Roman Torchwick stood alone under the overhang that rested above the main entrance of the mall. Though the sun was just beginning to rise over the distant mountains, no light pierced the heavy veil of thick, dark grey clouds that blanketed the sky. It hadn't been raining even half an hour prior- the storm had rolled in swiftly and unpredictably from the direction of the destroyed lakeside resort. Noisy droplets fell hard in deafening sheets, splattering the pavement of the lot before him and creating pools that looked almost like liquid grimm in the morning darkness.

It was almost as though Nora and Ren were dragging the storm along with them.

Headlights pierced the distant fog, shining through the curtain of rain. The vehicle approached the building with great haste, braking hard and kicking up a torrent of water that very nearly drenched Roman. Instead, the spray ended just before the toes of his boots, and he walked forward toward the edge of the awning to meet the new arrivals.

"What's with the speed? You're not being followed, are you?"

"We don't know," Nora admitted as she stepped out of the passenger side of the truck. The huntress' face looked as though it had been soaked even before being exposed to the rain, and her outfit was covered in dirt and ash. "I don't think so, but… at this point, nothing would surprise me. I can't handle one more thing going wrong right now."

"We'll persevere," Ren encouraged as he came around the vehicle to join her, though his usual stoic tone was less than confident. He looked utterly exhausted and shaken to the core, as though he hadn't slept in days. "We have a duty to carry out, no matter what Salem or her ilk throw at us."

"Yeah we do," Nora agreed as she pulled Mercury out of the truck and to the pavement, his steel legs clanking harshly against the ground.

"…well, well, well," Roman teased with a smirk as he pulled a cigar from his vest pocket and a fire dust crystal from somewhere in his belt. "How the mighty have fallen. P.O.W.?"

"Seems that way," Mercury muttered as he kept his eyes on the ground. "Safer in cuffs than with Hazel and Tyrian. Everyone's fucking lost it. I'm done."

"So that's how it is, huh?" Roman asked over the sound of the rainfall. "Cinder getting 'killed' wasn't enough to make you turn tail and run?"

Mercury looked up, seemingly puzzled by the question.

"This was never about Cinder," the man answered. "She was a means to an end. It was about society."

"Oh, spare me," Nora spat as she walked past both Mercury and Roman and toward the door of the mall. "I don't have the energy for this tonight. Is there any place set up where we can just crash and try to get some sleep? I don't want to think or feel anything right now. I've gone through enough emotions on the ride over alone."

"Third gate on the left," Roman answered as he nodded toward the door. "Mattress store. Worked out better than we could've planned, even if we'd tried. You got bags and shit in the truck?"

"One or two," Ren answered as Nora disappeared into the mall. "I'll ca-"

"Like hell you will," Roman interrupted. "Get inside with your woman; I'll handle this. Sage, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi are already asleep… or staring at the ceiling while trying to fall asleep. Join them and at least try to get a few hours. I'll be joining you shortly, after I call Glynda. We've got a lot to talk about once everyone's up."

"We do indeed," Ren agreed. "Can you handle him?"

Roman chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at Mercury while approaching the truck.

"You could say that, yeah," Roman answered as he pulled open the door of the cab. "I know just the place to throw his ass."

"I won't fight you, so long as I'm hidden," Mercury offered as he watched Ren leave him behind and walk inside. "This is about survival for me. I've got nothing else."

Roman grimaced as he pulled the two duffel bags from the truck only to reveal an item beneath them. He shifted the handles of both bags into a single hand as he reached for the object and pulled it from the seat.

"See… I thought there wasn't much else left for me other than serving out my time one way or another," Roman began as he walked back into Mercury's view holding the bags and the twisted, charred blade of Crescent Rose. "But now? Especially now… I'll be the one putting Cinder in the fucking ground."

Cinder's breathing was ragged as she limped along the fleshy ground that made up the inside of the massive flying grimm hovering in place over Argus. It had taken hours for her wing to heal enough to fly, and the process was an agonizing one. She had lain in the snow, surrounded by grimm and yet utterly alone as she gasped for air and cried out in pain. All the while, she could think only of Neopolitan's hate-filled face. It was an emotion she understood all too well, and one that she carried with her as she continued toward her destination.

Shortly after the mending of Cinder's wounds, an entirely new pain had begun to pulse through her entire body. The source was the result of no bullet, blade, or magic- she was being called. Ever since being granted her grimm arm, there had been instances where Cinder could feel an indescribable pull when Salem desired her presence. It was a biological urging as much as it was a warning- to disobey or delay heightened the sensation until she could barely focus enough to keep breathing manually. Combined with the damage she had sustained from battle, Cinder had to actively focus on simply moving forward lest she succumb to the agony. The sensation grew ever stronger as she got closer to her destination. Cinder knew exactly what she would find in the chamber waiting just behind a membranous door.

The fleshy wall separated down the middle to reveal a darkened chamber with pulsating walls. In the direct center was a chitinous cocoon throbbing to its own disturbing rhythm. As Cinder dragged herself into the chamber, the undulating movement stopped for but a moment before the shell split open in a single clean line. Translucent, pink slime oozed from the wound as the chrysalis burst, thrusting forth a naked, pale figure that fell to the floor in a heap. Cinder watched as Salem remained on the ground, her palms planted into the writhing floor as her shoulder blades covered in dampened, stringy hair rose and fell. The witch's breathing was rattling and obstructed by the fluid responsible for her rebirth, and for a moment, Cinder wondered if she might finally just choke on it.

Part of her hoped the woman would.

