In order to survive and prosper in a state of chaos, a business had to be able to expand and capitalize upon any available resource it needed to rake in profit. This was a constant on every planet in every reality, especially for the Remnant of Earth-21917. And although it had been hit hard by the Dust embargo in Atlas following the attack on Beacon, the Schnee Dust Company, in particular its CEO Jacques Schnee, was undeterred by the crisis.

Many of Vale's citizens saw the attack on Beacon as a terrible tragedy and the stuff of their worst nightmares. But to Schnee, that same attack was an opportunity.

A shrewd man if there ever was one, he quickly saw the value in organizing a deal with General Ironwood even in spite of his misgivings towards the embargo. The terms were simple. Schnee would harvest some of the black slime growing on the buildings and use it to engineer weapons for use in the Atlesian military. In return, Ironwood would provide enough Lien to keep the SDC afloat until tensions had eased enough for the embargo to be lifted.

Whatever Schnee did with the goo would be left up to him and his research and development team.

He visited one of his facilities in the center of Vale, where he observed the latest tests of the substance. From what Ironwood had described to him, it was a form of previously undiscovered alien life able to attach itself to a compatible organism and create what was effectively a living suit of armor, impervious to all but intense heat and ultrasonic vibrations. The test subject, a white rabbit, was quickly subsumed by the slime upon its release and continued acting as if nothing was amiss.

"Subject Six appears to be stable, Mr. Schnee," one of the scientists reported. "No negative side effects resulting from exposure to the specimen."

"How curious," Schnee pondered. "Our last five rabbits were reduced to mere skeletons in a matter of seconds. And yet beyond the color of its pelt, this latest animal appears to be almost normal. Why is that?"

"My working hypothesis is that the specimen was malnourished at the time of extraction. General Ironwood's report states that the organisms require a steady diet of living flesh and hormone-rich foodstuffs in order to remain docile. Hence, by consuming the last five of our test animals, our specimen has likely become satiated enough to prioritize taking a host over hunting prey. Does this mean… this experiment was a success?"

"It was, my dear. But for now, remove the creature and place it back into containment. We have several more tests to commence before we can begin Faunus trials."

As the Knights closed in on Subject Six, the now-black animal sprouted sharp quills and aggressively arched its back towards its captors. Being non-sentient machines, they showed no fear and no hesitation as they pelted Six with a sonic pulse too high for humans to hear but agonizing to its sensitive ears and especially painful to the symbiote coating its body.

"F-Faunus trials? So soon? We're only just beginning to understand what these organisms are capable of. We don't even know if Subject Six was just a fluke! If we begin testing on people now-!"

"We are not. We're merely shifting to larger animals. Regardless, we are still very uncertain, which is why we must learn as much as we can as fast as possible."

"I know that, but this is simply too risky a strategy for long-term success."

"And what would you suggest? Simply waiting for our competitors to defeat us in the race to bring these 'symbiotes' into the market?"

"But we don't have any competition, Mr. Schnee."

"Perhaps… But seeing as we are dealing with an untapped resource with a massive supply, we will."

As the alien started to instinctively release its rabbit host, the room was flooded with a burst of light before the creature was forced into its container. The computer systems were working normally, so the possibility of a blackout was ruled out.

"Fascinating…" Schnee marveled. "Tell me, has this occurred during previous containment efforts?"

"No," the woman replied. "I haven't seen anything like this."

"Whatever the cause, whatever the effect, this new reaction may prove… inconvenient for future trials. Take a sample, isolate what provoked this sudden flash, and have all of our symbiotes neutered of it at once. If we are to capitalize on this resource to the best of our ability, it must not have any impurities."

Now bereft of the offshoot, Six retreated into the far corner of its cage, unable to understand what its captors' ambitions were but traumatized by the grueling experiment it was subjected to.

"Whatever happens next, we're going to change the world."

