One week of food.

Enough medicine for… well, for now.

Two scrolls. Both malfunctioning, unable to get signals in or out. Likely sabotage.

Not nearly enough Dust to make her comfortable.

One heiress to an unimaginable fortune and company.

One… uh… vagrant.

They were going to die.

Weiss' mind cycled this basic list without end. Over and over it would float through her mind as she tried and failed to set up a tent using the scraps of material they'd managed to scavenge from her once nice airbus.

Without fail it would eventually settle on that sincere declaration.

They were going to die.

In a frustrated exclamation, she threw down the makeshift tarp, her body heating up in anger. She violently huffed before dropping to the ground with her arms crossed. In all her training she'd never been taught how to camp. Sitting there while steaming she mulled over her situation.

One week of food. There's no way she'd need to last that long, right? Someone would rescue her before then.

Enough medicine for a few moderate injuries. If they ran out though a slow death from infection was almost certain. Or… her mind flashed back to the first time she'd witnessed G.H. The worry wormed itself into her mind - if he needed, he might bleed her to heal himself.

Two scrolls. Why couldn't she send any signals out? Pulling it from one of her hidden pockets she fruitlessly tapped the screen. It was visually undamaged and all of its components still worked - except, of course, for any and all communication. Given that G.H.'s scroll (which he didn't seem to know how to use) had the same issues, it was more likely not the fault of the scroll. But then why? She knew for a fact that this area got a signal.

She gripped Myrtenaster tightly. Almost all of the rest of her dust had been ruined in the crash, leaving just her rapier's chamber as supply. The gravity Dust had already been expended and the rest of the chambers could only hold enough dust for an attack or two. She'd have to be sparing.

One heiress. Herself. She had had such a bright future ahead of her. She was going to be the top student at Beacon. Lead her own team. Prove her father wrong and make her sister proud.

As her thoughts turned to the vagrant G.H. he happened to enter back into their small circle of safety. The clearing they had found and decided to set up a makeshift camp in was ramshackle at best but it was better than sleeping in complete wilderness. G.H. had muttered something about missing church when they were placing down their things and Weiss was thoroughly concerned he might start praying.

Now though, he raised an eyebrow at the complete lack of a tent. It was clear he'd hoped at least some progress had been made.

"I'll be entirely truthful with you Miss Huntress, I had hoped at least some progress would be made." Well, there you go.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to do these things! You've asked me to set up a tent, skin an animal, start a fire without Dust -" her arms flailed in exasperated helplessness. "I could sing if that helps but I don't know how to do any of this." Her voice commanded irritation but her face pleaded for compassion. G.H. sighed and dropped the bundle of wood he had been carrying.

He crouched to the discarded tarp and began working. "We don't need a full tent," he pulled some strings taut through the new holes in its corners. "Just a shelter from rain and sun." He motioned for her to come over, a request she initially denied.

"I'm not comfortable being too near to you." Myrtenaster was still gripped tightly. His gray eyes studied her for but a moment before he pulled down the facial covering. A young man around her age peered back at her with cloudy gray eyes and a soft expression. Little flecks of blood and dirt speckled only the exposed flesh and no scars riddled him. His lips pursed and his eyebrows arched. He was concerned. There was no trace of annoyance or superiority, nor pity or deference. It was just a look of compassion at her plight of clearly being far out of her element. Her grip loosened and she felt her walls do the same, if only slightly. Silently she stood and moved a bit closer to see what he was gesturing at.

"In all honesty Miss Huntress you've done a fine job. For someone who has never spent a dawn in the wilderness alone…" G.H. nodded approvingly at the knots she had made when tying the string around nearby trees. "You've done well to work out what was needed." He capitalized on her decent base and pulled the tarp taut over the lines. He handed her a small wooden stake he had carved earlier and motioned for her to get it into the ground.

Weiss gave a pained look to Myrtenaster. A whispered 'sorry' later and she had begun using its hilt as a hammer. Each clonk felt like it was hitting her soul rather than the earth and she almost wept at the treatment of her beautifully crafted weapon.

