RESOLVE

The rotten wood beneath my feet squeaked with each step, as I pace the deck of this rotten house back and forth. The horrid stench of the sewers right next to me is suffocating, and would be enough to make any sane person vomit at the mere sight of the green liquid flowing through it, nevermind smelling it, but I had other things keeping my mind and my gut occupied.

"Would you calm down, Ezra?"

Grandfather's frail old voice shook as he anxiously rocked his chair. He tipped his straw hat up and lit up a cigarette.

"Cut that out would you? Living right next to this filth, then voluntarily inhaling that crap. All this of toxicity will kill you before Cinder does."

I tried my hardest to make my case, but he ignored me like I knew he would.

"Well, you get used the stench after a while. It's sort of like a defense mechanism. Nobody would bother me cause I live right next to the sewers."

He mockingly huffed and puffed a thick cloud of smoke my way, before glaring at me with his half blind eyes.

"Might I remind you that it's your fault that got us into this mess to begin with. All because you wanted to play house with your 'girlfriend' huh?"

I gritted my teeth and growled at him, but that was about all I can do. I know what I owe my grandparents, and yelling at them would be nothing short of disrespectful. Besides, he's not entirely wrong, so I hold back my anger and averted my gaze while I protested.

"It's not playing house. I love Yang, after this mission I'm going to quit and become a huntsman."

Grandfather paused, then scoffed at the idea.

"Sure you will. Listen Ezra, if this Yang girl is really worth it to you, then sure, I believe you. I don't hate the idea of you becoming a huntsman, or you loving somebody, it's..."

Before he could finish, the voice of an elderly woman rudely interrupted him and finished what grandfather was about to say.

"It's your carelessness to not think things through that we're really upset about."

I turn around to see an old woman, clad in a purple kimono. On top of her gray hair is a straw hat that matches that of grandfather. She had a scarlet handkerchief wrapped around her jaw to hide the injury she suffered from a grimm attack during her youth. I can still see parts of her scar running across the right side of her face.

"Grandma..."

She sighed and calmly walked past me, effortlessly lifting her cane like a third leg before she gracefully sat down right next to grandfather.

"The preparations are complete. Almost all the necessary personnel are evacuated out of Vale."

I tuck my whole body inside my white cloak and gave the two an exasperated sigh.

"Look, why don't you evacuate too?"

Again, grandfather blew a thick cloud of smoke my way.

"You know we can't. If your employer is truly blackmailing you, then we have to stay as bait if you want the Nest AND your sisters to survive."

I groaned at the thought of them staying behind as bait.

"Where did you send the triplets anyways?"

Without missing a beat, grandma responded.

"Vacuo."

Makes sense. Vacuo is a kingdom full of scoundrels like myself. I honestly am not too confident letting my sisters live there, but our connections with the rogues of Vacuo are tight. Not even Cinder can extract information about my family that easy in that god forsaken part of the continent. Solitas would have been my first choice in truth, but taking into account my recent history there, I can see why the Nest would refuse to relocate there.

"So what's your move Ezra? After tonight?"

Tonight, yeah. I should really be focusing on the mission Cinder gave me but the only image appearing inside my head is that of Yang, wearing that lovely white dress she bought last time we shopped here.

"I-I don't know."

The two sat there in silence, contemplating my hesitation.

"This woman's got you running around the palm of her hand, hasn't she?"

I chuckled softly at what grandma said, simply because I had no response to the harsh truth she blurted out.

"Ahaha. You got that right, Cinder's quite the employer, never seen anyone like her in my short career-"

Without even letting me finish, grandfather interrupted me with a loud and hearty laugh. Confused, I looked at grandma for an explanation.

"Not Cinder, my boy..."

She paused and looked at me softly. Even with the scarf I can tell she was smiling, the genuine kind I rarely get to see.

"Yang."

My mouth was wide open in shock. I can feel the blood rushing to my face. I wanted to argue back, but that one fact is also true. I grab hold of my OWL helmet, running my fingers through all the burns and scratches the metal had, and firmly raised it till I the mask and I stared stared at each other.

"This'll be the last time I ever wear you to hurt anybody else. The next time I use you, it'll be for my team."

I slowly dawn the mask over my head and waved my grandparents goodbye, but not before asking me one last question.

"Hold on Ezra. Are you still wearing your contact lenses?"

I turn back once more, and smiled, giving them a thumbs up and leaving it at that.

I made my way through the rooftops of the abandoned houses of southern Vale, skillfully gliding through trees and rappelling over structures till I landed squarely on a building overlooking the CCTS tower.

