It had been a long time since Lil' Miss Malachite's fan had bothered to flutter before her face as it so often did. Sometime during Blake's explanation of the events leading to her trip to Argus and all that came before, the cloth implement had closed permanently for the night. A while after that, it had found its way down to the surface of the table to remain untouched thereafter. Later on, the woman's posture had sunken into her chair until she looked dangerously close to simply sliding off the seat and disappearing beneath the table. Lil' Miss Malachite wasn't the only one who had seemingly had the life sucked out of them- most of her henchmen had also reacted badly to the tale. Some were holding their heads, while others were nervously fidgeting in their seats. One was pacing back and forth, and another leaned up against the wall, appearing faint.

"We can't let the lamp fall into her hands," Blake emphasized. "We need to get to Atlas as soon as possible to support our friends and General Ironwood. Salem is almost definitely planning to make her move soon, and once she does… stopping her is going to be that much harder, if not impossible. If she gets her hands on a single relic, the entire war might become unwinnable."

"And if that happens, I don't think I need to explain to you that the good times are over for all of us," Daisuke added. The faunus was leaned back in his chair, his feet crossed atop the edge of the table as he kept his hands behind his head. His thick tail kept him from tumbling backward as he subtly rocked the chair back and forth. "Cin left me as High Leader before we merged with Kali's forces. Whether or not I still am is… murky, at best, but I propose a truce between our factions. Not every day that Remnant itself is at stake."

"…I have a few questions, first," Lil' Miss Malachite announced, all of the usual bravado and haughtiness absent from her voice.

"Shoot," Blake replied.

"If what you've said about Salem is true…" the woman began hesitantly, "…then what can I even offer you other than bodies to buy time? If she's the menace you think she is, there ain't gonna be much any of us can do to stand up to her other than hold off grimm while y'all figure a way into Atlas."

"That may be all we need," Blake agreed. "But whether or not you back us up, it's only a matter of time before you find yourselves on the front lines. The longer we wait, the worse our chances get."

"On that note," Neptune said as he raised a finger. "There is one other thing you could do for us- whether we go alone or have the Draglines as backup… we need rest. Charging into battle right now isn't a great idea. We've been on the road… and the sea… for a few days, now. Even if you can only provide us with a place to stay for the night, you'd be doing a great deal for the war effort."

"That, I can do," Lil' Miss Malachite reassured. "Beyond that, though… jury's out. I'll wait to hear back from my boys that your story holds water. If there's a giant grimm hanging over Argus, I think they'll make it a priority to tell me."

"You're not going to hear anything," Blake cautioned. "There's some sort of signal jamming going on, seemingly from Argus itself. Unless they can get there and back overnight without being seen, chances of getting any sort of confirmation are low."

"You're just going to have to trust us," Neptune offered. "Think about it this way- if we're right, then you get some credit for helping save Remnant. If we're wrong… then your whole gang is right there in Argus with the High Leader of the White Fang and a good excuse to take him as a captive."

"…thanks," Daisuke said sarcastically with a wave of his hand. "Though honestly, whatever. I know we're right."

Lil' Miss Malachite finally picked her fan back up, though she didn't bother to flick it open.

"I'll think on it. For now… just get upstairs and get some rest. Failing that, munitions are in the bunker downstairs. Get some target practice in."

Blake eyed the trapdoor, only for Neptune to lean into her field of view.

"No. At least try to get some sleep."

Blake rolled her eyes and let out a defeated sigh as she stood up from the table.

"…I'll try… but I'm not making any promises."

No matter how dire the circumstances had been since joining up, Mercury hadn't felt like he was literally fighting for his life since before his time with Salem. There was a feral quality to Raven's strikes despite how clearly controlled they were, and Mercury couldn't help but feel as though each was aimed to kill. Time after time, he barely managed to sidestep vertical blows or catch her blade with his metal boots before blasting it back with a quick burst of aura from his weaponized heels. Mercury had no idea how long he had been fighting, but he could feel himself gradually slipping. Something needed to happen between Neopolitan or Hazel's efforts. If it didn't, he knew that he might not survive the encounter.

"You're young," Raven observed as she sheathed her sword, the dust-imbued blades within the scabbard whirring and shifting as she prepared to draw once again. "Academy aged?"

