"C'mon, guys, we've got this," Ruby said cheerfully as she collapsed Crescent Rose and slung the weapon back into its place upon her belt. The cloud of ashes that had been a beowulf before her swirled into nothingness in short order, and she cracked her fingers outward while thrusting her palms ahead of herself.

"No one is saying we don't," Ren offered calmly as he spun his weapons back into their holsters. "However, you seem… a bit off. Weary. Is something on your mind?"

Ruby laughed nervously as she began to walk once again, her party falling in line behind her.

"Well… yeah, there is one thing. But maybe I'm just not getting enough sleep. It's been rough, out here in the w-"

"Spill it," Nora interrupted as she increased her pace to walk at Ruby's side. "No secrets. We're a team, and I mean that in the purest sense of the word- not just a school sense. What we're doing is big. Huge. Maybe never been done in hundreds of years, for all we know. We need to take care of each other, and that means keeping track of everyone's mental states. Letting things build and build until they explode could cost lives," she finished with a meaningful look at Ren. The boy returned it with a guilty one of his own, before averting his eyes into the tree line.

"I think Nora's right," Oscar said softly as he moved to walk at Ruby's other side. "Even if it's something you don't want to say out loud… maybe we can help you through it, or at least help you cope."

Ruby let out a long sigh before coming to a halt and slowly wiping a hand along her brow. She shook her head, and then finally turned to face her friends with a look of apprehension.

"What if… what if we fail?"

"Here we go," Sage muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm being serious," Ruby snapped. "What if we don't find Raven? What if I can't convince her to work with us? She looked like she wanted nothing to do with me at Haven, and from what Yang told me about what happened down in the vault… I don't know if she'll stand with us."

"If we fail, then we fail," Sage said simply as he adjusted his grip on the massive sword slung across his shoulder. "And then we pick ourselves back up and find a new direction. We're hunters. 'swhat we do. Worst case scenario, we figure out what we can do to make a difference in Vale, and once we run outta reason to stay, we head for Atlas. Ain't like we don't know where everyone's at."

"I think… Sage might be right," Oscar reassured. "We're doing the best we can in a terrible situation, and even Professor Ozpin thinks that this is our best bet. We should hope that things work out for the best, but if they don't… we reassess and create a Plan B."

Ruby gave Oscar a conflicted look, and her shoulders slumped a bit.

"I know, and I do think that what we're doing is worth the risk, but I just… I would feel a lot better if there was a Plan B. Even a rough idea. Something that will help me feel like this isn't a complete waste of time and splitting of resources if the most likely outcome is what we end up with," Ruby explained.

"…you know, I've been thinking," Ren said softly as he leaned up against a tree and folded his arms across his chest. "Regardless of whether or not we do find Raven and your father… would it not be worthwhile to check on Beacon, while we're here? I th-"

"No."

Ruby's eyes widened as her stomach dropped at the cold, unfamiliar voice that interrupted Ren's suggestion. She slowly looked over to Oscar as the others did the same, only to find that the boy was glaring daggers at Ren. His unoccupied hand was clenched into a tight fist, while the other gripped the head of his cane hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Professor…?" Ruby tried, only for Oscar's cold, judgmental gaze to snap to her.

"We are not returning to Beacon Academy, under any circumstances," the boy warned, his voice deep and full of authority. "The risk is too great, and bringing a relic, even a fake one, will likely draw attention from Salem that the school cannot handle in its current state. There is no reason to return Beacon. We make an attempt to find Taiyang and Raven, and should we fail, we head for Atlas. End of discussion."

"…not end of discussion," Nora sneered as she put her hands on her hips and began to circle Oscar. "Why are you acting so hostile, when we're just trying to help? Ren's suggestion makes a lot of sense- shouldn't we at least stop in to let the other professors know that you're alive? What about telling them what we're doing with the relics? Don't you think it's important that those who need to know… you know. Know?"

"Glynda has specific instructions in the event of my demise, and she should expect me to have reincarnated by now," Oscar said coldly. "To 'check in' on them would be a waste of time, a-"

"A waste of time?" Nora spat. "What about giving people hope is a 'waste of time'? Don't you care about how the defenders at Beacon are feeling right now? They're shouldering just as much of a burden as we are, if not more!"

