Winter watched with furrowed brows as her summoned white beowulf swiped outward with a claw, only for its limb to be shoved aside by a shield. The parry was messy, imperfect, and unpracticed… but it had created an opening enough for a sword to slip past the grimm's defenses and embed itself in the conjured beast's stomach. Without a word, Winter dispelled the training dummy into flecks of white ash and nodded toward her exhausted, panting younger brother standing with his sword thrust out and shield held close to his body. The sight filled her with mixed feelings… though she felt she couldn't say any of them aloud for various reasons.

All of it was utterly pointless. There was no way Whitley would be decent enough with any weapon or his untrained Semblance to take to the battlefield in any context, and even if he somehow did manage the feat in time, Winter would never allow it. In the time she spent training her sibling, there was so much else she could accomplish that might actually progress the war effort or at least solidify their knowledge of Aurora's Cradle… but one simple fact prevented her from doing so. The training made Whitley happy. It made him feel safe… and it made her feel like she was finally having some sort of positive interaction and impact on his life.

That alone was worth more than any intel she could manage to gather for their squad.

"I did it…" Whitley proclaimed breathlessly. "I finally… landed a hit. After hours of trying…"

"You did," Winter confirmed. "And I wasn't holding back, either. Well-earned, and a good first step on your journey to learning to defend yourself."

"Does it remain this tiring, once you're used to it?" the boy asked as he stabbed his sword down into the snow to grasp the pommel with both hands and lean against it. The sound of the weapon meeting the dirt echoed throughout the empty storage building, resulting in a much louder noise than expected. "I don't think I've had this much physical activity in… ever."

"It doesn't… though no one is immune to the eventual build up of exhaustion," Winter answered as she approached. "You're doing well for someone so green. I… really should have started this sort of thing with you years ago, Whitley. Probably when Weiss first asked me to start training her…"

"That is hardly your fault," Whitley reassured as he stood upright to meet his sister's gaze. "After all, you had to train her in secret for so long…"

"Still. It was… cowardly of me to let Jacques ruin all of our lives for years on end," Winter said softly as she put a hand on Whitley's shoulder. "I'm the eldest sibling. It was my responsibility to stand up to him and protect you two, and I largely failed. I will not fail to protect you both from Salem. You have my word."

"And I'll… maybe manage to kill a single grimm by the time this is all over?" Whitley tried with a sheepish grin.

"Let us hope that you don't have to," Winter said uneasily as she gave the boy's shoulder a squeeze and dropped her arm back to her side. "Do you… want to see him? Jacques?"

Whitley hesitated for only a moment before shaking his head and looking off to the side.

"…I failed in my duties, too. He was trying to mold me into a copy of himself to inherit the company, and for the longest time, I just… let him do it out of spite for you and Weiss. I don't care if he's in a cell underground. Let him rot."

Winter couldn't help but pull her expression into a frown, the boy's words filling her with unease.

"I feel much the same, but… I don't know if it's healthy to feel that way. I tried to talk to him yesterday…"

"Why?" Whitley pressed immediately, sounding angry. "Why even bother?"

"To get information about what he's been doing with Robyn this entire time," Winter defended. "But… also, I suppose, to see if the shock of everything that's going on might have done something to change him and his outlook. Based on his reaction to my visit, I don't believe it did."

"Of course it didn't. The man is a snake," Whitley accused as he worked to sheath his sword. It took him several tries to get the blade cleanly in, and he refused to look up at Winter after botching it. "After all of this is over, he should be put on trial. I could be a key witness to some of the things he's done... though I only know how illegal some of them were."

"A trial, I agree to," Winter said as she folded her arms across her chest. "But part of me fears an execution via our hosts is coming if he keeps it up. We're dealing with literal pirates right now, Whitley. As safe as things seem here… I don't know that I trust this place."

"Do you trust our allies?" Whitley dared to ask. "Ilia and Emerald? Neon's an Academy student, so…"

"They risked their lives to come and find us down in Mantle," Winter reminded. "You're right to be cautious, but I can't take that away from them. There was no reason to abandon the last guaranteed safety in Atlas if they were trying to screw us over. I think we can trust them."

"Caution isn't a bad thing," a familiar voice echoed from somewhere behind the stacked rows of boxes and tarps. It was loud, seeming to fill the entire space of the warehouse and causing the Schnee siblings to jump. "Been screwed over a few times myself. Was enough to start learning how to reliably be on the other side. Still, we'll take care of ya. I'm pragmatic, not heartless."

Winter wrinkled her nose in annoyance as Alice emerged from behind one of the shelving units stacked with supplies, looking smug. The woman tilted an imaginary hat before leaning back against one of the metal shelf supports and crossing her arms.

"How long have you been here?" Winter asked as Whitley moved to stand behind her.

