RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

94. Tensions

So sorry about the delay! Been ridiculously sick for a while and when I'm not sick I've had to take care of my niece while my sister looked for a new babysitter, as well as cat-sitting for my grandmother.

Chapter 93: Tensions

As the snow continued its slow but steady fall over the outskirts of the Atlesian capital and into the countryside, some flakes found they weren't destined to reach the ground, but smack into the windshield of the Retribution as it flew to Schnee Manor, only to be swept away by the heavy windshield wipers.

Raider paid the flakes no mind, having spent most of his life around snow, and casually called back "The Manor will soon be in sight, I'll call and ask for permission to land."

"Understood, thanks for bringing us!" Jaune replied from the passenger area of the strike corvette, where he sat with the rest of Team JNPR. He looked back at Nora, who was leaning into Ren's neck, resting after the emotional experience she had gone through. The rest of Task Force Omega had stayed behind on the Resolute, just in case they were needed.

"What do you think will happen to Odinson?" Pyrrha asked.

"Life in prison, most likely," Ren answered.

"Though maybe he'll get some time off for cooperating," Nora added, sitting up a little, "But not too much."

"And that's if Salem doesn't have him eliminated first," Pyrrha voiced with a grim tone. No one bothered to challenge her on that, since the Spartan knew Salem more than they did, "If she wants him dead, it won't be easy to keep him out of her grasp."

"I guess either fate would suit him, given all he's done," Jaune commented before he looked at Nora, he smiled and added "Though, I guess if it wasn't for him, Oliver and Eleanor would never have met, and we wouldn't have someone very precious to us."

"Someone we're very proud of and love very much, so I suppose we do owe him that much." Pyrrha added.

Nora smiled at Jaune and Pyrrha, who looked at her proudly as Ren held her closer, kissing the top of her forehead. "I suppose you're right, Jaune," He said as he held her a little tighter, "We do."

Nora grinned and kissed him lovingly, just as the ship began to land.

Ren sometimes thought about what would have happened to him if Nora had been killed by the Nuckelavee that terrible night. Would he have been killed as well? Would he have become some dark, brooding Huntsman suicidally obsessed with revenge? He didn't know, and he'd prefer not to dwell on it. Nora was the thing he cherished most of all, his light in the dark. Life might not be worth living if not for her. As much as he mourned his parents, Nora managed to empty that void where they once were, just as he filled the void where her parents had once been.

"Still, Odinson deserves some sympathy, he was pretty much forced to do evil by Salem, not like that monster Crawford." Nora voiced, spitting out Crawford's name as though she had tasted something nasty.

"No arguments there, those men deserve everything coming to them." Pyrrha agreed.

They all stood up and began to disembark from the Strike Corvette, "Thanks for bringing us back, Raider!" Jaune called.

"Yes! We look forward to working with you and the rest of the task force in the future!" Pyrrha added.

"Same to you, kids." Raider called down.

Jaune turned to head for the ramp, saying "What do you wanna bet will hap-" Jaune began before he stopped.

Both his and Pyrrha's heads jerked up, looking towards the capital long behind them, their eyes shining red a little bit. Their Grimm halves had just detected something, as evident by their shining eyes and tense bodies.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked, his voice cautiously serious as Nora looked at them.

"The Capital," Pyrrha began, her voice a tad shaky "We just got hit by this…wave of grief and outrage."

"The council must have gone public with what Crawford and his cronies did," Jaune stated, very confident that was the case, his fist subtly shaking, "And with so many Faunus refugees from outside the capital, there's bound to be a lot of anger and sorrow…maybe it could escalate into riots!"

Jaune shouted back to Task Force Omega's pilot, "Raider, we think something's going on in the city!"

"Bingo, kid! I just got a message from Central, they want me back asap! Disembark, because I've got to get moving at top speed!"

"Want us to come with you?" Jaune offered.

"I think you've been through enough for today. We've got enough people in the city to handle whatever it is. So please, get clear!" Raider ordered as politely as he could.

Jaune nodded and he and Pyrrha dashed off the ship to join Ren and Nora outside on the snowy landing field, where one of the Schnee's personal cars had been sent to fetch them. They watched as the ramp went up and the Retribution lifted back up into the air, faster than what was normally allowed before shooting off into the snowy skies at high speeds.

"I think we should have gone with him. Maybe we could do something." Pyrrha said, feeling helpless.

"Maybe it's for the best," Said Ren, "There's bound to be an intense storm of negative emotions coming from the Faunus refugees in the city, it might be enough to overwhelm the two of you."

Jaune sighed and nodded, "You're right. I hate to say it, but we're just gonna have to stay here and hope for the best."

"Not literally here, I hope," Nora said, shivering inside of the coat that servants of the manor had supplied to everyone in Team Beacon. "It'd probably be better to worry inside the mansion than worry out here!"

"She's right, plus, our friends are still there. I have faith that if anyone can prevent another crisis from breaking out, it's Blake, Weiss and the others." Pyrrha said, her voice hopeful. She was confident that the friendship between the Schnee heiress and Blake would be enough to prevent a major riot.

Jaune nodded, "Right. Let's just hope they can defuse the situation before anything too violent happens."

Ren nodded as the valet opened the car door for them, Nora darting inside. "Anything wrong?" The valet asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Pyrrha answered before going inside herself.

Jaune took one last look out to the snowy landscape, the faint outline of the city visible in the distance. He silently prayed for a peaceful resolution to whatever would happen before getting into the car.

---

Ruby's scroll suddenly went off in the middle of Yang enthusiastically describing how Ren, Nora and Team CFVY, with help from Tom Allcroft, had destroyed the Alpha Deathworm, which had become a rather popular video on the net thanks to some amateur cameramen who had been recording the battle while in hiding. Chamberlain's mood had brightened considerably and was enjoying the group's recounting enormously.

Ruby looked at the message Qrow had sent her and her eyes widened, something Penny instantly noticed.

"What's wrong?" The android asked.

"The Atlas Council just went public with Crawford's crimes. He's going with Coco and some of the others to make sure nothing happens to Weiss, Blake and the others. I think we should get down there and join them." Ruby said, hoping that her friends would be okay and that they wouldn't be harmed by the inevitable outrage of the Faunus refugees.

"No arguments there!" Yang agreed, pumping her mechanical fist. She looked at Colonel Chamberlain, who was still sitting on his bed, "Sorry to cut things short, Colonel, but this is pretty important!"

"No need to tell me. Hurry out and go help your friends and try to prevent a riot! The last thing we need right now is another Grimm attack!" Chamberlain said, "I enjoyed your visit, but I'll be happier if you prevent a catastrophe!"

"Thanks, sir! Hope you're up to a hundred perfect soon!" Ruby said as she dashed out of the room, rose petals in her wake.

"And don't forget to practice with that leg, you can do some serious damage with that baby!" Yang encouraged as she followed her sister while grabbing the coats the Schnees had supplied them.

Penny and N1CK3L both saluted the man, "Forgive us for the abrupt departure, sir! Give our regards to your family!" Penny said, "We'll say hello to General Ironwood for you!"

"I hope to see you return to active duty in the future, sir." N1CK3L added with a nod before the two androids followed the sisters out into the hospital halls, the distant shouts of nurses being surprised by Ruby's speed were easily heard.

Chamberlain grabbed the remote on the nightstand and turned on the room's tv to the news channel, which had live coverage of the press conference, seeing Willow Schnee being assaulted with questions from the press.

"What was the death toll?"

"Where are Crawford and the other two being held?"

"How will this impact the company's operations?"

"Aren't you afraid about the outcry from the Faunus community?"

Chamberlain shook his head and murmured, "What a mess." He looked out the window at the massive, snow-covered city and silently prayed that there would be no serious damage or any deaths from the riots that seemed inevitable.

In the hall, Ruby raced ahead, she stopped using her Semblance as she knew it would be reckless to use it in the hospital, but time was of the essence. She knew the elevators would take too long, so the staircases would be the optimal route, and she had spotted an elevator doorway on the way in. She glanced back to see Yang and the android siblings.

"Keep up!" She called as she opened the door, gesturing for them to follow.

She looked down the long shaft of the building that the staircase zigzagged down. She thought back to how she and Jaune had jumped down a much taller staircase back at the Seras Kalifa building in Haven to escape from Ante and his men. She couldn't help but smile as she leapt up and balanced herself on the handrailing.

"Anyone got any better shortcuts?" She asked as Yang, Penny and N1CK3L came up behind her.

"We've done things a thousand times crazier, go for it!" Yang encouraged as she casually climbed onto the railing and dropped down. Ruby smiled at her sister's fearless attitude and hopped down to fall with her.

"I do not believe that is normal human behavior." N1CK3L observed as he and Penny got over the rails.

"Well little brother, I have come to learn that Ruby and her friends are far from typical humans!" Penny replied with a bright smile before she jumped over.

Yang caught the railing just before the bottom floor with her mechanical hand, the weight and sudden stop not damaging the mechanical fingers in the slightest thanks to the superb craftsmanship and she easily caught Ruby in her fall and flung her down in front of the door just as Penny and N1CK3L effortlessly landed on their knees with hard thuds that made any supplies stored in the bottom of the stairway shudder.

Yang dropped down and gave Ruby her coat, which she quickly put on before opening the door and running towards the main entrance. They wasted no time in exchanging comments, as right now all they could think about was the safety of their friends.

---

Weiss could feel dozens upon dozens of pairs of eyes looking at her, glaring at her, it was worse than the loud shouts of outrage from the various Faunus around her. Blake stood firm, not willing to let anyone harm her teammate as Team SSSN formed a small perimeter around her, Sun meeting furious yells with shouts of his own.

"This is proof! See how the S.D.C. views Faunus? As disposable slaves! They enslaved our people and forced them to work in those awful mines! For we Faunus, Atlas might as well be a slaughterhouse!" Hui said, still disguising his voice so his foes wouldn't recognize him, his words stirring up the crowd even further.

