"Play the next episode!" They demanded. They wanted to know that Oscar was okay and where he was. They wouldn't calm down until they knew. Raider tried calming them down, but they were all persistent. The only one who wasn't yelling was Jaune, too caught up in his own thoughts.

I'm the reason Oscar left, if I hadn't shouted at him and accused him then maybe he wouldn't have run off! It was eating away at him and he kept trying to apologize to Oscar, but the boy continued to tell him that everything was fine between them. Jaune just couldn't let go of the guilt that was engulfing him. He was brought out of his head when Raider finally relented. She started the episode and the others were sitting in their anticipation.

(Volume 6 Intro)

Emerald sat off to the side as Mercury practiced his kicks.

"No! Why do we have to start with them? Show us our friend!" Yang screamed.

"Yeah, we don't care about this right now!" Nora added.

Emerald hated being kept in the dark.

"Stay in the dark, show us Oscar!" Nora yelled.

"Yeah, Cinder was a pain, but at least she kept us filled in," Mercury comments, then goes right back to his training.

"Can I ask you something?" Emerald says. Mercury replies that she's gonna anyway. "Why did you come with us? The night Cinder and I found you."

As much as they were waiting for when they'd be shown again, they're now curious as Emerald put it out. Emerald trusts Cinder because she "saved her", but why was Mercury along with them?

Mercury stops, "Why are you-" Emerald just wants him to answer the question. "Just made sense."

Made sense? What made sense to him?

Emerald doesn't find that a good enough answer.

Yes, they wouldn't mind for a bit more elaboration.

"All my life my father trained me to be a killer, an assassin like him. Then moments after I killed him you two showed up looking for someone with my exact skills. Just felt like it was meant to be."

No deeper feelings? Just a coincidence? They weren't buying that, there had to have been something more than that. There had to have been a greater purpose behind his choice rather than it being deemed as "fate".

Emerald asks if that was it, not believing him. Mercury stops once more and asks what her problem is. Emerald gets up, "I mean there has to be something you want from this, right?"

She seems to be asking these questions like she's having a sudden crisis of consciousness. Is it because Cinder isn't around anymore she's rethinking everything she's done or she's going to be doing for Salem? Now that she's all alone and away from her she's able to think for herself.

"Salem promised us everything," Mercury states.

Probably a bunch of lies she's told them just to get them to work for her.

"We win this thing for her, we'll be top dogs in her new world."

Her new world will be nothing but destruction there will be nothing left to be 'top dogs' for. Mercury needs to be like Emerald at the moment and start questioning everything. He needs to open up his eyes to realize that everything Salem is telling him is nothing but lies.

Mercury asks what more she wants. "I just…Cinder was the only family I ever had."

"That's one terrible family," Yang mutters, resulting in an elbow to the side from both Blake and Ruby. "Ouch! Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm not wrong."

"That doesn't mean you say it out loud," Blake hisses.

"Hey, we were all thinking it," Yang grunts in her defense.

"She cared about me, taught me things, but without her here, I don't know if what we're doing–" Mercury tells Emerald to wake up already.

Of course, what you're doing is wrong. Is doing all this damage really worth it for a single person? Because without Cinder there, she's beginning to think more deeply about that.

"Cinder doesn't care about, she doesn't care about either of us!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Emerald, we're sorry to say, but you need to wake up and smell the roses. What signs has Cinder given you that she cares about you? That she cares about anything else but to obtain power?" Jaune asks. They didn't want to be the bearers of bad news, but it's clear that Emerald is in denial and having trouble coming to terms with the fact of something so painful to her.

Everything she's done for Cinder because she cares for her, has done all of this for her, but Cinder doesn't feel a single thing for Emerald.

"You're in denial, and if you're gonna start having a crisis of identity or some crap, keep me out of it." Emerald releases her anger, attacking Mercury, trying to punch and kick him, but he stops her by grabbing onto her wrist. "I'm sorry you didn't have a mommy that loved you, but I had a father who hated me." Mercury shoves Emerald, and she holds up a fighting stance. "He never went easy on me, every day of training was a beating, and when I unlocked my semblance he stole it with his."

