Another week another chapter. Someone asked me why I update on Saturday's when my name is Friday and never before have I had such an existential crisis. Jk, but it was funny. Someone also asked if I've ever thought of getting artwork commissioned for this story, and I actually did. It's a bit hard to see cause of FF, but the cover image is actually Crue's glasses after he was shot by Cinder. Maybe you can only see it on browser.

Either way, on with the story!

Weiss Schnee sang at the top of her voice.

"I'm not your pet, not another thing you own. I was not born guilty of your crimes. Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore.~"

"I won't be possessed, burdened by your royal test. I will not surrender. This life is mine.~"

She took a deep breath as she finished, and the audience before her broke into applause. All of it polite and reserved, but applause nonetheless. She stared out at the audience, a mob of faceless people cheering her on for singing.

She doubted any of them understood the meaning behind her song. As she looked up to the balcony to her left, she saw her Father and brother. Jacques remained seated, hands on the arms of his chair. Next to him, Whitley stood as tall as he could and clapped his hands together while trying to make eye contact with Weiss.

It seemed he understood her feelings, at least. Her eyes scanned the rest of the audience, but she was unable to spot the shock of red hair that would signify her invitation had been accepted on time. She swallowed once as she steeled herself.

This was meant to be her last song. The last thing she would need to sing before being brought to the Charity Ball to be shown off like a prized possession. It was the way her Father wanted things to proceed. Which made Weiss all the more willing to go against it.

"I thank you all for coming." She raised her voice as loud as she could. With no microphone, she had to rely solely on the strength of her lungs to carry her message. Which, having been trained in singing, was no real issue.

"This Charity Ball means a lot to me, as someone who fought in the Fall Of Beacon." Her blue eyes looked to the side, where she could see her Father's reaction. A mixture of confusion and anger at her words.

"However, this is not my final song." Her words brought an immediate hum of whispered conversation to the concert hall, the sound becoming almost deafening thanks to the acoustics of the building. "This next song." Weiss began, raising her voice even more to be heard over the crowd.

They fell silent, eager and curious to find out what was going on. "Is dedicated not only to those who fought and fell at Beacon, but to those still being wrongfully blamed for the attack." Before the crowd could begin to whisper once more, Weiss began to sing.

"Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken.~" Her voice brought the room to a standstill, whether they agreed with her reasons or not, this was still another song for them to listen to and enjoy.

"And the violence caused such silence, who are we mistaken?~" She risked a glance up to the alcove, where she saw her Father's face twisted into a scowl, and Whitley's showing some curious concern.

"But you see, it's not me, but it's my family. In your head, in your head, they are fighting! With their tanks, and their bombs, and their swords, and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are crying!~"

Weiss took a moment to take a large breath, and bellowed out the next verse. "In your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh.~"

There was no musical accompaniment for this song, as she had told no one she was going to perform it. Which meant it was only her voice, echoing through the concert hall as the audience watched on. "Another mother's breaking, heart is taking over. When the violence, causes silence, We must be mistaken.~"

"It's the same old score, since before, the Great War. In your head, in your head, they're still fighting!~" Weiss wouldn't take credit for this song, she could remember where she had heard it before. "With their tanks, and their bombs, and their swords, and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are dying!~"

"In your head, in your head. Zombie. Zombie. Zombie-ie-ie-ie.~" Weiss hit her notes as high as she could, before ending the song as her voice became what could only be described as mournful. "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-eh oh, ya-ya.~"

With that, the song was over. Weiss took a breath and closed her eyes, stepping back a pace as she waited for a reaction. There was an immediate silence that followed, and Weiss began to sweat under the stage lights.

An intense clapping suddenly broke out from somewhere to her left. It sounded like it was coming from only one person, as Weiss looked up to try and spot who it was. More applause came from her right, and Weiss saw Whitley standing tall and clapping as hard as he could while their Father glared at him.

The crowd soon followed, not wanting to be out of place in applause and Weiss smiled to herself as she turned her back on the crowd and made her way off stage. This wasn't her song, but she was glad she sang it.

