Seeing the lights turned on inside her father's study as she walked by, Weiss decided to go there instead of her room. And the reason why? This was one of those rare times that she saw him working at home, so she figured that she would visit him… She actually couldn't remember the last time she did. So Weiss went ahead, knocking a few times first before slowly opened the sliding door, revealing a floor of dark wood, with the side walls lined with large wooden bookshelves; Weiss was inside her father's study.
"Hello, Father. How are you?"
"Hello." Sitting at his black oak desk, her father Jacques had his hands on his forehead as he studied something in his laptop. He didn't even give Weiss a glance; he was completely focused on his screen. "Is there something urgent you need addressed?"
"I don't see you very often, so I wondered how you were doing."
"Yes, Weiss, I'm doing fine. Thank you." Scowling for a bit, Jacques made some rushed typing on his keyboard. "Now, if you don't mind…"
"…oh." Weiss regretted the whole thing; that tone of her father was unmistakable. She should have known better than to follow a spur of the moment. She should have known that she was disturbing him with her presence, and that she should have just gone straight to her room instead. "Sorry, Father. I'll be going now." Weiss made a quick bow, and true to her word, she took a few steps away…
"…Weiss, wait."
The young girl stopped and turned. "…yes?"
"Can youcome here for a minute?"
Weiss did so gingerly – she was half expecting a stern word or two about what she just did – but when she got near her father, she was greeted by a soft smile instead.
"You've grown bigger since the last time I saw you," Jacques said, with a rare warmth in his tone. "…you're 15 already, correct?"
"Yes, Father. Just one more year, and I'll finally be able to use my Semblance gift."
"Time flies…" There was a sense of longing in how Jacques said that; another rare thing from him. "…and I'm sure you can't wait."
"I can't wait to find out what I can do with my Semblance!" Weiss felt relieved at not being scolded, and the way her father brought up the topic was a welcome surprise – they very rarely talked about Hunter matters – and so Weiss couldn't contain her excitement, as she went on. "Because being a Hunter is awesome, and a great honor too… That's what Winter said." Weiss beamed. "She even said that I might be able to use Myrtenaster! Can you imagine that, Father? I can be just as good as her… Or even better!"
"Yes, it would be wonderful to see you wield that heirloom of ours. Just try not to hurt yourself with it, I don't want you to get another scar on your other eye."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Father. I think I'm better than that."
Jacques chuckled, which was an even rarer thing coming from him. "Well, whatever happens, I'm sure that you'll make me proud, just like Winter."
"I will!" Weiss was very surprised at how her father was acting, but she wasn't about to complain about it.
"Yes, just like your sister…" Jacques then sighed and rubbed his temples, his eyes once again looking at his laptop screen. For a moment, he seemed conflicted on what to do next; he then shook his head. "Sorry, but I need to take care of my research work right now…"
"It's ok, I understand."
"But I'm glad you visited me, Weiss. I've wanted to say that to you for a long time, because the gods know that I've missed so many chances." And with that, Jacques gave Weiss a pat on the shoulder. "Go to your room now. I'll be busy the whole night, and the people I'm working with are giving me a headache."
"Alright, Father. Thank you." Knowing that her decision to visit wasn't a big mistake was already a big win for Weiss. But then came another spur of the moment; a curiosity that she just had to mention. "But your work can't be that bad, right? What are you researching on?"
That made Jacques pause, as if he didn't expect Weiss to ask that kind of question. "Do you really want to find out? Even though you have no interest in heading the family business?"
"Is it about Dust? It has to be about Dust, right?"
"Yes, something like that." Jacques seemed to hesitate, but only briefly. "But this is more than just the energy source itself."
"What do you mean?" His answer only made Weiss more curious. "…I'd like to know more if it's ok, Father. You've never told me much about your work, but it can't be that boring, right?"
"Boring? No, I don't think so, to be honest." After what seemed to be a long think, Jacques opened one of the drawers in his desk. "But you could say I got tired of mining Dust all the time, just following the footsteps of the Schnees that came before me, so I figured I'll do something better with it."
"Eh? Better than getting a lot of Dust?"
"Of course. Because having all that Dust sitting around doing the same thing over and over again won't do humanity much good, Weiss. And I sincerely believe that there's much more we can do with it… It's well worth the effort of trying, because the benefits far outweigh the risks."
"What do you have in mind?"
Jacques glanced at his phone. "Having a network system throughout Atlas is a wonderful thing, don't you agree?"
"Absolutely." Weiss nodded. "It helps with school work, and lets me watch videos, play games, read stuff…"
"Yes, everything Atlas can offer is at the palm of your hand, and I'm sure you're happy with it. But have you tried what the other kingdoms can offer?"
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Don't be silly, Father. You know I can't do that."
"But what if you could?"
"…huh?"
"Ever wondered if we could connect the other kingdoms through that network system?"
"Wait, what? But how?" Weiss was genuinely surprised by the idea. "What about the Grimm that's under our oceans? They're said to be so strong, they stop undersea cables from being built."
"I know. But what if we could connect everyone in a different way? Say wirelessly through space?"
"Huh? Space? That far away? No, that can't be right!"
"What's possible now used to be thought of as impossible, Weiss. It wasn't that long ago when people thought that pushing the Grimm back was a fever dream. But look at humanity now."
"But still… Space?" Weiss was curious of the whole thing; she had figured that her father was just busy trying to dig for more Dust for profit. But to hear that he was trying to revolutionize how the stuff was used, for the express purpose of connecting the world… Weiss had studied Dust in class before, but she didn't realize that this topic would interest her even remotely as close as being a Hunter, and she soon found herself wanting more answers. "How are you going to do that, Father? I learned in class that Dust doesn't work that far above the atmosphere."
"…tell you what, why don't you take a look at what I've been researching?" With a small smile, Jacques clicked on a few buttons, and showed Weiss a clear view of his laptop screen. "Here, I can at least show you this much, Weiss. This is what I've been immersing myself at work for the longest time… Now tell me what you think."
Weiss slowly opened her eyes, and she was greeted by the soft morning sunlight.
But the sight of spruce trees beside the road – plus the fact that the pickup truck she was on was still running – meant that she was still far from her home, so Weiss went back to sleep.
"Whoa… No way!"
"It's quite good, isn't it? I'm confident that I have the science down to a tee… All that's missing is the application of it."
"This is incredible!" Weiss understood some of what was in her father's research based on what she learned in class, but the sheer volume of what she was reading had her reeling in amazement. "I didn't know that you were working on something like this!"
"I didn't know that you'd be interested in it."
"That's because you're never around…" Weiss didn't expect to be treated to this kind of information. She had thought that nothing could be done about the kingdoms having no network to each other as long as the Grimm still existed. But with her father trying to bypass that problem with this, Weiss could only begin to imagine the benefits his plans would bring to mankind. "I wish you told me sooner, Father. Even if it's not related to being a Hunter, I can still appreciate a great engineering project."
"I see. It's not every day that I get to find someone who shares my vision. I'm glad that you like what I'm working on. You've always had good grades in the applied sciences, Weiss… Maybe I should have seen this long beforehand."
"Will you tell me more once you make more progress into this project?"
"So you want updates too, hm? Then for you Weiss, I will. I promise." Chuckling softly, Jacques gave Weiss another pat on the head. "Just be patient with me, alright? I know this will take time, but it's always been my dream to make my mark on the world beyond just gathering resources. And I think that's worth fighting for, regardless of how long it takes, and the sacrifices."
"Weiss, wake up," Ruby said, gently shaking Weiss's left side. "We're here at your house."
Weiss woke up from her dream – a dream about a more innocent time, when she and her father shared a common vision – and she noticed that their vehicle was no longer moving. She then realized that she was at a very familiar driveway, which only meant one thing…
Looking at her right side, Weiss saw a building that she thought she would never see again – the Schnee Manor, her former home.
Quite removed from Atlas's cities, located in a gated community on top of a large hill, the Schnee Manor had quite the considerable vantage point of view, despite being only three stories tall. But any deficiency the manor had in size, it more than made up for it in extravagance… An example of which were the three large pillars in the middle of the driveway that held up the Schnee snow crystal crest, made in ornate glass, glistening in the sunlight, passed down by their Hunter ancestors from ages past.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Ruby asked. "Because I fell asleep too… Yeah, I know that's not a big surprise coming from me, but you slept deeper than I did."
Weiss stifled a yawn. "Yeah, it was good. Better than what I had at the motel last night, that's for sure." A good sleep along with memories of her father Jacques, which she knew was to be expected, given why they were here. Having coordinated with the police last night after landing in Atlas – right after a protracted time disembarking and passing through airport security, which Weiss found very unusual – they decided that their first course of action was to investigate where Jacques was last seen, and look for clues that others hadn't noticed. Weiss knew it was a long shot, but they had to try. Well, that and seeing her family too. But doing so meant revisiting painful things – things that she preferred not to face – but Weiss knew that it couldn't be avoided.
"You have such a nice driveway," Ruby added, looking at the three pillars, clearly impressed with what she was seeing. "I woke up just in time to see those pillars right when we entered your gate…"
"Then you should see our main stairway."
Ruby gave Weiss a curious look.
"Trust me, it's best to see it for yourself." With a faint smile, Weiss stretched her arms. "C'mon, let's go. The others are waiting."
Weiss stepped out of the truck, with Ruby close behind; Blake and Yang were already out, and Team JNPR as well – they used a different rental car, driven by Ren – and they were all busy observing the manor and its surroundings. As for Weiss, she saw that nothing had changed with how the manor looked like, though she did notice a black van parked in the driveway that she wasn't familiar with.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nora said to Ren. "Would've been nice if we both grew up in something like this."
"Nah, you would've still broken everything. Remember that time when you broke your mother's vases because you lost to me in a–" Ren winced from Nora elbowing his ribs. "Ow!"
With her hand holding Jaune's, Pyrrha turned to Weiss. "I've always wondered what your house looked like… I've only heard stories about it. But I guess my wildest imaginations failed me."
"It's ok, you're not the only one that says that about my house." A cool wind passed by right as Weiss said that. But the nip that she and the others felt could have been much worse; the Schnee Manor was built at the southernmost part of Atlas, where there was no snow for five months, which was a respite compared to the other almost perpetually cold areas of the kingdom. But November was only a week or so away… No need to stay here outside for very long. "Let's go inside, we have a lot to take care of."
