Larger Issues

AN: Sorry about the long delay, had a family vacation and a heat wave that largely sapped the energy to write while also having mandatory overtime at work. But with everything that happens here, I hope that makes up for it.

Flight of the Valkyrie

Emerald sat in her cell.

Honestly, there was little else to do. She could lay on her bed or sit on it or her toilet, and if she wanted to move she could cross her cell in two strides.

That was about it.

Nothing to read was provided and nobody to talk to if she wasn't being interrogated. No music unless she did it herself.

It seemed to be the point of this isolation was to break her so that she'd talk about Cinder and her plans, perhaps even Salem. And she was reaching her breaking point.

Every time she was brought out to talk, she had been shown the bodies of the bandits or them in their own mug shots. But she barely knew any of them by name as she rarely dealt with them at all, Shay D. Mann being the go between as the de facto leader after Vernal was found to be… undesirable by all parties involved.

When they asked about where her accomplices were, showing her pictures of Mercury, Hazel, Tyrian, and Adam fleeing the scene… she couldn't help but to notice that Cinder wasn't among them. Ever.

There was no mention of her at all, as if she didn't exist… at least after she was blasted by lightning.

But given how the guards treated her as if she were dead and no longer a concern and what Enerald saw down in the cavern as Cinder was frozen to the wall and left that way…

But she never talked. At least about what they wanted her to.

"She can't be gone. She's too strong. Too powerful. Too… Too…" She fell to her knees mumbling, holding her head as tears ran from her eyes. If she wasn't wearing aura suppression cuffs, anyone looking in would more than likely be assaulted by her illusions. Even then, the guard who delivered her meals simply slipped the tray through the slot in the door.

Emerald had no idea how long she was in her cell for but nothing was getting easier for her.

And she was becoming desperate.

—-

"So… is everyone comfortable?" Cordovin had certainly changed her tone since they first met her. Gone was the stern and haughty Atlesian Commander who was willing to dismiss them without hearing a word they said. At first, it seemed to be that they were lucky to know Weiss Schnee well enough to get her to listen at all. But then there was the revelation that she and Nora were related.

It took a few minutes for the elder woman to find and bring her photo album over but the teens were provided with snacks and drinks while they waited.

Caroline received a few nods though she was most interested in how Nora was taking things… and not just because she had eaten half the snacks by herself and seemed to be trying to restrain herself, with help from the young man next to her.

"Now, I should probably explain a few things about the Valkyrie clan." She sat down and took a sip from her own mug, staring deeply into its contents.

"The Valkyrie clan was never one that was too great in numbers, pushing three hundred at the best of times and that's including spouses from outside of the clan.

But there were a few things that made us stand out beyond a preference for living in the higher latitudes, such as our height." That raised some eyebrows as the teens looked to their shortest member. "And we were known for our strength- both physically and mentally. As you may have noticed, that tends to make us rather… stubborn. And admittedly… we've also been known for being a little crazy at times."

Now the teens looked to Nora with a combination of amusement and respect.

"What?" Nora looks at her friends, confused as to why they are looking at her that way.

"Oh, nothing." There was something in Ren's tone that was different from normal, more affectionate. And the others beyond that pair picked up on it too.

Caroline decided to move on with her story, watching the pair discretely. "When Mantle was begun as a small prospecting town, it was the Valkyrie who had been entrusted with providing safety to the common folks as they traveled and worked. Things were good then, under our protection the town grew and we helped to train others to defend the early Mantle.

Of course back then, it didn't go by Mantle just yet. No, then it was simply known as Frost. They wanted a name that would be more permanent to pay homage to the bitter landscape that they called home and make that term to be more inviting and inspiring." She chuckled at the history lesson, watching as the teens cracked smiles.

"But as the mines became more expansive, jokes about digging down and hollowing out the mantle of the planet became so common that eventually one of our ancestors proposed to rename the town from Frost to Mantle… and the change succeeded.

Granted, when it came to mining, the best in the world had been the Schnee's and when they came, they revolutionized the industry. They brought along better tools, improved the safety, ensured that the workers were well paid for their labor… and Mantle flourished as the abundance of resources allowed for the scientific work that advanced technology decades ahead of other kingdoms, all while the Valkyrie made sure that we kept them all safe leading other Huntsmen into battle against the Grimm."

