"Good morning everyone," Kay greeted as the teams of adolescents grouped in the kitchen for breakfast. They reciprocated the greeting, as Ren passed out plates of scrambled eggs and ham on toast for everyone. Winter passed a jug of orange juice over to Oscar. Kay looked over the scene playing out in front of him; if someone were to say two months ago that he'd be playing host to a bunch of characters from one of his favorite series growing up, he'd call them crazy. He made sure that Nora and Yang got their extra helping of eggs and took a sip of his usual morning tea. "I'm sure everyone has some thoughts after yesterday's debacle."
"It's definitely a doozy," Nora muttered through her eggs. Oscar had sent Winter a message saying how Ozpin was very vocal in his brain during the interview, but he did his best to answer as himself to avoid seeming suspicious.
"There are still no changes in our assignments," Winter stated, purposefully choosing those words. "We are to remain here until his word."
"Got it," Yang nodded, the others muttering assent.
"That being said, everything should be back to normal," Kay continued. "Other than my current change in job status, you have nothing to worry about.
"What?" Ruby cried out, shocked.
"Due to the nature of the investigation," Kay answered the group. "I am no longer a teacher at Glen Plains College. However, I am still getting a good amount of pay from my older books, and Roman says my newest poetry book is going through the rounds of editing and publishing now."
"How long have you been let go?" Oscar asked, pointing to his head; Ozpin had asked the question.
"A few days ago," Kay said. "I told Winter before we went in for the interview. I'm doing okay financially, though. Should be able to rely for a while before having to delve into my actual savings. And even then, I should be getting decent income from the next book release."
"That's good, I guess." Yang said. "Anything we can do to help?"
"Nah," Kay waved her off dismissively. "Just relax and do what you guys wanna do."
"More video games?" Yang shrugged. Ruby and Jaune seemed to like that idea.
"I really don't have much of a problem with more reading," Blake added.
"I wouldn't mind participating in more leisure activities," Winter said. "It has been a rather stressful week for all of us."
"Ya gonna join us, Kay?" Nora asked eagerly.
"I can't," the writer shook his head. "I've got an appointment today."
"Sunday," Winter finished the thought for him. "Of course."
"So while I'm out," Kay circled a finger in the air above his head, gesturing in the general direction of the bugs in his home. "Be good, alright?"
"Yes, dad." Yang snickered. "We'll be on our best behavior."
"I'll make sure nothing goes awry, Kay." Winter assured him.
"Thanks, mom." Nora added, ignoring the glare from Weiss. .
Beyond that, breakfast finished in its usual manner, with Ren and Nora cleaning the kitchen and the others splitting off through the house to their usual pastimes. Blake and Oscar took refuge in Kay's office and began reading while the others either sat in the living room, chatting animatedly as another video game started up.
Winter watched as Kay slipped out of the house silently after having changed for his therapist appointment. It was as he said earlier that morning; everything would be just fine as long as nothing happened. She took a mental sigh of relief as she remembered that Glen Plains was literally the most peaceful town she'd ever been in; what could possibly go wrong?
. . . . .
A few hours later, her query was answered. She had participated in a few rounds of card games with Weiss, Ren, and Oscar before departing to the kitchen for some water. As she walked back to the group, she heard the beep of a car's locking alarm, and moved toward the window by the front door to see a single middle-aged woman in a black uniform with several medals displayed over her left breast. She wore her graying, dark brown hair in a short ponytail. However, the most pressing part of her appearance, it was the black name tag on the woman's right side: Gray. Winter's eyes widened as she read the tag and quickly turned to the living room.
"Everyone," Winter's stern expression and authoritative tone caused everyone to freeze and look at her. Once she realized she had their attention, the Specialist continued. "We have company."
"The Feds again?" Yang asked, as Ruby jumped to turn off the game console and television.
"No," Winter shook her head. "This… this might be worse."
Ding-dong!
Winter held up a hand, silently telling them to stay still and silent. Hopefully, their visitor would be kind enough to realize the absence of a car in the driveway. The Specialist moved as quietly as she could, making sure her steps made little noise as she walked towards the door. The visitor rang the doorbell a second time just as Winter looked through the peephole. She saw no sign of annoyance or irritation from the older woman, just an expression of stern determination, like she knew exactly what was going on. Just to prove it, she rang the bell again.
"You know," the woman's voice carried through the wooden barrier. "It's quite rude to pretend that no one is home. Especially when you aren't the owners of the home. I'm well aware that Karis isn't here." That statement caused Winter's eyes to widen once more. "I am simply here to talk. I mean no harm, as I know those buffoons from the Bureau must have given you all a hard time already."
