Heart to Heart

Chapter 5: Plans and Dresses

Weiss wasn't sure this was such a good idea at the moment. She was walking down the streets of Mistral City with Blake on her side. That she was okay with, it was the fact that she was being led by Sun that she wasn't so sure about. Although she had warmed up to the faunus since their first encounter she still wasn't sure what to make of Sun. He always seemed never to take things seriously so when he said he knew a place that could fix the hole in her dress she was a bit skeptical.

Weiss mentally sighed as she really didn't have much choice in the matter. Granted the new funds from Ozpin would help out but this was literally the only clothing she had from home and getting good Atlas dresses would be hard. Not to mention even more expensive since the borders were now closed and that would raise the prices of any Atlas goods.

She tried not to think about what this was doing to her family's company, being the largest dust company in the world and now being totally cut off from all their businesses abroad was not going to be good. At least there were smaller companies that her father hadn't totally destroyed (yet) that could help with the demand. Dust was an important resource, it wasn't just in weapons but it powered all their technology. Dust prices would most likely be rising because of people being unsure if dust products could be transported safely these days.

Maybe she could get in touch with the companies that were not on Atlas as a way to try and gain control of the company on the outside. The problem with that idea was that her father would most likely place those loyal only to him in positions of power so the odds of her trying and succeeding in that were pretty low.

"Man I can't wait to show you guys around," Sun commented to them with a huge grin on his face. "I learned this place like the back of my hand, granted I only was here for a semester and a half but hey that's plenty of time to get to know the place."

"So now that the school is closed at the moment," Blake wondered out loud. "What's going to happen to all of the students?"

Sun shrugged, "Don't know. Haven't heard of anything I'm guessing they'll have to make a new headmaster and then things can start up. My team lives close by so they were going to show up soon for the start of the new semester, not sure what's going to happen with that now."

"Are they still coming or staying home?" Weiss asked.

Sun thought about it, "Well they said they were going to come as soon as I told them what's going on."

"Wait!" Blake grabbed his arm stopping him. "How much did you tell them?"

Sun looked confused until he realized what she was talking about. "Oh…OH! No I didn't tell them the entire story. I know how to keep a secret," then muttered how unlike a certain teammate could. "Anyways it would take forever to tell them and this is the kind of thing that needs to be done in person because they would never believe me."

"Should we tell them?" Weiss asked and seeing their reactions. "It's a big secret and honestly a lot to take in."

"Good point," Sun frowned and then scratched his head. "Well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Always going with the flow huh?" Blake asked him.

"You know it," Sun grinned at her. "Oh hey here we are."

The store didn't look like much, in fact it looked like your average building around them. There was a sign that read 'Dragon Tailors' but not much else. Weiss wasn't so sure about this, her dress was finely made in Atlas but it wasn't like she had much choice.

"Well might as well get this over with," Weiss sighed to herself.

"Hey give the place a chance," Sun told her as he slide the door open. "It may not look it but from what I hear this is the best tailor shop in the entire city."

"Doesn't look too busy," Weiss commented seeing no one in the store except for an elderly woman by the counter.

"Oh there's a reason for that," Sun smirked at her as he led the girls to the counter. "Hey there, my friend here needs her dress fixed."

The old woman was wearing a green Mistral style dress with black highlights, it looked simple to Weiss but it did look well made at least. The woman didn't say anything as her faced was nearly expressionless, long white hair was tied up into a tight bun on the top of her head. Her skin looked weathered as the old woman stretched out her hand.

Weiss hesitantly handed the dress over. "I hope you can keep the damage to a-" she didn't even get to finish. With a blur of motion, she was gone in a flash that put Ruby's semblance to shame as the old woman rushed through a door behind her.

The door swung back and forth as the sounds of a sewing machine was heard before the sounds of scissors and other sounds she couldn't quite place. She wasn't even gone thirty seconds before she was suddenly back and placed the dress back onto the counter. Weiss and Blake blinked in astonishment as Weiss picked up her dress.

"I…I can't even tell where the stitching is," she proclaimed and she was looking very hard.

"Eh-hehehehehe," The old woman laughed the only thing she had said the entire time they had been in the shop.

Blake took a look at the woman more closely, "Do you have a relative that works a noodle shop in Vale?"

The woman didn't do anything other than pick up a cane that was leaning against the counter and picked it up and used it to point. Blake followed the stick and saw a picture on one of the walls. It was of the old woman but there was the noodle shop worker they knew from their time at Beacon. Not only that but there were a lot more members of this particular family of various ages but they all had similar looks.

"Huh…looks like she comes from a big family." Sun commented.

"Eh-hehehehehe," was the tailor's only response with a large toothy grin. She rang up the price and Weiss paid for it. She was glad she had some funds now at least but with the quality of work, she was expecting something more extravagant.

