Blake's head felt fuzzy, and not in the usual tired sort of way.

What... where...

Her thoughts scattered and she found it difficult to form them into a single entity. Everything was numb, and no matter what small motions she managed to rake out she couldn't gather the strength to fight against her own weight. For several minutes she remained stuck, until a sloshy sounding voice managed to pierce through.

"She... get... we... now..." The voice cut in and out as Blake struggled to remain conscious. She felt hands upon her, and the change in elevation made itself known as whoever took her up felt hurried. There was clanking and clashing as she felt herself moved along, all the while her guts felt like they'd spill out at any moment.

The movement only served to make her nausea worse than before, only she didn't have the strength to do anything about it. The pressure built up agonizingly slow, and afterwards she felt the release as everything came out. The taste was vile, but Blake was unable to quell the flow of bile that rocketed from her throat. Her sinuses burned throughout the whole affair, however afterwards despite feeling tired and remaining blind there was a relief that washed against her.

Through the undecipherable yelling and rushed movement she found herself drift off into a pleasant sleep.

.

.

Sienna was not having a good time.

Three weeks ago she started her plan to retake the Fang and began her operations to intercept information from the rest of the group. Two weeks ago she learned of the attack on Vale, and although they'd just sent word of it she suspected they'd done the deed much earlier. One week ago she was caught during one of her interceptions, and they'd not been too happy about it.

At the moment she was branded a traitor, and they'd spread rumors of her striking a deal with Vale through Beacon as a means to sell them out and secure her own safety. Of course such a lie should have been blatantly obvious in it's nature, yet there was one factor that caused the masses of the organization to fall for it.

Vermillion.

It just so happened that his involvement with Beacon immediately put her into question, and her deceivers were all too happy to take advantage of it. She couldn't really blame him, he just so happened to meet with her back before his involvement with Beacon came to light. She knew he wasn't responsible for the brothers and in turn Adam seizing the opportunity, yet she couldn't help but feel a little angry at him.

"What do we do?" Came the voice of Ilia, who was sat next to Blake in their spot just outside of town. The girl was actively cleaning the mess that their rescue had just so happened to reward them with. Blake was another can of worms altogether.

Sienna never expected her to return to Menagerie any time soon, and unfortunately she picked the worst time to return home. She sent her gaze back as she pressed through the foliage slightly. The Fang outpost looked to still be in a state of heavy alert, with soldiers running about as they searched the perimeter. With a scoff she returned her gaze to Blake and grumbled to herself.

You just had to bring a Schnee too.

Had it not been for that the Fang may have let her arrive in port with little to no issue, however word travels fast, and during her last night watch over their activities she noticed them sending a small boat out to the coming ship. Remaining out of sight she almost didn't believe her eyes when she saw the three of them bound and unconscious as they were loaded off like cargo and onto a small cart away from the rest. Sienna trailed them all through town and out to the post; all the while she remained out of sight.

However the post was new as she didn't recognise it, which had her wondering just how much was hidden from her for all this time. Regardless she left to form a plan of attack, that was until Ilia approached her with a map of the layout.

"Why help me?" She'd asked, curious and suspicious of the woman. Ilia had been set and open of her agreeance with Adam's ideals and methods, and so Sienna wasn't sure she could trust her.

"For Blake." It had been a simple answer, and one she should have seen coming. Since she was a young girl Ilia had always seemed to have a soft spot for Blake, and despite the rational side of her mind trying to fight against her Sienna decided to risk it and agree to go along with Ilia's plan.

On the inside they crept between the halls expertly, with Ilia's information of the guard's patrol routes proving effective in keeping them from crossing paths. Things had been going rather smooth, which should have been the first sign of alarm in her own opinion. They'd just passed into the lower cells within the basement when her ears perked at the sounds of distress.

"I... I won't let you..." Sienna cringed as a resounding crack was heard.

"Well would you look at that, the little bitch has a thick head. Hold on just a moment girl, I'll be right back with another whip." Both Ilia and her pressed back against the wall as the door opened. Their breathing halted as the guard passed by, and when he'd left their vision the two quickly stepped inside.

"Gods above..." The whisper of shock came from Ilia, and as reviled as the scene was Sienna managed to hold her own swear back.

The room was dark, dirty and damp. Mold ran alongside the cracks and corners of the room, and the only source of light was a single bulb in the ceiling. Cuffed and chained against the back wall Sienna was able to make out two figures: both a man and a woman, bare as the day they were born. The blinding white hair stood out against the darkness, and was one of the few things she could see; the light was so dull that even her enhanced vision struggled to gaze past the shadows.

A Schnee?! When did they capture a Schnee?!