G.H. cleared his throat after a too-long period of silently working on their temporary living space. "Entreat I must, Miss Huntress; why were those fiends so intent on your death?" Weiss gave him a strange look.

"Excuse me, you already know that I am a Schnee. You're asking why the White Fang wants to kill a Schnee?" She scoffed. Maybe he was just an idiot.

"Yes."

"Oh, uh, well…" her mouth went dry. This well was too deep to explain to a stranger. "Because the White Fang is a bunch of crazy people who attack anyone they see and especially hate my family." G.H. was clearly not impressed by this answer but he seemed to let it go.

"I was attacked by them as well, it seems as though my transportation was similar to yours." What? This guy had a high-end airbus comparable to her private transport? It was more likely the White Fang were just a bunch of idiots. "My companions, a Huntsman and a Huntress were caught in the crossfire." His eyes turned up towards the treeline but he gazed far further beyond. "I know not of where they are now."

"I… I'm sorry."

"It is alright. They are experienced and powerful huntsmen. They were under orders from a nearby combat school to find me and deliver me there." He nodded as though to convince himself. "I saw their proficiency first hand."

Standing, Weiss brushed the dirt from her dress as she stood. There was no way. "Beacon…?" For some reason, despite its impossibility, she threw the name out into the air. Despite being the one to ask it she nearly fell over when he solemnly nodded.

"Ozpin… the headmaster I believe, has been quite insistent - a belief inspired by the words of the three fine huntsmen I have spoken to hitherto fortnight. Qrow, Tau, and before them, a huntsman I had admittedly met by chance." He stepped back to admire the two's handiwork. "Now, for the next shelter."

"What? We need to do that again? Why do we need two?" She couldn't help but slightly snap in her dirty exhaustion. G.H. raised an eyebrow and gave her a somewhat amused look.

"I had thought you'd be uncomfortable sleeping in the same space as I, Miss Huntress." He gestured towards the admittedly small patch of earth sheltered underneath the tarp. If both of them were to fit underneath, they'd have to -

"Y-yes! A second one! Let's get started!" A beet-red face stammered as she quickly gathered supplies. "Anyway!"

The amusement quickly drained from his face and though she was making an explicit effort to avoid visual contact with him her eyes found themselves stuck when he finally landed in her sight. Scanning the forest he desperately made yet another pass for the missing huntsmen. Both parties knew it was a silly and fruitless search - a quick skip through the tree line would amount to very little. Still, he tried, and as he did the half smile born from their conversation hung forgotten, drooping his suddenly aged features.

She cleared her throat when she grew worried he had forgotten about her and his tasks, prompting his eyes to tear themselves from their solemn search. "Apologies." The haste and eagerness to work might've led someone to believe his episode never happened. "You know Beacon?" The question came many minutes later as the area around them began to darken. The night was falling.

"Ah, yes. I do. Well, I'm actually starting my time there in a couple of weeks…" A long pause dragging itself across the ground debated with her as to whether she should elaborate. "As a Huntress in training." A preemptive wince as she expected ridicule or mockery regarding her earlier lie. To admit she was just a student after her big words? It was prime material.

Instead, all that came was a quiet "Hm." He never even looked up from his work setting up their camp.

"'Hm'?" For some reason that irritated her. "That's it?" Had he even heard her? Confused gray eyes popped up from their work at her icy tone demanding elaboration.

A strange emotion settled itself on his face, one she wasn't fully able to translate. "I have no frame of reference. I shall determine your ability with my own eyes. Insofar it is very positive." He dispelled her gaze with a simple shrug. "Your power with regards to the airbus was mighty, and your fight for survival against that Grimm was fierce." And then that was it. No further words came. No sideways looks, no hidden meanings, no whispered secrets.

"If you're expecting a return compliment there's not going to be one." Crossed arms signaled her defying nature but there was no response. Just the calm and continued work of a focused hunter. "That being said…" his contradictory cold and warm nature was a confusing mess for Weiss. "You were impressive yourself." She quickly added an addendum before he got the wrong idea. "At least compared to what I expected." A gray eye glimmering with amusement locked with her embarrassed counterparts for only a moment, an exchange so brief so she wasn't sure it had happened.

