While the sun rose and the people continued to go about their day I found myself growing tired. The air was warm, and despite my lack of sleep I found no desire to do so at the current hour. Pushing back from the railing I steadied my breathing as I went back inside.

The household had become quite full, and over the past few days I'd quickly found a change in atmosphere. Several of the humans who'd been held captive were starting to recover somewhat, and many began to perform household chores as a way to keep busy; they were still unable to go outside in fear of public reaction, and without Ghira awake it could very well cause a massive wave of unrest.

I made my way across the living room, catching sight of Weiss and Sun chatting on the couch, each with their own mug of coffee. Lately it seemed the two were closer than ever, and Weiss herself seemed to practically glow when he was around. Sun was as energetic as ever, even though he'd often twitch a few times whenever something graced his brands; many had yet to fully heal and were still quite sensitive. Underneath all the smiles though I could see a shadow buried within, and from time to time it crept free whenever Blake or Kali were around.

Or whenever Sienna was mentioned.

Blake had become something else though. She was much more recluse than the rest, and was quick to take on every and all household tasks that cropped up to an almost obsessive degree. Kali was quiet, which for most people wouldn't be an issue, but for Kali it was probably one of the worst responses of all. Her mischievous smiles and nods were gone, replaced with an almost apathetic look of calm. It was... unsettling to see how Sienna's passing had hit the woman, and aside from the occasional greetings she hardly spoke a word.

Seeing as Weiss and Sun were relaxing I made for the kitchen, for no other reason than to just move around. Lately I'd lost my drive to really muster the strength to do anything. Each day I would wake from a scarce few hours of sleep, if even that, and watch the sunrise. I would eat, wander around, and head to bed. It was a stagnant pattern of repetition, and one I knew would eventually drive me mad.

But what was I supposed to do? Sienna had been the one with the connections, and the one who had the best grasp of how to deal with Adam. Without her I hadn't any real ideas of how to even find him, let alone stop him. All I had under my belt was a base knowledge of his motivations, and even that was only surface level at best.

"Hey V!" I heard Sun call just before I crossed the threshold into the kitchen. Turning back I saw him waving me over. "Mind taking a seat with us. There's something we want to talk with you about."

"What is it." I replied, perhaps a little too bluntly as I noticed him flinch just as I took a seat in the couch across from them.

"Easy there, it's noting too troubling I promise." Sun leaned back after placing his cup down. "See Weiss and I have been thinking a few things over, and we wanted to know if we could ask a few questions."

"Questions? Fine, ask away." Even I could hear the force in my tone, but I was just too worn down to care. Sun didn't seem bothered, or maybe he just didn't want to argue, either way he clapped his hands together with a smile.

"Great! Alright, first one then. Weiss." He looked over to her with a nod, and she returned it before facing me to speak.

"When Pyrrha woke up she told us what happened at the CCT. She said you died saving her, but here you are. How did you survive, and how did you end up here?"

"I didn't... at least, not entirely." I saw her confusion, but she looked to hold back whatever was on her mind as she focused on me. I let out a breath, thinking of how to word the experience. "I did die, that much was for certain, but I wasn't permanently dead. I don't know how, but I awoke somewhere dark, and... well.. I met a... thing."

"Thing?" Sun asked as I tried to put it into words. "It looked like me, and sounded like me, it... it said it was me, or, at least a part of me."

"A part of you huh?" Sun shrugged as a small smirk adorned his lips. "I've heard crazier, so go on."

"Right. It talked with me, and as it did so several things happened..." I tried thinking about it, or more accurately, how to explain it in a way that made sense. "Before I went to Vale I was exploring a ruin with Sienna, and we found this pillar, an obelisk. It had writing on it, and when I touched it I passed out. There was this dream, and eventually I woke up, wearing my armor, and was then able to summon it at will."

"Wait, hold on." Weiss stopped me as her brow furrowed. "You make it sound like it gave you the armor."