[To Cinder: I'm in position]

The night is at its peak. By now, the party would have been going on for a couple of hours and any students who attended would have been intoxicated by the glamour of the event. And any huntsman and huntress in attendance would have been intoxicated with... well, alcohol.

[From Cinder: Right on cue. Ironwood has arrived. Commence mission, OWL.]

The security was lax, and there were very little pedestrians crossing the street. This part of Vale is considered one of the safer ones. Everything is within reach from the Huntsman Academy, and not just the coms tower. Everything you can possibly waste your lien on, you can probably find in this block.

Which why this eerie silence comes as a surprise. Considering that the Atlas military is here, and the influx of students from the other kingdoms attending the Festival, one would think that there would be a lot more people frolicking around. I can't help but wonder if this nothing more than a coincidence or something Cinder had planned way before she even hired me.

"Really, I'd wish she'd fill me in a lot more. Then again, this is probably karma for ignoring her earlier in this operation of hers..."

I close my eyes and focused. As difficult as it is, I push the image of Yang and my friends away from my head and focused solely on the task at hand. I don't need Ezra the aspiring huntsman, I need OWL. I took a deep breath, as I raise my whole body up on my toes, slowly tipping forward till I began to freefall from the edge of the building. The rush of the night's cold air became increasingly stronger the closer I get to the ground. Just before I slam against the concrete, I spread my cloak wide open, turning them into bird wings and using them to glide silently along the road that were mere inches away from my chest.

I swiftly landed on the ground, simultaneously rolling forward towards the nearest bushes as soon as my body grazed the ground. Sensing that there are people around me, I hold my breath and wait for them to pass.

"Did you hear something?"

Said one Atlesian soldier, while his partner shook his head and looked at him crazy like he'd heard nothing at all.

"Must be my imagination then."

Is what I want them to think. I tuck away my katana's hilt deep within my back waist pocket and slowly ran my fingers on my snow white gauntlet. The design itself isn't new as far as weapon goes, sharing a striking resemblance and gun barrel components to Yang's Ember Celica, only mine are sleeker and narrower. Such refinements would have been impossible if weren't for the tech I stole in Atlas. The software in this helmet also comes in handy from time to time.

"Gotta hand it to Atlesian tech. Quite ironic that they're about to be taken down by their own equipment."

But seeing as how Torchwick stole a Paladin and used it against the people, maybe irony is a bit of an outdated terminology to describe Atlas' situation here in Vale. I quickly load five dust cartridges inside my gauntlet and tilted my wrist down, revealing the short barrel on the top of my arm. I stare down at the two soldiers lackadaisically guarding the doors of the CCTS and carefully aimed down with the holographic sights on my helmet.

"Hmmm."

I squeeze my palm, firing two bullets at the guards, knocking them unconscious.

"That was the easy part."

I tell myself in part as assurance, while the other as a reminder not to get too confident. These guards are only tranquilized, not dead. Didn't even use a particularly strong variant of the serum at that.

"These guards won't be asleep for too long. I have to hurry."

As soon as I enter the room, all the guards roaming the floor quickly caught on with the fact that I'm an odd looking fella that's probably not meant to be here.

"W-who are you!? Put your hands up!"

Really, the mask didn't give it away? I'm almost upset that the my reputation ain't widely spread to Atlas soldiers. As soon as I took a step forward, the soldiers began to open fire. I ran forward and front flipped towards the nearest set of computer consoles for cover. I quickly flanked the three clueless soldiers and threw three tranquilizer darts that accurately hit their mark, knocking them down to the ground.

I flick my right hand, unveiling the feather dagger I had hidden underneath. With blistering speed, I galloped my way around the floor, dodging and twirling my way around the hail of bullets aimed at me. I take advantage of the shadows, as I pass in and out their sight, taking them out one at a time. With each stride, I make quick work of each soldier foolish enough to approach me. It was clear that they had absolutely no training when it comes to close combat fights.

These soldiers, after all, are taught to fight grimm from a distance. Unfortunately for them, I am no grimm.

"This 00G, we need back-"

Before the struggling soldier could report to Ironwood and his goons, I was able to smack his throat with my hand and break his windpipe. An injury he'll likely recover from, but will definitely be in pain for more than a couple days.

"You should be the last guard here, right? Let me borrow your ID real quick."

I forcefully grab the ID from his pocket and slammed the hilt of my dagger at the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. I take my time, carefully making my way to the top of the tower, avoiding every security camera along the way, till I'm face to face with the reception desk at the top floor.