The elder Schnee looked to the rest of the group behind her to gauge what her next move was. Weiss shook her head while the rest sort of shrugged or gestured noncommittally. Winter sighed as she turned to the door again.
"It's also even ruder to stall against the mother of the man who is hosting you," the woman added with an edge of annoyance finally coming through her tone. The soft collective gasp from the group echoed at the revelation of the guest's identity. "So if you were smart, you would let me in."
There was some underlying threat there, Winter assumed. This woman would not have come to Kay's house in the military dress uniform if not to make some sort of statement. She juggled the factors of the moment in her head: Kay was currently out of the house for therapy, Kay had also established his estranged relationship with his family, there were ten people being hosted in his home, and now his mother came knocking to investigate after somehow gaining the intel of the situation. Winter's eye twitched before she reigned herself in before unlocking the front door's mechanisms and opened it to reveal the woman standing behind it.
"Why hello there," the older woman wore a smug smirk. Her eyes lit up as she recognized the Atlesian. "You must be Winter."
The sheer aura of the visiting woman forced Winter step back and allow her into the house, where she saw the rest of the visiting party. Winter watched as the woman that called herself Kay's mother surveyed the interior with a sharp gaze that caused the children to flinch lightly. That was before they regained their composure and held the older woman's gaze. Winter silently thanked the Brothers themselves that Blake had quickly found a knit cap at some point to hide her Faunus ears.
"Very interesting," she mused aloud, turning back to Winter. "So, you are the group that my son has been hosting. I see…"
"How did you come to know about Kay's situation?" Winter asked, closing and locking the door behind her. "We weren't aware that he had told anyone."
"My daughter, Maya, made me aware of it," Kay's mother answered. "Though I couldn't be more confused as to how Karis of all people had been chosen for this task. Is that a question you would know the answer to, Miss Winter?"
"Yes, it would," Winter nodded. Her blue eyes glanced downward to check the woman's military rank. "Would you like some tea, Major Gray?"
"That would be preferred, yes." Major Gray strode ahead of Winter to the kitchen, where the latter woman began prepping the tea kettle with water and turning up the fire. She turned to see the elder woman looking at her with keen scrutiny. "Hm…"
"Yes, ma'am?" Winter held her composure, though the peanut gallery in the living room did not help at all.
"Maya did say you were held quite an intimidating presence," Major Gray said, looking Winter up and down. "You have impeccable posture and do not appear to be visibly shaken by me. Do you often work with your superior officers?"
"I am the right-hand woman of our commanding officer," Winter nodded stoically. "I wear that badge proudly."
"And did you join your company because of your family?" the Major asked, having glanced over at Weiss.
"In a way, yes." Winter answered truthfully. Weiss nodded at her with an understanding smile as the familiar story came up once more. "I joined to escape my family."
"Escape?" Mrs. Gray repeated. The kettle whistle went off, upon which Winter quickly prepared a cup of Kay's black tea for the guest. Mrs. Gray took a sip and replaced the mug on the counter, showing no sign of pleasure or disdain of the drink; she was here for answers. "How so?"
"My family's business was a cesspool for politics," Winter supplied. "That is to say, it was constantly hammered with accusations of corruption, greed, and racial discrimination. The fact that my father wished to drag me into that mess without any concern for my own desires was the final straw. So, I studied and trained to eventually rise to the position I am now: a Specialist Officer for the Atlas Company."
"Wouldn't your father know what's best for his children?" Mrs. Gray asked. "Surely, he was simply trying to coerce you into a better life that he had built, especially since it involved the family business."
"Not when the accusations of corruption, greed, and extreme racial discrimination were true," Winter countered calmly. She wasn't upset at this woman, she simply wasn't aware of what their world was."I wanted nothing to do with the company and was happy to sever my ties with the company. I am where I want to be, and I am in control of my own life, my own happiness."
"Hm, how… cute." Major Gray mused as she took another sip. She glanced back at the group on the rug. "I assume the other white-haired girl there is your youngest sister." Winter nodded. "Does she have similar ideals?"
"I learned the truth behind our father's company," Weiss stood to answer for herself. "Now that he has been arrested for his crimes back home, I will be able to start making reforms to the company's policies and personally making sure that it sticks to those changes. I will not stand as a puppet on strings, I am going to use my power to make our company the best it could be."
