Let Us Dance in the Flames

by GodSaveTheKings

Team RWBY are in over their heads. Sent to Atlas by their manipulative Headmaster, the four Huntresses must survive a new, dangerous Kingdom that seeks to exploit, abuse, and destroy them. With the Vytal Festival looming and few allies to turn to, Team RWBY must struggle to escape a world defined by violence, hate and blood. A Sequel to Let Us Be Your Poison

50. Dead Woman's Hand

Note: Oh good god what have I gotten myself into?

First of all, Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year and all that. Today we celebrate the 50th chapter of Let Us Dance in the Flames, which is kind of crazy. It's been a year and a half since I started writing this sequel, and it still feels like yesterday I ended Poison. I want to say thank you to everyone who has continued to follow this story over the years, all of my readers on Discord who give me important feedback, and anyone who has ever commented kind words about my writing. My mental health has fluctuated quite wildly over the year. At the start of 2023, I was so crippled with OCD I couldn't even write a single paragraph without getting anxious. Now, I'm cramming out 18,000 words in an entire weekend just for the fun of it and updating once a week. I hope this joy I feel while writing continues to last, and all of your support contributes to that.

Secondly, no, I'm not kidding about that word count. This chapter is about three to four times the size of a normal Flames chapter, which were already verging on being long. It's easily the longest thing I've written in fucking years. My plan was to do something very special for hitting the 50th chapter and hit a bunch of high story beats. Somehow, I still didn't get to do everything I wanted, which is absurd. I did cram in as much as I could though. This arc will likely wrap up in a chapter or two, and then I have two more arcs planned after this, both of which I am very excited about. And yes, one of those is Vytal, and yes, it is going to be so absurdly fucking huge and spectacular it will defy belief. Does that set up unrealistic expectations? Yes. Yes, it does.

Okay, this is long enough already. Here's your holiday present, you fucks. I might be able to squeeze out one more chapter this year, but in case I don't see you all in 2024! Enjoy.

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"I wonder if you remember the dinner we had together. I hope you do. For most citizens of this Kingdom, dining with someone like me would be the greatest honor of their lives. Not only that, but you sat with Professor Ozpin, a man who has spent lifetimes training generations of Huntsmen and Huntresses. We gave you wisdom. We gave you perspective. We gave you purpose… and yet, all I see when I look at you is a disdain for those ideals. Huntsmen represent order in this world. It was their sacrifice, drenched in blood, that created the civilization that you all take for granted. It's honestly difficult to put into words my frustration… my disappointment. I expect better."

Ironwood turned around, the four young Huntresses on their knees before him. He calmly walked around to the other side of the desk, his steps as broad as his shoulders. He knew how to pick them apart just by their gazes. Ruby: so brazen and naïve. Penny: with a dim hope that didn't understand the consequences. Nora: with a stupid, confused glare like she didn't know anything. And Ciel… well, she didn't look at him at all. Her bright blue eyes were glued to the floor in front of her. Ironwood came to a stop in the center and scratched at his chin. He could have screamed and bellowed or had them all expelled without a moment's notice. Yet, he was calm, the only intensity coming from his pursed lips and tightened stare.

Ruby trembled with a quiet rage. He would deal with her last.

"Let me understand fully what happened. I get an alert that my lunch hall is in ruins. Thirteen walls were broken through. There was gunfire registered in open spaces. Several cadets were almost crushed by incoming rubble. And at the center of all of that—is you. Because it's always you, isn't it? Or at the very least, most of you." He briefly cracked his jaw toward Nora and moved on. "This isn't acceptable, of course. The standards in this Academy have declined sharply ever since the Beacon students began attending. It seems like Ozpin has failed to teach his students any form of tolerance, or worse, actively encourages such misbehavior. Just the other week, your Team JJWL made a mockery of my school's ethics, and for every inch Ozpin has offered them they have gladly taken a hundred miles. I promise you that I will not tolerate such disobedience… especially not toward my own."

He moved down the line. Private Ciel knelt at the end of the four, Penny right beside her. She couldn't bear to stay in the room with her, the woman whose misbehavior had caused all of her problems. If Ruby hadn't stopped her, she would have fought until her last breath. But that was over now. Ciel had no more chances to fight, and she had no more excuses. When Ironwood stopped in front of her, he took a moment to examine her injuries. Her face was busted from nose to lip, blood dripping down her chin. Her shoulders did not sit right with each other, one slumped from dislocation. Her breaths were very shaky, a combination of broken ribs and a broken spirit. Ironwood did not care about her injuries. His demands were the same.

"Private Soleil… rise."

Ciel was slow to get to her feet. Hands tied behind her back, she nearly lost balance, only barely managing to stand. Her military instincts took over, and she clicked her heels together, pulled back her shoulders, and raised her head. Her gaze did not meet his, but she kept her quivering chin up.

"S-Sir."

Ironwood clasped his hands behind his back. He sneered.

"My understanding of the situation was that you attacked Private Polendina first," he said calmly. "Is that true?"

Ciel hesitated, rolling her tongue between her jaw. Ironwood didn't reprimand her. She was suffering plenty.

"Y-Yes, s-sir…"

"You used your weapon on her. Is that correct?"

Ciel nodded slightly. "Yes… s-sir…"

"So you, unprovoked by aggression, attacked one of the most vital assets in this Academy… a fellow student, one you were sworn to protecting," Ironwood clarified. "And you did it with a weapon that, when utilized properly, can incapacitate and even kill."

"Yes. Yes, sir…"

Ironwood sighed. "Obviously, you know the consequences of that. However, I'm going to give you a chance to explain yourself, Private Soleil. I cannot imagine that you would be so foolish as to attack Penny for no reason. Before I do anything, I would like to hear your justification."

"Sir, I'm sorry—"

"I didn't ask for an apology," Ironwood said suddenly, his voice booming. It quickly softened again. "I asked for an explanation."

Ciel's entire body shook with every breath. The tears that were welling in her eyes turned her face red. Her eyes flickered away from Ironwood's torso, but he wouldn't let her falter, stomping his foot to snap her back to attention. The words became stuck in her throat and had to be forced through.

"I… I found Penny—Private… P-Private Polendina, sir. She was—she was with those two, a-against orders. And, um… she had left… you had told her, s-she wasn't a-allowed to, um… not to co-op—cooperate with them. And I found her… I found her, and she… she said—"

Ironwood stamped his foot. "Speak, Private."

Ciel's breathing became heavier. Her trembles turned into full sobs. Her eyes turned away and refused to snap back to attention as the tears started openly flowing. "I said she… s-she had to, um… c-come with me, and… and I asked h-her, and she would—she wouldn't l-li-listen to m-me. She wouldn't… and she t-tried to—tried to th-threaten me, t-too. And I just… I was so angry and she… she w-w-wouldn't… s-she w-wouldn't…"

She couldn't hold back the sobs. She couldn't hold back anything. Her entire life, her dreams, her purpose had slipped through her fingers, and it was all her fault. She bowed her head, snot bubbling in her bloody nose, no longer able to hold herself together.

"I'm so s-s-s-orry, Sir. I'm… I'm…"

"That's enough."

Ironwood refused to provide her any comfort. He stepped instead to his right, leaving the sobbing, inarticulate mess to her own devices. Penny looked up at him without fear or worry. As far as she could tell, those were unjustified.

"Private Polendina… it seems that Private Soleil is unable to explain her actions. Perhaps you can shed some light on her actions."

Penny did her best to push Ciel's cries out of her head. They weren't good for anything anyway.

"Sir, I can confirm what Ciel said. I think. I apologize for attacking her and damaging school property, but she assaulted me first. I did not engage in any physical harm toward her before she provoked me."

"Is that so?"

"Of course, sir. I would not lie to you."

"And this threat Private Soleil mentioned. Care to explain that?"

"I did not threaten her," Penny said confidently. "I merely explained to her the consequences of her failure, which she is experiencing now. She instructed me to return to your office, and I simply described to her that my escape was a reflection of her failure in watching me. I did tell her that she would be less likely to face repercussions if she did not inform you, but that was my objective analysis of the situation, not a suggestion. I would never tell her to disobey a command, sir."

"No," Ironwood sighed. "Of course, you wouldn't."

"I am sorry for all of the trouble I caused, General," Penny insisted. "I did not wish to inflict this Academy any harm."

"I know, Penny." Ironwood nodded. "Was there anything else you said to Private Soleil?"

"Nothing threatening violence," Penny confirmed.

"Well, that seems to clear things up." He paused for a moment, then returned to Ciel. She did not even attempt to look at him. If she were calmer, she would have argued her case. She would have mentioned Penny's words about her insignificance. She would have fought for her future. But she couldn't do such a thing now. All she had left were tears. "Private Soleil… do you understand why I selected you to watch Private Polendina."

Ciel only responded with a nod.

"There are expectations that all of us have to meet," he explained. "Those expectations are in our blood. Do you understand? The people we are… the people we came from… they create the standard we hold ourselves to. And you, despite all of the circumstances of your admission to this Academy, have those expectations. I gave you an opportunity in this Academy against my better judgment, and I did that because I saw within you the possibility of living up to those expectations. That was your purpose. Do you understand that?"

Ciel nodded once more. She begged not to hear what he said next.

"You have failed to live up to those expectations."

Ciel nodded, her sobs overtaking her.

"It was a mistake putting you in this position…" Ironwood's gaze snapped toward the cyborg. "…because clearly, Private Polendina's deficiencies made that task impossible."

Ciel lifted her head, finally able to look her General in the eye. Yet, he was no longer interested in her. He paced toward his desk, walking back and forth as his calm demeanor began to melt. His attention had turned to the peculiar cybernetic Huntress, who had yet to catch on to his chance in behavior. Penny raised her voice.

"S-Sir—"

"I gave you a very specific instruction to stay away from Team RWBY," he said sternly. "You told me, in this very room, you would not disobey my commands again. Did you not?"

"General, I don't understand—"

"And despite my warnings, you did not listen to me. You immediately sought to violate my orders, risk your safety, and as we have seen, there has now been direct damage to my Academy as a result of this."

"I only—"

"Do not interrupt me," Ironwood snapped, and Penny fell silent. "When I punished Private Soleil on your behalf, it was to make you understand that your actions had consequences against your Kingdom. You instead seemed to take that as a lesson that I would always punish Private Soleil in your stead—that you can do anything you want without repercussions so long as she is able to take the fall. That is inexcusable. That is a complete refutation of personal responsibility."

Ciel's eyes darted back and forth between her teammate and her General. She didn't understand what was happening. She had done everything wrong. This was her greatest failing. Why was Penny taking the fall for any of this? Ironwood suddenly pointed at her, his voice rising.

"What is her role?"

Penny's brain stuttered for a moment as she tried to answer. "She… she is Private Ciel Soleil."

"Not her rank, her role. What does she do to you?"

"She is my supervisor."

"Which means?"

"I am her responsibility."

"Yes," Ironwood said justly. "You are her responsibility—but she is also your superior. When she gives you orders, she is acting on my behalf. When I give you orders, you do not question or circumvent them. You follow them, always, when we demand you to. Did Private Soleil catch you violating my orders?"

