Disclaimer: The plot is afoot.

Roman groaned as the moon approached the horizon for the third night in a row. It was absolutely painful to sleep out in the mausoleums instead of his comfy bed or coffin, but Cinder was adamant that he and Neo remain within the confines of the cemetery until the Snow Spirit's next visit. By all accounts, that should've been the same night they started their little stake out, but alas, the woman simply hadn't shown up. He expected to at least catch Blake returning from beyond the dark forest and, yet, the Black Cat was prowling the town every night, unconcerned regarding her companion's absence.

This wasn't what they planned nor expected; the two were pretty routine in how they went about their business, remaining dedicated to their duties for three days before the Queen of Halloween disappeared for a night and returned the following one with Weiss in tow. There were a few times when one was not immediately followed or preceded by the other, sure, but there was never a complete lapse like this during the entire time the arrangement had existed.

Blake had to be aware of their little plan. There simply was no other explanation for it. Granted, no one was privy to the private conversations the Black Cat entertained with her favored guest, but there had to be an explanation for the sudden departure from routine.

Regardless, the Vampire retreated into the safety of the mausoleum for the day just as dawn broke, Neo slipping in behind him to curl up in one corner. She didn't need to scorn the sun the way he did but the Silence was just now getting back to being her usual self after their misadventure in the Snow Spirit's plane, so he didn't begrudge her anything.

With a defeated grumble about hoping for better luck when they awoke, Roman set about lulling himself into a somewhat peaceful rest.

The moon was high above as Blake walked with Ozpin up the path leading away from the bats' cave, the colony in flight above them now that they weren't being questioned. Several of her initial ideas were nearing their completion while several others were still in the works and the Mayor was intent on sectioning off the ones that would be used for the coming Halloween and the one that followed, insisting they not use all their tricks at once. He joked that there was no telling when the Black Cat's inspiration might leave her, a knowing twinkle in his eyes discounting the sincerity of his words. But she took the jest in stride, getting a bit of revenge by 'accidentally' leading him a bit too close to the edge, nearly sending him stumbling into the tar pits far below. While they may be easy for Salem to escape of her own volition, Ozpin would have a considerably harder time, and reined in his teasing accordingly.

"It's a beautiful night," he said as they emerged back onto Halloween Town's streets, noting the cloudless sky overhead. "It's a shame your paramour can't be here to enjoy it."

"Weiss will return when she's able." Blake smiled, still a little thrilled at hearing the term used so casually. As a matter of course, she'd divulged enough information to the Mayor to explain why she hadn't set aside her duties in nearly a week, and the millennia old being put the pieces together quickly, wishing her nothing but happiness in the endeavor. Sometimes, he'd said, mortal emotions were strong enough to imbue them all with such powerful sensations, but the Black Cat had always been more susceptible to the good ones than most. "When she does, I want to make sure I have the time to treat her to something special and my undivided attention." Her ears perked as another thought occurred to her. "Where are we on the jack-o-lanterns?"

"They're coming along nicely; the entire crop seems to be more than willing to bear whatever horrible depiction we can think up." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I'm quite surprised it didn't occur to anyone before."

The Black Cat hummed thoughtfully, her smile growing a bit wider. Although Weiss was likely busy weaving her magic among the mortal plane, it had occurred to her a few days ago that there was no mention if the Snow Spirit actually got to enjoy observing the fruits of her labors or if she was just distantly aware of them. Whenever she returned from the final push to make the peak of the Season what it needed to be, the woman would no doubt be tired, so Blake wanted to ensure there was not only a party celebrating all the assistance she'd knowingly or unknowingly provided Halloween Town but also a lengthy stretch where they could curl up wherever she desired and simply rest, soaking in the atmosphere of a thriving town. She'd spent the whole night previous reworking her labyrinth, shifting the shape around to include little pieces of traditions they'd explored together, and she also tested how much she could alter within Halloween Town's border by putting a comfortable, large couch in the gazebo at the center that didn't exist before. Gambol Shroud had helped her, revealing that she couldn't simply tell Blake that it was a power within her grasp until after she'd tried to use it, cutting down the time it took to master the ability. Sure, she'd influenced subtle changes before, like the elevation of the ground, but creating or dismissing physical objects was something she thought beyond her abilities as the Queen of Halloween.