"That's because it did." I saw her eyes widen, and her lips slanted in a slight frown as she appeared to try and wrap her head around it.

"But... that doesn't make sense. Are you saying that... that thing altered your semblance?"

"No." I debated whether to stop there, but seeing as Weiss was already deep in thought, and knowing I had no reason to hold anything back I decided to tell her the truth; for better or worse. "My armor has nothing to do with my semblance."

She was silent, and Sun decided to speak next.

"So uh... what do you mean?"

"When I touch these obelisks I end up in a sort of... memory of mine. I'm always watching from the outside however, like it's not my memory... but somebody else watching me." I felt a tinge of tension in my chest. "I remember those memories fine though, and not once had there been anyone else during those times."

"I... don't know what to make of that, sorry." Sun spoke as I let out a breath and fell back.

"Neither do I. Every time it happens I gain a new power, but I can only use it when I activate my armor, but that in turn shuts off my aura." I couldn't hold back the scowl. "And is what ultimately led to my death."

"How did you die?" Weiss asked, and as I looked to her I saw the intrigue in her eyes, along with a hint of guilt - most likely from asking something she assumed personal.

"It's blurry, but it was when I saw Pyrrha dying. I... I went numb I guess is the best way to put it. I sat there, holding her and cursing Cinder the whole time. It was only after I regained some control that I saw what was happening. My armor was dissipating, and the smoke was flowing into Pyrrha. It changed her, and I saw her breath again. Subsequently it left me defenseless, which Cinder took advantage of when she separated my head from the rest of my body."

"Ouch." Sun cringed as he rubbed at his neck. "Brutal." He shook himself. "Right, okay, now we know how you kicked the bucket. So how did you end up here on Menagerie?" Weiss looked to him with a small scowl, and Sun raised his hands in defence. I however felt a small chuckle break past my lips; the bluntness of the phrasing being a refreshing change to the dreariness of the topic.

"Inside the void when I was talking with the other me I saw several obelisks rise behind him. They were exact duplicates of several I already found and used, as well as several I'd not seen. However the ones I had found were glowing slightly, while the others dulled. I looked at the one I found here on Menagerie, and my other self pushed me into it. It sucked me in."

"As rocks tend to do." Sun chirped as Weiss slapped his arm. He let out a little whine and rubbed the spot as Weiss nodded for me to continue.

"Everything went dark, and I eventually woke next to the one I'd found at the ruins. Strangely enough there were no Grimm around, but I chalked it up to a spot of good luck for me and began to make my way here. You know the rest."

"That's when you showed up to the break-out!" Sun nearly shouted as Weiss gave another look, causing him to rub the back of his neck while avoiding eye-contact.

"And when Sienna died."

Everyone's looks shot to the doorway, and I saw Blake wearing a tired face as she gazed our way.

"Yeah." I mumbled as she began to make her way over.

"How long have you been standing there?" Sun asked as Blake took a seat beside me.

"Since he turned away from the kitchen."

"So you heard it all?" I asked as she nodded.

"It sounds almost like a fairy-tale, but at this point with how crazy our lives have become I can't help but believe it." Blake's eyes burrowed deep into my own. "I don't know why, or how, but there's just something different about you; I could practically feel it since the day we met."

"I take it this isn't a very 'good' different, is it?" I asked as she leaned back into a stretch.

"I don't know. Part of me feels afraid, and another part feels safe. I can't quite decide on how it feels to be around you, but I don't think it's 'bad'. You feel... 'dangerous', but not malicious."

"I suppose that's as good a compliment as any." I let out. Blake rolled her eyes lazily and crossed her arms behind her head.

"I didn't come to argue, or to spend time asking questions."

"So why are you here?" I asked as she waved her hand over towards the basement door.

"Mom wanted to talk with you."

"She did?"

"Yeah, she's waiting right now." Her tone was blunt, but I could feel something in it.

"Right." I stood and stretched, looking down to see Blake give me a nod.

