Blake walked up to the concierge standing behind the podium in the lobby with a nervous smile. She was still in Sun's shirt and her usual pants and boots, though for once, she was unarmed. The lack of weapon somewhat unnerved her, but carrying Gambol Shroud into such a high-class hotel seemed like a bad move for all involved.

"Excuse me… I'm meeting someone here. Belladonna?"

"…I see. That would make you the second person to join her today," the attendant replied. He was a tall, lanky man with a bad comb-over and expensive suit, befitting most of the clientele. He looked Blake over with a judgmental eye, before sniffing softly and turning to begin a hasty walk. "This way."

Blake kept her eyes on the ground as she made her way through the restaurant on the bottom floor of the massive building. Despite her efforts to pay them no mind, she could feel the eyes of several other patrons on her as she and her escort made their way across the main dining room. Whether they stared because she was underdressed, a faunus, or both was unclear, but Blake found herself incredibly uncomfortable regardless.

"Just outside. I trust you can find your way from here?" the man asked as he held open a glass door leading to the patio.

"Yes. Thank you," Blake replied hastily before stepping out onto the wood. Her stomach dropped as she realized that the outdoor seating provided not only a view of the front of Haven Academy, but the forest on its east side. What few trees remained were blackened husks, while the closest part of the woods had been eaten away entirely by greedy flames. She could almost see to the clearing where Sun and Adam had fought, though something else caught her eye.

Several members of the Mistrali police patrolled the edge of the forest, while other people in medical scrubs were wheeling stretchers in and out among the fallen trees. Bodies covered in sheets had been lined up on the lawn outside of the Academy, and Blake managed to count twelve, with more coming.

"…horrible, isn't it?"

Blake looked to her left to find her mother sitting alone at a table for two near the railing, nursing a cup of coffee in her hands.

"It… reminds me of Beacon. Well, it doesn't remind me of Beacon, but I imagine this is what it looked like the day after, only… worse. I didn't stay long enough to see the cleanup efforts. It's making me feel horrible, for those reasons and more," Blake replied as she sat down across from Kali.

Kali looked Blake over with an unreadable expression. "No one blames you for your actions, as far as I can s-"

"Yang does," Blake interrupted. Kali blew off the surface of her drink as she looked her daughter over for a moment, and then took a small sip.

"…so, she was just holding it in, when you introduced me."

"Yeah," Blake replied incredulously. "She's furious, but keeping it below the surface, for now. I'm scared of what's going to happen when it boils over… and it's made worse by the fact that she's right. She lost more at Beacon than anyone else on our team, and she didn't run. I did."

Blake folded her hands in her lap as her ears drooped, and Kali let out a sigh heavy enough for both of them.

"Honey… you're not wrong. I wish I was right, and that I could comfort you with what you want to hear, but… this is something you'll have to face head-on. I'd suggest you face it together with Sun… once he's in the right mindset. Is he any better, yet?"

Blake pulled a face, and looked back out to the Academy grounds. Another body was being wheeled to join the others, while a man with a scroll was making notes beside it.

"…a little. He promised me he would shower today."

"Thank the gods above," Kali said with a smirk. "He's hot as hell, but he stinks, lately."

Blake couldn't help but smile slightly as she looked back over to her mother. "Yes. Yes, he does. I'm headed out to buy us both some new clothes, after this. Unless you need me here, to help with the Black Claw."

Kali leaned back in her chair and grimaced. "The Black Claw is… not going to come together overnight, sweetie. Not like I want it to, anyway. I met with the Mistrali chief of police about an hour ago, and I told him what I'm thinking. He's honestly not thrilled at having another resistance group of faunus out there, but… we're going to work through it, and do this right. I want our people officially recognized, and peaceful agents of change. Except, of course, when it comes to the White Fang."

"…and what's the plan with the White Fang?" Blake asked, her shoulders tensing.

"They disband, or join us. Otherwise, the Black Claw hunts the White Fang," Kali replied coolly. "At least, that's what I think may end up happening, if Cinnamon isn't willing to play ball."

Blake felt her stomach grow cold as a waiter approached the table. She briefly spared the man a glance, and shook her head. "Nothing for me, thanks." He departed quickly, and Blake waited for him to reenter the building before leaning across the table and nearly hissing at her mother as her ears flattened back against her skull.

"You're going to hunt them? You can't be serious!"