The woman calling herself Ruby was carted into an oddly pristine-looking building that appeared almost freshly constructed and painted. The officer who approached her when she first woke up certainly hadn't been exaggerating when he claimed it was new. On the inside, everything looked state-of-the-art, yet pleasant and accommodating to the casual observer. In the corner of her eye, she saw dedicated wings for patients who only made visits and those whose treatment was more long-term.

"It must be some kind of mental hospital," she reasoned. "It's not like the asylums they put on TV, but… am I really going to stay here?"

"Look around you, idiot," her nagging other voice snarled. "We're trapped in a goddamn straitjacket and headed towards the cell block. No matter how you look at it, this is a prison. Even ignoring that, this is where crazy people go. I know for a fact that I'm not crazy!"

"I wasn't asking, disembodied voice in my head. Why did I have to be stuck with whoever you're supposed to be instead of Crescent Rose?"

"Whoever I'm supposed to be?! I'm a real person, you know! Would it kill you to show some respect and treat me like one?!"

"I might if you weren't so much like the old Weiss… is that what you are? Some kind of weird coping mechanism so I think I'm not as alone as I am?"

"YOU ABSOLUTE! FREAKING! IMBECILE! What part of 'I'm a real person' do you not understand?! I'm more than just some delusion or figment of your imagination! I'm more than just a substitute for your precious symbiote! I'm… I am…!"

Nothing. No answers, no recollection, only vague deja vu that didn't say anything about who she was.

"You don't know either, do you?"

"…No. I hate to admit it, I truly do, but for once you have a point. I can't remember what I was. I don't even know what to call myself. All I know is that I'm a human being. But unlike you, I can't live like one. Even if I had my memories back, I'm trapped in this body like a bird in a cage."

An idea popped into "Ruby's" head.

"I think I can help you, other voice."

"You, somehow helping me? Maybe I really am crazy if you think anything will make a difference."

"Look, I know we hate each other. Somehow, I feel like it runs deep even though we're just strangers. But just hear me out. If we stay at the hospital, we'll have plenty of time to try to find any clues. If I can refresh your memory, we might just figure out how you came to be like… this. Then I'll try to get you out, and we can be off each other's backs. Deal?"

"…Deal. Against my better judgment, I'll humor your apparent plan. Just don't get too arrogant because you're the one in control of this body."

With their agreement settled, the woman's two souls watched as their body was taken to a room that looked oddly homey. Two beds, a bathroom, a bookshelf with several folded pairs of light blue pajamas on top, a television, it was all a bit much for just one patient.

"It's not what you were expecting, was it?" "Ruby" asked. "It's a lot like… like our dorm back in Beacon. My team lived in a place like this, but bigger and with more beds. I hope they're all okay…"

"Don't think about them for now. But no, it is quite comforting. I wonder if I ever lived such a cozy life before."

The woman laughed a bit before her throat pain flared up again. She took in her surroundings even more in a bid to ground herself and let any lingering shock from the situation leave her. There were books in the shelves, just like the ones her father and sister read to her in her childhood. A squarish compartment looked like the bathroom in the dorm. A slightly disheveled-looking woman with messy, platinum-blonde hair and an almost dead look in her green eyes stood in the doorway.

Wait, when did she get here? Was this… her new roommate?

"I don't recall telling you that this was a good idea," one of the female staff said coldly. "The very reason this place was established was to rehabilitate our patients, not to make their stay torturous."

"I'm not sure what the fuss is about, Doc," another staff member, male this time, replied. "Wasn't it your idea for them to share rooms to begin with? Didn't you say that the company would help foster social skills or whatever?"

"Yes, I did. But the boss was adamant about minimizing the likelihood that they pose a threat to themselves or others. The files on these two state that they possess extremely violent tendencies."

Violent? Her? That couldn't be right. When they talked about her, "Ruby" could see their point. She was a Huntress. Every waking moment of her life was spent honing her into a living weapon. She wore a living weapon. One that might not have made her any darker, but nevertheless brought out a darkness that was always there. But this frail, despondent girl? She lacked the training, likely never even heard of symbiotes, but then again there was one constant.

