Author's Notes:
-Greetings readers. As of today, I have finished one of the worst (and weirdest) semesters of my life. To celebrate me getting through, you guys get another chapter! Hooray!
-Also, as of last chapter (sorry not sorry), I decided to change the Hurt/Comfort genre to Angst. Let me know what you think of this change.
Alright boys and girls, let's get this show on the road! We got a long way to go.
Ironwood was shown at his desk, writing a letter with his right hand. Most of the note was blurred out, but he was shown signing his signature at the bottom. He folded the paper horizontally twice and put it into a envelope already addressed to a recipient. He sealed the envelope with tape just as he heard a knock on the door. In response, he hid the envelope in an empty desk drawer.
"Come in." he answered. Emily Khloris had returned, holding a clipboard in her right arm. "Mrs. Khloris. There you are. I was beginning to worry that you had been killed in combat."
"Not quite." She gave a dry smile before handing the clipboard to him, containing papers on Yang's arm measurements and other important details. "I succeeded in acquiring Yang Xiao-Long's arm measurements for a prosthetic arm to be made in her place. I would have been here sooner, but my plane crashed in the tundra and I had to make the rest of my journey on foot. And it wasn't the Grimm that almost got me- I nearly died in a raging blizzard!" She sighed heavily. "Fortunately, I found a log cabin shelter on the outskirts of Normandouen and was able to weather out the storm."
"I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through that." He got out his wallet and handed her some Lien. "The rest of your payment."
"Thank you, General."
Another knock on the door was heard. "Come in."
The doors opened, revealing Iris to be there. "Hello Headmaster Ironwood."
The two hunters looked on in disbelief, but Ironwood was the one to ask, "Iris? What brings you here?"
"I would like to register for classes for the upcoming academic year. I would also like to apply for any scholarships."
"Well, it's last minute, but that can be done. Just fill out the application forms." Iris sat down in one of the chairs and began filling out the form with a blue pen from Ironwood's desk. "Also, I have to ask, since your team dissolved, would take you prefer to be a solitaire student or try to find new teammates?"
"Solitary student." Her grey eyes turned blue. "Although I had my best friend Mindy, she is now dead, and Nila was horrible to me during my time as a member of team CIMN (Cinnamon). I'd rather be alone than in bad company."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I can understand your decision. If you change your mind, you can join the Reformation Queue anytime you like."
"I will keep that in mind." Iris looked at Atlas's headmaster curiously, her eyes turning grey. "Speaking of Cinnamon and Nila, what happened to them after my departure?"
She continued filling out the form as Ironwood answered, "The two were forced to answer Robyn's questions about the Painted Wall Incident alone, and from what I heard, Nila had a lot of nasty things to say about you." Her eyes turned blue as she appeared ashamed. "Your teammates survived and are about to enter their third year at Atlas." Her eyes turned grey again. "Nila chose to be a solitaire student, and Cinnamon immediately joined the team reformation queue. Unfortunately, we never found teammates for her."
"I see." Her eyes turned yellow. "Well, I wish Cinnamon well. May she succeed in finding teammates and new friends." Her eyes turned red. "To Nila, I wish her the worst. May she fail and regret teasing me."
Ironwood said nothing as she continued filling out the form. Emily blinked at her estranged daughter. "Iris?"
She looked up and turned to her mother, her eyes now green. "Oh, I wasn't expecting you to be here."
"I... I don't understand." Emily glared at Iris, her voice raising in volume with each statement spoken. "You told me you hated being a huntress trainee. You told me that you never wanted to go to Atlas Academy ever again. You disobeyed me to become an artist! And yet, now you're here, wanting to be a huntress again! Why?!"
Her eyes turned purple. "Well... The thing is..." They turned red as she glared at her mother. "A lot of the reason I hated the art of being a huntress was because you never truly cared about doing the right thing or saving lives." Mrs. Khloris was shocked upon hearing that statement. "You only wanted money and a legacy to leave behind. I never realized that until more recently. And I will admit, ever since the Painted Wall Incident, I was scared that I'd fail as a huntress trainee and that I couldn't save innocent people from the Grimm. But just yesterday, I had to face that fear."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "What happened yesterday?"