The question had only lasted a moment as at the time Sienna had been broken from her confusion by shock as she noticed the two's states. Both were covered and bruises and cuts. Ilia almost lost her lunch at the sight of the barbed collars they wore. Restraint binds, Sienna knew how infamous they were as the tools were outlawed almost everywhere outside of the most extreme prisons. They were special collars to deal with rogue hunters and designed to keep their aura from regenerating. While both were dirty, each had been subjected to something that made Sienna's blood boil.

Branding.

The very same thing Human slavers often did to mark their product, the same thing they themselves stood against; however it seemed that sentiment had changed. Just above her left breast and nearest to her heart the charred mark stood. The very symbol they flew as a way to promote freedom now lay burned to the young woman's flesh. Sienna had been conflicted. As much as she hated the Schnees for what their family did to Faunus everywhere the sight of branding on the frail girl's body sent shivers down her spine.

However the man next to her was much worse off. Along with his beating wounds he'd been absolutely coated in brands. Arms, legs, chest, you name it; all sporting 'SDC' in bold dark letters. Sienna could tell the brands had been recent for both as the smell of flesh was still strong and light smoke rose from each. Sienna felt sickened, as she herself was the one to recover the SDC brand. It was supposed to be a relic to look upon, a symbol of what they fought against. It was never supposed to be used.

Slight movement tore her from the revolting twists of her gut and she'd froze like a deer in the headlights; the Schnee had awakened, and stared weakly into the darkness.

"W... who..." The voice was tired, and once again Sienna had been conflicted. The eyes held no disgust, no ire or hate, only a pained curiosity. She was so used to being looked at as an animal, as cattle or lesser, that to see a genuine look - especially from a Schnee - had her mind whirling. Even if the girl couldn't see her Sienna still expected some form of hate, yet none was to be found.

"You're... Sienna right?" The man whispered which tore her gaze. "T... the leader... right?"

She said nothing as she moved forward and wrapped her hands around the chains. For a moment she searched for some way to remove the binds, only to swear as her fingers crossed the lock.

"We can't do anything." Ilia spoke as Sienna growled. The girl sighed and placed a hand upon her shoulder. "We'll come back later okay."

"And what? We just leave them here to suffer. You know as well as I do what the rest will do right?" Sienna looked upon the two before her, unable to hold her disgusted look in check as she turned to Ilia. "They might not be alive when we get the chance to return."

"Blake..." The feint whisper stabbed Sienna through the core and she turned to face the Schnee. Tears lightly rained down her cheeks as her voice croaked out more.

"Save her.. p... please..." The desperation was evident along with the look of pain in her eyes. A Schnee asking her to save a Faunus, Sienna knew then the world had truly gone mad.

Blake is here? Sienna's focus was taken away as the blond man next to her spoke up.

"They... they have her somewhere... in the back..." He revealed his tail as it raised towards her, and on the end a key dangled defiantly. "Snagged this when... they were having their fun. S-should help... maybe. It doesn't... work for ours... but maybe it... will for the others." Sienna took the small thing, gripping it tightly as she looked back to him.

"How did you end up here?" She'd asked, and the man slumped as his energy faded.

"They took us... and all the others on the boat." He coughed, and the hoarse echo made them all flinch. "Don't... don't know where. Please... save them too." He let out a weak laugh and coughed some more. "You... you're not behind this... are you?"

"No." Her words betrayed the sharp pain in her heart, but she didn't have the energy to hold it back. "They threw me away."

"Don't worry... you're not alone..."

Ilia pulled at her, and despite not wanting to go she'd also herd the sounds of the guard returning. Sienna left with Ilia, all the while she knew the torture would continue. The Schnee girl, one from the very family she hated so much, had asked her to protect a Faunus; and the White Fang was taking Human and Faunus prisoners. Sienna began to wonder just how far they had all fallen.

Along the far end of the corridor they came to a single steel door, and with the key they managed to get inside. Blake was there, slumped against the wall and in chains. However the chains themselves were weak with wear, and Sienna had no trouble breaking the rest never expected Blake to try and break the chains, as Sienna noted how poorly they were implemented. The room looked to have not included them originally - which explained why they were so weak, making her appreciate how inept they could be at times - and she deduced it was meant for isolation rather than restriction. Some yells were heard, and both Ilia and her with Blake in hand took off, avoiding guards as they made their way out.

"We'll make for the Belladonna's. Right now we need to stay out of sight." Sienna told as a worried gaze came from Ilia.

"If they see Blake like this-"

"I'll deal with it. Now come on, we have to move."

With a sigh from the girl they took off.

.

.

"One, two, now swing!" Pyrrha called as Jaune repeated the motions.