"So young, and still following orders," Mrs. Gray nodded. "Yet independent enough to see the stark reality and have the drive to change it." The older woman sighed as she looked to the others. "I wish Karis had the drive to do the same."
"But he does!" Ruby shot up to defend their host. "The fact that he's still doing his best, no matter what he does, proves that he does!"
"How so?" Major Gray asked. Winter spoke up this time.
"Kay and I have many conversations regarding current events and certain political views," she said. "While he wouldn't make a good soldier, he definitely makes a good leader as well as a good person."
"Why wouldn't he be a good soldier?" Major Gray asked. "I'm sure you all know by now that he was discharged from the military. Is that not a shame? A disappointment seeing as he had wasted years of training all to toss it aside."
Ren placed a hand on Yang and Nora's shoulders as they began to rise as well. Jaune assisted with an arm outstretched at their middles to stop them from advancing. Blake and Oscar, however, simply glared at the woman that called herself Kay's mother. The Major looked around, meeting eyes with everyone else in the room.
"What, am I in hostile territory now?" Major Gray asked, rolling her eyes. "My son could have been an amazing soldier and rose through the ranks like you did, Winter."
"A 'good soldier' is someone who follows orders and only those orders," Winter clarified, her tone gaining an edge to it. "Kay has his beliefs and his own ways to lead. He's a great, compassionate teacher as well as a talented writer. Do you not value those as important things in his life?"
"I value strength and determination," Gray answered coolly. "I do not value abandoning a path when one has committed to it for years. I do not value the estrangement that had grown between us. I valued my son when he took the path of a righteous soldier, but when he gave up, I was simply disappointed. Karis is extremely capable of greatness, but he decided the effort wasn't worth it."
"He suffers from a mental illness that has a massively negative impact on his way of thinking and living," Winter countered. "To reach such standards of 'perfection' at the expense of one's own health, I'm quite relieved that he's still alive to this day."
"Hm," Major Gray took Winter's last line with a sip of her tea. She appeared to be deep in thought. "Callous as you may think of me, I would not have gotten any pleasure out of hearing my son dying before me while I was on active duty, I simply wanted the best for him."
"But did you ever allow him to make those decisions on his own?" Winter asked. "Did he ever have the chance to discover what he wanted in life?"
"He…" Major Gray took a moment to recount. "He did always enjoy his little stories and poems. I thought nothing of it than a hobby to keep his mind busy."
"He turned that hobby into a career," Blake said, causing everyone to turn to her. "And he'll be publishing another poetry book soon."
"Is that right?" Major Gray asked, with an eyebrow raised. She looked at the group once more before turning back to Winter. The Specialist was leaning back against the counter with her arms crossed. "Interesting."
"What?" Winter asked, surprised by the levity in the mother's tone. A beat passed as the older woman looked at each of them carefully.
"How complete strangers were able to not only trust in my son, but to defend him so loyally." Gray completed her thought. "I feel he would not have done the same for us."
The idea seemed to bring the group down to a somber atmosphere. As cold as she may have come off, this lady was still Kay's mother. Even Yang had managed to eventually build a somewhat minor bridge of mutual respect with Raven with the help of Qrow and Blake on both sides. Ren and Nora looked down sadly; they were each other's only family for years before Beacon. Blake noticed how Winter was the only one not completely downtrodden by Mrs. Gray's words.
"That's where you're wrong," Winter stepped forward with a gentle tone. "Kay has been visiting Maya every Christmas in the city, making sure she's okay. He made an effort to keep some sort of connection with his little sister, but Maya's attitude towards him strained that motivation for years."
"Maya did tell me that Karis visited her every once in a while," Mrs. Gray swept a hand through her graying hair. "He… did make the effort to keep an eye on his little sister. I can at least appreciate that. She looked up to him so much growing up. I suppose losing him after he was discharged was too much."
"So she decided to take on the mantle of pride herself," Weiss finished for the Major, who nodded. "She saw how proud being in the Army made you, and wanted to make it up to you."
"And in doing so, she adopted the unhealthiest form of dedication to her self-assigned duty: toxic exclusivity." Winter continued. "Even go so far as to label her own older brother as weak and misguided when he's anything but."
A short silence filled the room as Mrs. Gray absorbed those words. She finished her tea and looked into Winter's eyes with a curious gaze. If Winter could place specific emotions in it, she would say she saw a mix of weariness and determination. Definitely a curious combination, the Specialist noted as she met the elder woman's gaze.
