Not a ton to say, let's just get into it!

Start Chapter 33

Explaining this actually goes pretty well, which is just about the only good thing Jaune feels he's going to be getting out of the day.

"Oh, I already knew about her."

He finds his eyes widening, even as he looks back and forth between Salem and Ilia, the latter of whom is nervously wilting in her chair.

Jaune feels like she has every right to do so, in all fairness.

"You… did?"

"Of course I did." Salem actually scoffs. "Children, did you truly think anything could enter into this domain without my knowledge? I knew she was here the moment I felt an extra aura signature on your bullhead. I simply thought that you had forgotten to introduce her to me in your exhaustion."

It's actually a fairly decent excuse that maybe Jaune should've thought of before they'd gone straight to Salem and fessed up. Poor Ilia still looks like she might combust at any minute, which is only aided by the way her entire body is a bright white, pale as can be.

"So, young girl, what is your name?" Salem asks her as she leans forward, balancing on her elbow.

"Oh, uhm, I'm Ilia, Salem, ma'am."

Salem cocks an eyebrow, looking rather amused about this entire situation. Emerald, to her credit, looks like she'd jump in front of Ilia before she'd let Salem do anything at all to her, and Jaune finds himself impressed by that, even if he knows how that one would end.

"And do you have anything to say, young Ilia?"

Ilia doesn't. Jaune can see that. She looks like a flounder brought out of water, her mouth opening and closing in a rhythm.

"You are…" Ilia finally manages to squeeze out between her teeth. "…Very pretty!"

Now Jaune has a feeling the raised eyebrow is for entirely separate reasons. "My my, I haven't been flirted with in eons now. I must say, I like the feeling. I think you are rather adorable yourself, young one, but unfortunately, I believe you're a touch out of my age range."

Ilia can't even manage to look at Salem, which only has the woman chuckling under her breath. Poor Emerald, however, looks like a pot set to boil atop a stove.

"Emerald, sweetie, consider this mild cuckoldry your punishment for attempting to keep this from me." Jaune's fairly sure there had been no two words he'd thought Salem, Queen of the Grimm, would say less than 'mild cuckoldry' but apparently the world had gone well and truly insane since he'd stopped checking. "I am not upset with you, but do not attempt to smuggle anything living into my domain. I cannot tell you how many times Tyrian has attempted to smuggle in animals on his person. Do you know that I once found a live possum under my bed? I nearly eviscerated the poor creature before I'd so much as realized its identity. Now imagine that with a human intruder into my domain, on the very off chance that I did not immediately detect them."

Emerald pales slightly. "I… I didn't–"

"I am aware. Do not make such a mistake again."

Emerald swallows visibly, before bowing to the woman. "I won't, ma'am."

Salem hums. "Now, since you all need to report in anyways, why don't you do as such now, while you are here."

There's never really much arguing with Salem, and so Jaune sets about giving their report. The expression on her face never really seems shocked, per se, but she does occasionally raise an eyebrow, or look mildly surprised as the story continues onwards and onwards.

"So this Taurus fellow attempted to assassinate this Khan woman, and you stepped in to save her. Why?"
Jaune doesn't really understand the question, if he's being honest. "Well… because she was hurt."

Salem cocks her head to one side, studying him. "Even though Taurus was to be our ally?"

"Even if he's our ally, I can't…" Jaune himself had never considered Adam such, but then, saying that to Salem doesn't seem like the best idea. "I can't just sit by and do nothing while someone is killed in front of me. I didn't even really make the choice to rush in and help, it was just… it happened, and I was moving before I knew it."

Salem stares at him for a while after that, perhaps fifteen or twenty seconds spent in absolute silence. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she utters, "You truly are good, aren't you?"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing, my descendant." Salem says, and there is a melancholic sort of smile playing about her lips now. "You simply reminded me of someone I knew a very long time ago. Continue with your tale."