The room was empty, and quite. So quite that I'm tempted to take my mask off, but I resist the urge. The moment I take off this mask, guilt will drag me down to the floor and pin me there. I do take a moment, however, to let my guard down and breathe. The top of the tower is ironically the safest and least secure of all the floors. This is where people come to make their calls across continents after all. Actually, it'd be weird to have security cameras posted here, with privacy being a concern and all.

"No idea what Cinder is planning, but the only tech advanced AND discreet enough to hack into a CCTS software are Atlesian. I'm almost positive Cinder and her crew being Mistralian is nothing more than a cover."

Maybe her goal is to ruin Atlas... I ponder for a moment as my gaze shifts back and forth between the computer console in front of me and the flash drive in my hand. I took a deep breath, choosing to let all of my conspiracy theories go in favor of finishing this mission. After all, what waits on the other side is Yang...

As I waited for the upload to finish, the elevator door swung open. I was sure that I knocked out all the guards, and I hadn't anticipate any backup to arrive this fast- that was what Mercury and Emerald was for.

I bent down on my knees, with my heart racing, readying myself for an ambush, but to my surprise the influx of soldiers that I was expecting never came. There were no gunshots, no shouting, no threats. Just a scared little girl, wielding an obnoxiously huge scythe. The last person I wanna see.

"Ruby."

Hearing my voice through my voice changer, shook the fear and confusion of her, as she began to focus her sights on me.

"OWL!"

The anger in her eyes, I've never seen before, even when we're fighting grimm. It's an unusual sight being on this end of the battlefield after all we've been through. My heart aches at the thought of fighting my friend, but I have a mission I need to finish and time I need to buy for my family in the Nest. In this point in time Ruby is doing nothing more than being in the way. I glance back at the monitor, hoping that the upload would be finished, but right in front me were the personifications of my frustrations written in big bold numbers.

[90%]

I guess I have no choice. The most I can do is to at least make sure that I don't hurt her.

The two of us stare at each other, fully aware of what's about to come. Ruby pointed her scythe backwards and fired a round, catapulting herself towards me, as I do the same with my gauntlet. Anticipating that she would swing her scythe at me, I tuck my knees close to my chest and then extending them back out with a kick to her stomach as soon as I felt the breeze of her swing run past me.

"GUH!"

I quickly reached for my bolas in my back pocket and threw it at her, but her intuition is sharp. Ruby used her semblance the instant her body rebounded against the wall, ignoring whatever pain she felt when she collided with it, dodging my bolas. My options are limited, I've worked too closely with my team to use my semblance, the instant I dash away or use any ice related moves, I'll be outed- at the worst possible time at that.

With this in mind, I realize that I have no other choice but to absorb the blow of her attack. I backflipped mid air to recover and blindly swipe my talons in front me, predicting that Ruby would follow through. As soon as I hear the sound of our weapons clashing, I throw more feather darts at her feet, causing her to stumble. I ran as fast as I can, then slid down to dodge her careless and panicked swings, putting me behind her.

Ruby groaned and quickly composed herself, twirling her scythe right in front her, parrying and blocking each of my slashes.

[99%]

With only a few seconds to spare, I decided to risk it all and closed the gap between us, electing to jump and roll in front of her instead of blocking. My gamble paid off, as she barely nicked my chest armor. At this distance, Ruby has no counter move. Her greatest strength has always been her medium to long range reach. Come close quarter combat, she's like a child holding a lollipop.

I swiftly ducked down and quickly twirled behind her. Desperate to put me back in her line of sight, Ruby clumsily turned her body, causing her to lose her balance and trip, giving me the opportunity to tie her up with another one of my bolas.

"Let me go!"

Ruby protested, but I ignore her. I rush to grab the flash drive out of the console, and made my way towards the window, easily breaking it just in time for Atlas reinforcements to arrive.

With the wind, and a tied up Ruby in my back, I flew away into the night with Cinder's program discreetly uploaded into the coms tower systems. The mission was a success, and I get to keep my secret identity secret. It was far from perfect, it hardly ever is with gigs like this, but all things considered, it was absolutely flawless. My sentiments to Ruby for being caught in an unfortunate situation. To see me flying around at night was a simple case of bad luck, but with her alibi earlier in the night secured thanks to the dance party, coupled with her reports about my existence, it would safe to assume that she'd have enough of a solid case for her not to be charged with anything.

"Ruby should be fine."