They knew they should despise them, they're their enemies after all, but both Emerald and Mercury were the results of a life full of hate and no love from anyone, just struggle and torture. They all felt sorry for what they both had to endure, granted that doesn't change their view of dislike, but just like Ozpin, their feelings come from more of a place of understanding.

They're understanding all the pain they went through, all the torment and abuse.

"This is a crutch, this makes you weak! He told me I could have it back when I was strong, so I got strong, but I never got it back. I've had to work harder than anyone to get where I am! You may not like it here without Cinder, but I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be." The two's circling was interrupted by Tyrian's laughter behind them.

The group was shocked, Mercury's father had the power to do that?

Just like that, the mood shifted in the blink of an eye. They hated having to see him over and over again. If they were to be honest with themselves, they wouldn't mind if he was a person who died. The world would be better off with one less psychopath in it. They know they should feel bad for wishing for a person's death, but this was a person who they showed no remorse for. They hated him, simple as that. They didn't want to hear his backstory. It wouldn't have done anything to sway their emotions anyway.

"Oh, yes the world is mean," Tyrian says.

"Is that a mechanical stinger?!" Jaune exclaimed. Great! That was just what they all needed to see!

"Can Ruby destroy that one too?" Sun asks. Ruby herself would like nothing more than to do so. Maybe she could make sure that there's nothing left to attach a new one to.

"And I'm a big bad man now, just like the others." Mercury begins marching toward the Faunus, demanding to know how long he's been standing there. "All you ever learned was pain and violence and now you're too afraid to leave it. Such a tragedy."

"You don't know me!" Mercury goes to kick him, but Tyrian dodges it and sends a kick of his own into Mercury's side. Tyrian pins him to the ground, stinger in his face.

"Is the stinger containing his own poison from his original tail or was it something Watts made for him?" Oscar asks. If it was from his old tail, how was he able to get so much of it as if must have been depleted by the time Tyrian made it to Salem and Watts? If it's new, what is it made up of?

Emerald goes to confront him, but Tyrian stops her with a shush, his voice a whisper. "I want to tell you both a little secret. Your question is all wrong." Emerald is confused while Tyrian starts to chuckle. "What you want from this? Children, please, if you're not loving what you're doing then you're in the wrong field."

If Emerald is in the wrong field, then which one does she belong to? Blake still remembers Raider's hint that she will leave the group, but if she does, will she run off on her own or go to join someone else's?

Emerald asks if he's suggesting they leave. Tyrian shakes his head, laughing, telling them they can't do that. Mercury asks what Tyrian came to them for.

That is an excellent question. Why was Tyrian watching them in the first place? Did Salem send him and for what?

"To say farewell," Tyrian replies.

Farewell? Farewell for what?

"There's been a change in plans, Her Grace must act swiftly if we are to prevail. If General Ironwood comes to his senses and calls upon aid from Vacuo all may be lost for us! And so the good doctor and I are being sent to Atlas, to prepare."

"Oh come on, seriously? Not only are Cinder and Neo coming to Atlas, but so is this psycho?! Will we ever catch a break?" Yang exclaimed.

Now that they were going into war, the rest don't think they'll ever get a break until it's finally over and Salem is defeated, once and for all.

Emerald asks what they're preparing for when Watts grabs their attention from down the hall, telling him that it's time. "Do what makes you happy, children. Please, I'm begging you." Tyrian leaves, walking backward, laughing.

Back in Argus, Jaune and Nora are shouting for Oscar, and Ren and Saphron are with them.

Finally! Please, show them where their friend has been. They can scold him for disappearing without a trace later!

Ren calls the city enormous and that he could have gone anywhere.

"Ren, that isn't helping," Nora says.

"This is all my fault," Jaune confesses.

"Jaune, it isn't your fault," Pyrrha reassures.

"But it is! If I hadn't yelled at him or hurt him then maybe he wouldn't have run off!"

"Jaune," Oscar says, "I'm sure there's another reason as to why I ran off. I'm sure we'll be told, you need to stop beating yourself up for something that you had no control over."

Jaune states he overreacted and Saprhon is still confused, thinking it was about the mission. Nora tells her that it's hard to talk about and Saprhon gets that it's top secret.