Penny's confidence turned to ash. "I… well—"

"Yes or no!" Ironwood screamed. He slammed his fist on the table, and the quick shift toward violence caused Penny to straighten up.

"Yes, sir!"

"And did you refuse to cooperate with her orders?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And did you imply, not through direct threat or violent suggestion, but through selfish means, that Private Soleil should disregard my orders and allow you to continue operating unsupervised?"

Penny could not look away from Ironwood's sharp gaze. Ruby and Nora were trying their best to remain quiet, eager to avoid the crossfire. Ciel, still standing, had yet to stop crying; still, her pained breathing had been overshadowed by Ironwood's outburst. Penny answered meekly.

"Yes… sir."

Ironwood growled. "Then of course she attacked you! I would have taken you by the scalp and thrown you out of this Academy myself if I were in her position! She acted recklessly and emotionally. That is clear, and I assure you she will be adequately punished for violating firearm procedure and the collateral damage she caused. But as your supervisor, under Section 3, Subsection A5 of Academy Procedure in Regards to Chain of Command, any and all acts of delinquency can, when not solved with reason and, when the subject refuses to engage with the principles of this Academy, be solved through means of force! Private Soleil may have not been assaulted, but she was provoked by your delinquency, Private Polendina! Your sheer disrespect toward this chain of command, toward the well-being of your supervisor, whose health and career you knew you jeopardized by continuing to violate my orders, is vastly more offensive to me than any broken cafeteria walls. Is. That. Clear?"

Penny stared blankly at her General. Those outbursts… she had seen them before, but they were never meant for her. She was the perfect one. She was necessary. And yet, kneeling on the ground, despite all of her power and majesty, she felt helpless. The words came out pathetically.

"It is, sir… yes, sir."

Ironwood groaned. He pinched the bridge of his nose. It was unbecoming of his status to raise his voice. It was a damned shame that it ever came to this. He turned toward Ciel, who was still sobbing as if lost in her own regrets. He spoke to her gentler.

"Private Soleil, I apologize for placing these expectations on you. It seems I overestimated Private Polendina's maturity, and that should not reflect on your performance. I think it would be best for all parties if we changed how Private Polendina was monitored. As for now, you are dismissed from your supervisory position over her. Head down to the infirmary. Get your wounds treated. When this is over, and your punishment has been decided upon, I will find something more worthy of the standard to which you are held."

Ciel stood in disbelief.

Ironwood had shown her kindness—and he meant it. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing, but she was able to croak out one more sentence.

"Thank you… Sir."

Ironwood rummaged through his desk, finding a key after a few moments. He released her from her confinements, then dismissed her with an unaffectionate sigh. "Go."

Ciel saluted, and with trembling steps, she returned to the elevator. She didn't acknowledge the others as she left, even as Penny stared at her like a wounded puppy abandoned by its owner. She gently massaged her wrists and wiped her nose with her newly found freedom, and when she stepped into the elevator, she hid behind the walls so Ironwood wouldn't see her break. It was only when the doors closed and she was out of sight did she fall to her hands and knees, praying to her Gods.

One down, three to go.

"Now, Private Polendina, what to do with you?" Ironwood asked carefully. "Under normal circumstances, I would just expel you, but we both know that isn't a possibility. Clearly, you can't be trusted to roam the Academy freely without getting yourself into trouble. I could assign you more guards, but your disrespect toward authority is a deeper problem. It seems a fundamental change in your behavior is in order. What would it take for you to obey?"

Penny felt the walls closing in around her. Desperate, she tried to defend herself once more. "General, everything I have ever done is to assist this Kingdom. I understand you are upset, but—"

"Do you remember Uncle Arthur, Penny?"

Her defense fell. Gods, she hated hearing that name.

"Would you like to know something?" Ironwood stated. "When he was developing schematics for your weapons software, he told me that giving you free will was a terrible idea. The model gun, he noted, doesn't have free will. The model gun's primary purpose is to be responsive when someone else pulls the trigger. He insisted he had a means to eliminate that problem, and yet I refused. Your father insisted that we keep your mind as pure as you were before your accident. And I listened to him because I had faith that it was unnecessary. I'm wondering now if that was a mistake."

Penny recoiled. He couldn't. She remembered what Uncle Arthur did, the way he looked at her like some wretched, violent thing. She wanted nothing more to do with that man. The idea of him fiddling around inside of her skull, violating her thoughts, cutting out whatever remained of her humanity—if she had gag reflexes, she would hurl.

Ruby was always paying attention. She was wise to keep her mouth shut and let the Atlasians tear each other down, but that reference to this Uncle Arthur piqued her interest. It sounded all too familiar.

"I'm sorry, I am just… totally lost."

Ruby hadn't said a word. Neither had Penny. Their attention turned toward the end of the row. Poor, innocent Nora was still there, on her knees, watching a trial unfold before her eyes that meant nothing to her. She was pretty sure the General just threatened to brainwash one of his students, and also there was a whole thing with Ciel she didn't begin to understand. Hell, she understood nothing at the best of times. Was speaking up a terrible idea? Yes. Absolutely. She couldn't help herself. General Ironwood barely regarded her.

"Ah, yes. Miss Valkyrie… Pyrrha's teammate," he said. "I must confess: you are the odd woman out here, aren't you? I'd expect the others to cause trouble, but you… you're just sort of here. How curious."

"Uh, yeah," Nora said unsurely. "Look General, Sir, man… I gotta be honest with you. I don't know what's happening. Like, I was doing nothing all day, and then suddenly everybody starts throwing fists. I was just trying to nap."

"Would you like to leave?"

"I mean, obviously," Nora admitted, "but there's also like… a ton of misunderstandings, I think. You know, I don't think anyone needs to be punished with, like, whatever you were just talking about. Penny was shot at with a gun. And also, she just wanted to talk to us. That shouldn't be a crime, right? We're her classmates! Can't you just like… let this whole thing go?"

Ruby grunted in frustration. Nora really should have kept her mouth shut. All she had to do was apologize and they would excuse her. What the hell was with this peacekeeper act? She was far too innocent for her own good, once more trying to dip her toes into quicksand. Then again, Ruby couldn't truly blame anyone other than herself. If she hadn't gone to Nora for help, none of this would have happened.

"You are an interesting one, aren't you?" Ironwood said with a mixture of fondness and pity. "You have no idea what's going on, and yet you're attempting to protect these two from punishment. Do you think that's a wise idea?"

Nora shrugged. "Look, I just want to avoid trouble."

"And yet here you are—in the middle of 'trouble'. Tell me, Nora Valkyrie, do you have even the slightest clue what Team RWBY and Penny have been doing these past several weeks?"

"Not really, but like… I mean, they're not bad people or anything. We don't have to do anything rash."

Ironwood shook his head. "Let me give you some insight. You might remember several months ago, we had a security breach. Highly classified documents were taken from our systems. Team RWBY—and by extension, Private Polendina—have been trying to get a hold of these documents for themselves and deduce their contents. That is quite obviously a serious crime, one that threatens the security of this entire Kingdom. And it is fundamentally curious, that in their repeated search for this classified information, they turned to you."

Nora was taken aback. "Huh?"

"That is what happened, isn't it? Security footage clearly shows those two arriving at your doorstep earlier today, and you inviting them in. I wonder why they would do such a thing—unless you were helping them in their mission."

"Wait, wait, wait—"

"And furthermore," Ironwood continued. "We have security footage from earlier this year, showing you and the rest of your team meeting with Team RWBY in their dormitory. I wonder what you talked about in that meeting."

"W-Wait! Hang on!" Nora protested. "I don't know anything about any classified documents, or like secret plans, or… or anything! I don't know what's going on."

"Oh, but I think you do," Ironwood accused her pointedly. "Why else would you be here? Why would you try to defend their actions instead of distancing yourself? Out of the kindness of your heart? Or is it because they are your allies?"

"The first one!" Nora said firmly. "Literally the first option!"

"You know it is against school regulation to lie to your commanding officer."

"I'm not lying! I promise! They just wanted to talk to me about some stuff. Stuff completely unrelated to the school. They didn't ask about anything classified, or like, anything! I super swear!"

"Is that so?" Ironwood said knowingly. He calmly walked around to the other side of his desk and sat down by his computer. He typed away at the screen out of Nora's vision, and the flustered and clueless Team JNPR warrior had to wait for whatever nonsense would strike her next. She tried her best to predict what bullshit evidence he could produce—yet even she was unprepared for what she heard next.

"We wanted to know if there were any specific legends or myths in Arillystos about… cups. Or chalices, or basins, or something like that. Some story where drinking from one of these cups, and the cup itself, is very important."

"Cups? That's an easy one. You're thinking of the Infinite Chalice."

"You know it?"

"Yep. It's not super popular, but it's not really hidden, either…"

Ruby felt her heart sink. That was her voice. It was unmistakable. She had been trying to keep track of every variable, every possible point of failure, but her thoughts had been so overwhelmed by her team's mission, by the cup, by Rosaline, that she was bound to forget something. On their very first day in Atlas Academy, Blake found transmitters hidden in their dorm. It seemed so obvious at the time, but after everything they had been through, it was easy to forget. He didn't just rig their dorm—he rigged everyone's. The moment she entered Team JNPR's room, she might as well have broadcast her conversation to the entirety of Atlas. Just like that, from one simple slip-up, her mission had come to a horrifying close.

Nora's jaw dropped to the floor. That conversation was very fresh in her mind. She was trying to be reasonable throughout Ironwood's interrogation, but this pushed her over the edge.

"Was that… have you been spying on our bedroom?" Nora screamed. "Dude! What the actual hell!"

Ironwood clicked off his screen. "That certainly sounds like you've been discussing classified information to me."

"There were times I didn't wear pants in that room, dude!" Nora screamed, ignoring everything but the sinister violation of her privacy. "That is so messed up you would even think of doing that!"

"I do what I have to do to protect my Kingdom." He rose from behind his desk. "I think you should be more concerned about the classified information you discussed in that audio."

"What classified info?" Nora asked, belligerent. "I don't know what you are talking about! They asked me about a Mistran myth from my childhood! That's literally it! I can't believe you've been spying on us this entire time. Does Ozpin know about this? Does he encourage this? Like, the other students have to know you're doing this to them."

"I wouldn't care about other students if I were you," Ironwood explained. "I just caught you lying to me in violation of school code. I have documented evidence you were discussing matters you shouldn't have been. You don't have the same protections that Miss Rose or Private Polendina have. In fact, you are hardly the most important member of your own team. I will give you the same chance to explain yourself that I gave to Private Soleil, but any more lies will lead to your expulsion."

"Expulsion?" Nora cried.

"If you're lucky."

Nora shook her head. This still didn't make any damn sense to her. She hadn't done anything. She was just answering some questions about some dumb myths. How the hell did that have anything to do with classified information? She couldn't wrap her skull around it. She wanted her team. She wanted to go back to Beacon. She couldn't take this pressure. Gods… was this what Team RWBY meant all along when they said they couldn't trust the headmasters. Spying on their rooms… shit, the infinite number of details of their personal lives that had been torn out of their control was revolting. She had half a mind to slap the General across his smug face. And yet, bound and helpless, she had no out. Every truth he interpreted as a lie. Every deferral to Team RWBY would simply be a rejection of responsibility she didn't know she had. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

And that was when Ruby finally spoke.

