Sun had always found that he had important revelations when they were as inconvenient as possible, and often after stumbling around in the dark and looking for answers for inordinate amounts of time. Since he had developed the unfortunate habit of giving in to anger and letting it guide his words, he had assumed that the source was a protective urge in regards to Blake, and perhaps, the faunus race in general. While that was certainly still a part of it, Sun hadn't even considered that there could be more to it- some other factor that made the difference between simmering, slow-growing annoyance and immediate rage. That other factor clicked in the forefront of his mind out of nowhere just as Cinnamon finished speaking. Though the realization came instantaneously, it was still too slow to stop his mouth from outpacing his brain.

It was at that moment that Sun realized he hated being talked down to more than almost anything else in the world.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" the boy seethed, clenching his teeth. "You still think you're some kind of mastermind, after everything that's happened?"

"Sun," Ilia warned with a cautionary glance.

"No, I've had enough of this already," Sun insisted as he took a step forward. "You're backed into a corner. Watts and his underlings are probably suspicious of you after Ilia contacted you, you're firmly in Salem's grasp without us throwing you a line, and even now that we have, you're still the worst kind of criminal," Sun continued as he took another step forward and thrust a finger toward Cinnamon. "You tried to kill Weiss. You almost killed Corsac, your own subordinate and a fellow faunus, despite claiming you refuse to hurt them. You threatened all of us with the notion that Kali could be in danger if we didn't play your little games. You're nothing but a fucking hypocrite! More than that- you're nothing, even though you have the skills to be someone. Look where you are now, and see where all of your lies, bullshit, and scheming has gotten you… and then maybe rethink whether or not you should be a smug, condescending asshole to the only two people willing to pull you back up!"

Ilia closed her eyes and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"…Cin… Sun has been through a l-"

"Are you done?" Cinnamon asked, paying her former comrade no mind as she glared daggers at Sun. Despite her narrowed eyes, her tone was even, flat, and unreadable. "Or do you have more to get off your chest?"

"…yeah," Sun answered, nodding his head before cracking his neck to the side. "There is one other thing- your sacrifice of your position as High Leader to play double agent against Salem? We didn't forget it. We understand it. But that doesn't absolve you of all the shit you've pulled. That doesn't make up for the fact that we trusted you against every natural instinct only for you to put knives in our backs. You're doing good for Remnant… but you've done nothing for us but make our lives more difficult throughout the worst scenario imaginable. The only good you did for our side was in roundabout ways that ultimately ended up serving you. You're selfish, arrogant, and you don't deserve an escape… but I came here tonight with Ilia to offer you one anyway, because we need you, and because I'm a better person than to let someone who needs help just… rot."

"I see," Cinnamon said tersely. "Then I hope you're proud of how good of a person you are, and how much better you are than me… because that fact won't get you anything more than a stroked ego, Wukong. I think it's time for a wake-up call. Drop it."

"Drop it?" Sun asked, suddenly feeling as though he was in danger.

Without any advance warning, the flaming dust within the barrel went out. More accurately, it disappeared. All heat was sucked out of the room in an instant, and it wasn't until then that Sun noticed he had been shivering the entire time. The lights in the kitchen simply vanished as though they had never been there, and an odd, feathery sensation brushed up against the side of his neck. Sun didn't even have to look to figure out that the source of the sensation was one of Cinnamon's spines as he watched her disappear from just a few feet in front of him. Even so, he turned his eyes to the side to see the woman's face mere inches from his own. Her arm was raised between them, and all three of the spines upon it were primed and aimed at various points along Sun's throat.

"Trust is a funny thing."

"Don't you dare," Ilia threatened as she moved her hand toward the whip attached to her belt.

"No. Put it on the ground."

Ilia's eyes flicked to the side to find a pair of matte green firearms pointed at her head. She didn't recognize the woman holding them, nor did she understand where the figure came from so suddenly. Reluctantly, Ilia unlatched her whip and tossed it to the floor before putting her hands up.

"…fuck," Sun cursed as he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Should've known we wouldn't be the only pair here…"

"Yes, you should have," Cinnamon agreed as she kept the tip of a spine just beneath Sun's chin. "You could do with a lesson about trust, Wukong."

"And what's that? Trust no one?" Sun said mockingly as he opened his eyes to meet Cinnamon's once again. "Live a miserable life assuming I'm alone in the world to keep myself safe? Act like my friends are just as bad as you, because hey, you never know when someone might turn on you? You can preach whatever you want- I'll never be as cynical and pathetic as you!"

"Sun!" Ilia hissed. "Could you maybe not push her while we're literally under the gun!?"

"You're probably right," Cinnamon said, sounding almost bored. "And I honestly hope you never will be. The lesson is one that I learned only recently, and it's one that I want to make sure you understand fully before we proceed. Be careful who you trust, Sun. You have zero reason to trust me, and that's why you ended up in this compromising position. Put the guns down, Emerald."

"What?" Sun asked, taken aback. "What's going on?"

"Now, Emerald."