"You all refer to him as 'Kay,' I see," she spoke after another moment of silent contemplation. "Does that mean you all think of him as an acquaintance?"
"Friend," Ruby said, nodding enthusiastically.
"And you, Winter?" Mrs. Gray asked. "You are the sole other member in the group that appears to be in the same age group as my son. You see him as a… friend?"
"I see him as a colleague," Winter answered, making sure not to answer immediately. "I trust him to do what is right in his current position as our host."
"And as a person?"
"As a person?" Winter repeated, caught off guard by Mrs. Gray's follow up question. "Kay is a reliable, kind, understanding person who is willing to put himself before others. We count ourselves especially lucky to find ourselves in his care during our stay here."
"Hm, a sterile answer," Mr. Gray scoffed as she looked Winter up and down again. "You've nothing but a professional relationship with him, then."
"Of course," Winter refused to show any sort of evidence that her question caught her off guard. "I have the utmost respect for Kay, and would never overstep any boundaries. Our stay is only temporary, after all."
"A shame," Mrs. Gray tutted after a solid half-minute of staring straight into Winter's eyes. "Kay would definitely benefit from a much longer connection. Any chance you might be able to recruit him?"
"We do not simply recruit civilians, Major," Winter replied.
"Did you not already recognize Karis's military experience?" Mrs. Gray asked. "I will gladly transfer over his West Point records over to you, and you'll find he was, and still is, an exceptional candidate for your team."
"From what I've gathered from cohabitation with the man, I'd very much keep Kay as far away from our line of work as possible." Winter answered. "He has his own role to play in this world, and I'd rather not disturb him by placing him among our ranks."
"Then why not give him a non-combat role?" Mrs. Gray pressed. "I'm sure he'd very much excel at any administrative position."
"I…" Winter sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "At the end of the day, all of those choices are to be made by our CO. And seeing as he is already aware of our situation and Kay, he would not press our host into anything other than what is already assigned."
"Hmm," Major Gray nodded. She looked around the house once more, her gaze lingering on certain spots that Winter recalled as the bug locations. The older woman sighed. "I would very much prefer if my son were able to return with you, I feel his life would be much better."
"Much better than it is now?" Nora asked.
"Being kept under federal surveillance and hosting so many people in a house meant for a small family," Mrs. Gray noted aloud. "If there is one thing I know about my son, it's that he enjoys his anonymity. I would imagine he would have plenty of that with your group."
"Why are you trying so hard to have him join us?" Yang asked.
"Why are you so against it?" the Major countered "You would have another trusted colleague for your company, plus he and Winter would make a great pair."
"Excuse me?" Winter and Weiss asked in unison. Nora snickered behind the younger heiress's back, but went mostly ignored during the outburst.
"I simply mean that the two of you would be quite effective in terms of leadership," Mrs. Gray clarified, though the glint in her eye suggested an ulterior motive. "Karis has always been very good with people, and as you say, is quite capable of inspiring others with compassion and understanding. Mix that with Miss Winter's own demeanor of strict efficiency and headstrong determination, and I think the entire world would recognize you for your efforts in leading what would be a very effective militia company."
"A-ah, I see." Winter calmed down, though she jumped once more as the front door was swiftly unlocked and opened. Silence fell among them as Kay entered his home and immediately took stock of the situation. His tired brown eyes scanned the youths in the living room before resting for a moment on his mother and Winter in the kitchen. He sighed deeply as he spoke.
"Mother," he greeted her reservedly. "Welcome to my home. Is there any reason why you're interrogating the people taking their well-deserved recovery period in my home?"
"Hello Karis, it has been some time." If the man's cold greeting offended her, she made no sign of it. In fact, Blake saw a small smile appear on the woman's face. "It's good to see you again."
"Nice of you to visit," Kay agreed, removing his jacket and throwing it onto the couch. "Why are you here, though?"
"A little birdie told me of your predicament and I decided to scope out the situation myself." His mother answered honestly.
"Little birdie?" Kay repeated. A beat passed before he realized. "Maya."
"Maya," Mrs. Gray nodded. "She told me how you were involved with a paramilitary operation, and that Winter was keeping you on some sort of leash."
"And what're your thoughts of my situation, mother?" Kay asked, arms crossed.
"From what I gather, you do not seem to be in any immediate danger," Mrs. Gray began, gesturing towards the group of well-trained students who would technically qualify as war veterans at this point. "You are clearly not restricted by them, and they even seem to genuinely defend you when I pressed them. It is evident that you are trusted to keep them safe while they are here."