"That's enough."

Ironwood hid his smirk. Finally—the main event.

Ruby pushed herself off the ground, standing in the middle of her weary companions. Her bold silver eyes held Ironwood back behind his desk. Her words were laced with quiet fury.

"Nora doesn't know anything. She's telling the truth. Leave her alone."

Ironwood held his ground. "Now you speak, Miss Rose. Funny, after watching everyone else get reprimanded, only now do you decide to stand up for them."

"You heard the tape yourself," Ruby claimed. "Nora didn't know what we were talking about. We purposefully left her in the dark. Penny was just trying to follow my lead. If you want to be mad at anyone, blame it on me."

"Oh, there is plenty to blame on you. You have clearly been a negative influence on my most prized asset. You have flouted the rules of this Academy at every opportunity, walking around as if you are invincible. You must think you can get away with anything, can't you—due to our little arrangement?"

"I'm not you, Ironwood. I don't try to hurt people who aren't deserving of it."

"Well, unfortunately, your luck has run out," Ironwood explained. "I have been trying to find a way out of our predicament. I thought I almost had one when you rampaged across Vale. Surely, I thought, Jacques would have abandoned you then. And yet, you somehow managed to worm your way out of that as well. No matter how much you ruin, there is never that one, concrete piece of evidence that would allow me to separate you. But now, I have it."

"You can't do anything to me," Ruby stated. "What are you going to tell Jacques? That I read books in your library you didn't like? That I asked another student about some random myth that he doesn't care about?"

"Oh, those are meaningless, I agree," Ironwood sighed. "I doubt I could get him to care for even a minute. But in that audio clip, you made a fatal error. You didn't ask Miss Valkyrie about anything you had learned from our bookshelves, or pose general questions. You asked her about a cup. Now that… that is a strange detail to know about. In fact, the only way you could know about that detail is if you had access to my classified files. And now, picture this. I come forward with evidence that you accessed my documents and severely violated Atlasian law. You get expelled. Jacques protests my actions on the grounds they damage his assets, but then… I show him direct evidence of you admitting to such a crime. He now has a direct link to your reckless actions. How do you think he would react then?"

Ruby struggled to follow. Was that enough? Would Ironwood really be willing to expel them just to punish them for rebelling against him, forgetting whatever use they may have had? The evidence in that clip was flimsy, but it could be construed as her reading classified information with the proper framing. That would be a nightmare to leak to the public, even without considering how Jacques would feel. It was one more uncertainty piled on top of a mountain of potential failures.

Nora, still trying to follow along with her punishment, couldn't help but speak up again. "I'm sorry, now I'm extra confused as to what's happening. Ruby, did you, like, actually read classified info at me?"

Ruby grimaced. "Nora, please stay out of this."

Ironwood simply chuckled. "You know, it's funny you are throwing yourself on Miss Valkyrie's sword. Do you have any idea what her team is doing at this moment—why only she is currently in the Academy walls? Would you like to tell her, Nora?"

Ruby, slightly shaken, saw Nora avert her gaze.

"Nora?"

Nora spoke softly. "Look, it—it wasn't like we had a choice. They didn't even include me."

Ruby's mind raced with possibilities. Nora wouldn't confess, but the pieces were there. Nora—inside the walls. The rest of her team—gone. On a mission. A funny mission, relevant to her. Funny to him. No choice. An order. A higher-up; Ozpin. Wait...

Wait… no…

"I don't know what you think you'll find in the city," Ironwood admitted. "There aren't any leads to the Holy Grail there. But whatever steps you are taking, we will know about them. Unlike some people here… Pyrrha Nikos has proven to actually follow her orders."

Ruby's eyes went wide. Her face became bright red. She pulled sharply against her shackles. Nora couldn't meet her gaze, but dammit, Ruby needed her to look at her. That traitor—this entire time, while they had been playing nice, her teammates were out there stabbing her in the back and she didn't say a damn word. How hard did Ozpin have to push them to turn on their fellow classmates? Did he even have to raise his voice, or did Pyrrha just eagerly throw herself at him? The gravity of their failures was becoming clear. It wasn't just her mission to find Rosaline that ended.

It was everything.

The others didn't know they were being followed. Pyrrha would uncover Stiltskin's actions and tell Ironwood. It would only be a matter of time before Jacques found out, and then…

Her father.

Raven.

Kali.

Everyone.

She tried not to show weakness in front of Ironwood. She wanted to stare him down like a true Huntress, refuse to give in to his fascist demands, and show she was not the weak child he thought she was. But now, her resolve too was breaking. Like the others.

It was a matter of time before her entire world collapsed around her. And she could see the satisfaction on Ironwood's face loving every moment of her failure. He had been dreaming of this day for a long time, and she would be forced to give it to him.

Except—that wasn't true at all.

In a flash, the realization hit her. Ironwood's words. He… he thought her teammates were investigating the Holy Grail. He didn't know about Stiltskin. Hell, he didn't know about Sienna's blackmail. He was caught up in his Holy Grail theory, unable to see the full scope of their plans. The others had planned to be followed. They had taken appropriate countermeasures. There was still a damn good chance her teammates could pull off Winter's surgery and escape undetected. That was the most crucial factor. No matter what else, she had to ensure they won, even if it meant taking a bullet for them. Of course, she had no intention of taking the fall either. No one was.

She had one more card to play.

Now, it was Ironwood's turn to break.

"You don't understand anything, do you?"

Ruby's demeanor changed on a dime. Once quaking before the mighty General Ironwood, now she was grinning, her eyes fiercer than ever.

"Excuse me?" he asked pointedly.

"Your right—there is no lead to the Holy Grail in Atlas," Ruby confessed. "We had just risked our lives going to the City of Vale, and you think we'd be careless enough to do that again. My teammates are off doing a social media tour. You can literally check their KnightsPage and see their activity all day. They're the distraction."

"Is that the case?" Ironwood challenged her. "So, you really are the sole, responsible party? Strange you would admit to such a thing."

"Oh, I've done nothing wrong. If anything, you're the one that's been hiding something."

"I have documented proof you have obtained classified files."

"Nope. Never happened."

"You had to," Ironwood said firmly. "You know what the Holy Grail is. There's no other way for you to know to ask about the Infinite Chalice if you didn't. There is no Atlasian legend containing such a thing. The Mistran legend is too disconnected from what you could learn on your own. You've done something wrong to get this close."

"Still wrong," Ruby shrugged. "You seem to think that I've been prying at your secrets, but the truth is, Ironwood—someone has just been opening the doors to me. I haven't needed to read your secrets."

"Really?" Ironwood said with suspicion. "And why would that be?"

Ruby smirked. "Because Rosaline told me about it."

Ruby had never seen Ironwood afraid. She had seen him stern, vengeful, arrogant, outraged, and cruel. He had threatened her at gunpoint, said he would kill her friends and family, and had done everything in his power to make the past several months a living hell. She never wanted to see him afraid. At least, that was what she thought. But now—for just a moment in those blue eyes of his—she saw his fear. His failure. It felt better than she could dream of.

"How… do you know that name?" Ironwood asked coldly.

"Oh, I've known about her for a while. You're not the only one good at keeping secrets." Ruby shrugged. "Now, I have to admit—that's not really powerful evidence on its own. I don't know if Jacques would buy that I learned your most precious secrets in a dream. Then again, I'm not sure if he would buy your flimsy connection either. I don't think that's relevant right now, though. What I think… is that I wasn't supposed to know about her. I think you wanted that kept secret more than anything else. I think that bothers you, doesn't it… knowing how close I've gotten without having to lift a finger."

Ironwood dismissed her. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

"What are you even trying to do?"

"Get answers," Ruby stated passionately. "That's all I've ever wanted, and that's all you've ever tried to deny me. You and Ozpin think you can just hide the whole world to yourselves, but you can't, not forever. I heard her. My mom heard her. Rosaline—whoever she is—she's the key to all of this. She was the one who drove back the Anti-Fable. That's what the legend said. I don't know how much of it is real, but I know that H'aboTotlitr wasn't just any god, and the Y'llari weren't just any family. They were the Fables. It was her, using the weapon that you've desperately been trying to keep secret from the rest of us. The Holy Grail, or Infinite Chalice, or whatever you want to call it—Glass is after that right now, as we speak. She's not going to stop until she gets her hands on it, and I need to know why. I deserve it."

"You deserve nothing."

"I deserve everything," Ruby demanded. "Forget everything else we've talked about. Forget Jacques, forget my team, forget what you want to do to us. You know now that I know about her. That changes everything, doesn't it, because the only reason you would want me to not know about her is if you thought I would benefit from it. You don't have the leverage over me that you thought you did. Sooner or later, she will tell me what I need to know. You can either work with me and tell me who she is, or you can roll the dice and risk everything you worked so hard for burning down around you. Your choice."

For all of Ruby's bravado and bluster, she was still the one truly gambling on her fate. Despite her words, she had no idea what kind of leverage her knowledge of Rosaline carried. It was a careful, calculated guess taking advantage of Ironwood's greatest fear: disorder. He could still report her actions to Jacques, pull a few strings, make it seem like she had broken Atlasian law. He could cast her to the wind and count on her visions being taken as ramblings by the general public. He could kill her family, threaten her team, and do whatever it took to keep her mouth shut on this topic forever. She didn't expect him to, however. After all… this was just a distraction. The real way to maintain leverage, the only certain form of protection, was with Jacques; for that, she needed her team to succeed.

All of her talk was merely to cast doubt, and make Ironwood question himself from betraying the status quo. He never could make the first move. Even with her mother, he needed her to act selfishly before he executed her.

She hadn't known how deeply she had shaken him. In truth, Ruby's confession struck him like a bullet.

"Wait here," he ordered. Ruby was shocked to see him storm past her to the elevator. He quickly vanished behind the doors, leaving the three of them alone in his office. Ruby finally allowed herself to release the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

He was gone—to do what, she couldn't tell. Retrieve the guards to execute her? No, too easy. Contact Ozpin? That was more likely. He would never do a thing without Ozpin telling him. For a man as supposedly strong-willed as Ironwood, he was horrible at making decisions. Regardless of his intentions, Ruby had some time alone to plan. She would use every last second of it.

Nora raised her chin. "Ruby—"

"Nora, don't say a word," Ruby ordered. "Your team betrayed us. You have no idea how badly you could have screwed things up. How am I supposed to trust you with anything ever again?"

"Trust us?" Nora fought back. "You never trusted us. You wouldn't tell me what you were really doing."

"To keep you safe."

"To keep yourselves safe! And for the record, the only reason Ozpin ordered us to follow you was to make sure you didn't get into any trouble like literally always. Which, somehow, we still managed to do."

"And you believed him?"

Nora gasped. "Well… now I don't! Like, oh my god! He was spying on our rooms! That is so unbelievably screwed up. You guys were clearly right about the headmasters being creeps if that was what they were doing! The second I get out of here, I'm tearing up that whole room, and then I'm calling Ren and telling him to quit."

"Quit?" Ruby asked, confused. "The mission… or the Academy?"

"I don't know, maybe both!" Nora confessed. "I'm gonna have a pretty hard time studying when those guys are total assholes."