"Few minutes," Alice answered. "We've got hidden cameras all over, and I didn't want to miss the kid fighting the grimm if you went another round. Nice trick with the Semblance, by the way. Shame it's bright white, or we could use it for diversion…"

"What did you really come here for?" Winter asked. "I doubt you would waste your time watching training exercises."

"Then you don't know me well at all," Alice shrugged. "Wasting time is one of my favorite things. I came 'round to check on you and the kid. Things have been tense, and I heard you two talking."

"…how?" Winter asked. "We've been keeping it low, even if you were in the building…"

"Noise amplification and dampening," Alice replied. "Useful Semblance, that. Especially when you work with some people who just don't know when to shut up. Mind if I go a few rounds with the kid? Show him a thing or two?"

"Me?" Whitley asked, going pale. "I… hardly think I'm ready for a human opponent…"

"Oh, c'mon," Alice teased. "I'll be gentle. For now."

"Hold that thought," Winter ordered as she drew her scroll. "Ironwood. Sir?"

Winter's eyes widened as she watched Alice mimic the motion of turning up a volume knob, to the point that the man's voice became audible to all three of them through the scroll. With a jerk of her head, Winter held the device out in her palm to avoid being deafened.

"Schnee. A roundtable discussion with Beacon, Vacuo, and some others is taking place in half an hour. Are you in a position to listen in?"

"We'll be there," Alice answered for her, earning a venomous glare.

"Who…?"

"C'mon," Alice insisted with a grin. "Let's round up the rest of your merry band and get ready. I can't wait to hear what your fearless leader is thinking…"

"I'll be there and jump on the call, yeah. Feels like I should."

"Good. We could use your input and expertise. I… also don't know just how much faith I should be putting in Ironwood as a leader. After the events of the Vytal festival… Salem still got through his wall of ships. We were supposed to be untouchable after he took charge and forced his way into our security detail. Beacon still hasn't recovered…"

Qrow took a deep breath, the mountain air filling his lungs with a frigid chill before he blew it out in a visible cloud.

"…don't put that on him. I may not be his biggest fan, but he was acting out of a desire to protect not only his students, but yours. If he hadn't be there… there might not be a Beacon left to rebuild."

"A fair point… and perhaps I'm being unfair. Still, this is all new territory for me. I don't enjoy having Beacon in my hands and all of the responsibility that goes along with it. I don't know why Ozpin entrusted this to me specifically, but I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels and barely holding on at this point."

"All the more reason to trust that Ironwood's got a plan," Qrow offered as he stared out over the edge of the cliff. Beacon Academy was barely visible in the distance… as was the dragon grimm still frozen in stone atop its central tower. "When I left, things were… well, they weren't good, but they were in motion, and I was sent here for a reason. Worst case scenario, I call Raven and we pull everyone out from Atlas together. One way or another, we'll find a way forward. You have my word."

"I'll hold you to it. Oh, and Qrow? Are you… okay? I received word about Ruby, and I'm so, so sorry. I don't even know what to say…"

Qrow took another breath and shook his head. The urge to reach for a flask that was no longer at his side had never been stronger, but he banished the thought as quickly as he could.

"…I'm not. I don't know if I ever will be… but I'm also not about to give up. Right now, more than anything, I need to make sure nothing like that ever happens again to me or anyone else. No more broken families at Salem's hands. That's motivation enough to keep going."

"I understand. Perhaps share a drink with me later tonight, once all of this meeting and discussing of the state of Remnant is over? I'm sure we could both use it."

Qrow let out a chuckle, though it sounded profoundly hollow.

"Can't. Gave it up. We could trade stories, though. Find something to get our minds off all of this."

"I'll take it. Safe flight, and see you soon."

"Yeah," Qrow replied. "On my way."

The career huntsman disconnected the call and pocketed his scroll before chewing his lower lip for a moment. With a sigh of resignation, he peeled his gaze away from Beacon and down to his feet, where a small, rectangular monument stood amid the snow. A professional carving of a rose emblem took up the majority of its surface, and beneath was the name SUMMER ROSE with the text Thus kindly I scatter. on the next line. The stonework was worn and faded, though no less impactful in his eyes. Qrow had contemplated bringing another rock over for Ruby and making a carving with his weapon… but it didn't feel right. Not without the rest of her family there alongside him.

"…if you really are alive…" Qrow said aloud, his voice barely holding back a hint of anger, "I'm going to find you. And when I do… you'd better have a damned good reason for leaving us."

Without another word, the man took a running leap off the cliff, disappearing below the edge. A black bird rose up and began flying straight for Beacon Academy only seconds later.

Author's Note:

Next week… Chapter 300. The meeting begins, though don't expect it to all be contained in one chapter. I literally don't have time to put out anything more than a normal-length chapter due to a bunch of shit going on.

A normal-length chapter and SOME HOT FUCKING PORN OF SUN AND BLAKE TO GO WITH IT! GET READY!

-RD