Kali's expression hardened as she narrowed her eyes. "The White Fang are holding us back as a species. Adam is still out there, Corsac is potentially with him, and Cinnamon… we cannot trust her to keep her word, or cooperate."

Blake leaned back and fidgeted, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "I… you don't know that, Mom. Ilia seems to trust her with her life."

"And do you?" Kali questioned as she gave her daughter a pointed look.

Blake ground her teeth as she thought through her answer. "I… I don't know. I've seen friends become enemies, and enemies become friends. I've seen people I shared a room with for almost a year hate me after reuniting, and I've seen Adam… turn into what he is now. I'm not ready to trust Cinnamon yet, but I'm also not ready to assume she's just going to be the next Adam, either."

"I feel much the same way, but I'm leaning toward no mercy. Not after these people took your father from us," Kali said. "I'd like to believe she'll work with us, and I am going to meet with her and see if we can get somewhere… but I don't have the energy left to get stuck in a deadlock for weeks, months, or years. I want justice. I want vengeance."

"So do I," Blake replied with a frustrated tone as she weaved her fingers into her hair. "But we have to be reasonable. We have to stay strong, and be the better half of this equation. Otherwise… this is all going to be seen as infighting, and just another justification for humanity to see us as animals."

Kali huffed, and drained her cup. "As if they have a leg to stand on, when it comes to civil war. Look, I want to approach this with some optimism, but… I'm just not seeing it. Not after everything we've been through. Give me one reason to go in with an open mind. Please."

Blake twisted her face into several expressions as she wracked her brain, and tried to find something positive. All at once, a thought came to her, and she raised her eyes back to her mother's.

"…the bombs. She really did help Ilia disable the bombs. If it wasn't for Cinnamon keeping her word, we would all be dead right now."

Kali made an amused noise as she crossed her legs beneath the table. "…huh. I guess in all of the confusion, tension, and lack of sleep, the most obvious thing eluded me." Slowly, her expression changed into something far more neutral.

"It almost slipped my mind, as well," Blake admitted as she folded her arms. "So, there. One point in her favor, and it's a pretty big one. We can work this out. We'll meet her, soon, and try to figure out what's best for the faunus."

"Yes, we will," Kali agreed. "I lifted her number from Fennec's scroll, while on board the plane. I'll give her a call in the coming days, and… we'll see what deal she's thinking of. I guess we owe her that, at least."

"Yeah. Yeah, we do," Blake agreed.

Kali rested her elbow upon the table, and cupped her chin. "Let's just hope she's feeling reasonable."

Sun and Weiss both remained silent, unsure what to say as Cinnamon slowly approached Ilia's bed. She had a bouquet of purple flowers cradled in her arms, and set them down carefully upon the bedside table before kneeling low next to the bed itself. Her expression softened to one of concern as she reached out and took Ilia's free hand in her own and looked over the I.V. with a sigh. Finally, she ran a gentle hand through Ilia's hair, before standing once again and looking over to Sun.

"…so. Tell me everything."

Sun's face fell as he turned to face Cinnamon and began to collect his thoughts. He put a hand up to the side of his face and rubbed as he tried to figure out where to begin, only for Weiss to interrupt in a small voice.

"…excuse me, but… would you like for me to leave? It seems as though I've upset you in some w-"

"No," Cinnamon said threateningly. Sun looked back and forth between the two women as he dropped his hand, and opened his mouth to say something. Cinnamon reached a hand up and gripped his shoulder before he could start, and narrowed her eyes as she shot Weiss a venomous look.

"No, I think you should stay. What you hear today is something I want you to keep in mind for the future. Out of respect for Ilia, I'll keep my voice low, and most of what's on my mind silent… but you're not getting away from me that easily, Schnee. As for how you've 'upset' me? I think you might be smart enough to figure out the gist of it," Cinnamon spat as she flexed her spines.

Weiss folded her arms and sat as far away from Cinnamon as she could. Sun looked over to the dark hand upon his shoulder, before turning his gaze to Weiss.

"…this is… Cinnamon Shoal. She's… second in command, among the White Fang. I know that sounds bad, but she actually helped us out a lot, against Adam."

"First in command," Cinnamon corrected as she lifted her hand and crossed her arms. She began a staredown with Weiss from across the room, and the younger girl finally found her voice.

"Out of respect for your friend, and in hopes that you're more like Blake than Adam Taurus… I'm going to keep my thoughts about that to myself, until I know more," Weiss said carefully. "For now, though, the conflict between us isn't the priority. What exactly would you like me to know, Miss Shoal?"

