"Hey...uh...you look good!" Ruby said, trying to sound chipper as she rushed hurriedly over to Blake. Weiss trailed behind her, not looking sure whether she wanted to smile or not. She looked pleased, but also somewhat uneasy, and which feeling she felt more strongly she didn't know. Ruby, although far from cheerful, looked much happier in comparison. The two took seats in front of Blake at the small table, and the faunus attempted a smile. It was horribly forced.

"Thanks," she said simply. No one seemed eager to talk. They all looked at each other in silence. It was Blake who broke the silence.

"So...where's Yang?" She asked nervously, making sure not to meet anyone's gaze.

"...She didn't come," Weiss replied.

"She's still...I don't know what she is, but what you did affected her. It affected all of us. That...it wasn't something we'd ever expected from you." Blake looked at Ruby sadly as the younger woman spoke, yet without any sign of guilt. Nothing anyone did could make her regret her actions, but she regretted what happened afterwards every day.

"And yet, you're both here," she said quietly.

"You're our teammate and our friend. Of course we're here." Ruby was quick to speak, eager to make her friend feel at ease. Weiss, however, had nothing to say. If Blake had taken any time to think about the issue, she would have assumed that it would be the former heiress who would be the most affected by her actions. Years ago, when she first revealed that she was a faunus to her team, it was Weiss who had initially pushed her aside. When she let slip that she was with the White Fang, it had taken Weiss days to come to the decision that Blake was a friend before she was a faunus and former terrorist. Until Weiss had confronted her own prejudices, the team had been careful not to start any faunus or White Fang-related discussions around her. The two, for a while, had a difficult relationship. As they were drawn closer to their respective pasts that they had been trying to escape, it became worse and worse. When Adam revealed the extent of Blake's crimes and when the darkest aspects of the Schnee family were brought to light, they reached their lowest point. Even today, they weren't quite sure how they'd gotten through that period of their lives. All they knew was that it brought them closer than they had ever been. They had lived their lives on opposite sides of the same coin; they oddly mirrored each other, as if the two looked into the same lake and saw the reflection of the other. But Weiss was here, sitting before Blake. It wasn't Weiss who hadn't come.

"...You assured me that you had left the White Fang behind you, that you'd abandoned their ways," the former heiress said solemnly. Blake didn't look at her.

"I should have known better. I should have known all along."

"Weiss..." Ruby looked like she was either ready to cry or smack her white-haired friend, while Blake stared more intently than ever at the ground.

"You can't run from your past. No matter how hard you try, it will always be a part of who you are. I'm sorry; I know that Adam must have been very important to you. I never did offer my condolences." Blake's heart stopped. For a split second, everything stopped. She looked up to see Ruby looking relieved and to see Weiss smiling a real, unblemished smile.

"If I had five Lien for every time I made a decision influenced by my past, I'd be able to buy Beacon Academy." Blake smiled back at her, more memories of the past coming at her full force. Her eyes felt moist, just like they had all those years ago at the docks.

"I shudder to think of what you'd do with the place," she replied jokingly. Weiss kept grinning, wholly unperturbed by the lighthearted jab.

"So, Blake...how's prison food? Do you get any cookies?" Ruby asked, with an expression on her face that took Blake back to their days at Beacon. Ruby always had a calming effect on the Blake; she had a calming effect on everyone. She had a way of making people feel at ease, as if all of their worries had fallen away. She made people feel loved, and Blake had always admired and appreciated that about her. There were days when she couldn't help but wish she were more like the younger woman.

"Well, let's just say that you'd hate it here."

"I'm guessing that's a no on the cookies, huh?" Ruby sighed.

"Pretty much." Silence fell upon the three women like a blanket, gradual yet stifling. Ruby couldn't conjure any jokes or small talk, nor could Weiss and Blake. Not that they wanted to; they felt like something needed to be said, like more needed to be acknowledged. The three teammates all had frozen smiles on their face, not moving an inch. It wasn't until Blake let her grin fade that she spoke. Her words were serious, urgent, and personal.

