For a few seconds, the two women looked at each other in shock. Neither moved save for Cinder going to close the confinement area door. For them, all of the commotion outside seemed to vanish, as if the world existed only in the room. Eventually, Cinder walked hesitantly to Blake, stepping on the man she'd just knocked out. Slowly and without looking at her, she put Blake's clothing back on, her eyes darting around the room and her motions meek. Still Blake didn't resist. She didn't even move. She simply looked at Cinder, her surprise gone and replaced with a dull, emotionless gaze. Cinder felt as if she was invisible, as if Blake was looking right through her. Still, the signs of Blake's trauma were obvious. She still trembled and was coated in sweat. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her hands began to bleed, and her breathing was unnaturally heavy. Cinder stepped back, her friend's clothes now reapplied, and took in her injuries. Ranging from gashes to stab wounds to bruises, her whole body seemed blemished. At parts, it was hard to tell that skin could be found beneath her scars. Her entire left eye was black and blue, and dried blood caked her hair and skin. Cinder had known that something was wrong and that Roman was behind it, but hadn't expected this. To her, Roman had always been a cowardly, vain man who considered himself above others. He was intelligent and had a useful silver tongue, but was never truly threatening, and she certainly hadn't expected him to hold such a deep grudge. She couldn't have been more wrong about that, she saw. Looking at Blake, Cinder realized that Roman was more cruel than she had ever imagined, and that he had to go. There was no question about that.

"Blake, are you..." Cinder began to ask, but was interrupted by new noises coming from outside. Quickly opening the door and throwing her gun on the ground, she called out to the guards who had come to control the situation. However, she was granted no mercy. As soon as she emerged from the confinement area, she was stunned and fell to the ground, her cry for help on the tip of her tongue.

Blake sat, stiff and unmoving. A thin black blanket was draped around her shoulders, and before her were two female detectives. Guards stood outside of the solitary confinement area, where Blake was being questioned. Unwilling to move even after she was freed from her chains, she answered the officers' questions in a throaty, wavering yet strangely dull and monotonous voice. She hadn't spoken for days, and the words coming out of her mouth felt foreign and quiet, as if she were silently reading from a book.

"Did this man say who he was working for?" One detective asked.

"No," was the reply.

"Do you have any idea who it might be?" The other continued.

"Torchwick," Blake mumbled. She was so quiet that neither detective could hear her.

"Excuse me?"

"Torchwick," Blake said louder, her monotone breaking in a pained gasp. It was as if the name was a breath she was trying to hold back, yet eager to enjoy after she let it out. It lingered on her tongue and in her mind, a fixation that calmed her down. Or perhaps it made her even more unstable; she couldn't tell. She couldn't tell whether she felt vulnerable or unnaturally empowered by recent events. She didn't know whether she felt anger or fear, whether she wanted to curl up and cry, or march out of the prison and rip Roman limb from limb. The two detectives, upon hearing her, both looked pitied and concerned.

"Are you sure? Do you have any concrete proof?"

"He has a motive," Blake said simply. The nodded slowly, one taking a note.

"We'll be sure to look into it. Anyway, we...need to leave now. You'll need to go back to your cell until you're able to be relocated, but there will be a group of guards stationed around you. Your friend will be there too, if that helps any," one detective said regretfully.

"We're so, so sorry that this happened, and I promise you that if Roman Torchwick was responsible, he'll rot in a cell his entire life for what he's done," the other added on. They both waved as they left, and the guards outside came up to Blake. They looked awkward, and the male guards made a point of standing back.

"Your relocation preparations should be underway, and you'll most likely leave tomorrow morning, early afternoon at the latest. Please, come with us. I'm sure you need rest and medical treatment after...after everything that happened," the closest guard said. Blake did nothing.

"Please, you need to move." Still, no movement occurred.

"It's just for this one night, and then you'll be out of here." Letting the blanket slip from her shoulders, Blake got up and began to walk. she moved slowly past the guards, not bothering to wait for them. Her back was hunched and she moved as if a heavy weight as placed on her shoulders. The guards followed her; it was easy to catch up. She felt the sorrowful stares boring into her back, felt the cool night air rustle against her skin and wounds, and felt that it was all horribly wrong. It was like she was experiencing life for the first time. Everything felt different. Her world had changed.