I quickly make my way to the shadows of a nearby alley and hid. I place my hand along the edges of my OWL helmet, fully intent on taking it off. It was only for a brief moment, but I hesitated, knowing full well the ramifications of what taking this thing off my head meant. I look back at all the things I did with this suit and mask on- things most people would say were evil. To think that a simple task of removing a mask would mark the end of a chapter of my life... a change that I never knew would be possible simply because I thought I would never be afforded the opportunity, let alone the courage to do so.

My grip began to soften and my resolve began to crumble, but only for a moment. I now know what lies beyond this mask: Hope, love, happiness, and redemption. The next time I put it on will be to fight for the things Team RWBY... Yang has given me.

[To Cinder: Mission Complete]

This'll be the last time I play along with her. Knowing that I have my grandparent's support, I now have the confidence to defy her, but I'm not stupid. I know I can't defeat her, so I'll have to play it smart. I'll have to play like Cinder, and that requires meticulous planning that I simply don't have the time, because tonight, I still have one more mission.

[To Blake: Is she still there?]

[From Blake: OF COURSE SHE IS! Where are you?]

[To Blake: Almost there...]

Yang had no idea at all, and I have absolutely no intention of telling anybody, but I stole a suit from the shop where Dusk till Dawn used to stand. I went ahead and stole a couple of dust crystals as well to pin Torchwick for the crime to cover my tracks. But now that I'm looking at it, the thing's pretty posh. I've never had a mission that involves infiltrating an event fancy enough to disguise myself in a tuxedo, so I don't exactly know if the glitters on the lapels are a bit too much.

Who am I kidding. It's definitely too much, but it's not like I've got much of a choice now.

I decide to shove away my embarrassment, as I attempted to hastily change into my tuxedo on the go- failing miserably. I use my semblance to increase the moisture on my skin, then quickly heating it up and turning it into mist- an instant bath, quite convenient for moments like these. I zigzagged my way in between alley ways, and drunk teachers struggling to keep themselves up till I finally made to the front of the ballroom.

Slowly, I made way up the stares with my heart beating out of its chest in excitement. I raise my head to see that behind the reception podium stood the reason why my life is in shambles right now, in a good way of course. Yang blankly stared at the brochure on her hand that rested against the wood. The sleek white dress she wore, perfectly complemented her bright blonde hair and lilac eyes. I smiled softly, waiting for her to look up, but she never did, so I nervously made my way towards her, mustering up whatever courage I can along the way.

"You look like you're having fun."

Yang looked up at me, still with a blank stare, not fully processing what's going on. I tilted my head with a cheeky grin as our eyes lock. Her jaws began to drop as her mind finally began to comprehend the situation she's in, but to my surprise, her blank stare was replaced with a menacing glare.

"Jerk."

I laughed at her, knowing full well that she was attempting to hide her shock and happiness.

"Oh come on. I at least tried, right?"

Yang crossed her arms and looked away.

"You could have at least told me. I would have waited, instead of moping around. That was really awkward and embarrassing, and I-I was really..."

I quickly pivoted around her and grabbed her hands, bring it down close to our hips.

"Really what?"

Her angered look dissipated and morphed into a pout now that she's backed into a corner.

"Really jealous okay. Not only did Blake attend the dance, but she came in with a date. Even Weiss, who was just as busy as I was planning this whole event got her time with Neptune. Nora and Ren are... Nora and Ren, Jaune recovered from his trauma courtesy of the ice queen and is now having a blast with Pyrrha. I'm happy for them sure, but it's a little bit lonely... not having you around."

Watching her complain and blush at the same time is the most adorable pass time I could ever think of. As much as I would like to see Yang like this, I knew that the feeling wasn't mutual, so I comforted her the best way I know how.

"Ez..ra?"

I gently wrap my arms around her and squeezed as tight as I possibly could without hurting her. It didn't take very long for her to do the same, but not without scoffing first, of course.

"Listen. Yang..."

I slowly pull away, with my hands gliding across her arms as the distance between us began to grow. I wrap my hands around hers then looked her squarely in the eyes.

"I- us. Never would have happened if I never opened up to Pyrrha. I know, you'll hate the fact that you're not my first dance, but I would really like to thank Pyrrha first before we go on with our night."

Yang smiled and simply nodded, much to my surprise.

"Don't worry, it's okay. I understand. Besides, you wouldn't have been my first dance anyways."

Ah, that's right.

"Blake took that away from you."

We both chuckle and leaned forward, affectionately touching our foreheads together. I let go of her hand hesitantly, and made my way to Pyrrha.

"Oh wow, I thought you weren't going to attend the dance."

Pyrrha smiled. She looked different, stunning yes, but her vigor had nothing to do with her dress and make up, I can tell but can't quite put my finger on it just yet.