And so Teams RWBY and JNPR went towards the manor's main entrance, with Weiss at the lead, and they soon found a large two panel door made of the finest oak, with two knight statues beside it; warriors back in the Remnant Era when Dust wasn't discovered yet and humanity struggled to survive against the Grimm.
Weiss rang the doorbell, and it was soon opened by none other than her butler, Klein Sieben.
"Ah, good morning, Ms. Schnee." The old man made a small bow; the happiness in his tone was palpable. "It's been a while since I last saw you… Welcome back."
"Good morning, Klein. Long time no see." She never thought she would see him again either; she made sure to say her goodbyes to him when she left Atlas for Vale. But life seemed to have other ideas. "How're you doing?"
"Much better now that you've arrived, Ms. Schnee."
"I'm only here for the time being, Klein." Weiss couldn't blame him for feeling happy though, so she left it at that. "I take it you know why we're here?"
"Yes, of course, Ms. Schnee. So please take the time to take a breather, both you and your friends. I understand that you've had a long ride since coming back to Atlas… It's best that you're all energized before doing your work." Klein then made a quick bow. "Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back."
Teams RWBY and JNPR entered the manor, and Weiss's teammates were made witness to an incredible sight.
The Schnee Manor had a large main entrance hall, bearing a blue, white, and gray motif, with a large stairway that led to the rest of the manor. At the top of the stairway was a paned triptych of arched windows, flanked by balustrades, with a remarkable chandelier at its ceiling, sharp and pointed much like a snow crystal. Meanwhile the floor itself was decorated with the Schnee snow crystal emblem, right where the gray carpet ended, and at both sides of the stairway were two large knight statues, each near a couple of sofas made for guests, exuding an imposing presence as they stood watch.
Weiss had seen all of this before of course, but she fully understood the shocked faces of her companions. They were supposed to find clues regarding Jacques's disappearance, but a tour of sorts of her home was unavoidable, so Weiss simply made the most of the situation. She looked at Ruby, who had an amazed look on her face. "Well, what do you think?"
"It's amazing… You could host our entire graduation ball here…"
"We've hosted larger," Weiss replied, much to Ruby's shock.
Blake said nothing of course, but her eyes gave away her surprise.
"Man, you rich people are something else," Yang said. "I mean, I've seen fancy places before, but this…"
"I've heard rumors of what your place looked like," Pyrrha added. "Their descriptions don't give the Schnee Manor justice."
"Weiss! Du bist endlich zurück!"
Weiss turned to see her mother Willow walk towards her, coming from their library. She had her white hair in a low ponytail over her left shoulder, and wore a mauve jacket with white sleeves, a belt around her waist, a matching pencil skirt with black tights and slippers. But her slate blue eyes were puffy, and held such anguish that Willow soon had Weiss in a warm, tight hug. Weiss could smell the faint scent of the last drink Willow consumed, but that didn't stop her mother – or perhaps it enabled her – to start doting on Weiss in their native language.
"Alles wird gut, Mutter…" Weiss tapped her mother's back, reassuring her that everything would be ok. But when was the last time she spoke like this? Speaking the Vale language was so normalized for everyone in the post Dust Revolution age, even for those not born in Vale. And because of that, just like almost everyone else, Weiss used her mother tongue rarely… She remembered the last few times she spoke it. One was after her arrival in Vale when her mother called, and another was the night when Winter was brought home, her parents anguished and furious over what happened, to the point where things were thrown at the walls. Weiss had hoped that she would never need to speak this language again. But it felt only natural that she and her mother spoke in this manner right now… Weiss cleared her throat. "Wir werden Vater finden, das verspreche ich…"
"Ich bin froh, dass du hier bist, Weiss. Whitley ist sehr damit beschäftigt, das Unternehmen zu leiten, umso mehr nach dem, was passiert ist... Und an diesem Ort kann es sehr einsam warden…"
"Ja, ich bin jetzt hier, Mutter. Und ich gehe nirgendwo hin, bis wir Vater gefunden haben."
"Danke, mein Liebling…" Willow stifled a sob. "Ich liebe dich so sehr, Weiss… Ich vermisse dich jeden Tag… Und es tut mir leid, was ich in dieser Nacht zu dir gesagt habe…"
"Ich liebe dich auch, Mutter. Es tut mir leid dass ich Winter nicht retten konnte… Es tut mir leid dass ich alle im Stich gelassen habe... Verzeihen Sie mir…" In truth, Weiss still missed her family deeply. But escaping was the only thing she could do, because there was nothing that would ever bring Winter back. If only there was something that would bring her sister back, right? Then maybe… Hugging her mother tight, feeling her warmth, Weiss held back her tears. Yes, she would be here for her mother, and she wouldn't rest until her father was found. And once that was done – and her flight back to Vale reserved – would there be time to talk about things, one last time.
"Ah, our guests, I completely forgot. Where are my manners?" Letting go of Weiss, Willow wiped away her tears, replacing it with a smile, and clasped her hands together as she greeted the others. "Welcome to the Schnee Manor, everyone. My name's Willow, Weiss's mother… But we can have more formal introductions later. For now, I want to thank you all for being here in my hour of need. Please don't be dissuaded from enjoying our residence, at least before you begin your work. I take it you have already met our butler Sieben, yes? He should be preparing food and refreshments…"
"I can vouch for those, they are excellent."
Weiss turned to the sound of that unfamiliar voice, and saw a woman with tanned skin and violet eyes approach them, seemingly coming from the library too. As tall as Yang, the woman's pale blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore a grayish black sleeveless coat over a red vest with a brown high neck, and a light gray sleeved shirt. She also had a bracer on her left arm, wore a brown waist clincher with matching brown pants tucked into black boots, and sported a light green scarf; the woman projected a direct and confident personality, and Weiss was quick to notice.
"Thank you for the kind words, Ms. Bright. I'm glad for the visit, I appreciate your assistance in finding my husband…" Willow wiped away another tear as soon as she finished saying that. "Please do contact me as soon as you find anything."
"Yes, Mrs. Schnee. I'll update you of our investigation as soon as possible. I'm sure Jacques will be found at the earliest possible time." The woman then looked at Weiss, and there was something about her violet eyes that gave Weiss pause… But as quickly as it came, the woman went back to her mother, and did a small bow. "I'll be going now. Your hospitality is much appreciated, thank you."
The woman made her exit, leaving Teams RWBY and JNPR somewhat surprised, but Weiss especially so. That blonde must be the owner of the van she saw earlier; did the police mention anything about anyone coming to the Schnee Manor too? Weiss couldn't remember anything like that being mentioned, and the rest didn't seem to recall anything either…
"She's not bad at all, except she looks just a bit too rough around the edges…" Ren was then quickly treated with an elbow to the ribs from Nora. "Ow! What was that for?"
Weiss turned to Willow. "Who was she, Mother?"
"Someone from one of the many private investigator firms I've contacted. I can't exactly remember which, but she's looking for Jacques, and that's all that matters to me." There was a determination in the sea of despair in Willow's eyes; having lost Winter, Weiss knew all too well that her mother couldn't bear to lose another, and as if to mask that, Willow smiled softly. "The gods willing, I'll find Jacques safe and sound, and we'll celebrate Yuletide together as a family. He may not be around the house all the time, but you know how he loves my roast venison, so I can't have him miss that."
"Mother…"
"Oh, and before I forget. Klein should be done preparing the food and drinks." Willow then looked at the others, and her smile widened. "So let's all go to the dining room, shall we? Don't be shy, please feel right at home."
And with that said, Willow went ahead, prompting the others to follow, though Weiss didn't budge just yet.
"It's alright," Ruby said, putting a comforting hand on Weiss's shoulder. "We haven't eaten breakfast, so we should take this time to gather our thoughts, and best think of how to split up and look for clues as efficiently as possible. And I don't think we should refuse your mother's hospitality… She's really doing her best."
"I tried to think that we went to Atlas only to find my father, and nothing more than that." Weiss took a deep breath, feeling all too familiar emotions swirling in her heart. Knowing what she would face here didn't make things any better. "I figured it would easier to deal with it that way, that this was just any other mission. But I…"
"It's ok, Weiss." Ruby showed a small smile. "I don't need to understand what you two talked about, to know that your mother loves you very much."
"I know…" Her eyes began to well up, so Weiss clenched her teeth and her fists; not now. They still had a job to do. And there was still one more… Could she bring herself to do it? Quickly getting a hold of herself, Weiss returned Ruby's smile. "Let's go, let's not keep my mother waiting."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Being in Atlas – Ruby's first experience in stepping foot in another kingdom – was quite the experience, with its cold climate, food, and sights, but Weiss's manor just kept on giving Ruby surprises.
Their driveway with its three pillars was nice, their large main entrance hall even more so, and observing the hallway she walked in together with Weiss – decorated with dark blue hallway runners and black furniture and sconces, alongside paintings of natural scenery – only highlighted how impressive the Schnee residence was. And this was the fourth one Ruby saw that had the same aesthetics. Was every hallway they had look like this? Ruby already saw the swimming pool and workout room earlier too, and that made her wonder as to what else they had here. Ruby knew that Weiss was rich, but she never really put much thought into it until now. Knowing only the rustic life of Patch, seeing all this was just…
"It's all pretty lavish, isn't it? The food, the services, this entire house."
"…" Lavish in the good or bad sense? Ruby didn't know what to say to that. But she made sure she said her thanks to Weiss's mother; the food she served them for their breakfast was simply delicious. A bread platter full of various cheeses, sausages, and hams for their appetizer, meatballs with cream sauce and potatoes for their main, cheesecake for dessert, with apple juice spritzer for their drink… The food was so good that Ruby had to check from time to time if she was still showing good table manners.
"It's ok, I know you all loved it. That's by design. My Mother loves to spoil every guest she meets, it's a habit that comes with the riches. It doesn't really mean much if you have no one to share it with." A pause, then Weiss went on, saying, "By the way, do you know how to play any instruments? We have a music room with everything you could ever need. Guitar, bass, drum, keyboard, piano, violin, flute, harp… It's a Schnee tradition for everyone in the family to be able to play at least one. We can go search that area first, and then…"
"Aren't Nora and Ren checking that right now?" Weiss assigned them which parts of the manor to search, and she was the one who put the two of them here. Did she just forget? No, she couldn't have. But Ruby soon noticed that Weiss seemed bothered by something. "…something on your mind?"