They were both sick. They both needed help.

The staff quickly closed the doors and left the two to their devices. "Ruby" was nervous, as was the stranger. Several minutes of awkward silence went by as they each took the time to get fully accustomed. The pajamas were cozy and helped ease her worries a little, but with a bad throat she was still reluctant to speak.

"Hey," the girl was the one to start. "You're my new roommate, right? What are you here for?"

The brunette tried to tell her to leave her alone, not wanting to dredge up her bad memories again. She could only wheeze and cordon herself in a corner to get her point across.

"Not much of a talker, are you? I… I think I can see why. Something must've happened to make you feel as crappy as you look… Don't worry, I won't pry, seeing as we just met and all…"

"I hate her already."

The girl seemed to take notice of her wincing in response.

"You hear them too? The voices? I thought I was the only one. You wouldn't mind if I told you a story, right?"

"Ruby" shook her head to say she didn't. It wasn't like there was any other way to pass the time besides hearing the meaner voice in her head.

"Okay, so I'm trying to apply for this academy called Signal, and I'm hoping I can be a Huntress someday. It's… it's a dream from my childhood. But for some reason, everyone said it just wasn't for me. That I wasn't strong or fast or clever enough to be anything of the sort. Like I was just a kid who had no idea what she was doing. And to be fair, I was only nineteen years old."

She could relate a bit.

"So one day… one day, a couple weeks ago, actually, I heard the sounds of Grimm coming from this bakery in the middle of town, and when I went to see what was happening, there were Geists possessing everything in the shop! And I couldn't believe it. This was my chance to prove myself! I was forced to trash the place so they had nowhere to go. But the owner wasn't happy. He called the cops on me and told them I was some psycho who broke in and vandalized his property!"

So that explained why she supposedly had violent tendencies.

"I… I know there were Grimm there. There had to be. But the cops either called me a liar or said it was all in my head. So I spent some time in jail, hearing more Grimm as my dreams started to die, but there was nothing there. No Beowolves, no screaming citizens, nothing. Didn't that mean there were no Geists to begin with? And then this place is built, and I'm put in gift wrapping, and that's when I met you."

"Ruby" left the corner and tentatively approached the other woman. She was technically a criminal, but somehow, she could tell that she wasn't evil. She fought evil. This was just a poor, miserable soul who didn't realize what she did wrong until it was too late. "Ruby" offered her hand in sympathy.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've been so caught up in my own rambling that I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Maxine. Maxine Schwartz. But you can just call me 'Max' for short. And you are? You can just write it down somewhere so-"

"Ruby," the dark-haired woman introduced herself in kind. "Ruby Rose."

"So you can talk after all! You don't look like a Ruby to me, but it's still a lovely name. So what do we do now?"

"I don't trust her," the darkness spoke. "She's too unpredictable for us to rely on if we have any hope of getting what we need. I say we break her."

She was horrified.

"What?! Why?! What would that solve?! Besides, she's been nice to us so far!"

"Optimistic fool… It'd be better to guarantee her obedience than risk her turning against us. She needs to know her place."

"Well, we don't all believe in our own superiority, do we, other voice? Just… stop being such a colossal jerk and don't make me reconsider our deal."

"Was that… one of your voices?" Max asked, noticing her distress. "You don't like it very much, do you?"

She shook her head no.

"I figured. They can be comforting at times, but most of the time they're just trouble. Speaking of, I think we should do something about those injuries. I'm no M.D., but until we find some way to call a surgeon, we should probably patch you up. Make sure the ugly bits aren't so obvious anymore. You okay with that, Ruby?"

She gave a thumbs up. Now that "Ruby" gave her consent, Max told her to hold still while she set to work. The tearing of fabric sounded as her companion ripped off a piece of her own pajama pants and shaped it into an impromptu eyepatch. Once she was finished, she carefully tied it over the scarring on the left side of the woman's face.

"There we go. Now you won't have any problems looking in the mirror. What do you think?"