She paused to look fondly back at the old days before her time, flipping a few pages to show the teens the old photos and wetting her throat with a few gulps of her cooling tea. One of the Nubuck twins was quick to refill it for her, as the other took care of the guests.

"What happened?" Jaune asks, having picked up on her tone that the good part was over.

"The Great War happened." Caroline said sadly. She knew much of the history of her Kingdom and the outcome of its actions, most evident in the destruction of the ecosystem of Vacuo.

For their part, the teens went quiet knowing the basics of the horrors of that war and having learned of the fallout in classes. There was also a moment of silence for those who died during the war, for both sides of the conflict.

"Just as the war was about to begin, Mantle lost its influence over the Kingdom and Atlas was named its new capital. Despite the proximity to each other, having little more than a road to divide them at the time, going from one to another was a stark contrast.

Mantle was always the working man's place, with everything being built simple and sturdy yet having everything that was needed to make life comfortable. The mines and factories were much the same way, built to last and keep the production going as efficiently as possible.

Atlas… wound up becoming segregated as the wealthy moved there. Those who ran the factories and mines, mostly, but even the bankers and big store owners too. The Schnee's were already there as they had a small private mine nearby in the mountain but with the military and big research labs moving closer to those with the fat wallets… Atlas became the capital slowly but surely.

But with the war… the Valkyrie were sent to the front lines and crushed nearly all resistance against them. A single Valkyrie could fight ten soldiers by themselves and often win well enough that they could go a few more rounds like that before exhaustion set in.

But war is NOT like a tournament, no true rules and attacks can come from anywhere. And despite their strength and prestige, the Valkyrie began to fall one by one. By the end of the war, there were only a dozen of us left and even then some of them didn't last long afterwards."

It was sobering to hear about such an illustrious family known for their combat abilities to have been all but wiped out. Another lesson in that life is hard and unpredictable.

"But we're still here." Nora finally spoke.

"Ah, yes we are." Caroline chuckles, glad to have something to smile about after recounting so much of a somber tale. "Now we move onto our family, those I know best and the only Valkyrie that I know are left."

"Just us?"

"Not entirely… Freya, my mother, is old and hasn't been doing well over the past few years. She's been made comfortable and cared for around the clock back in Atlas until she eventually passes." There was a moment of silence at the table. "Though, now that you are here… it would give me a good reason to see her again."

Jaune choked on his hot chocolate. "Wait, what?" Eyes turned to him. "You need a reason to see your mom in her final days?"

"Jaune." Pyrrha tried to admonish her boyfriend but given what was said, she couldn't put any heat to it. She knew how much he values family and something like that was unfathomable to him.

"It's alright, I know how it sounds." The elder woman tries to defuse the situation. "It's more of a personal matter between myself and my mother, though admittedly a good part of it stemmed from Gaea. It's not something that I am proud of but I do hope that we can grant her peace."

"What happened?" Nora had to ask now that her mother was brought up.

Caroline took a deep, slow breath to calm herself as she collected her thoughts. "My sister, Gaea, was always the odd one out. Despite her strength, she was adverse to combat. It was not as though she lacked the skills, she showed them off when she was pushed. But she was stubborn even compared to the rest of the Valkyrie clan while also being head and shoulders taller than the rest of the family.

Haha, I really had to look up to my little sister as we played and trained and did almost everything together.

Some may have thought that it was odd for a drastic difference in height in our family, but Valkyrie of large stature have been known to pop up every so often and were a tremendous source of pride as the Valkyrie raw strength was boosted to match their size. Gaea was no different."

"But what changed?" The niece asks, curious as to knowing if her disdain for her mother was well founded.

"We grew up, I joined the Atlas military and rose through the ranks, even finding my eventual husband there and we married." She paused as she flipped to the pages where she was in a white dress with a white fur cape, her hair a rich brown with a wreath of flowers, and skin free of wrinkles, smiling happily with a rather unassuming man also dressed in white but has a brown fur cape.

The gasps from the girls could be heard around the room and Jaune looked like he was in awe of the man. Ren stood out as he looked at the photos and gave a small nod and smile.

"But eventually we found that I was barren and that dashed our hopes of raising children of our own. Adoption was possible but we turned to our military careers to fill our needs.

Gaea… unfortunately, came into the position of being the only one to carry on the Valkyrie lineage." Her tone became full of regrets. "But at the same time, she was smitten with a young man from Mantle.

But he was a tramp, a reputation for hanging around in seedy places, leading young girls on for a while before dropping them just as things would look to get serious.

