Now that Weiss had taken the opportunity to properly go over the files Neptune had sent her, she concluded that almost all of the information was redundant. Most of it she already knew from her and Ruby's time spent researching Torchwick on their own. Some of it gave a little more insight into the criminal's past, but nothing pertinent or useful. There was a rather handy list of locations Torchwick has robbed before, which could be analyzed for patterns, but it was nothing Weiss couldn't have compiled herself.

Out of everything contained in the folder, there was one thing that did turn out to be enlightening. After Torchwick started gaining notoriety, a few images of him began to surface. He was caught walking down the street in old CCTV footage; random people recognized him in the background of personal photos and videos; and one drone enthusiast out in the country managed to accidentally snag a high-definition shot of him exiting a building labeled "Brunswick Farms". There were only a spare few photos and none caught Torchwick anywhere of note or doing anything that wasn't innocuous, which made them useless—except for the last one, that is.

Weiss might have missed its significance had she not been confined alone in a space with so little to do for such a long time. Twice she'd looked at the image without realizing what it could possibly mean. The drone pilot claimed the picture had been taken three years ago just outside Vacuo. At least five years ago, prior to his supposed "final" heist in that same city, Torchwick had shot a man in what looked like a stable. If it was the same location, two years apart, then perhaps he owned Brunswick Farms as some sort of laundering scheme. Giving it a name similar to his own sounded just like the sort of tongue-in-cheek "hide in plain sight" thing he would do.

Weiss wasn't the first one to come up with this theory. A small handful of internet sleuths had jumped on this and done all the digging they could. They'd managed to gather a bit of evidence to back it up, the simplest being the sheer scarcity of information available on the business, as well as its suspicious drop in activity around the same time that Torchwick went public in Vale. Unfortunately, Vacuo's police department claimed there wasn't enough substantial proof to spend resources investigating it, what with their crime rates keeping them so busy that vigilantism is unofficially encouraged there. Crime bosses only active in cities a hundred miles away also weren't exactly their primary concern. Vale's police didn't have the jurisdiction to look into Brunswick Farms, and, for reasons beyond Weiss, the hunt for Torchwick had still yet to become a federal matter. So, at present, a potentially valuable lead was being left out to dry.

Assuming that Brunswick Farms was a money laundering business owned by Torchwick, it was still unclear how knowing that was helpful. It was located too far away for it to be where he was currently hiding out or storing the spoils of his robberies. Perhaps he could be using the branding to disguise trucks used for smuggling contraband. But Weiss didn't have all that much time to ponder it before Ruby and Jaune returned.

She was sitting in a chair she'd moved from the kitchen to the computer in the main room when she heard the trapdoor open behind her. Jaune descended the stairs first, dressed normally and carrying a very heavy-looking cardboard box in his arms that was large enough to block his entire torso and the lower half of his face from view. He dropped it off by the naked mannequin that had been wearing the Protector's armor just that morning.

Ruby approached Weiss, staring at the monitors. "What'd you find?"

"Ruby, you reek!" Weiss pinched her nose and leaned away from her. "Do you have to stand so close?"

"Oh!" Ruby backed up and scratched her head sheepishly. "Heh, sorry. Sewer travel. So . . . what'd you find?"

Weiss could still smell her, but it was more bearable now. She gestured toward the middlemost monitor, then explained what she'd uncovered.

"Hm," said Ruby. "You really think this photo could be the same place you saw in Torchwick's mind?"

"It's just a guess," said Weiss, "but it's possible."

"So, what does this mean?"

"Nothing, yet," said Jaune, who emanated an equally foul odor. "But it's more than we knew before. It might lead to something."

"Or it could lead nowhere," Weiss pointed out.

"You don't have to be such a downer," said Ruby.

"I'm just being realistic," said Weiss. "Now, will one of you two please go shower already?"

"Fine. But give yourself some credit. This will be important—I can feel it." Ruby went to the bathroom, leaving Weiss and Jaune alone.