"I…" Her voice trailing off, Weiss suddenly stopped walking, prompting Ruby to do the same; they were right beside a door. "…damnit."
Ruby looked at the door to their left; unlike the other rooms they searched in this manor, this one had a door with elaborate filigree on it. Wait, didn't they just check Weiss's room a few minutes ago? And didn't her door have… Suddenly, Ruby connected the dots. "Weiss, is this…"
Weiss said nothing, her face still full of anguish, and so Ruby opened the door, revealing an area that could easily pass for a family's living room with its spaciousness and furniture; a large bed was the only thing indicating that this was, in truth, a bedroom. But that wasn't actually the most notable thing inside the room, as something else caught Ruby's eye.
Beside the large bed was a hospital bed with someone resting on it, with machines close by, and Ruby could hear the slow, constant beep of a heart rate monitor. Walking towards it, she saw a woman with white hair and closed eyes, given ample sunlight by the window behind her. But the woman simply breathed slowly and calmly, without any reaction from Ruby's presence… Ruby then noticed the tubes connected to the woman's body, and that was when a sharp pang hit her heart, realizing exactly who this person was.
Ruby turned to Weiss, but the latter looked away, still rooted to where she stood at the door, her arms crossed over her chest. "We need to go now. We need to investigate the area up ahead."
"…maybe it can wait for a while? We haven't even checked this room yet."
"There's nothing to find here."
"You're willing to check every corner of your manor, except this one?"
"I said there's nothing here, ok? Now let's go."
"…don't you want to talk to her?"
"…"
"…then just give me a moment here, ok?" Ruby then turned back to the woman on the bed, who was the one Weiss told to her about during the graduation ball; Ruby recalled the woman's life, her relationship with Weiss, and her fate. "Hello, Winter. My name's Ruby Rose."
"Ruby!" With a sharp tone, Weiss walked briskly towards her friend. "C'mon, we have to go! We don't have–" Weiss's words were abruptly cut short as her eyes fell upon Winter; wincing as she looked away, Weiss grabbed hold of the bed rails.
"I'm the leader of Team RWBY, which your sister Weiss is a part of, and we graduated recently from Beacon Academy. She told me a lot of great things about you, and I'm happy that we've finally met." Looking at Weiss, Ruby saw that the girl had her back completely turned at Winter; Ruby decided to continue. "You're probably wondering why Weiss thought to go to an academy in another kingdom… Or maybe you already know why. But I can tell you right now that Weiss graduated among the very best in our batch. She knows a lot of things, and is really good at fighting… She even taught me how to not bump into people by accident. And yes, it sounded exactly as what you're thinking. But Weiss means well, and she's become a good friend of mine. She just has a lot going on right now, and it's affecting her really badly… I figured that it would be best that she told you all about it."
Ruby then turned to Weiss, who still had her back turned. "Right, Weiss?"
"…can't we just go now?"
"Weiss, I know it's difficult…" Ruby knew Weiss wasn't thinking straight right now – her voice was strained, full of raw, pained emotion – but as painful as it was, Ruby knew that resolving the matter now, when the opportunity was here, was the right thing to do. Especially when Weiss put herself in this situation; a part of Weiss really did want to talk to Winter. "But it's going to be ok…"
"Why do you want me to talk to Winter so much?!" Weiss snapped, suddenly turning to Ruby with narrowed, glistening eyes. "She's not going to hear me anyway! And the gods know that we've tried everything to wake her up, everything money could buy! Everything! And nothing happened!" Weiss wiped her eyes. "I know what you're trying to do, ok? But Winter still hasn't woken up from her coma, so just stop it already! And we don't have all day! We have to find my father as soon as possible–"
"So that you can leave Atlas immediately, right?"
"…!"
"It's ok if you feel that way, Weiss. I know it's difficult for you being here. But you being here already means a lot for your mom, and I can tell you haven't told Winter everything you want to say to her." Ruby showed Weiss a small smile, much to the latter's surprise. "Because why would you put yourself here, knowing that you would pass by her room, when you could've just assigned someone else?"
Weiss paused, letting Ruby's point sink in. "I'm sorry for snapping at you…"
"It's ok. I know I'm not exactly the right person to advise on how to deal with grief." Remembering Cale, Ruby had to wipe her eyes too. "But you did the right thing going here, and I'm sure your sister wants to talk to you… I'm sure she'll listen. So go on, talk to her, she's waiting."
Weiss took a deep breath, then went closer to her sister, holding the latter's left hand.
"…hey, Winter. It's me, Weiss… I'm back, just like what Ruby said."
Ruby backed off a bit, just to give Weiss more space.
"I know you're not coming back, and I've long accepted that. That's why I left home and went to Vale… I vowed never to go back to Atlas. But I guess life has other plans, not that they're any good." Weiss sniffled as she wiped away a tear. "Father disappeared a few days ago," she continued. "Apparently he vanished without leaving any trace on his phone or laptop, or even a sign of a struggle. That's why me and the others are here, to help find him as soon as possible and stop our mother's suffering… She's endured more than enough."
Winter's heart rate monitor showed a steady rhythm.
"By the way, did you hear the commotion that happened the night you arrived here? Mother had quite the colorful vocabulary for me back then… So you can imagine my surprise when she called me right after I arrived in Beacon Academy? And it didn't take long for my father to call me too, if only to get me to promise that I never come back to Atlas, because I made our mother relapse. But the funny thing is, the moment I heard that our father's missing, I immediately wanted to come back to Atlas… We've always been a dysfunctional family, but family nonetheless, and nothing would ever change that."
Ruby's face fell, seeing Weiss's anguish.
"I've always looked up to you, you know? And I'm sorry that I failed you when you needed me the most. But don't worry, I'll get the job done this time." Tears flowed down Weiss's cheeks as she said it. "I know you'll never forgive me either, but I swear I'll bring our father back. It's the least I can do… Because I never stopped believing that you had good reasons for doing what you did, and that you sacrificed your life for Atlas… I never thought I could ever repay that, but now that I'm here, I have to try…"
"Weiss…"
"I'm ok," Weiss said to Ruby. "It's just… After saying sorry in a million ways, all while knowing that I'll never be forgiven, I still feel it's not enough, and that there's still more I want to say."
"Then take your time, it's best not to rush. But no matter how you say it, I'm sure Winter will understand. Because family is family, and I'm sure your sister knows that too."
"I miss her so much…" Weiss sobbed. "What I wouldn't give for her to come back… If only we could trade places… She was always the better among the two of us. She was better at fighting, had plans on how to change Atlas for the better, and she was better at getting people to her side…" Weiss suddenly slammed the bed's railings with her hands. "Why, Winter? Why didn't you tell me anything?! Why did you leave me in the dark?!"
"Winter never wanted you to be dragged into her mission," Ruby replied, trying her best to calm down her friend. "She only wanted to protect you, like any big sister would."
"Ruby…"
"I'm sorry about what happened." Ruby wiped more of her own tears. "But I think Winter knew what she got herself into, what she was doing, and she made her decision knowing it was the only way. That's why I don't think she sacrificed her life only for Atlas… She sacrificed her life for you too."
"I know she did." Weiss's body shook. "But the guilt eats at me every day."
"Me too," Ruby replied. "I know the feeling."
Weiss's sobbing increased, so much so that some minutes passed before she got control of herself.
"I know going back here was hard, but you did well talking to your mom, and I'm glad that you're also talking to Winter. It's the right thing to do, even if I can't do it myself." If it was Cale on the bed? Ruby would bawl her eyes out, feel her heart break in two, brood in a corner, and refuse to let go… She could never bring herself to do it; she really wasn't the right person to talk about these things. But she still had to help Weiss somehow… Ruby smiled softly. "We'll find your father, I promise, and we'll make Winter proud."
There was a long pause, with Weiss in deep thought. Then the girl slowly nodded, her face a bit more relieved than before, despite having cried so hard. "I still have some more to say…"
"It's ok, Weiss. Go ahead."
"Just give a sec, alright?"
Ruby nodded back, and so Weiss continued her conversation with Winter; she talked about their childhood, their aspirations growing up, her current pains – pains that Ruby knew all too well – and what she needed to do about them, as well as what the future held.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Next stop tomorrow is the Schnee Dust Company HQ." With Team RWBY heading towards the driveway, Yang took the time to look at the sunset, the orange ball in the sky giving quite the view. It was a welcome sight after a long day's work of searching the nooks and crannies of the manor that others before them would've easily missed, hoping to find clues that would lead to Weiss's father Jacques. "Hopefully we'll have more luck at that place. We did everything we could here, but there's just nothing to find."
"It's alright," Weiss replied. "I'm realistic with my expectations, especially when so many people had already checked the place. But we still had to try, and I also had some things with my family to take care of." The girl then stopped to look at her friends. "I know we're all tired, and I can understand if you guys feel that we just wasted our time, but I can't thank you all enough for being here for me. I've already told you guys this, but I just want to repeat it… You guys are doing your best, and I appreciate your help."
"I wouldn't say going here was a waste though." Yang fully understood why Weiss made the decision to come here; Yang knew the importance of family. Because she herself didn't have the same luxury as the others regarding that… Remembering her past brought a painful memory. Suppressing it, the blonde cleared her throat. "It's ok, Weiss. We're happy to help."
"It's all good," Ruby added.
"Don't mention it," Blake said as she put down her phone. "And speaking of Jaune and the others, they're wrapping up their investigation of the lowermost basement. They'll be catching up with us soon."
"Well, I'm sure my mother will insist that they get some more food before they leave." Weiss showed a small smile, as if amused by the whole thing. "Let's wait for them to come here at the driveway, they shouldn't take long."
"Want me to go back and check on them?" Speaking of food, Yang very much liked the onion cake, and she was tempted to get one more slice of it before they left. Besides, Weiss's mom did say they could get as much as they wanted…
"No need, they should be on their way."
Heh, maybe next time. "Alright, then I guess I'll be starting the truck now." And so Yang went ahead – their rented pickup truck wasn't that far – and she wanted to put Embercleave back to the cargo bed anyways. Not that she was tired from carrying it, but her greatsword simply didn't have the luxury of being sheathed like dustmetal weapons, and hauling the thing around the manor while looking for clues was a lot more awkward than Yang expected.