She heard it once from Crue's Scroll while they were training, and found herself drawn to the lyrics. She had asked him about it, and he explained it was a protest song, written about some troubles. He had specifically said The Troubles, but that didn't really narrow it down much for Weiss.

Music was a medium that Weiss could sculpt and mould to her heart's content, and while she didn't remember all of the lyrics, she felt as though they were accurate enough. She made a mental note to look up the song and find the composer to apologise for singing their song without first checking with them.

It would probably lead to a host of legal suits that would irritate her Father to no end. Speaking of, she'd definitely be seeing that side of her Father at the Charity Ball. She sighed, her smile dropping once she was out of view of the crowd.

Time to be a picture perfect daughter.

…

Soft piano notes floated through the air as the poshest Atlas had to offer mixed and mingled amongst each other, dressed to the nines with jewellery that could probably pay a month's wages of anyone living in Mantle.

Weiss listened to them prattle with half an ear, her eyes scanning the room for a head of red hair. She couldn't spot it, and was unable to leave due to her Father keeping such an aggravatingly close eye on her.

When she couldn't spot her friend, she turned her attention back to the conversation currently happening. "That's precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate."

Her Father's words caused Weiss' blood to boil. It wasn't just wages they were protesting. It was the abuse they suffered at the mines. Unsafe practices caused cave-ins, which cost Faunus lives. And barbaric punishments like branding which pushed them to take up arms.

His face flashed in her mind once again, as she flinched. It went unnoticed by the adults, but she did see Whitley look at her in concern. She appreciated it, even as the conversation continued. "Well, I think the bigger issue here is our society as a whole."

Jacques scoffed at the man in glasses. "Why, you mean Atlas?"

"Atlas, Mantle, you can't deny the economic disparity between the two." Weiss decided now would be a good time to slip away, but no sooner than she had taken a single step had her Father reached back and grabbed her forearm without even turning around.

"Where are you going?" He attempted to pull her back, but Weiss hadn't spent the better half of her life training to be a Huntress to be dragged against her will by a civilian. She could see her Father realise she wasn't coming along, and began to struggle silently.

The heaviest thing he ever lifted was probably a set of giant ceremonial scissors used to cut a ribbon for a grand opening. Whitley watched the situation with wide eyes, as the conversation behind them continued.

"I think Father has done an admirable job, given the situation." Whitley said, a little louder than normal for the given situation. His words caused Jacques to release Weiss and turn back to the conversation.

"I'm sorry, I tuned out for a second, but it sounds like I'm the good guy again?" He and the woman he was talking to shared a laugh that was probably faker than her cheekbones, as Weiss shot Whitley a grateful look and made her way to the back of the room.

The display area held three large paintings with two abstract statues. What caught her eye, and what she had left her Father to see, was the largest painting in the middle. It showed Beacon Academy, her home.

The CCT was still standing in the painting, and it was like nothing had ever happened to it. She had barely reached it when a voice spoke up from the side. "It's beautiful. You two match." Weiss turned, crossing her arms and looking at who had spoke.

A young man with light brown eyes and a faded blue undercut was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a cocky smirk. "Yes. It's a lovely painting." Her expression was colder than the Atlas tundra, as she stared at the newcomer.

"So." He swallowed once, but kept the smile on his face. "That was my attempt at breaking the ice. How am I doing so far?"

"You are leaving a lot to be desired." Weiss stated.

"Well, I've always appreciated honesty." He soldiered on, bringing a hand up and offering it to her. "Henry Marigold."

Weiss eyed him critically. "Weiss Schnee." She said, giving him quite possibly the loosest handshake known to Remnant.

"I know. I just saw your performance." He seemed to realise what he had just said, cringing at himself. "Obviously." He cleared his throat. "You were wonderful. And I promise I'm not just saying that 'cause you're pretty."

Weiss turned her attention back to the painting with a roll of her eyes, as the silence stretched out between the two. "Honesty, remember?" He tried. "So, you thinking about buying it?" He asked, leaning on the railing and rattling it.