"And you're holding back," Mercury accused as he hopped backwards, keeping his fists up and lifting one leg off the ground in a ready stance. "Is that why?"

"What gives you that impression?" Raven asked as she circled her prey.

Mercury opened his mouth to reply only to see a bright yellow spark in midair some distance away, where Neopolitan and Taiyang were trading blows. A red streak flew up to chase them, only for shards to rain down through the sky as Neopolitan reappeared in the road.

"…you could've killed me several times over," Mercury said cautiously as he circled in the opposite direction, doing his best to stall for time. "You're a member of Team STRQ. They're local legends. That, and you're a Maiden, aren't you?"

Raven's eyes pulsed a threatening red as flames erupted from their corners in an ephemeral pulse.

"…there's only one way you could possibly have that information," Raven spat. "You just made a major tactical error, little boy."

Mercury narrowed his eyes as he tried to keep up with Raven's logic. Once he realized just what she meant, he nearly tripped over his own feet. It was then that Raven rushed forward, drawing her blade with lightning speed. Mercury rebalanced and lifted a leg, well aware that he was too slow to prevent the incoming fatal blow. Just as Raven got within range to put an end to the fight, his entire field of vision was engulfed by a red portal. The searing energy momentarily blinded him, and just as quickly as the dimensional door had appeared, it faded away. In a split second, it had reappeared just behind Neopolitan as she was trapped in a deadlock with Ruby.

"Neo!" Mercury called as he broke into a sprint.

The warning came too late for Neopolitan to react. As the diminutive girl turned her head to look over her shoulder, she found Raven already in close. A silent scream escaped her as she felt electricity jolt through her system, her aura bursting while she fell to the ground and rolled. Her umbrella slipped from her grasp upon impact, and the tines of Taiyang's trident shot out to pin the weapon to the ground. It was only a second before Neopolitan found herself pinned as well by a red streak that burst into rose petals the moment it reached her.

"Listen to me!" Ruby cried as she placed her knees upon Neopolitan's arms to keep them secured to the road. She sank her entire body weight into her opponent as she rummaged through her combat skirt for Neopolitan's scroll. "Torchwick is alive, and he's working with us!"

Neopolitan clenched her teeth and began to struggle. Just as she readied herself to lurch forward into a headbutt, she found a saffron blade leveled at her forehead from above and behind her.

"Don't resist," Raven ordered. Her eyes snapped upward and she nodded to the direction behind Ruby as she watched Mercury move ever closer. "Taiyang. Handle him. Put that thing on speakerphone, Ruby."

Ruby nodded and placed Neopolitan's scroll down into the girl's hand as she stood up and wrenched her scythe out of the dirt. The device began to ring as sounds of an ensuing brawl broke out behind her. Neopolitan held her breath, refusing to break eye contact with Ruby as she waited.

"Neo! You're safe…"

The change in Neopolitan's facial expression was immediate, shifting from anger to an overwhelming tangle of emotions. Raven lifted her blade away from the girl's face and allowed her to sit up as she listened, holding the device in her lap.

"There's a lot I wanna say when I see you again, but listen to me right now- Ruby ain't my favorite person in the world, but she's not who you should be targeting. She's not the reason we ended up involved in this tangle of shit."

"Cinder is," Raven jumped in as she sheathed her sword. "And she's alive."

"What?" Ruby asked, taken aback.

"What? Ruby, you said she was killed in the vault…"

"I have it on good authority that she wasn't," Raven answered as she stooped low to pick up the fallen parasol. "I'm as surprised as all of you are. Mercury just let it slip. Neopolitan- if you want Cinder's head, she's on our list. You've chosen the wrong side."

"Did you even get to choose?" Ruby asked as she stared down her fallen assailant.

Neopolitan didn't blink as she shook her head. Despite her efforts to maintain a brave face, she flinched as Ruby thrust out a gloved hand.

"Neither did we. None of us got to choose where we are in this conflict… but I'm willing to let you. Normally, we wouldn't be so immediately forgiving, but… we don't have time for this. We're staring down the end of Remnant, and everyone fighting back against it makes a difference. We'll make sure that Cinder is put in the ground, alongside Salem… and that you'll be reunited with Torchwick as soon as possible."

"Do it," Roman ordered over the line. "We'll see each other again soon. For now, help Ruby. Just trust me. I wouldn't steer you wrong."