"Of course I care!" Oscar roared. "But I also care that we gather powerful allies for the coming storm. I agreed to this plan of Sun's because, quite honestly, without Raven and Taiyang, we may not stand a chance against Salem, and the more time we waste, the more power she gains! Rebuilding Beacon will mean nothing if we don't make the most of the window we're buying with transporting this counterfeit relic, and reunite with General Ironwood! You have no idea of the forces we're playing with!"

"Then tell us," Sage replied with a shrug. "Or do you have another reason for not going back to Beacon Academy? Seems like it'd take all of a day to let them know you're alive and coordinate their efforts with ours. If Beacon itself means nothing, then let's grab the professional huntsmen and huntresses from the school, bring 'em to Atlas, and bolster our defenses. We've got no reason not to."

The rest of the group fell silent as Oscar inhaled sharply through his nose and closed his eyes while pinching between his temples.

"…we head for Patch, and then Atlas. There will be no further discussion."

The boy lurched forward suddenly as a sickly green flashed out from beneath his closed lids. He let out a cry of surprise as he stumbled forward and used his cane to support himself while his knees trembled.

"Guh… s-sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for," Ruby insisted as she approached and crouched down to put a hand on Oscar's shoulder. "We know it isn't you."

"Y-yeah," Oscar replied as he took in a series of panicked breaths. "Every time he forces himself in, it feels harder to come back. Please… try not to upset him."

Ruby stood straight and gave Sage a serious look as she dropped her hand back to her side.

"…take point. I'll handle our rear guard. Move out, people."

Sage quirked a brow and nodded with a grunt of indifference.

"So, we're just pretendin' nothing odd happened, then? That's cool."

Ruby watched for a moment as Sage began to walk, and then patted Oscar on the arm.

"Stay close to him and focus on breathing. I'll have your back," Ruby offered with a smile.

Oscar returned the gesture and moved to walk behind Sage. Ruby let the pair of boys get ahead before she made a beckoning gesture to Ren and Nora, and took out her scroll. They both took out their devices as well, and Ruby began to lead the trio as she tapped out a quick message to both of them

"Whether or not we find Raven, we're going to Beacon."

Ruby stole a glance over her shoulder as she hit the 'Send' button. Mere seconds later, Ren and Nora looked up from their screens and gave her a pair of firm nods.

Cinnamon swirled the plastic stick within her freshly made cocktail as she looked across the table at Blake and Neptune. Neither of them said a word as they waited, clearly uncomfortable. Blake's ears were flat to her skull, and Neptune had resigned to resting his weapon in his lap to afford himself more coverage than his boxers provided.

"…oh, don't look so glum," Cinnamon teased. "Honestly, you should be happy to see me. I wasn't planning on setting foot in Kuo Kuana ever again, after what happened here just before the assault on Haven."

"You just said you have a line to Salem," Blake replied coldly. "What do you want from us? Why are you here? Is she protecting you, now, so you can try to boost the Fang up above us before we even get started?"

Cinnamon raised a brow and put up a hand while bracing her elbow upon the table.

"Blake- stop. You have entirely the wrong idea. When your mother and Qrow get here, I'll explain everything. I'm only going to ask you for one simple favor, and to be honest… even that will be for your benefit. If anyone here should be upset, it's me," she finished with a scowl.

"I don't see how that's even possible," Blake grumbled. A sudden hand upon her shoulder caused her to jump, and she instinctively raised a fist before slowly unclenching her fingers as Neptune cowered back.

"Whoa, hey!" he whined as he dropped his guard. "Calm down! Let's just… hear her out, okay? She can't take all five of us."

Cinnamon simply rolled her eyes as the stairs on the far side of the room began to creak. Amaya led the procession of adults down into the bar proper, with Kali in her bathrobe and Qrow in a pair of pajama pants and a sleeveless white t-shirt trailing behind.

"What is this?" Kali asked immediately as she folded her arms across her chest and took the chair beside her daughter. "Why are you here, Cinnamon? You told me we would have loose lines of communication at best, and honestly? I'm a little tired of your bravado and insistence on continuing the White Fang, despite everything else going on. We don't need additional stress."

"Nice to see you, too," the woman mocked as she offered the feline faunus a scowl.

"Listen, I'm gonna be the neutral party here, especially since you're asking for me specifically," Qrow offered as he pulled a chair to the side of the table next to Kali. "That tells me this has something more to it than just the White Fang and Black Claw."

"Correct," Cinnamon offered. "It has to do with Salem, and all of our paths moving forward."

"…Salem?" Amaya asked as she mirrored Qrow, pulling up a chair on the side of the table between Neptune and Cinnamon.