"No. I don't think so." She wouldn't be able to even if she wanted. This was a 'Schnee Charity Ball'. Her Father would never let a Schnee buy something from a function they organised.

"Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting." Henry said, fiddling with the railing and looking bored as he did so.

"It's to raise money." Weiss frowned, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh really? For what?"

"For what?" She hissed, looking at Henry like he was something that she would be revulsed to find under her shoe.

"Heheh, I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and drinks." As he said it, he reached out and took a champagne flute as a waiter walked by. "And the extraordinary company. Of course." He gestured with the flute to Weiss before taking a sip.

"So what, is it another Mantle fundraiser or something?"

"Get. Out."

Weiss' words caused him to almost choke on his drink, as he turned to look at her in shock. "What?" He asked, almost laughing.

"Get out. Or I will have security escort you out." Weiss' eyes were like glaciers as she glared at Henry.

"But I haven't done-" "I believe…" A new voice came from behind Weiss, causing her eyes to widen in recognition. "That she asked you to leave."

Weiss turned on the spot and immediately came face to face with a sparkling red dress. Moving her gaze upward, she found a pair of emerald eyes looking not at her, but staring over her head at Henry.

"I suggest leaving now. Before anything untoward might happen." Pyrrha Nikos stated, crossing her arms and letting her sleeveless dress show off her figure. Henry took one look at the muscles, looked back at her expression, and quickly turned on his heel and left.

Only once he was gone, did Pyrrha's expression drop as she looked down to Weiss with a smile. "Hello again." Her emerald eyes twinkled. Weiss wasn't entirely sure what came over her, but in that moment all she saw was a friend from Beacon who had been through the same Hell as her.

With a small jump, Weiss had wrapped her arms around Pyrrha's neck and brought her into a hug. Pyrrha felt herself dragged down slightly, before stabilising herself and leaving Weiss on her tippy toes as she gave a small laugh and returned the hug.

"It's good to see you too, Weiss." She gave a gentle pat on her back, as Weiss reluctantly let go of Pyrrha and landed back on the ground. She still kept a hand on hers. "I liked your song."

"You were there?" Weiss was shocked. She hadn't seen her at all during her performance.

"Of course. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Unfortunately, I think the spotlight blocked my balcony."

Something clicked in her mind. "The first applause."

"Well, I was hardly going to let you stand in silence, was I." Pyrrha smiled, before it faded slightly. "I haven't seen or heard from anyone from Beacon. I'm glad you invited me."

"I'm very much the same." Weiss said with a small frown. "I've been stuck in my house, and since the CCT is down I can't contact anyone." She managed a smile. "But, I've gotten closer with my brother."

She glanced over to see Whitley, perfectly poised standing next to their Father. Pyrrha followed her gaze seeing the young boy. The motion caught his attention, as he looked over at his sister. Weiss gave a small wave and mouthed 'thank you'.

Whitley blinked in surprise, but nodded and turned back to the conversation, now with a small smile on his face. "I've been getting closer with my family too." Pyrrha stated. "Though, I have to say I didn't expect to run into a knock off version of my cousin here."

Her words confused Weiss, and she was about to ask for clarification before a voice cut through the chatter.

"I mean really, does it come as any surprise what happened to Vale?" Both Beacon students turned at the sound. A woman with bleach blonde hair was talking with the man next to her, waving around a flute in her other hand madly.

"Letting in some unknown Faunus, it was a long time coming if you ask me." Weiss' hands clenched into fists, as she glared daggers at the woman. Next to her, a man who was presumably her husband was looking around nervously, placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to get her to stop.

"What?" She gave a false sounding laugh. "You said the same thing last night. If they had actually put some thought into who they were letting into their school, it would probably still be standing. Good riddance, I say."

Weiss felt an anger build up in her, as she prepared to take a breath and scream at the woman. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder, as she looked up to see Pyrrha's expression.