"I'm actually about to head out again," said the latter.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked, a bit of an edge to her voice. She didn't find it fair that he was allowed to come and go as he pleased while she was stuck down here.

"To pick up a few things," he said. "I can swing by your place and grab anything you need, if you want me to. I've already got Ruby's list."

"Oh," she said, caught off guard. Her tone softened. "Well, yes, that'd be wonderful. Let me get my keys."

Jaune nodded. Weiss started toward the living quarters, then paused. She pulled out her scroll and set it to add a new contact before handing the device to Jaune. He hesitated before taking it. Weiss left him alone while he began to type in his information. After saving her life three times over, this was the least he'd earned.

She found her keychain on top of the trunk she'd claimed for herself, the only contents contained within being the filthy clothes she'd worn the day before. When she returned, she held out the keys to exchange for her scroll, but then immediately drew them back in toward herself, hesitant.

"What is it?" Jaune asked.

"Why me?" Weiss said, finally getting the question off her chest.

"What?"

"Ruby I get—she's your classmate and your friend. But why me? Why'd you reveal all of this—" she gestured vaguely around the safe house "—to someone you don't even know? Especially after what happened during our appointment?"

Jaune looked at her as if she'd asked what color the sky was. "Ruby trusts you."

"That's it?"

"Well, yeah. What more do I need?"

Weiss glanced at the closed bathroom door, then back at Jaune. He extended her scroll out further toward her. She traded her keys for it, then said, "I'll message you my address and a list of the things I need."

He pocketed the keychain. "Right. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Weiss tried to remember if she'd ever seen him smile—if she had, the memory wasn't coming to mind. It was fascinating to see how differently two people processed death two years later. Ruby buried her grief and found a way to still be bright, bubbly, and happy, despite the darkness she kept hidden. Jaune, on the other hand, let his grief consume him—not trying to disguise how broken he felt except for when Ruby was around, and even then just barely.

The man turned and started toward the stairs, but paused when Weiss called out to him.

"Jaune," she said. "I can try again, you know. I can still cure you—free of charge, of course."

He turned around to face her, taking a few seconds to respond. "Thanks, but . . . I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for that anymore. Pyrrha—she . . ." He swallowed. "She always faced her problems head-on. She never took the easy path."

"Would she really want you to continue to suffer when you really needn't to?"

He stood in silence, a conflicted look in his eyes. His lips parted, but no words came out. After failing to come up with an answer, he turned and left .

Weiss sat down and rested her head in her hand, her elbow on the computer desk. People have a real talent for needlessly punishing themselves. It was something that she herself had struggled with at several points throughout her life. You get so wrapped up in your own misery that you start to believe that you deserve it. So you just learn to live with it, ignoring the solution right in front of you.

She had to wonder about exactly what the nature of Jaune's relationship with Pyrrha was. He had to have really loved her for her death to still be affecting him this way. The question was whether or not that love was platonic. If not, had the late hero reciprocated those feelings? Had either of the two acted on them?

Weiss scolded herself. Here she was postulating other people's romances like some sort of teenage gossip. All that mattered was that Jaune had lost someone very dear to him, and he was hurting because of it. Those other details were unimportant. He'd open up when he was comfortable doing so, and right now he wasn't.

Ruby eventually emerged from the bathroom with damp hair and a fresh set of clothes. Weiss had continued to stare at the search results for "Brunswick Farms" as the minutes ticked by, not accomplishing much else. The goal was to find Torchwick, and she'd come no closer to it in the hours she'd spent trying. This indefinite isolation was going to be pure torture if they didn't manage to find any sort of lead soon.

"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby walked up to her.

"Yes, Ruby?" said Weiss.

"Could . . ." Ruby chewed her lip. "Could you do me a favor?"

"It depends on the favor."

"I need you to call Blake," Ruby blurted. She continued on before Weiss had a chance to say anything. "Torchwick knows where I live, and he knows Yang's my sister. I think she'd be a lot safer staying with Blake until we can get this whole thing sorted out, but I still can't tell her about any of this because she hates vigilantes and she'd never approve."

"Wait, what?" Weiss said.