"If that's true, why did they arrest Crawford and his flunkies?!" Sun pointed out, "Use your freakin' brains people!"

"Maybe they have a point." Said a Zebra Faunus, thoughtfully.

"A transparent P.R. move!" Hui countered, still hiding in the crowd, "Schnee's lying, he has to be! How could this have escaped his notice? He's shifting the blame onto a patsy!"

"That's right! Never trust a Schnee!" Ranted a Puma Faunus.

Ilia shifted nervously, racking her mind for someway they could get Blake and her friends out of the shelter without being harmed.

Hui grinned at the frenzied crowd and then glared towards Weiss, who was trying not to let the outrage happening all around her get to her. "Human justice will fail us! You've seen how inevitable it is! If we want justice, we'll have to get it ourselves! I say we take our revenge on the Schnee herself!"

Some Faunus in the shelter seemed to like the idea, but many seemed unnerved or even disgusted by the idea. Blake whipped out Gambol Shroud in its katana form while Sun whipped out both Ruyi and Jingu Bang. Neptune, Scarlet and Sage

"If you want to lay a finger on Weiss, you'll have to go through us!" Blake challenged.

"You'd choose a Schnee over your own kind?" The Puma Faunus asked, offended.

"No, I choose a friend over a mob." Blake shot back, her golden eyes hardening, "Look at yourselves! You're acting like the animals the bigots think we all are! If you act like this, you'll be playing right into the hands of human supremacists like Crawford! I know you're angry, I was too when I first found out, but Weiss had nothing to do with it and if you try to hurt her, I will stop you!"

"Same goes for me, only I won't be so nice about it!" Sun added.

"Race traitors!" Hui scolded viciously, a sentiment echoed by a good chunk of the crowd. A few in the crowd took out their scrolls and began to record, hoping to get some small fame from the scene unfolding before them.

"Enough!" Shouted Mother Hubbard with a booming, firm voice. She stood atop a chair and surveyed the crowd, "Is this Crawford's act an atrocity? Obviously! I want him to be punished just as much as you, and so do the Schnees! They're trying to make up for the past! How can they earn our forgiveness if you refuse to give them a chance?"

"She's right!" Blake said, "We arrested Crawford and his underlings ourselves and they'll spend the rest of their lives in prison. Believe me, I'm a Belladonna, I know better than anyone the crimes the human elite have inflicted on us in the past, I've spent my entire life fighting against it, and now Weiss wants to help me fight that injustice."

"I do," Weiss spoke up, gently pushing past Neptune, Scarlet and Sage, who were ready to protect her from anything that could happen. "Blake and other Faunus I have come to know tore down my prejudices, showed me what horrible things your people have suffered. When I learned about the Mt. Ausz massacre from Adam Taurus I felt sick, I hated what my family's company had done and tried to hide. When we learned the truth, we did not try to hide it, but instead we pulled Crawford out of our company like the weed he is, and I promise all of you he won't escape justice.

"I know you hate my family, you probably hate me for being from that family, you have every right to, but don't hate Blake and Sun, they're anything but traitors to Faunus kind. You have no reason to trust me, but I beg of you, please give us a chance to redeem ourselves. We want to give you shelter, a place for your families to stay, give you paying jobs to support your families. You do not have to accept it, but at the very least…"

Weiss knelt down on the cool tiled floor, surprising everyone. She looked up and said "I beg your forgiveness."

She bowed down, her ashen ponytail slipping onto the floor.

There was a short silence before Sun spoke up, "If she really hated you, would she be on her knees begging forgiveness? Would she be offering you the chance to live in a damn mansion? No one can deny we've had it hard, that we've been oppressed…but things have changed."

"And for that change to truly become the norm for all over Remnant, we must work with people like Weiss," Blake said, "Please, I know you're all angry, you have every right to be, but we can't let that anger turn into a riot. A riot claimed the lives of my parents, I would not want one to claim any of you."

The crowd seemed to calm down, whispering amongst themselves. Ilia smiled at Blake, wishing she could voice her admiration for her crush. She noticed Hui was about to voice a rubbutle as he hid among the crowd, so she quickly grabbed his shoulder and gave him a warning look. She leaned in close and quietly whispered "If you keep going you'll draw too much attention, we can't let them recognize us."

Hui was annoyed, but knew the Fusion Faunus was right. He just hoped that Belladonna and Schnee's melodramatic speeches weren't enough to blind his fellow Faunus to the truth, and indeed, some of the crowd didn't seem convinced. Many, however, seemed to be quite moved by the display before them.

The Beaver Faunus who had accepted Weiss' offer earlier stepped forward. He knelt down to Weiss and offered her his hand, "You shouldn't have to bow to us. I can see you had nothing to do with that slaughter, and if you really want to redeem your family name, I suppose it would be rather foolish of us to refuse you."

Weiss smiled and accepted his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. "Thank you," She told him, "If you still wish to come to my family's manor the offer still stands. It's open to all of you, but I will understand if you choose not to come."

Several more stepped forward, voicing their own opinions on the situation.

"Its awful, but we can't really blame you for it, and if your dad is offering us a chance to live in Schnee Manor, then…who are we to say no?" Said a female Koala Faunus.

"Too good of an opportunity to pass up, just make sure those bastards go down hard." Voiced the gruff Mongoose Faunus who had been so skeptical earlier.

Blake and Sun smiled at one another as Sun nodded to his team, giving them a thumbs up.

"Whew, crisis averted." Neptune said, wiping his brow.

"This one at least, there's a whole lot of other refugees in the city." Sage reminded him as various Faunus came up to Weiss and accepted her apology, forgiving her for her family's past transgressions.

Blake and Weiss exchanged a look and bright smiles, "I knew we could do it." Blake told the heiress.

"Never had a doubt." Weiss agreed, trying to maintain her confidence. She looked at a smiling Mother Hubbard and said "And thank you for your help."

"Think nothing of it, my child. I believe in the teachings of the wise Mistrialian Saints and they teach compassion and forgiveness, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't try to help you…and thank you, for catching those awful men, now the souls of their victims can truly rest in peace." The Dog Faunus said.

Weiss and Blake both smiled at her, "I hope you're right." Weiss said.

"She is. I know it." Blake said, firm in her belief that this would bring those poor spirits the closure they deserved, even if they had long since moved on.

"Mommy," A young Kangaroo Faunus said to her mother, "We really gonna live in a castle?"

The mother laughed and answered "A manor sweetie, but I suppose it might as well be a castle."

Weiss smiled at them when she felt her scroll buzzing, she knew it was most likely the others at the hospital who saw what was happening and wanted to check in on her, she took out her scroll and saw it was Coco, so she texted back "We're okay, situation here is defused. Stay alert, we might have to stop others from rioting."

Coco quickly answered with "Understood, we're almost there, just to be on the safe side."

Mother Hubbard began taking down the names of the Faunus who would take up the Schnees on their offer.

"Will you be coming along?" She asked the hooded forms of Hui and Ilia.

"No thank you, we're just here to check on a friend, we've got a place to stay in the city." Ilia replied

Underneath his hood, Hui grimaced darkly, glaring at Weiss and Blake, as well as Team SSSN. "We might not get another opportunity to take them out." He whispered to Ilia.

"I know, and I sympathize, but we didn't bring our weapons for a reason, so we're kind of at a disadvantage." Ilia pointed out to him.

Hui nodded and lanced over, seeing the angry Puma Faunus who seemingly saw through the Schnee's attempt at charity. The Puma Faunus was speaking with several others, grumbling furiously over the information that had just been revealed. The Bear Faunus saw an opportunity and took it, "Call the others and tell them to suggest to their crowds to march up to the Council Citadel and demand those humans be handed over."

"What?" Ilia hissed, "That could get a lot of our people killed!"

"We do what we must." He snorted before he walked over to join them. He glanced back at Ilia, who sighed and did what he ordered, sending out a message to the other Red Fang operatives.

"Can you believe they're falling for it? They might as well be asking to be chained and collared." He said to them.

"I wouldn't go that far," Voiced a Goat Faunus, "But they are falling for the girl's sympathy plea too easily for my tastes."

"It's disgraceful." Agreed a grouchy Anteater Faunus, who had a long tongue that licked at badly chapped lips.

"Agreed, but what can we do?" Asked the Puma Faunus, "We're in the middle of the Atlesian capital while its on full alert. If we try anything we'll be arrested."

"True…but if we march up to the Council Citadel and demand Crawford, Kenzo and Nordstrom be handed over to us so they can face Faunus justice." Hui said to them.

"What? That's suicide." Scoffed the Goat Faunus.

"Not necessarily," Hui said to them, "Think about it, they're still recovering from all those Grimm attacks, they'll do anything to avoid another attack. If we go to the council citadel, with emotions running high, they'll have no choice but to give those murderous bastards to us if they want to avoid another crisis."

The Faunus around him considered his reasoning, "Hm, you might have a point there." Said the Puma Faunus, whose name was Stefan. The small crowd of Faunus began muttering amongst themselves, opening up more and more to the idea.

Soon they, along with a few others who had overheard their hushed conversation and wanted to get some revenge on the three imprisoned elites, began heading out of the shelter, which did not go unnoticed.

"Hey, where are they going?" Scarlet asked, drawing the others' attention to it.

"They're planning to march on the Council's Citadel and demand to be given those three humans," Mother Hubbard informed them, lifting up one of her long dog ears to let them know how she knew. "Come back later and I'll give you the list of all those who wish to come to your manor, Miss Schnee, but in the meantime I think you'd better stop those Faunus from doing anything rash!"

"We understand, thank you very much." Weiss said with a grateful smile. Blake nodded in appreciation before she joined Team SSSN in chasing after the group, Weiss close behind.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Sun called as the group exited the shelter.

"You're not really going to try and make demands of the council, are you?" Blake asked as Stefan turned around.