If Weiss felt anger at the situation, Pyrrha clearly felt rage. It was such an alien expression on the girl's face that it stopped Weiss dead in her tracks. She watched, as Pyrrha marched forward to the laughing woman, and adopted a fake smile that Weiss had seen before in interviews.

"Excuse me." Pyrrha stated, catching their attention.

"Hm? Can I help you?" The woman looked her up and down with a scornful eyebrow.

"Are you calling me a liar?" She raised her voice ever so slightly, catching the attention of some of the surrounding guests.

"W-What?" The woman looked to her husband, as if to clarify that she hadn't misheard.

"Allow me to repeat myself." Pyrrha's expression still held the fake smile. "Are you. Calling me. A liar." Her eyes bore into the woman's, who looked around desperately for some kind of explanation. When she didn't get one, she turned back to Pyrrha.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I've never even met you, let alone called you anything." She gave a stuttered laugh, looking to her husband for support.

"Oh, allow me to introduce myself then." Pyrrha's smile became just a bit more dangerous. "My name is Pyrrha Nikos. I fought at Beacon." All colour in the woman's face had been drained, as she swallowed and backed up a step.

"And I gave my story as to what happened. And I assure you, it was no 'unknown Faunus' who was at fault for the destruction of my school or Vale." Her smile was gone, replaced with a scowl that didn't suit her.

"That Faunus, you're so eager to blame, died defending me. So, if you suggest that he was at fault…" Pyrrha crossed her arms behind her back and took a single step closer to the woman, causing her to back up rapidly and bump into a waiter.

The bump caused the waiter's tray of drinks to tip, falling onto the woman and drenching her with champagne. She let out a shrill scream at the sudden dousing, immediately catching everyone's attention. Sniggers and whispering started to form within seconds, the woman looking around the room, in shock.

"I think your mother has had too much to drink." Pyrrha said, turning to the man that was left staring at the scene in shock. With that, she gave a small nod to them and returned to Weiss. The minute her face was no longer in view of the woman or her husband, she gained a smirk as she met Weiss' eyes.

"Have I mentioned how much I've missed you?" She smiled up at the spartan.

"You haven't." Pyrrha smiled back. "But I figured that was implied by the hug." A small laugh left her, before she quickly tried to regain her composure.

"I don't think I've ever seen you actively seek conflict before." She looked back to the scene, where the woman was currently refusing help from her husband.

"Well… This felt like a special circumstance." Pyrrha's frown was back, though it seemed to be directed inwardly. Weiss frowned as well, realising what she was talking about. Atlas was always the worst offender for prejudice against Faunus, and the mere idea that one had been behind the Fall of Beacon was enough for most of them.

It didn't matter how many times it was proven Crue wasn't behind it. People were stuck in their ways, and refused to believe they were wrong.

"Quite a performance." A voice spoke up from beside them. The two turned and almost immediately felt an urge to salute.

"General Ironwood!" Weiss gasped, surprised that such a large man had managed to sneak up on them.

"I would say 'at ease', but this is hardly a military event." He attempted a small smile, which only served to highlight how tired he looked. His five o'clock shadow seemed to have progressed to 'eleven fifty nine' shadow and was on its way to becoming a full on beard.

The General turned his attention to Pyrrhe with a nod. "Miss Nikos. I'm glad you could make it." Pyrrha gave a small nod and curtsey to the General in kind.

"Thank you, General. And thank you for expediting my journey here. Though… I have to say the woman who aided me was… not the best representation of Atlesian culture I have seen in my time." Pyrrha looked awkward saying it, as though she had difficulties talking about someone behind their back, but no problem confronting a woman in a public space.

Ironwood sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Cordovin?" He asked. When Pyrrha nodded, he let out another sigh. "I apologise on behalf of Atlas for anything she may have said or done. But, if you have a moment, I was wondering if we could talk."

"About Beacon?" "Yes." Ironwood confirmed immediately. There was no reason to beat around the bush in this situation, as Pyrrha nodded, albeit with a slump of her shoulders. Weiss watched the interaction with a soft frown.