Looking at herself for the first time, she could tell the reflection didn't even remotely look like Ruby Rose. She didn't feel very comfortable in this body. Not in its current state. But Max did a good enough job concealing her wounds and the fabric was still as soft as ever. Maybe that was enough. Content, "Ruby" went to the bookshelf and browsed for something worth her while.

"You want to read? I'm honestly not into a lot of books. But since we've got nothing else to do, we might as well. Try to find a good one, alright?"

There were some interesting books like Howling at the Moon, trashy ones like pseudoscientific dribble about a "planet of sharks", and she could've sworn she saw Ninjas of Love slipped in there. But what caught her eye was a fairytale, like the ones her parents read to her, albeit much more recent. The Corpse Who Walked. Seeing as she only had her right arm and could only say her name, she nonverbally asked Max to read it to her.

"I don't do this for a lot of people, but I could make an exception for you. Let's see… The Corpse Who Walked? Who knew you'd be into fairytales? Okay… 'Once upon a time, there was a lone Huntsman leaving home to work. The Huntsman had a family, a wife and two daughters, who loved him dearly and lived prosperously off his jobs. But one day, the Huntsman was badly hurt in his latest battle with the Grimm.'"

"And he died. The end. That's reality."

"Shut up and let her finish!"

"'The life began to leave his body when another creature arrived. It was a demon in the shape of a small cat, its eyes glowing an ethereal blue. 'My my, aren't you out of shape?' it said. 'Another Huntsman in my woods. How delightful!' The Huntsman had never heard a cat speak before, but he was too injured to care. 'Help me…' he beckoned. The cat-demon was skeptical. 'Why should I help you, stranger?' it asked. 'What can you offer me in return?' The Huntsman poured his heart out. His family would surely suffer without him. He could tell the cat-demon was curious about what lied outside its forest, and offered to show it the world if it could bond with him and let him see his family again. The demon accepted, but waited until the man had died before it entered his body. The Huntsman was now a corpse who walked and thought as if he were still alive, but the cat-demon had no power over the soul. With no soul came no Aura, and with no Aura came no Semblance. Without them, his pact was the only thing keeping him alive.'"

By the time Summer returned to the home she built in Patch with her family, the snow in the area had begun to melt from the heat, although winter still loomed. At a glance, the cabin hadn't changed much since she saw it last. It brought her a sense of comfort her infested alma mater hadn't been able to, the surrounding nature untouched by the darkness that choked Beacon. Still, the colder months never were Summer's favorite. The bleak whiteness and the leafless trees made what would be a bustling wilderness from spring to fall look like a wasteland. The forest was both alive and dead. Just like her.

With Ruby and Yang nowhere to be seen, she only expected to find her husband in the house. She and Qrow were close, but considering how… unpredictable his Semblance could be, she thought it more likely that he was wandering the continent looking for his next job than visiting Tai. He was ever the vagabond, after all. And Raven… Raven made her choice, and although Summer sorely disagreed, she knew her old friend was too stubborn and set in her ways to try making amends. She found herself at the door and lifted her hand to knock, but hesitated.

"Grandmother, I don't understand," Umbra was confused by this reluctance. "You want to see Grandfather again, right? What would the harm be in letting him know you're at the door?"

"Last time he saw me I was a corpse, Umbra," Summer replied. "I doubt he even knows you exist. I don't know about you, but if I was your grandfather, I'd have a heart attack seeing my wife who's been dead for almost ten years shambling around the house. And that's ignoring the obvious elephant in the room."

"An elephant? In your bedroom?"

"It's a metaphor. I'm trying to say, Ruby and Velvet are the only other two people on this planet wearing Klyntar. No one, not even me, not even them, no one fully understands what they… what we are. We don't even understand the Grimm, and we've been fighting them for centuries. It's one of the biggest reasons people are so afraid of them."

"Ah, I see. Compared to others of my kind, I am a newborn. I am still learning what we can do with our innate abilities and those of the Maiden. Doubtlessly, you didn't even know everything about yourself, either. In life, humans showed you no fear."