Just as she'd asserted to Weiss during their last visit together, the Snow Spirit had led her to so many amazing discoveries about herself and Halloween Town, not to mention the other plane, that it was a wonder what she would even be without their meeting. Every passing night, she could feel herself stepping further into the role that was her birthright, truly assuming it in a way she'd never expected. Everything was new again and, this time, she was bound and determined to remain vested in her position. As long as Weiss was willing to keep her company, Blake couldn't imagine herself succumbing to The Sleep, but she wasn't about to continue slacking off in her duties either.

"What about the-"

"Wait." Ozpin stopped her, using his cane to keep her from moving as he squinted into the distance. "I think the Snow Spirit just arrived."

Blake's ears perked, golden gaze swinging towards the cemetery, where the Mayor indicated. There was no sign now, of course, but she looked anyway. "She did?"

"No one else in Halloween Town creates a flash like that when they move," he said, lowering his cane and patting her shoulder. "We can put the rest on hold. I imagine she's rather keen to see you again."

"Thank you," she replied hurriedly, wasting no time in rushing forward and diving into the first available shadow. When she surfaced nearly halfway to her intended destination, Blake thought she would be able to see her paramour in hardly any time at all.

That hope, however, was dashed all too quickly. "Blake!"

Barely suppressing her groan, the Black Cat turned to look at Adam as he stalked up the path, wanting desperately to simply order the Shade to leave her alone for the time being. However, sending him away would likely only result in a bigger problem later and, considering that he'd behaved remarkably well ever since their confrontation, she opted not to push her luck quite yet. Her time with the Snow Spirit might be limited, given how late in the night she'd arrived, so dealing with him quickly was her best bet at salvaging the lost time.

"What is it, Adam?" She fought to keep her expression smooth and the irritation out of her voice. "I'm afraid I'm a little busy this evening."

"You're always busy, now." His lips curled into a sour frown. "But of course you are." He put his hands in the air. "All these ideas you have suddenly, all these things to try... and not once have you included me in any of these plans, these meetings. It's almost like I don't even exist."

Blake could feel her frustration beginning to spike. "Adam, we've talked about this-"

"Oh, I know, I know, I'm too radical." He spat out the last word, the shadows comprising his coat losing shape for a brief moment, a testament to how strongly he was working to keep his own displeasure in check. "So, I thought about it- about every objection you've ever had, about the way you keep coming up with these ideas, and I made a decision."

Her shoulders tensed slightly, prepared for any quick motion he made. He was quick as a shadow but she was quicker, provided she didn't let her guard down. Her suspicions sufficiently roused, she spoke slowly, waiting for any sign of trickery. "And what's that?"

The Shade looked at her, red eyes gleaming with a murderous rage that seemed entirely unable to be calmed. "I want to help."

She blinked, jerking back in surprise. "You what?"

"You heard me." He crossed his arms, looking away pointedly. "You're not going to stop, I can see that, not unless something drastic happens, so, I might as well... accept it." Adam grimaced, as if each word were a concession he could barely stand to give. "I still have a duty to Halloween Town and I'm... asking to be included from now on."

Blake could hardly believe her ears, all four of them. She'd hoped for this sort of turnaround from the Shade and, though it came out bit by bit and begrudgingly, she wasn't about to waste the opportunity. If she could somehow return to the ease with which they once worked together without straying too far into questionable territory, then not only would Halloween Town benefit but she would avoid having to banish him altogether. It was almost too good to be true.

"O-of course, Adam, absolutely." She smiled, pleased to see a flicker of her friend return in the way he returned the gesture. "I'll be meeting with the Mayor again in a few days. I'll let you know and we can see him together."

"Great. Perfect." He paused, as if warring with himself about whether or not he was happy with how easy the confrontation went- judging by the shadows still lashing all around him, it was obvious he still hadn't fully accepted his own acquiescence. "But, uh, could we go over a few things now?"