But my sister… she pushed ahead with the relationship against all of the warnings from myself, our mother, and pretty much everyone who knew us.

We… just didn't want her to suffer a one-sided relationship but our words… only made her dig in her heels more. Arguments followed… we fought… and she left.

Probably the only thing that we could find that was good about the situation was that Gaea wasn't likely to let him carry on as he had until then." She told the teens with a wry smile, her eyes showing the pain she felt while her smile spoke of her wishes to have seen her sister setting that man on the straight and narrow.

"For a while, things were quiet. I hadn't spoken to my mother since I blamed her for pushing Gaea into having children just to carry on the family after my condition was made known. But I also blame myself for pushing her away because I wasn't as supportive as I could have been to help her find a better man to settle down with.

I kept tabs on them as best I could. That's how I knew Mom was having health troubles and helped to get her brought in for care… though I don't know if she knew of my involvement or if she's in any state to remember.

My sister… she was a bit harder to keep track of since she moved to Anima but eventually she sent me a letter. It took a few years but she admitted that I had been right. Her husband ran away just after finding out she was pregnant and she had sent out flyers to any and all towns across the continent to tell everyone what he did and has done.

Ah, 'Never anger a Valkyrie.', the age old phrase held true. Last I heard of him, he was thrown into prison after trying to cozy up to some rich merchant in Mistral who had the savvy enough to give him enough time to build up a list of grievances of his own to make the case against him even stronger."

"'Never anger a Valkyrie.'" Three members of team JNPR echoed as they glanced at the young Valkyrie who giggled in response… not assuring them in the slightest.

Caroline's voice grew full of regret now. "But… by the time that I had the opportunity to go visit my sister and her daughter, a few years had passed and I learned that their village had been attacked and destroyed." She didn't miss Nora taking hold of Ren's hand and squeezing it nor that he was surprised that she did, in fact, he seemed ready for it… as if they had done this before when the subject of her mother came up.

"Among those listed in the report as confirmed to have been killed…" Tears began to flow. "Seeing Gaea's name on that list broke me."

"But Nora wasn't on the list?" Jaune asks.

"That was just the list of confirmed victims. The list of those unidentifiable was just as long, not to mention those missing. The survivor list was dreadfully short." She answered curtly before delving back into painful memories. "She was just a child and if Gaea was killed, I had no hopes that Nora survived… there was no way that she'd just abandon the daughter she boasted so much about. I could feel the pride she had through her letters."

Water fell on the table. First it was one drop. Then another. And many more joined them.

Nora was crying, her eyes filled with tears that streamed down her cheeks.

For most of her life, she had resigned herself to hating her mother for abandoning her during that Grimm attack nearly thirteen years ago. But what Caroline was saying, threw all of that into question.

Memories long buried of her short life with her mother rose to the surface, trying to help cook, doing laundry, mopping the floors as she hung onto the handle, the giggle-filled tickle fights, reading books, the hugs and cuddles that made her feel so safe.

And Caroline pulled out a stack of envelopes from the book, roughly three dozen of them, and opened the first one to withdraw the letter from inside, complete with a photo of Nora as a newborn wrapped in blankets and held in her mothers arms, the woman tired but proud. "This… was the first one she sent me. You were nearly a year old by the time I received it."

And Nora fully broke down, bawling into Ren's shoulder.

—

The two vehicles drove through the dark, though there was an orange glow behind them that grew larger as the fire spread across the farmhouse, the barns, and the bunkhouse, giving the victims of the Grimm a long belated funeral pyre which with any luck would remove their killers from the face of Remnant long before it would burn out.

Unfortunately, one driver was fully exposed to the cold winds as she drove a motorcycle without a full suit meant for the weather. Others were in the open bed of the truck but they were at least lucky enough to have a supply of blankets to keep the worst of the wind off of them.

Yet they had little idea where they were really going other than hoping to reach Argus and get away from the Brunswick farm.

—-

"Hey Bowman, you see that to the east?"

"Yeah, Helms, let's go check it out." The two Manta pilots turned their aircrafts after having followed the train tracks since they left Argus.

According to their orders, the people they were looking for were likely following the tracks or would be close to them… but there was always the chance that they were forced away by Grimm so they would sweep the area after checking the tracks. The fire that could be seen from miles away… that presented a different situation. One that could lead them on the right path especially since wildfires in winter were quite rare.