Ruby tried to calm herself down. Nora leaving wouldn't be such a bad idea, and not just annoyed at her. The further Nora strayed from the Academy, the fewer bodies Ruby would have to worry about burying. However, Penny interjected, after having wisely stayed silent the past several minutes.

"Nora, I would recommend staying as a Huntress."

Nora scoffed. "Oh, don't you get me started, Miss Tackle-a-Bitch-Through-a-Wall."

"Penny, you should really also keep your mouth shut," Ruby insisted. "I'm pretty sure I just took Ironwood's mind off of you. You should stay under the radar as long as you can."

"That's precisely why Nora should remain," Penny explained. "It is clear that Ironwood intends to punish me severely for my mistakes. I doubt he is going to contact Uncle Arthur; he wouldn't want to risk damaging my combat abilities by altering my components. But to win back his trust, he is going to demand absolute loyalty. I cannot assist you any further, despite my wishes. You are going to need allies."

"I need people I can trust," Ruby said dejectedly. Nora frowned, but Penny pushed forward.

"It seems that Nora has been given sufficient reason to distrust Ironwood. It is more beneficial to have someone you can rely on than to let your personal feelings get in the way."

"Yes, but—"

"And it also appears unlikely that Ironwood would allow her to escape with zero repercussions. She now has some crucial understanding of Rosaline's existence, and Ironwood is going to take his frustrations with you out on her. She doesn't have any means to protect herself. If you were honest about your intentions of protecting her, it may be safer to tie your fates together than to leave her alone."

Ruby hung her head in frustration. She hated that Penny had a point. Nora had done wrong by her. She was often immature. Careless. They would be throwing her into the deep end of their mission with no way to escape. Yet… Nora was a well-meaning. She may have just lied to her, but she had an honest character. In Team JNPR, there were few people she could trust. Jaune was incompetent. Ren was distant. Pyrrha was, well, Pyrrha. But Nora… maybe…"

Ruby heard the ding of the elevator behind her. She was running out of time. She had a split-second to make her decision. God, she hoped her teammates would forgive her for this. She turned to Nora frantically.

"Nora, whatever he tells you to do, don't listen to him," she instructed. "Don't leave. Don't speak. If anyone asks, we are in this together. You do what I tell you when I tell you, got it?"

Nora nervously looked to the elevator. The demon rising within would show no mercy toward her. He would come for her… or worse, her team. Teaming with Ruby was what got her into this mess in the first place, just like Pyrrha warned her it would. But still, she didn't have any options. Team RWBY had somehow managed to survive in Atlas, and now, they were offering her a chance to survive as well. She couldn't be the cause of her team's failures. Her path as a normal Huntress had been pretty much ruined. She had already taken one step off the cliff.

And besides: redheads had to stick together.

She gave Ruby a worried nod just as the elevator door opened. Ironwood re-entered the room—alone. His steps seemed heavier.

"All right, then," he explained calmly. "After some consideration, I've decided to be gracious and walk the path of least resistance. You want your answers, Miss Rose? You get them. Penny, you can stay—this will be relevant to you eventually, and this way, you won't be encouraged to seek Miss Rose for more information. Miss Valkyrie, please leave us. This no longer concerns you."

Nora waited for Ruby's command, and the young Huntress shook her head.

"No. Nora stays."

Ironwood sat down behind his desk, his teeth bare. "That's not happening."

"Nora is with me now. What I know, she knows."

"I thought you said she was uninvolved."

"You made her involved by threatening her," Ruby explained. "She gets to know the truth. And if you kick her out… I'll just tell her anyway and dare you to stop me. The fact you are willing to tell me at all means you've lost your leverage."

Ironwood grumbled to himself. Ruby didn't understand his motivations. She was surprised he was even telling her at all. She didn't believe his story about "least resistance". If there was one thing Ironwood loved, it was a fight. He and Ozpin were playing an angle. She just couldn't tell what. However, she was still surprised to see him move to pull up the files on his computer. She was expecting some grand, final trick.

Instead, he turned the screen around so the others could see, and gave them exactly what they deserved.

"Rosaline was a Fable. The greatest there ever was. We don't have much information on her. The vast majority of Fable records and civilization were destroyed in an event known as The Fall. But, of the records we have, Rosaline is the figure that appears most frequently."

An image appeared on the holographic screen, and the three young Huntress students stared cluelessly at it. It was an ancient drawing, perhaps carved in a stone or metal unfamiliar to modern history. It depicted a grand figure, enshrouded in a cloud of black and red, two great wings spread out over a vast cityscape. Aside from that, the figure was featureless, an indescribable mess of colors and symbols. Broken chains sat beneath the drawing, as well as a hundred smaller figures, all gazing up at the angelic beast in its infinite glory.

Penny was amazed at the sight, of untold knowledge finally in her grasp.

Nora was more confused than ever, lost between talk of Fables and Rosaline and all manner of nonsense she couldn't ground in anything sensible.

Ruby became numb. For some reason, even indescribable, that figure seemed deeply familiar…

"Our first record of her was as a conqueror: The Fable of Rebellion" Ironwood explained. "The Fables were not the first civilization to rule over Remnant. Just as Humans had to take control of this land from monsters, the Fables fought back against an oppressive force on their own. It was Rosaline who led the charge against her masters. Her skills in battle were incomparable, her tactical knowledge beyond that of her peers. It was her bravery, her will that carved a great battlefield among Remnant's lands and rid it of those who stood in her way. She became an icon among her people. A hero, respected for her limitless virtues. When Fable civilization began its long and illustrious reign, she became their first Empress."

He changed to another record, decayed and difficult to read. Ruby saw the same figure of red and black, now with a crown etched upon her head, giving commands to those beneath her. Ruby could hear the same voice that haunted her for months.

"Our understanding of her reign was that of limitless prosperity. Through her guidance, Fable civilization expanded and flourished in every corner of the globe. She was the ideal leader. Stern, but fair. Compassionate, yet just. She was violent only when necessary, but acted out her will with a glorious intent. The records say she was the best a Fable could ever aspire to. A perfect fairy tale hero, like the ones in your childhood books. It's unclear how long her reign lasted, or why it ended. Our best guess was that she decided to step down gracefully, to give the other Fables a chance to lead in their own stead. Whatever the case, her legacy remained untarnished for millennia. The Red Angel helped create a society of beings more powerful beyond our comprehension, one that even Atlas fails to live up to."

"But it didn't last," Ruby realized. "Something came for them, didn't it?"

Ironwood pulled up another drawing: a swirling, dark mass of tendrils, consuming all of those it came across. It was the last direct record of Fable civilization he had. Sharing it to a teenager felt like blasphemy. Yet, he felt he had few options.

"It's not clear when or how the Anti-Fable materialized. Fables stopped recording history just beyond this point. And yet, what we were able to piece together from fragments is that the devastation was fierce. The Anti-Fable wiped entire cities off the map in the mere blink of an eye. There was no hope of defeating it. Without options, the Fables turned to their great savior once again. Yet, even Rosaline, as powerful as she was, could not stop the great evil. The rest is derived from old myths. They turned to an ancient artifact, hoping it would be enough to end the reign of the Anti-Fable once and for all: the Holy Grail. Through it, they gave Rosaline the strength needed to stop the evil. It came at a tremendous cost—all remnants of Fable civilization vanished afterward."

Ironwood shut off the screen. His face was grim. "The work of our historians suggests that despite their best efforts, they were unsuccessful. As I'm sure you're aware, the presence of Grimm means the Anti-Fable survived. Rosaline perished in her final battle."

"Except that's not true," Ruby said powerfully. "She's still alive. She was speaking to me, and my ancestors. She's still trying to tell us something."

"It's hard to say what Rosaline became after that day," Ironwood explained. "The myth you heard suggested that the Infinite Chalice could absorb the essence of other beings and propagate them. We have never been able to fully understand what it is capable of. Without being able to study it, it's impossible to understand how much of the myth is a myth, and how much is history."

"Well, Glass thinks it's real," Ruby stated. "Whatever it does, she thinks she can get ahold of it. Even if that weapon wasn't strong enough to stop the Anti-Fable, it still has value. We need to get it before she does."

Ironwood sighed. "We already have it."

Ruby was taken aback, but Penny nodded in understanding. "You keep it in the Vault. That was one of the other things Glass searched for."

"Yes… the Vault," Ironwood claimed. "A forgotten ruin of Fable civilization, buried where no one can touch it. What its purpose was is unclear, but the Holy Grail has resided in there since its creation. I assure all of you, it is perfectly safe. No one is able to enter it without my orders. All of those who have tried to venture deep inside have never returned. If Glass attempts to gain access to the Vault, she will not come out alive."

Ruby wanted to believe that was true. Of course, she didn't trust what he said about Glass and the Vault. She wasn't sure if he trusted himself either. Mrs. Glass was more powerful than they would ever give her credit for, and worse, she was crafty. If he said the Vault was impenetrable, she would surely take that as a challenge. The image of Rosaline—her first, true glimpse at the thing that haunted her nightmares, couldn't escape her either. Even now, she felt it urging her, daring her to accept it as a part of herself. Even more than Ironwood's sudden mercy, that petrified her.

The room became silent as the gravity of the answers weighed on them.

Then, Nora spoke up.

"I'm sorry," she asked bluntly, "but what the holy fuck are you guys talking about?"

---

Blake should have been happy to be back in the open air of the Upper Shelf, out of her disguise and free to roam the world around her. Her role in the mission was mostly complete. She didn't have to constantly look over her shoulder. It should have been great, but Blake was never not miserable in some sense. Walking around the Upper Shelf meant passing by people who looked down on her and everything she believed in. It meant being away from Stiltskin, who may have been one of the only kind people in the entire Kingdom. It also meant leaving Weiss behind to suffer with her sister, and no matter what Blake told herself these days, she didn't want to see Weiss get hurt. She felt horrible leaving her alone in such awful circumstances, but the mission came first.

As far as that went, she was particularly amazed at Yang's selfie abilities. She had an expertly crafted plan to pretend that Weiss and Winter still accompanied them: a few mentions in captions here, some careful framing with strangers there, some subtle suggestions, and viola. Unless one was actively suspecting them, they would have assumed Weiss was always just out of frame, annoyed by her teammates' antics. That was what they told people. They were careful to take a photo with Weiss earlier that morning, with the caption, "This is literally the only selfie Weiss will agree to take with us today so you better appreciate it."

The pair walked down 12th Avenue, a relaxed district primarily full of cosmetic shops and clothing stores. The sun had vanished, but the city was still alive with light. Every building, street corner, and rocky awning was covered in artificial lights, casting Atlas in a gentle, orange hue. They may not have been inside of an active volcano, but it certainly gave the atmosphere. Blake would almost call it romantic if the city's violent undertones weren't fresh on her mind. Yang walked beside her in lockstep, carefully mapping out their route on her Scroll.

"So, a lot of shops tend to close at eight. I think we can hit a few more along this street, and then go south down the path at Brookton," Yang explained, scratching her temple. "That should get us pretty set for the night, if nothing else goes wrong."

"Something always goes wrong," Blake reminded her.

"Yeah, but like, let's pretend for a moment, okay?"

Blake smirked. "You know something, Yang? You're pretty good at this."