"…Amaya, as amazingly generous as you've been… we may need some privacy for this," Qrow warned as he gave the woman a weary look. "These are matters a little beyond what most p-"

Amaya crashed her elbow atop the table and immediately raised a middle finger, accentuated by a fingernail painted in deep purple to match the majority of her hair.

"My bar? My right to eavesdrop. If 'Salem' is some enemy of the Black Claw, then they're my enemy, too. I can fight, and I'm not planning on running a shitty little inn forever. Either pull me in, or get the fuck out of my bar," the woman warned.

"…you. I like you," Cinnamon praised as she offered the bat a smirk before turning her attention back to Qrow. "You've got a band of teenagers with attitude running the show right now, so are you really going to deny another set of hands? After today, especially- we'll need them."

"What is this 'we' you speak of?" Kali asked. "There's us, and there's you, unless something drastic has changed."

"It has," Cinnamon informed. "Adam's been eliminated, and I have a prisoner."

Blake tensed at the mention of Adam's name, and looked up at Kali as her mother's hand immediately rested upon her thigh beneath the table. The two exchanged a brief look of understanding, before Kali nodded sharply.

"…good. What prisoner? Why should we care?"

"Does the name 'Tyrian Callows' mean anything to you?" Cinnamon asked as she swirled her drink with the plastic stick once again.

"…you've got to be kidding me," Qrow spat as he rubbed at his forehead. "Alright, what do you want for him? He and I have a score to settle."

"You misunderstand," Cinnamon replied. "As I said, this is about Salem- I'm not offering a trade. I'm not offering to kill him for you. I'm not offering anything, actually. I'm telling you what I'm about to do, and I'm expecting you to cooperate."

"You don't call the shots," Blake cut in as her ears pulled back and she leaned over the table. "We made a plan at Qrow's house in Mistral, and we all agreed to stick to it to keep the relics safe!"

"Relics…?" Amaya asked, raising a brow. "Yeah, still here, by the way."

"I'll… explain everything to you, after this," Neptune muttered as he leaned in toward Amaya. "Promise."

The bat faunus nodded in response and folded her hands atop the table with a smirk.

Cinnamon raised a hand and ran it through her dreadlocks in an exasperated motion. Suddenly, her face fell, and she let out a noise of frustration before giving Blake and Kali a weary look.

"…listen. I'm almost certainly about to make a move that will benefit all of us, and cost me everything… but I need you to trust me, before I pull the trigger. Can we all just take a step back, remember that we worked together to save Haven Academy and rid the world of Adam Taurus, and commit to doing what's best for Remnant as a whole? This isn't about the White Fang," she added. "After today, there may not be a White Fang."

One of Kali's ears flicked as she raised a brow and tensed up.

"…I'm not convinced that you're not just putting on an act right now to win us over," Kali warned, "but we'll at least listen. What are you planning, and what's stopping you from just going ahead and doing it?"

"One thing, and one thing only," Cinnamon answered before she looked over to Qrow, all of her usual haughtiness and bravado absent from her voice. "How big of a threat is Salem, really? How dire is this about to get, if she gets her hands on the relics?"

Qrow breathed out heavily and folded one leg atop the other, angled parallel to the ground.

"From what Ozpin's told me? If she gets her hands on any of the relics, we're talking a potential end-of-the-world scenario by process of escalation. Granted, I don't know what any of the relics do, but I know they're powerful. The kind of power so great that Oz wouldn't even tell me why they need to be protected, in case I couldn't resist the temptation. He only told me that we can't let them get into her hands, and he went through the trouble of overseeing the construction of all four major academies to hide them," Qrow explained. "So, yeah. If you want my honest answer- this is life or death. Not just for all of us- for Remnant, and it looks like Salem's tired of running recon and shuffling shit around. We're staring down the barrel, and it's our move, right now."

Cinnamon fell silent as she folded her hands in front of her face, her elbows upon the table. She furrowed her brows as she drew in several deep breaths, the spines on one of her arms twitching as she became lost in thought.

"…so, yeah," Amaya said to break up the silence as she slid out of her seat. "I'mma need a fucking drink, now. Anyone e-"

"Yes," the table replied in unison.

"…and not apple juice this time. Please?" Neptune asked, anxiety written all over his face.

Amaya settled for giving the boy a quick nod and touching her hand to his shoulder before retreating behind the bar and beginning to pull down bottles and glasses.