"How is she? Yang." Ruby and Weiss stopped smiling at this comment. Clearly, they had hoped not to bring her up. Neither was sure whether they wanted to tell Blake how she felt about the incident with Roman; they had wanted a happy visit. Their friend had suffered enough without hearing about the blonde's vehement refusal to see her; Yang's apparent plan to pretend the faunus didn't exist. Blake didn't need to hear that. Not quite yet.

"She's...like we said, she's still pretty shocked by the whole thing. I mean, she was there. She saw what you...uh, what happened. We really have no idea what she's thinking right now, but I'm sure she'll be down to see you soon," Ruby replied nervously, choosing her words with the utmost care.

"Yang's a very...heated person, not that I need to tell you that. Right now, she's just cooling down," said Weiss. Blake stared at them, annoyance written all over her face. The two women exchanged looks, knowing that they had not fooled her.

"I want the truth. What does she think? What has she said about me?" Blake got straight to the point this time, knowing that it would be the only way she would recieve a truthful answer. It was a few seconds before she got a reply.

"Yang...she...she's currently pretending you don't exist. We can't mention you in conversation without her changing the subject," Weiss muttered, her voice quiet and unnaturally soft.

"I...I see."

"She did have a lot to say after she saw what happened, though," Ruby interjected awkwardly, looking as if she regretted opening her mouth. Blake turned to her, placing her hand near Ruby's. She was careful not to violate the no touching rule between prisoners and visitors.

"Ruby...it's fine. I want to hear. You don't have to worry about how I'll react. In all honesty, I probably deserve whatever insults Yang threw at me." Ruby looked sadly at her friend. She cursed herself internally for what she was about to say, but she couldn't lie to Blake anymore. Yang's words weren't insults. They had been much worse.

Yang sat on the couch, looking blankly at the blaring television. The news was broadcasting reports of what Blake had done to Roman. Ruby sat next to her, looking cautiously at her sister. It had been two days since the incident, and Yang had never looked worse. She hardly slept, barely ate, and on occasion, muttered to herself. Ruby was worried, more than she knew how to express. Yang had never been so quiet and withdrawn. She was as secretive as Blake now, mysterious and brooding. Ruby had tried to ask her exactly what had happened the night she found Blake torturing Roman. She tried to ask how she felt, but Yang gave her nothing. Tonight, however, something changed. Ruby didn't know if it was the news report, or her shock from the incident wearing off, but tonight her muttering became louder and more strained, as if the blonde was trying to force herself to speak through sealed lips.

"I thought I knew her." Ruby turned to her older sister, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape.

"Huh?"

"I thought I knew Blake. I thought she told us everything."

"We do know her! She told us about her life; we know what she did. She's been through a lot, Yang. She made a mistake-" Yang whirled around, her hair whipping across her shoulder and falling down on her chest. It looked dirty and tangled; she hadn't been taking care of it. That had been the first sign that something was off with her. The blonde treasured her hair like it was made of gold.

"A mistake? Ruby, you weren't there! You didn't see what she was doing! A mistake is a lapse of judgement, something you do in the heat of the moment. What Blake did wasn't a mistake. She was in control; she understood what she was doing, and she did it anyway! It was cold and calculating. Looking at her...she had the same look on her face like when she reads a book. She got everything. She took in everything around her, including me, and she decided to...to...it didn't look real. It looked like an illusion, like something you see in a story," Yang choked out, tears falling from her eyes. Ruby reached her hand up, slowly, to gently rest it on her sister's shoulder.

"...Yang?"