"Navigating? Nah, I suck at that."

"No, I mean… like, planning things."

Yang smiled but waved away the suggestion. "Ruby's good at planning. You've seen her in the strategy meetings. And you! You came up with this whole thing, right?"

"But social media stuff? You are crushing that," Blake insisted. "The little thing where we promised Weiss would only be in one photo? The whole tour idea? Like, that was all you. The disguises? I mean, dumb as shit, but you know, it worked! And also, you are so good at talking to people. You managed to save all our asses by smooth-talking Jacques into letting us come here. I could never do that. I fucking suck at talking."

"It's really not a big deal."

"Hey, accept the compliment."

"No, I am, I am."

"Come on," Blake nudged her in the arm. "You've been super helpful on this mission. Like, I feel like we haven't acknowledged how much you've helped out. You're always throwing out these suggestions that are really helpful, and we never talk about how smart you are."

"Because I'm not the smart one," Yang stated factually. She wasn't offended in the slightest, taking her self-deprecation in jest. It helped she had heard it all before. "Ruby is the smart one. She does everything. Like, you compare the two of us, it's not even close."

"Yeah, but that's the problem," Blake noted. "Why do we have to make it a comparison? Yeah, Ruby's smart, but just because she's the smart one doesn't mean you're the dumb one. You are really clever, and you have really good ideas. I just wanted to make sure you knew that."

Yang was still smiling, though a subtle unease made her blush and turn away. "Why… are you bringing this up exactly?"

Blake threw her arms in the air. "What? I can't just, I don't know… compliment you?"

"For no reason at all?" Yang pointed out. "Just doesn't feel very Blake-ish."

"Well, I felt like saying it. That's it. Trying to be more open here. I appreciate everything you add to this team. Don't make a thing out of it."

Yang stifled a laugh, and she teasingly punched Blake in the arm. "Are you flirting with me?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh God, no."

"Is that what this is about?"

"You're crazy."

"It was the disguise, wasn't it? I looked super hot in disguise."

"Crazy."

"You want some of this? Admit it. You want it."

Blake playfully shoved Yang away from her, and the blonde laughed at her embarrassed grunt. "Shut up—I already got some of that. Don't need more."

Yang feigned a gasp. "Oh, that's some bullshit. You loved it."

"It was fine."

"That is absolutely not what you said during, like, any of the times. Like the time in the shower… come on, that was hot. That was some hot shit."

Blake groaned. "This is why I don't compliment people."

"That's not a denial!" With a huge grin, Yang lovingly wrapped her arm around Blake's shoulder and pulled her close. Blake didn't fight her off. Because she was tired. That was the reason, and nothing else. Exactly.

From far down the street behind them, Ren and Jaune trailed the two ex-lovebirds. They had been careful to keep their presence a secret, always staying behind cover and well over a hundred feet away. It hardly seemed necessary at points. Blake and Yang were seemingly caught up in their own little world. They also, notably, were doing absolutely nothing illegal or problematic. They had literally just walked and talked, walked and talked, and zero items of substance were gained during the proceedings. It was, admittedly, driving Jaune mad. He wondered if Pyrrha was having more fun, or if this entire mission was a huge waste of time.

He pulled out his Scroll to text her, but Ren rested his hand over the Screen. "Don't. You'll distract her."

Jaune grumbled. "I just wanted to see if she's okay."

"When she's okay, she'll let us know," Ren said calmly. "If she's not okay, then she doesn't need the distraction."

"I guess that's true," Jaune sighed. "Maybe I'll text Nora and see if she's okay."

"I don't think Nora would like a reminder of our mission. She seemed pretty upset that she wasn't invited to come along."

"So you don't think we should check on her then?"

"I've known Nora since I was a child," Ren explained. "If we message her now, she'll think we're taking pity on her, and she'll end up resenting us for several days. The best way to handle her when she is upset is to give her space to vent her frustrations, and then follow up when she is calm. I speak from experience."

"I didn't think Nora would ever blow up at you. I mean, you two are best friends."

"Everyone has disagreements. Friendships are maintained by how well we handle those disagreements."

"Yeah," Jaune said uncomfortably. "Do you think Nora and Pyrrha will ever work out their issues?"

Ren considered the question for a long moment. "Nora hates feeling excluded. She grew up with very little, watching others live their lives from the outside. But she is also incredibly understanding and forgiving. If Pyrrha is willing to accept her, then I don't think she will hold it against anyone. As for whether Pyrrha will do that… I suspect you know the answer to that better than me."

Jaune wished he did. He didn't know how he gained the role of "Pyrrha Whisperer". He couldn't even get her to stop crying less than an hour ago. Pyrrha Nikos was such a difficult nut to crack; the body of the most dangerous young Huntress alive guided by a mind plagued by demons. Would there ever be a chance for her to reconcile with Nora? He naively hoped so. Maybe when this mission was over, and when they could return to Beacon Academy, everything would go back to normal. They were only first years, hard as it was to believe with such constant turmoil. They had time to repair what was broken. Unfortunately, Jaune also had to expect the possibility that their bonds would only degrade further. With Team RWBY, nothing was ever certain.

"Sure," he ended up saying.

"Really?" Ren asked.

"Yeah."

"You don't sound sure."

Jaune groaned. "I'm not. But let's just go with that."

"Why?" Ren said, confused.

"I don't know. I don't want to talk about it."

"If you said you were sure, then—"

"Let's just focus on the mission, okay?" Jaune raised his voice, and Ren was silenced. He didn't think he had said anything wrong, and yet he appeared to touch a nerve. He wondered if Jaune was taking this harder than he realized. He had never asked Jaune's opinion on the matter, and that was probably a mistake. For all of the talk of Pyrrha and Nora not being good teammates, he unfortunately tended to be rather unhelpful as well. When they returned to Atlas Academy, it might be a good idea to speak with Jaune privately. Man-to-man, as his father would say. There was no reason he couldn't be part of the solution. But that was for a later time. For now, he had Huntresses to trail.

And it was only when he pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked ahead did he realize that Blake had stopped moving.

Jaune hadn't raised his voice too loudly. It had gone from a mere whisper to a slightly exaggerated sentence. But to someone with enhanced hearing, it might as well have been a clap of thunder. Blake grabbed forcefully onto Yang's sleeve, forcing her teammate to stop as she focused her senses.

"Hey, what the—"

"We're being followed," Blake said suddenly. Yang took a second to process what she was hearing.

"We're… what?"

Blake shushed her. She needed to concentrate. Those footsteps that had slowed many paces behind her… those contained whispers that she drilled… that whiny voice… she knew that voice, but where?

Her fingers squeezed more tightly into Yang's jacket as the realization hit her. Her eyes shot open in fury. She spun on her heel and started walking in the other direction.

"Blake, hey, wait a second!"

Blake didn't wait. If anything, she picked up the pace, turning from a fast walk to a rapid jog. Once she saw the figures she recognized, their faces diluted behind a crowd, she burst into a full sprint. They must have noticed her rapidly approaching them, because they ran and turned the corner, hoping to avoid her detection. She wouldn't let them escape. She pushed every question out of her mind as she pushed aside the civilians blocking her path. They were mere distractions from her boiling blood. Yang had to apologize to everyone in their way, nearly tripped trying to keep up, but that didn't matter either. When Blake turned the corner, nostrils flaring like some raging bull, she was full-on ready to kill someone.

They were waiting there, behind the street corner. Pressed up against the wall like she wouldn't see them. Their large winter jackets couldn't save them from her frozen stare, and their reactions sent Blake into overdrive. Ren awkwardly looked at the floor as if he had just been caught sticking his hand into a cookie jar. Jaune tried to do… Jaune things.

"Wha—Blake? Is that you?" he asked with such strained innocence that his eyes bugged out. "What are you doing here? Ahh!"

Blake grabbed Jaune by his collar and threw him back against the wall. His feet dangled several inches above the ground as she chewed him out.

"I knew I heard your voice!" Blake growled. "What the fuck is your problem, stalking us out here, huh?"

"S-Stalking? W-Who said anything about—"

Yang skidded around the corner, and her brain processed the event as follows: Blake trying to murder someone, Blake murdering a child—wait, was that Jaune? And Ren? And… not Nora and Pyrrha? Wait, in Atlas? Not in the Academy? Once her head stopped spinning, she spoke.

"Whoa, what the fuck? JNPR?"

"Yang, help! Your teammate is trying to kill me—ahhh!" Blake threw Jaune against the ground, and he scampered to Ren for protection. The few Atlasian citizens that saw their fight were wise enough to back away as Blake began screaming.

"These assholes have been following us! They could have been following us all fucking day!"

"What?" A fear broke in Yang's voice. Ren tried his best to calm her.

"We weren't trying to do anything wrong. We just wanted to make sure you weren't getting into trouble."

"Y-Yeah," Jaune confessed. "Ozpin said—"

"Ozpin!" Blake and Yang shouted together. Yang threw down her fists.

"Of course that asshole would send people to spy on us!"

Ren tried again in vain. "We promise, we were only trying to help."

Blake mocked him. "Oh, yeah. Real fucking helpful. Look at how much fucking help you're being." She didn't care how many people were staring at her. The fact these two schmucks of all the people in the world were actively being stooges for the world's worst headmaster pissed her off. If Glynda was stalking her, she would at least expect that. Like, she assumed Glynda was stalking her anyway. Instead, she had to live with the most important mission of their lives being endangered by the inarguably two least interesting members of Team JNPR. There was no redeeming that.

Except, as the horror dawned on her, that wasn't the only possibility.

"Wait… where are your teammates?"

Jaune and Ren's fearful expressions were all she needed.

"Oh, no…"

Ren, persistent, spoke again. "Blake, we can explain all of this…"

Blake ignored him. "Yang, call Weiss." Yang hurriedly pulled up her Scroll and flicked through her contacts. Blake grabbed his jacket and tugged on her, speeding her along. "Call her now!"

"I'm calling!" Yang said frantically. She pulled the Scroll to her ear, desperate to warn her teammate before it was too late.

Ring.

"Guys," Jaune said weakly, "we didn't mean—"

Blake snapped. "Jaune, say another word and I will cut your fucking dick off."

Ring.

"Come on, Weiss," Yang shuddered. "Pick up, pick up…"

Ring.

"No… come on, please…"

Ring.

---

Weiss gently rotated Winter's sword in her hand. She carefully admired its craftsmanship: the flexible, slightly curved blade, the smooth comfort of theleather grip, the deft weight that made it feel like holding air. It was a simpler weapon than her own, functioning perfectly without the extra Dust compartments or glyph capabilities. When she was far younger, she dreamed of holding such a weapon or possibly inheriting it from Winter herself. It represented all the things that a Schnee should be: delicate, regal, swift, and above all, deadly.

Winter twitched violently in her chair. Weiss kept her eyes on the sword.

Stiltskin demanded silence while he operated. Weiss understood his need for concentration. A single mistake would send her sister's mind spiraling. He also informed her that he could not take a break from the operation until he finished, which meant there would be no reprieve from either of their pain. He said it was necessary to avoid "damages", whatever that meant. She didn't want to find out. Stiltskin gently guided his fingertips over Winter's scalp, never once touching her skin. There was no glow from his fingers, or transfer of energy, or anything to suggest he was doing any work at all. There was only the focused look in his eye, and Winter's occasional twitches or screams to ensure Weiss that he was tampering with her brain. It hadn't been that long since he began his operation, but it felt like hours had passed. Weiss was exhausted from the day's events. She wanted to wander into the lobby and sleep on one of the awful plastic chairs.