"…then it's settled," Cinnamon said as she dropped her hands into her lap with a sense of finality. "Tyrian came to me and insisted that the Fang serve Salem, on account of a debt that Adam apparently had to her. I managed to take him down and get him into a cage, but it won't be long before I need to make a decision. That decision is going to be that I'm setting him loose, following him to Salem, and feeding you information where and when I can. From here on, I'm your inside woman."

"…you're insane," Qrow replied immediately as he dropped his leg and leaned forward. "That kind of risk isn't something to just throw around lightly, especially when she has no reason to trust you. What's to stop her from killing you and taking the Fang for herself?"

"I have a plan for that," Cinnamon countered. "So far as she'll know, the 'Fang' will be here, in Kuo Kuana, reintegrating with society in the faunus capital and poising themselves to strike at you when you least expect it. In reality… there will be no Fang. They'll be rolled into the Black Claw under my subordinate, Daisuke, and ultimately answer to you," she finished with a look at Kali.

Blake looked over at her mother, her expression filled with unease as she watched the older faunus pale.

"Mom…?"

"…and you think they'll just follow those orders? Upend their entire way of life to help us, here?" Kali asked.

"After what Adam has done to our image? Yes, I do, once I give the order," Cinnamon said coolly. "They'll have no choice. I trust Daisuke to lead them in my stead, and he will ultimately answer to you. You wanted a fifth kingdom, did you not? Salem is now at my doorstep, and I can't fight her, meaning staying in place isn't an option. I can't run forever, nor am I stupid enough to go out in a blaze of glory while accomplishing nothing. So… I'm doing this."

"Doing this would be the kind of risk you can't afford," Qrow warned. "Whether or not we're allies, you're playing with fire, and potentially committing yourself to something you don't fully understand."

"And that's the problem," Cinnamon pointed out. "None of us understand exactly what we're dealing with, in Salem… but you're wrong. There is no 'risk'… because a risk implies a safer option. It's this, join her in earnest, or resist and die. Beacon has fallen. Haven almost fell, and would have, had we not coordinated. Atlas or Shade is next, and if Remnant itself is at stake, then I'm not going to be selfish and jeopardize everything for the sake of sticking to my original plan. There are things that matter more than pride, and more than race. Providing all of you intel and figuring out her next target would be the most helpful course of action for the overall cause, so I'm doing it. Believe me- this is far from what I want. Just be thankful that she sent Tyrian to Mistral, rather than Kuo Kuana."

The room fell silent once again as Amaya returned to the table and set drinks in front of everyone. She returned to her seat without a word and looked around at the others only to find each of them looking upset.

"…what if you're found out?" Neptune asked quietly. "We can't save you."

"I'm not asking to be saved," Cinnamon replied as she slid out from her chair and stood into a stretch. "This is happening, whether you lot like it or not. I'll do my part to plant the Fang in Kuo Kuana and tell Tyrian my supposed 'plan' before following him to Salem. Use my people to fortify the island and prepare for whatever may happen from there. I'll be in touch when I can, but don't expect to hear from me for a while. Who learns what is going to depend largely on where I'm sent. All that I ask, the one thing I need you to do, is treat my people well. Treat them, and especially Daisuke, as equals to you and yours."

Kali let out a defeated sigh and raised her glass before taking a long, slow drink and setting it back down.

"…I don't know what to say, honestly. I'll… do the best I can to put the members of the former White Fang to good use, and make them comfortable here," Kali offered.

"I expect that you will," Cinnamon replied with a nod as she approached the door. "I'm not much for goodbyes, so… 'til next time."

Blake watched with a feeling of dread as Cinnamon disappeared through the door and made her way outside of the building.

"I… I think I need some time alone," she announced before standing up from the table and heading for the staircase.

"…I think I got the gist of it," Amaya said quietly, "but I'm gonna need details, Neptune."

"Yeah," the boy replied as he fidgeted in his seat. "Yeah, I'll… just give me a bit."

"I think we all need some time to process what the hell just happened," Qrow offered as he stood from the table. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"I'll be in my room," Kali followed up as she rose. "I have a lot to think about."

The pair of adults made their way to the staircase in silence, leaving Neptune sitting alone with Amaya. He sucked in a deep breath and shook out his hands in a fit of nervous energy, before locking eyes with the faunus.

"Well… let's see. It all started just before the attack on Haven Academy…"

Author's Note:

Back to Sun's crew next time.

-RD