At the moment, it's best that the world doesn't know about Salem. Yes, at some point they are going to know, whether she reveals herself first or not, but at this point and time where they don't have a plan, it's not the smartest thing to do. Saying that she exists at that they have no clue how to beat her would just create a worldwide panic as that would make people even more scared of a threat that sounds like they can't be stopped.

Saffron asked if he did something wrong. "No, he didn't," Jaune answered, "We just got some new information, and…it's going to be a lot harder than we thought."

"I mean, if it was easy, then it wouldn't be important, right?" Saprhon asks.

This is "One wrong move and the whole world is doomed" important.

Ren says that they're all fust unsure of what to do next. Saphron suggests they stay in Mistral and get their licenses at Haven and come back to Argus, she knows there's a lot of good they can do there.

As much as that plan sounds nice, and they'd love to help, but their mission isn't something that can wait for them to obtain their licenses. It's going to happen quicker than they think and they can't pause as each day it draws closer and closer.

"I know your mission's important, but it's not like you're the only ones who can do it. It's not the only mission that needs doing."

"Saphron has a point, we're going to need help if we take on Salem," Jaune says.

"But that help isn't at the moment?" Sun says. Yes, they're still focused on the panic it would cause and all the Grimm that would become attracted to it. But, at the same time, the world needs to know so they can be prepared instead of it coming out of the blue.

Ugh, this entire thing is something that's way too big for them, they're just kids, yet the fate of the world is resting atop their shoulders. A single bad move could mean the end of life as they know it, and that's terrifying, coming to realize.

Jaune tells his sister it's not that simple. Saphron stops and sighs, "Well, I should go pick up Adrian from daycare. I'll let Terra know what's happened and…we'll meet you later, good luck."

The mood continues to be disheartened and Nora tells the boys there's a cafe nearby, where they could get something to warm up.

The group nods, a small pick-me-up would do them some good. They bet they've been searching for a while.

Jaune tells them that he's okay and that they can go without him as he sits down. Nora stands in front, reasking if he wants something. Ren tells Jaune they'll be right back as they leave. A few seconds pass and Jaune's attention is caught by a maple leaf.

The music changed and got softer. What's the purpose of the leaf? They were confused by those things happening together. They were gonna see something that was going to make them all cry, weren't they?

Jaune follows it and he freezes at where it led him, his eyes widening. Standing before him is a statue of Pyrrha, in memory of her.

Tears immediately began to fall, pained gasps echoing through the room.

Jaune looked down at the inscription: one of the many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon.

They attempted to wipe their tears away as their visions became blurry, but it was fruitless. Gods damn it… The ones who were crying the most were Pyrrha and her teammates.

Jaune tried to hold back his tears as he stood. He was about to walk away when a woman said, "It's really beautiful, isn't it?"

Pyrrha gasped, mom? The tears renewed. It dawns on her how long it's been since she's seen her and this was only going to reinforce longing.

Jaune turns and his eyes widen at the woman who carries a bouquet of flowers.

"Pyrrha, is that…?" Jaune trails off. Pyrrha nods.

"That's my mom." Pyrrha managed to get out, sounding coherent. She misses her so much.

Jaune agreed and asked why it was placed here. "She trained here, Sanctum Academy. Everyone was crushed when she chose Beacon over Haven. No one wanted to see her go, but it was where she wanted to be."

Jaune held Pyrrha's hand as she cried and the girl greatly appreciated it. Pyrrha was attempting to hold herself together, but with everything, and hearing her mother's voice again, it was very difficult. She didn't want to even think of how much her family was hurt when they found out she had died.

"I'm just glad she was surrounded by such amazing people," the woman told him, her eyes glazing over.

Nora whimpered and Team JNR felt their hearts contract.

Jaune's eyes gloss as they widen. "She should be standing here," Jaune states. The woman tells Jaune that she is.

The woman turned toward him. "She understood that she had a responsibility, to try. I don't think she would regret her choice because a huntress would understand that there really wasn't a choice to make, and a huntress is what she always wanted to be."

Jaune faced the woman. "Pyrrha never got the chance to graduate, but she was a huntress."

Pyrrha never thought she could love Jaune anymore than she did, but he was, proving her wrong. Her heart swelled and she leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, Jaune." Jaune brought his hand to that cheek, brushing it, but smiled.

"You're welcome."