But she couldn't leave Winter now.

She had to focus.

Weiss had gotten rather good at the Melodies. She hadn't realized just how good until now, she supposed. She was barely concentrating on them, letting them drift off like old memories, yet always keeping them in the back of her mind. The chains remained tight around Winter's body, and the consistent pain from the operation and her broken leg kept the eldest Schnee distracted enough to prevent her from using her Summons. It let Weiss think of the future and its awful implications. Weiss wondered if, when this was finally over, Winter would forgive her for her sins. That was a distinct possibility no one on her team was daring to face; that Winter would take her rediscovered free will and tell Team RWBY to fuck off. She may never speak to Weiss again when this was all over. That probably wouldn't hurt as much as seeing Winter suffer… but it would be close.

Weiss wasn't sure how much time had passed. She felt like she had woken from a trance—when she heard the shop's front door open.

Stiltskin stopped his operation momentarily, and he and Weiss exchanged confused glances. Blake and Yang? Back already? It had to be… but they would have warned them if they returned. Weiss's heart skipped a beat.

"Wait here," she told Stiltskin. "Keep working on her."

She clipped Winter's sword to her hip and moved toward the door. Perhaps it was a bad idea for her to venture back into the lobby. Perhaps she should have just stayed hidden and hoped the intruder would go away. Maybe they were just a potential customer, looking to get their fix. Maybe it was nothing at all, just a mistaken wanderer. She wasn't in the best position to think rationally, however. Her protective instinct had taken over, and her insistence on completing Winter's operation overtook her other faculties. Stiltskin had to keep working. She would guard her sister with her life. That was what Huntresses were meant for.

Weiss cautiously opened the door a crack. She was shocked to see who was waiting for her on the other side.

Pyrrha seemed lost. She stood awkwardly in the middle of the lobby in her maroon winter coat, hands by her side and green eyes slowly wandering around the shop's dilapidated walls. She almost didn't notice the door opening but was able to catch Weiss's face on the other side. Weiss let the shock run over her like cold water before she exited the room, careful to block the view to the other side with her body, lest Winter's fate be detected.

"Pyrrha?" Weiss said with disbelief.

"Weiss. It's good to see you," Pyrrha said kindly.

"What… what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Weiss tried to steady her nerves. She couldn't tell how much of her fear Pyrrha detected.

"I don't… how did you get here?"

"Same way as you, I suppose," Pyrrha admitted. She seemed almost shy. Her face was red as if she had recently been crying. She was also, as far as Weiss could tell, alone. Weiss didn't know what to make of her.

"Are you here by yourself?"

"Yes. Well, no, I guess," Pyrrha sighed. "Not technically. The others are elsewhere."

"Doing what?"

"Well, looking after you, I guess. Ozpin sent us."

Weiss held back a scream.

"He did?"

Pyrrha nodded. "You see, he… he said he was worried about you. You had gotten into a lot of fights recently, and he was worried you would end up hurting yourselves again. He sent my team to look after you. I'm sorry if that sounds rather… rude."

Dammit. Of course, he did.

Weiss tried not to question how Pyrrha had located them, or where her teammates were. Hell, she could probably guess that. What suddenly became clear, what raised her anxiety to new levels, was the realization that anything she said now would come back to Professor Ozpin. Her new mission became obvious.

Whatever the hell happened next… she had to keep Pyrrha out of that back room.

"No. Not at all." Weiss feigned a smile. "Maybe we should talk outside. It's rather cramped in here."

"Where is here, exactly?" Pyrrha asked innocently. She did not move. Her eyes closely looked over Weiss, scanning for any sign of injury or struggle. She saw no blood, no bruises, no weakness. It seemed to relax her, and Weiss took that as a sign of her integrity. Pyrrha really was here to ensure her protection. She could use that.

Think. Think. Think. Yang had given her an alibi in case she was ever questioned. Just stay fucking calm.

"We were doing a tour of Atlas as part of a community project for the Team RWBY Fund," Weiss explained carefully, punctuating each syllable. "Blake had a friend in town, so we decided to visit him."

"And he owns this place?"

"Right. His name is Ryan… or something."

"Or… something," Pyrrha repeated. She flashed a forced smile as well. While her arms rested limply by her sides, her fingers danced sporadically. "And you are still here, because…"

"I was tired," Weiss said quickly. "You know how it is, spending so much time with Blake and Yang. I couldn't deal with them anymore, so I sent them ahead."

"And you just stayed here," Pyrrha shrugged, "in this… place?" She grazed over the contents of Stiltskin's desk. Weiss's smile faltered slightly.

"Like I said. I was tired."

Pyrrha nodded unsurely. "Right. Of… of course."

She became silent, as if she had lost her place in a script. Weiss could tell this was the first time she had ever done something like this, and her interrogative inexperience was laid bare. Weiss held calm, as if nothing was ever out of the ordinary. Pyrrha bought in. Her eyes continued to dart around the room like she was looking for anything suspicious. She eventually settled on the door Weiss was awkwardly guarding.

"What's back there?"

Breathe, Weiss thought. Just breathe.

"Nothing. Just some storage space where I was napping."

"Can I, um… see it?" Pyrrha asked politely

"Um… no?" Weiss said more firmly. "I can't just show you around Blake's friend's place. That's rude."

"Oh. I see." Pyrrha went quiet again under Weiss's icy stare. It took her nearly a minute before she felt comfortable speaking. "The reason Ozpin sent me was because he was worried about you. I just… wanted to make sure you were okay. You can understand how nervous I was, seeing you in a place like…" She drifted off again. Her smile became painful. "I guess I was worried for nothing, wasn't I?"

"Yes. I'm clearly fine," Weiss stated, "and I don't appreciate being spied on."

"I'm sorry."

"You should be sorry. I know Ozpin doesn't trust us, but that's a violation of our privacy, Pyrrha. And our trust. We don't need you here."

Pyrrha's smile dropped completely. "I was only trying to be helpful."

"Well, if you really want to help, you could leave us alone," Weiss said sternly, gesturing to the door.

"I see." Pyrrha seemed regretful, but again, she did not move. The comment stung her deeply, shaking whatever resolve she had left. That was it… wear her down… make her doubt…"You know, Weiss, I… always respected you the most out of your team."

Weiss tried to remain calm. Really? Now she wanted to reflect on the past. She almost didn't bother responding, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Why are you mentioning that?"

"Because you probably think I hate you."

"I don't think that."

"It's all right if you do. I… haven't really done anything to challenge that idea," Pyrrha said sheepishly. "It's hard for me to deal with someone like… you. All of you. Team RWBY, I mean. You're just so… different. I don't really understand any of you, and that's very… it's hard for me to understand people. I've always had difficulties with that. But with you, I feel like I've come the closest to understanding. Moreso than with your teammates."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I'd like it to be. Maybe…" Pyrrha sighed. "I still remember when we first met. The first day of school, that silly party they had us attend. You were so polite to me. You even offered to help me unpack. It made me feel welcome in a new place. Usually, I hate the attention, but that… that was very kind of you."

Weiss lowered her defenses, if just for a moment. Those were far simpler times. It was embarrassing to think of how much of a fangirl she was for the Mistran champion. She would have given anything to team with her, to stand by her side and do battle together. It may have even been a crush, though she hardly would have recognized it at the time. Even though it was only a few months ago, she seemed so childish back then.

"It was hard… standing in a stranger's land," Weiss confessed. "I didn't have anyone either back then."

Pyrrha talked wistfully. "Do you remember that we were teammates once? It was only for a few hours, but it was probably the most normal few hours we ever shared at Beacon. I thought you were more than deserving of the honor. We were supposed to be the best, you and I, Ren and Nora." Pyrrha hung her head. "I'm not saying I don't appreciate Jaune being on my team. He's been very kind to me. But I do wonder… what would have happened to us, if we had stayed together? I think sometimes how far we would have gotten. I might have preferred that to what we are now. We could have been so great."

To Weiss, the answer was far more obvious. "Maybe we could have been. It certainly would have been an easier path forward. But being with Team RWBY has made me realize so many things about myself. It's made me a better person than I thought I was capable of. I don't think I would give that for anything."

Pyrrha seemed disappointed, but she graciously accepted the answer. "Well… your team is lucky to have you."

"They are," Weiss nodded. "And I'm lucky to have them."

It was hard to know what satisfied Pyrrha's desires. Weiss had been around Ruby long enough to see the same sparks in the other team leader, and just like Ruby, they were often times obtuse and contradictory. Even though they were separated by only Stiltskin's desk, it seemed the ocean between them was far too wide to ever cross. If Pyrrha really thought she was here to protect them, then it seemed like there was nothing more for her to do. That was Weiss's best thought. She didn't have Ozpin's manipulations, or Ironwood's ruthlessness, or even Sienna Khan's altruistic heartlessness. She was, as best as Weiss could tell, just a student in way over her head and looking for a way out. As long as Weiss gave her one, there was nothing to worry about.

If she had been in the other room where she left her Scroll, she would have seen it vibrating from an incoming phone call, warning her of Pyrrha's impending arrival. The truth was: she wouldn't have needed it. After lingering another few moments, Pyrrha slowly turned on her heel.

"I… I hope the rest of your trip goes well, Weiss."

"Thanks," Weiss said dryly. "Try to keep out of trouble yourself."

Pyrrha nodded. "Of course."

She gave one last lingering look to Stiltskin's shop. There was nothing there for her, it seemed. Weiss seemed perfectly safe, and if she truly was in danger, she would have given Pyrrha a warning. Wouldn't she? Yes, of course. Team RWBY was rebellious and crude, but she never thought they were malicious. If she reported back to Ozpin that they were fine, he would be satisfied… she hoped. Taking a final deep breath, Pyrrha pushed open the front door and placed one foot into the cold, and Weiss finally let herself relax.

And then from the back room, Winter screamed in pain.

Pyrrha froze at the entrance. Her fingers slowly curled. That was all it took to turn her world on her head, to make her instantly forget about Weiss's kindness toward her. She stood in silence for a moment as the revelation slowly dawned on her. Weiss's stomach dropped.

Pyrrha took a step backward, sealing herself into the room. She didn't face her when she spoke next.

"Who was that?"

Weiss didn't have an answer, at least not one that would save her. She could say it was her sister, their friend, a stranger, but it was far too late for that. She had been caught in a lie.

"That's… um…"

"Weiss. Who was that?"

Pyrrha's words stung like the cold. Weiss had no plan. She instead let the honesty fall out of her.

"I… I can't tell you that."

Weiss had done an amazing job convincing Pyrrha to leave. She had played her emotions like a beautiful instrument, carefully talking her down from disaster. In that moment, she realized she played a very, very wrong note. The goodwill wasn't just gone—it had been shattered.