"Thank you." With his head down she couldn't see his face but she could certainly hear his smile. Despite silently fuming she did her best to move on from the embarrassing situation.

As he finalized her shelter with a final tug and a knot she looked about the camp. It was a ramshackle, makeshift, bare-bones thing but there was a strange sense of pride for having done it herself - not that she'd ever admit it. The sun had almost set by now and a blanket of shadow had been cast over their campsite.

"Well, what else needs to be done?"

"I'll take care of the fire." G.H. lifted a rock and prepared to strike his cane with it to cause sparks. "You need to get plenty of rest. Personalize your shelter in whatever manner you desire and warm by the fire with me when it has been struck for we just speak - but fear the waking sun," A small packet of dried meat landed in her outstretched hands. "And eat. Once you have gathered your strength through revitalizing rest we will find ourselves in grave danger once again." A light yet mirthless chuckle escaped him at her questioning expression. "By dawn, we hunt."

Her confused exclamation at his somewhat dire proclamation was enough to two make the two speak long into the night; they spoke of plans and options, context, and brief histories. It didn't take long for the sun to fully fall past the horizon and for the night to go a little further than they anticipated. The fire had worked well to warm their shivering bodies and by the end, the two were able to change into spare looser clothes despite the intense chill in the air.

Finally, their discussions seemingly at an end, G.H. stood. With the unclamping of many buckles and locks his coat and many leather layers slowly dropped off before finding themselves neatly folded and placed beneath his shelter.

"I understand your discomfort, Miss Schnee - believe me, I would not be asking this of you had I not believed it the best course of action." His figure was turned from her and his back was shrouded in darkness. "I would also decree it not if I believed it possible to do alone." She awkwardly stood by the fire. "But it is, and I cannot. I am to rely on you, Miss Schnee. Please rely on me." She gave no audible response but she found herself giving a small nod. With his back turned he received no answer and instead gave a deep sigh. "We will speak more in the morrow. Good night, Miss Schnee."

Weiss, sensing the implied finality, tossed a small bowl's worth of water into the fire. With an angry hiss, the fire-blackened and left nothing but smoldering embers and quickly fleeing steam. In the darkness, she slowly undressed with the intent of letting her clothes dry out in the brisk air. Instead, she wrapped herself in salvaged cloth and let the sounds of wilderness lull her to haunted sleep.

As much as it could, anyway.

She sighed. Today had been a disaster - death, destruction, exhaustion, and pain. It was supposed to be a day of triumph and freedom, of preparing for studies in Vale free from her family. Instead, she had been thrown from one mess to another and had been saved by - she glanced in G.H.'s general direction - him. A paradox of a man that was nota man. He was no older than she yet his soul ached of wisdom and experience. His moments had been fueled with determination, pain, and, now that she was safe and knew a little more about him, a certain unique kind of elegance. An elegance of death. It was all terrifying and yet his words were kind. His eyes shone with compassion.

Gripping her cloth tight she finally conceded the thought. While not likely to actively enjoy his company any time soon she could at least admit he wasn't the complete worst to be around.

Weiss was quite confident that the night should've lasted several more hours. Though quite used to early mornings the breaking light that forcibly drug her sleeping mind to the waking world was harsh and unforgiving, and she was quite reluctant.

The still-exhausted heiress' eyes cracked open while being gently rubbed. The crust and sleep were quickly evicted while she gripped the cloth wrapped around her a little tighter, a subconscious plea from the back of her mind. The warmth of her body had kept quite well but the chill in the air was viscous and despite the protective layer she had begun to shiver.

Across the camp, an equally groggy G.H. stumbled from his tarp and began pulling on his usual hunting clothes. Quickly looking away, she instead tried to focus on maintaining warmth.

It was fruitless. Any warmth she had built up in the night was quickly dispersing from the openings in her blanket. A quick decision led her to roll out from her quickly dissipating comfort and throw on her usual clothes. Her face burned red as she continually glanced up to ensure her 'roommate' wasn't getting any quick peeks in - luckily he seemed to be preoccupied with intensely staring in the opposite direction.