Iris folded her arms and looked at her mother with one green eye and one red eye. "You don't know? It's all over the news."
"Bear in mind, Iris, I've been gone on a mission for the last few weeks. Anything that happened within the last month I hadn't heard a thing about."
She unfolded her arms and her eyes were now red. "Long story short, less than a month ago, I was hired by Whitley to create an artwork for the SDC Charity Ball. I finished my painting and at the reception a rude, rich woman insulted it, thus insulting me and the subject of that painting. Because she insulted the painting's subject, Weiss lost her cool and accidentally summoned a Boarbatusk, which proceeded to wreak havoc. With Weiss weaponless, and Ironwood absent from the room at the time, I had to step in and slay the creature. After a brief struggle, the beast was successfully vanquished."
"And what happened afterwards?"
"I angrily admonished the woman and broke down thereafter. I was comforted by Ironwood, and later on my friend Whitley. I feared that the attendees would see me as a freak, but they didn't." She smirked, her eyes turning yellow. "And my painting sold for a high amount of money."
Emily didn't gasp, but she stood there, completely speechless. Ironwood was also surprised by this statement. A few minutes later, Iris finished filling out the forms and turned them into Atlas's headmaster.
The huntress finally spoke. "That still doesn't explain why you're here when you've finally succeeded in achieving something I never thought to be possible."
"I'm through with being a failure in both aspects of my life." She turned back to her mother with red eyes. "I'm tired of being pushed down and beaten to the ground, both physically and emotionally, by everyone around me. I'm not choosing between two paths I've been given by you, a forced path of misery and loneliness vs a path of poverty and disgrace; I'm forging my own path, one that allows me to achieve both desires of art and combat simultaneously."
She gave her daughter a glare. "We'll see about that."
Emily left the room coldly, Iris glaring at her as she left. A moment later, Ironwood hesitantly asked, "You never got along with your mother, did you Iris?"
"We never did, and somehow I doubt we ever will. I mean, she disowned me and kicked me out after dropping out of Atlas. If I be frank, I don't give a damn about her." She turned back to the general with grey eyes. "Is there anything else I need to do?"
"There's nothing you need to do, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a favor of you."
The painter looked at the general curiously. "Alright, what might that be?"
He got out the letter he hid earlier and showed it to Iris. "I need you to deliver this to the Schnee Family Manor."
Meanwhile in Mensonge, Ruby, Ren and Nora had returned to the hotel room at the inn.
"Hey, Jaune and Rouge, we're back!" Ruby announced.
"We got the mone-y!" Nora sang in a delighted tone.
The three turned to find Jaune with his knees curled to his chest. Ruby looked at the team leader with concern. "Jaune? Is everything okay?"
Nora searched around for her red-haired teammate. "Where's Pyrrha?"
"Pyrrha..." He sobbed. "She's gone..."
Ruby turned to him, perplexed and crestfallen. "Gone? What do you mean she's gone?"
"She's gone, but not in the way you would think. She died an emotional death, losing herself in the woman she's pretending to be."
The girls gasped.
The silver eyed warrior stuttered, "No..."
"This can't be true..." Nora stated, trying to hold back tears.
Jaune shared her sentiment. "I truly wish that it wasn't true, but I'm afraid it is."
Ren sighed sadly as he looked down. "I was worried this could happen. Who would've known this day would come so soon?"
"So where is she?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know." Jaune sobbed some more. "She said she needed some space and time to herself."
"She didn't tell you where she was going, did she?"
"I'm afraid not." He wiped away his tears. "If she's not back by morning, I'll search for her."
"This is really bad. Pyrrha's mentally and emotionally unwell... And she's all alone..." Ren stated.
Nora became even more depressed. "I feel like we should've seen the warning signs, but we failed to comprehend them... Until now."
"So... what do we do now?"
"Unfortunately, I don't think there is anything we can do. We're stuck in a catch 22."
"A catch 22?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"
"Pyrrha lost her mind and needs professional help thanks to the Trojan Alliance being after her, but because of the Trojan Alliance being everywhere we go, we can't get her treatment without risking her cover being blown and her ending up in jail, or worse dead! This sucks! There's no way out!"