Pyrrha turned around. Her shoulders had stiffened. Weiss saw that look in her eyes: the familiar, haunting stare that she summoned when something had wronged her. Her mission had been to keep Team RWBY safe. That was partially correct. But Ozpin hadn't told her that, specifically. Her job was to look for trouble. It seemed she had found it.

"Weiss…" she said carefully. "May I please see what's in the back room?"

The ex-heiress—the liar—didn't move from her spot. Instead, her hand slowly wandered to the sword that was clipped at her waist. She already knew where this was going.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that either."

Pyrrha tilted her head. All of Ozpin's words came back to her. His warnings. His wisdom. The slander that Team RWBY tried to force on her on their first day in Atlas. Their deceit that got Goodwitch fired. Her own failures that had accumulated over months, being outplayed time and time again by people she thought she could trust.

She slowly unzipped her winter coat, and it fell to the floor. She was wearing her chest armor underneath. Her sword and shield were equipped to her back.

"I'm not asking."

"Pyrrha," Weiss said pointedly. "You should really just let this go."

Another scream reached out from the other room. The pain was greater than before. Pyrrha stopped blinking as she stared down Weiss.

"I don't like it when people keep things from me, Weiss," Pyrrha warned. "I hate when I'm lied to."

"Then you should stop doing whatever Ozpin tells you." Weiss grabbed the hilt of Winter's sword. "I'm not your enemy, Pyrrha. Your real enemy is right in front of you."

Pyrrha pulled the shield off her back. She drew the sword from its holster.

"You're right."

Her foot locked into place.

"She is."

Weiss had only a split-second to react as Pyrrha threw the shield directly at her head. In a moment of pure instinct, she ducked down behind the desk, and the shield collided with the wall where her skull used to be, embedding itself into the wood. Weiss gasped in fear, drawing Winter's sword fully. She had to steel herself. She was doing this. Oh fuck, she was actually doing this.

This was going to go so wrong.

Pyrrha vaulted over the desk, her shadow blocking out the lights above. She swung down her blade hard toward Weiss, and the ex-heiress was barely able to roll out of the way as the sword came down between her legs. She hurried to her feet, but Pyrrha was already on top of her. She spun, whipping her shield out of the door and bashing it into Weiss's chest in one fluid motion. Weiss stumbled against the wall. In a split second, she realized how screwed she was. Her combat relied on distance and careful maneuvering. In the cramped closeness of Stiltskin's shop, she could do neither. She couldn't summon her chains, or Winter would be free. Summoning the toad would crush all of them. Glyphs? Flat out impossible with this weapon. If Pyrrha was intent on showing mercy, she didn't show it.

Pyrrha charged into Weiss with the flat end of her shield, but Weiss grabbed the shield and held her back with her mechanically enhanced limbs. With all of her strength, she shoved Pyrrha away from her. Between the desk and the back door, there was maybe a yard of total width, barely enough for them to stand and fight. If Weiss would fight handicapped, she would share the burden.

Weiss charged forward, swinging overhead. Pyrrha blocked the incoming strike effortlessly and countered with one of her own. Their swords clashed together overhead. They separated and struck again, loud metal clangs echoing in the small shop. Pyrrha screamed as she swung at Weiss's throat. Her blade cut a scar into the wooden door. Her next swing was deflected into the desk, which collapsed clean in half from her strike. Its contents spilled onto the floor in a single heap. Pyrrha tried again, and this time Weiss's defense was a little too slow. The sword cut across her leg, and Weiss hissed in pain.

Pyrrha immediately booted her in the wound. Weiss powered through.

Another strike, more careful, aimed for her shoulder. Weiss barely cast it aside. For all of Pyrrha's hatred, she was still fighting methodically. Every attack perfectly bled into the next. When Weiss countered with a thrust of her own, Pyrrha absorbed the impact with her shield and drew Weiss in. She kneed her hard in the gut and cast her back to mid-distance. Weiss tried countering with a kick to throw Pyrrha off her guard, but it was too easy to predict. Pyrrha swiftly dodged through the blow and cracked her knuckles against the side of Weiss's skull.

Winter's weapon was effective, and she could place no blame on it for her inefficiencies. Weiss had practiced with a sword all her life, but it wasn't good enough. Pyrrha was just faster than her. Better equipped. Weiss couldn't win the battle by conventional means. She thought back to her training, to her team. She would have to fight dirty.

Weiss ducked under Pyrrha's next strike and wrapped her arms around her torso. She needed to stay close, closer than Pyrrha could use her weapons. Using her enhanced strength, she pinned Pyrrha against the opposite wall, trapping her as the prodigy struggled to free herself. Pyrrha tried to use her weapons, but Weiss pushed up her shoulders into Pyrrha's armpits, forcing her to hold her hands at eye level. She brought forward her metal kneecap into Pyrrha's, and the prodigy hissed in pain. Weiss felt the impact reverberate back through herself but fought through it. She could afford such a reckless move. Her cybernetic components would do more damage.

Weiss couldn't beat her. She knew that. But maybe she could hold her off. Maybe Yang and Blake would return. Maybe Stiltskin would finish his surgery in time. She had to stall for—

"Let go!" Pyrrha drove a sharp elbow into the back of Weiss's neck, and her knees gave out. Pyrrha followed with two more rapid, identical strikes, straight down to Weiss's spine. Weiss felt her strength flutter. She tightened her hooks into Pyrrha and drove the prodigy into the ground. She tried using her extra weight to pin Pyrrha underneath her. Unfortunately, Pyrrha was a better wrestler than her as well. She immediately started rolling, using the small cracks in Weiss's guard to pull her arms in and gain some leverage. Weiss's face drew close to Pyrrha's, enough to see the sweat on her brow and the glistening of her teeth. She had another, desperate idea, one distasteful even to her. She had no choice. She jammed her thumb into Pyrrha's eye.

Pyrrha screamed, and for a moment, Weiss had her on the ropes. Just a moment. Loosening her hold on Pyrrha's waist was a terrible mistake. Weiss didn't even realize she had wormed her way free until she was already out of her control. Pyrrha rolled beneath her, shifting up her weight to her shoulders and kicking up her feet. She wrapped her legs around Weiss's head and trapped her arm, forcing her into a triangle choke. Weiss felt the blood start to leave her head as she saw Pyrrha's mad eyes burning into her. The wounded one had already started to bruise, but its fire wasn't close to being extinguished.

Weiss swung her fists hard into Pyrrha's thighs, trying anything to loosen their grip. She dug her fingers into her flesh and even struck at her face. The world went hazy. Her hearing began to fade. With a desperate gasp of strength, she managed to push one of Pyrrha's legs off of her neck before she passed out, but the prodigy easily recovered. Her hold slipped down to Weiss's shoulder, trapping Weiss's right arm in an armbar. She rotated her body sharply, trying to pull Weiss's joint out of its socket. She pulled with all of her might, but Weiss's enhancements kept her shoulder firmly in place. It gave Weiss time to think, if only barely. Her weapon was still in her hand. The angle was tough, but she could maneuver it.

Though she was unable to get any force behind the blow, she was able to jam the tip of Winter's sword into Pyrrha's calf. Pyrrha still didn't let go. Weiss pushed in a full inch, wedging it into the tense, resistant muscle. Eventually, Pyrrha relented—only to grab her shield and swing it hard into Weiss's face.

The two Huntresses took a moment to recover. Weiss fell to the wayside, her sword pulled free from Pyrrha's leg. Pyrrha flexed her wound, feeling the warm blood trickling down her pant leg. She growled and kipped up to her feet, only slightly wobbling on her injury. Weiss was slower to rise, but her sheer tenacity compelled her forward. She wasn't letting her sister down. Her plan was working. Pyrrha was visibly hurt. Limping. Clutching one eye. Maybe she could keep up.

It was scary how fast Pyrrha adapted to her tactics. The redhead's brain was built differently than any other opponent she had ever faced. Weiss had already wasted her sole opportunity to win. Pyrrha would make sure of that. Before Weiss could even get past her knees, Pyrrha's weapon was in mid-transformation. She didn't even hesitate.

A bullet passed through Weiss's palm. Winter's sword clanged against the ground as Weiss screamed in agony.

She clutched her hand, trying to keep her thoughts from running out of control. She looked down at her blood-soaked injury, the bullet's exit wound clearly visible in her palm. Dark red tissue spilled out of the opening. Her fingers spasmed until they were numb. She couldn't clasp her hand shut from the pain. It was easily one of the worst things she had experienced along with losing her eye, more than enough to keep her writhing on the ground. Pyrrha considered shooting her through the knees for good measure, but she decided against it. She wasn't here to hurt anyone. She just needed the truth.

Pyrrha opened the door to the back room unopposed. She didn't even understand what she was seeing.

Every cluttered, disgusting feature of the sham of an operating room.

The body tied to the slab—one she recognized from the God's Arm long ago.

Chains around every inch.

A mad man, holding at her mind. He saw her enter, and panic overtook his queer features.

Pyrrha could only scream.

"What… what the hell is this?" She turned to Weiss as if the ex-heiress would give her some explanation, yet Weiss only looked up at her in pain and horror. It dawned on her that her mission was a failure. "What the hell is going on?"

Stiltskin smiled at the new, violent visitor. "Hello, there. I promise, this is not as bad as it looks."

Pyrrha didn't believe a word coming out of his mouth. Context escaped her, but she could make out the basics. A victim trapped. A secret kept. She didn't fully grasp why, but it seemed evident that Weiss was holding her sister hostage.

Winter gasped again as Stiltskin continued working on her. It was enough to send Pyrrha's rage skyrocketing.

"You—get away from her!"

"I'm afraid I can't stop—"

"I said get away!" The sword transformed again and Pyrrha charged at Stiltskin, pointing the golden weapon directly at his neck. He raised his hands in fear and quickly stepped away from the medical chair. His eyes never left Winter. Her closed eyes started to twitch. Once Pyrrha had backed him into a corner, she hurried to Winter's side, looking over her for injuries. "What the hell are you doing to her?"

"Ma'am, please," he begged. "You don't understand."

"Are you torturing her?" Pyrrha cried, outraged. "Is that what you've been doing here all this time?"

"We are trying to help her. Please, wait."

Pyrrha wasn't listening. She could not comprehend how Weiss was capable of such evil. How any of Team RWBY were. She didn't grasp what they were doing to Winter, but she was already convinced of its madness. The torment on Winter's face was enough to confirm it. She had truly never thought of Team RWBY as sinister until now, but with the truth staring right at her, she couldn't possibly deny it. Even as she panicked in trying to care for Winter, her mind raced elsewhere. Her teammates were with Blake and Yang. What the hell were they doing?

She didn't need an explanation. She needed to get Winter out of here. She needed to warn Ozpin. Jaune. Ren. Anyone. This—whatever the fuck this was—couldn't be allowed to continue.

Pyrrha examined the golden chains. They were unmistakably Weiss's. She wasn't sure what they were made out of, but she knew they had to go. She brought her sword to the weakest part of the link—only to get tackled from behind by a howling, desperate Weiss.

"Get away from her!"

Weiss held down Pyrrha's wrists, ignoring the horrible pain in her left hand. Pyrrha fought viciously from beneath. She wouldn't be held down long.

"Weiss!" Stiltskin cried.