"I'll keep following the tracks, just in case." Tom spoke over the radio as his Manta did as he said.

"Got it boss!" The pair say as they fly low over the trees. They still kept their eyes on the ground, hoping to spot anything along the way. And they did find something big.

What Helms found after landing in a clearing was the footprints of several people in the snow, what looked to be the tracks of a motorcycle, lots of Grimm trails, and a few shell casings. Overall, it looked like there was a scuffle here from people being chased against Grimm, only for the trail to continue into the forest.

Another small clearing held the same evidence, slightly off track from the first compared to fire in the distance and from the coordinates that Tom sent them after finding the remains of the train.

"Bowman, how's that fire looking?"

Bowman had been sent ahead to check on the fire as Helms investigated the tracks in the clearings.

"It's so big and hot that it's messing with my scanners. Otherwise, it's one big bonfire!"

"See anyone?" Tom cut in as he flew towards the inferno.

"Pretty sure nobody inside survived, not with the way this place is burning. Wait a second…" Bowman paused as she swung her craft around for a better look at something moving that wasn't simply the structure collapsing. "Oh shit!"

"What is it Bowman?"

"It's a Grimm! Sir, I repeat, it's a Grimm in the fire!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" Tom shouts over the radio as he raced across the sky, hooking around a large hill and nearly missed the headlights of a pair of vehicles below him. Quickly, he turned his Manta around and confirmed that there was a truck and motorcycle driving through the snowy woods before flying ahead and dropping down in their path.

The vehicles slid to a stop just short of the aircraft, the ice under the tires not helping in the slightest. But they had a good view of the boarding ramp opening in the back and a soldier in an officer's uniform walked out with a large flashlight.

"Is one of you Weiss Schnee?" The man asks.

The occupants were confused by the question at first but Weiss stood up in by the bed of the truck. "I am."

"Great! And is everyone with you?"

"Umm… yes?"

"Oh thank goodness!" Tom stepped out fully as his pilot finished the landing, keeping the craft running. "Lieutenant Thomas Tom of the Atlas military stationed in Argus. We've been sent out to search for you and your group."

"Wait a minute…" Qrow hopped out of the truck and walked closer to the soldier. "The rest of our team on the train should have had all of our names, not just the Ice Queen's."

Tom had the decency to look away in slight embarrassment. "They did… but the only name that got Commander Cordovin to act was Miss Schnee's."

"Cordovin? Oh great, she's still posted there?"

"Yes sir."

"Well… I guess we'll just have to deal with her then once we're safe and warm." The man shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You've had the pleasure of dealing with Triple C?" Tom asks, trying to lighten the mood, idly watching as the others left the truck.

"A few times too many." Qrow grumbled as he walks past and climbed aboard the Manta.

"Another question for you all, do you know about that fire back there?" He points behind them where the glow of the flames could be seen against the smoke in the night sky. There were a few nervous laughs at the sight.

"Normally we wouldn't have set the place on fire but there was a pack of Apathy in the basement." Maria tells the man plainly as she walks by.

"A-Apathy?!" Tom ran inside and spoke into his microphone. "Bowman! Keep your distance! There are Apathy there!"

"What?! Is that what that thing was?"

"Yes! Just circle the area and shoot any that manage to get out. Helms?"

"Yeah Boss?"

"Come to my location immediately, I found the group but we don't have room for everyone."

"Yes sir! ETA three minutes!"

"Good call, I'm not leaving my bike behind." Yang mutters since she overheard him from the bottom of the ramp.

Then he called back to base. "Simmons, send a Manta to these coordinates." Tom rattled off the directions without looking at any screens for verification. "Make sure that it is equipped for a bombing run. The place may be on fire now but it has been confirmed that the Apathy are still moving." He paused to listen to the other end. "Yes, Apathy. And send another Manta to the site of the train crash to pick up the luggage, I'll send Bowman to assist with the load once the Grimm are killed." He rattled off another set of coordinates for the traffic controller before cutting the connection.

True to his word, Helms arrived in three minutes which allowed Blake, Weiss, Oscar, and Ray to board while Qrow, Maria, Ruby, Yang, and Bumblebee to ride with Tom. Before they took to the air, the ground rumbled as bombs were dropped on the remains of the Brunswick Farm, reducing the structures to a series of smoldering craters.