"So I considered asking Blake to ask Yang to stay with her for a while," Ruby continued, "but it'd seem a lot more important coming from you."

"Did you just say your sister hates vigilantes?"

Ruby pulled out her scroll and pretended not to hear her. "So, call Blake? For me?"

"Ruby . . ." Weiss said dangerously.

"Please? I'm not asking you to make up with her or anything."

Weiss attempted to resist those pleading silver eyes, but she didn't last long.

"Fine." She snatched the scroll out of Ruby's hand. "But don't think we're not coming back to this."

Ruby beamed.

Weiss looked down at the scroll and pulled up Ruby's contacts, finding Blake's name written above an unfamiliar number. She tapped on it, then hovered her thumb over the call button. Seconds passed.

"You alright?" Ruby said.

"No, I'm not alright!" Weiss snapped. "What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Blake. I know we hate each other right now, but I really need your girlfriend to move in with you.' Do you honestly think she's just going to go along with that?"

"Just tell her how important it is and try not to yell at her. Let her know that it's coming from me if you have to."

Weiss bit her tongue and contemplated for a few moments. Then she stared back down at the big green button, took a deep breath, and pushed it. It began to ring as Weiss set it to speaker mode. She barely got a chance to hope it'd go to voicemail before the call connected.

"Ruby?" came Blake's voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Blake," Weiss said, a curtness in her tone that she couldn't help.

"Weiss?" Blake said, confused. "What's going on?"

Weiss let the silence drag on for a moment, then sighed. "I have something important I need to ask of you on Ruby's behalf."

"Is that why you're using her scroll?"

"Obviously."

There was a pause. "Well, what is it then?"

"We need you to convince Yang to move in with you for a little while."

There was an even longer pause. "What?"

"I said—"

"I heard you. Why?"

"Look, you know I wouldn't be talking to you right now if this wasn't important."

"If you're going to ask something like that of me, then you're going to need to give me a reason. Yang and I aren't anywhere near that stage yet. I haven't even told her that I love—" Blake cut herself short, like she'd given away more than she intended.

Ruby gasped, her eyes wide. "Do you?"

"Wha—? Ruby, you're there?" Blake said. "Then why did—?"

"That's irrelevant," Weiss interrupted, having to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Evidently, Ruby had forgotten the entire point of making Weiss do this. "Will you do it or not?"

"Not unless you explain why," said Blake.

"We can't do that," Ruby said. "I promise I'll tell you both eventually, but for now, I just need you to trust us."

"I trust you, Ruby. But Weiss . . ."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded.

"Well, we're not exactly caught up," said Blake. "We aren't the same people we were four years ago. You've got that scar now, and your hair is a different color. I'm in a line of work I never imagined myself pursuing. We can't just go back to the way things were."

"Who says I even want that? You didn't trust me then, either, when I warned you about Adam. Look where that got you."

"Are you saying if I don't trust you now, the consequences will be just as bad?"

"Of course she isn't saying that," Ruby said, trying to abate the rising tension. "This is nothing like that—nothing that serious. But it is important, though."

"I should hope not," Blake said. "Because you know I'd have to arrest you if you were up to anything illegal."

"Of course you would," Ruby said slyly with a wink.

"You know she can't see that, right?" said Weiss.

"Did she just wink?" Blake asked.

"No!" Ruby blushed.

"Yes," Weiss said at the same time.

Blake chuckled, then fell silent. Ruby glared at Weiss, who might've smirked had it been anyone else on the other end of the line. Several seconds of contemplation passed before Blake said in a defeated voice, "How long is 'a little while'?"

"We don't know," said Weiss. "It's impossible to say."

"A couple weeks?" Ruby ventured. "Maybe more."

Weiss didn't know how to feel about that guess. On the one hand, it was short enough that Weiss's temporary lack of income wouldn't disrupt her life, and she could theoretically return to normal sooner than expected. On the other, it didn't seem like nearly enough time to prepare for what Ruby and Jaune intended to do—if they could even learn the information they needed that quickly.