Her expression faltered for a moment as she looked over her shoulder, towards the cemetery. Weiss, if she truly arrived, would likely be waiting for her. At the same time, the Snow Spirit was rather adamant about her tending to her duties, and she did understand how important mending fences with Adam was to the Black Cat, and how unsavory the other option was. Surely a short delay wouldn't be held against her.

"Okay, but I must be brief." She turned towards the Shade. "A few minutes is all I can spare."

"A few minutes is all I ask." He smiled then, a genuine smile that only held a fraction of the maliciousness he'd turned to in the past few centuries, and Blake felt her hope bolstered by the show of true emotion in his expression. "In fact, let's walk together. I... don't want to delay you too much."

Blake was touched. Not in nearly four centuries had her friend shown such compassion; he usually resorted to belittling her concerns or trying to intimidate her to make her see his way, a tactic which quickly lost its effectiveness for how often her used it. Confronted with the very thing she'd hoped for but never dared to expect, the Black Cat jumped on the opportunity, diving into the details alongside the Shade while they took a pace much slower than either of them usually moved. It almost felt like the clock was reset and their roles reversed- she was barely a century old, and he far older but willing to learn, the two falling into old jokes they hadn't shared in so long. She couldn't wait to tell Weiss, briefly entertaining the thought

Maybe everything would work out despite the First's warning.

Roman was almost too surprised for words when the flash of light he'd waited patiently for suddenly blinded him, forcing the Vampire to blink and clear his vision. Honestly, he'd contemplated washing his hands of the whole mess if this night proved as unsuccessful as the last but it seemed fate had something else in store, the Snow Spirit landing gracefully among the headstones and leaves. Without wasting a moment, he jumped down to the ground, glancing to ensure Neo was just a step behind him and ready to play her part. There was still a fair amount of apprehension in her gaze but they set off regardless, doing hardly any work to seem distressed as they came around the side of a mausoleum.

"Weiss!" He called out, jogging towards her and waving his cane. "What impeccable timing- did you sense something was wrong?"

"Sense some- wait, something's wrong?" The confusion that flashed across the woman's tired features was quickly overtaken by anxiety, eyes widening in a classic expression of horror that rarely caught the Vampire off guard. "Is Blake alright?"

Roman quickly recovered, grimacing slightly and glancing towards the center of town. "It's- I'm sorry, there's no words I can find to explain this, but I think you can help."

He expected a little resistance- a question, more confusion, apprehension, something- but what he got was a focused expression that reminded him of why he was so terrified of the Snow Spirit in the first place. "Lead the way."

"Right." He turned, subtly nodding to Neo as he started off in a brisk walk, Weiss keeping pace with him effortlessly despite her shorter stature. Were he a mortal, he could imagine a suitable metaphor for his current predicament to be something along the lines of leading a tiger around with the promise of food and hoping it didn't realize that the reward was an utter lie. "I hope there's something you can do; we've exhausted every trick we know trying to help her."

"There must be something that hasn't been tried yet," Weiss said, quickening her pace and forcing him to try and keep up. "Where is she?"

"The town square," he replied, sneaking a glance behind them to ensure that the Silence had already slipped away to handle the next part.

For perhaps the last time before it was too late, he silently hoped everything would work out as Cinder intended.

Emerald fidgeted in place atop the roof beside Mercury, both of them watching the moon overhead to gauge the time. They'd seen the flash in the cemetery heralding the Snow Spirit's presence- they'd hid and observed her arrival enough times to be intimately familiar with it by this point- but there was no telling where Blake was, if she'd seen the flash herself or if Adam had to track her down first and alert her of it. That was the one downside to Cinder's plot; there was a lot they had to take on faith, forgoing communication in favor of stealth. There was only one crucial signal they were relying on, and the shaggy bundle of excitement beside her was the source of it.

"Would you stop it with the tail?" She groused, batting it away from smacking against her thigh.

"Hey, we're finally doing this! I'm entitled to be a little happy."