"I wasn't planning on it, but I figured something out."

I reach out my hand, as the song on the dance floor began to wind down and transition into a sweet slow melody.

"I believe I owe you a thanks."

Pyrrha looked at Yang, asking for approval, to which she was met with a huge grin. Satisfied, Pyrrha grabbed my hand and placed the other on my shoulder, as I wrapped my left hand around her hips. Pyrrha and I smiled at each other, as our feet began to sway with the melody of the music engulfing the room.

"Thank me for what?"

I sighed and then smiled.

"You may not know it, but talking to you gave me the courage and afforded me the opportunity to be with Yang. Knowing that I have somebody in the same situation as me, gave me hope and comfort."

Pyrrha giggled at the idea of what I just said.

"From my perspective, I seem to have made it worse, though I can see why that would help as well. But isn't a bit too much to say that in the same situation now that you and Yang are together."

True, but still.

"Ezra."

She paused, then slowly let go my hands. Pyrrha tilted her head and gave me a smile that had concern written all over it.

"Come on, you didn't come to me and miss out on dancing with Yang first to thank me for being your confidant did you?"

Damn. I... wasn't expecting her to be this sharp. I struggle to find the words, as I failed to say the things that I want to say.

"In fact, you came to me because you needed to me to be just that: a confidant. It's okay, I'm here for you Ezra, what's bugging you?"

It's true, but I never planned it to be this way. It's just that my need for peace and resolution was so strong that my subconscious dragged me to Pyrrha. How could I tell her? I thought I resolved myself to move forward and leave the life of crime I lived behind me, but in front of me was the harsh truth that my subconscious have always known but I have been consciously trying to avoid.

Redemption and change is not possible if the people I plan to stay true with have no idea of the darkness I'm carrying. The fact that Pyrrha, the very friend who I ratted out to Cinder to, was the one perceptive enough to see through me makes this sinking feeling all the more gut wrenching.

"You can't solve everything in one stroke Ezra. If you're not ready to tell me or Yang then it's fine. Just know that I'll always be here whenever you're ready."

I look Pyrrha with a somber smile, pathetically admitting to myself that that 'resolve' that I had earlier was nothing more than empty bravado. Pyrrha consoling me is actually making things worse, but I will never let her see that, or maybe she has already.

"Go Ezra. Leave it be for the night. You have a beautiful woman waiting for you."

Defeated, I scratch the back of my neck and leaned to the side.

"How about you?'

She crossed her arms and shifted her gaze behind me. Standing there was Jaune, wearing a dress. Quite the sight.

"I'm happy, so go out there and be happy too. For the night at least. Remember..."

I looked back at her one more time as she faded into the crowd, with the sound of her voice the only thing recognizable amidst the chatter and the music.

"...whenever you're ready."

Whenever I'm ready. I know someday I will be. I'll take it one step at time, starting with...

"Yang."

"Ezra."

She replied back with a cheeky smile.

"You... uh... wanna go somewhere more private?"

Yang flashed a bright smile at me and grabbed my hand.

"I know just the place."

She dragged me up the spiral stairs and into an empty hallway that lead to a massive door with a beautiful wooden carving etched on to it. Yang casually placed her hand on the handle and promptly pushed the huge door like it was nothing, revealing a balcony overseeing Beacon Academy and bright full moon behind it.

"Come on, this way!"

I chuckled at the idea of us sneaking into an area that was obviously off-limits, but as far as privacy goes, this'll definitely do the trick. Yang pulled me with such force that our hips bumped into each other. She quickly wrapped our fingers together and forced my other hand around her hip, then gently placed hers on my shoulder.

"Ahaha. A bit feisty, but okay."

She laughed.

"Couldn't wait. Sorry."

I take a deep breath and stared at her eyes, as we begin to dance to the faint sound of the ballroom music. Our foreheads touch for a moment, before I gently caress the side her of her face with my nose.

"Not gonna ask what Pyrrha and I talked about?"

Yang waited in silence for a moment and let go of my hand. She leaned closer and began to wrap her hands around me then rested the side of her face on my chest, as we continue to sway.

"I don't care about that. Not anymore. I just care that you're here. Ezra, I've never been happier."

Yang pulled her head away and locks eyes with me- our faces close enough to feel each other's breath. Slowly we both lean in with our lips barely grazing each other.

"Yang. I love you."

Her lips slowly began to press harder against mine.

"I love you too, Ezra."

With our eyes closed, and our lips locked, we softly swayed the night away.