The woman wipes her tears, thanking Jaune. Ren calls for Jaune from the entrance of the plaza. Jaune finds the woman gone, but the flowers are left under the monument. The two walk up to him, Nora is about to ask why he went off when she and Ren freeze upon seeing the statue. "I'm sorry, I've been a terrible leader and a terrible friend, a-and I–"

"Jaune, this has to stop," Ren tells him.

You need to stop blaming yourself and putting all this guilt on your shoulders.

"We heard what you said to Cinder, at Haven," Nora says. "You're not being fair to yourself, we love you just like we loved Pyrrha. We're teammates, family." Ren adds that they don't want to lose him too.

Jaune wipes away his tears, smiling. Yeah, his teammates are his family. Team JNPR brought each other into a tight hug. They do whatever it takes to stop Pyrrha's death and make sure that they all stay together.

"I think…I think she knew she wasn't going to win," Jaune says as he looks up at Pyrrha, "That she might not come out alive, but she also knew she was the only one that could try." Ren agrees and Nora states that maybe they should do the same. Jaune concurs.

That's what they're all going to do. Try. Try and find a way to defeat Salem, even if it seems impossible, they're going to damn well try, together.

"I think it's time they all head back or start searching again," Jaune says. If they don't find Oscar, he might appear back at the house sooner rather than later, as much as that option puts them at unease.

"Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore, but we can fight like she is," Nora says determinedly.

The group couldn't help but notice and love the single space between the three like they were leaving room for her like Pyrrha is standing beside them.

Jaune says that in a way she will be. Nora gives Jaune his cup and Ren thinks they should check back in at the house. Jaune spares one more look at the statue and joins his friends. Somewhere else in Argus, Ruby stares down with disappointment.

It's Qrow isn't it? And he's blacked out, huh? Ruby grits her teeth in frustration. She was tired, and afraid, but she was mostly worried.

Yang states that she's never seen him this bad.

Yang and Ruby were more scared than ever for their uncle, they'd never seen his drinking habit go this far. "He's traumatized and guilty." Ruby and Yang look back at Raider. "Seeing the apathy burning and realizing that his complacency almost got everyone killed caused Qrow to hate himself. Hence, his behavior so far in the volume."

Ruby and Yang were shocked before it turned into unrelenting sadness. How could they have not seen it sooner? They should have seen it sooner!

Yang and Ruby work to get him up while Qrow is asking what he's doing on the stairs.

"How long was he like that for?" Blake asked. Who knows, what if something came along and hurt him?

"Probably because no one's home, uncle Qrow, we've been out looking for Oscar," Ruby tells him. Qrow is confused as everyone else arrives back at the house.

"I'm sure this looks great to the neighbors," Terra mutters. Saphron elbows her in the arm.

A few of the kids snorted.

Blake asks if they've had any luck, but Team JNR comes up short. "Don't worry, not going to Atlas without 'em," Jaune says. Ruby is confused.

"Surprise! They're coming with you!" Nora shouts.

Jaune apologizes that they won't be staying, but Saprhon doesn't believe that, smirking.

Jaune grinned, it was nice getting to see that he and Saphron get to catch up.

Terra suggests that they get out of the cold. The door to the house opens and Oscar says he was wondering when they would all get back, revealing him in the doorway with a new outfit.

"Oscar!" All of them shout happily. How long has he been at the house?

"Wondering when they'd get back? Dude, they've been spending their night trying to find you!" Sun shouted.

"Also, nice outfit, where'd you get it?" Yang compliments.

"I don't look like the cute farm boy anymore," Oscar chuckles, looking over at Nora.

Nora looks contemplative, "Mmmm, naaaaaaah!"

All of them shout excitedly, rushing in and piling him. Once off, Ruby helps him up. Weiss tells him he had them worried sick, Ruby asks if he's okay, and Nora wants to know what he's wearing. Terra smells something and asks if something's cooking. "Oh, uh, yeah I thought maybe you guys would appreciate a hot meal after…spending all day looking for me, apparently."

"So, he helped himself to rummage through the kitchen?" Weiss asked.

"Who cares, he made food!" Nora yells.

"It's my fault we were all out there in the first place. Oscar, I am so sorry, for earlier. I was way, way out of line, and what I said–" Oscar interrupts Jaune, reassuring him that it was okay.