Weiss paid the woman as they left the store, "Well that went quicker than expected."

"So what do we do now?" Blake asked.

"I still need to buy some extra clothing and other items," Weiss sighed. "I only arrived with the clothing on my back and I could use some personal items as well."

"Personal like what?" Sun asked innocently as both girls gave him a look.

"Things I don't need you to know about," Weiss's cheeks flushed.

"Ah, girl stuff. Got it," he nodded not asking anything more. "Well I can at least show you girls to some stores that I know about."

"Thanks Sun," Blake told him.

"Hey I'm the one that's familiar with everything I should be the one to help you girls out finding stuff you need."

"Good then you can also help with carrying what we get," Weiss smirked as she and Blake walked ahead of him.

"Well how much stuff are we talking about?" Sun asked but didn't get an answer back. "Girls? Hey girls, how much stuff?"

-Elsewhere-

Ilia was currently taking some personal space, after everything she had learned she needed a breather. She was leaning on a rail on the outside of the place they were staying at. She was just looking around not really seeing anything lost in her own thoughts. The world had suddenly become a very different place and she was still trying to figure out her own place in it.

She had done many things she was no longer proud of and she had no idea what to do about it. She no longer felt the righteousness of her cause and looking back on everything she was wondering how she had gotten to this point in her life? At first things in the White Fang seemed to be right but over time as things got more and more militant she wasn't so sure. Maybe she had always thought this but because she felt, she had nowhere else to go she had made excuses to justify everything.

Well she couldn't justify it anymore.

Ilia sighed as she just stared out at the city, she knew that the Belladonnas were checking in on the faunus that came with them. They were all in various hotels at least the ones that were staying because of friends or relatives that had been in the White Fang and had been captured. Those members were awaiting trails but those that were staying behind where were to help remind them that they weren't alone and there were people that would help them through this and wait for them for when they got out.

"Oh sorry I didn't know anyone else was up here," a voice caught her attention.

Ilia turned to see the young boy that apparently had two souls living inside of him. "I just needed some time to think."

"Yeah I, kind of get like that too," Oscar commented.

"You seemed pretty confident earlier."

Oscar shrugged. "That was mostly Ozpin, he's the confident one."

Ilia had to ask, she was curious about his whole deal to be honest. "How do you handle it all? I mean the whole truth and having another soul inside of you?"

"Well honestly, I don't always handle it." Oscar leaned on the railing next to her as he looked out at the streets below. "I was just a normal kid living on my Aunt's farm only a couple of months ago. Then all of a sudden I start hearing a voice in my head."

"That had to scary," Ilia commented thinking about that. "I would start freaking out."

"I was thinking I was losing my mind and I was going to end up in a sanitarium or something," Oscar sighed. "Then I also started to get memories."

"Memories?"

He nodded. "As he explained it to me, over time our minds will merge."

"So…will you still be you then?"

Oscar was silent a moment this was something he had long conversations with Ozpin about. It was a scary thought but he was slowly getting used to the idea.

"As Ozpin explained it, the curse works like this." He started to explain. "When the host dies their soul is sent into another person to be reincarnated in a way. Over time the memories will slowly start to integrate with that new host but the previous host personality will sort of fade into the background."

"I'll still be me but I'll also have all the memories and experiences of Ozpin and everyone else that came before him. So I'll be, well he explained it as I'll be more than what I was."

Ilia blinked as she tried to really wrap her mind around such a thing but it was somewhat hard to think how she would be in that position. She looked at the boy, at only fourteen he was pushed into a world that was dangerous and was forced into having such a weight put onto his shoulders.

"I'm not sure I could handle that," she told him.

Oscar shrugged. "Some days I'm not sure I can either. But Ozpin has been helpful and everyone else here has been too. If it wasn't for all of them I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to get this far."

"And you're okay with all of this? The whole trying to save the world thing?" Ilia asked.

"Well I think the world is worth saving isn't it?" He asked her with a small smile.

Ilia wasn't so sure at times, she had seen a lot of the bad things that happen in this world. Hell, she had caused some of those bad things. She had seen her people oppressed, used and abused but then she had cause her own amount of pain in the world to others some that might not even have had it coming. Ilia started to look at the street below though she only saw normal people, just regular people going about their lives.

She could see families about, people working or going to work, she saw someone helping another with packages. It was all just normal, up here she couldn't see all the dirt and grime of the world. Thinking back the world hadn't always seemed to be so dark, she could still remember the times when she had friendships, a normal school life, when she and Blake had been close friends.

Maybe there was something to fight for but if there was, how was she to do it?

"You know the other you said to follow my heart but I'm not sure what my heart wants." Ilia told him.

Oscar thought about it for a moment. "Well what are you choices?"

"My choices huh?" Ilia thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure. Where does someone like me even fit in?"