Cinnamon sneered at Weiss, before nodding her head to Sun. "I suppose the report can wait, if we're going down this road right now. Why don't you tell your friend about your duel with Adam? Or what he's done to you, and what he wants to do to her? Or what he wears, and why?"

Sun shot Cinnamon an angry look, before taking a deep breath and shaking his head. Finally, he looked over to Weiss, who seemed incredibly confused.

"Weiss… I'm sorry, but someone's gonna tell you, and it's probably better to hear it from me than her. Adam… he's got a brand. A Schnee Dust Company brand, across his left eye. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that he wants to kill you, specifically, because of it. I was gonna pull you aside later, b-"

"Stop," Weiss demanded. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and she stared at the linoleum floor in horror. "He has a brand? A brand from my father's company?"

"Like cattle," Cinnamon confirmed as she glared daggers at Weiss. "Are you shocked? Or merely upset that someone's holding a mirror to you?"

Weiss' chest heaved several times before she stood up suddenly and made her way to the bathroom door. Her heels clacked heavily against the floor before she slammed the door shut behind herself, and muffled noises of vomiting echoed throughout the room.

Sun fumed as he looked up at Cinnamon. "You had no reason to start this now."

"I have every reason," Cinnamon hissed. "If anything, you should count yourself lucky that she and I are meeting here, and not somewhere more public. I am well aware that she is a member of Blake's team, and that means she and I are going to be in proximity, now and again. I refuse to even entertain the idea of working alongside her, unless she denounces her family and what they've done. Adam may be a monster, but he's a monster of her family's creation."

Sun tried and failed to find a response, and instead settled for rubbing the back of his neck. Without a word, he turned away from Cinnamon and padded across the room to the bathroom door. He opened it gently, and peered inside to find Weiss kneeling on the floor over the toilet, he arms shakily supporting her as she spit into the bowl. Sun closed the door behind himself and slowly approached, while speaking in a soft voice.

"It's just me. Let me help you."

Weiss said nothing as Sun gently put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back from the toilet. Her eyeliner had begun to run down her face in messy streaks, and her complexion was still worryingly pale. Sun reached out and flushed the toilet to get rid of her sickness, before guiding her to stand up.

"…a-after Beacon, I was taken back home," Weiss said with a sniffle as she gripped the sides of the sink. "I always knew that my father was… less than a kind man, especially to the faunus, but this… along with everything I saw at the mansion, upon returning to Atlas…"

"You were a kid, Weiss," Sun said as he offered her a washcloth. She took it, and began to work at cleaning up her face. "There was nothing you could have done back then, even if you'd known. There's still nothing you can do, right now. Not alone. Getting the truth out there and making your dad own up to everything he's done isn't a job for one person, and it's going to have to wait. We have bigger things to worry about right n-"

"Isn't that always the way it is, with the faunus?" Weiss asked. "You are always on the back burner. Always a second thought, always next in line, and never served. That woman has every right to be furious with me. How can I even face her, knowing what you've just told me?"

Sun rubbed at Weiss' back in slow circles, and frowned as a few choice memories of the orphanage floated through his mind. "…it doesn't help that she's… manipulative, to say the least, and holding things back. She's Adam's girlfriend. Or, was Adam's girlfriend."

Weiss' grip on the sink tightened as she took in the information and used her other hand to bury her face in the washcloth as she mumbled through it. "Fantastic. I need to leave. I can't even look at her right now."

"And give her more reasons to hate you? She's putting me in a really uncomfortable position too, you know," Sun added. "She wants to do this now, so I guess we're doing it now. I don't know what to tell you, and I honestly feel like I'm going to pass out for any number of reasons. Let's just go back out there, and do what you do best. Face it with dignity. Own up to it. I mean, the situation can't get worse, unless she starts throwing punches."

Weiss dropped the cloth into the sink with a noise of disgust. "What a lovely thought. But… you're right. Nothing's ever easy, is it?"

Without another word, Weiss turned and made her way for the door before opening it and heading back into the main room. Sun took the moment to drop his towel and pull his boxers, shorts, socks, and shoes back on, before following her inside. Weiss waited for him while staring out the window, her back turned to Ilia and Cinnamon.

"Feeling any better, princess?" Cinnamon said with a growl as Sun reentered the room.

Weiss slowly turned and made her way over to the much larger woman, before looking up at her.

