After one last look over the contents of the case - various Dust crystals, some powdered Dust, the few samples of Infused Dust they'd created recently - Weiss nodded, closing and latching it before turning to the rest of the team.

"Does everyone have everything you need? I expect we won't have many opportunities to resupply once we meet up with the General." In response, she received two nods...and silence.

Blake sat, Frozen Flame held in her hand, turning it back and forth as she peered into the depths of the crystal.

Yang's eyes met Weiss' for a moment before she stepped closer to her partner, laying a hand gently on the Faunus' shoulder. "Hey, Blake? Everything good?"

She smiled, but even Weiss could see a hint of sadness in it. "Yeah. I've got everything I need. Just...thinking. How long until we need to meet Ironwood?"

Weiss glanced at her scroll. "We have a few hours. Why? Did Obsidian want to do something before we headed out?"

Blake shook her head, licking her lips nervously. "No, no. This is...all me, actually. I've been thinking."

Ruby plopped down on the bed next to her, smiling. "What about?"

"The Grimm. And, well. This whole fight against 'Salem,' I guess."

Yang made a fist and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I get what you mean. It's a little nerve-wracking, you know? Suddenly joining up in this big secret war...Guess I'm glad for all the training we've done, weird as that is to say."

"Yeah. It's good though, right? We know what's going on, now. So that means we can prepare ahead of time." Ruby patted Blake's shoulder gently.

"No, that's not it - I mean, yeah. I agree. But I wasn't thinking that, exactly."

Weiss sat on the bed across from her, tapping her fingers against her knee. "Blake...you're being evasive. What's on your mind?"

Slowly, Blake inhaled through her nose before breathing out in an explosive sigh. "Yeah. Okay. So...this whole fight, we can agree that it's important. Obviously. Well...Obsidian's sending Neopolitan and Roman Torchwick to Mistral, to start searching for the Spring Maiden. And...I think I agree with her. It makes sense."

Weiss pursed her lips. "It does, I suppose. I'm...not exactly a supporter of the idea, I'll admit."

Ruby frowned. "I mean...Yeah, I guess if Cinder or Salem get their hands on the Spring Maiden, that would be pretty bad...they're not, like, hunting her, are they? Not like..."

"No! No, nothing like that. Just looking for her, so we can figure out where she is. Then we can decide what to do from there."

Yang sank down on the bed next to her with a sigh of her own. "So is that what's bugging you? Not happy about Obsidian sending the crazy murderers out on their own?"

Blake's fingers drummed rapidly against her thigh. "...No. I mean...Like I said, I understand why she's doing it. They're good at that sort of thing, and the more we can do to get in the way of Cinder and 'Salem' the better it is for us. I'm more thinking..." She looked into the Flame once more. "Look. I told you how I connected with Obsidian during the Battle, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that...sort of makes the Flame obsolete. For me. So, I was thinking..."

"Woah, woah, woah." Yang held up her arms in an x-shape. "You're not thinking about - no fucking way, seriously?"

"I'm just saying - isn't it...isn't it selfish, and short-sighted, if I keep the Flame when it could be doing something against Cinder in someone else's hands?"

"So you want to give it to a confirmed murderer? Someone with no signs of remorse? Someone who stabbed Nora?" Yang was getting heated...so Weiss intervened.

"Yang. It's obvious Blake has given this a lot of thought - can we hear her out, please? I think we owe her that."

Yang's mouth clicked shut. After a moment, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "...Yeah. Okay. You're right...sorry, Blake."

"No, it's fine. I...even I know it's a little crazy. But...I don't know about you guys, but I could sense Cinder's magic. If Neopolitan had the Flame, she could learn to do the same...which would make finding the Spring Maiden a lot easier, especially if she's trying to hide. Plus, Cinder would be less likely to catch them if she ends up going after the Maiden."

"Yeah, but to do that you'd be empowering Neopolitan. And Roman, I guess, but I'm more worried about her." Yang crossed her arms. "I'm still not getting...like, do you trust her for some reason? I thought you...weren't her biggest fan."

Blake made a sour face. "I'm not. But...I talked to Obsidian about it, and I think I agree with her. Neopolitan will do whatever she needs to to keep her and Roman safe. As long as that's 'fight Cinder and Salem'? We can count on her help. And I don't imagine them becoming a better option anytime soon."

Yang tapped her foot. "That's not a great reason."

The Faunus shrugged. "No, but keeping the Flame to myself isn't a great choice either."

Ruby hummed thoughtfully. "We could...give it to the General. Or someone from Atlas, at least. They're a bit more trustworthy, I think?" She tapped her chin. "Well...maybe..."

"I'm...not too keen on that. I trust Ironwood, to a degree, but..." Blake tapped the Frozen Flame. "I think he'd want a chance to examine Obsidian's energy more closely. And...I really don't think we'd like where that ends up."

Silence laid over the group for a minute, as each of them considered the discussion. Blake's agitation was increasingly obvious, and finally Weiss decided to break the silence.

"Well. I think we can all agree that the Flame belongs to you, Blake. So...if that's what you decide to do, I'll understand. I may not agree with you - not completely - but I understand why you'd make that choice."

Ruby nodded. "I...yeah. I don't like the idea. But...if you think it's the best thing, I trust your judgement. You know more about the Flame than any of us."

Yang chewed on her lip for several more seconds. "...I get where you're coming from. I don't mind the idea of you giving the Flame to someone so they can fight Cinder better, but...I don't trust her. But...if it's what you want to do, partner, then do it."

As Blake continued to stare at the Flame, a thought occurred to Weiss. "Blake? What does Obsidian think about this?"

Blake wilted slightly. "I...haven't asked her, yet. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to do it...until I had to explain myself to you guys. Now...it kind of seems like the right option to me. So...Obsidian? What do you think?"

A/N: The delay on this chapter is primarily on me. I had a rough time of things and it negatively affected my writing, leading to me stalling out on this chapter for a while.

That being said, I'm going to try to shape up starting now. I'll be making an effort to post at least every week without fail; I can't promise a specific day since my work schedule fluctuates, but I'll be aiming for once per week at minimum.

As part of that, and also as a step in pursuit of the dream of writing full-time...I've sold out and started a . This is the only time I'll ever announce this openly in this story; after this point it will remain in a spoilered plug and in my signature. If you enjoy my content and feel like supporting me, I'd appreciate it - but it isn't and never will be required for any of my content. I won't be putting any story content behind a paywall. At the moment, the main thing I'm planning on posting there is behind the scenes stuff; things about why I wrote scenes a certain way or other random tidbits of knowledge. That being said, it's a brand new step for me and I'm open to suggestions if people have things they'd like to see as rewards.