Summer sighed, sloughing off the living abyss to form a more presentable outfit, a mostly black ensemble with white accents.

"One did," she mumbled. "She hunted me for it. And if I'm guessing correctly, she hunted however many she found. We can't risk ourselves like this."

"Why look for anything in the middle of the forest?" Umbra argued. "Too many trees in the way. We have nothing to worry about. If you still won't knock, then I will."

"Nonono, don't!"

Against her grandmother's protests, the young symbiote briefly took control of Summer's arm and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, there was no response. A few minutes yielded the same results, or lack thereof. Attempting to open it directly, they found it unlocked.

"H-Hello?" the Huntress nervously called out. "Tai? Qrow? Is… Is anyone there?"

Again, nothing but silence.

"No one seems to be in the house, Grandmother," Umbra reasoned. "Shame… I was looking forward to officially meeting Grandfather. Still, this place… your home…"

"It looks almost the same as when I left it. It's almost the same…"

"Grandmother?"

"Umbra, how about I give you a tour? We need to know if anything's changed after I… yeah. Anything that might help us even more."

"Of course! Living here sounds much more accommodating than that cramped glass tank at Beacon. More spacious as well."

As the pair scoured the cabin, the changes became apparent. There used to be pictures of the entire family being happy together, small moments like Yang's first haircut or the first batch of cookies Ruby helped her mother with. It stung to see the walls where the frames would have once hung laid bare. It was sad, but Summer thought it made sense since Tai's typical answer to being hurt was to distract himself and try to forget.

At first glance, there was nothing of note in the kids' bedroom. Yang's side was, for all intents and purposes, identical. A sign that she at least took the loss somewhat well. But Ruby's had changed upon closer inspection. On the desk was a picture of an older her, a similarly aged Yang, and two other girls, presumably taken quite recently.

Summer started to well up with tears at the sight of it.

"My little girls are growing up so fast…" she sniffled. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it happen. And they met such lovely friends along the way! They seem like nice people."

"They are," Umbra affirmed, "even with their… imperfections. Blake, the one with the bow, fought on the wrong side once. A good kitten drafted into war by a bad man touting tyranny disguised with promises of empowerment. The man Aunt Yang became incarcerated for killing. She has a big mouth, but a bigger heart."

"Just like Qrow used to… you'd think with someone like Salem around, the years of bigotry society lobbed at Faunus like her wouldn't matter. She's a force of primordial evil, I know, but these ordinary people, pointing fingers and wringing throats for no reason at all? Sometimes it makes me wonder… how are they somehow even worse?"

"They're not all bad, Grandmother. As an example, the other one. Weiss."

"Weiss… Schnee? The heiress to one of the most anti-Faunus businesses in the world? You must be joking, Umbra."

"Had she not undergone a small attitude adjustment, perhaps I would be. The Ice Queen, as we called her, was as you expect of her long before I was born. Indoctrinated into hatred by her birth parent. She feared and despised Mother at first. Faunus as well. But if one can learn to hate, they can learn to love as well, can they not?"

"True, but I doubt the transition was that easy. Sometimes… people never make it at all. They're too rigid to be anything more than what people say they are. They're the kind that are too selfish or prideful for their own good. The kind that… that leave everything behind over an unwinnable war."

Summer left the bedroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Nearly a decade of lifelessness and inactivity did not do her physique any favors. She realized for the first time just how much her muscles had atrophied even from underneath her symbiotic clothing. It almost made her feel weak. And with that came her most pressing concern.

"God, I'm so hungry…"

"Being placed into a casket and buried underground for years can do that. We are very fortunate that you weren't present to go mad as well. Even Mother had to eat copious amounts of chocolate and Grimm flesh to keep herself sane."

"Holy…! Grimm?! My daughter… ate Grimm?! Velvet never said anything about that! How? And why?"

"We're made of living abyss, they're made of living abyss. Same basic building blocks. Although… chocolate does taste much better."