"She fought me so she could keep doing it. Torturing him. There was no mistake. Blake was in control. She didn't even seem angry. It was like...what she was doing to Roman came naturally to her. Like she'd done it before. Maybe she had. Maybe she didn't tell us everything...about herself and about what she did when she was with the White Fang." Yang said no more, choosing to stare at her lap as her vision blurred from tears. Ruby squeezed her shoulder, not sure what to say. She didn't believe Yang. She was sure that Blake had told them the truth. They were her teammates; they were her friends. She wouldn't lie to them. Maybe in the beginning, but they'd grown closer over the years. When Adam came back into her life, she drifted apart from the team, especially Weiss. But they'd taken that experience with them and grew closer. Their bonds became stronger. Ruby had truly believed that, and she still did. She knew Blake. They all knew Blake. And yet, at the same time, she hadn't been there. She hadn't seen what Blake did to Roman. Yang had, and what she saw scarred her. It wasn't just what had physically happened, but what such an action seemed to say about Blake that haunted the blonde. Ruby couldn't pretend to understand that. So she settled for sitting by her sister. She would be there for her, and soon, she would be there for Blake. Yang would, too. Ruby would make sure of it.

Blake shot up, her head leaving her pillow with such speed that the world around her started to spin. She fell back to her pillow before noticing why she had woken up in the first place. A guard was by her cell, knocking on her bars. She didn't move.

"Uh, Blake...I'm really sorry to wake you, but..." Primrose spoke quietly, her voice especially low when she said Blake's name. She was supposed to address her by her prisoner number, being a guard, but her relationship with Cinder gave her a feeling of informality. A friend of Cinder's, after all, was a friend of hers. Blake looked at her blankly, still not moving, but her eyes were wide, more cat-like than ever. She could tell from the sound of moving springs that Cinder had woken up as well, but she stayed silent.

"Your relocation has been cancelled."

"What?!" Cinder hissed, unable to stay quiet at this bit of news. Primrose looked startled, but went on quickly.

"It's because you're being transferred to the Trenches. Under command of Weiss Schnee." Blake thought that this was good news. She really did. She tried to be happy, tried to conjure feelings of warmth and friendship, but she couldn't. There was an empty hole where her happiness should have been. It was cut out, as if one of her many wounds had dug into her chest. Blake shakily got up from her bed, moving towards the bars. Primrose held out handcuffs, looking apologetic.

"I...I need to put these on," she said. Blake put her hands through the space between the bars slowly, and from behind her, Cinder opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable. She wanted to be glad that Blake would be with one of her friends; she would get love and support she wouldn't otherwise receive. And yet, Cinder found herself unhappy by the news. Blake would be leaving her. The one friend she had left would be gone, and she really would be alone. Primrose was more of a tool than a lover; Cinder found her more useful than she did likeable. It wasn't that she hated the dog faunus. Cinder did, on some level, care for her. But in the end she was a means to an end. Blake was more.

"I'm really happy for you," Primrose said to Blake, smiling. The cat faunus' expression gave no sign of recognition that she had been addressed. Primrose didn't push any more conversation onto her. Instead, she glanced up at Cinder.

"Do you..." She began, and Cinder knew what she was going to say.

"Blake...goodbye. I hope you're happy." Her words felt hollow. Cinder couldn't explain it, but her emotions didn't match what she said. It seemed as if Blake would never come back. Their goodbye felt final, permanent. She'd be whisked away to her friends, her teammates, and forget all about Cinder. They'd be enemies again. They'd no longer be partners in crime. Despite her best attempts, Cinder was unable to ward off flashbacks to her time at Beacon, of her friend there. Back then, too, there had been a parting of the ways. Her and Glynda had chosen different paths and it cut them off forever. Their bond was severed and lost within a chasm too deep to go down. The same sense of loss rose up within her now.

"Goodbye," Blake replied. A brief glimmer of regret welled up inside her, but it was quickly snuffed out as she was led away from her cell. Her thoughts quickly turned to Weiss, trying to ignite some spark of joy.