Yang didn't get to make two steps though, before the distinct sound of a car's engine at full throttle made her stop, and Team RWBY soon saw a vehicle at the distance, heading straight for the manor.
The blonde turned to Weiss. "Is your mom expecting someone?"
"She didn't tell me anything." Weiss shook her head. "…wait, are those guys even stopping? They're–"
The vehicle crashed right through the gate, and an armored car came into view, still going at full speed towards the manor… Did someone lose control of their car? That had to be it. And so Yang and her friends prepared themselves, ready to help if needed.
But then the vehicle slammed the brakes as it turned left to avoid the three pillars, and skid marks appeared on the pavement, along with its telltale screeching sound; it stopped some distance away from the girls.
The armored car's left door opened, and a powerful gust of wind came out; Yang and the others, not expecting an attack like that at all, were blown away, sent tumbling to the concrete steps.
"What the hell?" Recovering quickly and embracing her Semblance – Embercleave blazing with fire – Yang made a passing glance at the others, who were groaning as they went back on their feet. "You guys ok?"
"…we're fine," Ruby said, her rose petals drifting in the air. "But what's up with this car?"
Unsheathing her rifle, Blake simply grunted.
But whatever was going on here, Weiss was having none of it, and had the facial expression to match. Upon standing up, she embraced her Semblance and had an ice attack prepared with her rapier, ready to freeze anyone on sight, right as two people came out of the armored car, both in drab civilian clothing.
"No, please don't do that." It was a dog faunus guy who said that, with green hair, a wagging tail, and the eeriest blue eyes Yang had ever seen, glowing bright as he spoke. "It's cold enough in Atlas already."
Yang suddenly felt something… Odd. She couldn't quite place it, but her body… No, everything in her sight was becoming sluggish, skipping even, like a monitor rapidly losing frames…
"Heh, impressive." Holding a giant dustmetal boomerang, the faunus guy raised an eyebrow, staring at Yang. "Very nice. You're the second person I've met that can do that."
Meanwhile the girl beside him with the shaved side hair surveyed the scene, all while talking to someone on the phone; she had her dustmetal saber on hand and her Semblance embraced, her body glowing with a pink aura. "Hello, Clover. We took care of the police in the area, but the colonel's long gone. Though we did get her accomplices, along with a particularly strong one, resisting capture… Alright, we'll still take everyone here as planned. You guys just get in here asap."
Did this girl just say they'd take everyone? As if she was just going to let them do that! But she soon found herself unable to speak… Scowling, Yang raised her weapon to launch a torrent of fire at them, but she struggled to even lift her weapon right.
"She can hear us, right?" the girl asked the dog faunus as she put her phone back into her pocket.
"She should."
"I see. Well, good for her, which is more than what I can say for the others. Now let's go grab them, we don't have all day."
Yang looked back, and was horrified to see Ruby, Weiss, and Blake stand like statues, their expressions, Semblances, and stances stuck on pause, with none of them moving an inch, much less breathing. It was an uncanny experience in every sense of the word…
Memories of their train mission came to mind. Were these two also Cinder's minions? Was Cinder on to them already?! No, it couldn't be… Cinder would've been here to gloat like last time. But these two weren't exactly here to make friends either, and Yang glared at the two, frustrated at how vulnerable she was.
But that frustration also gave Yang the power to brute force her way through, so that was exactly what she did.
With an extreme effort, she lifted Embercleave to the correct stance; the fire of her blade blazed brighter, and talking became much easier. "Who the hell are you people?" Yang snapped. "And why are trying to kidnap us?"
"Oh, she can talk now too." The dog faunus slowly nodded. "That was fast."
"What are you talking about?" Yang could still feel the effects of the Semblance weighing her down though; moving was still difficult. "I'll tie your heads to a train track if you don't let us go!"
"I'm sure you would." The girl made a flick of her saber as she said that. "We're part of a team dedicated to protecting Atlas, and we know that you and your friends were with Colonel Hill. She thought she could beat us in finding Jacques Schnee, hm? Sorry, but your efforts end here."
"Huh? We're here to find Weiss's father, but we don't know anyone called Colonel Hill… Who's that supposed to be?!"
"Hmph, don't bother denying it, you're not convincing anyone." The girl had a small smile on her face. "But tell you what, if you don't want us to capture you, then you just have to tell us all you know about the colonel, and maybe we don't have to, make it easier for the both of us. How about it?"
"I said we don't know anyone by that name!" Yang shot back. "Now let my friends go!"
"Did you even hear what I just said?" The girl sighed. "This is your only chance to save yourself and your friends. Is no really your final answer?"
"It's interesting that you can move and talk so soon, blondie. But don't act as if you can issue commands to us." The dog faunus smirked. "And you're an idiot if you're trying to go against us by yourself. You should know a good offer when you're given one."
"Going against you? We don't even know who the hell you are! And no, I'm not letting you take us hostage!" Yang thought of Team JNPR; she could use some backup right now. But Yang couldn't call them right now or even go to them, which meant that she had to take care of these two now before it was too late. Yang grit her teeth, forcing her way out of whatever Semblance the faunus had.
"We're trying to give you a way out here, blondie. Not very smart of you to throw that away."
"And you think you are?" Yang was slowly but surely powering through; she took a step forward, and her senses began to normalize. Just a little bit more… "You and your girlfriend are nothing but dogs sent out by your master!"
"Very funny," the faunus said dryly. "Just because you're doing well against my Semblance, you think we're all bark, don't you?"
"Sounds like we're done talking here." The girl shook her head. "How disappointing. You'll regret refusing me."
With her left arm stretched out, the palm of her left hand released a powerful gust of wind straight at Yang, beating the blonde at making the first strike. But Yang regained enough to fight back at that moment. She launched her own fire attack to counter her opponent's, and also to protect Ruby and the others; two streams of elemental Semblances clashed.
"Not bad," the girl said. "Not bad at all."
Then, from the corner of her eye, Yang saw the faunus throw his giant boomerang at her, all while keeping his gaze locked at the others; a coordinated attack. But she anticipated this, so Yang mustered enough strength to push back the girl's wind attack – just enough for her to fall back – to then dodge the faunus's attack, rolling on the ground to do so, including its return flight.
Yang prepared to launch a fire torrent towards the faunus. If she took this guy out, then that should release his hold on Ruby and the others.
But before Yang could fire her attack, the girl was back on her feet – much faster than Yang anticipated – and rushed towards her with the speed of the wind, with what looked to be a tornado spinning around her saber; Yang quickly parried the girl's blade strike, and the two went into a sword bind.
"You would've been a good addition to our team, if circumstances were different…" The girl grunted, slowly losing ground against Yang's strength. "It's just sad that you had to be in the wrong side…"
"Get out of my way!" Yang snapped. "Or I'll light you up instead!"
"So you will, hm? But look behind you first."
Yang then noticed that the boomerang was coming around for… A third time?! And aimed not for her, but for Ruby's head!
Pushing off the girl with a burst of strength – enough to send her falling to the ground – Yang ran her fastest to hit the boomerang with her greatsword, and just managed to do so before it hit Ruby, the boomerang clanging to the manor's steps. Damned bastards, they were now resorting to using Ruby and the others as hostages… Yang couldn't just use her Semblance if it would hit her friends, and these two most likely guessed that she would be hard pressed to win the longer the fight dragged on like this. She needed to end the battle quickly. She thought of using her dragon, but she hadn't had any time to practice with it by herself, and with Blake not here–
Yang's right arm suddenly pulsed with a sharp, throbbing ache, catching her completely by surprise; unable to move, it was the first time she felt anything like it.
Then something slashed her back, and Yang's body began to go limp.
"It's over." Yang saw the girl walk pass her to pick up the faunus's boomerang, and she threw it for him to catch. "I have no idea what you were standing there for, but you get what you deserve."
"As if you could've won against us," the faunus added. "Now look what you got yourself into, staining your clothes like that. But I guess some people just have to learn the hard way."
Yang fell, her strength declining fast, dropping her greatsword and releasing her Semblance. Yang winced at the pain coursing throughout her body, and felt her blood flow down her back.
She couldn't believe what just happened – she wouldn't have been so careless – but the pain on her right arm was just… It felt like her scars on it were opening, like what she thought she saw while taking a bath last night…
Memories of her past soon followed.
Under a cold moonless night, a powerful kick launched a wounded Yang right at the large main door of a beautiful castle, her body hitting it with a loud thud; the two guards beside it didn't flinch one bit.
"I'm sure you were elated to have been considered, all those years ago, when I brought you here," a woman with long black hair and red eyes said, walking slowly towards Yang. "But my hopes for you were clearly a miscalculation. You continuously held back and gave mercy to weaker enemies, yet you were also easy to rile up by anyone who managed to slightly challenge you… You completely ignored my lessons. And that's why you failed tonight, well before your actual fights even started."
"…"
"Hmph. Only the gods know why they even bothered giving you the gift to wield Embercleave. That thing was better off as a museum piece than in your hands. But I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. Your journey with the Xiao Longs ends here."
"…don't you dare throw me out," Yang groaned, trying her best to stand up, but to no avail. "I'm not done yet…"
"And why shouldn't I throw you out?" Standing in front of Yang now, the woman glared at her with crossed arms. "You were defeated by those dregs Takaya and Heixiong brought in! Those opportunistic dogs had a field day today because of you… You embarrassed me in front of them!"
"…because I can be stronger!" Yang yelled right after wiping her bloody lip. "I know I can! I just need more time… I know I can beat anyone! I–"
"You can be stronger, really now? And you want me to give you more time for it? Even after the many times you've said that you'd kill me, cut me in two, set me on fire?"
"But you ground us to the bone in training!" Yang shot back. "You always talked down on us, and you were merciless to those that fell behind! All we wanted was to have a better life, a better purpose by protecting Mistral! And yet nothing was ever good enough–"
"That's because they really weren't good enough, you stupid girl! And you forget that I bent the rules for you, all because you were the only one that I felt truly understood me, despite your foul mouth, your constant arguing, and you failing to meet the Xiao Long standards at every turn. Believe me, my patience with you was the only thing that kept you here. But perhaps I should've culled you from the selection process a long time ago instead."
"But you let everyone else die!" Yang snarled. "I'm the only one who survived, all because of you! You goddamned–"
The woman slammed her right foot straight at Yang's chest, the sole of her boot digging at Yang's skin, pinning her at the large entrance.