He punched the pillow on his bed and moaned in sorrow. Everyone remained silent, no one knowing what to say. This silence continued for a full minute. Ruby and Ren looked at Nora. She looked at Jaune with a mixture of sorrow and guilt.
"Hey um, Jaune?" Nora eventually spoke. "I'm afraid I don't have any answers to this problem. But I want you to know, I'm here for you. And I'm sorry I wasn't here for you as a friend during these last few weeks. I'm really sorry that I gave you the cold shoulder and acted like you were a criminal. I was too clouded up in anger and I will admit that I had difficultly trusting you after Charles revealed your secrets to us. I focused too much on the lies, and... I forgot the truth. You have your faults, but ultimately, you're a good guy who's trying to make up for the error of his ways. Can you ever forgive me?"
"I already have." Jaune gave a small smile and welcome her with open arms. "Now come here you hard-head!"
Nora threw her arms around her friend. "Please... Just don't lie like that to us ever again."
He returned the gesture. "I won't."
As Nora and Jaune made amends, Ruby looked forlornly at the window. "I hope Pyrrha's okay..."
With her hood down, Rouge Gorlois made her way through the village, no real particular destination or goal in mind. The silver linings on her red mask almost seemed to glow when the moonlight shone down on them. She looked at the wanted posters of Pyrrha and seemed to turn a blind eye, as if she was unaffected by the declaration they made.
Who would have known it'd come to this? Pyrrha Nikos has died, her weapons Milo and Akouo left behind to her former lover. It's hard to remember how it happened... All I know is that Pyrrha left Jaune, then came to me... She felt a cold breeze at her upper arms but was unfazed by it. And now I stand here with only Froidcoeur at my side.
The camera zoomed in on her duffel bag as she ignored the contents inside. She ventured further into the village, seeing several vendors selling things. She approached the late night marketplace. As she perused the vendors stands, she saw some selling valuable jewelry weapons and ammunition, and even rogue huntsmen and huntress services.
This is a black market. Why am I even here?
Her eyes laid upon a dust vendor, with dust in all forms.
"Bonsoir, mademoiselle." the man greeted. "I see you've taken interest in my wares, cherie."
"This is a lot of dust." Rouge spoke. "Where did you get it?"
"Can you keep a secret?" She nodded in the affirmative. "It's actually forbidden dust shipments from Atlas. They have an embargo on dust and no one else can get it right now. Not legally anyway."
"Really?" Rouge inquired. "I was not aware of this."
"Yeah. Jacques isn't willing to risk his ass to get dust over here, so we have to sneak it out of Atlas without any major assistance. And there is the possibility of being caught, but damn is it worth it!" He laughed. "Any of this 'gold' catch your eye?"
She was silent for a moment before answering, "My weapon- Froidcoeur, it runs on ice dust. I used about half it against Grimm today and I need more dust to fill the sword. Not to mention I'll need backup dust once I run out."
"Hmm... You look like a beautiful lady... The normal price on this is eight Lien for five ounces of dust, but since I'm actually in a good mood, I'll offer you that same amount of dust for just five Lien." She pondered to herself for a moment. "So, what will it be?"
"I'll take your offer. Three bags."
The vendor smiled. "I almost thought the thought of black market dust would turn you away."
"Doesn't matter." She got out her wallet. "As long as it protects me and defeats my foes, I'll kindly pay for it."
She handed him fifteen Lien and he handed her the appropriate amount of dust.
"Thank you for your business, Miss..."
"Gorlois. Rouge Gorlois."
"Have a good night."
Rouge turned away without saying a word. Once she was out of sight, she refilled her sword with more ice dust and set the remaining dust bags in her black purse.
Locked and loaded. Ready to face whatever threats may come my way. More than enough dust to help get through Vale's outskirts. She stopped, gathering her thoughts. Well, hopefully it is enough... Failure isn't an option and neither is falling in battle. You know what Pyrrha asked of you to do before she died- to defeat Cinder and her cronies no matter the cost.
She continued going forth into the night, and the scene transitioned from her walking in the village to her entering her hotel room. By the time she got back, everyone else was already sleep. Ren and Nora shared a bed but kept to their respective sides, Jaune was sleeping all alone, and Ruby was sleeping on the couch. She took one of the pillows off the bed that Jaune wasn't using, a spare sheet from the closet and arranged her sleeping area in between the two beds. She threw the sheet over herself and felt a shiver, but she dismissed it.