Cinder, after being shot, was awoken and asked questions about what she saw. Quick to provide answers, her usual calm, coy manner gone, she had tried to think of anything that could be useful in the inevitable investigation. She doubted that anything could be done, but wanted to help nonetheless. All the while, thoughts of vengeance ran through her mind, thoughts she knew that she soon wanted to put into action. Now, she lay awake in her bed, listening to Blake's ragged breaths. Each one felt like a punch to the gut. She tried to rationalize her feelings, to understand what was going on. She failed. Once, her and Blake had been enemies. They couldn't have seen the world from a more different perspective. Blake had shunned the shadow looming over her heart, the part of her that drove her to obsession and rage. She may have left the White Fang, but deep down, she was no less of an extremist. Cinder, on the other hand, had embraced that part of her. She'd been on a mission, driven by the injustice of the world and her own personal suffering. And yet, as time passed in prison, she began to feel closer to Blake than she had to almost everyone else in her life. Perhaps it was because the faunus had come to terms with the darker part of her, the part that killed thirty people and tortured Roman to tears. Perhaps it was because she was willing to give Cinder a chance, knowing the importance of such mercy herself. Cinder couldn't explain why, but in Blake she found a friend. More than that, she found someone who could understand her. It had been a while since she had someone like that in her life.

It was early morning when Weiss heard the knock on her door. In the middle of getting changed, she quickened her pace so that she might answer. She had an idea of who it was. The guards around the Trenches apartment complex would only let a fellow officer enter the area so early.

"I'll be there shortly, Neptune," she called out. Sure enough, his desperate cry rang out.

"This is an emergency!" Outside of her apartment, he was kneeling over and panting. His usual, well-maintained appearance looked disheveled and hurried; he was hasty in getting out the door. Sun was behind him, less tired but still panting. His eyes looked slightly red. He looked quite normal aside from that, as he never put stock or effort into his appearance, unlike his friend.

"Why'd you come to Weiss again? She's not the closest to our place," he asked urgently.

"She...she's got money, she can help. She can get Blake protection, do something...I just...I thought she could help," was the reply. Neptune's speech was fractured due to his panting, but Sun understood. Neptune had gotten to know Weiss better than most, having dated her for a time, and so the faunus would trust his judgment.

"We really need you out here now!" He called.

"I'm coming!" Weiss replied quickly, hurrying to the door after pulling her hair in her signature ponytail. She didn't like the note of desperation in Sun's voice.

"What is it?" She asked, swinging the door open and looking pointedly at the two friends. She was more than a little annoyed; she didn't like being rushed, especially not so early in the morning, but she could tell that something had happened that required immediate attention. Sun quickly tried to tell her, his voice unnaturally high and in danger of faltering every few words. He often talked in such a manner when panicking.

"Neptune, he was told by some detectives about something at the prison, it was some kind of riot or whatever, a guard fell asleep and opened some cells-"

"Slow down, Sun; I have no idea what you're trying to say," Weiss interrupted. Breathing heavily, the faunus cleared his throat and began again.

"...Something happened to Blake. Neptune was contacted because the detectives who worked on the case are some friends of his and they know he knows her. Weiss, she was supposed to get in solitary confinement. She didn't attack anyone willingly; she got drugged. There were a lot of guards involved in the whole thing, and there was...there was this one guy, he...Blake was tortured. She was put in confinement and then this sick fuck tortured her for days. She only got found because some guard fell asleep and opened some cells on accident or something and there was a big riot. One of the prisoners broke into the confinement area and found her there. She was...it wasn't good. She had cuts and bruises all over her, part of her ear was cut off, and...the guy, when the prisoner found him he was...he was tearing off her clothes, he was gonna..." Sun couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, but Weiss knew exactly what he meant. She understood everything all too well. She stood there, gaping for a few seconds as Neptune and Sun looked at her patiently, waiting for her to speak. She didn't. Her entire body seemed to freeze, save for the tears falling from her eyes. All she could hear was her own pounding heartbeat, growing louder and louder in her ears, and all she could see were Sun and Neptune, blurring in front of her eyes.

"How did this happen?" She muttered, so quiet that she could hardly hear herself. Closing her eyes and wiping away her tears, she suddenly jerked into action. She looked possessed, her movements wild and clumsy. She practically tripped over her feet trying to get past Sun and Neptune. They quickly moved out of her way.

"How the hell did this happen?!" She roared. The two men walked after her, instinctively keeping their distance. They had never seen Weiss in such a state before. Normally, she was calm and composed. In the face of hardship, she almost always kept a cool head. But in this moment, she seemed to be acting out of pure, instinctive rage. Neither Weiss, nor Sun and Neptune, took notice of the people who had woken up and looked out their windows to see the commotion.