"These past few days, I've been scared of the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be…me, but I did some thinking and I do know I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left."

This is probably going to make Saprhon and Terra press more for what exactly their mission is that they're doing. How Oscar is talking, it's going to make them more curious, no?

"Good, this team isn't the same without you, Oscar."

Before coming here, Oscar believed that the only place he thought he could safely belong was on the farm. Now, with all the people here that he would call his friends, we wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Seeing how much they've gone through together and how they allowed him to be there, Oscar wouldn't ask for it to be any other way.

Jaune's words are ruined by the beeping of a fire alarm. "The casserole!" Oscar shouted.

Nora gasped, "Not the food! But, what kind of casserole was it?" Oscar shrugged.

Terra and Saphron were on it and Qrow was heading upstairs.

"Oh, no you don't! We're gonna have a little chat, Qrow," Ruby declares, leaving no room for argument.

"Where are you going now?" Ruby demands. Qrow responds that he doesn't want to get in the way of their celebration.

Celebration or not, they're going to have a talk with him whether he wants it or not. His drinking habits cannot continue.

"You've been gone all day, just sit with us."

Qrow sighs, "Look, Ruby, I'm glad you kids worked out, uh, whatever all that was, but the fact is we're not a single step closer to Atlas."

One, not with that kind of talk they weren't, and two, that doesn't mean it's time to give up!

Jaune speaks up that he has an idea. "But, it's sorta of a no-going-back kind of idea."

"Steal a ship!" Yang shouts.

"Yang, we're not going to–" Raider cuts Ruby off and continues the episode.

Ruby asks to hear it. "With Cordo on watch, only Atlas airships have the clearance to leave for Solitas. So…we steal an Atlas Airship."

The room blinks a couple of times as Yang yells, "I didn't think that was actually going to be the plan!"

"Well, you do have a knack for saying the exact things that are gonna happen. Remember your joke about Salem being immortal?" Blake joked.

All aren't exactly thrilled about the idea, except for Nora who's smirking. Adrian responds by chuckling at his uncle.

"Oh, hush you!" Jaune shouts.

"That's just breaking the law," Weiss reminds them, "That's-that's definitely worse." Yang asks how they would even get onto the airfield.

Everyone in the room looks over at Weiss who notices all the eyes on her. Ruby hates that she was thinking the same thing. Weiss sighs, "Of course."

Jaune hadn't quite figured out that part yet.

They all have, and she's sitting in the front row.

"Ok, stop, just stop!" Qrow shouts.

"What, do you have anything better?" Ruby yells.

"Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas Military we're talking about! For your sake, just drop this." Everyone looks defeated, but Ruby is determined.

"I want to hear him out." Qrow tries to get his niece to be reasonable, but she doesn't let him finish. "I want to hear him out! I know you're trying to protect, that you're afraid we can't do it, but right now, I don't really care what you think!" Qrow's eyes widen and the rest of her team begin to agree. "Just because you don't have an idea doesn't mean we're out of options. Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we still managed to get this far anyway. We've been in bad situations before."

Plenty of them and a lot of them are situations they wish they could forget. They all shuddered at the mere thought of that farm.

"And we didn't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do."

They all paused in confusion at that. Didn't the majority of their journey they had Qrow with them? And then Maria joined them? Or was she referring to all their times at Beacon when they were dealing with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick?

"We just did it our way! And I say we do it our way." Everyone looks at each other with the same thoughts. They're doing this. "And if you think you can keep up with us kids, we'd be happy to have you."

Qrow is confused when Maria chuckles. "Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either." Qrow looks back at Ruby who's staring him down, daring him to say anything otherwise.

All of them were sitting tall, not backing down. Ruby saw Weiss, in her peripheral vision, release a breath. "You okay?" She asked. Weiss nodded, attempting to hide her small blush. She didn't know what came over her in that moment.

"Yeah, we're gonna steal an airship!" Nora shouts.

"Yeah!" Yang agrees.

They were sure their counterparts would figure out a plan to do that as that was only step one. But, Blake's comment also stuck with Yang. What else was she going to comment on that will actually happen? Like Penny coming back or another fairytale that they thought wasn't real would come true?

Raider choked on her own spit, looking down at Yang. That girl was just going to have to find out for herself.