"Signed a treaty to change the world, tensions fall and a peace is unfurled. Nothing like what had come before; it's the deal, it's the treaty that will end the war."

- Joakim Broden, Versailles

Percy was back in the same meeting room he'd been in with the Belladonnas a few minutes before, his leg bouncing incessantly as he stared unflinchingly across the table.

Ozpin sat calmly with a patient smile while Qrow busied himself with emptying his flask, presumably in preparation for the conversation ahead.

"You weren't supposed to arrive for another three hours." Percy finally interrupted the silence.

"Our flight was quicker than expected." Ozpin explained.

"Three hours quicker?"

"Yes, it's quite a long flight. The bullheads nowadays can get pretty fast."

"You didn't radio ahead."

"We didn't want to be a bother."

"You arrived in an unmarked, civilian craft."

"I take lengths to preserve the contribution of Valean taxpayers. I didn't mind."

"You didn't land in the area designated for the ceremony."

"Oh, was there a ceremony?"

Percy's hand clenched and unclenched while Ozpin remained sitting, the picture of innocence.

"Stop torturing the kid, Oz." Qrow drawled, slapping the bottom of his flask to get the last drops of liquor out.

Oz. What an interesting name to call headmaster Ozpin.

Qrow knew. Qrow definitely knew.

That had to be what trick Ozma had up his sleeve to make everyone perfectly loyal. Simply tell them about Salem and the relics, and convince them you were humanity's only chance.

That meant Ironwood had known. So had Foley, Lionheart, and Sylvanus.

But Ozma didn't know Percy knew. Not yet.

"Ironwood told me to speak to you." Percy decided to go with, refusing to rise to the bait. "He told me you'd be able to 'make things right'."

Ozpin tensed, and even Qrow looked away from his flask.

"James said that, did he?" Ozpin's smile dropped. "And when would that have been?"

"They were his last words." Percy admitted.

"I see." Ozpin glanced around. "You wouldn't happen to have any coffee, would you?"

Percy scowled. He was tired of the games.

"Can you 'make things right' Ozpin?" Percy ignored him, "Or do you truly have no idea what Ironwood was talking about?"

Ozpin stopped looking around, refocusing on Percy and holding his gaze for what felt like an eternity.

"Let's stop playing games now, shall we?" Ozpin leaned forwards on his cane.

"Oz-"

"I couldn't agree more." Percy interrupted Qrow.

Qrow shot him a dirty look. "I'm trying to help you, brat."

"What do you want, Perseus?" Ozpin joined him in ignoring Qrow.

Percy bit his tongue. He couldn't very well just come out and admit he knew about Ozma and the relics, playing games or not. It was a large advantage for Ozpin to think he was in the dark, and he wouldn't just give that advantage up for nothing.

On the other hand, he did want to work with Ozpin. He did want peace with Vale. He didn't want to start another war — for what? To have Vale 'under his control'? No, if nothing else Ozma would want to help him destroy Salem, and he was fully aware of the threat she posed. In this case, an ally was just as useful as a subordinate. He had enough money, men, and firepower now. He'd had enough for years, but Atlas and the SDC hadn't given him a chance to avoid war.

"Right now, I want peace." he said truthfully. That he wouldn't complain if he was given the other two relics wasn't relevant.

"Right now." Ozma smiled scathingly. "What an interesting qualifier."

Percy's eyes narrowed to slits. "If Vale were to attack any of those I consider under my protection tomorrow, that would change. Otherwise, I'd rather not more people die without cause."

"I can assure you that Vale plans on doing no such thing. After all, Vale is not the cause of Remnant being more steeped in conflict and destruction than it has been in generations."

"Oz! Really?!"

"I didn't want war. Atlas invaded us."

"Ah yes, just as they did in Argus a year ago. I'm sure you had no hand in provoking it."

"Alright, this is fucking ridiculous." Qrow stepped between them "Percy, the grimm have a queen. She's immortal, and she's in the grimmlands."

"Qrow!"

"What?!" he snapped. "I'm sick of this. You're convinced he knows anyway, what the hell are you losing here?" Qrow turned to look at Percy. "He thinks you're working for the queen, named Salem. He's convinced you're working for her or her agents, but isn't sure if you're aware of it."

"You are out of line!" Ozpin stood, slamming his cane into the floor.