"And your conclusion?" Kay raised an eyebrow.
"Maya's rather blunt panic and exasperation may have over-exaggerated the risk of the situation," she answered. "As long as you are not harmed by them, and guard them well, I see no reason to intervene."
"Intervene?" Weiss asked. "How?"
"My mother, the woman known as Major Clarissa Gray," Kay turned to the group. "Is a decorated and well-respected veteran from her years in service. As such, she's made many connections in certain… groups that would definitely be capable of bringing you all into the public eye with the intent of harm."
"And with my thorough investigation here," Mrs. Gray continued for him. "I believe there is no reason for me to do that."
"Thorough investigation?" Nora popped up behind Weiss. "All she did was talk smack about you and insinuate some sorta romance between you and Winter."
Kay shot a look towards his mother, who simply shrugged and looked back at her son with an expression that asked, 'did you expect anything different from me?' The writer sighed as he looked over to Winter. If she was flustered by the second half of Nora's sentence she didn't show it.
"I was actually asking them to recruit you," Mrs. Gray said. "They spoke so highly of you, and I know you are quite capable as an individual, so the natural progression would be for you to join their organization and team up with them specifically."
"That's not how it works."
"You'd also do very well to partner up with Miss Winter."
"No, mother."
"Why not?"
"Because, no."
"That's not an acceptable answer."
"It's a perfectly acceptable answer for an extremely complicated situation!" Kay shot back. Winter watched the two banter as she came to a realization.
"You two… don't actually dislike each other." Winter said. "I thought there would be more contempt between the two of you."
"Oh please, we disagree constantly over what we think is right for the future," Mrs. Gray replied. "I think he would have done splendidly as an officer in the Army, but if the world sees it fit for him to be a teacher and a writer instead, then who am I to fight that?"
"We've made peace," Kay hesitated for a moment. "Well, a semblance of peace over the matter."
"Just because it works does not mean I'm happy about it." Mrs. Gray huffed. "However, what matters at the end of the day is that my children are doing well."
"So… the toxicity in the family," Winter continued. "That… comes from Maya?"
"I honestly don't know where exactly she got it," Mrs. Gray supposed. "I definitely pushed the two of them towards joining the Army with quite a bit of emphasis."
"You weren't exactly present for a lot of it because of deployment," Kay pointed out. "So it was a lot of us just struggling to figure ourselves out. Maya wanted your love and attention, like the amount of attention and pride you showed me when I first joined the Army. I'm beginning to think that she's trying to make up for it, but it's enveloping her very way of thinking."
"Sounds like an advanced form of Imposter Syndrome, but I'm not an expert on that." Winter suggested.
"I'll not pretend to understand the subject of mental illnesses," Mrs. Gray sighed, looking at Kay. "I've already struggled for years to understand and accept the reasons for your decisions to leave the Army and separate yourself from that world completely. This… I'm not sure I would be able to fix what Maya has done."
"It's led her to call my employers, have me let go, and investigated by the Feds for the situation I'm in." Kay gestured to the group. "If anything, Maya is the source of our current predicament, and I'd like to find a way for these guys to get home as quickly as possible for their safety."
"So why don't they?" Major Gray asked. Kay froze, realizing what he had said. "Why doesn't their CO command them to return?"
"There are… communication issues on their end," Winter answered carefully. "And the solution to those issues will take some time before we can be called back. Until then, we can only wait."
"I see," Mrs. Gray nodded in understanding. Her eyes swept the room once more, until they landed on Yang. "What happened to your arm, young lady?"
"Oh, this?" Yang raised her metal prosthetic arm. "I lost my arm in an accident. The Atlas company provided me with it."
"Incredible," Mrs. Gray remarked. "An independent, neutral militia with such resources would be an invaluable asset to any nation's forces."
"Which is why I'd very much appreciate subtlety when dealing with this subject, Mom," Kay dropped the formality when he addressed his mother this time. "I've been tasked with housing and caring for them. They don't need any more attention when their own situation is already complicated."
"Alright, alright!" Major Gray chided softly. "I won't get involved. The younger ones listen to you and you obviously have the respect of your peer in Winter. I can speak to Maya, but it won't be much to slow her down if she puts her mind to exposing you all as some sort of danger."
"Your support is greatly appreciated, Major," Winter nodded with a kind smile. "The protection of our younger operatives is our greatest priority."
"I see that," Mrs. Gray nodded. After a few minutes of silent solace, she looked to the Specialist once more. "Are you sure you can't recruit Karis into your team?"