Meanwhile, at the Evernight Castle, Cinder sat at one of the chairs in the meeting room. She looked at the crystal throne to her left, which was empty.
Where is Salem? It's not like her to be late.
Right at that moment, Salem entered the room, carrying a vial of black liquid with red accents that appeared to be diluted.
Of course. More diluted Grimm liquid. Tonight is not the night.
"Well, looks like you're early. Good for you. But bear in mind, you can't rush this process."
Cinder rolled her eyes, thinking, I know, can we just get this over with?
She opened the vial and levitated its contents in her right hand before setting the empty vial down. Cinder lifted her left sleeve shoulder down out of her dress, showing most of her left arm to be missing, save for her forearm and shoulder wrapped up in bandages.
This is gonna sting. But if helps me to get stronger...
Using her powers, Salem applied the diluted Grimm liquid to Cinder's arm. She felt her arm burn and sting, and she bit her tongue. She tried to not scream or make any noise, but as the intensity grew, she moaned in pain.
"Don't fight it. You must make the Grimm, your inner darkness dread you. Make it obey you."
Cinder took a few breaths to try and calm herself. She tried to ignore the pain and closed her eyes. Her mind turned to the Grimm battle that was part of the glove she used. Although it was absorbed into her when the connection to Amber was cut, and later on hurt her thanks to Ruby's silver eye power, she could remember it clearly. She felt the Grimm essence from her arm turn into dark energy and imagined it as black energy flowing through her. It wasn't as powerful as acquiring the maiden's power, but she felt it strengthen her, even if only a little.
Once she felt the energy settle within her, she opened her eyes and saw Salem smiling.
"Seems your making progress." Cinder gave her a questioning look. "Patience, Cinder. Patience. You will be stronger, but remember that this transformation is a slow and painful process. That is all for tonight. You are dismissed."
Cinder bowed and took her leave.
As she made her way through the hallway, she told herself, Soon. Soon I'll be free from this pain, and I will be stronger.
Back at the Schnee Family Manor, Weiss was shown in her room. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her slightly baggy eyes and messed up hair.
I can't believe this. Nightmares, losing my mind, and my inheritance... All because I failed to save my friend. She sighed. And now father wants to keep me here...
What do I do now? What should I do? What should I do? A thought came to her. What would Pyrrha do? She softly gasped. Pyrrha...
The ex-heiress slammed her fist down. "Enough."
She pulled the curtains shut, moved her bed over several feet, pushed a desk and kicked aside a low glass bench at the foot of her bed. A wide shot showed the furniture askew. A cushioned stool was on its side on the floor, and a long white box marked with the Schnee snowflake symbol rests on her vanity. She approached the box and opened it, revealing Myrtenaster and a few vials of dust inside. She lifts her weapon and poses with the blade held vertically in front of her face.
If father wants to keep me here, he's going to need to try harder.
In the makeshift practice area of her room, the ex-heiress held her rapier at the ready. She stepped back and twirled, with a stream of blue-white light coming from the tip of her sword. On the close of her twirl, Weiss held it aloft before striking the tip to the floor. A summoning glyph appeared, the Arma Gigas' sword slowly but surely beginning to emerge. Her eyes were shut as she concentrated, the power of her Summoning causing a small wind to blow the hair around her face.
The glyph glowed brightly and spun faster. The books shook in the bookcase on the wall. One particular tome, decorated with floral relief, fell off the shelf and opened on the floor. The window burst outward as the room was consumed in a bright white light. The light faded to reveal Weiss covering her eyes with her arm.
The door to her room is pushed open by an urgent Klein Sieben. "Miss Schnee! Are you alright?!"
The butler's eyes widened as he leaned backwards, looking amazed. Weiss gave him a smile and turned to face the Arma Gigas she successfully Summoned.
"I'm perfectly fine." The Arma Gigas dropped down to one knee and bowed at Weiss. Weiss looked out the broken window. "Klein, get Estelle. I need a favor or two."
Klein nodded determinedly and went off to fulfill the task given.