Qrow turned to Ozpin "If you're certain he knows everything, then why not fucking tell him?" and then he turned back to Percy. "Now it's your turn, spill. As you can tell Oz is pretty pissed, so out with the secrets. I've spent enough time around you to know you're not banking on the end of the world, so tell us why the hell you're running around starting wars."

Percy winced, and hesitated. Did he really just tell them? They thought he was working for Salem? As if he couldn't have screwed up humanity pretty permanently by now if he were.

He let out a deep breath.

"I know." he admitted. "I'm not working for Salem, but I've known for some time now. I'm trying to grow in strength enough to protect humanity."

"By subverting my agents? By causing strife and conflict? That's how you claim to protect humanity?" Ozpin asked.

"I didn't exactly know they were your agents, did I?" Percy shot back. "Nor did I know you were… you. For all I knew, nobody important had a clue."

"How long?" Qrow pressed, and Ozpin fell silent. "How long have you known?"

Percy thought for a moment, "Since not long after I met you, actually."

Qrow cursed. "Fucking Raven. It was Raven, wasn't it?"

Percy scratched his cheek. "Raven… might have told me a few things."

Qrow buried his face in his hand, and Ozpin collapsed back into the couch with a deep sigh.

"You… know her then?" Percy asked slowly. If they knew a maiden…

Qrow's hand dropped, and he shot Percy an odd look. "She's my sister."

Percy opened his mouth to respond, and then clicked it shut again. That didn't make sense.

…Did it?

"Did you seriously not know?" Qrow looked baffled.

"How was I supposed to know?" Percy was just as confused.

Qrow pinched the bridge of his nose. "Maybe because I'm Qrow Branwen, and Raven leads the Branwen tribe? It's how we met — I was looking for information on the tribe in your bar!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "I didn't know her tribe was the Branwen tribe, she hardly volunteered the information. Probably didn't decide it was very relevant. But seriously, she's your sister?"

Percy paled as his mind caught up with the implications of that particular revelation.

"That means that Yang's mother…"

"Yeah." Qrow sighed, dropping his hand. "That's her. Real piece of work."

Percy buried his face in his hands. He'd never be able to look at Yang the same way again. Glancing up, he winced. Or Qrow, for that matter.

And she was Tai's ex, too…

With a deep breath, Percy sat straight up. He could think about all the fucked up implications later.

"Well, the cards are on the table. What now?"

Ozpin broke his silence. "You claim you are not working for Salem. Let's say I believe you, this does not prove you are committed to peace. You've conquered nearly every corner of Remnant, uprooting their self-governance and dominating them into thralls of your empire — I will need more than your word to know Vale isn't next."

Percy huffed. "I'd hardly say that's a fair assessment. I've not conquered anything."

"Haven't you, though? You've entrapped Menagerie, you've launched a coup in Vacuo, you seized power in Mistral, and now you've shown up with your warship to seize Mantle and Atlas."

"I'm not seizing anything." Percy refuted. "I want an alliance and free trade with Mantle and Atlas. That's it, and it's conditional on their acceptance. Neither will be subjugated by Mistral. I'd seek the same with Vale, Ozpin; an Ally. Nothing more."

Ozpin didn't respond for some time, but Percy didn't let nerves creep in. He was being genuine here. If Ozpin wanted to spit on it, fine. Ozpin would bear the burden of that choice.

"You truly do not intend to annex Mantle and Atlas into your empire?" Ozpin looked intrigued.

"I don't." Percy affirmed. "Now that the air is clear, let me be transparent; my goal is and always has been to make humanity strong enough to deal with the threat in the grimmlands. An ally committed to combating Salem is just as valuable as a subject."

Ozpin reclined slowly. "And how does this explain your other actions?" he asked, "Menagerie, the White Fang, Vacuo, Mistral. The war with Atlas in the first place. Vale's underground."

"In order, I modernized Menagerie and put failsafes in place to make sure it wouldn't turn rogue. I sponsored the White Fang to not only supply me with enough resources to do everything else, but also make sure they were ultimately used for the good of humanity. Vacuo and Mistral were corrupt shells of governments, unpopular with the people. They suddenly lost their monarchs when they were still popular. The people didn't make that choice; you did. Despite what you might think I didn't start nor want the war with Atlas, and taking over Vale's underground only involved hurting those who had already lost their claim to innocence."