I made for the basement, careful as the lights dimmed somewhat along the way down. I'd not been down much, only once really when I'd been told of what happened to Ghira. The man had been recovering from the poison, but hadn't looked all that great. Still, despite his appearance he would recover, and I found some relief in that fact.

"Vermillion." I heard Kali call as I saw her sitting on a small rocking chair, with something wrapped up in her arms.

"I'm here." I said as I made my way to her, watching as she gave a small, tired, smile.

"That's good." She spoke as her eyes shut. She took a deep breath and allowed it to leave smoothly; clearly trying to relax. Her eyes carefully opened and she looked to me as her arms extended. "I... we wanted to give you something."

My vision fell on the small package, wrapped in plain brown cloth. I took it, and could feel the package bend and mold like that of cloth. I looked to her and she gave me a nod of confirmation. Carefully I pulled at the string binding the paper, and as it unwrapped I laid eyes on it with mild intrigue.

"Can't have you walking around in that bath robe all the time, now can we?" Kali spoke with a slight worn-out giggle as I brushed my hand against the apparel. "Go ahead, try it on."

I stepped into an adjacent room for a moment, and soon enough I returned donning my gift.

"As we thought; fit's you like a glove." Kali spoke as I looked over myself.

It was similar to my old get-up, albeit much more complex. Both arms were covered in black cloth which clung tightly to the skin, with matching leather gauntlets going along with it; each fingerless, as if to take in account for my claws. A few bold straps connected the two armaments brazenly strewn across my chest and back, leaving the rest of the flesh exposed. The edgings sported a floral pattern which I'd taken notice of immediately, with thorny vines pressed in such a way it looked as if it were grown within the garment itself.

A simple pair of dark pants near identical to my original made up the lower half, and a simple pair of grey boots reached up to my knees. Most distinct of all however were two aspects: a pseudo-capelet wrapped around my waist, and a particular symbol on my right pauldron. The capelet was a deep crimson similar to that of my old gauntlet and had a prominent black rose surrounded with more thorny vines. Yet despite this I found my hand wandering to the symbol on my right shoulder.

"Sienna wanted that part in particular." Kali told as I brushed the white wolf head. "It was the White Fang's original symbol, from back when Ghira and I lead them. In those days we only held protests, but Sienna told me of what it turned into." I looked to her and saw her eyes water as she shook. "She wanted you to wear that one, because she said it would be good to have someone to show they were going back to their roots. Sienna... she believed that with your help the both of you could change things for the better."

"I didn't do anything, she did most of it on her own, I just used her to get to Beacon." I spoke, holding back the shame from spilling out. Kali let out a chuckle, and in a small bid of confusion I looked to her.

"You did help her, even if you can't see it." Her smile grew warm. "She'd been mostly tired when she spoke, always with a dull humorless tone. But when she talked about you, and how you were helping her, it seemed as though it put a spark in her."

"What good is a spark that's flickered out?" I countered harshly, and yet Kali never flinched. Her eyes, in fact, looked to soften.

"Even if she's gone, her hopes and dreams still remain. She wanted to change the White Fang for the better, she imagined them in a different light, one where people cheered when they walked by, and one who could truly bring peace between both Humans and Faunus. Sienna had an idea, and even though people will eventually pass away, ideas can never die."

I held my tongue, unable to come up with a sound counter. Was she right? Was there really a chance, even with Sienna gone. I scowled on the inside; I hated only thinking of the idea. I wanted Sienna to live; I never cared about the idea, all I cared about was seeing her happy, of seeing my loved ones happy, and so I helped them in hopes of making their dreams come true, even if it was something so childish as saving the world; but that in itself was the problem now.

Why save a world that thrives on suffering?

My hand trailed to the pauldron again, and I noticed how my right one was smaller. Kali must have noticed, as she spoke with a smirk.

"We left the other open for your own piece, after all we both agreed it was beautiful, and designed the rest of the outfit to compliment it." Only after she said that did I notice how most of the vines seemed to lead to the space where my rose pauldron once stood.