"Why not? After everything that's happened, they'll be in no position to fight us. If they try to shoot us, it will cause enough emotional backlash that it will summon more Grimm hordes. For once we'll have Atlas at our mercy!" Stefan said.

"Wow, really playing dirty there." Scarlet commented.

"Humans have played dirty all throughout history, it's only fair we hold them accountable just this once." Remarked the Goat Faunus.

Blake's ears twitched, she could hear furious shouts in the surrounding streets, she didn't have to be psychic to know that all the Faunus in the city, be they residents or refugees, were furious and would probably form a mob and demand to be given the three men. She couldn't blame them, and it was tempting to see the murdering scum get such comeuppance, but it would doubtlessly cause a massive blow to human-Faunus relations, and Blake had worked too hard to let that happen.

"And what if they refuse?" Weiss asked them, "Are you just going to riot and lure the Grimm here? You'd kill as many Faunus as you would people! You'd punish thousands of innocents for something they had no control over."

"That's why they'll give into our demands." The Puma Faunus said, sneering at Weiss with contempt.

"Don't be so sure, they have the army and all the fire power." Sage pointed out.

"Which they won't use, not unless they want to start a full-blown race war." Retorted the Puma Faunus, who turned and walked off with the rest.

"Stubborn…" Blake muttered, annoyed.

"What do you think we should do?" Neptune asked.

"Follow them, and do what we can to prevent them and any other Faunus from starting a riot!" Sun answered, Blake and the others all nodding. Weiss looked up the street and felt reassured when she saw Qrow, Coco, Yatshuhashi, Sharp Strike, Amethyst and Heliosia, along with a mustached man clad in dark clothes.

"You look unharmed, so I guess nothing too serious happened." Qrow surmised.

"Indeed, but something might if we don't prevent a riot from breaking out." Weiss replied before glancing at Dr. Eastwood and asking "Who's this?"

He bowed his head, "Doctor Wayne Eastwood. I was a classmate of Team STRQ back in the day and because the world is smaller than we think I happened to run into Qrow back at the hospital. Figured I'd lend a helping hand wherever I can. Nice to meet you, Miss Schnee."

"Likewise, introductions can come later, let's-"

Weiss was cut off as Ruby suddenly appeared, breathing heavily as she slid to a halt, petals floating to the ground in her wake.

"Hey…everything…okay?" Ruby asked as she panted as she collected herself, "I…sped ahead of…the others…"

"We're okay Ruby," Weiss assured her partner. Ruby smiled as she collected herself, and then took notice of Dr. Eastwood.

"Hey, I know you! Dr. Eastwood!"

She launched herself into Eastwood to give him a hug and the doctor laughed, "It's great to see you too, shortstuff! You were a tiny little thing last time I saw you!"

"He was volunteering at the hospital, funny how these things happen, huh squirt?" Qrow said, "But let's stay focused on the situation."

"Any idea where that group of Faunus are going?" Asked Sharp Strike.

Sun quickly filled everyone in as they heard more shouts throughout the city, army ships flying overhead and police sirens in the distance.

"Doesn't sound like they'll be alone. If we don't act, there could be a race riot." Heliosia said, terrified by the thought.

"I've already taken precaution, on our way here I alerted Cold Steel, apparently already knows and has ordered the Winter Templars stationed in this city to blend into the crowds out of their armor and do everything they can to keep violence to an absolute minimum. " Sharp Strike informed the group as they began moving into the city.

"Are they Faunus?" Heliosia inquired.

"I believe so," Sharp Strike answered as Yang, Penny and N1CK3L came up.

"Hey, sorry we don't have super speed, everybody okay?" Yang asked, her eyes focusing on Blake, Sun and Weiss in particular, and she was clearly relieved to see they were unharmed.

"We're fine, Yang, we're okay, but we need to keep moving!" Blake said.

"Sure, fill me in on- wait, Dr. Eastwood?!" Yang cried, noticing him.

"The one and only! And I thought Ruby had grown up, you might have your father's hair and eyes, but otherwise you're the spitting image of your mother, my dear." Dr. Eastwood told Yang with a fond smile.

Yang smiled at him, "Thanks, doc. Happy to see you and have you with us." She offered him her robotic hand, which he instantly accepted and shook.

"Hm! One hell of a good arm there, spectacular craftsmanship," Eastwood said, grinning at Yang.

Ruby introduced Penny and N1CK3L to the doctor as they followed the group of Faunus, now growing larger with other Faunus from throughout the city.

Back at the shelter, Ilia and Hui snuck out of the building, watching the members of Team Beacon vanish down the snowy street. Ilia cursed herself for not doing more to warn Blake, but if she did too much she'd easily be found out. Ilia walked a fine line, and if she did too much to hinder Salem's plans, she'd pay for it with her life, and likely the lives of others.

She looked down at her scroll and said to Hui, "Apparently it's working, they've convinced the angry Faunus at the other shelters to go to the Council Citadel."

"Excellent! Either they give in and our brothers and sisters can give Adam and the spirits of his fellow victims the justice they deserve or the Faunus of Atlas will see the naked truth about the Atlesian humans." Hui said.

"If a riot does break out…some of them will be killed by the police." Ilia pointed out.

Hui looked at her, his mood dropping, but he solemnly nodded and replied "We all have to make sacrifices. Adam understood this, so do I."

Ilia was disgusted, but did her best to hide it. "So, shall we continue acting as agitators?" She asked.

"No, I believe we've done our part. Now all that's left is to watch it play out. Order the others to meet us at the rendezvous point." Hui instructed.

Ilia nodded and obeyed, allowing Hui to move ahead of her. She looked out to where Blake had vanished into the falling snow and muttered a prayer for her to come out victorious today, but she dreaded the punishment Salem had in store for them should there be no bloodshed.

---

The press conference had ended, guards kept the excited crowd of reporters and journalists at bay as Ironwood led Willow Schnee, Maximilius, Camilla and Slate away back into the Council Citadel, where they saw Cold Steel and a few other knights from the Winter Templars waiting for them, along with Winter and a Chief of Police for the city, who was named Zimmerman.

"I still think this was a bullheaded decision, Mr. Schnee, especially after everything our kingdom has been through. This is like ringing the dinner bell for the Grimm!" Zimmerman said indignantly.

"It was either coming clean or drawing attention to ourselves by refusing to give any answers as to why three prominent S.D.C. board members were arrested." Willow Schnee shot back firmly.

Zimmerman sighed and relented, knowing better than to argue with a Schnee, "I suppose no man ever got in the last word with you, huh Mr. Schnee?"

"I should hope to hell not!" Willow remarked. Maximilius stifled a laugh as she shook her head.

"I'm must say Chief Zimmerman raises a valid point, I'm not sure that revealing the truth about Crawford was a wise thing, Mr. Schnee, but if nothing else I can respect your intentions," Cold Steel said, "I have sent some Faunus members of my Winter Templars to blend into the refugees, mostly to make sure their emotions don't run too high, but they will do their best to prevent anything resembling a violent uprising."

"Very good, Cold Steel. Zimmerman, I want you to instruct all your officers and riot police that there are to be no shots fired, if there is violence they are to use non-lethal methods only, such as tasers to subdue any agitators. And add that anyone caught opening fire on Faunus civilians will answer directly to me." Ironwood said sternly.

"Understood sir, I'll spread the word right now and will make sure the point is hammered in. When you told me about this I made sure to have the Faunus officers front and center, that might help. I also took your advice regarding any officers with…issues with Faunus, they're being kept at their precincts. " Zimmerman reported.

"What if they don't care about harming their fellow Faunus?" Camilla asked, clearly nervous about the situation.

"My Knights and I shall be there, along with General Ironwood, we will make sure to punish anyone who acts too rashly. The ships patrolling the city and the Resolute stationed above should be enough to deter any serious actions against Mr. Schnee." Cold Steel said.

"Let's hope that will be enough," Winter said.

Zimmerman suddenly looked up from his radio and said "General, multiple officers have already reported unrest among the Faunus of the city, including the refugees. There's been a few assaults, all Faunus officers are being sent out. I doubt they're happy about the situation, but I have enough faith in them to know they won't turn on us."

"Good, tell them to keep damage to a minimum and to avoid confrontation unless necessary." Ironwood ordered as another voice came over the radio, which was tuned into the lead dispatcher at the capital's police headquarters.

"Chief, we're getting reports from all Faunus officers stationed near the refugee shelters, crowds are pouring out from them and they estimate they're heading towards the Council Citadel." the dispatcher's voice said over the radio.

"Thanks for the heads up dispatch," Zimmerman said before he switched over to speak to an officer outside, "Joon, have our boys block off all the roads leading to the Citadel with their cruise-"

"No," Ironwood cut him off, "Let them come in, have riot police come here and remain on standby until I give the word. We need to negotiate with them, see what they want."

"And what if they want Willow's head?" Maximilius asked, skeptically.

"I doubt that, my father just brought Crawford to justice. If we talk with them, it will probably not only prevent a disaster but maintain positive race relations," Winter commented, "If anyone makes an attempt to harm my father or any council member we can arrest them, but if we go on the defensive too hard it might make us appear to be afraid or even prejudice against them."

"A delicate situation, if we don't handle it correctly we could bring about another large-scale Grimm attack," Maximilius said, "Very well, we'll meet with them and do our best to resolve this peacefully."

"I'd feel better keeping my distance from an angry mob." Said Slate, a statement Camilla nodded in agreement with.

"Understandable, you may stay here." Ironwood permitted before he led Willow, Winter, Cold Steel, Maximilius and Zimmerman out to the front of the building where the civil unrest could easily be heard, and getting louder, with sirens in the distance, some coming closer.

Winter looked at her father and asked "Are you sure you want to do this? It will likely be dangerous."

"If I don't it could ruin any chance we have of redeeming our family name, it falls to me to make up for past sins." Willow told his daughter, when he saw a black and red blur appear from the snowy city streets and come zooming towards them.