"They weren't the only people that have died under my watch, and they most certainly won't be the last."
"…!"
"The Xiao Longs were able to protect Mistral from the Grimm throughout the centuries for a reason, Yang." The woman took a deep breath right as a cool wind passed by them, and along came peach petals, straight from the peach tree garden here in this castle. "You only need to look around you. The richness of the ancient culture we've preserved through the centuries… The highest among all the kingdoms by far… That's all the proof anyone needs to know that the traditions of the family work. Because life doesn't care about what you think is the right way, only the way that you can bring about with your bare hands. And the Xiao Longs know this more than anyone else."
Yang groaned, her bruised and battered body having no more energy to fight back.
"Remember that the only thing that matters in the end is strength. And the day will come when you'll see the wisdom in my words. Or maybe death will make you see it, depending on how long you last out there." So saying, the woman began to lift right her leg off of Yang's chest. "I'm done talking to you. Now leave, before I make you leave–"
But tired as she was, Yang grabbed the woman's leg out of sheer instinct.
"You dare touch me?" The woman frowned. "I ought to kill you for doing that."
"Then do it. You're going to have to kill me anyways, because I'm not leaving this place. Not now, not ever." Yang grit her teeth. "This is my home, and I will become a Xiao Long, or die trying!"
Yang never thought she would see part of her life flash before her eyes, but there it was, going through her mind in a rapid pace. And somehow the ache in her right arm intensified, almost equaling the pain on her back. But how… It never acted like this before. She had only used a sliver of her power last night in secret, only limiting herself to an ember, to ease herself into practicing with it, so that she could use her dragon against Cinder the next time they met. So why…
Yang felt a sinking feeling in her heart, knowing that Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were still frozen in place, and that she couldn't do a thing to protect her friends. Just like that time before…
"Showing defiance at the end? Hmph. A pity you only show it now when it's too late, especially when we both know how this will end. Do you really want to die here, Yang?"
Yang knew she would really die here if she continued with this. But there was nothing for her outside of this castle, at least none without getting any stronger than the weak worm she used to be before entering here. And this woman… A rage flowed through Yang's heart. Far from this being her chance at a better life, this woman made her life a living hell instead…
But if she really was strong enough, then she wouldn't be in this position, now would she? She wouldn't have lost her fights. But the fact that she did, only meant that she was still weak…
Yang recalled a promise – one that she remembered vividly, now that she was at this desperate point – and that made her let go of the woman's leg.
"Good, you know to let go of my leg at least. Now stand up and walk away. Leave now before I–"
Yang knelt on the ground and bowed deeply, prostrating to the woman, her head touching the floor.
"我让你失望了, 对不起…"
There was a lengthy pause, with wind once again passing by them; Yang was sure she felt a few petals touch her hair and skin. And then…
"…how surprising to hear you say that."
Yang looked up at the woman. She doing this with every fiber of her being, as it proved the woman right, but if this was the only way she could stay here and get more strength, then she had no choice.
"Very well. Then moving forward, you will call me by my true name, because the time that I've been patient with you, letting you call me by a different name, has now passed. You and I will discard any memories we have of how we first met, and I will not tolerate any more arguing from you. Remember that I'm one of the Baxian, the Eight Immortals of the Xiao Long family, so you will give me the proper respect, and the proper bows, every single day. No exceptions. Or I'll kill you before you even know it."
"Yes, Fenghuang." Just like that, she was given another chance, though it involved doing something that felt akin to flaying the skin off her arm. But for all the fury she felt, Yang had to set them aside. She had to get stronger first, and her failure showed that she could only do it by fully committing to this woman's methods. But she would never forget. Once she got accepted into the Xiao Long family… "I understand, and I await your command."
"This girl won't be bothering us anytime soon," the girl said. "Now let's go grab her and the others. Clover should be here any moment now, and–"
Suddenly Yang saw a cascade of jagged rocks and a burst of lightning come out from the manor's main door; powerful charged attacks from both Pyrrha and Nora! They were more than enough for the girl and the dog faunus to dodge, and sure enough, Yang strained to look up, even in her pained prone position, to see Team JNPR advance, with Jaune's barrier up to protect him and his teammates.
And just like that, Yang heard the surprised gasps of Ruby and the others; they were moving again!
"What the… What's going on?!" Weiss yelled.
"Set up an ice wall, Weiss! Now!" Yang shouted; there was smoke coming from where Pyrrha earth and Nora's lightning landed, but no sign of the enemy. "Be careful, guys! That dog faunus has some kind of arcane Semblance that stops you cold… And those two are looking for Weiss's dad!"
The sound of ice forming into a wall was all Yang needed to hear. She then remembered Blake saying something to her, but Yang couldn't quite understand it, as she suddenly felt lightheaded…
The next thing Yang knew was that Ruby was crying out her name, and that she blinked and knelt by her side.
"Yang! What happened to you?!"
"…sorry, Ruby." Yang managed to smile despite the pain. "I didn't keep my attention on them for a second, and…"
"Hang in there, Yang!"
Yang felt a hand touch her back, and a healing warmth began to flow through her body, slowly wiping away the excruciating pain of her wound, including the one on her right arm.
"…Jaune!" Ruby said, her voice filled with relief.
"Good thing we got here just in time," Jaune said, with Ren right beside him. "This wound's pretty deep."
"Thanks…" Yang groaned, feeling embarrassed that everyone was looking at her in this state, but seeing their relieved faces made it more bearable. "I owe you guys one…"
"We're in this together," Jaune said. "Sorry, we didn't know that something was wrong until we met Mrs. Schnee down at the basement. But whoever these guys are, this won't end up like the train mission, I promise."
"Wait… Is my mother ok, Jaune?!" Weiss asked. "Where is she?!"
"She's alright, your mom's safe," Jaune replied. "She's busy telling the staff to hide… And she told us what she saw, what that faunus did to you guys. Good thing we have Nora's lightning and Pyrrha's rocks to attack from range."
"We owe you guys one for missing out on Cinder," Ren added, his hands glowing with green threads while holding his twin swords. "Just think of us as being fashionably late."
"…didn't think you're the fashionable type to begin with," Nora said.
"Now that's just hurtful!"
"But you guys arrived in time, and that's what matters. Thank you…" And with that said, Ruby readied her sniper scythe. "Everyone, assume defensive positions until my command! And protect Yang while she recovers!"
"You all heard the girl!" Pyrrha shouted, and the sound of everyone following Ruby's command made Yang smile a bit.
Grunting, Yang got enough strength from Jaune's healing to sit, and saw that beyond Jaune's barrier and Weiss's ice wall, stood the silhouettes of their enemies in the clearing smoke. They seemingly had no intentions of running away despite being outnumbered, even with Ruby and Blake having their rifles drawn, and Pyrrha and Nora ready with their Semblances.
"So the colonel's cavalry has arrived," the dog faunus continued, shrugging as he did. "And that's a pretty thick ice wall too, I can barely see you guys. Heh, did my Semblance get you all spooked? Don't be too scared, you didn't feel anything when I put you all in statis, now did you? Trust me, there are worse experiences."
"We have you beat eight versus two!" Pyrrha shouted. "Surrender now, or we'll be forced to defend ourselves!"
"How cute of you to be so concerned about our safety," the girl with the shaved side hair said. "You should worry about yourselves more if I were you. We took care of that blonde friend of yours easily, and you won't be so different."
"Who are you two?!" Weiss demanded. "Tell me who you're working for, or I'll make sure you two are begging on your knees for prison when I'm done!"
"Ooh, now that's a scary threat right there." The faunus chuckled. "Sounds about right for an ice queen too… Those rumors mills don't really give you a flattering picture–"
The sound of a car speeding through the street came rushing out from the distance, quickly closing in on them.
"They're on their way," the girl said, interrupting her comrade. "Get ready."
"…fine." The faunus stretched his body and played around with his boomerang, his tail wagging from side to side. "Let's do this."
Yang heard the screeching sound of tires braking against the pavement, and a car's silhouette appeared beyond Weiss's ice wall. But they were clearly not meant for them, as four people came out of the vehicle to stand beside their two enemies, their silhouettes visible through the ice wall, and they unsheathed their dustmetal weapons except for one. Eight on six now… From the corner of her eye Yang saw that the others were tense and at the ready, with Ren weaving something with his fingers.
Remember that the only thing that matters in the end is strength.
Yang grit her teeth. She didn't need that woman to remind her anything. She knew that if they couldn't beat these guys now, then there was no way they could ever beat Cinder… But Jaune was right. This fight wouldn't end like that train mission, not even close.
Glancing at Blake, and with Jaune still healing the wound on her back, Yang prepared herself, gathering power just in case, as she slowly unwrapped her right arm's bandages.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Just who are you people?!" Weiss yelled, ready to launch an attack the moment they did, and she was furious enough to seriously consider starting her own attack right now despite Ruby's command. Having broken and entered her manor, these people had nothing good in store for them; that Semblance she experienced – wherein it felt like time itself stopped, for lack of a better description – was simply far too dangerous.
"Hello Weiss Schnee," a man's voice said. "I know this is a hard time for you, with your father missing… We would've preferred that you visited your mother here in peace while we looked for Jacques."
"You're not getting my mother!" Weiss snapped, already dreading the implication of that.
"I figured as much. And we'd rather not drag her into this, when you'd do just fine… Your involvement with Colonel Hill, who conveniently also disappeared three days ago, has forced our hand."
"Huh?! Who's Colonel Hill?!"
"I'd rather we resolve this through peaceful means." His tone was strong and had authority; Weiss could tell he was the leader of these bastards. "I know that woman's been manipulating you, using your father's disappearance against your best interests, so I'm willing to give one more chance. No one needs to get hurt here. Just tell us about everything you know about Colonel Hill's plans, and we won't have to resort to more… Brutal methods."
From beyond her ice wall Weiss saw some confused reactions from the man's comrades, but he reassured them with a slight raising of his hand. Weiss, however, was having none of it. "We don't know any Colonel Hill! So how about you surrender, and we'll let you rot peacefully in prison instead?!"