"On that note, we've gotta go," Raven said as Taiyang and Mercury's fight grew closer. "We're still in the shit!"

"Text me when things have settled down," Roman replied. "Right now, I'm just… glad to know you're still alive. See you soon, kid."

Neopolitan placed the scroll into her pocket as the call disconnected. She took the parasol as Raven offered it forward and gave Ruby a silent stare. A moment later, she gripped the other girl's hand and pulled herself up. Neopolitan yanked Ruby toward her and flew forward past the other girl with the momentum, drawing her sword from the umbrella's shaft as she ran toward the figures of Taiyang and Mercury. The timing was such that Neopolitan caught Merceury's eyes as he landed in a crouched pose after flipping backward off of Taiyang's trident. She leveled her sword at the boy's face from mere feet away.

"Neo…?"

Neopolitan was relieved that none of the others rushing up to her from behind could see the remorseful expression upon her face as Mercury gave her one of shock.

"What?" the teen asked as he slowly stood up. "You're… with them?"

Neopolitan merely nodded as a full auto hail of gunfire erupted somewhere far behind her, followed by the sounds of several trees toppling. Mercury was momentarily distracted by the spectacle that only he could see, and he took a hesitant step backward at the sight. It gave Neopolitan just enough time to rush forward, leveling her sword for his throat. She waited until his attention was back on her to strike.

Neopolitan kept the motion slow and clumsy, allowing her former comrade to dodge as she gave him one last, meaningful look. She could only pray that he understood her intention. More bullets ricocheted off the trees in the nearby forest, and the sounds of footsteps thundered toward Neopolitan and Mercury. Predictably, the noises were followed by an inhuman howl and the rustling of foliage.

"Shit! Grimm on the way!" Taiyang called as Ruby, Raven, Cardin, and Oscar approached. "Neopolitan, pull back! He's got reinforcements coming!"

Neopolitan did as instructed, hopping backward and sheathing her sword. Mercury took two slow steps backward and then made a break for the trees.

"Hazel fled to the forest," Oscar said breathlessly as he doubled over. "Coco and Fox tried to pursue, but there's a pack of grimm encircling us. We need to leave. Now."

"We can take 'em," Cardin boasted. "Gotta clear 'em out sometime or another."

"No," Oscar said icily as Coco pulled her truck up beside him. "We have an objective… and it is now abundantly clear that the resort is compromised and may have already been lost. It's not terribly far from here, and we'll have a slight advantage if we can beat Hazel and Mercury there. Neopolitan- you're with us?"

Neopolitan gave the boy a curt nod, though she kept her eyes away from his own.

"She is," Ruby confirmed as Taiyang climbed into his truck and revved the engine. "We've got to get there as quickly as possible. Right now, we have a numbers advantage. Let's use it, people."

Neopolitan felt her scroll vibrate as she hopped up into the vehicle, and she withdrew it to find a fresh string of messages coming through one by one.

Good luck out there.

I'm not heading back to the resort. Hazel's on his own.

Thanks for giving me a chance. I don't get it just yet, but thanks.

Neopolitan lurched forward as the truck took off, accelerating rapidly. She gave Ruby a sidelong glance before composing her reply, unsure how to feel.

Where will you go?

Quite some time passed as Neopolitan stared at her scroll. She wasn't sure why she cared, but she couldn't deny that she did.

I don't know… but I'll figure it out. Always have. There's too much up in the air, and I don't like where this is going. I've got nobody right now. I told Emerald that Salem and Cinder don't give a shit about us, and I've known that for a long time. I just figured they were the safer bet. Now, I've got a window. I'm taking it.

Neopolitan scrunched up her face. She could tell that Ruby was looking her way, though she couldn't see the other girl's expression.

"…Roman's… not a bad guy," Ruby tried. "He just got in over his head. I don't know why you two do what you do, but based on how he's been acting lately… I'm confident that he's got some good in him. I know that he's got his heart in the right place. I hope that's true for you, as well."

Neopolitan spared Ruby a glance only to find the other girl visibly nervous. She decided to just shake her head before returning to Mercury's texts.

You've got me. I'll see what I can accomplish with this crowd to get you to safety. Good luck to you, too.

Author's Note:

Allegiances are crumbling and forming while lines are being drawn… but does anyone actually see where they are? And what will happen to those who fall outside those invisible lines…

-RD