"Stiltskin! Take Winter and get out of here!" Weiss ordered. It was a pointless command; they had nowhere to go, no one to help. But she needed to keep them safe. It was the only thing her frayed mind could say.

Pyrrha growled, pushing Weiss off her back. Weiss was flung to the ground. Pyrrha grabbed her shield, and now fueled by righteous fury, she maneuvered over Weiss and pressed down the shield against the Schnee's neck. Weiss clawed at Pyrrha desperately as the oxygen fled her lungs.

"You psychopath!" Pyrrha said hatefully. "How could you do this? That's your sister!"

Weiss wanted to curse out Pyrrha's ignorance, but the sharp pressure on her windpipe stopped her dead. Pyrrha's knees dug into her chest. The wound in her hand started to swell. Worse than the other chokes, she felt the world start to darken instantly. Stiltskin, sensing Weiss's pain, hurried by her side, but it was a careless mistake. When Pyrrha saw him in her peripheral, she turned and slashed at him. The blade cut through his shoulder, and he staggered back before stumbling over. She continued to choke out Weiss and Stiltskin collapsed, bleeding from his arm.

Weiss felt the life drain from her body. Her hearing turned to pure white noise. Her legs became slack. A mass welled in her throat. Her face turned purple.

Blake…

Yang…

She needed them…

They had to save her…

There was nothing else she could do…

She was slipping, slipping further…

Her eyes flicked into the back of her head…

Pyrrha's hate consumed the last of her vision…

She had no hope…

…

Well, one hope…

The chains around Winter roared to life. They rapidly untangled themselves using the last of Weiss's will. Pyrrha heard the powerful scraping of the chains, but when she turned around, it was too late. Two chains wrapped around her right arm. Another two around her left. More grabbed her by the throat. Her waist. Her ankles. She was yanked off Weiss with tremendous force and thrown into the opposite wall. Her sword and shield dropped from her grasp. She screamed, but the chain around her neck tightened her windpipe and snuffed out her voice. Together, the many chains mounted her against the wall, embedding her into the paper-covered post board; a brand-new decoration for Stiltskin's office. Weiss rolled lazily onto her side, the life slowly returning into her, as Pyrrha struggled in vain.

"Let me out! Let me out of here!"

Pyrrha tried loosening her wrist, twisting her waist, and screaming for help. Nothing worked. With horror, she realized she was trapped at Weiss and the stranger's mercy.

Neither seemed interested in her, however. Stiltskin instead picked himself up and helped Weiss back to her feet.

"Are you all right, miss?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine," Weiss said groggily. "Are you?"

"I've been through worse." He noticed the severe wound on her hand, and gently reached for her wrist. "We need to get that disinfected and patched up."

"I'll manage," Weiss said, tucking her hand by her waist. "Win… Winter… check on her."

Despite Weiss's agony, there was a far more pressing matter. Winter lay still on the operating table, now free from her confinement. The only thing left holding her remotely in place was Gambol Shroud, and its band that was wrapped across her neck. Weiss hurried by Winter's side, looking over her sister. Despite Stiltskin no longer operating on her, she still seemed to be in severe discomfort. Stiltskin seemed more concerned with Weiss's wound, at least for the moment, but quickly returned to Winter's head.

"Okay, Winter, hold steady." He placed his hands around her scalp and continued his work.

"Winter, please, just… just hold still," Weiss grabbed her sister's hand. She squeezed it tightly. It was all she could do to keep her at bay. "I know it hurts, I know, but it's just going to be a little longer. I promise."

Winter's breath became staggered. Stiltskin shook his head. "It's actually going to be quite a while, still."

"I'm trying to calm her down!" Weiss stammered.

"Then don't lie to her," Stiltskin insisted. "Trust me, it just makes it—"

Winter's eyes shot open. A final scream of vengeance escaped her.

She shoved Weiss away, and Stiltskin too was forced to move back as she rolled freely on the medical chair. She grabbed the band around her neck and yanked it away with a pained gasp. While Pyrrha was bound, she was forced to watch the former captive go on a rampage.

"Winter, wait!" Weiss cried. Not good. She couldn't fight her sister into submission. Not like this… not ever. She couldn't risk freeing Pyrrha either. As Winter sat up on the operating table, she looked into Weiss's eyes. Weiss could see the flurry of emotions overwhelming her. Rage. Betrayal. Distress. Fear. Behind everything else, there was a pleading that Weiss couldn't understand, a desperation to make all of her suffering end. Winter started to get off the table.

"Wei… Wei…"

A horrible jolt ran down her spine. Her face lost all expression. She collapsed face-first onto the floor.

Weiss saw her go limp—then seize.

"Winter? Winter!"

Weiss fell to her knees, picking Winter's head into her lap. As she rolled her sister over, she gasped as she saw her face. The left side of her face was stuck in a disturbed grimace; the right side kept twitching at random intervals. Her right eyeball flickered and repeatedly rolled back into her skull. Her body spasmed, but she couldn't move otherwise. Weiss's name kept trying to escape from her lips but was held back by her traitorous tongue. Seeing Winter in such a state caused Weiss to instantly start crying.

"Winter? What's happening?"

Stiltskin grabbed onto Winter's shoulders. "Dammit! Help me move her!"

"Why? What's—"

"Quickly!"

Weiss didn't have time to argue. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around her sister, her blood-soaked palm seeping into Winter's back. She hoisted Winter back on the medical chair, and Stiltskin grabbed onto her scalp forcefully. He leaned in close, directing all of his attention to her revolting mind. Weiss clasped her hands over her heart.

"Stiltskin, please! What's happening?" she begged.

Stiltskin groaned in frustration. "You remember how I said I shouldn't get interrupted? Her brain is currently in an unstable state. While I was operating, I could control the neural pathing for her thoughts so it would continue to function normally. Since I got disconnected from her, her brain has gotten confused. In its current state, it doesn't understand how to properly transfer information from one section to the next. She is suffering from a severely desynchronized nervous system. In short… different parts of her brain aren't talking to each other anymore."

"W-What? What does that mean?" Weiss cried. "Is she going to die?"

"She will if I can't concentrate," Stiltskin said sternly. Weiss was forced to stifle her horror as Stiltskin intently worked on stabilizing Winter's mind. The Huntress, normally so powerful, was out of control on his bed, unable to be calmed. Her right foot rotated in circles. Her fingers kept twitching and jumping. Was she conscious? Did it hurt? Did life even make sense to her anymore? Weiss couldn't tell what was going on in her sister's head anymore. It was the worst of her nightmares come to life, and everything she feared would happen when she came to this godforsaken place. Stiltskin said nothing, operating with a deep concentration that Weiss had never seen from him before. She wished she could peer inside Winter's skull and see the ways he tampered with her grey matter. She wanted to hate him for what he had done, but now, he was her only hope for salvation.

Pyrrha watched silently from her prison. If she was confused before, the scene in front of her was plainly surreal. What had they been doing to this woman? Why were they acting so concerned for her well-being? She had overlooked something, and yet the scene in front of her had made so much sense, it was hard to question it. If what this man said was true, then it meant that, in some important way, her interference was causing Winter's suffering as much as them. She couldn't bear to face that potential truth. She could only watch and pray some revelation would come that would bring everything into focus, and for a miracle to save Winter's Soul.

Several minutes passed. Winter's twitching did not cease. Stiltskin only worked harder.

"Dammit," Stiltskin muttered under his breath. "Come on… work with me…"

"What's happening?" Weiss asked weakly.

"She's not cooperating," Stiltskin explained.

"Winter, please."

"Not her. Her mind," Stiltskin said further. "It's resisting me at every turn. The flesh is barely doing what I command it to. The shutdown is working across her nervous system. At this rate, her brain will stop telling her organs to function."

"We have to do something!" Weiss pleaded. "Can... can we call an ambulance? Get a real doctor? Something?"

"This is beyond normal medicine," Stiltskin sighed. "Unless you happen to have a way to reach into her mind and force it to work with me, we just have to hope my Semblance takes hold."

Weiss could no longer breathe. The tears were flowing freely. She wasn't expecting to lose her sister today. No one ever expected to lose a family member, not one so young. She had fooled herself into trusting Blake's judgment… though honestly, she couldn't be mad at her. She wasn't mad at anyone other than herself. Even Pyrrha, whose interference had sent their plans spiraling out of control—it wasn't her fault. Not really. She was just doing what she thought was best. At the end of the day, the only person Weiss could blame for the inevitable was herself. She agreed to this plan, pretended like she was putting Winter's needs above her own. What an awful lie that was. She led Winter to this deathtrap and promised her with empty words that she could keep her safe. Now, Winter had to pay the punishment for her arrogance.

That might have been the worst thing of all: knowing it was her fault yet there was nothing she could do. She wished she could soothe Winter's suffering in her final minutes, wished she could take even a fraction of the pain unto herself. She could only stand by and watch as Stiltskin tried in vain to make things right, beg for Winter's forgiveness as her life slipped away from her. Despite all of her cleverness, all of her gifts, all of Team RWBY's bravery and brilliant strategies, she didn't have any means of protecting the one thing most important to her.

Except…

Didn't she?

"Move."

Stiltskin seemed surprised when Weiss suddenly moved toward him. She was still crying, but a proud determination suddenly came over her.

"What?"

"Move!" Weiss ordered. She pushed Stiltskin out of the way and took Winter's head in her hands.

"What are you—"

"You wanted a way to get inside of Winter's mind? I can do that."

"You… you can?"

Weiss couldn't answer with confidence, but that didn't stop her from trying. In what seemed like a lifetime ago, she ran the God's Arm and was pulled into the Reveler's twisted world. To this day, she didn't understand whether it was an illusion, an alternate reality, or some bizarre mix of the two. However, one thing that seemed obvious was that somehow, the Reveler was able to create his reality out of pieces of her mind. He knew her past, her fears, her family—he had the power to take other people's thoughts and twist them into his own. Was it real, truly real? Weiss didn't know. Her injuries from within that awful place never manifested, but the trauma lingered. Part of her was there, tangible in some meaningful sense. The Astral was what Ruby called it: a realm where the Souls met and morphed into something real.

When the Reveler died, he passed his other abilities onto her. Why not this power as well?

"No matter what happens to me, keep working on her. Do not give up," she warned Stiltskin.

"What are you planning to do?"

She wasn't sure. She had never tried to summon this power before. She wasn't even sure if it would work. But she had to try. Even if it shattered her own mind in the process, even if it was all in vain… she would try anything to keep Winter safe. She could do this. She knew she could, just like she knew she could summon the Melodies, just like she could summon the Phantoms. She already had the power. She knew it.

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She placed her hands on Winter's skull and concentrated all of her will, all of her power into her sister. Pyrrha watched from the sidelines, dumbstruck. Stiltskin's gaze dashed between the two Schnees. Winter continued to spiral in Weiss's hands.

But none of that mattered.

Focus.

Breathe.

Into the Astral.

Let go of the physical.

Let go of what was real.

Let instinct take hold.

Into the Astral.

Become greater than a single Soul could ever be.

Ascend to the plane above planes.

Into the Astral.

Winter needed her.

Let instinct take hold.

Save her Soul.

Into the Astral.

Weiss felt herself slip.

A white light overtook the room.

Winter gasped for air.

Together.

They dove.

Into the Astral…