"Something chocolatey would be good. And I know just what to do at a time like this."

Summer headed to the kitchen and got to work. The fridge was quite well-stocked. Surely, if her husband got home, he wouldn't notice if a few eggs, some chocolate chips, and several other items were in smaller quantities than he was used to. The fruits of her labor would be worth it.

There was no cookbook, but it wouldn't be a problem.

Meticulously and with the finesse of a professional martial artist, she carefully measured out each ingredient and added them to the mix. Just to be sure that everything was perfect, Summer took a small spoonful of dough and put it in her mouth to taste.

"I am very confused, Grandmother. If we are baking cookies, why do you eat it before you put it in the oven?"

"I'm not necessarily eating the dough, Umbra. I might have the recipe in my head, but it's been a long time since I did this. I can't trust that my memory alone is enough to make it good. If I don't sample it, I can't guarantee I won't mess up the cookies when they're done. Tai learned that the hard way…"

"Grandfather was a bad cook?"

"Oh, he was terrible. Back when we were part of Team STRQ, Raven, Qrow, and I once made the mistake of trusting him to bake a cake for the school dance. When we came back, the oven exploded. The kitchen caught on fire, and the dance was almost ruined. It was a good thing I made cupcakes the night before. After that, he somehow made a revolting batch of brownies that tasted of nothing but dill. We resolved to never let him cook alone again."

"I don't recall Mother complaining. What happened to change that?"

"It took many years, but I taught him everything I knew. Qrow still says… said my cooking was better, but I always thought it was an even contest between Tai and me. At least we all could trust him in the kitchen again."

The cookie dough was just right, and Summer scooped it up into little blobs and placed them on the baking sheet before it all went into the oven.

"Then I married him. And when Ruby and Yang came into our world, my tutoring paid off. Before that, cooking was just a hobby to me. Like how an artist enjoys painting."

"What is it now?"

"It's still that, but it's also my way of saying 'I love you' to my family. Whenever I saw Ruby's smile as she took in my… our handiwork at times… it made me feel alive. More alive than even killing monsters could ever make me feel."

The pair waited for the cookies to finish, both anxious at the thought of Taiyang coming into the room and finding them in the middle of baking, although they each had their own reasons. Summer was still wincing in dread over her husband's reaction, and Umbra was excited to formally meet her human grandfather for the first time.

When the oven signaled that they were ready, those thoughts were immediately shoved aside by hunger. Using her magical powers, Summer conjured a gust of cold air onto the freshly done batch. Although she could breathe silver Maidenfire at a whim, the sensation of burning her tongue on hot food would still have been an unpleasant one.

Allowing Umbra's biomass to coat her head to allow her granddaughter to experience her first taste of homemade chocolate chip cookies, she took one in her hand and bit into it.

"So," Summer began, "how did they come out?"

"Absolutely immaculate!" the young symbiote complimented. "Crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, with just the right amount of sugar and chocolate! You truly are an artist, Grandmother. I can see why Mother and Aunt Yang remember your baking so fondly."

The review brought a warm smile to the revived Huntress's face.

"Now then, down the hatch!"

"Wait! Don't eat them all so quickly!"

Contrary to Summer's words, Umbra eagerly scarfed down the rest in a matter of seconds.

"You really are my daughter's girl, you know that Umbra?" she deadpanned. "She never savored her meals, either. Sometimes she'd eat so quickly, it'd be like I hadn't cooked at all."

"Can you blame me? I haven't eaten in days, and you haven't in years. I strongly doubt that savoring our food should be our priority when we're starving. And we have one more problem. We're still hungry. Very much so."

The Fall Maiden pointed her grandmother towards the fridge once more. Tai kept enough to support himself and his two daughters for several months at a time. Enough, as it turned out, to feed a growing Klyntar with an insatiable appetite and a malnourished host.

Summer gulped in terror when she realized what Umbra had in mind.