"You're all in over your heads," the man said. "What did the colonel tell you? That your father was in danger, that he needed to be found as soon as possible? Then once he's found, you'll have the glory of putting his pursuers… Us 'criminals'… To justice? And in exchange, to waste the one weapon that will finally end the Grimm, and jeopardize Atlas's place in the world hegemony? We've suffered that woman's interference long enough. None of you have any idea of the magnitude of what Atlas is about to embark on."
"What are you talking about?!" The thought of her father being pursued didn't even cross Weiss's mind, because why would he be? Then something clicked in her head; Internal Affairs… Weapon to destroy the Grimm… World hegemony? "You're from the military, aren't you? Then what do you want from my father?! He never did anything against Atlas–"
"Do you really think that your father got the funds to his space project solely through mining Dust? Did you stop to think who his investors were, or what things he could have done to get the money? He's a lot more involved with Atlas than you think. The worst kind, if I say so myself."
A cold chill went down Weiss's spine. Her father would've needed lots of funding for his space program, true, but surely he would've obtained them through the right means… Unwanted memories of her father coordinating with the military came to mind, of that awful day when she fought Winter…
"We scratched his back, and Jacques was supposed to scratch ours… He was supposed to keep his word. But he's broken his side of the deal, and he threatens to ruin everything we've worked hard for. I suppose he was enough of a father to keep you in the dark about this, but you don't have to get involved with that woman's schemes… You've received enough shame from Winter already. You don't have to end up like her, you don't have to die for a foolish cause."
"What did you just say?!"
"We know what your sister did, and you took the blame for it, all so that your family could save face for what your sister did. But Winter was a traitor, trying to obtain information about Atlas's plans to other kingdoms, so she had to be dealt with by the military… Your father made sure of that."
Weiss knew what she heard, but for all her ice, she had never felt something so cold run through her veins.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But is it farfetched to think that Jacques could also betray Atlas, like Winter did, like what he did to her? That's why I asked that you stand down, you've suffered enough. But you don't have to carry your family's shame anymore. If you and your team surrender now, we'll let you start anew–"
"You goddamned liar! How dare you tell me all this?!" Weiss screamed, and a blizzard formed on the tip of Myrtenaster's blade. What this man said was impossible. There was no way her sister was a traitor, and that her father would order Winter to be killed! "And don't patronize me about starting over! You stand down right now, you hear me?! Drop your weapons and get on your knees, now!" Weiss was so close to launching the first strike, but remembering Ruby's command, she backed off at the last second, though just barely.
"They have no intention of relenting," said another man, with a much calmer tone. "They don't appreciate your kind intentions."
"No use talking anymore then… So let's do what we do best," a woman's deep voice boomed. "And get the combat data we need for our girl here too, two birds with one stone!"
"I too would've preferred peace, but I await your command," said a girl with a soft voice, one that took Weiss by surprise. "Your orders, commander?"
"…very well." The man sighed. "Get ready for combat, M374. We'll wring out the truth from them soon enough."
Suddenly a barrage of Semblances slammed at Weiss's ice wall, an attack so strong that Weiss barely managed to hold her wall from instantly breaking. But even with her pushing back, large cracks on her wall began to emerge…
"Everyone, go!" Ruby commanded.
"You heard her!" Jaune roared as he rushed forward, moving in front of Weiss. "Ren, now!"
Weiss's wall shattered – revealing wind, water, wood, and aura missiles heading straight for them – but Jaune was quick to block the incoming wave of Semblances with his barrier, and from the corner of her eye Weiss saw Ren throw a net of green weaves, taking advantage of the chaos… And sure enough, it hit its mark.
"Ow! The hell?!" the dog faunus yelled, trying to break through the weaves binding his limbs to the ground – and most importantly, covering his eyes – all to no avail. "They got me, those bastards!"
"Consider this your time out, you bad dog!" Ren snapped, pulling the threads tight to keep his target in place before snipping them; Nora was quick to stand by his side. "Now who's next?"
Weiss stepped in front of Jaune – whose barrier was close to breaking – and did her part in providing both offense and defense, as Semblances flew in all directions, with even an injured Yang joining the fight. The Schnee Manor driveway turned into a battlefield, Hunter versus Hunter. Or that was what Weiss thought, as amid the chaos, she soon met face to face with the man she talked to – who had short brown hair and teal eyes, wielding a spear imbued with his water Semblance – and the girl with the soft voice, standing there doing nothing… Until she moved.
"I'm sorry that it came to this," the girl said. She had a freckled face, with short and curly orange hair and bright green eyes, wearing nondescript civilian clothing like the rest of her comrades. Then a floating array of bladed weaponry burst forth from her back, spinning around her like that of a windmill, and roaring chainsaws came out of each of the girl's arms. A green aura, indicating a Semblance, enveloped the girl, but metal became visible at many parts of the girl's body where skin should have been. Green light glowed on her chest, and loud exhaust came out of her shoulders, ribs, and heels. "But it seems there's no helping it."
Even while under the heat of battle, with Semblances everywhere, everyone from Team RWBY and JNPR formed a collective gasp at the sight.
"She's the first success of a project long thought impossible," the man said, all while using his water Semblance to fend off Pyrrha's earth attacks. "She's supposed to be dead from an accident, but she lived based on research funded by Jacques… M374 is what we call a cyborg, the first of a new army that will bring Atlas to greater heights, and she's on her first trial run. You're all her first targets in real combat."
"What have you done to her?!" There was an uncanny, unnatural look to the girl, and the way the man referred to her as if she was some weapon, and the implications of that… Wait, what did this man say again? That her father was… No, it couldn't be!
"You'd be surprised what ambition can do to a man."
"You shut your mouth! He–"
The girl with the orange hair suddenly darted forward, her chainsaws aiming for the throat, and Wiess parried with all the ice she had on Myrtenaster, and ensured that she had enough ice to spare to block the girl's eight swords from cutting her down; no taller than her or Ruby, there was a lot of strength in this girl's thin frame!
"Get out of my way!" Weiss growled.
"Don't feel sad for me," M374 said, again with that soft voice. And in their heated melee, staring at her opponent this close, Weiss saw that the girl's bright green eyes were dead inside, more machine than anything else. "I was brought from the brink of death for a new purpose. I may not look like much to you, but my existence will be to Atlas's benefit."
They fought on, but Weiss knew she had to set aside her pity for this girl for now. Whoever she was, she still belonged to the enemy – part of the people who dared accuse her father of being complicit to terrible things, and her sister of being a traitor to the kingdom – and they would all pay for that, including their breaking and entering, and for hurting Yang. She wasn't letting any of them get away regardless of how strong they were. But she would have to put her fury into a cold rage too, because she had just spoken to Winter too, and she wasn't about to leave hanging what they talked about.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Is the staff alright and accounted for?"
"Yes Mrs. Schnee," Klein replied while on the landline phone. "Everyone's down here in the panic room."
"Thank goodness." Taking a deep breath, Willow paced around, unable to take her mind off what just happened just above them. She remembered just standing there near a window looking at Weiss, thinking of whether she should go to her again and get a few more moments with her before she left, maybe even insist that her teammates eat more of her food. But right when she decided to do so, she saw an armored car barge right through their gate, revealing a girl and a faunus… The latter's eerie blue eyes gave her a such a fright, forcing her to hide, but there was no denying what she saw. Stifling her fear, she hurried to tell her staff to hide, and called on Jaune and his teammates, who were down at the deepest part of their basement, for help.
Willow glanced at the monitor on the wall, displaying security cameras on every pivotal point inside the manor. No one from the enemy side had entered yet, but the camera showing the driveway had been damaged by a stray Semblance attack, mere seconds after a fight had started, and Willow couldn't take her mind off wondering what was happening next.
Just who were those people invading their home? Surely they wouldn't be causing such chaos just to steal money, and the Schnee family never did anything beyond the hard decisions that came with running a privately owned Dust company, so what were they even doing here? Willow couldn't think of anything that would motivate anyone to come after them for revenge.
Something rumbled above them, audible even down here at the panic room, and hearing it intensified the terrible feeling Willow had in her heart; a mother's intuition that something awful was about to happen, one that festered ever since she saw Weiss in suspended animation, and she would've been at the mercy of those people if it weren't for one of her friends. But Weiss was still a Hunter who knew how to fight, and she had called Ms. Bright already, who promised her that she would go to help her as soon as possible. So this should all resolve itself soon, right? And yet…
"Still no response from the police, Klein?"
"None, Mrs. Schnee." Klein began to dial a new number. "I'll try to contact the police from other cities."
"They're too far away, they won't make it in time." And Ms. Bright would most likely not make it in time as well… Right at that moment, Willow knew exactly what she needed to do; she put her hand on Klein's shoulder. "Take care of the staff for me, Klein. I'll be going outside to help Weiss."
Klein immediately shook his head, and the rest of the staff made disapproving remarks as well. "Mrs. Schnee, it's much too dangerous!" he said. "Don't go there, please!"
"Thank you all for your kindness," Willow said, her hands clasped low. "You've served our family well. But my job as your superior is to look out for your wellbeing, so I implore you all to stay here where it's safe. Just think of this as a Schnee family matter… This doesn't concern any of you."
"…implore?" Klein gulped, and he slowly gained a look that hinted that he understood. "…then at least let me go with you, Mrs. Schnee! If what you say about those people above are true, there's no way I can possibly let you go there by yourself!"
"No, your job is to protect everyone here, should worse come to worst. There are five guns hidden at the wall over there, and you happen to be one of the best five shooters among the staff. Team up with the others to form a final defense, though I pray it never comes to that."
"But Mrs. Schnee!"
"I won't have any of you be involved. This is a home invasion, and the Schnee family would never abandon their hired servants. So please don't argue with me on this… Don't make me have to actually issue a command. I'll being going outside by myself, and I won't be denied."
Klein paused only for a moment. "But still…"
"Thank you for helping to reconcile me with my daughter, Klein. I can't thank you enough for that. But like I said, this is a Schnee family matter, and there are some things best done personally by the parent, don't you agree?" Willow wiped her eyes, her voice becoming shaky. She and Jacques weren't perfect by any means – her husband had a bad temper, and was obsessed with fulfilling a greater purpose beyond just mining Dust, and the less said about her vices, the better – but no one could deny that they loved their three children, and Willow knew deep in her heart that Weiss did all she could to save Winter. So why did she let her emotions get the better of her that night? She regretted what she did to Weiss so much… And she couldn't just stand here doing nothing. She just couldn't take it anymore. "Even now, I feel that I haven't done enough to apologize to my daughter… For all the shouting and all the things I threw at her that night."