Sun watched in confusion as Cinnamon backed off and walked ahead of him to the rusted metal barrel. The woman withdrew a crystal of fire dust from her belt before striking it against the edge of the metal and tossing it inside, providing real light and warmth to the kitchen. Ilia was equally perplexed as Emerald holstered her guns and moved to lean against a nearby wall, folding her arms. Cinnamon hopped up to take a seat on the counter, letting her legs dangle just above the ruined tile floor of the kitchen as she kept her eyes on the barrel. There was a moment of silence as Sun and Ilia both tried to figure out what to say before the chameleon spoke first.

"…Emerald," Ilia repeated. "You warned us about her."

"Yeah, I did," Sun agreed as he gave the aforementioned woman a suspicious glance. "We can talk about her later, but… bad news. As bad as Cinnamon, if not worse."

"…that's reassuring," Emerald snarked. "Nice to see you, too. Look, I'm not exactly thrilled with what Salem's doing, s-"

"You helped bring down Beacon," Sun interrupted. "Don't give me that line of bullshit."

"For reasons I wouldn't expect you to understand!" Emerald tried.

"Enough," Cinnamon said authoritatively as she raised a hand. "We're losing focus, and we don't have much time before Watts does become suspicious enough to make a move we can't possibly predict. I have a lot to say, but… I don't actually expect either of you to give a shit, so lay out your terms. Why did you contact me? What are you planning, and what's your offer? Or rather, what is Ironwood's offer?"

"…no," Ilia denied as she moved into the kitchen and stood before Cinnamon. "I want to hear everything you have on your mind, even if Sun doesn't."

"Why?" Cinnamon asked, looking annoyed.

"Because you were my friend," Ilia emphasized. "Or at least, the closest thing I had to one in the Fang after Blake left me. Yes, we barely knew each other on any sort of deep, personal level, but… you want to talk trust? You trusted me with a lot, both officially and when we started working against Adam together. I trusted you with my life more than once. And then, you just… you knew where I stood. You knew I was throwing in with Sun, and you almost got him killed. I chose my side, and I thought you were still on it. Why weren't you? Because you wanted power? Was I just another pawn in your eyes?"

"…because I didn't trust you," Cinnamon answered in an exhausted tone as she brought a hand up to her forehead. "Any of you. I don't expect either of you to understand or care, but the things I've done are all for a reason. I've learned over time that even though that reason is a good one… keeping all of you at arm's length and knowing deep down that I wasn't really invested in your little group wasn't a good move. Broad strokes of logic can't be applied to specific people, especially when those people are demonstrably against the grain you've been following your entire life. I just refused to accept that a notion that you were decent people with no strings attached could be true, and now, I'm paying for it."

"…what does that even mean?" Sun asked as he threw his hands up. "Seriously- I don't even understand what you're trying to say, or why you just… gave up your advantage over us. You had us right where you wanted us. Stop talking in circles."

"I'm not," Cinnamon replied as she lowered her hand back to the edge of the countertop. "I've wanted to believe that you and yours were indeed doing what's best for Kuo Kuana, and later, Remnant at large… but I just couldn't allow myself to do so. Not entirely. I've accused you of failing to commit and follow through more than once, Wukong. In truth, I'm guilty of exactly the same thing because of my own hang-ups and flaws."

"…how do you not follow through?" Ilia asked as she bent low to pick up her whip, keeping her eyes on Emerald as she did so. The other woman didn't react at all, and so, Ilia moved to stand next to Sun as she turned her attention back to Cinnamon. "You don't hesitate for anything. You see your target and pull the trigger, even if it ends up resulting in friendly fire."

"It may seem that way to an outsider, but… not quite," Cinnamon began. "I did try to kill Weiss by proxy… but I also sent Adam in without proper intelligence because I was legitimately against him, and unsure if I could actually justify Weiss' murder in my own mind. I never meant for you to get caught up in that, Sun, and I had no idea what outcome I actually wanted other than for a problem to be taken off the board, no matter which it ended up being. I also saved your life earlier- Adam was going to cut you down in the town square of Kuo Kuana before I stopped him from drawing his sword."

"…I… can't deny that," Sun admitted. "But what about Corsac? You broke your own 'rule' by throwing him into the ocean."

"I did," Cinnamon agreed as she turned her attention to Ilia. "For your sake. Almost as… a sort of twisted apology. He tried to kill you, Amitola. He played a part in Ghira's death, which was something else I regretted being unable to stop. You're telling me Corsac is alive?"

"Yeah," Sun answered. "We pulled him out of the ocean on the way to Mantle. He's got a new lease on life, and he's working with us, now. He's renounced the White Fang entirely."

"…good," Cinnamon replied. "That's… good."

"Good?" Ilia asked.

"He's as much a victim as you or I," Cinnamon explained as she dragged a spine under her nail. "None of us are innocent. Some are less innocent than others… but his crimes against you were born of passion stemming from the death of his brother. Had I done more to stay the course alongside you all, he could have been brought around alongside me. His standing with you is proof of that."