"Thank you." I said as she replied with a soft nod. I lay my hand against my chest, weaving my fingers underneath the straps to the bare skin below. "Although I have to ask: Is there a reason why it lacks a chest piece?"

Kali giggled as she covered her lips, but I could see the smirk behind, and even with tearstained cheeks the look of mischief was as bold as ever. "We didn't want you to look too different, and between you and me: I believe most women would prefer you this way. You are easy on the eyes past the Grimm aesthetic; and even then some others might like that part of you."

A small chuckle of my own managed to slip past my defences, and I let my body relax for a moment before straightening myself. I was right, Kali had taken it harder than anyone else, and from how she'd spoke of Sienna I could assume that she'd seen the woman as a sort of unofficial adoptive daughter, and no mother wanted to see her daughter die; the queen had shown me that first hand.

My mind raced as my thoughts traveled back to Sienna, and the ever-burning hatred I'd seethed with before burst back to life. The White Fang; the very group I'd slipped into for information; they were responsible for everything. But for as much as I wanted to put an end to all of them I knew it wouldn't be fair. Most had joined for a plethora of reasons, with not all of them being selfish. To merely kill them all in response to what they'd done wouldn't be even remotely justified, and despite this I wished for it more than anything.

What truly held me back however was a lingering thought, a solitary and absolutely miniscule suspicion that had me stay my hand. The White Fang, while large, didn't look to have the organization or numbers essential to pull off anything as major or dangerous as the destruction of the CCT and Beacon. Even with Adam leading them he never showed himself the type for meticulously slow planning or nuance; the two essential parts of those types of schemes. Along with that, Beacon itself was a school that catered to both Humans and Faunus; which made believing the attack as solely his idea alone even more unlikely. There was a chance that it was his idea, but there was something else that bothered me.

Cinder.

She had been at Beacon, and she had shown abilities more related to Grimm, and I wondered if she had direct connections to those who the headmaster spoke of; the ones manipulating the queen; the goddess. If Cinder was with them then killing her should be my top priority.

It was funny in a way: everything recently was about death, and though dying cleanses and brings peace to the souls free from their mortal chains I couldn't help but scorn the pain brought on to those who were close with them. Sienna was gone, and that meant her spirit was washed away in peace, and every single bit of scum I wished to kill - and have killed - would gain that same peace, and it made me wonder why the ones close to the dead didn't get some sense of peace as well.

Even if the dead could rest, the living still toiled in pain and regret.

I looked to Kali, and seeing her eyes I realized that despite the tears still flowing along, she held a sort of... strength in those glossy pearls. She clearly mourned for Sienna, and yet she felt the need to present me with a gift from the both of them, even though it looked to cause her even more pain as she spoke of it. It was then that I saw it, the same essence I'd seen time and time again, from both the queen and my very own mother.

A will of love.

Kali stood strong against the hurt, against the pain that tore through her every word, she did so and never held back what she wished to do, no matter how unbearable the suffering it inflicted upon herself. She accepted the pain brought on by the truth, and the understanding that Sienna was forever lost rippled across her entire being, and yet she continued to show her old self underneath it all, just waiting to break out once again. Her strength to look tragedy in the eyes and keep moving forward...

It renewed my own resolve.

Kali's eyes in that moment widened, as did my own. A rustling could be heard, and the older woman let out a gasp as she stood and moved with incredible speed. I'd scarcely a second to follow after as the rustling grew louder, and a single word escaped her lips; a powerful cry.

"Ghira!"

Author's note

...

Oh but sike, you thought I'd be late.

Surprise surprise, we're on time for once, and with a solid chapter at that. Yeah, it's only one single perspective, but I feel it's good to have a calm one every now and then; too much tension and it just gets tiring.

V out here with a new look now, and just as before it's ultimately up to your imagination for the finer details, I mean it was either that or the bath robe. Although with a new look comes new challenges, and probably a whole lot more.

Anyway that's it for this one, feel free to tell me what you think... or complain... or both.

See you next time.