Ruby began to slow down, but slid a bit on the slick streets, but managed to come to a halt as she used the blunt end of Crescent Rose as an impromptu brake, stopping just in front of the startled officers on guard.

"Wh-Ruby?" Winter said, surprised, "I thought you were at the hospital."

The silver eyed girl explained why she had left and that Blake had sent her ahead to warn them and in turn Winter explained how they planned to respond.

"You're really gonna try to talk to them? Wow, good on you, Mr. Schnee!" She said.

"Thank you Ruby, is Weiss all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, she and most of the others are on their way here. Weiss, Blake and Sun managed to defuse the situation at the shelter they were at, and convinced some of the refugees to come to Schnee Manor, even after they found out." Ruby informed them.

Winter smiled, proud of her younger sister.

"Ruby, do you know why the Faunus are coming here?" General Ironwood inquired as the officers parted to allow Ruby in.

"Yeah, Blake said they want to demand you release Crawford and his cronies to them." Ruby explained.

Ironwood grimaced, "A tempting idea, but I doubt that going along with a lynch mob would go over well with the public and courts."

"Do you think we can talk them down?" Zimmerman asked.

"We must try, chief." Winter told him as the sound of a police siren came very close from behind the Council Citadel, with a large vehicle coming to a stop in the side parking lot, the back ramp opening as officers clad in protective riot gear and holding inactivated, Dust-fueled energy shields in their left hands and taser prods in their right hands.

"Reporting for duty, General Ironwood!" Sounded off a dark-skinned sergeant, "Stun weapons only, as requested."

"At ease. Very good, Sergeant, and do not engage the crowds that are heading our way unless I give the word." Ironwood commanded.

"Understood, sir! You heard him, men! Follow his instructions to the letter!" The sergeant ordered. The various officers, half of them Faunus and the other half human, all gave Ironwood and the other council members a salute.

It wasn't long before the crowds emerged from the various city streets that led into the road before the Council Citadel. No telling off hand how many there were, but their number was several hundred, at least.

The group from Hubbard's shelter were at the front of the group, with the rest of Team Beacon in tow; Weiss, Blake, Yang, Sun, Sage, Scarlet, Neptune, Coco, Yatsuhashi, Qrow, Penny, N1CK3L, Sharp Strike, Heliosia and Amethyst, along with Dr. Eastwood. They were allowed past the guards at Ironwood's command before they activated their energy shields.

Cold Steel looked at Sharp Strike and the Maidens, not exactly approving of bringing them into such a situation, but if what he had heard of them was any indication, he doubted the young Knight Errant would have had a chance to talk them out of coming.

Ironwood himself gave the two a look as they approached him, standing between him and the Schnees with their backs turned to the increasingly large crowd. "Forgive us, General, but we couldn't stand by with events like these unfolding, we won't do anything to draw attention to ourselves, we swear." Heliosia promised him quietly.

"Yeah, we're posing as Schnee servants!" Amethyst whispered.

Ironwood sighed, but whispered to them, "Very well, please stand to the side so you remain unnoticed."

They nodded and drew back, standing behind the Schnees. Willow looked down proudly at his daughter, "Ruby told us how you saved our charitable actions from being utterly sunk. Well done, Weiss." He told her.

Weiss exchanged smiles with Winter, even though they were still getting used to such praise from their father.

"Whatever you decide to do, we're with you, Jim." Qrow told Ironwood.

"Thank you," The General said to the dusty Huntsman, before taking note of Dr. Eastwood, "Who's this?"

"Old friend," Qrow said, "Ran into him at the hospital where he's working."

"Dr. Wayne Eastwood, Huntsman and surgeon at your service, General. Happy to have finally met you," Eastwood said before looking at Willow and Maximilius, "And you as well, Councilors."

Winter looked at Qrow, as if asking to vouch for the new arrival and Qrow nodded at her. "I'm Specialist Winter Schnee, I suppose we could use any and all help. Glad to meet you, Doctor."

"We can exchange pleasantries later, right now we must face the crowd." Willow said, as the various Faunus before them talked amongst themselves, as if debating who to send forward to speak for them.

"Let us speak to them with you," Said Blake, "We managed to convince a lot of refugees at the shelter, we might be able to convince these Faunus as well."

"Plus it will look better if we're with you, we're the ones who took down Adam and Crawford." Sun suggested.

Willow nodded, "Yes, I think that would be a wise idea. Knight, would you join us as well?"

Sharp Strike stepped forward, nodding silently.

The riot police parted briefly, allowing Willow, Winter and Weiss to go forward, joined by the other members of Team Beacon present, save the Maidens and the Androids but plus Dr. Holiday and a few of the riot officers. Blake looked over to the sides, seeing several news crews had set up and were transmitting from nearby alleyways, trying to get a good view of the events unfolding. Blake silently prayed that it would end on a positive note.

As they came forward, some in the crowd began throwing things at them; snowballs, litter, rotten pieces of food, anything disposable they could get their hands on. Qrow and Ruby wasted no time, quickly cutting down some of the tossed objects while Yang's mechanical hand caught an overripe tomato that had come quite close to Willow's face and casually crushed it. Some of the riot officers were clearly on edge, but Winter gave them a signal to hold back.

"Enough! Enough!" Said Stefan, who had seemed to take up the position as the angry crowd's representative. He loudly announced "I see were expected! I must admit, Schnee, I'm really surprised to see you standing here, even if you are using these Hunters as bodyguards."

"A necessary precaution, I'm afraid. Rest assured they are not your enemies, nor am I." Willow Schnee said as he took out a small microphone he kept in his breast pocket for whenever he needed to make a speech to large crowds. "I understand why you are all here; you're furious with my company for the unfortunate history of bigotry we have displayed in the past. Bigotry that I myself am sadly guilty of, though thanks to my daughters and their friends, I have seen the error of my way and wish to make amends."

This was met with shouts of doubt and ridicule.

"As you can see, Schnee, some of us find that hard to believe," Said Stefan, "But, I personally saw your daughter's plea for forgiveness back at the shelter, and I must admit I do believe she, at least, is innocent of any wrongdoing and that you might have had nothing to do with the massacre, but those men who ordered it, they deserve to die."

"I honestly can't disagree, but most won't share that opinion. They've been imprisoned until this crisis is over, and then they will be put on trial and face justice!" Willow announced to the crowd.

"Human justice is no justice at all!"

"They'll get off!"

"They'll bribe the judges and the juries!"

Such sentiments were shouted from all over the crowd.

"They will not be able to escape justice!" Willow shouted into his microphone, "They've been imprisoned in very spartan conditions with none of the luxuries they're used to and no lawyers until the crisis subsides. And I promise you all, I will see them get exactly what they deserve for the innocent blood they spilled!"

Some cheers and clapping hands met this, but the mood of the crowd seemed skeptical.

"Perhaps they're right, maybe they're not lying to us." Said a Faunus in the middle of the crowd, a hood over her head. Sharp Strike couldn't help but wonder if the woman was one of the Winter Templars.

"The Schnees are experts at lying! Skip the trial and give 'em to us!" Shouted a furious Muskrat Faunus, many in the crowd voiced their agreements loudly.

Blake stepped forward, "If we do that, how are you any different from the mobs who would lynch a Faunus who had yet to be proven innocent or guilty?" She asked with a firm voice.

"We already know they're guilty, Schnee says so himself." Stefan pointed out.

"Besides," Said a Panda Faunus behind him, "It would be poetic justice! So many of our kind died like that in the past, it's only fitting these monsters suffer the same fate!"

Many cheered loudly in support of what she had said.

"And if we do, what then?" Blake asked, "Yes, they're guilty, murdering monsters…but they deserve to face full justice for what they've done, to be interrogated and have every crime dragged out and exposed for all of Remnant to see. They'd be humiliated, hated, and eventually meet the fates they deserve."

"Blake is right," Winter spoke up as she stepped forward, "It might take a while, but we can promise you all that they won't escape justice."

"Why should we believe you?" Called a Faunus deep in the crowd.

"Yes, the world of a Schnee doesn't mean much to us." Said Stefan.

"Then take the word of a fellow Faunus," Said Blake, "I've spent most of my life fighting for equality, experiencing racism, losing my own parents in the fight… Believe me, things are changing. Atlas is changing, the Schnees are changing, we're all changing. I have learned that we are just as capable of atrocities as humans are, Adam Taurus was living proof of that.

"So, if our race is capable of both good and evil, then so are the humans! Faunus weren't the only victims, any humans who got too close to the mines at Mt. Ausz were killed to keep it a secret! I have come to know many humans that I love as though they were family and I am proud to call them my friends. That includes Weiss Schnee. If you had told me I'd be in the Atlesian capital defending a Schnee a few years ago, I'd think you were crazy, but now? I am proud to call Weiss Schnee my teammate and friend. As for Willow Schnee…if he was really as bigoted as he once was, wouldn't he try to cover up the truth? Instead he turned Crawford, a man he considered an old friend, over to the military and is now offering refugees such as yourselves a chance to stay in his manor!"

This revelation greatly surprised the majority of the crowd.

"That's right!" Weiss spoke up, coming to stand next to Blake, "Our manor is quite expansive, with enough room for any refugees who wish to stay there."

"We are also offering you the opportunity to join the manor's staff, so that you may have paying jobs for the time being." Willow added.

The various Faunus in the large crowd conversed amongst themselves, debating what they should do. Some seemed satisfied, but others did not.

"Perhaps they really have changed for the better, and wish to redeem themselves." Said another Faunus.

"Okay, so you want to be charitable and redeem yourselves, all well and good and your offer is a tempting one," Said Stefan, "But we still want Crawford and the others."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, no matter how deserved it might be." Winter told the Faunus.

Stefan looked at Sharp Strike and asked "What do you say, Knight? Aren't you supposed to be guardians of peace and justice? Righting wrongs from the shadows and all that? Where were you when our kind suffered?!"

The members of the crowd shouted various accusatory questions at Sharp Strike, who did not back down.