She rolled her eyes at the Werewolf but immediately stopped the retort from leaving her lips as she caught sight of Blake and Adam coming down one of the alleyways, heading towards the cemetery. She cursed silently, nudging her cohort and nodding towards the duo, who shouldn't be anywhere near their position quite yet. Obviously, the Shade was having more trouble stalling their beloved Queen than he thought he would.

Just before the two hidden accomplices were forced to think of some way to assist in keeping their plan from being foiled, Mercury nudged the Mummy's shoulder and pointed towards the cross street Blake and Adam were heading towards, except much further up the road. There, Roman was leading- or, actually, trying to keep up with- a very determined Snow Spirit, the two heading towards the town square just as planned. They entered a different alleyway a moment before the Black Cat and the Shade existed theirs, like ships passing in the night and completely ignorant of the other's existence.

Perfect.

Mercury's and Emerald's shoulders relaxed in tandem, relieved that their little plan was still going smoothly and excited that the next step was finally in motion. Without further ado, the Werewolf stood up, the need for stealth forgotten as he tilted his head back and howled for all he was worth.

Meanwhile, the Mummy slid down the shingles and to the street below, collecting up the supplies the Witches and Junior had crafted for them.

Blake's ears flicked, her attention pulled from the Shade's fumbling attempts at keeping his frustration in check by a familiar howl. Frankly, she needed the distraction to keep her amusement from showing; for whatever reason, Adam was still trying to wrap his head around the concept of moving spiderwebs. Something about it simply didn't translate for the Shade, which she should've expected. Even if he was making a conscious effort to reform and dial down his necessity for more violent scares, his frame of reference would likely be skewed for decades to come.

"It still doesn't make sense to me." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Spiderwebs are decorations; they're not scary."

"Perhaps to us, but one woven into a particular shape and capable of moving on its own can be very spooky." She pointed out, ignoring his unimpressed muttering and tilting her head to the side as her gaze landed on the Werewolf, perched on a rooftop above the street. "Good evening, Mercury!"

"Hey!" He looked down, reverting to all fours so he could keep his balance while descending to the roof's ledge. "I was hoping I got your attention." She tilted her head in askance as he lolled his tongue out. "The Snow Spirit just landed in the cemetery a few minutes ago. I didn't see you over there earlier-"

"I didn't think she'd be coming tonight," she said, the confirmation that Ozpin wasn't playing a cruel trick on her instantly lifting her mood even higher. Gaining Adam's compliance and seeing her paramour in the same night was more than she could ask for, and she thought to herself with great amusement that it must be akin to how children felt on Christmas morning. "Thank you for telling me." The Werewolf dipped his head in response, crawling back up the roof and over to the other side to continue with his night while Blake turned her attention to the Shade. "I'm sorry, Adam, but we'll have to continue another night. I can't imagine that Weiss has much time tonight, so I'll probably find you tomorrow."

He smirked at her, far more at ease with her quick dismissal than she expected him to be. "I'm sure you'll find me at your earliest convenience." The shadows began to absorb his being as he spoke. "See you later."

For a moment, she thought the farewell odd, but she brushed it aside for the moment. It would likely come up again when next they saw each other and she could figure out how to deal with his lingering unease with the Snow Spirit after Weiss had left. Perhaps another offering of a candy cane would help ease the tensions between them, one-sided though they may be.

Her duties attended to as much as she cared for the moment, Blake turned towards the cemetery and started walking, first at her normal pace and then faster until she was jogging, eager to see the woman again. The Holiday Season was likely taking its toll on the Snow Spirit and, if her time was short, she wanted every moment dedicated to easing Weiss' stress and comforting her in whatever way was possible. Having someone to care for and look after in this way- so alike interacting with the denizens of Halloween Town but deeper- had brought so many things to the surface that Blake couldn't imagine reacting any more calmly than practically flying through the streets, a smile on her lips as she came around the final bend, the gates already opened wide to admit her entry.