When they finish telling the rest, Salem actually arcs an eyebrow rather highly. He'd just been discussing some of what Ghira and Kali had told him about old Faunus myth, about the twin beings who had tried to become gods themselves, and Salem had seemed so very interested in that.

"I confess I have never heard of such legends before now, or at least, I did not know they were kept by the Faunus." Salem hums. "How fascinating, that such tales would be passed down throughout their people, but not others."

"Are they… true?" Jaune asks. "Those stories?"

"There is truth and lie to them in equal measure." Salem speaks, and Jaune gets the feeling she is, at least, telling truth herself. "The underlying facts of the story are true. Myself and Ozma once attempted to unite this world together, as gods, ruling over mankind. But Ozma… he disagreed with my methodology. Our final fight leveled what was once our wondrous home, and…" She goes silent a moment. "It cost the both of us far greater than that, as well."

Jaune feels some small sorrow in his breast, despite it all. He has a feeling he knows who it is that Salem had lost all that time ago, given her disbelief at Jaune and the Arc's existence.

"Regardless, that is not what we were here to discuss," Salem changes topics. "Good work, overall, in Menagerie. Khan seems to be someone intelligent, and if she knows what's good for her, she'll follow along with what we need from her when the time comes. And I must say I am glad that you procured another bullhead." Salem speaks, nodding to him. "Replacing them when they are lost is rather… difficult, given my choice of anchorage."

Jaune can imagine that. "Are we free to go, then, ma'am?"

"You are indeed, my descendant." Salem speaks, her voice echoing in the chamber. "I would advise that you continue working on your magic in your off time. If you wish to master the abilities you have only just begun to wield, then you will need to train. Cinder, the same goes for you. Work with the Maiden's flames until they are second nature, and do not shirk your magic sight. The rest of you, you are dismissed."

Jaune and the others all nod their heads, and bid Salem adieu as they head out of the many-windows-room, and back into Evernight proper.

/

Jaune seeks out Cinder a little later in the day, after he's finally found time to sneak in that shower that he'd missed out on the previous evening, on account of scrambling about trying to think up what to do about Ilia's sudden presence. Cinder doesn't seem at all surprised to see him, nodding his way as he lets out a tired sort of sigh and walks up to hug her, just enjoying being in her embrace. She cocks an eyebrow at him when he pulls away, and asks, "What's wrong?"

"You don't know anything's wrong."

"No, I do. You're predictable."

Jaune glares at his soulmate, but unfortunately, Cinder seems to be having none of it, for she sticks her hip out to one side and meets his gaze almost challengingly.

"…Okay, fine, something's kind of wrong."

Cinder nods, before leading him back to her room. Jaune steps in, takes a seat on the floor, and Cinder joins him, sitting with her legs crossed just in front of him.

"Tell me." She asks, and though it's not an order, Jaune can't help but feel like he needs to comply regardless.

So he does. He tells her of Summer Rose, of the Big Bad Wolf. He tells her of the history of the Silver Eyes, and the way that they had, seemingly, appeared out of thin air. He tells her of all that he has been struggling with recently, ranging from his own inexplicable magical feats, to his worry for his friends, and even that he's actually quite concerned about her, and how she's doing making progress in her own efforts towards being a better person; how being back in Evernight feels like it will dull those efforts.

Cinder just sits and waits through it all, letting him talk. By the time he's finished, it's been at least twenty minutes, if not some time longer. He's honestly not particularly sure how she'll respond; or if she has a response for any of it at all. Perhaps she'll simply look to distract him with some other manner of thing.

And yet instead of that, she clears her throat, and begins.

"On the topic of this… Wolf, that Salem has created… I confess I knew something about it. Or, I would not say that I knew what or who it was, but I had known that there was an experiment deep in the bowels of Evernight, one that I was not to approach under pain of death. Salem said it would rip me apart. I took her at her word."

That's a mildly worrying factoid; that Salem believes even Cinder would not be able to face the Wolf. Jaune finds it difficult to doubt Salem, given what he himself had seen in the depths of that place, when the Wolf had suddenly blitzed in front of him, poised to end his life. He'd felt a real, palpable fear, then, and the knowledge that he simply lacked the power with which to do anything about it.