Huntsman and huntress auras protected them from extreme elements so she wasn't going to freeze to death any time soon - but the chill of the air and the embarrassing situation was still more than enough to hasten her movements.

Loudly clearing her throat as she pulled on the last bit of her outfit she alerted him to safety. A hesitant eye peeked from its corner as if to confirm that the coast was clear, and once it had, he finally he felt comfortable enough to turn fully. As he slowly moved to face her she caught a quick glimpse of reddening cheeks disappearing beneath his face mask. Seemed as if he wasn't as stoic as initially believed.

"Good morning, Miss Huntress. I hope you slept well?" A hand brought his strange cap to its place as he gave her a courteous nod.

She scoffed. "Hardly. A bed of dirt and rocks and a pillow made of medical supplies?" It was the first night of what could be several and she was already so eager to return home. "Are we sure we need to go through with this plan?"

A cool eye studied her. "I'll let you decide."

Oh, how desperately she wanted to declare that they would begin the trek towards a nearby town - but their talk from the previous night still worked to convince her of their best option.

"Fine," she idly flicked through Mytenaster and meaninglessly took stock of her Dust. "I know. Where do you suggest we go first?"

With a quick nod, he gestured to her to follow as he took off into the slowly brightening woods. A slight exasperation escaped her as she quickly followed, leaving behind the comfort and safety of their camp and their fire.

Her mind flashed back to the previous night and their many talks. It had been his decision to light a fire in the first place.

The two had been gathered around a slowly growing campfire having just finished setting up their tents. She had been staring him down in confusion and trepidation as he informed her of what to expect the next day.

During their talks, she had of course asked if a fire was really the safest idea - to her, it felt like a bright beacon to all of their hunters. Her strange rescuer had been adamant in assurances that the clearing was in dense enough wood that the flames wouldn't be easily spotted and that the benefits of warmth outweighed the negatives of light. It hadn't taken much to convince her due to the freezing cold water still soaked into their clothes and skin - an unfortunate consequence from when they had taken a quick dip in a nearby stream to wash away blood and gore. Being well aware of the dangers of a low body temperature certainly helped his argument as well; the first and more obvious being hypothermia. Even with aura, soaking wet and freezing clothes clinging to your body in sleep was seriously pushing the limits of safety and bounded far past the limits of comfort.

The other reason was that it would inspire some intensely negative emotions and would draw Grimm to them more than a simple fire would.

After some time of just sitting and enjoying the warmth the two had grown tired of silence and finally decided to actually speak to one another - and luckily, they both had many stories to tell.

Weiss had explained who she was, and what the Schnee name meant, and though she neglected to explicitly state why the White Fang hated her so much, it had been implied. Her father's business decisions had both garnered and lost them much and it was hardly something that could be skirted around easily.

Between heavy topics of past and present she had spoken of her training and her semblance - and, for whatever reason, had given the strange man a quick lesson on what aura and semblances even were. It was astounding how intelligent and well-versed he could seem one moment then seem completely and utterly hopeless the next.

G.H. had spoken to her in some length about the trials and dangers he had faced and survived and, though she would never admit it, she had listened enraptured. The two huntsmen hunting him down then risking themselves for him, then his desperate plight to keep himself and the others alive and to escape… it was incredible and harrowing.

Of course, she could tell there was quite a bit he neglected or more likely avoided, but she didn't press him. When his story trailed off and neglected as to why this 'Qrow' had to go and pull him away from the White Fang or why the two huntsmen had to track him down for Ozpin in the first place, Weiss didn't push despite desperately wanting to. The flames dancing across his eyes and setting dark shadows on his face dissuaded her.

When his story transitioned to musings and theories as to why they were targeting her in particular she found herself able to come up with a few reasons.