Oscar was silent a moment before he had a smile. "I was just reminded that there is someone you know that was in a similar situation that you're in."

Ilia blinked at him, had this kid just have a conversation with Ozpin in his head? That was kind of freaky to think about but she knew who he was referring to. "I'm not so sure where I stand with Blake, there's a lot that I've done and I'm not sure if I should really still consider myself her friend after everything I did to her and her family."

"Miss Ilia," The boy's voice was gone as she saw his whole personality change. This was Ozpin now talking to her through the boy. "You remind me so much of how young Miss Belladonna was when she first came to my school."

"She was alone in the world and full of guilt just as you are. She was looking for a way to redeem herself to help the world instead of causing it pain." The boy smiled gently at her. "I like to think I was able to help her by giving her a place to feel she could belong. A place she could call a home of sorts and she gained friendships that I've seen strained but are now forged stronger than before."

"She's grown as a person through adversity, through friendship, through hardship and through laughter and pain. If there is anyone on this world that knows what you are going through then she would. I would suggest you go to her and talk."

Ilia looked away as she fidgeted. "There's…a lot of things I would like to say to her."

"Then say them my dear because sometime soon there might not be time for it later." Ozpin's presence left as Oscar blinked a few times. "That never stops feeling strange."

"What's that like?" She had to ask.

Oscar thought about it for a moment. "I can feel my body move, I can hear my voice and see but it's not me. It's like I'm watching a TV program but from inside my body and I can feel another presence there overlapping me."

"Wow…I don't think I got the words for that," she told him.

He nodded, "Yeah it's strange but given what he said. I think you should talk to Blake and not only that but the rest of them are pretty nice too. You saw how they were at breakfast with you right?"

Ilia thought about it, "They did seem nice."

Unfortunately so did her friends back in school before they found out her heritage.

Oscar saw her hesitation. "I don't know what happened in the past but I can tell you that they are good people. I only just joined with them but they've been nothing but nice to me. I'm sure if you just give them a chance that you'll start to feel like a part of them too."

"You really think so?" She asked him.

"I think so, maybe they'll help you make up your mind on what you should do." Oscar shrugged. "It's just kind of a feeling I got."

Ilia gave a small smile. "A feeling huh? Well I guess I'll give it a shot. Oscar, thanks. Both of you actually I think you helped a bit. I just wished there was something I could do."

"What do you mean?" Oscar asked.

"Well I've done a lot of things for the White Fang that, well I'm not proud of anymore." Ilia rubbed her arm. "I know helping with the bombs was a step forward but that was just one thing against so many bad choices I made in the past that I wish I could help out more."

"I feel like that night I actually felt like I was doing something, well good."

"You were saving the school and the tower from being blown up." Oscar said. "I think that is pretty good in a lot of people's books."

"Yeah I just wished there was more for me to do." She sighed with a shrug. "I was training to be a huntress to fight Grimm and help people but then I used all those skills for the White Fang. I thought I was helping my people but in the end I wasn't, not really."

"You could help with the training everyone is doing if you want." Oscar offered.

"I…might do that but what do I do after all that?" Ilia leaned on the rail. "What do I do with my life?"

Oscar's head tilted as thought listening to something. "Are you sure? I mean isn't that a bit much?"

"What is it?" Ilia asked him as he looked to be talking to himself but she knew who he was talking to.

Oscar looked hesitant to tell her at first. "Ozpin might have an idea that you can help with but only if you want to."

-That Night-

The main Haven academy room was silent except for the few police officers that were on guard. With the huge hole in one of the walls the police tape that was covering it wasn't exactly secure. So the Mistral Police Force had to have guard duty here until the crime scene was cleaned up.

In the main office that had been Lionheart's door had been sealed. There was a guard in front of it as he yawned but so far all was quiet. The door had the usual police tape on it as well as a seal to show that no one had entered the room. The crime scene people were going to take the place apart in the morning so check for any evidence of what Lionheart had been up to or who killed him.

Another officer came up to him as his partner at the door sighed. "Took you long enough."

"Hey the bathroom is a long way from here," the other one said as he stood with him. "So you hear anything about what's going on?"

The first one shrugged. "Nothing more than what we were briefed on."

The second one looked around even though they were the only ones here. "I heard that Lionheart might have been with the White Fang."

"Seriously? Why the hell would he be a part of that group?"

"I don't know! I mean he was a faunus."

"Gods don't let anyone hear you say that we don't need bad PR on racist cops now."

"I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that maybe that's why people think he might have been. I heard the detectives are putting him as a suspect. Maybe because the plan to blow up the place didn't go off and they killed him as a loose end."

The first officer sighed. "Look we don't get paid enough to make jumps like that. We're simple cops, leave that crap to the detectives that's what their there for."