"This is… not how I was expecting this to go," Sun said hesitantly. "And while I hear what you're saying, I'm… still pretty pissed at you. All of us are."

"…we are," Ilia confirmed with a weary sigh. "This isn't all just going to go away with one conversation, no matter how sorry you are. The damage you did reaches pretty far…"

"I'm aware," Cinnamon acknowledged with a shrug. "You both already know what else I've doing- working with you to save Haven, sending Yuma to tell you about Watts and Scarlet, working as a double agent against Salem, and handing over the Fang to Kali. I don't anticipate that being enough to make up for things when our conflicts are so personal. And that… is my fault entirely. Even so, I think my actions should have made it abundantly clear that as of now, I'm all-in on fighting Salem and saving Remnant, no matter what it takes. I've given up nearly everything I can to help you from the inside. I plan to continue that trend, no matter what you think of me. This isn't about either of you when it comes to the plan for fighting Salem."

"Now here's where I jump in," Emerald announced as she pushed off the wall and walked forward, keeping her distance from both Sun and Ilia. "What exactly is the plan from here? I know you wanted to make some sort of amends with these two, but the reality is… we're still totally fucked, whether you do or not. We can't just explain this away to Watts. You saw how on edge he was this morning."

"That's the fun part- you won't have to deal with Watts," Cinnamon said as she slid off the counter and dusted her palms together. "I've decided I actually don't really care what Ironwood's original terms or instructions were supposed to be for my extraction. I'm making my own, in exchange for a different trade entirely. Wukong, Amitola- take Emerald with you. Get her out of this mess while the opportunity is available to us."

"What?"

All three voices called out at once, and a quick succession of confused looks was exchanged.

"You heard me. If Ironwood was offering asylum, or even confinement in exchange for my services, the answer is no. Take Emerald away from this, and I'll do whatever tasks he requests moving forward. Those are my terms."

"What are you doing?" Emerald growled. "What the hell is this? We barely know each other!"

"I know that I like you, and I know that there's hope for you, from what conversations we've had thus far," Cinnamon explained with a wave of her hand. "I've made my bed… and I've still got a few corners to tuck before the sheets are to my liking. Take this opportunity and get out. Take this with you."

"What's that?" Sun asked as he watched Cinnamon kick a briefcase along the tile floor with her foot.

"Watts had us rig a few signal towers," Cinnamon explained. "For what, I don't know… but he sent us out to compromise another one. You all might be able to reverse engineer the technology and use it against him."

"Our signal towers are compromised?" Sun asked, feeling a sense of dread. "Shit. We need to know which ones, like now."

"Emerald can tell you," Cinnamon insisted as she headed toward the door.

"Wait," Sun ordered. "Even if you don't care about what Ironwood wants… where are you going? Back to Watts? What are you going to tell him about Emerald? What if he knows we contacted you?"

"He likely does," Cinnamon answered as she turned around and leaned against the doorframe. "So I'm going to procure a load of dust that Emerald and I stole from local S.D.C. shops. Watts is unaware that we have it, and if he's around… I'll put an end to him before bringing that dust to you. Consider it a personal favor."

"…why didn't you just do that before coming here?" Ilia asked. "And you're seriously just going to walk away without hearing our side of things?"

"Because I fully expect some sort of failsafe to be in place that may put my life in danger," Cinnamon answered. "There are grimm down in the sewers waiting for Watts' command, and I know he has at least one with him at our safehouse. I also don't know exactly what he's capable of, and I didn't want to endanger Emerald. Watts and Scarlet are both relative unknowns. If I'm doing this, I'm doing it alone."

"No, you're not," Sun warned. "You just told us that you regret not putting more faith in us, and that your own stubborn refusal to see the good in other people and trust them is what got you into this mess. I'm coming with you."

"Sun?" Ilia asked, looking worried. "But…"

"No buts," Sun denied. "Emerald… you're also in on fighting against Salem?"

"Yeah," Emerald answered with a nod. "I can't do this anymore. I'd rather be in a cell than helping her destroy Remnant entirely."

"You won't be in a cell," Sun replied. "You'll be on the front lines, with us. I don't care what Ironwood has to say about it- we'll bring him around. Ilia, take her with you, and get answers at Robyn's H.Q as per Ironwood's request while Cinnamon and I deal with Watts and Scarlet. We do this quickly, and we do this without alerting the others… otherwise we might get told that none of this is happening. As long as we get results, it'll all work out. As for the briefcase, I'll… I'll make a call to Clover, and we'll leave it here as a dead drop. We'll explain why later."

Cinnamon merely shook her head before turning to the door and beckoning Sun to follow her.

"Right. Let's get this done, then. You're unbelievable…"

"You'll learn to appreciate it," Sun said with a smirk as he made his way out the door of the small home.

"I meant it in a good way…"

Author's Note:

Ruby's on the way to the most meaningful brawl in the story so far, Sun and Cinnamon are headed for a showdown with Watts, and Emerald and Ilia are staging a break-in.

It's going to be a long night.

-RD