been gung-ho about saving the world and being the Avatar from day one, and she's done the very best she can. No matter what, she's never given up, and she's really matured this season. She's always been driven and tough, and seeing her look so weak and depressed hurts a LOT. And it's not just her body; those hallucinations really did a number on her. I think she reached her limit with that kidnapping. And what's more, now we have Jinora and the airbenders doing her job! Now imagine how that feels. You've just been told that the world doesn't need you, and now you have people out there ready to do what you've trained your entire life to do and put everything you had into doing. Her mental state has actually suffered even more than her body. Well, at least she's got Asami. And yes, I ship that. Only recently, but still. And was I the only one who was disappointed that Mako and Bolin didn't get a scene with Korra at the end? They were the original new team Avatar! No offense to Asami because she's awesome, but she wasn't there from the beginning. I just wanted to see the brothers react to Korra in her new state. Okay, rant over. Until next chapter!