"The personal transports we have are covered out in cameras and other surveillance tech - if 'Azael' is as powerful as you're saying, then…" the flames crackled as a log was thrown on. "It could've been an attempt to show the world they had some serious destructive power. Inspire fear in the world while simultaneously getting rid of me." She shivered. "People would see the attack, see the destruction, see my death - it would've been on every front page in days no matter how hard the Schnee corporation tried to cover it up."

A solemn nod was the only comfort given from the other side of the fire. The blanket around her wrapped a little tighter - the fire helped the chill but the cold was deeper than it could reach.

Back in the present, she finally caught up to him through the prickly forest. Athleticism empowered by her aura and training now at superhuman levels let her hop up to a high branch in a tree across from his equally elevated position. Before she got the chance to question why they had stopped he preemptively quieted her with a simple motion.

Being shushed by this stranger did not sit well with her but she still complied. With a mimed 'listen' and a gesture towards their front he finally got her to notice the small group of White Fang congregating only a few dozen yards away, and a mere glance told her their primary targets weren't included. They were too far for her to pick up any distinct conversation despite how hard she strained her ears, instead only picking up the odd word or name here or there. The sounds of wilderness and forest worked well in overpowering almost all comprehensible speech.

She did pick up on the name Azael, likely because it was one she recognized. As she so intently strained to listen, G.H. stared intently past her as if he could somehow make out what was being said.

This sudden theory was furthered when his eyes locked onto hers and he jerked his head towards them in a sudden gesture as if asking 'What do you think about that?'

Silently throwing her arms and shoulders up she angrily gestured back 'What do I think about what?!

G.H. pulled his weapon from his back. His signature cane still hung from his waist but it seemed like he felt a desire to switch things up a bit and had brought the large axe with him as well. At the moment it was a one-handed thing but she had seen his preparatory maintenance and knew that it could extend into a two-hander. Sharply whipping the end of his axe in the direction of their enemy made a clear statement and Weiss drew Myrtenaster in response. A quick nod to each other later and the two leapt from the tree line.

The first two White Fang to fall hadn't even been aware of an enemy when their auras shattered into dozens of sparkling lavender and red stars, respectively. The 8 others turned in loose shock, gripping their weapons more out of instinct than awareness as without foreknowledge or preparations the cleave from the large two-handed axe and the flurry of shining rapier blows had knocked out two of their number with minimal effort.

Weiss charged forward first. A white glyph appearing behind her propelled her at immense speeds as Myrtenaster pierced through the air toward her enemies. Several White Fang ducked out of the way but one particularly large grunt preemptively swung at her with surprising strength a large shipping crate he had already been moving, an attack that simultaneously blocked her advance and made to strike her - not that it was fast enough. Her semblance, when used with perfect balance and coordination, allowed her to move at blinding speed. Glyphs appeared in the air just ahead of her, glyphs that she caught with her feet and launched off of. Gracefully she flipped over the sudden barricade and towards the blind side of the beefy grunt while Myrtenaster's revolving chamber clicked, shining with early sunlight. Red Dust streaked up the blade and exploded outward in a fiery explosion directed by her smooth strike. The heavy grunt was blown backward, stumbling as his aura broke. She was glad he went down in one blow - she hadn't wanted to waste any more Dust than need be, but he seemed like he'd be a pain to deal with if she didn't get him out of the way as soon as possible. 7 grunts left.

Allowing herself a quick glance from the quickly approaching three soldiers she peeked at how G.H. was faring.

A soldier barely fending off G.H.'s blows shouted out between strikes to his comrades. "It's the heiress! And some… crazy homeless man!" Two other Fangs dashed up behind G.H. 's furious assault and made to attack his exposed back. "Quick, Briwn, radio for backup!" The one White Fang not rushing the two intruders scrambled messily to pull out a scroll, fumbling as he did so.

The hunter dropped to the ground in response to the surrounding attack and the three weapons surrounding him clashed against each other and the air above him. He rolled to the side and brought his weapon in a furious reverse arc against one of his new enemies. The axe cut into aura and shoved the offending grunt back - but G.H. clearly wasn't done with him. He pushed off the ground and chased down the stumbling White Fang, his rusty, dangerous axe singing a discordant melody as it cut through the air. A cut, though not grievous in any way, had pierced through one of his attacker's auras and splashed against the hunter. It seemed to swim against his skin, bleeding into small cuts and wounds still present on his body.