Ozpin sighed exasperatedly. "Everyone is the hero of their own story. You ignore entirely the millions of deaths you've caused. The Valean underworld, for all you're aware, could have been greatly curbed by now. Instead it's been bolstered by your resources. Mistral and Vacuo could have rooted out their corruption with time, Menagerie could have slowly opened to the wider international community, and the White Fang could have been defeated. We do not know. All we can know is that the state of peace that has existed in Remnant was destroyed by your actions."

"Is it better to die on your feet, or live on your knees?"

Ozpin blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"If all life is worth the same regardless of its quality, then nothing is worth dying for. If there's nothing worth dying for, why fight at all? Should a slave simply obey their master? Should the people sedately obey a corrupt government? Should Mistral have laid down its arms when Atlas showed up?"

"Do you have a point?" Ozpin drawled.

"My point" Percy scowled. "Is that you can't measure my contribution to this world by tallying up deaths. Hundreds of millions in Mistral, Menagerie, Mantle, and Vacuo will live better lives because of what they fought for."

"How noble." Ozpin deadpanned. "I'll play along for now, young Perseus. There are conditions, however."

Percy sighed, "Name them."

"Firstly, and obviously, if any hostile action is taken towards Vale, I will consider it a threat. That includes sabotaging the CCT elsewhere, or embargoing the city from receiving your goods."

Percy shrugged, that was fair enough. Not like he planned to anyway.

"Second, you will refrain from meddling in the affairs of the huntsman academies. Should you interfere in their mission, I will have no choice but to assume you are working on the behalf of Salem."

Percy frowned, but motioned him onwards. He had no plans for the huntsman academies anyways, except for potentially expanding them.

"Lastly, you will cut contact with your politicians in Vale, and cease to influence its news, unions, and businesses."

Percy scowled. "That's not reasonable. The unions, businesses, journalists, and politicians are what allows the Xiong clan to operate. You may as well demand I destroy the clan myself."

"I did not say that Hei Xiong could not influence them as a petty criminal will. I said that you cannot. Crime is not my business. You meddling in Vale is."

Percy huffed, but nodded. "Fine. I agree with that. I'll let Junior know he's on his own."

Ozpin smiled graciously. "I'm glad we could come to an understanding." he extended his hand for Percy to shake. "I look forward to the rest of the weekend, young Mr. Jackson."

Percy didn't bother with his own fake smile, but shook the man's hand. He was happy enough with this. Ozpin might try to take the relics from him, but he could worry about that later. Right now was his time to consolidate and make peace.

"Now," Ozpin withdrew his hand, his smile turning frosty. "Perhaps you could give Qrow and I a minute to ourselves."

Percy snickered, and stood to leave. "The room is yours." he turned to Qrow, and extended a hand. "He's gonna rake you over the coals, but thanks. You did more than you know."

Qrow rolled his eyes and smacked Percy's hand away, extending his fist to bump instead. "Yeah yeah, someone's gotta bring you two back to reality. Now get outta here, Oz and I have to talk about how we're gonna kill my sister."

Percy bit his tongue. Raven hadn't told him everything, not even close, but he didn't have an answer as to who did.

"Go easy on her for me." Percy decided to say, lightly bumping his fist. "I kinda made her."

Qrow snorted. "Trust me kid, nobody makes Raven do anything. If she told you, it's 'cause she wanted you to know."

Percy couldn't help but think that Qrow was wrong. In his experience, what Raven really wanted was for someone to 'make' her do all sorts of things.

Percy never explained to Qrow why he started laughing as he left the room.

"The future isn't written, because only the people can write it."

- Adolfo Suárez

Percy hoped it wasn't obvious that he was half asleep.

He sat near the head of a large U-shaped table overlooking a chamber filled with hundreds of people. He couldn't help but draw comparisons to the chamber where he'd been hailed as emperor, except this time he was far from alone in the spotlight.

Shiro sat directly to his right, to Shiro's right the Asturias' sat with their royal guard standing behind them, and finally to the right of them the Belladonnas sat. Two kings, two queens, and an emperor between the six of them — not that the Belladonnas had taken being royalty very well. They'd insisted they would reform the system and abdicate within a few years, which Percy had been happy enough to let them do.

To Percy's left at the very head of the table was Mantle's mayor. Percy hardly minded. Partially he was in the center because Mantle had been the one to technically finish the war, but mostly it was because the main host of the conference would be expected to announce the guests, move the agenda forwards, make the main announcements, and a plethora of other duties Percy wanted no part in.