Pyrrha looked to her with a resigned smile, before blinking and standing a bit straighter. "I would like for Weiss to come with us." Her words caused the girl in question to freeze and look to the General. He seemed surprised, but not against the suggestion.

"This is highly sensitive information. Are you sure you wish to include her in this?" His eyes slid to Weiss, gauging her reaction. She had very much the same expression Ironwood had. She wanted to know what exactly had happened that night on the tower, she had heard Pyrrha had given an interview about it, but was unable to find it thanks to her Father restricting her internet access.

"I think Weiss deserves to know what happened. Given who it involves…" She trailed off, looking to Weiss with a surprising sorrow in her eyes. Weiss blinked in confusion. DId she mean Cinder? She was certainly angry about having been lied to and tricked, she didn't think it warranted being invited along.

"I have no issue with this." Weiss said, before looking back to where her Father was. He wasn't looking in her direction, instead making sly comments about the woman drenched in champagne currently leaving the room.

"We best make this quick." Ironwood said, also looking in the same direction. He turned and began to wall towards an employee door. Pyrrha and Weiss followed, entering into a small abandoned hallway. Ironwood quickly looked left and right, checking his surroundings.

"This building has a meeting room used for visiting dignitaries." Ironwood explained, heading towards a door that didn't look too different from any other. "I've already taken the liberty of scanning for bugs a few days ahead."

Weiss was surprised that was something the General would worry about in a building meant solely for charity events, or maybe the conversation was that important that nothing could leave this room.

The room itself was a simple meeting room with an oval table and several chairs around it, there was a set of styrofoam cups in the middle that looked like they hadn't been touched for some time, and a watercooler in the corner.

The three took seats, with Ironwood at the top of one side, and Weiss and Pyrrha sitting next to each other on his left. "Now, Miss Nikos, I'm sure you've been asked about what happened that night to no end by reporters and interviewers. But, in this instance, you may speak completely freely."

Weiss wondered what the General meant, but seeing Pyrrha give a weary smile and how her shoulders fell she realised that was less important than being there for her friend. "Everything happened so fast." She began.

"The last time I saw you was when you were going to reclaim your ship. And then you were shot down." Her words caused Weiss' eyes to widen. She had been in the fairgrounds while everyone else was on Amity, she had no idea what they had been through.

Ironwood frowned slightly at the memory, but nodded for her to continue. "We landed at Beacon, some of us stayed at the drop off to protect it and get others out, and some of us went further into the Academy. My team, along with a few others, went to the courtyard."

"Where I saw Headmaster Ozpin waiting for me." Weiss blinked in confusion, whereas the General nodded solemnly. "He brought myself and Jaune-" "Jaune?" Ironwood finally spoke up with confusion.

"Jaune was… is my Team Leader. He is my friend, and he refused to leave my side given the situation." She looked at the General with surprising defiance, as if daring him to say anything against Jaune.

Ironwood did not, instead saying: "He sounds like an admirable leader." And waiting for her to continue. She did so with a small, proud nod. Weiss made a mental note to thank Jaune and apologise for… a lot.

"Headmaster Ozpin led us to the elevator, and we took it down to the vault." Vault? Weiss wasn't aware the Beacon had a vault. "We got down and, Jaune started questioning things. But there was no time to explain."

"We started the transfer process, and… it hurt." Pyrrha swallowed, Weiss having never seen her looking so small. She reached out and placed a hand on her reassuringly. She may not have understood everything that was going on, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to help Pyrrha get through it.

The redhead shot her a grateful look, her emerald eyes looking a little pink. "It felt like my soul was on fire. And, I swear I heard someone else screaming when I did." She frowned a little in confusion, before the frown deepened.

"And then, the pain stopped." She looked up to the General. "Cinder killed Amber, and took the rest of the Maiden's powers. It all happened so fast, I was taken out of the transfer machine, and Headmaster Ozpin sent us on so he could deal with Cinder but…"

"He failed." Ironwood sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he thought about his lost friend. Weiss' eyes were practically spinning around in her head with this much information. Maiden powers? Amber? Strange machines in their school.