Salem had saved him, but it had been too close.

"But that it is Summer Rose is… something I was not aware of. It is also something I find myself unable to grasp the full weight of. Something uncertain. How do you feel about it?"

"I'm not really sure." Jaune answers as honestly as he can. "Part of me feels sick, and then… another part of me is almost happy? I guess knowing that Ruby's mom is alive, even in such a state, is good. If there's a small chance that she could be freed from… from whatever it is that Salem's done to her, then that's worth pursuing."

Cinder's expression is tense, almost pitying, as she glances over at him.

"I doubt there is anything anyone can do for her, in that state."

Jaune shakes his head. "I think if there's one person who has a chance, at least."

Cinder seems to doubt him. "Who?"

"Ruby."

Cinder seems to pick up on what he's insinuating then, her expression morphing to one of intense thought, as if she is considering the logistics of his suggestion.

"…It has some weight, in theory. The silver eyes are a powerful force, and one we know little about. What we do know is that they burn away Grimm and turn them into nothing. They destroy darkness itself. That's potentially a good thing, in Summer's case, as she might be freed from the dark shell containing her. The problem with this is that Ruby's track record with her eyes does not exactly suggest that such a cleansing effect would be entirely beneficial."

Jaune finds himself confused. "What do you mean?"

Cinder, at that, raises the stump of her left arm, and Jaune realizes what she's getting at.

"When Ruby's eyes activated on me, they burned the Grimm parasite lurking within me to ash. But in doing so, she melted off a good portion of my body along with it. It was not at all a pinpoint or precision strike. It was a wash of raw energy, untamed and uncontrolled."

Jaune finds his eyes widening, even as he flashes back to Salem's story, her tale of Enkidu, the very first wielded of the Silver Eyes, and his reckless, wildfire-like usage of said strength. It matches up well with Cinder's description of Ruby's power.

He tells her of the connection, and Cinder's brow furrows.

"You mean to suggest that she might be able to learn to control such, in the same way her mother was famed for her precise, ruthless use of the power, then?"

Jaune nods. "If she learned to control it with complete accuracy–"

"And that's quite the if, Jaune."

"–then she might be able to free Summer from her affliction."

Cinder let loose a quiet sigh, before giving a begrudging sort of nod. "If, and again, quite the large if, she managed such a feat; gained control of her power, then yes, perhaps she would be able to burn away the black encroachment surrounding her mother. But first of all, Ruby doesn't even know her mother's alive, or even the state of her, and secondly, who, exactly, is going to teach her to use this power of hers? The last wielder of the silver eyes, as far as I'm aware, is her."

"She might have relatives?" Jaune suggests a bit hopefully.

"If she does, then I have not heard of them. Her maternal grandmother died years ago, and did not have the Silver Eyes in the first place, judging based on Ozpin making no effort to recruit her. a few generations before that, her family had been specially requested in Beacon, but we're talking a good two hundred years ago. Any wielders from then are long-since deceased."

Jaune finds himself cocking an eyebrow. "You know that?"

"I spent some time studying Rose's file after my… injury. I was not always in such an accepting mood regarding it."

Jaune nods. "I assume you're not planning on revenge any longer?"

"You assume correctly." Cinder nods. "Even while doing such research at the time, I think it was no more than an idle fantasy. I already knew you by that point, and already knew how much you valued her. I was not going to hurt her, not truly. But then, such knowledge did not dull the pain of my left side, and so I continued to think such idle things regardless."

Jaune frowns, but otherwise nods his head, content enough with Cinder's explanation.

"So… there're no other wielders of the Silver Eyes at all? At least that you know of?"

"There was a woman who was said to possess the ability to freeze the Grimm in their tracks some half a century ago. They called her the Grimm Reaper. One day she dropped off the map, however, and she's been assumed dead ever since. I believe that my mistress had a hand in such. But in truth, her death was never confirmed, and the agents sent to assassinate her were slain. Her body was never recovered."