Winter was directly to the mayor's left as the sole representative of Atlas, and even further left of her was Ozpin, followed by Mantle's commissioner. Beyond him were a couple councilors from Mantle Percy had elected to help represent Mantle at the conference.

"Representing Mistral are Perseus and General Wan. Within the empire of Mistral, Vacuo is represented by their majesties Jax and Gillian Asturias…"

Percy tuned out the rest of it. The Mayor had been speaking for what felt like hours now, and Percy was ready to get on with it. Now that they were being introduced, he hoped that meant they'd be starting soon.

"Firstly," the mayor's tone shifted, and Percy's attention was drawn back to reality. "Winter Schnee has a message for the people of Atlas."

The Mayor muted his microphone and leaned back, and Winter stood.

"Early this week, before its members were arrested and removed, the council of Atlas met. I was not present for this meeting, but due to myself being the highest ranking officer and specialist in the field deemed combat capable following the battle of Mistral, the council decided to select me for the positions of both General of Atlas' armies, and headmistress of Atlas academy." Light commotion simmered through the audience, but Winter pushed through. "When this conference comes to an end, my foremost priority as the acting leader of our great kingdom is to ensure elections are held to form a new council. A council that will be free to select a new candidate for the positions of headmaster and general, should they so choose."

They wouldn't. Percy would make sure of that.

Winter sat, and the conference droned on from there. Shiro announced Menagerie's inclusion into the empire of Mistral and its new status as a kingdom, which raised some eyebrows. Following that, the mayor of Mantle stood and proclaimed Mantle's independence from Atlas to raucous cheers. Then, it was Percy's turn.

He stood, and the room grew silent.

"A hundred years ago," Percy began to recite, "the great war ended, and monarchy came to an end in Remnant. In Vale, the people celebrated. Their king, though popular, had been the one to propose the change. Here in Mantle, you'd been without kings for hundreds of years; it made little difference. In Mistral and Vacuo, the people were blindsided. Their monarchies were removed suddenly and without a moment's thought for the opinions of the people, or the cultures they were uprooting. As generations passed the once mighty nations decayed from within. Corruption, squalor, and poverty followed. The King of Vale made the mistake of deciding the paths of nations for them, disregarding their history and culture. Today, I am committed above all to not making that same mistake."

Percy felt Ozpin's eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, but did his best to solidly ignore the sensation. "The destinies of Mantle and Atlas must remain in the hands of their people. The wounds of yesterday are fresh, but we must remember that the citizens of Atlas are no more responsible for Atlas' invasion than the average citizen of Mistral or Vacuo was for the decay that gripped our nations for a hundred years. The blame lays solely at the feet of the corrupt, the cowardly, and the greedy. Today, a new Atlas is born. One without the corruption that plagued the nation before it. Today, Mistral recognizes Mantle and Atlas both as free nations, and extends our hand in friendship. Once Mantle's government has been formed and Atlas' new council has been elected, to prove my commitment to healing the wounds of the past I propose a joint alliance between our three nations, and the free movement of people and goods between our borders."

The applause that followed was far from the levels he'd gotten back in Mistral, but it felt thunderous all the same. He knew that, like Ozpin, many were expecting him to come out here today and declare the annexation of them both. And, to be fair, maybe he would have a few months ago. But today… he felt less of a need.

Percy sat, and the mayor stood once again. He began reading the terms they'd all agreed to at the peace conference that had taken place behind closed doors throughout the weekend, which soon faded into the background.

He was only brought back to reality when, several minutes later, Shiro leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder. Percy leaned to make it easier for Shiro to whisper in his ear.

"I've just been informed that Adam Taurus has arrived in Mantle."

"Women make up one half of society. Our society will remain backward and in chains unless its women are liberated, enlightened, and educated."

- Saddam Hussein

Percy got out of the conference hours later, after dark in the cold Atlesian — Mantlese? — climate. Shiro told him that Adam had last been seen in the hotel pool, and then stayed behind to play nice with all the important people at the conference.

Percy stepped into the lobby of the hotel, and through it to the pool behind it. With the exception of a skeleton crew of staff and security the hotel was empty this time of night, having been reserved for Percy's guests — nearly all of which were currently at the conference, even if many were on their way back.

