The sea floor was silent. Not empty, never that, but... nothing moved, and nothing changed. Penny sat on a small, unmoving dune, and she stared. The light of her soul spilled out across the frozen sands and sent shadows playing across the surface of Obsidian's great shell.
And her mother remained there, great eye closed, responding to nothing. As she had since the Battle of Beacon Academy. She lived, that much was clear; her energy remained, and the connection between them held as strong as it ever had. Not dead, but... distant. So distant that nothing Penny did could reach her. When Ruby had come to her, tearfully, asking about Obsidian, Penny had reassured her. Obsidian, after all, was... immense. Not simply in size, but in scope and power and nature. Everything about her was so much greater; she had lived and experienced things that Penny could only dream of. Had, in fact, Dreamed of.
Yet, despite her own reassurances, when she had traveled into the Dream... She had found herself once more upon that shore, with the expanse of the ocean stretched out before her. Since the beginning, since she had first found her way to Obsidian's Dream-home, she had never had to make that trek again. Each night, her mother whisked her to her side. And now... she had trudged through the darkness of the Dreamed sea once more, searching for her mother and finding only an empty, dormant shell. Every night, she awoke upon that shoreline. Every night, she found her way here once again, to gaze upon the enormous form of Obsidian and wonder.
Part of her wished to believe that Obsidian was merely Dreaming of some far-off curiosity. Something that had seized her attention with such ferocity that nothing in the present could reach her. Even if it implied that Obsidian would ignore Penny calling for her, let alone the other girls who she knew had done the same... even still, the thought was comforting. Because the alternative? The idea that Obsidian was incapable of answering, even here in her own Dream?
Her head drooped slightly and her eyes squeezed shut. Here, in the Dream, she could cry. In the waking world... well, there hadn't been any reason for her father to give her tears.
"Penny." Winter Schnee's voice came through the radio exactly five minutes after Penny woke up. She smiled a bit – of course the Specialist knew her schedule.
"Yes, Specialist?"
"The General is... stable now. He's demanding a debrief on the events of the battle."
"Will you be needing a report from me?"
"Actually, he wants you to deliver your report to him in person. We'll be heading to his room in two hours."
"Understood. I am ready." There was a pause, for just a moment. "...Winter?"
"...Yes, Penny?"
"Is he... is the General all right?"
A silence stretched out on the other end of the line. When Winter spoke again, her voice was tight and tense. "...He is recovering. More than that, I can't say."
"...I understand. If anything changes..."
"I'll keep you updated, Penny."
The General looked... worn. Much of his cybernetic arm had been disassembled and much of his torso was still bandaged, concealing the worst of the burns from view and leaving only a gunmetal grey adapter jutting forth from his shoulder. More than that, though, there were dark circles under his eyes. Still, his gaze was as intense as always.
"Schnee. I need to understand what happened. You've had the time and I know you've been piecing things together; give me your overview of the battle." His voice was rough... but still firm.
To her credit, Winter merely nodded sharply and stood at attention. "Understood. From what we've gathered, the White Fang and Cinder Fall's people had been preparing to move for some time. Roman Torchwick and his contacts had been tapped to aid them. Explosives were set at critical locations throughout Vale; the most prominent being the device that took down Amity Coliseum, but also smaller devices in various transport hubs and public areas throughout the city. I suspect those were simply to cause additional chaos and mask their true weapon: manufactured Grimm nests."
The General's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"As you know, the city is still technically under siege. The Grimm are still spawning from locations throughout the ruins. We had the chance to examine several locations... and the center of each has a device with the Atlas logo printed upon it. They seem to have been filled with..." She shook her head. "...The men are calling it 'Grimmsblood.' A viscous liquid that new Grimm have been observed climbing out of at regular intervals. I can only assume that Cinder supplied it; I can't imagine Adam Taurus able to get his hands on something like that."
"...That's why the city was overrun so quickly. The Grimm were already inside." Ironwood sighed and ran his good hand over his face. "What else?"
Winter took a breath before continuing. "As ordered, I reported to the command carrier immediately, but..."
"From the reports I've managed to collect, it seems that Taurus confronted Blake Belladonna at a local hotel that catered primarily to Faunus. My understanding is that Kali Belladonna was staying there during her visit for the tournament."
"She's the one who killed him, then." In response, Winter hesitated. "Schnee?"
"Not exactly, General. The details are... muddled. What is known for certain is that she was heavily injured, and... something happened. She went berserk, and Taurus led her on a chase through the city before she tore him to pieces and backed him into a Grimm nest. We haven't found the body, but..." She shook her head. "...the condition he was in, I can only imagine the Grimm tore him apart."
"What condition?"
Winter frowned lightly. "Belladonna removed both of his arms."
Ironwood blinked, then slowly settled back against the bed. "...I see."