"Weiss, where are you going?" Neptune asked tentatively and she almost fell over trying to descend the stairs leading to the pavement, stepping down from the concrete floor that reached up to the apartment complex. She didn't answer, but raised her hand in a familiar manner. He recognized immediately that she was going to use her Semblance.

"Weiss, what the hell are you doing?" He asked forcefully and he pulled her hand down. Sun came up behind him.

"Let go of me!" She snarled, trying to pull away from him, but he held on.

"We need you to help, not get yourself knock out! Just take a deep breath, get your shit together..." Sun said, trying to stay calm. Weiss turned her head to face him, practically whipping herself in the face with her ponytail.

"If you think that I'm letting Blake stay in that prison alone-"

"How the hell are you gonna get to her, huh?" He asked, getting more aggressive. Neptune let Weiss' arm fall to her side and she stalked towards Sun.

"I'll...I'll...I..." Like a marionette which had lost its strings, Weiss slumped over. Her maniacal movements were replaced by fatigue, and Sun was a little worried that she would fall to the ground.

"I..." Weiss managed to choke out that one last word before being overcome with sobs.

"We need to tell everyone," Weiss said solemnly, her eyes red but brimming with resolve. She stood by the couch in her apartment, a cup of warm tea in her hands. The cup was shaking, and she hadn't taken a sip. Neptune and Sun were sitting.

"Yeah, I know, but...isn't there something we could do first?" Sun asked. Weiss looked at him quizzically.

"Do you not want to tell them?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I just think it would be...I know I tried to calm you down out there, but I feel like we have to do something. I don't want to sit around feeling sorry for her; I want to help!" He replied. Weiss sighed.

"There's nothing that can be done. I can't throw around my wealth like I used to. Being a criminal, I don't have access to most of it," she said bitterly. Neptune suddenly cursed, making her jump and spill some of her tea.

"Dammit! Of course; I should have known..." He spat. Sun gave him a quick pat on the shoulder.

"This isn't exactly a situation where everyone's thinking straight," he said, comforting his friend. Weiss nodded in agreement, and picked up her phone.

"Indeed. Now...our friends have a right to know about this. I'll call Ruby and Yang," she said.

"I've got Ren and Nora's number," Sun muttered, reluctantly calling them.

"I guess I can look up area codes to find Jaune and Pyrrha," Neptune sighed to himself. No one present was looking forward to making the calls, but it had to be done. They spoke with steely resolve drenched in sorrow, each saying the same thing.

"Something...something horrible has happened."

No one spoke. No one had anything to say. Weiss hadn't stayed around to see how her friends had taken the news she helped deliver; she had a mission to go on. It seemed that everyone else had left too, gone their own separate ways, because they were all lost in their own worlds. They all stared at separate places in the room. Some were crying and some had cried, but now there was no sound or movement. They were all together to comfort each other, yet everyone had gone to a secluded place in their own mind that no one else could reach through word or action. Devastation was hardly the world to describe how they felt. They had all faced much grief in a short amount of time, and the recent feelings of happiness, hope and normalcy was shattered. The sisters, who had been Blake's teammates, felt a more intense rush of despair than the others. They were near each other, and yet more alone than they had ever been. Loneliness, after all, was not dictated by the space between two people, but by their presence in each others thoughts. And yet, while they and everyone else felt horrid, Yang felt something else. It was a feeling just as painful, but it was different from the others. She stood, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. She nursed the fiery rage blazing in her thoughts that was mixing with the murky, icy stab of sadness. She was painfully self-aware. It was regret. Regret tinged all of her thoughts. She regretted not seeing Blake. She regretted being so distant. She had all but shut her close friend out of her life. Blake had to settle for hearing about her struggles through the words of others. In a way, it was hypocritical. Yang had shunned her for a crime driven by rage. Rage was something the blonde had struggled with all her life, and yet she failed to understand and forgive it in her friend. Instead, she had been afraid of her, treated her like she had changed. Looking back on that day, she realized that Blake hadn't changed at all. She hadn't become someone different, but did as she had always done. Yang was briefly reminded of an event long ago, when Blake had thrown her entire being into finding Roman. She hadn't eaten or slept, all for something he'd done that hadn't even directly affected her. Of course she would go on a rampage when he killed a man she held dear, a man who had shown her kindness and hope in a seemingly cruel, hopeless world. Turning her back on Adam did nothing to lessen the impact he had on her life. If Roman had gone after Ruby, it would be entirely possible that Yang would have done the same thing. She even considered it now, going out and making him pay. She had no doubt that he was behind what had happened; Roman was the only person who had any reason to hurt Blake. However, she found that a better idea had emerged.