He walked out the back door to a surprisingly warm gust of air. Looking around, he quickly saw the large poles at each corner of the outdoor area which acted as relays for the light dust keeping the cold air out.

Directing his attention to the pool itself, Percy spotted Adam sitting by its edge drying off, bereft of a shirt or his mask. Blake Belladonna lay on a beach chair some distance away reading a book, looking for all the world as if she was trying to get a tan from the lamp above her.

Percy paused upon seeing her. Now that he didn't have anything urgent for the White Fang to do, he could move the White Fang in ways that would keep her within reach. She was the key to both the White Fang and Menagerie; if he had her, he had the support of the faunus race. Maybe the White Fang could stay in Mistral for a while, firmly within his control…

He'd need to figure out the specifics later, but for now he had a pool party to crash.

"Interesting choice of location." Percy commented, grabbing a seat from one of the tiny outdoor cafe tables and swinging it around so he was facing Adam, who still sat at the edge of the pool a few feet away.

"We've been in Vacuo for a year." Adam grunted, pushing himself out of the water. "There's nothing but desert there. Desert and sand. I haven't seen more than a bottle full of water in months." he said, walking to his shirt, picking it up, and throwing it on

Percy shrugged. "Fair enough."

Blake, at the far end of the pool, took one look at him, closed her book, stood, and began walking back to the hotel.

"That'll be an interesting family reunion." Percy called absentmindedly, pointing a finger at the pool and twirling it a couple times. The water responded, a swirling spiral of water as tall as he was spinning upwards out of the pool.

The Belladonna's daughter froze. "What do you mean?"

Clenching his hand into a fist, the spiral gathered into a floating mass of water. He turned his hand as if he was turning a doorknob, and the deformed blob span in place, smoothing until it was a perfect sphere.

"Your parents are here for the conference." Percy told her, releasing his clenched hand upwards into the air and spinning it. The water flattened into a disc and began spinning like a pizza, thinning until it covered most of the pool before stopping suddenly. "They're staying at this hotel, same as everyone else. They'll be back any moment."

Percy finally looked away from his creation, noting with the tiniest amount of satisfaction that both of them were staring at the floating plateau of water in something resembling astonishment. "You should join us." he nodded to the deck chair next to where Adam now sat up on his own chair. "You're as old as I was when I started funding the White Fang, and you've seen enough of this to know how it works. You deserve a say." he dropped the water, letting it crash back into the pool with a loud splash. "Or you can go reunite with your parents."

Blake made her way back after a single moment of hesitation, eyes locked on the hotel doors. Percy didn't fail to notice how Adam bristled, but didn't counter the offer.

"I won't say a word." Percy promised both of them. "That's none of my business. Just a friendly warning."

Blake placed her book where she'd been reading it and came to sit on the chair next to Adam, nervously huddled in on herself.

Percy caught the two up with the events that had occurred over the last few days, focusing on anything specific to the faunus, including the fate of the SDC.

"So it's over, then." Blake summarized giddily. "We won. Every kingdom finally has equality laws, and the SDC is gone. Even the mining settlements are being broken up." she beamed.

Adam was less cheerful. "The fight isn't over until human bigotry is. As long as there are humans victimizing faunus, the White Fang is needed to defend them."

"Now that law and the systems of power are on our side, we don't have to resort to violence!" Blake argued.

"You're being naive." Adam snapped. "Just because the law and those with power claim to support faunus doesn't mean they are."

"The law doesn't claim anything! If the legal system-"

"Enough!" Adam cut her off, glancing his way. Presumably, he'd remembered they had an audience. "The fight continues."

Blake didn't look very happy with that decision, but she bit her tongue and stayed quiet. Percy kept his face passive, but studied the girl. Maybe physically having Blake Belladonna within his reach wasn't the only way to secure her. If he controlled her heart and mind he would have a very, very sweet voice to whisper into the right ears.

Percy shot her a sympathetic look. If his actions aligned with her interests enough that he could garner genuine loyalty from her, then the loyalty of the faunus as a whole was all but guaranteed.

"What next?" Adam snapped, noticing the look.

"Nothing," Percy shrugged, deciding that finding a reason to keep the White Fang in Mistral was no longer the best way to secure the faunus. "She's right. I don't have anything for you right now. You could go back to Kuo Kuana and clear grimm from around the city — I can even make the White Fang Menagerie's official military, if you'd like."