Of course, there was no such luck. It took only a few seconds of Salem coughing up fluid and gathering her strength before she could rise to stand, black goo manifesting from seemingly nothing to cover her pale flesh. Her hair creeped up along her shoulders and wound into its typical, bunched style as she locked eyes with Cinder. Salem offered her underling a cold, calculating look, and slowly, the pain burning through Cinder's body began to subside.

"…we are above Argus?" Salem asked, her disorientation from re-forming over such a long distance obvious.

"We are," Cinder confirmed. "Our forces have already begun attacking the city."

"My forces," Salem corrected as she clasped her hands behind her back and walked past Cinder. "Do you have eyes on Qrow Branwen or Yang Xiao Long?"

Even hearing the name "Qrow" was enough to bring Cinder into a rage, though she was pleased that Salem could no longer see her face.

"The huntsman is here," Cinder offered without further clarification. "According to Watts, Yang should be somewhere in Atlas. Likely the Academy."

"Then they escaped here," Salem replied, her words full of fury. "The Spring Maiden and her hangers-on must have come to Solitas… where the real Relic of Knowledge likely also resides."

Cinder tilted her head in confusion, her lower mandibles separating slightly in question.

"…was the lamp not c-"

"A replica," Salem interrupted as she turned around to face Cinder with a look of warning. "Ruby Rose was carrying a convincing duplicate of the lamp. I was close to finding her mother, only to have the opportunity ripped away."

"…then Ruby is here?" Cinder asked, sounding hopeful. "Allow me t-"

Before Cinder could finish her statement, it was ended for her by another bout of searing pain. The Maiden collapsed to her knees as her mouth opened in a silent scream, her wounds all feeling as though they were tearing themselves back open and her flesh was being stretched to its limits. As quickly as the sensation had come, it faded away, leaving her panting and shuddering on the ground.

"You will follow my commands, Cinder," Salem ordered. "Ruby Rose will be dealt with in time, when the moment is right. For now, the priority is seizing Argus… and then we move on to Mantle."

Though Coco Adel was no stranger to throwing up into toilets while stripped down to her underwear, there was usually at least some fun to be had prior to the event. More often than not, alcohol had been involved rather than sickness. For the first time ever, though, Coco found herself purging her stomach due to a combination of stress and adrenaline alone as she kneeled on the tile floor of the infirmary bathroom attached to Fox's room. Seeing her friend in a medically induced coma had done nothing to help her nerves or mood, and the sight of Neopolitan's mangled hand had only compounded the issue. All together, it had been too much for the rising huntress, and she had finally given in the urge she had been fighting for several hours.

"…you gonna be alright?"

Coco let out a sigh and craned her neck to look behind herself, where she found Cardin Winchester standing in the doorway of the bathroom. His chest bandages seemed freshly changed and free of any bloody spots, though his expression was still one of mild discomfort.

"…do you mean right now, or eventually?" Coco asked as she swept a hand through her unnaturally sweaty hair. "I feel like I might pass the fuck out and never wake up again. I just want to sleep, but there's no way in hell that's happening."

"Then don't fight it," Cardin suggested as he leaned into the doorframe. "You've done enough for today… and yesterday, which right now all feels like one big blur. Curl up next to your boyfriend, keep him company, and let the others handle things for once. You might be a celebrity huntress, but no one needs to be a star up here in this situation."

Coco opened her mouth to protest only to feel the telltale burning at the back of her throat once again. She leaned forward just in time to heave a paltry stream of sickness into the toilet once again, her stomach aching as she brought up mostly bile. With a glob of spit as a chaser, Coco wiped her mouth before turning around and facing Cardin as she remained on the floor.

"…I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm the fucking hotness. Can't you see?"

"The hottest around," Cardin said with a roll of his eyes. "What's your plan, then? March upstairs and help with the evacuation of Mantle in a bra and panties? You'll be out cold before the transport hits the ground. You're burning the candle at both ends and trying to shoulder too much."

"You're one to talk," Coco accused. "I don't see you going to bed and letting everyone else handle things, either."

"…because my torso is killing me and I heard what sounded like a horse choking to death from down the hall."

Coco scrunched up her face and let out a sigh.

"Fine. Then… we'll make a pact. We both stay down here until we're in fighting shape again, no matter how much we want to take to the frontlines."

"Deal," Cardin offered. "Salem's still mine, but that's only going to happen if I live to make it to her. This isn't something we can rush, and you and I have done all we can. Besides… Fox needs you right now."

"And I need him," Coco agreed as she shakily got to her feet and pressed on the flush handle. "I need to brush my teeth and shower, and then I'll just… I guess it's time to let go. Does this make us terrible hunters? Or… terrible people?"

Cardin paused to consider the question, finally arriving at a shrug.

"…I know worse in both fields. I used to be worse. No matter what the answer is, at least I'm helping you by intervening, and you're helping me by letting me know you won't do anything stupid."

"Fair enough," Coco agreed with a wave of her hand. "Now get out of here and go lie down."

"Not just yet," Cardin denied as he stepped out of the bathroom and around the corner. "I'm staying here until you're out of the shower."

"Why?" Coco asked as she unclasped her bra and flung it carelessly onto the floor.

"In case you fall," Cardin answered from the other side of the wall as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're shaky just standing up right now."

Coco heaved a sigh as she looked herself over in the mirror. She very much didn't like what she saw.

"Hey… thanks," the huntress said, all pretense of her usual confidence and attitude entirely absent from her voice. "I appreciate it, Cardin. You've changed a lot, for the better."

"I hope so," the younger male answered. "We have to look out for each other going forward. It's the only chance any of us have at surviving this..."

Author's Note:

Fuck Rooster Teeth.

-RD