"Bard's in charge of the Trenches, right? Sylvester Bard?" She growled suddenly, her voice low, throaty, and full of restrained fury. No one answered her.

"Is he?!" She snarled, and Ruby was snapped out of her thoughts.

"...No, Weiss is."

"I mean the whole operation. The Trenches, the Hunting divisions, all of it."

"Yes," was the reply. Slowly, people were beginning to register that their cocoon of silence was broken. They turned to face Yang, not sure what to think.

"I'm paying him a visit."

"Are you crazy?! You do realize what he did to Weiss, right? She's out there, alone, every single day. She has responsibilities that, honestly, not a lot of people could handle. She's closer to death and suffering than she's ever been and she's out there right now, with no one to tell about what happened or share how she feels with. Do you want that to be your life? Because, if you go to Sylvester Bard, that's what's going to happen. He will make your life hell, because that's what he does now. He's a miserable man who feels the need to hurt anyone and everyone who screws with him, or tries to do anything he won't authorize himself! I know what you want to do; you want Blake in the Trenches with Weiss. He won't have it. He put Weiss there to punish her; anything that goes against that mindset, he won't support. We thought of that too, and it's too much of a risk. Enough of us have already been through hell; there isn't any reason for us to suffer any more! We need to be together for all this, Yang! We can't keep messing things up for ourselves!" Neptune shouted, shooting up from the couch. Yang whirled to face him, the rage she felt threatening to burst. However, she just barely managed to control herself. She'd made enough stupid mistakes and crucified people for things that weren't their fault. She tried to understand where he was coming from, to see that he cared about Blake as well. Breathing deeply, her irises practically glowing with crimson, she replied.

"I get what you're saying. I really do. But I've already been through hell and back. Bard can't do much to make a return trip any worse." With that, she turned to the door, stopping. for a split second. She glanced over her shoulder at Ruby, who nodded, looking every bit as determined as Yang did.

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you stay here. Neptune's right; if this goes wrong, I could be in deep shit."

"She's my friend too, Yang!"

"And you're my sister, and I'm not getting you hurt again! If you want, you can go on your own, but I'm not taking you."

"Like hell you're not! If we do this, we do it together. As a team." While everyone around them looked apprehensive and unsure, Yang sighed in acceptance.

"Come on then, Ruby. Anyone else want in?" She asked. Everyone sighed, looking incredibly pained, but shook their heads.

"I'm...I'm with Neptune on this one. I hate that I'm saying this and I really, really do want to help Blake, but we need to be here for each other. The only reason we've gone through so much and came out better for it is that we've had each other. If we screw up our lives more, we'll be driven apart. I can't stop you, Yang, but I will seriously get on my knees and beg if that's what it takes to get you not to take this risk," Jaune said, sorrowful yet resolute. He wiped his hand across his eyes and walked to Yang quickly, but she turned and opened the door, Ruby making her way to her.

"Don't beg; I won't change my mind."

"Then what can I do?"

"I'm sorry, Jaune, but you can't do anything. Ruby and I are going to do this." Yang let Ruby make her way outside first, and looked around at everyone else as she followed. Sun especially looked torn; he wanted to go, but Yang could see from the way he looked at Neptune that he felt obligated to stay.

"Bye...I'll call you and let you know how it goes," Ruby said, waving to everyone before she disappeared behind a corner. Yang waved as well, and helped Ruby down the stairs and into the car. Getting in the driver's seat, she said nothing to her sister. Upon leaving her forlorn friends, she felt the rage come back.

Yang walked through the empty, dimly lit halls, while Ruby was trying her best to follow her. The entire building was very empty, but the sisters had a feeling Sylvester would be around. Anyone as driven as him would be. Turning a corner, Yang's increasingly loud footsteps echoing throughout the halls, she saw a tall, bony young woman who was hunched over slightly as she fumbled with her keys to open the door.

"Hey," Yang said without emotion. The woman turned and yelped.

"M-Ms. Xiao Long! Ms. Rose! What are you doing here so early?" She asked.

"We're here to see Bard," was the flat reply.