"We got out to the courtyard, and Jaune started to try and contact Professor Goodwitch. Then we heard an explosion, and heard the tower rumbling. Cinder shot up through the elevator shaft and up to Ozpin's office." She looked down at the table.

"I had to do something." She whispered. "She killed him, she lied to us and plunged our school into chaos. I couldn't do nothing." Pyrrha's hand began to shake under Weiss' grip, who tightened it in response.

"But I couldn't risk Jaune either. I pushed him into a locker and sent him away before I stormed the tower. I used my Semblance on the elevator to get up to the tower and fight her. I didn't stand a chance from the start."

Pyrrha hung her head low glaring at the table as if it was the woman in question. "She threw fire around like it was nothing, and was able to fly, or at least hover with it. Nothing I did had any effect, and when I finally did get her into a chokehold, she broke my weapon like it was nothing."

"She tossed me like I was nothing, and then shot my ankle with a bow that she created out of nowhere." Pyrrha flinched, one hand coming down to brush against her bare leg, where Weiss could clearly see a piercing scar that probably had a matching one on the other side.

"I couldn't move, and then the Dragon came and destroyed the roof of the tower, I think Cinder had some kind of control over it." She trailed off, closing her eyes as she recalled the night. From what Pyrrha was saying, she was in such a terrible situation she was about to be killed.

And yet, she was sitting there before Weiss. How did she survive? "And then…?" Ironwood questioned, clearly wondering the same. His words managed to cause Pyrrha's lips to quirk ever so slightly upwards.

"And then?" She repeated, a barely there smile on her face. "And then, Crue."

Her words caused Weiss to freeze, her hand locking onto Pyrrha's as she stared at her. "Crue? Crue Cullen?" Ironwood repeated incredulously. "What was Cullen doing on the tower?"

"Saving me." Pyrrha said, her voice wavering as she spoke. "He fell out of the sky after the Dragon tore the roof off, and started fighting Cinder. I didn't know it was him, at first. He was wearing some strange disguise, and Cinder kept calling him 'Wolf'."

Ironwood let out a breath that sounded like he was about to scream, before slamming his mouth shut. "Did this disguise include a green helmet and cloak, by any chance?" He seemed strained asking it, as if he was on the verge of jumping out of his chair.

"Yes, he was." Pyrrha responded with a raised eyebrow and questioning tone.

Ironwood responded by taking a deep breath, and closing his eyes. He muttered something along the lines of 'vindication' and then opened his eyes back up. "What happened after he fell?"

"He and Cinder fought. I doubt she was holding back against me but, she was going all out against Crue, even though she didn't know it was him. He was fighting her to protect me, but, he didn't even have Aura." Pyrrha's eyes were closed, clenched in pain.

"She hit him against the wall, and he finally took off his helmet. I don't think Cinder knew it was Crue until that moment. He threw the helmet at her to try and make a blindspot but…" He hiccuped, bringing a hand up to wipe her eye.

"The arrow went around it, and hit his eye. She was about to kill him, and then Ruby appeared, and the world went white." She dried her eyes and looked to the General. "Something came out of Ruby's eyes, and when it was gone, so were Crue and Cinder."

Her tone suggested that she wanted to know what it was, and wasn't going to take no for an answer. Ironwood nodded with a sigh. "Miss Rose has silver eyes, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately, I know very little about the power they are rumoured to hold. Ozpin knew more, but it is said those with Silver Eyes held the power to defeat Grimm simply by looking at them."

"It would appear this power also affects the Maidens." He hummed, bringing a hand up to cup his chin in thought. "I thank you for this information, Miss Nikos. And thank you for organising this, Miss Schne- Miss Schnee? Is everything alright?"

Pyrrha turned, properly looking at Weiss for the first time since she had started explaining. She was paler than usual, and her grip on Pyrrha's hand was like iron. "Weiss?" Pyrrha's eyes shimmered with concern, as she reached out her free hand to cup her cheek.