Weiss shivered. There was something dangerous in his eyes - just glint, but quickly growing. The feelings of comfort and relative safety that had been built up the night before swayed dangerously, but now wasn't the time for talk or hesitation.

Looking back at her oncoming attackers she twirled through the air as if mimicking Myternaster's revolving chamber before piercing the beautiful rapier down, into the earth. White glyphs infused with ice Dust radiated into being and invited freezing glacial constructs from themselves, creating a sudden wave of fractal ice to cascade out from her and into the three grunts running at her. They shouted in surprise and pain as they suddenly found themselves frozen in place, creeping cold burrowing into the skin through their clothes.

As they had already begun hacking at the ice surrounding their legs she knew it was a very brief and temporary solution but she didn't need it to last much longer. A road of white glyphs appeared before her and she skated down them at incredible speed, piercing straight through the small group of grunts and towards 'Briwn,' the White Fang attempting to radio for help.

The three she burst through were thrown backward as the force of her attack shattered the ice and blasted against their auras. None of them would be down for very long but it both dealt damage and got her close to her main target.

G.H. chased down the White Fang now scrambling backward in pain and fear, his friends in close pursuit behind G.H. A heavy swing of his axe cut into and slowly through the panicking White Fang's diminishing aura.

A pained yelp echoed across the battlefield as the Faunus was tossed to the side and his aura shattered. The now prostrated Faunus moaned while barely propping himself up, heaving in exertion - yet despite the Faunus's powerlessness and the threat of two still attacking White Fangs, G.H. still pursued his downed foe. In G.H.'s eyes that shining glint, that dangerous and unstable light began to grow.

Myternaster pierced straight through the scroll being used to call for backup before swishing through the air and landing a flurry of blows against the now-panicking Faunus. Weiss knocked back the unarmed and unscrolled White Fang before creating several black glyphs to blow back her pursuers - a brief respite from combat that let her call out in horror to her 'companion.'

"Stop!" The desperate call echoed across the battlefield and fortunately caused G.H. to pause in his execution. His axe was held high above his fallen foe, the struggling Faunus in question desperately dragging himself away from the seemingly crazed hunter. G.H.'s arms strained above his head - both in the effort to keep aloft the axe and in the effort to not bring down the sharpened blade upon his prey's exposed neck. "What are you doing?!"

A shaky head twitched up to lock eyes with her. His normally grey eyes swum with specks of red and in an instant, she felt a torrent of emotions from those two simple globes - confusion, fear, trepidation, sorrow, and regret. They were, of course, accompanied with thirst. Hunger. Insatiability.

Lips twitched and spasmed as if words were trying to bubble to the surface but flesh refused to comply.

It was in the next moment a strange and rather sudden flash of semi-comprehension struck her. As she watched several weapons fall upon G.H.'s paralyzed form, battering his shining aura and causing it to violently shatter, she understood. His aura breaking far too easily. His losing himself so easily. The tears in his eyes contrasting with the red flecks of hate. The strange mixture of compassion and fear that filled her whenever she locked eyes with him.

This was a broken man. Something had happened to him. Though not the same by any means she had seen similar eyes on her mother. In some of her mother's darkest moments, in her deepest despair, Weiss had been there. Been there when her sadness burned into hatred and violence. Been there to see her mother weep at the helplessness she felt, both towards her life and towards herself. Been there when she made some futile attempts to take control.

She had never been hurt by her mother - but there had been times Weiss had feared she might be.

Now, Weiss could see it here. The world around her had slowed to a crawl as G.H. fell, his sparking aura breaking apart around him. There was a glint of relief in eyes still locked to hers - relief that he had been stopped from going too far.

Her fear of this man was warranted. Yet, so was her compassion.

She dashed towards him, blinding speed shocking and stunning the White Fang moving in for a killing blow. In one smooth motion, she scooped him up with strength she didn't know she had and dashed into the temporary safety of the forest.