"Um, unless you have an appointment, you can't-"

"Lady, are you gonna open the door or not?" Yang asked, agitation entering her tone. Her lips curled ever so slightly into a frown.

"We're doing this for a friend," Ruby added apologetically, trying to make the woman feel at ease.

"Mr. Bard-"

"Is going to hear what we have to fucking say," Yang finished the frightened woman's sentence and stood directly in front of her. Fear lit up her eyes, as she looked from sister to sister, her glances lingering on Ruby pleadingly.

"Yang, you might want to calm down."

"I am calm."

"I-I'm very sorry, and I'm sure that what you have to say is important, but-"

"Then why can't we say it, huh?" Yang snarled, growing increasingly annoyed.

"Because as Mr. Bard's secretary, among other duties, I plan all of his appointments and you don't have one! Now please leave!" The blonde didn't reply, choosing to stare fiercely into the woman's face as she tried to control herself. To her surprise, the woman met her gaze.

"I know that you're just doing your job, but we really need to get in there," Ruby sighed, trying to sound kind but in truth was just as anxious as her sister.

"You can't. You can set up and appointment and come back later-" Once again, the woman was interrupted by Yang.

"Screw this. I'm going in if I have to smash this door down."

"Stop fucking interrupting me!" The woman shouted with a fury that neither Yang nor Ruby had expected from her. She was breathing heavily, and the blonde stopped dead in her tracks as she tried to soldier past the secretary. For a few seconds, there was a foreboding silence. Yang closed her eyes and breathed heavily. Ruby could tell that she was trying to restrain her anger; she'd been doing so ever since rehab. She had been practicing breathing exercises for the past few days, and she was doing one right now. The secretary looked confused. Then, opening her eyes to reveal that her irises had turned red for the second time that day, she spoke.

"Okay. Alright. Clearly, you're got some level of spunk, so I feel like I can say this without you bursting into tears: Get the fuck out of my way. Look, I have a friend who needs help and is in a place where she isn't going to get it. I haven't seen that friend in what seems like years and now I feel like shit. I have issues with anger so I'm trying really hard to stay calm right now, but if you look at my hands you can see that they're twitching. I really, really want to punch you in the face because you're in my fucking way when I'm trying to help someone who I've been ignoring for too long. Now, I'm working on some breathing exercises to stay in control, but I don't know if I can keep them up now that you're actively stopping someone I love from getting help that they desperately need, as well as a chance for me to do something about my guilt. So, to sum it all up...move. Right now. Open the door, and move."

Sylvester Bard had always been a reclusive man. Even when his beloved family was still alive, he was quiet and aloof towards all but them. After their death, he became rude. After Weiss' disobeying of his orders, he became cruel. Now, he was isolated. He practically lived in his office, pouring over maps and papers, desperately searching for any way to find the Grimm who had slaughtered his family. He only did his job as an afterthought, and these days, he didn't do it well. His secretary had taken on a lot of responsibility, and although he took no heed, was becoming increasingly stressed, frightened, and resentful. Like her boss, she was developing her moments of anger, occasionally unable to keep from screaming at her co-workers when they made mistakes. Helping others, or even taking time to care about their problems, was something that felt foreign to Sylvester.

"Hey, Bard. Yang Xiao Long here. We need to talk." Yang was suddenly standing in front of him, looking down at the man with crimson eyes. His face was gaunt and he looked like he had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Papers were piled up around him so high that his chest was entirely blocked from view. He glared back up at her with malice equaling hers, and then shifted his gaze to his secretary, who looked terrified behind Yang and Ruby.

"I told you to keep anyone out who didn't have an appointment," he growled.

"I...I tried, I-I...she just..." The secretary tried to defend herself and failed miserably.

"She gave it her best shot, but if you think someone like her is gonna keep out someone like me, you must be really out of touch," Yang said.

"We need to talk. It's about a friend of ours," Ruby explained. Sylvester turned to her. She met his gaze with her sister's intensity, while lacking her anger.

"I'm not your guidance counselor, Rose. I suggest you and your sister leave. Now," was the reply.

"Like hell we are!" Yang shouted, raising her voice. It seemed sudden after being so calm towards the secretary.