"We did what we could to help your race in the past. Some of the mysterious slave camp liberations that occurred in the last century can be credited to us and we did prevent hate crimes from being committed, but there aren't that many of us, we cannot be everywhere and sadly, we can't prevent any atrocity. On behalf of my Order, I am sorry that we did not do enough, but I cannot permit you to indulge in mob justice. Rest assured they will face justice, my Order will do our best to see to that should the need arise, but for now, let them rot in barren cells and stew in their dread." Sharp Strike told the crowd, doing his best not to show any signs of weakness in his voice or body language.

This seemed to help quell the crowd's bloodlust, as many seemed to increasingly doubt that they'd ever get their hands and claws on the three perpetrators.

"So while we cannot let you have Crawford, we do understand your plight, and sympathize. My forefathers accomplished many things, but they were also ignorant fools who allowed and encouraged suffering and bigotry to thrive. I was no better, until my daughters opened my eyes, and now we are trying all we can to heal those old wounds. I hope you will all give us a chance to." Said Willow Schnee.

Many of the Faunus in the crowd seemed to have regained control of themselves, after the brief frenzy of righteous anger and lust of revenge. While a good number of Faunus seemed to be bitter about it, not that many seemed willing to do much about it.

Stefan looked to his fellows. He looked to the Goat Faunus he had come with, who was still angry, "We can't just give in!"

"What choice do we have, Uwe? If we riot, we'll get ourselves arrested or killed." Stefan pointed out.

Uwe the Goat Faunus snarled furiously and shoved Stefan out of the way, whipping out a large revolver from his coat pocket and pointing it in the direction of the Schnees. Willow instantly drew back, but Weiss and Winter, who had faced situations far more dangerous than this, but they did not draw their weapons out of fear of offending the gathered Faunus. The crowd cried out in shock and surprise, even Stefan looked horrified.

"Hand Crawford over or I'll shoot!" Uwe demanded with a fierce shout. Suddenly his finger slipped and he fired at Willow, but Sharp Strike moved swiftly and blocked the old Dust bullet, it was forceful enough to nearly knock him off his feet but not powerful enough to penetrate his Aegis Armor.

The crowd screamed in shock, Ruby and the rest of Team Beacon moved like lightning and positioned themselves to protect Weiss and her family, pointing their weapons at Uwe. The officers stepped forward, firing off warning shots into the air, which elicited screams of fear from the startled crowd but did not deter Uwe.

Before anything else could happen, a series of rapid-fire gun shots rang out, and the weapons of all the officers and Uwe were blasted out of their hands, falling down into the snowy street.

Everyone turned to see Dr. Eastwood, the spindly mechanical arms of Six Shooter emerging from his coat, all wielding smoking pistols. None of them were hurt, not even so much as grazed, the bullets had only hit the weapons.

"All right! Listen up! There will be no killing today, no police are going to shoot anyone, no one's going to kill the Schnees, no body will do any killing! Not on this doctor's watch, not without my say so at least!" Eastwood shouted, aiming his pistols carefully at Uwe and the officers.

Ruby and Yang, who had not seen the man in many years, were taken by surprise, but quickly remembered his Semblance, and smiled at him, happy to have him on their side.

He walked up to Uwe, his gun pointed directly at the Faunus' horned head. "You really gonna throw your life away? Are you really a killer?" He asked, looking directly into Uwe's eyes before adding, "No. No, I don't think so. Not while I can help it."

Qrow smiled, "Leave it to Doc to save the day." He muttered before looking at Winter, "We gonna arrest him?"

Winter looked at Uwe, who was nursing his hand, more out of shock than pain. She fearlessly stepped forward, looking at the doctor, who was keeping some of the arms pointed backwards at the officers, just in case they tried to make a move on him or any Faunus. "Thank you for intervening, Dr. Eastwood."

"Think nothing of it, my dear. Hospital's busy enough, we don't need more patients." He said, shooting her a wink.

Winter focused her attention on Uwe and said "I understand your fury, but I'm afraid an attempt on my family can't go unabated," She took out a pair of handcuffs from a pocket in her uniform and said "You are under arrest."

Uwe, shaking a bit, looked at Stefan, who simply shook his head, showing he would not help him. If anyone in the crowd objected to him being arrested, they made no sign of it.

The officers recovered their weapons, but not wanting to be admonished by Specialist Schnee or provoke the mysterious doctor, they did nothing until they accepted Uwe from Winter and took him away to the nearest patrol officers back at the Council Citadel so they could deliver him to the closest precinct.

Willow Schnee stepped forward, dismissing the various members of Team Beacon, even giving a shocked Blake a look of understanding before he addressed the crowd once again, "I will not hold that Faunus' actions against the rest of you. I understand you don't trust me, you don't have many reasons to, but my offer to come to my family's estate to live and work still stands. My daughter Weiss will be visiting the various shelters for the rest of the day."

Weiss stepped forward, going a bit further than her father, and told the crowd "Yes, I want to speak with the families of refugees most affected by the attacks.

"We will be visiting the various shelters throughout the city to speak to you, and see who among you would like to stay with us. If not for yourselves or your own comfort, then at least for your families." Weiss told the crowd, hoping her words would get through to them and finally dispel any fury the mob had.

"Please, my family needs a better place to stay." Said a Chinchilla Faunus.

"My mother and my kids need to be somewhere warm." Said a female Coyote Faunus.

More voices called out from the crowd before Weiss said "Please! We will come to your shelter within due time and take down your names and number of your family! Just give us time! I promise we'll get to you, as long as you stop this and let justice take its course."

"What guarantee do we have that they'll really be punished for what they've done?" Asked the Puma Faunus, his voice sounding tired.

"You have my word." Weiss said.

"And mine." Winter added.

"And mine." Echoed Willow.

"Hey," Yang spoke up, "At least give 'em a chance! If you don't believe them, then try to believe Blake."

She gestured to her partner and girlfriend, who stepped forward, "You have my word. Our word," She said, gesturing to all of Team Beacon as Sun stood next to her, making sure to display his robotic tail as a sign of what he himself had sacrificed in his battles. Blake hoped that the reputation of the Belladonnas, and that of Team Beacon from stopping Adam Taurus, would be enough for these poor people.

Back with General Ironwood and Cold Steel, Heliosia and Amethyst began to subtly use their powers together, their eyes shining as their seasonal powers worked to part the snow-filled clouds, allowing for the sun to shine down on the gloomy capital. Penny took notice and smiled at the Maidens, giving them a little thumbs-up to show her approval.

Everyone looked up, enjoying the brief respite from the typical winter weather and allowing the warmth of the sun to come upon them. Many of the crowd seemed to be swayed, departing for the shelters they had come from, a few lingered, but gave in and left. Stefan looked at them and nodded, showing a grudging respect for them.

"Thank you. I'll trust in you to see that justice is done. Do not disappoint us." He said.

"Will you be joining us at Schnee Manor, sir?" Weiss inquired.

"I'm afraid not. Don't have a family to look after, not any more, anyway," Weiss gave the Puma Faunus a sympathetic look, understanding the implication. "I'll be just fine at the shelter, Miss Schnee. Good luck."

With that, he walked back to the shelter.

For now, the impending crisis had been averted.

Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief, and everyone eased up. "Man, and I thought taking down Crawford would be the hardest part of the day." He remarked.

"Fighting bad guys is the easiest part of the job, for the most part," Coco told him, "Reasoning with angry people who have every right to be angry? Not something I like to do."

"No arguments there, Coco." Said Blake as she smiled at her lovers, and the Schnees, "I think that went rather well, all things considered."

"Indeed, I expected more than one attempt on my life," Said Willow before he looked at Sharp Strike, "And thank you, for taking that bullet."

"It will take much more than that to pierce this armor, Mr. Schnee." Sharp Strike assured him, but his attention was stolen by the news crew who had recorded the whole thing.

"Mr. Schnee! Mr. Schnee!" Said Chelsea Cobalt as she came up, her microphone held up to Willow's face, "Forgive us, but we managed to catch the entire thing! My husband back at the station would like me to ask you some questions! Do you really intend to turn your family home into a shelter for refugees? Is the offer exclusive to Faunus families or are human refugees welcome as well?"

"The offer extends to all refugee families-" Willow began before the reporter assaulted him with a new question.

"And will you press charges against the Goat Faunus who attempted to harm your family?"

"None of your concern for the time being," He said, pulling away, "Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Sir!"

"Interview's over, lady." Said Yang bluntly, putting herself between the Schnees and Mrs. Cobalt, not bothering to hide how annoyed she was. "Sorry, but we've got a lot to do today, we've all had a big day and still got a lot to do. He'll hold a press conference later, got it?"

"Uh, understood, Miss Xiao Long." Chelsea Cobalt said, not wanting to provoke the young Huntress any further.

The news crew retreated. "Thanks Yang," Weiss said, smiling.

"Indeed, I wish I had you around whenever there's reporters near me." Willow quipped.

"Eh, it's a gift." Yang replied with a smile and a confident shrug.

"Good job Yang, you too, Dr. Eastwood!" Ruby said, looking at the doctor, who had already put his pistols away.

"Figured it'd be better for me to make such a move, since I'm not a member of your team nor am I associated with the Schnees or the police, I decided to make a hasty move of my own before anyone else could."

"That was amazing aim, just like back when we were little!" Ruby said as Yang made playful finger guns at him, which he returned with a wide grin.

"The old dead eye's still alive and well, huh?" Qrow said.

"I never let it get rusty," Eastwood said, addressing the rest of Team Beacon, "See kids, my Semblance allows me to move very quickly, but from my point of view it looks like the world around me has slowed down. Not to brag, but this allows me to select my targets with nearly flawless precision."

"Guess it helps out a lot in surgery too, huh?" Coco noted.

He shot her a smile and nodded, "You bet." He answered, when his scroll suddenly rang. He looked at it and said "Damn, in the excitement I nearly forgot, got to do a surgery in half an hour, need to get prepared."