A short time later, the pair of Manta's were flying towards Argus, arriving just as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

—-

Raven looked around the house, from the inside, for the first time in nearly twenty years. For the most part, a lot of the place she called home had changed little. A few decorations, pictures of Yang and Ruby over the years as they grew up, some framed photos of Taiyang and what looked to be his classes from Signal.

The hardwood floor in the living room has a new rug from when she had lived here and a few other small things she could pick out as memories flooded back to her.

Life was almost simple back then, being able to really relax, taking missions, training with her team… her pregnancy with Yang and holding her once she was born…

Those used to be memories that she would try to squash after she returned to the tribe, afraid that if she thought too much about her past that she'd run back to the good life, and feared that her family would turn her away because of what she had done… and she wouldn't blame them if that had happened.

How could anyone just welcome back someone who had run away and betrayed the trust of everyone they care about or knew them?

Even now, Taiyang, Qrow, Yang, and Ruby all, while trying to be inclusive with her as a family, kept a certain amount of reservation as she had to keep proving herself to them as trustworthy… and with what she did she fully understand. Though from what she heard, Blake Belladonna was going through the same process, just on a slightly lesser scale due to similar actions. At least the girl hadn't gotten into a romantic relationship with any of those she betrayed but even then she still had her boyfriend who was stubborn enough to match her and get her to see reason and explain why she had to go instead of leaving without telling them.

Yang had told her about the punch she gave Blake as they made amends, and there was no doubt that she'd punch her mother too if there was good reason to do so. And Raven was sure there was a list of reasons that her daughter was trying to overlook for the sake of uniting the family again.

"So… what do you think?" Tai asks as he drops the bag of his acquired belongings from Mistral on the floor.

"Looks cozy." Vernal states as she looks around curiously. "Where do I drop my stuff?"

"The girls' room is upstairs." The blonde tells her with a smile, watching as she ascends, then listens to her find the wrong door at first. "I gotta put some oil on the bathroom hinges again or they'll wake up everyone in the night."

Raven couldn't help but to agree. She knew that she'd wake and be ready to fight if she heard that. She'd rather not risk an accident.

"Hey Raven, the guest room is yours to use."

With a nod of acknowledgment, she followed her adopted daughter upstairs and found that things here had changed a bit. The guest room was easy to find, though it had been designated as Qrow's when it was just their entire team living here. No doubt that he had used it over the years but it was a surprise to see that the room was a lot smaller than it used to be.

Apparently the room used by Yang and Ruby, and now Vernal, had been expanded some time ago, tearing down a wall and building another. That had been Summer's room when the team had built the house.

Looking down the short hallway, Raven gazed at the door that hid the master bedroom… one that had been the one she and Taiyang had shared for some time, three years if she remembered correctly.

And she couldn't stop the feeling that she wanted to be back in there, to share a bed with the man she had loved. Yet she would have to keep that down knowing that Tai was giving her a chance at redemption and it was the only one she was going to get. Not just for their sake but for their daughters.

Raven set her bags down on the bed and looked at the small wardrobe available for her to use to store her meager belongings. At some point, she and Vernal would have to go and recover the remaining supplies from the tribe, wherever they were squirreled away at. She could at least have them distributed to nearby villages or use them to assist in the expansion efforts here.

"Hey, I hope you girls brought your appetites with you, I feel like going to Hestia's tonight for dinner." Tai called down the hall before taking his stuff to his room, the sounds of Zwei pacing the hallway filling the air as the little dog couldn't seem to decide who he wanted to be with first.

Tater was provided the couch to sleep on until his situation at Signal could be arranged, though due to his size he opted for the floor.

"Alright, I'll call my boss at Signal and get things going there. Just make yourselves comfortable until dinner time."

The three former bandits simply shrugged as the teacher brought out his scroll and dialed in a number.

—

"Come on! Why not?"

"George, we are not painting the sub yellow!"

"But Paul, they'd never see us coming!"

"That is why it is black, to make it hard to see while it's underwater."

"I know that!" George rolled his eyes under his mask. "But what I mean is who would even think that a yellow submarine would be dangerous?"

"George you… hmm… that is a good point."

"So we can do it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"One, we don't have yellow paint, let alone enough to paint the entire sub. Two… Do you really want to ask the boss if you can do that?"

"He isn't going to be near the water."

"Then he'll be madder that someone did it without his permission, and we have no expectations that he would allow it.

George raised a finger and opened his mouth but his argument died there as he slumped over. "I guess."

"If you're that upset, write a song about it or something."