"Rose, calm your sibling down," Bard snapped. She frowned, as did Yang. The blonde then took a few deep breaths and tried to control herself. Ruby began speaking, telling Sylvester why they had come. Neither sister could tell whether he was listening. He seemed absorbed in his maps; sorting them into piles and looking at them intently, as if trying to stare through them. Nevertheless, Ruby kept talking, hoping that he was paying attention. Yang didn't dare to speak, trying to focus on her breathing. Already, Sylvester was infuriating her more than his secretary. As Ruby finished telling him about their situation, he glanced up slightly. She felt a jolt of hope shoot through her, as did Yang. Maybe he'd been listening after all. Maybe he was willing to hear them out.

"...Are you done? If so, take your problems to someone who gives a damn." Yang stopped breathing.

"Did you even hear a word Ruby said?!" She choked out, having just exhaled and so had little breath to form words with. Sylvester replied quickly and curtly.

"I have other matters to attend to. Leave."

"So you didn't hear shit."

"As I have told you many times, Xiao Long, I am busy! I have no time for your personal issues! Now leave, before I decide to take action against you for wasting my damn time!" Before Bard could even react, his papers flew into the air, whirling and twirling as the floated to the ground, They slid on the floor, almost forming a circle around him. He looked blankly at Yang, her hand outstretched from smacking the stacks off of the desk. Behind her, Ruby gasped and the secretary did so as well.

"...You will pick up these papers...and get out of my office..." Sylvester said slowly, his words interrupted by heavy, unnatural breaths. He spoke so quietly that Yang almost couldn't hear, but she did. She didn't care.

"Blake was almost raped and you tell me to get out of your office?! You know you can help! You know you can get her out of prison and into the Trenches, where she can be with someone who cares for her and will help her through this! You know that she can be an asset, that she can kill more Grimm alone than most can on a team! Why the fuck are you telling me to get out of your fucking office?!"

"To be put in the Trenches, you must have a spotless prison record! She had an incident just a few days ago!"

"Then go ahead, investigate. You'll hear that she was fucking drugged!"

"You are in no position to ask for favors from me!"

"Don't you think I know what this shit is about?! It's about Weiss, isn't it?! The Trenches is supposed to be her 'punishment,' and so you won't let anything happen that could make her happy, right?! This is revenge, right?!" Unknowingly imitating the former heiress, Yang slammed her hand on Sylvester's desk. However, instead of splintering, it completely split through the middle and almost fell apart. Ruby and the secretary had nothing to say. They were completely out of their depth. A hurricane of rage had formed around Yang and Sylvester, and there was no way they were going to get past it.

"...That is none of your concern." At this, Yang laughed. It was a harsh, ear-splitting laugh, not humorous at all. Sylvester even cringed a little.

"None of my concern, huh? If it involves my friends, asshole, it's my concern! Fucking hell, you're...you're...wow. I don't have any words. I'm speechless right now because of how damn stupid you are! You know, maybe if you actually had anyone you gave two shits about, you'd know where I'm coming from! But no, you just don't care. You just don't fucking care." As she spoke, she felt herself calming down. She saw Sylvester's face growing red with rage, and realized that she might have just ruined any chance she ever had of helping Blake. She'd gotten angry again. She'd let herself lose control, and she may have destroyed everything she'd been trying so hard to accomplish. Looking behind her at the shocked expression on the face of her sister, she hurriedly bent down and picked up a few maps and put them on the desk. They slid down the middle and fell through the crack she made.

"...I can help with the papers."

"Get out."

"I can buy a new desk."

"Get. Out."

"I can-"

"Get out!" Yang hung her head, feeling as if she might cry. She felt so hopeless. She felt weak and stupid and selfish and she felt, worse of all, like she failed. She didn't move, and Sylvester stood up to retrieve his papers from the ground. His secretary did as well, hurrying past Yang. A minute passed as they picked up paper and stacked it in a corner of the room. Yang still didn't move, and Ruby went up next to her and tried to make her feel better. Neither of them even looked at the door.

"You're still here?" Sylvester asked, suddenly taking notice of their presence. His voice was filled with hatred, and if it could take physical form, it would have been a sword that decapitated them both.

"...Do you remember what it was like when your family was alive?" Yang asked suddenly. Sylvester glared at her, and then the door. He seemed to be full of loathing that went even beyond anger, and she had no idea why she was testing his patience. Perhaps, some part of her hoped that she could win him over with kind words, that it wasn't too late to act understanding. At the very least, she didn't want to leave without knowing she'd tried her hardest. Not by yelling, not by violence, but with reason. At the very least, when she inevitably visited Blake, she could tell her that she'd done that much.