Ruby was next to the phone when it started to ring. Her and Yang were getting ready to go to work in silence, the events of yesterday hanging heavy over their heads. They couldn't bring themselves to speak. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't quite so bad. Blake's situation wouldn't change much, save for a new location and new people to deal with. Yet the idea that they'd still have to go see her in handcuffs, locked up in a facility for those vilified by society, was more tragic than ever. The Trenches, while incredibly dangerous, were commanded by Weiss. Blake could at least be near someone who would give her support. If she went to another prison, she'd be alone. She wouldn't get the care she needed. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang had been the first solid support system she had. Adam had been unstable and she'd seen that; as a member of team RWBY, she had been able to find people she could trust. She needed that now. Jarred out of their thoughts, Ruby picked the phone up and spoke into it.

"Who is it?" She asked dully, her voice hoarse. She was surprised by who responded.

"Um...this is Mr. Bard's secretary. I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday." Ruby's eyes widened.

"Oh...okay," she replied, not wholly sure if she wanted to hear what the secretary had to say, fearing that her words would be harsh. Yang looked up at Ruby, curious.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Bard's secretary."

"What the hell does she want?" Yang asked testily. The blonde had an ugly frown on her face, but like Ruby, she was apprehensive to hear what the woman had called to tell them.

"I made arrangements for your friend. She's being transferred to the Trenches as we speak." Ruby, upon hearing those words, blinked a few times in surprise. It took a few seconds, but eventually, the message sunk in. Her nervousness went away; this was the best news she could have possibly received.

"Are you serious?!" The secretary was taken aback with the forcefulness in Ruby's voice, but answered anyway. Yang stared at her sister, trying to figure out what might be going on.

"Oh my god, oh my god...this is...Yang, Blake's going to the Trenches! Bard actually did it! Her got her in!" Contrary to her usually excitable nature, Yang didn't cheer or cry out. Instead, she simply smiled as a tear fell from her eye. She didn't bother to wipe it away, letting it roll down her cheek like a physical sign of the relief that washed over her troubled mind. She felt happy for Blake, but also proud of herself. Now, she could face her friend with a smile. Yang could say that she'd done something to make up for all the time she shut Blake out of her life.

"You did it, Yang. You didn't fail her."

Sylvester's secretary drove on the winding highway. The holographic barriers on either side of the road shimmered in the early morning sun, and hints of color filled the brightening sky as she made her way out of Vale. Cradling her phone between her neck and her shoulder, she spoke in a soft, timid voice.

"It wasn't him." On the other end of the line, Ruby sounded confused as she replied.

"Wait, what?" The secretary continued on, explaining what had happened.

"It wasn't Bard who got her out. I did it on my own. I...I went behind his back for this. You probably shouldn't mention it to him." At this, the dark-haired young woman gasped.

"You did what?! That's...why would you do that for us? Are we really worth risking your career for? I mean, you know how Bard can be. Please tell me he didn't fire you..." The secretary found herself briefly taken aback, puzzled and impressed by Ruy's concern. It seemed hard to believe that she'd be worried about a complete stranger when faced with such good news about her close friend, but some people, the woman supposed, were just like that.

"Don't worry about me. I'm leaving Vale to find new work...I resigned. Mr. Ba-no, Bard is beyond reason. Make sure to thank your sister for me. Her words helped me come to my decision. Goodbye," the secretary hung up, sighing as she quickly took her hand and pulled her phone away from her shoulder and placed it in the seat next to her. There was more to her story than she told Ruby, but she had no interest to divulge details of her personal life to people she hardly knew.