—

"These Grimm just keep coming." Denko mutters as he looks in the side mirror of the Scarab, finding yet another pack of Beowolves chasing them.

"How long until we get to Argus?" Talon asks as she almost casually decapitates one of the beasts, but follows that up with a yawn.

"Three hours of the Grimm that keep making us weave." Itazura replies, having brought up the vehicle's holographic computer to check that and other information. "We have just enough Dust to get us to the city but we're also out of ammo."

"And our supplies." Anya adds as she held onto her seat as the vehicle ran over one Grimm while slamming another into a tree before it could do any damage.

The team has been under near constant stress thanks to the endless numbers of Grimm attacking them since they arrived in the region. Hundreds had fallen by their hands, if not well over a thousand by now. But now, even their rations were starting to run low as thanks to the lack of sleep and fighting, they had torn through them at a rapid pace.

To be quite honest, it was as if they were back at Cloudspire again. But at least there, they had walls and other Huntsmen to give them a break and were able to restock their equipment.

"Any chance at a clear run?" Denko swerved around a boulder.

"Not likely. The nearest known road is south of us but we'd run out of Dust before we'd reach the city." The route had been quickly calculated on the foxes display.

"Damn it." Another boulder dodged as Talon used an Air Burst to force an Ursa straight into the rock face first.

The blonde drove as smoothly as possible while maintaining speed to outrun the Grimm, taking advantage of narrow spaces to slow the beasts while downward slopes allowed him to conserve Dust by using gravity to his advantage.

But while they had managed to get away from the recent pack, the terrain had worked against them, forcing a higher use of their fuel than expected despite their best efforts. The Scarab was now stuck where it rolled to a stop now that the fuel was gone.

"Hey, we tried." Itazura patted her brother on the shoulder. "Good news is that we're close."

"How close?"

"About an hour's hike provided you don't get attacked."

"Alright…wait, me?"

"Yeah you, bro." The redhead narrowed her eyes, not in anger or annoyance but her usual mischief. "The rest of us are out of Dust and ammo, so we can just bunker down here until you get to Argus and either get us a tow to town or come back with Dust so we can get there on our own."

The blonde looked to the back seat where the sisters sat, both smirking at him.

"You are the only one with Dust left to fight with." Talon shrugs, keeping her smile. Anya didn't need to say anything to get her point across.

"Alright, I'm going. Needed to piss anyway." Denko mutters as he gets out and takes Raijin with him. He had only taken a few steps away from the Scarab when he heard Itazura activate the protective dome, the edge slamming to the ground and locking in place just behind his feet.

"Ugh, those girls." He grumbles as he gives the shelter a glance as he walks away.

—

"One of the targets split off from the others." The cloaked man smiles as he watches from another mountain through his binoculars. "Such foolishness will be put to a messy end."

With that said, he ran off to get ahead of his target knowing that the options were limited.

—

"So…" Itazura looked at the other two girls. "Ready to play?" She asks as she shuffles a deck of cards.

"Deal them." The sisters made sure that their table was ready along with a handful of chips.

—-

Emerald rocked on the bed, holding her knees tight with her arms.

The silence was deafening. She had no concept of time in this place.

She heard voices that had no source. Music would echo and distort. She saw things that she knew couldn't be real. Things such as people walking through the stone walls, in from one wall walking up the other and disappearing through the ceiling. Or the hands reaching up through the toilet, making her scared to use it.

All in all, it felt as if her own semblance had turned against her and all of her misdeeds were haunting her, manifesting through her semblance and slowly driving her insane.

"Hey! What are you doing here!" Emerald heard a man shout from the hallway followed by several gunshots before the man yelled in pain. More gunshots and another screamed.

Emerald sat on her bed, afraid to go closer to the door, not that she'd be able to see anything if she did. Maybe this was just another hallucination, it would pass like all of the others before.

The heavy steel door began to glow from the center, a dull red at first but that red spread outward as it was replaced by bright yellow which too began to spread. It took a minute for the door to melt away, forming a puddle on the floor all while the temperature in the cell rose to very uncomfortable levels, Emerald's sweat vaporizing as fast as it formed on her skin.

But as soon as the heating started, it ended as a strong gust blew through the cell, whipping the prisoners hair about her head as the sheets and pillow were thrown around by the wind, the latter landing on the molten metal and bursting into flames upon contact even as the same winds cooled the metal until it became solid again.