Once among the tombstones, golden eyes scanned around, searching for any sign of the Snow Spirit. However, there was none- no flicker of pure white hair, no gentle smile or twinkling blue eyes, no teasing giggle or light reprimand- and Blake wondered for a moment if she was being tricked.

"Weiss?" Her brows furrowed momentarily before a mischievous grin overtook her features. Or perhaps the woman trying to scare her again? Maybe as a cute revenge for making the Snow Spirit wait? "Weiss?"

The Black Cat stalked around the headstones, coming to the location where the necklace always brought her paramour and noting the recently disturbed leaves. The not-quite-dead were also stirring strangely, as if confused by something they couldn't articulate, and Gambol Shroud was curiously absent. Weiss was here alright, somewhere close, and Blake could feel a little excitement running through her at the prospect of getting the drop on her paramour before the improvised scare could be executed. After all, what sort of Queen would she be if she fell for the same trick twice?

Lightly jumping up to the top of the nearest mausoleum, Blake began her quiet trek across it- to where she assumed the woman would be hiding- when she came to a dead stop.

Throughout her time as reigning Queen, she'd spent more time among the headstones than the Reaper herself. Not even the smallest disturbance among them could escape her notice, so seeing a few freshly broken grave markers, the pieces scattered and the surrounding dirt displaced by gashes the likes of which she'd never seen, immediately grabbed her attention. Abandoning her search for her wayward paramour for the moment, Blake went over to investigate, leaping from the monument to land a few feet away. She approached cautiously, keen gaze scanning for any sign of what had caused so much damage...

And then it didn't even matter what did this.

There, among the busted stone and upturned earth, was a single scrap of white fabric.

"Weiss." All positive feelings evaporated in that second as a level of fear she'd hardly known possible sent a shock through her system. There were a thousand logical arguments for what had caused this, a reminder than none would dare harm the Snow Spirit for fear of incurring Blake's wrath, and at least a dozen explanations that flitted across her mind, but not one of them mattered as a powerful fury gripped her. Yes, she was scared at the implications because there was something highly irrational deep within her that believed them, but the whole set up reeked of a trick. Still, she took no chances. "WEISS!" She whirled around, searching for any sign of where to go next and finding the bent fence surrounding the graveyard, shattered cobblestones just beyond. Before she could rationally acknowledge it, she was running, following the path of broken stones and little tatters of white as her form shifted, anger and no small amount of fear mixing within her and lending a terrifying rumble to her voice. "WEISS!"

In the back of her mind, she promised she would repay whoever was responsible for this little trick back a hundredfold. She'd never specified the Snow Spirit as being off limits for the purposes of scares, mainly because she wasn't aware she could feel this level of fear in regards to the woman, but just the shadow of a possibility that her safety was compromised threatened to uproot the Black Cat's sanity. In hindsight, she might even find the amusement, but at that moment, she was just angry. She doubted Weiss would willingly go along with such a scare against her, though there was a voice chiding that she shouldn't be reacting so strongly- this was a good sign, of course; scares were traded like presents in Halloween Town and this was as good as Blake's own acknowledgement of Weiss' place in their plane- but for the first time in her existence, the Queen of Halloween became starkly aware of how effective fear was at pushing such thoughts to the back of her mind.

Until she could be certain Weiss was safe, Blake wouldn't be able to silence the swirling doubt and anger, and she tore through darkened alleyways and moonlit streets in search of the woman without a thought to what else lay ahead of her.

The Vampire felt relief suffuse his being the moment he heard Mercury's howl piercing the night. Any moment now, someone would come along and relieve him of this duty and he could claim some amount of ignorance to the extent of Cinder's plot. Unfortunately, he didn't know who would be meeting him to make the trade off, and when he saw Adam stepping out from the shadows, Roman felt at least a little of the creeping anxiety return to him. None of this was noticed by the woman he was escorting- or was escorting him, as the case may be- who quite nearly ran into the man in her single-minded focus on reaching the town square.

"There you are." The Shade grimaced and shook his head. "There isn't much time left."

If the Snow Spirit had any misgivings towards Adam before, they were forgotten in the moment as she stepped forward, pleading. "What's wrong with her? How can I help?"