While this was going on outside the office, something else was going on inside of it. The office was in total darkness only the moonlight that filtered through the windows gave any kind of light. Still it would be hard for most to see a darkened figure slip in through one of the windows. The shadow moved cautiously towards the large desk of the headmaster.

A bird flew in behind her as it suddenly turned into Qrow.

"I'm part animal that and freaks me out every time I see it," Ilia whispered as her skin was as dark as the night making her blend into the darkness in her black clothing.

"Yeah well get used to it," Qrow looked around. "Damn it I can't see much in here."

"I can," Ilia moved towards the desk again, her faunus night vision let her see much better than a human in the dark after all. She got to the computer she was about to turn it on but then thought about the light. "Can you use something to cover the cracks in the bottom of the door? I don't want the light to get out."

"I got it," Qrow pulled off his tattered cape hoping that it would be long enough. He could hear two people outside the door as he moved silently from his years of stalking Grimm and certain criminals to quietly get to the door. He gently placed his cape over the gap seeing it done he gave the girl a thumbs up.

Ilia saw it and turned on the monitor, she blinked as the blinding light took away her night vision as she tried to adjust. She pulled out her scroll as she linked it up to the computer. "Hacking into a dead man's computer isn't what I had in mind when I thought about trying to make up for my shady past."

"Yeah well not the fist shady thing I've done either," Qrow told her as he wished he could turn on a light to check out more of the office.

"Why can't you do this?" She asked as she started to put in the password she was given by Ozpin. Apparently he had a backdoor program into the headmasters computers, apparently there was a secret section of the computers that the headmasters had for things like the Maidens, and who knows what else.

Ozpin thought that if there were any links to Salem then Lionheart might have kept them there. Apparently during the battle one of Salem's people had let it slip that he had been reporting for some time to Salem. So maybe there was some kind of record on what and more importantly who he had contact with. Ilia knew how good intelligence could make an operation go good or bad and they had no idea how many people were under Salem's control.

The password she was using was something that Ozpin had slipped in. Since he had started the academies and set up these systems he had placed backdoors into them just in case he needed to get access. Apparently, a long life made you either plan in advance or made you paranoid. Maybe it was both she wasn't sure but her scroll linked up as she started to download all the files.

"I'm not exactly tech friendly that's why," Qrow whispered to her. Sure he could use a scroll as well as the next person but he didn't know how it worked in detail. He didn't even own a computer himself plus there was always the chance his semblance might act up. His bad luck had made things more difficult at times and it was a good thing to have a partner for things like this.

He looked at the stack of books as his night vision was slowly coming to him, he ran his hand along them wondering if Lionheart might have put something inside of them but he doubted it.

Ilia watched the downloading bar and wondered if she should delete everything on the computer. There were safety programs in place that if the wrong code was entered the entire thing would fry itself, she had no idea how sophisticated it was but Ozpin was certain it wouldn't be hacked by the police. She could only imagine what would happen if things like the Maidens, Salem and who knows what else got out.

The truth still freaked her out but she was seeing the world in a whole new light. All this time there had been a war going on, a war for the survival of the entire planet with one man to hold against the armies of Salem, how did someone carry that kind of burden without going insane?

Now all that burden was put onto the shoulders of a fourteen year old farm boy.

How many times had this happened? What was Ozpin when he first awakened before Oscar? What about the time before that and the time before that? How many times can you die, be reborn, live, fight, die and repeat? Thinking about it, now she was starting to understand why Ozpin called it a curse.

The bar stopped as she had all the information so she closed her scroll, she hoped that Ozpin and Qrow could find something. They had no idea who or how many people were working with Salem at this time so any lead on what to look for or who to look out for would be a help.

Or it could have all been a dead end but still it was worth at least trying.

Ilia closed down the computer. "Okay we're done here."

Qrow nodded as he had pulled a book out and looked at her. He nodded and placed the book back or at least he thought he had. He was moving to get his cloak back when the book slowly tipped and then fell with a loud bang on the wooden floor. Both of them froze as Ilia slowly looked at him with wide eyes that just said 'what did you just do!?' as she locked eyes with him.

He mentally cursed his semblance as he heard the cops outside.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah did someone get in?"

"Not by use, maybe the windows?"

"Damn it, open the door!"

Qrow waved the girl off and she jumped out the window as he quickly tugged his cloak free and turned into a bird. The police opened the door to get a face full of feathers as what looked like a normal crow to them flapping in their faces.

"What the hell!?"

"Ow! Damn it I think it clawed my face!"

"Get lost you stupid bird!" one said waving his arm at the bird flapping in front of them.

They looked to see the bird fly out of an open window and out into the night.

"Close that damn window while I look around," one of them said and flipped on the light. There didn't seem to be anything or anyone else hiding in the room. The only thing he saw was a book on the floor.

"Stupid bird must have done this," he muttered placing it back in a gap as his partner closed the window and made sure all the windows were secure just in case.

TBC…