"And you'll explain what this is all about after?" said Blake.

"Promise," said Ruby.

Blake sighed. "Alright. But if Yang says no—"

Ruby pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! Thank you! She won't say no. Oh, and don't tell her about this, obviously. Make it sound like it was your idea."

"Right. But you know how much she hates people keeping secrets from her."

"Yeah," Ruby shifted guiltily. "But she'll understand."

If Blake believed that, she was the only one. "I hope you're right. Is that all, then?"

Ruby looked at Weiss, a silent prod, but Weiss just crossed her arms and kept her lips pressed together in quiet defiance. Blake still hadn't attempted an apology, so Weiss had nothing more to say to her.

"That's all," Ruby said, a sad look on her face.

"Okay. Bye, Ruby."

Bye, Ruby—no one else. Weiss was affronted enough that she spoke without thinking. "Wait."

There was a delay in Blake's response. "Yes?"

There were a million things Weiss wanted to say to her—years worth of rants and insults she'd come up with in the shower or while trying to fall asleep, retorts for every possible thing Blake might counter with. Now she had her chance, and none of it came out. She wanted to hurt Blake the way Blake had hurt her, but that wasn't the way to do it. Words born from spite and pettiness, nothing more—it'd feel too hollow.

Weiss opted for the truth.

"I just want you to know that despite our differences," she said, "you were all I had. You left me without a goodbye, and I can't believe you were just about to do it again."

Blake was silent. Weiss liked to imagine it was due to shame, but she wouldn't know for sure. She ended the call before Blake could say anything else. A resonating silence hung over the room, broken only by a shaky breath from Weiss as she handed the scroll back to Ruby. She was satisfied with what she'd said, but it did little more than reopen closed wounds.

"You okay?" Ruby said.

"I'm fine," Weiss said shortly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Ruby frowned. She clearly had more she wanted to say, but respected Weiss's answer. She tucked her scroll into her pocket before turning and walking away, pausing to tell Weiss, "Thank you. I feel a lot better with Torchwick not knowing where Yang sleeps."

Weiss just gave her half a smile.

That night, Weiss snuggled up under her favorite duvet. It was too big for the bunk, but comfy all the same. She kept the same pillow that was already here, as her own at home was old and losing its form. The mattress was a bit too firm for her liking and this safe house didn't feel like home, but that still held true for the rest of this city as well. She couldn't complain too much. She was warm, she was comfortable enough, and she wasn't alone.

"Hey, Weiss?"

Weiss opened her eyes to see Ruby staring down at her from the top bunk on the opposite wall. The girl had intentionally tired herself out using her semblance a few minutes ago. She and Weiss were the only two in the room, as Jaune had still yet to retire for the night.

"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss said, irritated.

"I've been thinking . . ." The girl was hesitant. "There's something I've been wanting to ask."

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"No. I've put it off for too long already."

Weiss sighed. "Fine. What is it?" Then, after ten seconds of silence, "If you're going to say it, then say it."

"It's just . . ." Ruby continued to delay, then finally brought herself to voice what was on her mind. "What if it's Salem?"

Weiss failed to understand the question. "What if what's Salem?"

"Well . . . the person we've been trying to find—Torchwick's boss, the woman from Maze's memory . . . My mom's killer."

Weiss pushed herself into a sitting position. "Ruby, are you feeling alright?"

"Huh? I feel fine."

"Are you certain you don't have a concussion or anything?"

"Wha—? No, I'm being serious! What if it's Salem?"

"Ruby," Weiss said slowly. "Salem is dead."

"I know that! Or at least we all think we do. I mean, her hair was blonde, just like the killer's. She might've faked her death, somehow."

"That's impossible. Ruby, there is video footage of her corpse being pulled from the wreckage. Multiple news helicopters recorded the exact moment."

"I know, I know," Ruby said. Even she seemed doubtful about her theory, but she wasn't quite ready to give up on it. "But she could've had some kind of semblance that let her fake her death, somehow. Maybe. And I know her semblance was metal control, but it could have changed to something completely different. That's happened before, right?"