It was lunchtime for the patients of the mental hospital, and the cafeteria was bustling with activity. Supervision was near nonexistent, and the tables were scattered haphazardly across the room, but the atmosphere wasn't so chaotic that it would erupt into any violence any time soon.

For her part, "Ruby" felt that the hustle and bustle was too much for her. Before, she'd have her friends and her big sister Yang to keep her company. Now though, her friends weren't here. It had been a long time since she worked alone. Ever since meeting Crescent Rose, her teammates, Team JNPR, and the rest, she has come a long way.

And yet, here she was back to square one. The only difference was that the voice in her head had a rotten attitude, and Max… Max wasn't so bad. Even if she seemed a bit out there at times, at least she was a friendly face.

It was a shame that she was the only one who gave her the time of day and bothered to keep her company.

"Ruby," Max caught her ear. "You're acting all mopey again. I get it, I don't think this situation is what we each hoped for, but what were we hoping for? Paradise? At least the chicken's not bad."

On that, "Ruby" made a huff of disagreement. While her companion liked the chicken tenders that seemed to be part of the standard fare in the hospital, she didn't share the same opinion. One piece was fine, but she took one bite into another and just barely resisted the urge to vomit. It was rancid. Almost immediately, she tossed the rest into the trash.

"Okay… I guess it doesn't agree with everyone. That makes sense, but that can't be the only reason. I told you my story, so it's only fair to let you tell yours. If you're up to it, of course."

She opened her mouth to try to speak, only to wince in pain from agitating her throat.

"Oh… I figured you weren't the chatty type after seeing… all of that, but I didn't think it actually hurt to talk. I'm sorry I was a bit insensitive about that."

"Ruby" smiled in appreciation at that. The dark voice in her mind still hated Max, but she was starting to truly warm up to the blonde. The pair decided to leave the topic for another time and shifted their focus to the television.

"Good morning and welcome to Vale News Network," the host began. "This is Lisa Lavender with your latest news. Reconstruction is still underway in the commercial district in the wake of the attack on Beacon eleven days ago, although fundraising efforts by the controversial nonprofit Beacon Relief Program to support Dust suppliers struggling in the aftermath have been met with fierce protest. In other news, there has been a surge in missing persons cases flowing into the VPD, including that of former Haven student Cinder Fall."

That name caught the brunette's attention, and her blood burned with barely suppressed, almost instinctual hatred.

"Fall, faced with charges of murder and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, was last seen in police custody during the breach of Grimm into the city several weeks ago-"

"Cinder Fall…" the dark voice pontificated. "Why does that name sound so familiar? Is she an old friend?"

"I doubt it," "Ruby" replied. "I don't know anyone with that name… but at the same time, something in me is telling me that if I did, we must've been bitter enemies."

At that moment, memories rushed into her head. Memories of burnt corpses, a tower under siege, and a madwoman wielding weapons made of black glass.

"What was that?"

"I… I just remembered something. The day of the Beacon dance. It was supposed to be a party, but a Huntress wearing a mask ruined our night. She killed those soldiers and tried to break into and hack the CCT. Even before that, she nearly killed me the night I met my other. That woman in the news just now… it was the same person. No, not a person. A monster."

"Whoever she is, whatever she's done, I can't help but respect her attitude and abilities. If this Cinder wasn't as much of a monster as you say she was, she likely wouldn't have survived this long."

The news shifted to a new topic after she tuned out the rest of the broadcast.

"Today, the Schnee Dust Company has announced the development of a new product that promises to be the first of its kind in modern society," Lavender continued. "Referred to as the Schneesuit by CEO Jacques Schnee, it has made waves among the global population. Schnee, who came to Vale to personally supervise the project, had this to say on its conception."

"It goes without saying that the events at Beacon Academy have been catastrophic for everyone," the man in question said. "The citizens of Vale are faced with the possibility of a Dust shortage because of the embargo. Without Dust, my workers here would lose their jobs, as would manufacturers all across the kingdom. With the Schneesuit, we can help shape the textile industry into a more sustainable model that will allow the Dust that goes into maintaining our clothing to be conserved for other uses."