Weiss jumped, startled, as if she only remembered where she was. "Pyrrha. Did Crue have Setanta?" Her words came out in a desperate rush, and had Pyrrha leaning back in confusion.

"Setanta? His weapon. No, no he was using a different weapon. A set of claws." Apparently, that wasn't what Weiss wanted to hear. Her breathing suddenly became erratic, as her pupils shrunk and she leapt up out of her chair.

It clattered back onto the ground, as Pyrrha and Ironwood shot to their feet as well. "Weiss! What's wrong?" Pyrrha tried to reach out, but Weiss backed up as she formed fists with her hands.

"No! Crue, Crue didn't die there! He died against that monster! He died protecting Penny! I found his weapon there!" She looked at Pyrrha with wide eyes. That couldn't be true. If Crue wasn't where Penny died, it meant Weiss had taken his weapon when he needed it most.

"Weiss, what are you talking about?" Pyrrha looked concerned at her words, however General Ironwood's eyes were wide.

"I was fighting with Yang and Blake in the cafeteria against White Fang. And we nearly died. The only reason we lived was because the person attacking us was chased off by a monster." Weiss explained quickly.

"And I mean a Monster. Not a Grimm. A monster. It was attacking Mercury, and then it attacked Adam Taurus, and gave us a chance to get out." Ironwood reacted to the name, but Pyrrha still kept her eyes on Weiss'.

"When we got out, we saw Penny-." Weiss was cut off by a sob. This was the most she had talked about what happened at Beacon since ending up in Atlas. "We saw Penny. Dead. And then I found Crue's weapon, next to her."

"So how was he fighting with Cinder?!" Weiss' voice pitched and broke, leaning onto the table for support. Pyrrha immediately stepped forward to comfort her, wrapping her into a hug. She sobbed into Pyrrha's chest, staining her dress.

If Crue fought Cinder without Setanta, he would have been at the worst disadvantage possible. And that would have been her fault. "Miss Schnee is… correct." Ironwood's voice cut through the sobs, causing both Weiss and Pyrrha to freeze.

"What? But I saw Crue." Pyrrha looked to the General with a frown.

"I know. And I believe you. But, Cullen was protecting Penny. That is something we are all agreed on. However, we recently recovered Penny's remains from Beacon Academy." He scowled as he said it. "And, we were able to recover recordings of the last things she had seen."

"Cullen was protecting her from Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black." The words caused both Weiss and Pyrrha to scowl. The same people who pretended to be their friends.

"They fought him two against one, and only barely managed to defeat him thanks to Sustrai's Semblance, which we have now discovered is what caused the hallucinations experienced by Miss Xiao-Long, and Cullen himself."

"But, Penny's last logs continued after her death, albeit with audio only." He hesitated for a moment, before reaching into his coat and bringing out a Scroll. "This is, understandably, classified." Even as he said it, he placed the Scroll on the table and pressed down on the screen.

A hissing static immediately filled the room, causing Weiss and Pyrrha to wince, even as they still held onto one another. And then, a voice. "Penny?" Weiss' breath caught, and Pyrrha felt her go still in her arms, even as she found herself freezing at the sound.

Crue's voice was something neither girl had heard in so long. But neither had they ever heard it so broken. They waited for anything else, to hear his voice once more. Instead, all they heard was a rhythmic clicking on stone.

"Penny?" A sob broke through the words, causing Pyrrha to place a hand against her mouth and Weiss to grip Pyrrha's arm so tightly her Aura started to show. The rhythmic sound finally stopped, and a new voice sounded out.

"Aw, looks like the puppet's strings were cut." Another voice that, instead of filling their hearts with sorrow for a fallen friend, filled them with rage. Even Ironwood's gloves creaked as he clenched his fists.

"Don't worry." Came Mercury's voice once more, "You'll be seeing her soon." Then, a gunshot echoed through the empty room, and a sound that each person there recognised filtered through. The shattering of Aura left them feeling hollow, and mentally checking their own Aura out of habit.