"Go ahead, it was great to see you again!" Ruby said, leaping forward to hug the man, who happily returned the affection.

"It was wonderful to see you too, Ruby, and you, Yang!" He said as the blonde brawler hugged him strongly, "Hey! Go easy on this old coot!" He laughed.

"Sorry! Couldn't resist, remember the hugs you gave us when we were kids?" Yang joked.

"Got me there." He said before he looked at Qrow and the men shook hands.

"Keep hanging in there, old boy." Eastwood told the Dusty Huntsman.

"Same to you, quack." Qrow teased.

Eastwood gave the rest of Team Beacon a bow and said "I must take my leave. Give my regards to the rest of your little group. Mr. Schnee, Specialist Schnee, good luck with your charitable endeavors. Since you're taking some of our patients with you, I might drop by one day to check 'em up. Qrow, tell Taiyang, Glynda and the old gang at Beacon I said 'hello'."

He looked at Ruby, Yang and Qrow one last time before he winked at them and then turned about, walking off towards the hospital, whistling the same playful tune Qrow had overheard earlier.

"You have got to tell us more about that guy." Neptune told Ruby and Yang.

One of the remaining officers approached Willow and said "Sir, just to be safe, I think it would be best for us to escort you to the Council Citadel."

"Very well, men. Winter, after you report the incident with that Goat Faunus, could you please help Weiss with the shelters so the duty doesn't solely fall to her?" Willow asked his elder daughter.

"I'd be more than happy to, father. I'll call you once I'm done, Weiss." Winter said.

Weiss nodded, "I trust I can count on you to accompany me?" She asked Team Beacon.

"Not like we're backing out now." Neptune said with a smile.

"I'd like to come too." Ruby said, as Penny and N1CK3L came up with the Maidens and Cold Steel.

"Well done, everyone!" Penny congratulated, "You did spectacularly, Weiss, Specialist Schnee, Mr. Schnee!"

"Thanks, Penny." Weiss replied.

"Nice touch with the sun, girls." Yang told them, "Really brightened things up."

"It was the least we could, we hated having to stand back and leave you to do with the crowd." Heliosia told them.

"And it looks like you handled it like pros!" Amethyst said.

Ruby looked at the androids and said "Penny, Yang and I are going to go with Weiss to the shelters to help. Can you go back to the hospital and tell Colonel Chamberlain everything worked out okay?"

"No problem!" Penny said, while N1CK3L simply nodded.

"We better head back too, check in on Velvet and Fox, we left them to deal with the refugees we talked to." Coco said as her scroll rang out, "I bet that's time, their timing tends to be good like that."

"How did it go, by the way?" Sun inquired.

"Pretty good for the most part, but the news probably put a damper on things," Coco answered, as she read Fox's message "Okay, he says the situation's under control, everyone was ticked at first but he and Velvet managed to calm them down and the news broadcast really helped to win a lot of them over. Some are skeptical of the Schnees, but for the most part we've still got a lot of the hospital refugees to agree to come with us."

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief, "That's very good news. I'll thank them personally tonight."

"Gotcha. Good luck with the rest of the shelters." Coco bid them, with Yatsuhashi giving them a friendly nod before they accompanied the androids back towards the hospital.

Winter and Willow went with the officers back to the Council Citadel, leaving Teams RWBY and SSSN, along with Qrow, Sharp Strike and the Maidens to head for the remaining shelters.

"Come on, we've got a lot to do before the day is over." Weiss said.

---

Raven watched as the Specter, cloaked in shadows, leapt and tumbled through the cityscape of Atlas City. In her avian form, she took off after it, her wings beating rapidly, paying no attention to the snow falling around her.

"Don't let it get away!" Shouted the voice of Gunnar. He was a new addition to the Guardians of the Dead. In life he had been an old hermit who had died defending a nearby village from Grimm during the attacks on Atlas and he was one of those with the transformation Semblance, allowing him to turn into a Dove. He was new to the task of escorting souls to Elysium, so she and Gabriel had come along to help him with this assignment.

Specters were essentially spirits who had been left to wander the world after their bodies died, which was the origins of ghost stories and legends, they started off looking like normal people but the longer they lingered, the darker they became, clad in shadows and resembling sinister ghosts out of horror stories told around a campfire. They were rare now, but still slipped through every now and then when the Guardians of the Dead were overwhelmed with the number of spirits they had to escort. The attacks on Atlas and Vacuo's capital had caused several to slip through the cracks.

The Specter's movement was both graceful, yet awkward, moving as though he was underwater. He phased through the steel side of a skyscraper and Raven transformed into her humanoid spirit form, easily phasing through after him. She found herself in an office building, going unseen by the various workers and quickly saw the Specter, going through a young assistant, who shivered and looked around, confused. Raven leapt after him, whipped out Omen (or at least its spiritual double) and sliced deep cuts into his shadowy body, cutting him apart, but the severed body quickly merged together again.

"STAY AWAY! LEAVE ME BE!" Screamed the Specter's desperate voice as he went through a man who was passing by, he also shuddered at the sudden cold that blew through him.

"Running will only make it worse, Specter!" Raven called as she flew after him, launching herself forward with great power, their spiritual forms colliding and flying through the cubicles of the office, gently disturbing some papers in their way and only arousing minor surprise from the office workers.

Raven and the Specter tumbled through the glass windows and fell down many stories to the road below. Their movements gently disturbed the snow around them, but anyone who took notice of it dismissed it as strange winds. Raven pinned the shadowy form down and impaled it with Omen, causing it to let out a hellish shriek of protest.

The Huntress didn't let up, punching her hands into the spirit and grabbing the shadowy cloaks that had formed around it. With all her might, Raven tore them off and cast them aside, where they hissed and faded away like ice upon a hot oven. Raven kept at it, seeing more and more of the man's spirit hidden by the black shadows.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I MUST SEE THEM!" Shouted the Specter before his legs kicked Raven in the gut, knocking her off of him. He ripped Omen out of his body and flung it at her, but she easily caught her faithful weapon.

Before anything else could happen, Gunnar appeared from above and used the spiritual recreation of his trusty rifle to blow the Specter into an alleyway, blasting off globs of the shadow substance that would infect wandering spirits. The bearded, hulking Guardian wasted no time with idle chit chat and blasted the downed Specter again. Raven assumed her avian form and flew up into the air and then transformed back into her human form and landed while scoring multiple cuts all over the Specter's shadow cloak, sending it falling off and melting away. She reached in and grabbed the form of a man's spirit and, with great effort, hauled him out of the shadows that had engulfed him.

Gunnar fired off two more shots, blasting the shadow to bits, hissing as it died.

"He all right?" Gunnar asked.

"What do you think?" Raven deadpanned as she looked down at the shuddering spirit of a man named Lukas Schneider.

A crow flew down from one of the flanking buildings and transformed into Gabriel, who smiled approvingly, "Excellent work you too, that's one less Specter to worry about."

"Why didn't you help out?" Gunnar asked, annoyed.

"I had faith in you two," Gabriel said, "I've been a Guardian for a long time, Gunnar, I'm more in the business of mentoring new arrivals such as yourself."

The spirit of Schneider crawled away, panic written on his face. "Stay away!" He shouted, "What are you things?! What happened to me?!"

"Remain calm, Mr. Schneider," Gabriel said, holding out his hands in a calming gesture, "We mean you no harm, we are trying to help you."

"You're trying to stop me! I need to get to them! I need to see them!" He raved.

"Your family," Gabriel stated, he looked at Raven, he knew of her habit of watching over her own family and how she and Samantha had given the family of the body Zachery some comfort to deal with his tragic passing. Gunnar looked at him, silently asking for guidance. Gabriel knew that Schneider was a businessman who had been attending a conference in Mantle City when the attacks broke out and was killed in the chaos.

Gabriel shared a look with Raven before he nodded and said "Very well, you may see them, but on the condition that afterwards you will go with Gunnar, without resistance."

The spirit looked at them, considering his options and slowly, shakily, nodded. "Okay, okay. I'll go to the…afterlife, just let me see my wife and daughters first."

"Very good, come with us." Raven said, offering him her hand.

Before the poor spirit knew it, he found himself standing within the apartment that he and his family called home, quite nice and fancier than anything Raven had ever called home, it was far from being among the most luxurious abodes in the city, but it would be a good home for almost anyone.

Schneider walked, seemingly calmed in an instant by familiar surroundings. He walked around the place in a trance, following the voices of two little girls. Raven went with him following him down a hall and into a room decorated with purple paint and stickers all about the walls. Two young girls with green hair, similar to his own, were playing with their dolls. Despite the cheerfulness of the voices acting out some silly adventure, there was an unmistakable sadness in the eyes of the young girls.

"Don't worry everyone!" Said the younger of the two girls, about five or so, placing a toy sword in the arm of her doll, "I will protect our town from the Grimm! I will wipe them out and they won't hurt anyone else ever again!"

The older sister, who looked to be eight, made a whispery cheer, to simulate a crowd's shouts. Her eyes looked tired, as if she had spent a lot of her recent time crying, but was doing her best to keep her little sister happy.

Schneider's spirit fell to his knees, not falling through the floor as he kept his eyes on his precious daughters. Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Were you there for them?"

"Not as much as I wanted to be," Schneider replied, his voice hollow, "But I spent every moment I could with them…"

"Then don't worry, they'll never forget you." Raven assured him.

Schneider's older daughter stopped and looked in their direction, as if sensing them, but shrugged it off and resumed playing with her little sister. The dead man made his way to his daughters and kissed their heads, though they only detected a strange, warm sensation going through them.

Raven then followed the man into the living room where a tired looking woman with dark blue hair, who wore a black mourning band on her upper arm. She sat against the sofa, watching the news report on the crowds of Faunus gathering outside of the Council Citadel. Schneider sat next to her and slowly leaned against her, but she felt nothing but a warm breeze blowing through her, which she wrote off as the building's heating system doing its job.