Jaune's eyes widened. "So it's possible–"

"Technically, yes, it is possible she still lives," Cinder shakes her head, letting loose a tiny sigh. "But Jaune, the chances are not particularly good. Regardless of the fact that she might have survived that attack, that does not mean she has survived until now. That happened roughly fifty years ago, and she was perhaps twenty-five or so then. That puts her at seventy-five. It isn't terribly odd for people to die of natural causes around that time, and that completely ignores the fact that no one has seen or heard from her since she disappeared. Do you not think there would be some evidence, some hints to her fate, if she were alive?"

Jaune wilts slightly, Cinder's words biting into his optimism. At seeing that, Cinder rubs at the back of her neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to kill your idea entirely. I'm just… saying we should be realistic. Summer Rose is likely beyond saving, Jaune. But as she is now, she is still suffering. Even granting her a quick death would be a mercy."

Jaune nods his head, not really listening. Cinder must see that, for she scoots closer to him, and takes him with her single arm into another hug. He wraps his own arms around her back, and finds himself quite surprised when his eyes begin to well with tears.

"I'm sorry, I–" Jaune actually sniffles, and he feels pathetic. "I didn't know I was so– I guess I just… I thought we might be able to–"

"Do not apologize," Cinder says as she presses a light kiss into his neck, "For caring so much. Please. It is what makes you, you."

Jaune nods his head against her shoulder as he takes a minute or two to calm himself before they can continue to talk. He's not exactly feeling one hundred percent, but he feels like he can talk again, at least.

"There's something else I wanted to ask," Jaune clears his throat. "What do you think is Salem's next move?"

Cinder seems mildly surprised he'd asked. "You mean what she's going to attempt to do next? I was under the impression that she would be hitting Haven Academy. First, however, she needs to acquire the Spring Maiden."

"Oh, right," Jaune nods, "So… there are four Maidens, each named after the seasons… do they have to be different people?"

Cinder shakes her head. "No, one person could, theoretically, take all four Maiden Powers within them. I was… actually intending to do so, before…"

'Before I met you' is left unsaid, but heard regardless.

"That seems slightly terrifying. How strong would that person become?"

"Very, if I've any insinuation." Cinder says, pursing her lips. "Still, currently, Salem has but one lead on the Spring Maiden, which is that she is thought to currently reside with the Branwen tribe."

That name has Jaune's eyes widening; remembering some of the talks that he and Qrow had during his time at Beacon, near the end. About his own soulmate, their death, and their sister taking over the tribe.

"The same Branwen tribe you're thinking of, yes." Cinder confirms. "Raven Branwen, even if she is no ally to Ozpin, is still not Salem's ally. She might be able to be bought, however, and her services would be requested in order to open the vault inside of Haven."

Jaune swallows on some spittle. "Uhm… is there going to be another huge attack?"

Cinder shakes her head. "That would be unnecessary. I… well, I suppose there's no harm that you know. I would advise you don't spread this to anyone not immediately within this castle, but Leonardo Lionheart, the headmaster of Shade, is a pawn of Salem."

Jaune's eyes widen rather immensely. It comes as a shock both to hear such a thing, and to hear who it's about. He'd heard the stories growing up of the bravery of the Golden Lion, the man on the front lines of stamping down on the rampant crime that had begun to encompass Mistral's lower territories, helping to bring some order back to a city rapidly being lost to corruption. It had been his plans that had led to many of the high profile crime families arrests, and subsequent jailings. And he'd even been recognized by Ozpin, as young as he'd been then, for such efforts.

"I thought he was a direct ally of Ozma?"

"Ozma certainly thinks he is, yes," Cinder says, shaking her head. "But in truth, the man is a sniveling coward. Easily cowed into following Salem's every order. He will clear the way for us, and allow us access to the vault. In the end, it will make our entry into Haven, theoretically, bloodless."