"You want us to sit on our hands?" Adam snarled.

Percy shot him an incredulous look. "I said nothing of the sort. I said I don't have anything for you to do, not that you're not allowed to do anything. Protect faunus all you want, just keep damage to a minimum and get in contact with me before you start acting directly against a government. You really should take a break, though." he said. "Your men just won a war. Let them have some time off. I promise I'll have a job for you soon. As long as you answer when I call, I'll continue to fund the White Fang. You've more than proven that you're worth keeping around."

Nodding reassuringly to the princess, Percy stood and had started to make his exit when his scroll began vibrating.

Pulling it out and checking who was calling him, Percy's eyebrows shot into the sky. He stopped in his tracks, hitting the 'accept' button and watching as Cinder Fall appeared on-screen.

"Cinder? Where have you been?" he quizzed, shooting Adam a look. Cinder had asked for some help from the White Fang as payment for her own assistance, so their conversation might end up being relevant to the Fang.

"I had to leave the city urgently on some business once the fighting was over, but everything went as planned and I was there until the end of the battle; you can have your police verify that."

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. As if she didn't have the commissioner wrapped around her finger.

"Thanks for the reminder to replace the commissioner," he said dryly. "But I believe you. I saw the damage to the atrium at the peak of the tower. Do you know what it was they were defending so heavily?"

It was hard to see through his scroll, but the glint in Cinder's eye told him she knew exactly what it was they didn't want him to get his hands on.

"I have an idea…" she teased, pressing a finger to the corner of her mouth in pantomime thought. "I promise I'll show you as soon as I can get back to the city, but it's the kind of thing not best discussed over scroll."

Percy frowned. "I don't have long to stick around and wait, Cinder."

"Trust me, it'll be worth your time." she smiled knowingly. "But if you have somewhere to be, by all means. I can always show you later. But if I were you, I wouldn't put it off too long."

"Just let me know when you're back." he sighed, "Anyway, you've held up your end, I can hold up mine. What's this errand you need the White Fang for?"

"Oh, yes, that. I suppose I should speak to Taurus soon. Though I must admit, the recent… changes you've made have shifted my objectives somewhat."

Percy shrugged. That was fair. He'd be more surprised if her goals hadn't been affected by the turmoil the war and its consequences had caused. The only place on Remnant which hadn't been flipped on its head was Vale, and even they were getting a new chairman now that Wolke was dead.

Percy nodded to Adam. "Alright. Let me know when you're back on the grid, Cinder; I'll admit, you've piqued my curiosity."

She grinned, "Gladly. I have some associates you may like to meet, as well. Until then, Perseus."

The scroll clicked shut.

"Psycho bitch." Adam muttered, glaring at Percy's scroll.

Percy snorted. "Tell me about it."

Blake looked curious, and with an encouraging look from Percy decided to speak up. "Who was that?"

"A… business partner of mine." Percy said carefully. "Of ours. She's an asset with some very useful friends; friends that made the takeover of Atlas possible. In return, I've agreed to give you guys enough dust to blow up the grimmlands and let her use you for a mission."

Blake's eyes narrowed, and the black feline ears on top of her head lowered. "'Let her use us'?"

Percy barked out a laugh. "Nothing like you're imagining, I don't think. Nothing I haven't had you guys doing for years. It won't run counter to the White Fang's ideals, and if it isn't directly aligned with them then I'll make it up to you after. Promise. Speaking of which." Percy dug into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, pulling out half a dozen black lien chips and tossing three to each of them. "Call it a bonus. You've done good work, enjoy yourselves for a bit. On me."

Adam opened his mouth to protest but Percy raised a hand to cut him off. "Yeah I get it, you could buy stuff for the White Fang. I'll give the White Fang as a whole a sizable bonus as well, but that's for you two. It's a gift; use it on something personal, or don't use it at all."

Blake stared at the chips in her hand with an open mouth. "This is more lien than everyone on Menagerie has put together. How much do you have that you just throw this around!?"

Percy snickered. "You haven't been to Menagerie in a while, have you?" At her blank look, he elaborated. "Menagerie looks very different from the last time you were there. You might wanna visit sometime. A princess should know what her kingdom looks like, no?"

Blake blanched.