"…no. No, not at all. I'm going to be completely honest with you- I don't know what to say. I don't think there's anything to say, other than to offer an apology for my family's…" Weiss paused, trying her best to find a suitable way to describe it. "…existence, at this point."

Cinnamon raised a brow, though her expression of anger didn't change. "That's a start."

Weiss folded her arms across her chest once again as she tried her best not to fidget under Cinnamon's intimidating gaze. "If there is… anything I can do personally to even begin to redeem myself in your eyes, or help you, please let me know."

Without hesitation, Cinnamon drew her scroll from within her sarong. "…give me your contact information. I'll be calling in a favor, later on. We'll consider that the beginning of your penance."

Sun watched with unease as Weiss took out her own scroll and touched it to Cinnamon's to initiate the data transfer.

"Of course. Miss Shoal, I really wish I could do more for you. If it was up to me, I'd dismantle the Dust Company entirely, right now, or give it over to the faunus, or…"

"Pretty words, but anyone can offer endless apologies and grandiose promises when it'll save their skin. I want action, and it seems to me, based on what I overheard from the bathroom, like there are other things that take priority over my entire race. Our entire race, Sun," Cinnamon added as she gave him a pointed look.

Sun looked up at the ceiling as he sucked in a breath. "Cinnamon, that's not fair. There are bigger things going on here th-"

"Oh, stop throwing that bullshit line around. Since when was this ever about fairness? Look at who I'm talking to, right now," Cinnamon shot back. Weiss looked off to the side as she pocketed her scroll once again, and moved to return to her seat on the other side of the room. "If you want to talk fair, then I think Weiss ought to tell us what exactly is so much more important than our people. Or is that an unreasonable request, for someone currently planning to hold out on us?"

Sun looked back and forth between the two women as Weiss shot Cinnamon a look of disbelief and shook her head.

"I can't just… there is very sensitive information that I can't just give to you, without approval from my team, or Professor Ozpin, or…"

"Professor Ozpin?" Sun asked, surprised. "Professor Ozpin's dead. I mean… isn't he…?"

Weiss looked about ready to have a panic attack as she turned her head away from Sun. Cinnamon smirked devilishly.

"…well, if that reaction is anything to go by, apparently not. What else is Team RWBY… or is it, Team RWY hiding from us? Hm?"

Sun looked at Weiss with disappointment as he moved to sit in the chair beside her. "Blake said you guys haven't really told her anything, yet. Are you going to tell her?"

Weiss remained silent for a long time, before turning to face Sun with a pained expression. "That decision isn't up to me. I want to tell her. I want to tell you, too, but it's just…"

"We are owed," Cinnamon threatened as she began to approach the seated teens. "And if you really think you're justified in keeping us out of the loop, then let me offer you a trade- Adam wants your head. I have no love left to give for that bastard, but he doesn't know it, yet. I can locate him, and I know what his next move is. Tell us what's going on, and I'll call him off, lead him on a wild goose chase, and get him safely behind bars. Hold out on us… and you're on your own. So is your family."

It was Weiss' turn to offer a look of hatred as Cinnamon crouched down to sneer at her level. Sun tensed horribly as he looked between the two women, and put a hand on Weiss' shoulder. Anger and frustration began to boil over inside of him, drowning out what compassion he had left as Weiss looked over at him.

"…Weiss. Tell us what's going on. You know it isn't right to keep us in the dark."

Weiss bit her lip as a last defense. "Sun, can we really trust her enough t-"

Sun tightened his grip upon Weiss' shoulder, and earned a pained yelp from the smaller girl.

"Yes, we can… and I'm getting tired of all of this. Make things easy, and fill us in now. Otherwise, you're just making things even worse."

Weiss struggled slightly in Sun's grip, before finally letting out a sigh of defeat.

"…fine."

Author's Note:

It's great to see the positive response to the cast in this story expanding as Sun, Ilia, and Neptune rejoin the canon crew. It's tricky to balance the others without making it feel like 'here is Weiss' scene, next comes the Yang chapter, and then Sun will talk to Ruby' and so on, but I'll do what I can to make it work out. Some things will be glossed over in terms of canon events, as the main focus will always be Sun, Blake, Ilia, and now, Neptune. It sucks being chained to canon events for volumes 1-3 since this started in 4, but that was more an oversight that I didn't foresee when this story began, since it was originally a much shorter project. The one coming after this story concludes will fix that problem.

Next update on Monday.

-RD