"But there will be another time for that!"
"So why do I feel that there won't be?" Then came a roar from some kind of beast, coming from outside; Willow shook her head, trying her best to steady her voice. "I've lost a daughter already, and possibly my husband too. I can't bear to lose another member of my family again. So that's why I have to go up there alone… It's something I must do, Klein. I can't take another minute standing here…"
"I don't think Weiss can take it if she lost you, Mrs. Schnee."
"Better the mother than the daughter."
There was a much longer pause this time, with some of the staff exchanging glances, but Klein ultimately relented with a heavy sigh. "Alright, I understand. Please be careful out there, Mrs. Schnee. Don't show yourself to the enemy if at all possible. But if you do, then make sure it counts."
"I will." Willow nodded, getting a hold of herself. "Now be careful, all of you."
Willow made a brisk exit out of the panic room, and went to the main hallway and up the stairs to the third floor as fast as she could, towards the master bedroom. She hurried to open the nightstand closest to the bed, and inside a secret compartment, grabbed a handgun. One that Jacques bought for them to use only if necessary. Hastily remembering her gun training, Willow made sure that the weapon was loaded and the safety off, just like what her husband taught her long ago…
She then heard another roar, same as the one from before, which made her look out the window overseeing the driveway.
What immediately got her attention was a flaming gold dragon, along with hearing the pained cries of the blonde girl called Yang, who had the dragon coming out of her right arm, snaking its way above Weiss's ice wall and towards its target. It was an unsettling sight for Willow; what was happening down there? Looking closer, Weiss seemed to be doing ok…
But Willow's heart skipped a few beats upon seeing Weiss's friends down and not moving, and the thought of her daughter being taken down too was all she needed to get moving, her gun in hand.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ruby! How's Blake doing? Is she ok?"
Ruby sprinted towards Weiss, gasping as she arrived, having just carried Blake to Jaune; Ruby's rose petals mingled with Weiss's snow crystals, indicating that they still embraced their Semblances. "She's unconscious, but Jaune's helping her out along with the others."
"So it's just us now…" Breathing hard herself, it took effort for Weiss to form an ice wall in response to what just happened; with Blake down, she had to protect Jaune as he healed their teammates, and provide cover to Yang too, as she struggled to control her dragon without Blake, to keep it locked onto its targets. Would she able to continue the attack by herself, compared to the last time she tried back in the Hunter trials? Yang did say she wasn't holding back anymore ever since they lost to Cinder. If she could just bust her way through… "C'mon," Weiss muttered as she looked at Yang. "C'mon, c'mon…"
"Go, Yang!" Jaune shouted. "You can make it!"
"You can do it, Yang!" Ruby cried out. "Blake will be ok, and we got your back!"
Yang made a deep bellow; her scarred right arm now had an unnatural dark tinge to it. Then, with a growl that sounded like her throat would rip apart – and what could only be described as sheer force of will – Yang pushed her right arm forward, and the dragon roared with a renewed vigor to consume everything within its maws.
It was an incredible thing to witness. And just as incredible, as Weiss saw through her ice wall, was the fact that their enemies huddled behind the mechanical girl they called M374, her floating swords creating a green barrier that kept Yang's dragon at bay.
Ruby huddled beside Weiss behind her ice wall, and both took the chance to get a brief rest, as their enemies were forced to defend against Yang's dragon; as tired as they were, they were pretty much the only ones protecting Yang and Jaune from enemy counterattack at this point. "…how are you feeling?"
"…" Weiss wounds on her limbs weren't that serious, but considering the state of the others, she would readily admit that their enemies got them good. They started this battle as an eight versus five, with their dog faunus incapacitated, but their enemies proved far too skilled in countering their attacks, and they knew how to keep them separate to mitigate their numbers advantage; it was clear that these guys really were from some kind of military unit, with the man with the water Semblance acting as their leader…
Weiss remembered what he told her. She was going to rip this man apart–
"…Weiss?"
"…I said I'm ok," Weiss shook her head; she thought she had reigned in her anger during the fight. But she had to focus. "It's just that the way that girl fought… She's just as strong as the others, and she would've taken me out if it weren't for you…"
"It's all good, don't worry about it."
"Thanks for saving me."
Ruby nodded. But Weiss knew she did more than just that. With her blinks – and despite the battle not going in their favor – Ruby managed to not only save her from a fatal attack, but at the same time put Blake in a good spot to help Yang with her dragon. It was a tactic that Ruby saw during the fight that would've worked too, if only their entire group hadn't been a target of a coordinated Semblance attack intended to finish them off, one that broke through Jaune's barrier and seriously injured Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. Blake got to move Yang out of the way, just as the dragon was released and aimed at their opponents, but she got hit on her side in the process…
Suddenly there was a shriek and an explosion coming from the enemy side. Which would've been a good sign, except Weiss also saw Yang's dragon suddenly dissipate into nothing; both her and Ruby turned to Yang, who gave them a faint smile before falling face first to the pavement, her scarred right arm black and charred, with some small embers still on it.
Then Weiss's ice wall began to crack, the structure shaking from a barrage of Semblances.
"Get out of there!" Jaune shouted.
A wooden stake somehow managed to punch through a weak point in the ice, and it went straight to Weiss's gut; excruciating pain came next, and Weiss's vision darkened.
The next thing Weiss knew, she was laying on her side, with Jaune healing her stab wound, taking deep breaths while doing so. Beside her was Yang, still unconscious, while Ruby…
Gasping and shaking, Ruby fell right beside Yang, crying out in pain as she clutched her chest and head.
"Ruby!" Jaune shouted.
"Don't mind me…" Ruby groaned. "Save Weiss…"
Weiss knew that something bad had happened to Ruby – and upon hearing her ice wall being destroyed, she knew they were also completely exposed to the enemy – but the pain in her belly was far too much for her to do anything, even with Jaune healing her; her back wet with her blood, the pain was so bad that all her fury at her enemies simply vanished, and Weiss felt like passing out.
I've been thinking about Mother recently, Winter. I worry about her relapsing, even though I plan to leave once I bring Father back. There's a reason why I exiled myself, after all. But I can't help but think I shouldn't leave Mother behind.
Memories of the conversation Weiss had with Winter earlier came to mind, and for a moment, Weiss saw her sister beckoning to her with outstretched arms.
It hurt to see Mother like that, all while trying to entertain my friends as a host… I can't bear to see her hide her sadness. But I don't know what to do about it… Or maybe I do know what to do, but I can't bring myself to do it. What would you do, if you were in my shoes?
But Weiss had to refuse the offer. Now wasn't the right time, even if a part of her did want to go. She had to hold on…
…you know, Ruby said you forgive me, Winter. I… I'd like to think that you do, honestly. And she tells me that I should forgive others in turn… But it's not like I can't forgive Mother or Father. If anything, it's myself who I can't forgive.
Weiss gripped hard on Myrtenaster – which she still had on her right hand – to cling desperately to life, even as the pain began to dull her senses.
If you've already forgiven me, then I wish to forgive myself too, Winter. Because I've had this pain for so long, and with Mother knowing that… I don't want her to suffer anymore. But I can't do this alone. Please, I need your help, Winter… I know I've wronged you, and I miss you so much, but please, help me…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ruby groaned as she tried to stand up, trying to power through a splitting headache and a heart that felt like it was about to burst. Breathing hard, she knew that pushing the boundaries of her blinking would have consequences. That was why she limited herself to teleporting only one at a time; she had never been able to teleport more than one, aside from the time she blinked everyone to safety during the Hunter trials, which was a feat that she had never been able to replicate since. But she somehow managed to carry both Weiss and Yang through her teleport to save them from the enemy's Semblance attack, and she was now feeling the aftereffects of it.
This wasn't even counting the multiple blinks she did during the fight to save the others… Her body teetering at the edge of breaking down, Ruby had to find a way to push through nonetheless; she dug deep, remembering the time she teleported to the mountains during the Hunter trials, and she managed to stand up on shaky knees and unsteady hands.
Ruby then looked at Jaune, and saw the sternest face she had ever seen him have, as he healed Weiss's awful wound… The sight of which brought despair in Ruby's heart.
"Not bad for you guys to last this long." Ruby saw that it was the one with the spear and the water Semblance that said that, as he and his comrades approached them. "Your friend's doing well to heal Weiss, and you gave quite the stress test to M374 too… Not bad at all."
"You gave us quite a few nicks and bruises too," said the stocky woman among them, carrying a gigantic hammer that could transform into a rocket launcher; a weapon that made Nora's seem small. "But nothing we can't handle."
"They have fought quite well for their skill level," the bald man with them added, his Semblance of wooden branches slowly twisting around him. "My apologies for landing an awful wound to Weiss, but it couldn't be helped in the fog of war… Especially with such an amazing Semblance from that girl over there, Clover. She's no doubt the first in the world that can blink."
"I know," the man called Clover said. "But it's alright, Vine. Fighting has its consequences, and it's not like we didn't warn them. Though hopefully this girl's wiser than her teammates."
Ruby felt a sharp headache, and she almost fell again. From eight versus five to one versus four… Even with Yang taking out M374, it was just too much. There was no way she could defend everyone. But she still didn't want to surrender; there was no telling what these people would do if she acquiesced to their demands.
Ruby looked at the road beyond the manor's gate. No, it was too far away, it was impossible in her state. But…
Clover looked at the girl beside him; the mechanical girl Weiss fought. "Are you alright?"
"Damage is substantial." Kneeling on the pavement, sparks and exhaust were everywhere on the metal parts of the girl's body, and her floating array of swords were scattered on the pavement, no longer moving. "…I apologize, but I can't continue the fight anymore, commander."
"That's alright, M374. You've done well." So saying, Clover tapped the girl's head, much like what a preschool teacher would do to a kindergarten student. "Now please attend to Marrow over there, he still needs to be freed. Those Semblance threads tying him up are a hassle to destroy… Think you can manage that?"
Looking at their bound faunus comrade named Marrow, M374 slowly nodded. "…yes, that I can do, given some time."
"Good girl. Now go over to the poor dog, he's been missing out on the action long enough."
"Eh, maybe you could let him stay there for a while?" the girl with the shaved side hair said as she looked at M374, who was busy trying to free Marrow from Ren's binds. "He's more behaved that way, and it's not like we need him to finish off these Hunters."