"Do...do you remember how it felt to have people who loved you?" Yang received no reply. Strangely, the secretary was looking at her with interest. She took no notice, but Ruby did.

"If you don't, that's fine. I forgot once, too. You know, when I was an alcoholic and all. It was the worst, most hopeless feeling in the world." The secretary looked down, stopping her work, but Sylvester kept going.

"I've lost family too. And I remember that it felt horrible too. I remember feeling alone and full of anger at everyone and everything. I remember that I was consumed by my loss. I remember blocking out the world around me...I did all that when I had drinking problems, too. But you know what made it worse? Worse even than losing people I loved?" Sylvester gave no sign that he heard her, and continued to pick up papers.

"I knew that the people I was closest to were still alive. I knew that I had left them, abandoned them, not because they were gone and I had no choice, but because I actively chose to when I could have welcomed them into my life. It was my choice, my fault, my guilt. I decided that I didn't care, and when I realized what I'd done...nothing could compare to how horrified I was. I know that you don't like me, and you know that I don't like you. But as someone who's trying to accept people instead of push them away, let me give you some advice." Yang waited for a response, but received none. She went on anyway.

"If you have something driving you, like revenge or regret, you forget about all of that. You forget about everyone you've hurt. But when that's all over...you don't have anything left. If you do get your revenge, you'll be left with nothing. You'll be alone because you decided to push away everyone in your life. You know what a fucking mess I was; don't make my mistakes." Yang didn't wait around this time. She just turned her back and left. Ruby, casting one last look at Sylvester and his secretary, went after her.

Weiss raised her sword sluggishly and the Boarbatusk collided with it. She barely managed to keep her grip on Myrtenaster as she was sent flying into a tree behind her. Coughing as blood shot from her mouth, she quickly rolled to one side as the Grimm smashed through the tree and bark went flying everywhere. Some lodged itself in Weiss' sword arm, but she ignored the pain and ripped it out.

"Get your damn act together! You're better than this!" Someone shouted at her from afar as a gunshot distracted the Boarbatusk. She didn't care who it was, and in all honesty she didn't even know. Her head was filled with a loud buzzing noise that she assumed was the sound of her thoughts. She had many of them. She felt like she did upon walking into Yang and Ruby's house to find the blonde drunk and violent, but this time was different. When she had went to work afterwards, she had closure. She knew that Yang was somewhere safe, somewhere she'd get help. She was in a comforting environment, and her problems were being addressed. Blake had no such luck. Weiss had no idea how she was doing or what was being done to help her. Every movement sent a strange wriggling sensation through her stomach as if bugs were crawling inside her. The Boarbatusk gone, Weiss came face-to-face with a Deathstalker. Using a glyph to dash away and gain distance, she sent a wave of ice at the Grimm's legs. Behind her, she dimly heard a howl and whirled to see a Grimm jump towards her. She couldn't bring herself to react in time. Luckily, a bullet tore through it and she looked over at Ursula, who lowered her weapon.

"Behind you!" She bellowed, and Weiss turned to see the Deathstalker hurrying towards her. She hoped her ice would hold longer than it had, but knew that she she couldn't expect her skills to be at their peak. She knew that she was off, that she was moving slowly and clumsily. Her instincts were drowned by the humming in her head, and she was unable to hear the cries of her muscles as they begged to act. She was restraining herself, unable to function at her normal level of skill. She jumped back as the Grimm slammed its tail where she had been moments before, and Lilac came flying from nowhere and punched the Deathstalker a few yards away. More of her teammates flocked to her, saving her from the Grimm who converged on the weakened woman.

"Are you alright? Do you need to retreat?" She asked. Weiss scoffed.

"Of course not."

"Something's up with you; you're...weaker."

"I know, I know."

"There are more Grimm than we ever could have expected. You might be drawing them here."

"I know!" Weiss shouted, not needing the reminder. In populated areas like Vale, there were unhappy and happy people living together. For every feeling of sadness and anger, everything the Grimm were drawn to, there was a feeling of joy and excitement. It took a massive group of sad or malevolent people to attract them. However, in small groups in the wild, things were different. Hunters and Huntresses especially had this problem, and whether they were mentally fit to serve was a very important decision that they and their superiors had to make. The Trenches were seen as a necessary evil, full of violent individuals forced to protect their city. Many warriors had died during The Fall, and prisons were overflowing with criminals. Until Vale had recovered from The Fall, Weiss and her allies would still fight battles outside the boundaries of even Huntsmen and Huntresses. Some said the Trenches was really a criminal disposal system to free up prisons, and at times, Weiss couldn't help but see reason in such accusations. After all, just one depressed or enraged person could draw incredible amounts of Grimm. Today, she was that person. Her sadness drew the Grimm. Deathstalkers, Boarbatusks, Ursa; many of them had descended upon her and her team. She had to do something.