"We don't know the specifics but we're using the Lake's power to sustain her." He motioned towards his dark mansion sitting on the hill. "If you can add your magic to hers, there's a chance she won't enter The Sleep. We think."

The Vampire instantly felt his expression furrow. Was Cinder banking on the woman's worry to spur her into ignoring the obvious change in location? When had this change even taken place and why wasn't he informed? The Flame might be secretive and cocky regarding her own cunning but she was a fool for no one; she'd included the Shade for a very specific reason, and this wasn't it.

"Standing around here does her no good, then." Weiss made to continue walking before she paused. "You can travel through the shadows like Blake can, correct?"

"Similarly, yes, though it's not the same." Adam held out one hand. "But it will be quicker."

Without hesitation, the woman accepted his offer, apparently as unafraid of the Shade as she'd always been, though her willingness to accept his touch gave him solidity he would sorely lack otherwise. As the shadows engulfed them both, Roman caught sight of the wicked grin adorning the Shade's face and was struck by the terrible sense that he'd been very right.

This wasn't the plan at all.

The Vampire considered turning away and washing his hands of the mess like he'd intended. A glance behind him confirmed that the Silence had arrived shortly before Adam departed, the same tangible fear shining in her eyes that he'd become familiar with during their impromptu trip to the Snow Spirit's plane. A short burst of sensation swept over him and he understood what Neo wished to convey: Blake had reacted strongly to the woman's absence at the graveyard and the potential injury she'd theoretically sustained.

They'd accomplished their objective: the Black Cat was scared... but she was also furious.

There was only one thing to do.

"Come along, Neo," he said, pressing his lips into a thin line and adjusting his bowler, the tap of his cane against the cobblestones echoing slightly a suitable replacement for a pounding heart.

Blake tore through the alleyways, claws digging into whatever surface was nearest to propel her forward, golden eyes flashing everywhere as she searched for every clue available to track down where the Snow Spirit was taken. There wasn't much- a scrap of fabric here and there, Weiss' faint, crisp scent on the wind- but she was determined to find her paramour, even if she had to tear Halloween Town apart brick by brick. She'd long ago shed any resemblance to her usual appearance, allowing the longer legs of her most terrifying Black Cat form to aide in her flight, the larger ears swiveling to catch any sound, and her enhanced senses seeking out even the smallest sign. Anything and everything fled from her path, terrified by the vision of unleashed fury loping through the streets until she came to a scene that brought her to an instant halt.

There, amidst a pile of rubble pulled from the nearby dilapidated building, was a broken figure that was almost too mangled to be recognized. But the pale skin and white clothes had Blake fearing- outright fearing- the worst as she approached, at first slowly and jerkily before panic pushed her to move faster. She tore away the rubble, not wanting to believe anything until it couldn't be denied, still clinging to the rational hope that this was just a trick. When she moved away the broken pieces to reveal what lay beneath, she paused.

And then she reared back and roared towards the night sky.

"I can't believe I fell for that." Blake muttered as she looked down at the shattered replica, courtesy of the Witches combining their spells with the Mummy's curses. The more she looked at it, the less it resembled the Snow Spirit in the slightest, its power broken by her own will. Now that she could actually think straight, the faint etchings of the curses and spells were clearly visible, but she'd been too panicked to notice before. However, a trick of this complexity would be difficult for the Snow Spirit to pull off without her even suspecting it. "You've made your point."

She frowned, scanning around for whoever had managed to pull one over on her, unease still bombarding her from all sides. Until she could see Weiss with her own eyes and ensure she was safe, the Black Cat refused to return to her previous form. Hopefully, her appearance would also discourage anyone else thinking of tricking her like this; while she couldn't begrudge anyone a bit of fair fun, her paramour was definitely off limits in this sense. Without the full extent of her magic to protect her, Weiss was left at an unfortunate disadvantage, and while she wouldn't reveal that to anyone, she was prepared to make it abundantly clear that scares of this caliber were not in good fun.