"More sustainable?" an interviewer asked. "Can you elaborate on that, Mr. Schnee?"

"I owe it all to our newly developed smart fabric technology, the fruit of our science team's laborious research. The fabric can change shape, size, and color on command to reflect the wearer's preferences, and it repels stains or foul odors without needing to be washed. At the right price, the fuel used to power your laundering needs can be freed up by the Schneesuit's cost-effective maintenance and incredible capacity for comfort."

Max didn't seem too impressed.

"You heard all that crap, right, Ruby?" she asked, skeptical.

"Ruby" nodded.

"Oh, I've seen some crap and people say I'm crazy, but that guy says a piece of cloth changes its appearance and cleans itself and they buy it? That's not how science works."

That may have been the case, but it sounded a lot like… like how a Klyntar worked.

How could that be possible?

Crescent Rose never needed to be machine-washed and could morph into any style of clothing imaginable, from a combat uniform to a fancier getup to even an exact mimic of someone else's appearance, that much "Ruby" knew. But she also knew that Crescent Rose was supposed to be the only symbiote living on Remnant. Something just didn't add up.

"Off…" she managed.

"What is it?" Max noticed the addition to her companion's vocabulary.

The brunette pointed at the screen.

"Off!"

With the word now coming out as a yell, it was proof enough that she was growing uncomfortable enough to willingly strain her voice box despite the pain. Other patients and what few orderlies there were gave her odd looks, but Max was worried.

"Someone turn off the TV!" she barked. "Didn't you hear what Ruby said? It's making her upset!"

"If your friend doesn't like it, that's her problem," one of the other patients sneered. "Some people don't take as kindly to boredom."

"Well, we're not all some people, are we? I don't want to start any trouble, but that screen needs to either be shut off or set to something less overwhelming."

"You don't want trouble? Get Tall, Dark, and Moody to ignore it, and there won't be any. But if you don't…"

The aggressor, a pale, white-haired girl with pinkish eyes and a missing tooth, tried to intimidate the pair with a hardened look. The remaining patients and the orderlies could sense the tension rising and were hesitant to act, lest it escalate into violence. The staff member holding the remote was especially nervous.

"Ruby" wasn't cowed, having seen and faced much scarier things and survived, but she worried that getting caught in a fight would exacerbate her poor physical condition. And despite only meeting Max a few hours ago, she was concerned for her safety as well.

"You there! With the remote! You wouldn't mind changing the channel, right?"

Apparently, Max herself didn't share those concerns.

A container of rice pudding quickly made an impact with the blonde's face, caking it with the grimy white mush. When the third patient tossed another part of her lunch, this time an apple, at her, the half-blind, one-armed woman reflexively swatted it away and inadvertently hit someone else's head with the fruit.

By now, the cafeteria was bound to erupt into a complete riot as one after another, the people started to get more restless, pausing their meals and becoming increasingly invested in the altercation. While they had no personal stake in the conflict, they nonetheless readied themselves for the inevitable boiling point, all over one television.

"Ruby" had a bad feeling about the situation.

Elsewhere, Taiyang Xiao Long had returned to Patch after visiting the Vale Police Department. Despite his best efforts, he left the station alone, as he was unable to get Yang out of the building. And for what? Self-defense? That was no good reason to be holed up in a cell.

With that, as well as Ruby's departure for Mistral, only he was left to mourn at his wife's grave. After all, Qrow had left to keep an eye on her and Raven had just left. With Zwei by his side, he walked where Ruby walked many times before and made his way to the cliff. It had been a long time since he last mustered the courage to reach the edge. Even longer since the first time he and Summer even…

Zwei's manic barking shook the retired Huntsman from his thoughts. Something had to be amiss for the normally tame corgi to act so antsy. When Tai turned his attention to where his wife laid, he quickly saw why, to his shock and horror.

The grave was empty. In its place was a gaping hole with nothing inside but dirt and a ruined casket.