Then, another sound. One neither girl recognised, but one that had Ironwood closing his eyes and wincing in preparation. It sounded like, ripping. The tearing of something wet, and the a sound like branches snapping.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Mercury's voice exclaimed in the recording, before the Scroll on the table vibrated angrily, trying to properly convey the volume of the roar that came through its speakers. It came through tinny and distorted due to the Scroll not having the proper equipment, but Weiss recognised it all the same.

"The monster. That was the monster's roar." She said, swallowing as she unwillingly relived the night in question. "That sound happened, and then it attacked." Tears stung at the corner of her eyes, but she held them in as she looked at the General.

"You say this… Monster. It wasn't a Grimm." Ironwood looked like he wanted to believe Weiss, but her words left a lot to be desired.

"It wasn't." Weiss closed her eyes, the image of the beast flashing in her mind. "It was… like, a Grimm. But, only in the same way a regular animal is like a Grimm. Only, this made the Grimm look like regular animals."

"It was like a Beowulf. But, bigger in every sense. With brown fur and gold-" Those eyes pierced her soul, staring at her through the window of her mind. "Golden eyes." She finished, releasing a breath she didn't even realise she had been holding.

"Golden eyes?" Ironwood repeated, suddenly interested.

"Does that mean something?" Pyrrha asked, immediately catching onto the General's interest.

"It might." He gave a nod, thinking deeply. "It's not something I have an answer to right now, but, this information, along with what you've given, Miss Nikos, will definitely be looked over. Knowing is half the battle, and knowing what Cinder Fall is capable of is a definite boon."

He picked up his Scroll, and placed it back inside his jacket. "I thank you for your time, Miss Nikos. I hope you enjoy Atlas." With that, he nodded once to Pyrrha, then to Weiss, and exited the room. Once he was gone, Weiss' legs gave out and she collapsed into a seat, as Pyrrha pulled one out right next to her and held her hands in her own.

"I took Crue's weapon when I found it." She said through sobs. "I took it because I thought he was gone. Because I wanted something to remember him by. And, and because I took it it meant he didn't have it against Cinder."

The tears were coming in full force now, as Pyrrha brought one hand up to rub against her shoulder. She didn't know what to do in the situation. She doubted the weapon would have mattered in a fight against Cinder., but she also knew that wouldn't help Weiss here.

"My own selfish desires-" "Don't you dare." Weiss looked up as she was cut off to see a surprising intensity in Pyrrha's eyes.

"You are not selfish Weiss, and don't for a second think you are. You have been trying to fix your family's legacy since you arrived at Beacon. That isn't selfish. You were kind, and caring, and you reached out to me when you knew I would be alone."

"You are not selfish, Weiss Schnee. You are one of the most charitable people I have ever met, and I am proud to call you my friend." There were tears in Pyrrha's eyes as well, as she put both hands on Weiss' shoulders and met her eyes.

It was too much for Weiss, who collapsed into Pyrrha's arms and allowed herself to cry properly for the first time since Beacon. Pyrrha cried as well, both from sympathy and from her own memories of Beacon being fresh in her mind.

And despite the tears, the terrible things they were feeling, there was a bright side to it.

They were together. And for now, that's all they needed.

If this were a romance story Weiss and Pyrrha probably would have kissed here. Good ship. Probably not gonna happen in this fic, but good ship. And Hell yeah for Weiss and Pyrrha standing up for themselves!

So yeah, there's actually quite a bit of conflicting information among our protagonists as to how Crue died.

To Weiss and Blake, who found Penny's corpse and Setanta, Crue died to monster that attacked them. To Pyrrha and Ruby, who actually witnessed Crue's 'death', he died to Cinder. Honestly the only one's who know exactly what happened are Cinder and her posse.

This is two chapters in a row without Crue, and there is actually reason for that. But you'll have to find out next chapter.

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, let me know if you did, and as always...

Until Next Time

-Friday