Percy laughed and winked, tossing her an extra black chip. "Consider it a royal stipend. I don't imagine you'll be around your parents enough for them to give you one."

Her hand that wasn't holding the other three chips snatched it out of the air on instinct, but the girl herself stared at it blankly.

Walking back to the hotel doors, Percy couldn't help but to tease the couple a final time as he made his exit.

"Remember to use protection!"

"There's no better way to overpower a trickle of doubt than with a flood of naked truth."

- Francis Underwood

Percy rubbed the blurs out of his eyes, not for the first time lamenting this part of his job.

It wasn't paperwork, but… reports from Shiro, who had stayed back on Atlas for another few days to clean some things up, and then catch up with him via bullhead. To Percy, having to read the tiny little letters that never seemed to appear in the right order under the dim light of the ship at night seemed akin to torture.

He shook his head. The subjects didn't help. They were either painfully boring like a report on which businesses they should prioritize secretly buying up to gain influence over Atlas' economy and civilian sector and how to go about it, or painfully stressful to think about like the report on the situation with the Atlas bomb.

There was, however, a third report that was neither boring nor all that stressful. A doctor who'd previously worked directly for Ironwood had organized a meeting with Shiro and all but begged to be allowed to work for them. He claimed to have built an advanced automaton with aura and — dubiously — free will which they were in possession of. Shiro wrote that he had no idea what the old man was talking about, but the background check was clear enough that he'd decided to send Percy a summary anyway.

It didn't take long for Percy to send a messenger bullhead to ask Shiro to bring the doctor with him when he joined the fleet.

The report on the Atlas bomb project, however, had been more of a chore to deal with. He'd secured the members of the project that weren't spies to work for them in continued development, but Shiro had decided that there were at least two double agents involved — but possibly up to six. He'd detained them and literally gagged each of them for now, but wrote that the most pragmatically sound option would be to execute all of the potential double agents. There was a huge risk with any other course of action, that they'd either escape or communicate what they knew somehow, being both privy to the details of the project and spies themselves. But, in classic Shiro fashion, he didn't want to actually kill them himself without an order to because he didn't feel morally comfortable making the decision. Yes, because Percy was a paragon of morality and had no regrets that kept him up at night.

He shook his head, resisting the urge to toss the manilla folder out the window into the depths below. It didn't take long to decide that the two they knew were double agents could be shot without much guilt — they knew the risks. But the others, who might have remained loyal to the Malachites, Mistral, and Percy? He wasn't sure he could stomach sentencing them to death.

Lost in thought as he was, he paid no mind to the door at the front of the room opening. He sat alone in a booth in the joint bar-restaurant, right in the middle of the small civilian transport ship. Even though it was a bit past midnight, there were a good few reasons to be coming through here. Guards on a shift, someone grabbing a midnight snack, someone returning from spending a bit of time on the deck- point being, he didn't really care.

When that person slid into the booth opposite him, he cared.

Percy looked up with an annoyed scowl that quickly melted when he saw who had joined him.

Pyrrha's hair was dark like she'd just gotten out of the shower, and instead of her regular red and gold more formal wear or armor she wore a black t-shirt and a dark blue hoodie with Sanctum's mascot on it. He remembered that hoodie — she'd gotten it at one of the sporting events for Sanctum that didn't include teenagers swinging swords at each other, and one of the few times Percy had stopped by Argus on his way to Atlas. The kid handing them out had accidentally given her one in adult size instead of kid's size, and as a result it had been hilariously big for her at 14. But now she'd grown into it, and Percy realized it was the first time he'd ever seen her wear the thing as anything other than a blanket.

Quickly, Percy moved the folders to the side. He forgot about them in an instant.

"I haven't forgiven you." Pyrrha led.

Percy felt a pang shoot through his heart.

Bracing herself for what awaited on the other side, Pyrrha walked through the door to the dining hall. She stood at the entrance, waiting for Percy to say something — anything — but he didn't even look up, concentrated as he was on whatever was on the table in front of him. She stood there for a few moments, just watching. Observing.

He looked as stressed as he had for months now, since he'd visited her on Patch. He slouched over the table as if the fate of the world rested on him getting to the bottom of the page, and for all she knew it just might.

Building up her courage, Pyrrha walked over and slid into the other side of the booth. Nearly immediately he looked up, his stormy expression melting away as soon as their eyes met. It wasn't the first time; she wasn't oblivious to the way his anger would dissipate when it came to her. Yang had been petrified by the look in his eyes during the battle, but Pyrrha knew that rage just… didn't apply to her.