"Very funny, Harriet!"
"Just kidding!" With a giggle, Harriet then gave Ruby a look. "Alright girl, did you hear what Clover said? Get with the goddamned program and tell us all about Colonel Hill already. Or we're going to have to take you all in… And maybe some of you won't survive the interrogation."
"We don't know anyone by that name…" Ruby said. "Why do you keep on asking–"
"No! What have you done to my daughter! You monsters!"
Ruby was shocked to see Weiss's mother Willow come out of the main door and point a handgun at their enemies. But a gust of wind arrived before Willow could even put her finger on the trigger; Ruby saw Harriet disarm the gun and put a saber far too close to Willow's neck. But that only stopped her shrieking; Willow wept terribly as she looked at Weiss.
"Hm, what do we have here?" Harriet's eyes were looking straight at Ruby's as she spoke. "Sorry, but the old lady was kind of a sitting duck, you know what I mean? Hey, nothing personal. Just kingdom security stuff. But now's a really good time for you to talk."
"Good initiative there Harriet," Clover said. "I can always count on you to make the quick decisions… I honestly thought that Willow had escaped by now. But stay put for now, and keep her close. There's something I'd like to ask her first."
"Yes, commander!"
"Let her go…" Ruby was doing her best not to fall; a wave of exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm her. "Please, don't hurt her. She's not involved in any of this…"
"Ruby, please…" Willow sobbed. "It's alright, don't worry about me. Just take care of my daughter… Don't let her die…"
Ruby looked back to see that Weiss's eyes were closed, her breathing quick and shallow, as Jaune did his best to save her. Could Weiss be hearing Willow right now? But she didn't look like she was getting any better, and Ruby was horrified at the thought.
"Hello, Mrs. Schnee," Clover said with a small bow, completely ignoring Weiss. "I apologize if my colleague had to handle you roughly, but you shouldn't be using guns so lightly, they're very dangerous. Sorry about your daughter, but she'll live… We just don't want your husband to see you injured too, once we find him and finish unsettled business."
"…Jacques?" Willow was stunned by what she heard. "…what do you mean by that?"
"He and our group had an arrangement, but he walked out at his earliest convenience. Normally we wouldn't so aggressive with trying to find him, but he knows things we'd rather he keep to himself. We can't risk him having any wild ideas, you see. Now Weiss and her friends wouldn't listen, but if only they talked about Colonel Hill, then none of this would've happened."
For a moment, Willow was left speechless, and bore the look of someone struggling to process everything. But after closing her eyes for a few moments, Willow breathed deep, and she slowly nodded. "…I swear, we don't know anything about anyone named Colonel Hill." Willow's tone was shaking as she spoke. "But you can take me instead… Just promise that you won't hurt Weiss and her friends… They're only doing their jobs as Hunters, please don't hurt them!"
"That's not for you to decide," Clover said. "Thanks for offering yourself as bait for Jacques, you'll do well in that. But as much as I'd like to believe that they know nothing, I simply can't run that risk." So saying, Clover then turned to Ruby. "Now tell us about Colonel Hill, or you're coming with us… Don't make me have to torture you."
"What? Why? But I already said we don't know anything!" Willow shrieked as she tried to escape Harriet's grip, to no avail; tears ran freely down the woman's cheeks. "Please, you have to believe me! I'm begging you, don't take away Weiss! Just take me instead!"
Ruby felt a pang creep into her heart at the sight of seeing Weiss's mother crying like that. Fighting a losing battle was one thing, but to see this kind of sorrow was just–
Another wave of exhaustion hit her, and Ruby had to use Crescent Rose as a makeshift pole just to keep standing. It was no use. She was simply in no condition to fight back…
"Ruby…" Jaune whispered. "…go and blink out of here, save yourself."
Ruby was stunned; she had to look back at Jaune to make sure, but there was no mistaking what she just heard.
"It's ok, I promise I'll save Weiss and the others." But Jaune still held a grave face as he said that, still trying to bring Weiss back from the brink, and their other teammates weren't standing up either. "But if you're taken too, then it's over for all of us. You have to escape to fight another day."
"I can't do that," Ruby whispered back. "I can't leave you guys behind…"
"At least she's not being disrespectful to us, I'll give her that," Clover said. "But we can't wait any longer. Vine, Elm, let's go and take them all. We'll get them to sing about Colonel Hill soon enough."
Ruby turned to find their enemies approach them, and her rose petals swirled wildly as a thought came to mind, one that she didn't want to think about. But Jaune had a point. Whoever these people were, they were dead set in finding out all about this Colonel Hill, and if they were all taken by them, then there was no telling when they would be able to escape; it was possible they would never see the light of day again. And the thought of never seeing Cale again – when he promised that they would see each other again – wrenched Ruby's heart.
Ruby stifled an urge to cry; she had to be strong here. But she couldn't bear to abandon her friends to their fate. Even if it was to get help, there had to be a better way than to just escape by herself!
"Ruby!" Willow screamed. "Please, save my daughter! I'm begging you!"
To hear Weiss's mother like this… Ruby knew what she had to do, but she couldn't even stand up straight.
Cale…
Ruby wished Cale was here. He would know what to do; he had saved her many times already. But surely by now she should be able to do the same, right? She was a Hunter, she knew how to fight and protect herself, so why couldn't she use her power to save others too? There had to be a way. There just had to be…
Her rose petals swirling violently, Ruby looked again at the road beyond the manor's gate.
Suddenly Ruby disappeared along with the rest of her friends, all eight of them, gone in a blink of an eye.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Can't this go any faster?! Move, you damned thing! Move!"
The blonde woman stepped on the gas as hard as she could, gritting her teeth as she drove at the maximum speed her van would allow. But their speed was still too slow, and the lack of police trying to catch them despite breaking the speed limit was another bad sign, ironically enough. To think that the police were already taken care of that fast, and in broad daylight…
She got hold of rumors today that there would be breaking news about the supposed superweapon Atlas had, and that an announcement from General Ironwood was in the works. On the surface, it looked to be an attempt to show that Atlas was strong despite the recent data breach. But she now knew better than that, after her talk with Sleet. That was why she made haste to find Jacques; who would've known that the Schnee Dust Company CEO would be involved in this?
She always knew that Ironwood was up to no good, risking war with the other kingdoms in its arms race to destroy the Grimm. But he had always been one step ahead of her, and made it so difficult for her to pin him down as part of Internal Affairs, reduced to nothing but speculation to work with. And his meticulousness forced Robyn to be cautious, wary of setting up a potential trap of his… Clearly she was too cautious. Because if they took the risk of following their source – now validated by Sleet's words, at least – then they would've been better prepared, and maybe Winter would still be…
"C'mon, move!" To her shame, she didn't realize that his lackeys were looking for her; they would've caught her easily if she had only left a few minutes later than she did. But with her last stop being the Schnee Manor, and with Willow describing one of their attackers as a faunus that stopped time… Robyn was sure that such a rare Semblance wasn't documented in any of Atlas's records on their Hunters, and there would be no reason to think that a foreign actor would be involved. Which only meant that Ironwood's minions had linked her and the Schnee family together; damnit! She had been too fixated with finding Jacques. If only she had been more careful!
I'm sorry, Winter. I promised I wouldn't involve Weiss, but…
"I know you're worried, but we're going to make it," one of her teammates said; a woman with blue hair and yellow eyes. "It'll be ok, Robyn. I've already taken the necessary steps to cover our tracks now that Ironwood's after us, but if Weiss is anywhere close to good at fighting as Winter was, then she'll come out fine. And it helped that Willow called you about their attack… We would've never known had she not done that."
"…I can't help but think we're too late, May."
"We'll get there in time, don't think about anything else."
"And Weiss has her teammates too," another one of them said, this time a tanned woman with a hardened face. "Even if they're fighting Ace Ops, I don't think the eight of them will lose that easily."
"…I hope so too, Joanna." Ace Ops was the name given to elite black operations Hunters by the Atlas military, an open secret among the brass. But there were longstanding rumors about Ironwood circumventing the rules about the unit, to the point that he supposedly created his own deadly Ace Ops subgroup that was under his direct command. Another thing Robyn couldn't pin him on, and she now saw firsthand the effects of it.
"And Weiss wouldn't have believed you anyways," a sheep faunus said. "None of them would've, especially when we're just as blind as they are regarding where Jacques is. You made the right call to leave as soon as you could. Weiss wouldn't have been in the right frame of mind to listen."
"But I could've told her that we're on the same side… I could've done at least that."
"But that's not what Winter told us to do, right?
"…"
"I know you feel guilty about what happened to Winter…"
"Every waking day, Fiona."
"…we all do. But she knew the risks of what she was planning, and you know how she was… Winter would never take no for an answer. And she–"
Suddenly there was a wafting smell of roses – a fragrance so strong it flooded their vehicle – then Robyn saw eight people appear on the sidewalk in front of her, enveloped by a blizzard of rose petals… With Weiss Schnee among them!
Robyn quickly slammed the van's brakes, all while making sure she kept control of the vehicle, and rubber tires screeched loudly against the asphalt.
"What the hell?!" Robyn couldn't believe what she just saw, her eyes wide open as she stepped out of the van. "…how did you guys–"
"Save them!" Robyn heard one of them cry out in a pained voice; a girl with a red cloak and a giant scythe, her hand reaching out as she lay on the sidewalk. "Please… Save them…"
The girl went unconscious – and the rose petals vanished right as she did – leaving just the blond guy who also begged the same, surrounded by their injured teammates that couldn't get themselves to stand, all while healing a terrible wound on Weiss, a wooden stake driven straight through her belly.
Robyn didn't know what was going on – no idea at all as to how Weiss and her friends appeared out of nowhere – but she had seen enough; she quickly ordered her team to have them carried to their van for immediate medical attention. With those wounds, they must have fought Ironwood's underlings, they must have. But if their enemies were anywhere close, then they would've been attacking them by now. And since they weren't, then Robyn wasn't about to reject an opportunity to fix her massive oversight.
"They're all secured," Fiona said to her, followed by the hard slam of the van's sliding door. "Now let's get out of here!"
"Alright, take care of them and hold tight!" Robyn turned the van in the opposite direction, then slammed on the gas pedal, speeding away while leaving skid marks on the street.