Schneider gave his wife a ghostly kiss on her lips, and, for reasons the woman herself didn't know, tears began to fall from her eyes.

He stood up and nodded, "Okay. Okay, I'm ready."

He walked with Gunnar, phasing out the window and allowing the large Guardian to take the form of a Dove. The bird flew off, escorting Schneider's soul to Elysium.

"Never easy, huh?" Raven asked as she and Gabriel phased through the wall, shifted into their avian forms and flew through the city.

"Never, and no matter how one tries to numb themselves to such emotional scenes such as that. It allows them some closure, helps them pass on easier," Gabriel said, "Did you see what was happening on the T.V.?"

"Something about a bunch of Faunus, I was more focused on Schneider." Raven answered.

"From what I understand, it seems the Schnees came clean that their company had a hand in some massacre and Mr. Schnee had the perpetrators arrested. I couldn't help but notice that your brother and daughter were there." Gabriel told her.

"You wouldn't mind if we-"

"Of course not, it pays to stay informed of worldly events." The Crow said to the Raven.

Raven wasted no time and flew ahead, her wings flapping rapidly as she made her way towards the Council Citadel.

Gabriel perched his talons on the edge on one of the buildings overlooking the street while Raven herself flew down to perch atop one of the street lamps, to get a closer look. They silently observed the confrontation with the crowd of Faunus until the would-be mob finally dispersed and Yang, Qrow, Ruby and the others began walking to the next shelter.

Gabriel flew down to join Raven, "They handled that quite well, don't you think?"

"Yes, did you know they could prevent a full-scale riot?" She asked.

"Well, I could sense that there wouldn't be that many deaths in this city today. A few unrelated murders, some of the injured dying of their wounds, a few sickly people succumbing to their diseases, but I could tell that there would be no deaths from this incident." Her fellow Guardian told her.

"It's a good thing those kids were here, and the Schnees had such a change of heart."

"Such a change wouldn't have been possible had it not been for your daughter's team." Gabriel pointed out.

"Yes, Ruby, Yang and the Belladonna girl changed the Schnee girl for the better. Damn it, I should have been there for them, especially after what happened to Summer." Raven said bitterly before she flew after the group, Gabriel flying beside her.

"Many prefer solitude, but when their time comes they will look back on that time spent alone with regret." Gabriel said, "Speaking of regret, did you know the Schnees?"

"Only distantly, shadowed Willow in secret for a while for Ozpin, he wanted to be sure the man had no dealings with Salem or her associates. Never found anything, but hanging around him wasn't pleasant. He can be a ruthless bastard, makes this new leaf he's turned even more surprising." Raven mused, "Did you know about that massacre they were talking about?"

"Yes, sadly. I was one of the Guardians who guided those poor souls to the afterlife." Gabriel admitted, "Are you thinking of warning them? I told you what would happen if you were to interfere in the affairs of the living."

"I know, I'd end up like the Mothman." Raven said, "But still, don't tell me you've never been tempted."

"I admit, I have," Gabriel confessed, "But that's the dark side to our existence, we see our loved ones live without us and we are helpless to assist them in the trials life throws at them. However, it's good to know they're not alone."

"Yeah, Yang and Ruby have got themselves some amazing friends. Speaking of which, it was a good thing Eastwood was here to help defuse the situation. He has a strange but effective talent for it. Will his surgery be successful?"

"If you must know; yes, it will." Gabriel informed her as they landed atop a flagpole to watch Ruby, Yang, Qrow and the others go into a shelter, greeted by some of the Faunus from the crowd.

Gabriel watched as Raven kept her eyes glued on her family, even as they vanished into the shelter.

"We should go, it's not healthy to watch loved ones for too long." He suggested.

Raven nodded, and with one last look back, flew away with Gabriel.

---

Back at Salem's Sanctum, Salem stood before a large screen and watched various new broadcasts from Atlas City. Hui, Ilia and the other Red Fang agents she had sent to Atlas, along with Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Watts and Hazel, watched as well. The Faunus agents shifted nervously as the reports of Team Beacon and the Schnees managing to calm the fury of the Faunus crowd.

"It would appear that the Red Fang failed in their mission." Watts stated.

"We were assigned to agitate the refugees, we did our duty!" Hui barked.

"And yet the city is not in flames, there was but one attempt on Schnee's life which was quickly foiled and did not provoke any violent retaliation," The mustached man pointed out, his voice dripping with smugness and disappointment.

"No, but they did accomplish something," Salem announced, turning to look at them, a satisfied smile upon her features, "The Red Fang has successfully sown seeds of distrust and uncertainty amongst the Faunus population. True, the riots never took off, but the revelation about the Mt. Ausz massacre will ensure that the Faunus race will never fully trust the elites of Atlas. Not even Willow Schnee. So please, do not harass the Red Fang, they performed their tasks adequately."

"Yes, my lady." Watts said, obviously flustered. Cinder did her best to repress a smirk at his small humiliation.

"Are you sure this will be enough?" Hui asked, not sounding convinced, "I mean, sure it stoked up some paranoia, but there will still be pets that will go to the Schnee's palace!"

"Indeed, but only out of desperation for their families. A vast majority of the refugees will be too suspicious of Willow Schnee's motives to even consider such an offer. They will wonder, why did the police forces of Atlas not put more effort into investigating the disappearances of those enslaved miners? Because they weren't important enough for the human authorities to invest time and resources. The elite of Atlas, for their part, will never accept the Faunus and will fear them for even daring to form such a large crowd before the Council Citadel. Such uncertainty and mistrust will serve us well, in the end." Salem told them.

"And if need be, we could further agitate them and engineer a riot." Cinder noted.

"Correct, my apprentice. Let Team Beacon and the Schnees have this little victory. It will do nothing for them in the end." Salem said.

Ilia nodded along with the rest of the Red Fang agents, all very relieved they had not disappointed the Mistress of Grimm. Ilia stopped and noticed something on one of the divided screens, a broadcast showing a picture of one of Crawford's underlings, Nordstrom and it struck Ilia that there was something familiar about the name.

Then it hit her like a truck when she saw a reporter following and harassing a rather pretty, dark-skinned girl who Ilia recognized from her days at Atlas Academy. She knew the girl's name before it even appeared on screen; Vera Nordstrom, one of the girls who she had once called a friend, but had so viciously turned on her upon learning of her Faunus heritage.

"Mistress, forgive my outburst, but I know that girl!" Ilia said suddenly, pointing at the smaller screen.

Salem did not scold Ilia for her outburst and nodded at Watts, who worked the remote to focus in on that screen and raise the volume.

"Miss Nordstrom, do you have anything to say about your father's imprisonment?"

"No comment!" Said Vera, clearly trying not to cry.

"Miss Nordstrom, do you have any harsh feelings towards the Faunus race?" Asked the reporter.

"No!" She barked.

"Wait! Do you or your family have any plan to take any legal action against the S.D.C. or the military?"

"No! Leave me alone!" She shouted as she entered a building, and a few guards of the rich apartment complex that Vera lived in came to block the reporter and his crew off.

"Back off, parasites!" The guard snapped as Vera vanished behind the glass doors.

Salem signaled for Watts to silence the screen as she looked at Ilia, "You knew Vera Nordstrom?"

Ilia nodded and explained her past and how she knew Vera to the Mistress of Grimm.

"Ah, Nordstrom's daughter was one of your bigoted tormentors. Your outburst is forgiven, Ilia. Tell me, how does it feel to see her so miserable?" Salem asked as she walked towards the Fusion Faunus, "You lost your parents, and now hers has been exposed as a murdering monster. Her family name will never escape such shame and the scorn many will give them. Does it feel good?" She asked as she leaned down towards the dark-skinned girl, much closer than Ilia was comfortable with.

"Y-yes…it feels good," Ilia confessed, she couldn't lie, not even to herself. "It feels great to see a haughty, elitist and racist snob like Vera Nordstrom humbled and face the consequences of her father's actions."

Hui and the other Red Fang agents all echoed her sentiments, clapping to show their support for her. Salem smiled and said "You deserve this bit of justice, my dear."

"Thank you, Mistress." Said Ilia, bowing her head. Inwardly, however, Ilia couldn't help but wonder; Vera said to the reporter she had no harsh feelings towards the Faunus race, but Ilia knew herself that was true. Was it? Was shy lying to cover her own hide or was she telling the truth? If the Schnees could change, then perhaps Vera Nordstrom had changed as well...

---

Many hours later, Ironwood had returned to the Resolute, sitting in his private cabin and behind his desk, looking at a hologram of Willow Schnee.

"Our stocks did drop a few points, but given the S.D.C.'s prominence, it should not affect the Dust Trade, despite some walkouts." Willow reported.

"I take it the walkouts were less than expected?" Ironwood asked.

"I suppose the Faunus workers are satisfied that we arrested Crawford and the others. A few companies who work with us due to Crawford's negotiations have voiced their complaints, but quite frankly they need the S.D.C. more than the S.D.C. needs them, so I doubt they'll tear up their contracts over this," Willow told Ironwood, "It's a P.R. nightmare to be sure, but my P.R. team is second to none and I suspect some generous donations as well as my invitation will heal those wounds."

"Let's hope so. It was a close call today, Schnee. Let's hope something like this never happens again." Ironwood said.

"Indeed, I made it clear to the other members of the board that if any kind of secrets are kept from me, they will be dealt with just as harshly as Crawford, Kenzo and Nordstrom." Willow said before stifling a yawn, "Excuse me, it's been a long, eventful day and I'm rather exhausted."

"Very good, I won't keep you any further. Let me know if you need anything, Willow. Good night." Ironwood said.

"And to you, General." Willow said before his hologram shut off.

Ironwood leaned back in his chair, tired himself after the day's events. He had ordered extra patrol ships to keep watch over the city, just in case anyone, human or Faunus, should try anything.