That at least sounds good, despite what Jaune imagines being a rather massive conspiracy taking place in Mistral. The headmaster of a major Hunter school serving Salem seems… well, not good feels like an understatement.

"Originally, I assumed Tyrian and Watts would be sent out to try and track down the Branwen's, but from what I've heard, it's actually Hazel that Salem's sent ahead. Apparently, she felt some of Ozma's magic coming from around that area, too, and so he's been shipped off there to try and locate him as well. Hazel and Ozpin have… well, personal history, let's say."

Jaune nods, content to not get any more information there unless it's otherwise relevant.

"Still, I am beginning to suspect that Salem has a vested interest in you," Cinder states simply, her eyelids narrowing. "And so I would not be at all surprised if instead of Watts, or Tyrian, she instead sends the two of us, and our respective followers."

Hearing JNPR referred to as his 'followers' makes Jaune want to chuckle, but he ignores that in favor of staying in the conversation.

"Do you think we're getting shipped off soon, then?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

He nods, before thinking about the scroll in his pocket, that which he could use to contact a certain someone.

"Are you thinking of telling Ruby Rose about what you've discovered, here?"

He snaps from his mind to look up at Cinder, who is staring at him with uncertainty clear in her gaze. He doesn't entirely know how to respond to such a question, given its rather loaded nature.

"I am… contemplating my options, yeah." Jaune admits. "Do you think Salem would allow it?"

"I'm not certain of her whims at all. You would have to ask her. I would imagine that no, she would not want that known. Ruby Rose could communicate such to many people. For now, I would keep that information close to your chest. You should make an effort not to give Salem any reasons to stop being curiously intrigued by you."

He nods, begrudgingly agreeing with Cinder's assessment, even as he rubs at the back of his neck and lets out a big sigh. He flops onto his back and spreads out into a star on the floor of Cinder's room. His soulmate lets out a snort as she appears in his field of view, leaning over him with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"I am processing."

"Must you process like this? On my floor?"

"Are you telling me to leave?"

Cinder glares.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Jaune laughs. "I guess I just… I'm tired, to be honest. The last few days have been a lot to take in."

Cinder nods her head, before letting out a great big sigh of her own, and then, just like him, flopping to the floor.

It's his turn to laugh at that. "What are you doing?"

"Laying on the cold stone with you."

"I see." He mutters, staring up at the ceiling with no real plan of action, or any such thing. "It's not a particularly entertaining activity, is it?"

"I think it is."

"Really?"

"Anything's entertaining, if I'm with you."

Jaune goes shockingly red in the next few seconds, and he has half a second to gape like some great fish before he spots the little smirk on Cinder's face.

"You look ridiculous." She comments.

He pouts like a child, and she only laughs harder.

It feels terribly nice, like some beautiful dream he gets to live through, and continue to exist within long after he's woken up. Before he's thought any better of it, he's reached out, and brought his hand to her cheek.

Cinder seems caught off guard by it, and yet, again, he finds himself acting before he thinks of anything else.

"I love you."

Cinder's mouth opens a touch, just for a moment, before it shuts itself and she looks away from him, her face heating somewhat.

"You… keep saying that." She says, and though its an awkward thing, he does not think she is denying his feelings, or trying to imply she does not feel some small semblance of similarity.

"I just… want you to know, I guess." He does his best to shrug, despite his position lying prone on the ground. "It's not to make you say anything, or respond in any way. I just want to say it. And so I do."

Cinder just stares.

"…You are quite odd, my little light."

He smiles a bit teasingly. "And is that a compliment or an insult?"

"I am, at the moment, still mulling it over," Cinder replies, giving an impish grin of her own. "Why don't you ask me again tomorrow?"

And given that he's quite tired himself, he decides that sounds like a wonderful idea.

End Chapter 33

Next chapter; the start of the next arc. This one will be shorter (I think) and lead into another longer arc. Not sure how long this story is going to be, ultimately, but I'd say we're halfway through, maybe? Hopefully? I honestly don't know.

Anyways, see you all next time!