One ear flicked as she caught the sound of glass heels clacking against the cobblestone, turning her head to watch the Flame enter the street from a nearby alleyway, a pleased little smirk on her lips. Following right behind her were Mercury and Emerald, both of whom looking far more amused than they had any right to be.

"How's that for a scare, oh mighty Queen of Halloween?" Cinder's eyes burned with a pride she'd always suspected the woman harbored but kept under wraps, if only just barely.

"I'm sure you'll tell the story for centuries. You did it; you got me." There were soft cheers from the duo behind her as the Flame preened, proud of a trick going over so well and even more so at the acknowledgement. Truthfully, Blake didn't really have the heart to deny them that, even if she was still furious; she would deal with that later. For the moment, only one thing remained. The Black Cat narrowed her eyes, lips pulling back into a snarl. "Now where's Weiss? If any harm came to her-"

"I assure you, Blake, that it was never my intention to cause her harm." She cut off abruptly, gaze snapping to the side as her expression changed from pleasantly smug to smooth and cautious in the blink of an eye.

Blake's attention slid to the newcomers, her agitation growing as she recognized the typical crew that hung around the tavern. She wasn't surprised at this point, really, but her own inability to see this coming concerned her. Apparently, even if she was getting back into embracing her role wholeheartedly, she wouldn't be allowed to remain complacent anymore, if this was how many it took to work her over like this. Ruby was a better organizer and Yang more effective at getting her way; those two would have the whole town in on their plot in a heartbeat, and it would be even more elaborate knowing those two. She would need to remain vigilant to prevent a repeat performance.

However, her acknowledgement that she needed to pay more attention brought with it an interesting fact: there was fear pervading the air.

And it wasn't coming from her.

"What are all of you doing here?" Cinder shook her head slightly. "You're supposed to be in the square with-"

"There's been a bit of a... complication." Roman glanced over his shoulder for a moment before continuing. "Adam went off script."

The Black Cat's hackles rose, sensing the steadily increasing fear radiating off the assembled creatures around her. "One of you had better start explaining. Now."

The Vampire immediately opened his mouth, and she could tell from the way he flinched away from the deadly promise in her tone that an excuse was about to come out of his mouth- some sort of explanation discarding any blame, likely- but it was quickly halted in favor of a rushed explanation.

"Adam told Weiss that you were hurt and needed help. He took her to the mansion."

Blake blinked once, a moment of perfect calm proceeding a furious howl. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE TOOK HER TO THE MANSION?"

"This wasn't part of the plan." Cinder hurried to clarify, backing away with her hands up in surrender. For one so pleased with her victory, the woman was quickly learning to regret it as the Black Cat's form writhed with untold power, the unbridled might of her rolling emotions lending more terror to her form that was beyond anyone's fathoming. No creature in all of Halloween Town had seen a Queen of Halloween this furious and remained to tell the tale. Perhaps none had even managed it, but this wasn't the sort of thing one wished to be the first to do. "This wasn't what we agreed on!"

She'd heard enough. Roaring once to silence the blubbering fools, Blake turned her attention to the imposing mansion, calling forth the shadows to speed her along the way. As they carried her towards her destination, she recalled the Shade's words to her hardly half an hour ago, how she'd foolishly thought he'd finally come around. She was so willing to believe him...

... and now Weiss might be the one paying the price for her foolish optimism.

Adam brought them to the center of the mansion without hesitation. Normally, he would enjoy the mental anguish that came with the threat of what was to come, but that route simply wouldn't work with the Snow Spirit. He could only touch her now because she allowed him to do so, but that was about to change.

As Weiss stepped forward, searching for the supposedly wounded Black Cat, Adam shifted his form, loading every bit of his strength into the claws of his right arm. He would only get one shot at this- at removing the obstacle blocking his path. At opening up the spot beside the Queen of Halloween, his spot.

At banishing the woman himself.

"Blake?" The Snow Spirit called out, taking a few steps into the darkest part of his mansion, where the Shade's power was at its strongest.

"She's right here," he said, waiting for her to turn.

The moment she did, he struck.

Author's Note: Oh snap.