Quickly, he closed the folder he'd been staring a hole into a moment before and moved it aside. It was almost cute, the way he stared at her. At once as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, hoping for the best, and fearing the worst. They sat there silently for several seconds, neither one wanting to be the first to speak. But Pyrrha knew she had to break the silence; she'd come to him.

"I haven't forgiven you." she led.

Pyrrha concealed a wince. She… could have phrased that better, and if the look on his face was any indication he agreed.

"I'm still upset, but I'm ready to talk to you." she amended. "I kept putting it off, but Yang convinced me to. Shared some of the stories you told her." she smiled faintly, remembering some of the funnier parts of misadventures Yang had paraphrased for her. She knew her friend had been selective with the stories she told, but they both knew what she was doing.

"She asked me if I thought you were a bad person," she continued, "and I said I didn't. She said that you definitely care about me, and if you're not a bad person then you have to have a reason for everything you've done. That it doesn't mean you're always right, but that you can make mistakes. And mistakes can be forgiven." she pursed her lips, watching her mentor. It was almost unnerving, the focus he was giving her. He never focused on anything completely. He was always doing something else, or thinking about something else. Even during the time they'd spent together she knew he was thinking about something — or someone — else at all times. More than anything else, her primary motivation for training as a kid was to get good enough to force him to concentrate during their spars.

She'd yet to succeed, but right now? Right now, she had his full attention.

"I'll give you one chance." she finally said. "I have one question, and I want you to answer. Do you regret it? What you did to Argus, and to my family?"

He stayed silent for a while. Too long, almost. But Pyrrha knew him well, and she knew that look; his eyes were locked on her, but they were far away. Lost in thought.

"In Argus," he began, "I regret being so callous, that I didn't give it a second thought even though I knew it was your home. I regret that I did it to Argus for that reason, but I don't regret what I did. Nobody was hurt. I was backed into a corner. I'd do it again." He let out a tired sigh, and Pyrrha forgot to breathe.

"I'm not sure if I regret the coup." he admitted, "The nobility was a rotted institution that needed to be curbed. Still does, really. It needs to be removed, or at least remade. The only way to make that possible was by turning the people against them, by exposing them to the masses. I regret that you were caught up in it, but I'd do it again. You're more popular with the people than ever, and Mistral is better off than it would be otherwise."

Pyrrha let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "You don't really regret Argus. You only care that it made me upset, not the millions of other people it distressed, or the thousands who worried for their lives."

Percy shrugged unapologetically. "I'll do what I feel has to be done, but you're important to me, Pyr. I was once told by a very wise woman that I would destroy the world to save a friend. She's been proven right more than once."

"Yang was wrong." she decided. "You're doing what you think is for the ultimate good, and you do care about me, but you didn't make a mistake; you're a hypocrite. You think you're being a good person, but you put people through things you wouldn't be willing to put the people you care about through, even if it's for the greater good."

"Yes." Percy agreed. "When it comes to the people I love, I'm a hypocrite. That won't change, now or ever."

Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat.

The people he loves…

She stared back at him with wide eyes. He… loves her? He'd never said that to her before. In fact, she was pretty sure her own father had never said that to her before.

Pyrrha slid out of the booth and stood at the end of the table.

"I don't think what you've done is good; I think you're doing bad things. I think you've hurt a lot of people, and… I don't think I can justify forgiving you." she let out a shaky breath, looking down to avoid seeing the look in his eyes. "But I know that I'm a hypocrite too, because even though I can't justify forgiving you, I still love you."

Voice cracking, Pyrrha ducked into his booth and clung to him, grabbing his shirt as tightly as she could and burying her face in his neck. Silent tears slid from her eyes, because she knew it was true. She knew that he had done bad things — horrible things. She knew that he'd lied to her, and she knew that out of all the things he'd done, the only thing he regretted was that some of it had hurt her. She cried because she knew all that, and she still loved him.

His hands moved to her sides and she feared the worst for a single moment before they wrapped around her and pulled her closer. She adjusted herself to the new position, moving her body to fit his.

"I love you too, Pyrrha."

"Everyone has a weakness; nobody is devoid of passion."

- Unknown

Happy New Year!

Next chapter January 14