"Tell everyone to get out of here. Clear the area. I have a plan; I can take out most of them," Weiss said, not waiting for a response. She dashed off clumsily.

"...I hope you know what you're doing," Lilac muttered.

Weiss had, long ago, mastered the art of channeling her Aura through her Semblance as an offensive force. While Aura was, for the most part, a defensive tool, her unique Semblance gave her ways to utilize it that others couldn't. While hers was nowhere near as powerful as Jaune's, and she lacked the control over it that Ren possessed, she was nonetheless skilled in her own right. Creating a shockingly dark blue glyph in front of her, she waited as the Grimm converged on her. Her teammates having cleared the area, she was the only target left and the source of the powerful negative emotions drawing them. Gritting her teeth, Weiss consciously chose to activate her Aura, and swung her sword upwards. She felt her Aura flicker and then touch her glyph. At that moment, it shone with an almost blinding light and blue energy swirled from it in a massive blast, twisting and contorting into various forms as it hurtled towards the Grimm. Collapsing, Weiss watched as they were engulfed in her attack. She tried to get up as the energy faded, noticing the damage she'd done to the area, but mostly taking note of the amount of Grimm she'd slain. Looking satisfied, she got up. Her team, as she'd hoped, was close enough to cover for her. As the Deathstalker who attacked her and a few Alpha Beowolves, the only surviving Grimm, went to finish her off, Lilac delivered a devastating punch powered by wind Dust to the head of the Deathstalker, and it buckled under the impact. Its legs shattered as it fell to the ground, dissipating into black powder. The other enemies were finished off by the rest of the group. Weiss had done it. Barely, but she'd done it. However, there was still more work to do. She knew that there were surrounding areas that were potentially inhabited by Grimm. She wanted to check them out before leaving. Walking to her nearest teammate, Weiss asked a quick question, hiding her nervousness at the answer. She hated asking, but she had to know. Every mission, she asked, and then she counted her teammates for herself just to make sure.

"Were there any casualties?"

"...One."

"Who was it?" Weiss asked with more anger than she had intended, feeling the rush of victory leave her body. Nodding as she heard the answer, she found herself wondering how Blake was doing. Hope that she was alright was all Weiss could rely on to keep herself going. As it was, she was neither physically nor mentally prepared for her mission. She knew that she had to rest, and leave the rest up to her team.

Sorry for the length of this chapter, but after two shorter ones I suppose it makes up the difference. Now I know I have another story going and I should probably be working on it a little more, but as I'm over halfway done Ever After and am getting excitingly close the the finale, I'd like to continue on ahead with it. Anyway, Sylvester Bard is back and just as much of an ass as he was before! I don't expect people to like him, but I am trying to make him seem like a man who has been damaged and so takes his anger out on the world as opposed to some bully with no real motivation. His secretary is going to be important, too, but I won't say how or why. Additionally, I apologize if Weiss' super magic glyph attack felt kind of like an ass-pull; I've just always had a fantasy about Weiss using her glyphs like a magical girl and doing a super magic beam attack a la Starlight Breaker! As always, any and all criticisms are more than welcome!

Also, am I the only one who's desperately hoping for a volume 3 trailer? That's a stupid question; of course not, but I just thought I'd mention it. A lot of characters are being more fleshed out and the plot seems to be progressing. Unlike volume 1, this volume actually leaves us with clues as to what will happen next. We've got Adam finally being introduced, and hopefully he can prove people wrong who say he's just a typical evil badass guy. I'm personally sure that he's much more! Yang got real character development and even got her own after-credits scene with Raven, so I have no doubt that volume 3 will be her time to shine, and Ren and Nora are just barely starting to get their own sub-plots and gain relevance in the story. Volume 3 seems like it has a lot to cover!

Also, the completely shameless Weiss fanboy in me is annoyed that she got sidelined this volume, with only minor hints about her past and some random secretary name-dropping Winter. That, and the issue of her discriminatory beliefs got pretty much ignored after volume 1. And finally, are we EVER going to find out whether the White trailer was a metaphor, a dream sequence of sorts, or something that actually happened?!