There came a beeping from his console, he checked his communication computer and saw who frequency the call was coming from; Razor and the new White Fang. Winter had managed to get their frequency from them when they visited Menagerie for Winter Solstice and had managed to be friendly with the Schnees as Ironwood wanted to cooperate with the Faunus group, since they were doing much more good than harm now, and they had agreed on the grounds that he make no effort to trace their location, which the general acquiesced to. Ironwood was honestly a bit surprised that the Warthog Faunus hadn't called earlier.

He pressed a button and a hologram of Razor's upper body appeared before him, "General, how've you been?" Razor asked, trying to sound casual.

"Been much worse, obviously," Ironwood said, "I wanted to personally thank your group for helping out at Borea and Nashville, with all the hassle I've been through lately I haven't had the time to contact you."

"Think nothing of it, we happened to be in the areas, we couldn't just leave those people to the Grimm. Now, I think we both know the real reason I'm calling."

"Crawford, Kenzo and Nordstrom." Ironwood stated.

Razor's hologram nodded, "Some of my White Fang have been in a frenzy ever since you broke the news, they wanted to fly over and force you to hand 'em over, but Sienna, Kane, Russell, Selena and I managed to calm them down, especially after we learned how the Schnees had helped bring those bastards in. What I want to know is, what are you going to do with them?"

"Hold them without bail until this crisis subsides, which could take years at this rate," Ironwood told him, "And once the time is right, we'll put them on trial and I'm very confident they'll be found guilty on all charges."

"Again; what will you do with them?" Razor repeated.

"Well, I wouldn't object to the death penalty if the judge leans that way, but life in prison wouldn't be a lacking punishment either. You think Fury Island is too good for them?" Ironwood asked.

Razor was surprised, Fury Island was a rather notorious prison island, totally isolated in the south seas, hundreds of miles from Mistral, lower Vale, Vacuo or even any of the island colonies, it was a place used to imprison incredibly dangerous criminals such as Hunters who went bad, the most vicious killers, assassins, pirate leaders, child murderers… It was a prison not many people had seen, nor wanted to see and there weren't any pictures of it on the net, and the guards were often held under oath to never speak about the things they had seen there when their rotation was up. It was surrounded by a sharp reef of rocks and the waters were infested with dangerous aquatic predators. The reputation alone was enough to strike fear into the hearts of most people, human or Faunus and Razor had no doubt that had Adam been captured alive, he would have been sent there.

He smirked and said "Actually, I think that place would be just perfect for them. General, when their trial is over, do you think it would be possible if we help out with their fate?"

"Transport them to their prison or kill them?" Ironwood asked, sternly. Razor didn't flinch away from the cyborg's tone. "I'll think about it. Some on the Councils still want you brought in for working with Adam, but I'll see what I can do. By the way, know any Guerilla Hunters?"

"A few, but I'm no snitch. Why?" Razor inquired.

"I'm not looking to arrest them. Ozpin and the other Headmasters have this idea to grant all imprisoned Guerilla Hunters amnesty and allow them to fight Grimm. After the attacks on Vacuo's capital and Atlas we're going to need all the help we can get, even from Guerillas. We've yet to put it forward to our various councils, but I suspect it will get through without much trouble. It'll also apply to any Guerilla Hunter at large." Ironwood informed the White Fang's leader.

"Hm, not a bad idea, all things considered. You manage to get it passed, I'll let my contacts know it's not a trap." Razor assured the General, "And General, thanks for doing your best today. It could have gotten real ugly, lots of innocent people hurt."

"I did my part, the ones you should really thank are Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and their friends, they're the real heroes of the day."

"I'm going to tomorrow, it's the middle of the night here and I understand those kids have had a busy day, they deserve a good night's rest." Razor said.

"Well said. Anything else?" Ironwood asked.

"No, I need to get some sleep myself. Good night, General, and don't forget what I said." Razor voiced.

"I won't, good evening, Razor." Ironwood wished him. The hologram shut off and Ironwood leaned back in his chair, looking out the window into the snow-filled clouds outside the Resolute. He let out a heavy sigh, briefly reflecting on the hectic events of the last few years and how much had changed. How much he himself had changed.

Ironwood couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever live to see true peace.

---

It had been a very long day for all of Team Beacon and they were happy to be back at Schnee Manor. After spending so many hours talking with the refugees and convincing them that the Schnees' offer was not a deception, they had managed to sign up numerous families, mostly Faunus with some humans, to the list to live at Schnee Manor. The total was a little over a hundred, but Willow Schnee was willing to allow that.

Currently, Team JNPR, Ruby, Yan, Blake, Sun and Penny were relaxing in the manor's library, their stomachs full after another well-made dinner. They had just finished filling each other in about what they had each experienced that day, Nora's confrontation with Odinson, the dark history of Norvik, which everyone found to be a very sad and disturbing tale, though all agreed it didn't make up for the killer's evil, and Penny made sure that everyone knew it was considered classified intel, so they couldn't go telling anyone else about it. Weiss, Blake, and the others told of the tense situation at the Shelter and the standoff with the Faunus mob and the brief reunion with Dr. Eastwood. However, Jaune and Pyrrha had decided to leave out Ironwood and Ace Ops testing out the trigger words on them, as the General had requested they keep it secret.

"Sounds like we had it easy, all things considered." Jaune said to Ruby as they relaxed in the library, Pyrrha sat next to him, reading a book.

"Maybe, but it still must've been hard for you to learn the truth, Nora." The Silver-Eyed Huntress noted as she drank her milk.

"It kinda was…but at least I got some closure. At least I know my parents weren't really bad people." Nora replied, cuddling into Ren on the other side of the sofa.

"We all had a very eventful day, I'm looking forward to just relaxing tomorrow." Said Pyrrha.

"We've certainly earned it," Ren agreed, "When will the refugees begin moving in?"

"Day after tomorrow," Blake told him. Both she and Yang sat on Sun's lap as he sat on a large, comfy chair, happy that they could share their affection in public among their friends and family for the time being.

"I still can't believe you guys got a hundred and twenty-seven people to come! You'd think it'd be harder to convince them." Jaune said.

"Well, I think my boys and I hyping up this place to them had something to do with it, didn't hurt that me and Blake were helping Weiss pitch it." Sun said, both arms wrapped around his girlfriends as he sank his head into the soft chair.

"Gonna be another big day then, we should enjoy our day off while we can." Yang said, her hand grasping Blake's over Sun's stomach.

"I second that!" Said Ruby, "I wanna enjoy our time here as much as possible, until we finally get to go after those relics."

"No argument here." Pyrrha said as she leaned into Jaune, who gently wrapped his arm around her.

Elsewhere in the manor, Velvet and Fox, fresh out of the showers, had arrived at the manor's menagerie, which was kept warm by the effective heating system, which melted the snow that would pile up on the glass dome above the large room. Velvet, who wore her evening kimono, stood in front of the Ocelot's small enclosure, smiling and cooing at the adorable sight of the Ocelot family sleeping together in a circle to keep warm.

She snapped a picture and looked to Fox, "Aren't they precious?"

Fox, who wore a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants, looked at them and struggled to remain neutral before he sighed and said "Yeah, they're pretty freaking adorable."

Velvet chuckled at him before she noticed that Lefko, the Schnees' pet White Tiger, was staring at the Rabbit Faunus Velvet gave him a friendly wave, "Hey big guy." She said.

Lefko tilted his head, as if confused. Velvet noticed the wolves were also looking at her with similar looks in their eyes.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" She wondered.

"Well, you are a Rabbit Faunus and rabbits happen to be pretty popular prey among predators, but they've been tamed by humans," Fox pointed out, smiling, "They're probably trying to figure out if they're looking at a snack or not."

"You might have a point, Fox," Said Weiss as she came to join them, her hair wrapped up in a towel and her body clad in a white nightgown, "They've never seen a Faunus before you, Blake and Sun, so they're still getting used to you."

Velvet laughed, at little uneasily as she glanced back at the animals, still looking at her with confusion in their eyes. Weiss smiled and reached in to pet Lefko, who obediently leaned into her hand and accepted her affection.

"Feeling okay? You must be beat after today." Fox said to the Schnee Heiress.

"A warm dinner and a hot shower makes everything better," Weiss replied with a smile, "Thank you for coming, I wanted to thank you both for your efforts with the refugees at the hospital. While I don't blame my father for going public with the truth, I wish the timing had been better."

"No kidding," Deadpanned Fox.

"It wasn't easy, they were all pretty upset by it, but we managed to calm them down after we told them about the circumstances," Velvet said, "Some believed us, but a lot of them didn't until we saw you guys on the news broadcast. That was enough to convince them that your family is serious about wanting to make amends. A lot of families were affected by the disaster, lost their homes and everything, so they can't really turn down such an offer."

Weiss nodded as she went over and pet the wolves through the bars of their enclosure. "I hope this will work."

"Trust us, this little charity act will heal some old wounds. Old grudges can't last forever, especially if you're trying this hard to earn their trust." Fox told her as he knelt down in front of the wolves, who looked into his white eyes.

"He's right, families, especially single parents like Tamika, this Lemus Faunus we met, will happily give you a chance if they get to live in a place like this," Velvet assured Weiss, "I told them how nice it is here and how Blake, Sun and me were treated. Believe us, Weiss, you can win them over. You've won me over."

Weiss smiled at her, "Thank you, for everything." She said, before letting out a surprisingly loud yawn, "Excuse me! I'm more tired than I thought."

"Well, go ahead and get some sleep," Fox said, "If anyone deserves a good night's rest after today, it's you."

Weiss nodded, "Thank you again, both of you. Good night."

"Good night, and sweet dreams!" Velvet bid her friend.

Weiss nodded to them and walked off to her room. That night's sleep was the deepest Weiss had enjoyed in a long while.

Special thanks to Pirate King Ray for help with story ideas and suggestions.

If you liked this story, I hope you'll fave, follow and review.

Here's an update on my rewrites of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the rewrites of TFA and TLJ are done in script form before I do them with normal prose, so far they're about a thousand pages all together.