The young man gave it his all, putting far too much force behind the strike, however Pyrrha allowed it as with his attack he used the built up motion for a follow up. The practice dummy could handle it easily - being a log of wood and all. She felt a small twitch though as he continued with his routine.

From the way he moved and fought, it was so similar to the dream, and yet it lacked a lot of the power and drive she saw from before. He followed along perfectly fine, but he didn't have the same strength of will he had back from her slumber. Of course the Jaune before her was real and the other a fake, but she noticed that he wasn't as precise as she would have hoped. Yet his eyes lacked the anguish from before, so she wasn't sure if the strength she saw was real or not.

"Hey you two!" Pyrrha turned and saw Yang calling to them. "We're getting lunch before we leave, want some?"

"What do you say Pyrrha?" Jaune asked as she gave him a slight nod, and the boy called back. "Sure! We'll be right in!" Yang nodded and left as Jaune started towards the house, only to stop and look back with some confusion. "You coming?"

"In a bit." She replied. "I just need to clean up a bit and I'll be right in."

"Alright then. We'll be waiting." With that he left, and Pyrrha let out the breath she didn't know she held.

What was that all about? Why am I so focused on the dreams? Pyrrha looked down to the grass below in an attempt to find peace in it's gentle sway. It wasn't the first time she had needed a moment to herself, but this one felt different. It wasn't so much a way to take a breather from the stress of too much attention or work, but more one of uncertain fear. Every time she looked at any of the others she would always see their parallels from the dreams; even if only for a moment.

She took a seat on the grass, breathing in and out with the breeze as she cleared her mind. For the last few nights she'd had nothing but ominous dreams, all of which had similar events. First of all she was never in any of them, instead taking audience from Ruby's perspective, and secondly they always held some darker undertone. One night it may be them chasing after something, and another they're fighting back an invasion of Grimm. The worst of all however had been just last night, where she saw something that truly terrified her.

The dream spared no time in it's motions as the scene started right in the middle of the action. From Ruby's eyes Pyrrha saw general Ironwood looking at them with a grim expression. Ragged and unkempt he moved, with some sort of bag in his hand. All sound was dulled even as she watched his lips move. However the one thing that wasn't dulled were Ruby's feelings, which rang loud and direct even as she kept calm. For a few moment a strong drive to fight burned throughout, however it flickered almost as soon as it came, overshadowed by a much more potent pain.

Guilt.

It was... a contrast to say the least. Pyrrha could feel the small determined grin Ruby wore, but it seemed to be at odds with the guilt trying to wash all sense of pride out. That had also been quite the surprise to her as Pyrrha didn't quite see what Ruby could feel prideful about, especially in the situation she saw.

No... that isn't right. Pyrrha had seen everything change during that moment, with small flickers of another scene that made themselves known. There were quick little flashes of a fight, between their group and another who Pyrrha didn't recognise, only for it all to end as everyone went still. On the ground lay the bag general Ironwood held as the man himself appeared to look up in shock.

Pyrrha knew exactly why, and it frightened her to the very core.

There was an orb like thing, it appeared to be Grimm, although it was hardly her main concern. It was the projection above that tore at everyone's attention. It looked to be a woman, skin as pale and tainted as her own, with eyes that held only malice. Garbed in shadows with an air of royalty she gazed down at them with disinterest. A single word echoed even as all sound was lost.

Salem.

Pyrrha didn't know why, but the name itself made her feel an unknowable terror trickle across her skin. Just something about her felt... off. On one side Pyrrha felt scorn and terror towards her, but on the other she'd felt adoration and affection. Both sides seemed to clash with each other in a struggle to obtain dominance, and Pyrrha didn't know what side she was on.

Pyrrha stood as her thoughts faded knowing that dwelling on it would ultimately get her nowhere. She didn't have any clues as to why she had such dreams, only that it may have been connected to her current biological changes. With a sigh Pyrrha let herself trudge towards the house.

Maybe some lunch will calm my nerves.

...

Author's note

...

Well I missed Sunday again. Going to be honest here it's getting difficult to pump these out as fast as I used to. Don't worry, this isn't slowing down or stopping anytime soon as I'm still intent to finish this. However I may change the schedule a bit and focus on getting out decent length chapters on Fridays; cutting out Monday.

This won't be permanent, but I just can't keep up with it at this rate, and the writing feels like it's starting to suffer because of it. I'll try to get some Mondays in, but I can't promise it at this rate.

That aside we have a few things this chapter, and as you saw yes: Sienna has made her appearance once again. We'll be getting some time back with her again, although under a new light. Pyrrha is also having dreams now; what could they mean and why? You'll just have to wait and see.

That's all for now. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Catch you later.