"There's something else: she demonstrated advanced healing abilities that I am relatively certain she did not possess before. I'm not sure exactly how she-"
"I am."
"General?"
He took a deep breath. "There are some things you'll need to know now, Schnee. I'll explain, but first... Penny. What do you have to report?"
Penny snapped to attention, her focus returning from wherever it had wandered. "In general, or concerning the matter under discussion, sir?"
"The latter, for the moment."
"...Moth-" She glanced at Winter. "...Obsidian intervened, sir."
"How?"
"...I do not know. I know that Blake was in great pain. She was angry, and sad, and afraid. And then she was calm, because Obsidian was here. Her magic... I can still feel it in the city, General. Obsidian fought... and then, Weiss was terrified. I've... never felt something like that." Penny drew in on herself slightly, her eyes downcast. "...Obsidian intervened again, against Cinder Fall at Beacon. They fought, and the air there is still agitated with magic, but... something went wrong. And Blake and Obsidian were gone."
"I knew that Belladonna was missing. 'Obsidian' is as well?" There was a strange tone in Ironwood's voice that Penny couldn't place. Something... softer than usual.
She winced. "Yes, sir. None of us have been able to contact her since the battle concluded. Ruby said... that Blake was simply gone."
"...and Obsidian with her." Ironwood ran a hand over his face once more. "Damn it all. The both of them could have explained much of what happened. What happened to Cinder?"
"Weiss and her... remaining teammates injured her heavily before she was retrieved by the Grimm."
"...She got away. Damn." Another heavy sigh. "And the efforts to reclaim the city, Schnee?"
"They are progressing, if slowly. The people are mostly being housed by what local businesses are still standing, and the streets are heavily patrolled. The Grimm are under control, but they're a constant presence outside of the secure areas. The local airspace still faces attacks by flying Grimm, which has made bringing in more supplies more difficult than expected..."
Penny's attention drifted away from the conversation as her thoughts turned once again to the strangely empty feeling in her chest. It wasn't until she heard Winter's heels click against the ground in a salute that she began paying attention once again.
"I'll get it handled, sir."
"See that you do, Schnee. Come back in three hours; I'll brief you on... the things you need to know. About Cinder Fall, Obsidian, and... others."
"Yes, sir." She turned and departed. Penny made to follow her, but...
"Penny."
"Sir?"
"What's bothering you?" His voice was drawn, and he was obviously tired.
"Nothing, sir. Everything is fine." She attempted a smile.
"Penny." The tone in his voice was almost painful to listen to.
"...She's gone, sir." She couldn't bear to see the look on his face, turning instead to stare resolutely at the wall. "I... I looked for her since my Aura was awakened. I... finally found her, just before I was deployed to Vale." Barely months ago. "...And now she is gone. There are... things I wanted to ask her, but did not because I did not believe she wanted to answer. And she would have, if I had asked." Her eyes wandered back to the General – and he looked as though he'd been physically struck. "...I know what I am supposed to do, sir. I remain combat ready, for whatever you need me for."
"Penny..." Ironwood's mouth moved silently as he hunted for words, his eyes darting rapidly across her face, before he finally deflated and lay back. "...I won't tell you how to grieve. That would be wrong. But let me offer a piece of advice that once helped me." As he breathed out, he suddenly seemed so much older. Penny understood that the General had lived for quite some time, and much of it as a soldier and a Huntsman, but it had never been driven home as deeply as in this moment. "...If you feel lost, consider what they would have told you to do, had you asked their advice. It will hurt, every time you do." He took a deep breath. "But it will give you a direction to move in – or away from, if you disagree with them." His eyes closed. "...I'm sorry, Penny. We... should have done better. None of this should have happened."
"It wasn't your fault, sir." His response was merely a mumble, and after a moment of watching his breath even out, Penny realized he had fallen asleep. She peered at him, for a time, before slowly turning and quietly exiting the room. He and Headmaster Ozpin were friends as well. I suppose... I am not alone.
A deep breath, as she considered his advice. What would Obsidian have said, if she had sought direction?
'It is right for you to pursue your Dream, by all methods you possess.' She had said that, after the Breach. The memory of her voice was painful in a strange way – it brought her focus, instead of leaving her drifting.
She took a deep breath, raising her hand in front of her and feeling her Aura as it flowed through her. She considered the magic she had felt during the battle; the overwhelming power that had flooded the Academy as Obsidian and Cinder had fought. She considered her own attempts to learn magic, and Obsidian's observation that she would have to learn it on her own.
Had she tried since then, really? No; she'd been distracted by the Tournament and spending time with her friends in RWBY. Experiencing Vale, and life outside of the lab.
Slowly, her fist closed, and she nodded. By all methods I possess. A vision of R-66Y, who was called Robo, fighting alongside the other Heroes flashed before her.
It was time to learn.