"Yes, extremely rarely. You'd have better odds of winning the lottery."

Ruby somehow didn't seem dissuaded by those odds.

"It's not Salem, Ruby," Weiss asserted.

A silence passed, then Ruby said, "You're right. I knew it was stupid. I just . . . couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Why do you almost sound disappointed? Do you want Pyrrha's sacrifice to have been in vain?"

Ruby looked offended. "Of course not! How could—? I just . . ." She deflated. "I don't like that we still don't have any idea who it really is. We've been at this for so long, now."

Weiss felt guilty for what she'd said. Ruby just wanted an easy solution to a complicated problem. With so little information, it made sense for her to latch on to the first theory that might grant her some reprieve from her desperate thirst for answers, no matter how outlandish it was.

"I'm sorry," Weiss said.

"It's okay," said Ruby.

Weiss watched her friend's head disappear back over the edge of the bunk bed to rest atop her pillow. After a few moments, she laid back down herself and let her eyes slide shut, believing the conversation to be over. But then a couple minutes passed, and Ruby spoke again.

"I'm sorry too," she said.

Weiss looked over, but Ruby had evidently been talking to the ceiling. "Sorry about what?"

"Everything." Ruby propped herself up on her elbow and peered down at her once more. "It's my fault we're in this mess—that Junior nearly kidnapped us, that Torchwick knew where to find us, that we have to live down here now. You don't deserve any of this. If you'd never met me, you wouldn't be going through it all."

Weiss didn't know how to respond right away. She looked into those silver eyes, and she believed she was seeing genuine remorse. While a part of her wanted to stay mad at Ruby, the rest was just glad to finally hear her admit her mistakes. She didn't like being angry at her—the dolt just kept giving her so many reasons to be.

"Thank you for saying that," Weiss said. "But I don't regret meeting you, Ruby. It's not like you forced me into this. If I remember correctly, I volunteered for this. I could have backed out at any time—and when I eventually tried to, it's not like I wanted nothing to do with you anymore. Just please stop making so many reckless decisions. And don't keep any more pertinent information from me—like your sister hating vigilantes. Why am I only just now learning about that?"

Ruby gave a guilty smile. "I, uh, didn't think it mattered?"

Weiss gave her an incredulous look. "What?"

"I mean, in hindsight . . ."

"Ruby, you're literally planning on becoming a vigilante—which I still think is an absurd idea, by the way. We're currently living in a vigilante's hideout. How could you possibly think that that wasn't worth mentioning?"

"Well she's not your sister," Ruby argued.

Weiss's eyes narrowed.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I just didn't think of it. There were other things on my mind—other things to talk about."

Weiss relented. "Fine. But can I ask why your sister would hate vigilantes? What about Pyrrha?"

"Well, Yang never hated her in particular, but she wasn't a fan of her, either—she obviously respects her now, though. But she's been on that side of the debate for years. I don't know why, exactly, but it has something to do with her mom—her birth mom."

"Was . . . her mother killed by a vigilante, by any chance?"

"Hm? No, she's alive. But Yang doesn't like to talk about her—Dad doesn't, either. It's kind of a touchy subject."

"Oh." Weiss was silent for a moment. "How exactly do you expect her to react when she finds out about all this?"

Ruby shifted. "She'll understand."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, sounding like she was also attempting to convince herself. "She'll be mad, but not for too long—I'm her little sister. We're doing what we have to, because no one else can. She'll realize that eventually."

"I hope you're right," Weiss said honestly.

Ruby smiled, but then her face grew serious again. "I know that I'm asking a lot of you. What we're planning is really risky, so I'll understand if you decide not to."

Weiss looked away. "Right."

The silence dragged on until Ruby finally returned to lying on her back and said, "G'night, Weiss."

Weiss lowered herself back onto her pillow, then said, "Good night, Ruby."

A/N: Credit to my beta readers: Bardothren, I Write Big, and 0neWhoWanders. They're great writers who are a huge help with making this story as good as it can be.