Sylvester stood upright in his office. He hadn't yet purchased a new desk. At the moment, he had more pressing concerns. He held a crumpled piece of paper in his hands, detailing his secretary's resignation. It was signed with her name, Jade Bard. He had been standing motionless in front of the destroyed desk for a good five minutes, his grip on the note growing tighter to the point that his fingernails began to dig into it and tear the paper. Then, letting the crumpled note fall to the ground, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. It was brown, worn, and thin. He pulled a picture from one of the slits within, and stared at the people in it. First, on the far left, he saw at a healthier, younger Sylvester Bard. He frowned at himself, taking in his thinner, less gray mustache, shaved beard, fuller and more muscular figure, and his bright smile. They were all features he had in the photo. Next to him was a tall, smiling portly woman who wore a long purple dress and had on large black glasses. Her eyes were two different colors, one red and the other brown. She was his wife, once upon a time, back when he believed in happy endings, back when fairytale phrases were a source of amusement rather than of mockery. On her shoulders was a small, wiry boy with two missing front teeth, ripped jeans, and hair that seemed to shoot many inches from his scalp; he was Sylvester's son. He had wanted to go to Beacon and train to be a warrior, like his mother and father had. On the other side of his wife, two younger adults stood, their hands clasped. One was a short but well-built man with a tuxedo much like the one Sylvester himself wore now. He had light black dress pants and wore a bow tie that looked slightly too big for him, and the woman holding his hand was a well-dressed, younger, and more muscular Jade. Once upon a time, she had been the wife of his eldest son. She had been a part of the Bard family. After her step-family, save for Sylvester, had been massacred by Grimm, she had broken down; she had wasted a significant amount of the money she'd received in her husband's will on various psychiatrists and lost an unhealthy amount of weight. She neglected her body for her mind, and ended up harming both when she was hospitalized upon passing out at work from fatigue and hunger. She hadn't seen her step-father for months, and when she did, they met as boss and secretary. It was as if their own relationship had died with their mutual loved ones. Now, with her having left, any ties Jade had to Sylvester were severed. He tore her face from the picture, let it fall to the ground next to her note, and put the photo back in his wallet. As she drove away from Vale, she vanished from his life. He couldn't explain what he felt towards her. It wasn't hatred, but it was a feeling of distaste. He didn't accept it, but some small part of him new that he just hated defiance, and she had defied him. He'd retreated to bullying his subordinates and dominating his environment. Cruelty was like a drug for him. It gave him the illusion of security in a world that had shattered right before his eyes, the pieces too small to put back together.

Weiss was bandaged and bruised. Dried blood stained her clothes and skin, and cloth was wrapped around most of her wounds. She stepped off of the ship and into the large, gray docking bay. A small glass window let the light shine through, illuminating the center of the area, but for the most part, the room was dark and lonely. She dismissed her team, letting them go to get some rest, and she moved past the small number of supplies stacked in crates nearby. Going away from the larger exit straight ahead, she made her way towards a smaller, shabbier metal door that led to the training area. She wasn't sure what she intended to do there; she was tired and wounded. But people had died due to her mistakes, her frailty. Weiss felt a strong desire to take Myrtenaster and smash it against the nearest object until she passed out or the object or her sword broke, whichever came first. She wanted to scream, but her stubborn pride kept her quiet and in control. At least, until she was out of earshot and sight of the others. As she neared the door, it slid open automatically and she stepped into the smaller but more welcoming training area. She moved forward absentmindedly, her mind still focused on the mission she'd just returned from. Staggering slightly as she walked, she nevertheless pushed onward, not sure if she'd be able to stop before she hit the opposite wall. Suddenly, however, a small footstep reached her ears, and it made her fall dead in her tracks. Turning her head slowly, she saw a collared neck, two feline ears, and a small but telling smile.

"Welcome back, Weiss. Or should I say...boss." The former heiress turned to Blake, her dull eyes widening and gaining depth. To Blake, it felt real. Her smile, her words, and her happiness upon seeing her friend all felt more real than anything that had happened in the past few days. It wasn't until she saw Weiss that she truly realized what was going on. She was no longer in prison. She was with one of her closest friends. She could wander Vale freely, to some extent, and see all the other friends she'd missed. They didn't have to visit her in metal bonds.

"Oh my god...this is...are you alright?" Weiss asked the faunus, stuttering over her words, not sure what to say.

"...I'm not sure I can answer that question." Without wasting any time, Weiss rushed over to her friend and threw her tired, bandaged arms around her as tightly as she could. Blake returned her embrace. It was a full minute before they let each other go.

I got bored, so...another chapter done! I don't really have much to say. Criticisms are more than welcome, there isn't any Monochrome in this story (unfortunately), and things seem to be looking up.