"Who- who's there?!" Emerald calls out, frightened by the display and exhausted by the heat flash as she cowered on her bed to keep away from the slag on the floor.

"Have you forgotten me so soon, Emerald?" The familiar voice of Cinder Fall cut through the trailing remnants of smoke, shortly followed by the woman herself walking over the cooling puddle of metal, unaffected by the remaining heat.

Cinder stood there with a hand on her hip, wearing a dark yellow robe with brown edges complete with a hood, looking as curvaceous as ever. But unless Emerald was misremembering, the Grimm on her body was now covering a bit more of her face with a tendril stretching across her brow to disappear into her hair and looking like the strap of an eyepatch at first glance.

"You-you-you're alive!" Tears began to flow from red eyes.

"That bitch should have made sure she finished the job. Now her arrogance will bite her in the ass when she least expects it." Her thoughts of revenge were interrupted by an impact to her body- Emerald had crossed the small room and embraced her while sobbing, ignoring that the metal they stood on, while solid, was still hot enough to burn.

Cinder was caught by surprise by the act, she had refused all such contact unless it was involved in combat, yet she couldn't help but feel something stirring inside of her.

Something that felt alien… yet familiar… and she had no idea how or why.

But what she did know is that Emerald is in bad shape AND had been desperate for her presence. And those were things she could take advantage of.

"Let's go before they send more men to stop us."

Cinder found that she nearly had to drag the other girl along since she had weakened so much without the ability to really exercise.

A wall slammed shut behind them, blocking off an exit route. It wasn't a gate but a stone wall with some metal reinforcement.

"Faster!"

A wall in front began to fall and Cinder tapped into her Maiden powers to unleash a torrent of freezing energy, creating a pair of frozen pillars that held the wall up halfway, but they wouldn't last long judging by the cracks.

The pair slid under the wall, helped by the slight frost on the stone floor, passing under just in time as the ice gave way and the wall slammed down.

The two women had no reprieve as the next wall was already slamming shut ahead of them.

"Do not move! You are trapped!" The voice of a guard came from a speaker overhead where a camera was focused on them. "Emerald Sustrai, step into the cell in front of you now and you will not have this escape on your record!" The door of the cell they were standing beside opened automatically. "You have ten seconds to comply!"

"What do we do?"

Cinder looked around but there was nothing but stone walls, the camera and speaker, and some bright lights set into the ceiling.

Ten seconds passed and a light green vapor began to drift down , making the women cough.

"Nighty night!"

Cinder could feel sleep tugging at her thanks to the gas but she refused to give in without a fight. In her hands she summoned all of the power she could muster and condensed fire, lightning, and wind into two tight balls that shone brightly in the hallway. The lightning was drawn from the lights, blowing them out.

With a powerful scream, the Fall Maiden thrust her hands out and released the elements in a blast that blinded and deafened everyone, including destroying the camera and the gas had ignited, scorching the hallway and causing the tanks that provided the gas to explode and start a few small fires elsewhere.

But she had done as she intended, blowing out a hole in the wall.

And that hole made both women realize that this prison was built into a cliff and the hole led to a sheer drop to the ground far below.

That didn't matter to Cinder as she grabbed Emerald and leapt out through the hole, using her powers to create jets of flames beneath her feet so she could rocket away.

—

Elsewhere in the prison a rather short guard walked out of a prisoners cell with a small skip in her step.

The man had been alone in his cell but he was a wanted man. He had thought that he could con Lil' Miss Malachite some time back and landed himself in this prison as a way to escape her reach when Spider came to collect on what was due… with interest.

For a short time, it had worked. He was safe from being attacked with round the clock security, three meals a day, and cellmates to talk to.

Until today that is.

Now the prison was the site of his death and it looks like he broke his neck after tripping and hitting his head on the bed.

Locating the exit, the guard left the facility using a card she had 'borrowed' from another, leaving it behind once she had gone through the final gate.

The guard walked around a corner and a similarly sized young woman in a very different outfit came skipping away with a parasol in hand.

AN: So... how about that backstory for Nora's family? The conclusion will come next time for that part, being a fun surprise for RWBY and ROCQ once they arrive. But now Raven is home and Emerald was broken out of prison... things are likely to get busy on those fronts. Plus Team DAIT ran out of a lot of their resources to fight with and have now sent Denko ahead to get some Dust for the Scarab to drive to the city... with a mystery man watching them.

Reviews are welcome!