"Mom, no." Kay answered for Winter, though the Specialist could see that the Major was simply asking in jest, shooting a wink at the Atlesian soldier. Kay asked, "Are you staying for dinner, mom?"
"If it's not too big of a problem," she shrugged. "It's a bit of a trip back home for me, you know."
About forty-five minutes later, Major Gray was partaking in the usual weekend dinner of Chinese delivery. The mood had shifted significantly since her original entry, with the students asking the older woman about Kay's upbringing. As cold as his mother could come off at times, she did pull off the doting role quite well.
"Do you have any pictures of Kay when he was younger?" Ruby queried after swallowing a bite of her food. In response, Major Gray swiftly retrieved her phone and opened her Photo Album app, sliding to reveal a preteen Karis Gray looking uncomfortable in a suit.
"This is him before his first piano recital," she said, letting Weiss take the phone from her. "He played wonderfully, if I remember correctly."
"I enjoyed playing piano," Kay told Winter beside him. "Not so much being on stage."
"And this," Mrs. Gray leaned over to swipe across several more photos to a familiar picture. Kay stood in a sharp attention stance and gave the camera an emotionless expression. "Is from his first week as a cadet at West Point."
"Pffft," Yang snickered. "Your hair, dude!"
"Yeah, yeah," Kay rolled his eyes. "I don't exactly rock a buzz cut, I know."
"You look different in uniform," Blake noted. "Much more… serious."
"He looks kinda badass," Jaune shrugged.
"I second that!" Nora nodded, her mouth full of noodles.
"He excelled in his studies and was a quite skilled sharpshooter," Major Gray recalled as she pointedly passed her phone over to the Specialist. "Winter?"
The young soldier took the phone in her hands and Kay leaned over a bit to examine the picture as well. Staring blankly back at him was an eighteen year old Kay, who wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps. The young man in the picture looked both focused and distracted at the same time, somehow.
"You look like every other cadet back home," Winter remarked. "Wide-eyed and sleep-deprived."
"Sounds accurate to me," Kay nodded as the phone was returned to its owner. "We'd wake up as early as dawn to start training."
"Sounds rough," Jaune balked at the idea. Kay simply shrugged.
"You either got used to it or got yelled at to wake up every morning," he explained. "I managed to get used to it pretty quick."
Dinner continued and finished with a much more relaxed atmosphere than the house had earlier that day. Kay and Winter walked Mrs. Gray back to her car. Very little was said between mother and son as the Major departed, although the mother placed a hand on Kay's shoulder momentarily, whispering a message just for him. She turned to Winter with a curt nod.
"Please keep my son safe, Winter." Major Gray said. "And I do genuinely hope you reconsider having him join your company. From the chemistry I see among you, it would only benefit everyone involved."
"I will," Winter answered.
"To which part?" Kay asked. The Specialist's reply seemed to sate his mother, as the older woman entered her car and pulled away from the house. Kay gave a simple departing wave towards the departing vehicle before the two walked back to the house.
"Well that was definitely a thing." Kay sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "I wish she had at least sent a word of warning."
"What did she tell you?" Winter asked.
"She said if I ever needed any help with the finances, she'd pitch in." Kay said. "Knowing my mother, I would be able to refuse that offer even if I tried."
"Hmm," Winter hummed, watching the man mull over his own thoughts. A sudden flash from inside caught their attention. "What?"
The two dashed back into the house and found the kids huddled around the living room again. Ruby held up another metal cube.
"Winter, Kay!" Oscar caught the adults' eyes. "Look what just popped up!"
"They've managed to find a consistent power similar to... the original event." Winter paused, remembering the bugs around the house. "It could be a part of the General's more cryptic orders."
"The hell?" Kay noticed a weird item on the side of the cube. It looked like an extra piece of metal that was adhered to it. Stepping forward and taking the cube from Ruby's hands, he examined the mysterious metal piece. It was stuck to the cube with some simple glue-like adhesive, and peeling it off completely revealed an intriguing message that easily caught everyone's eyes.
"This handwriting…" Weiss muttered from beside the writer.
"Mother?" Winter finished for her sister. Kay held the message up for everyone in the room to see:
The way home needs a second door.
Heyo, Kariotic here with another update!
Sorry for the wait, work just picked up speed and I like to use my free time to physically and mentally recover. I am still committed to finish this story, so don't worry about it getting dropped!
Hope you guys enjoyed reading. See y'all next chapter!