King: Intermission 2: Electric Boogaloo~ Oh! Don't you look at me like that! It was the obvious joke! Low hanging fruit might not be the best, but it can still work. Any who~ Hope you enjoy this one. I decided to have a little more fun with our audience members~ Hope you enjoy~!

Inspiration: Really? This is an intermission. This is all me, baby~

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If King had eyes, he'd have blinked in shock. "Pardon?"

Ozpin didn't glance toward the orb, his eyes locked on the Queen of the Grimm. "I'd like an intermission. I need to confirm something."

"Um… Okay? Intermission, I guess. So, see you all in…"

"Hold on. I'd like you to confirm whether I'm correct. Just to be sure."

The screen actually had a question mark appear on the canvas.

King took a breath, "Okay. What's the issue?"

Ozpin's glare narrowed slightly. "Salem… smiled."

The room was silent.

Nora leaned forward in her chair with a raised eyebrow, "Huh? Come on. Bad guys smile sometimes, right?"

Ozpin ignored her, but ultimately answered her question. "The Salem I remember would have scoffed and left a long time ago, saying this was beneath her. But you remained. Why is that?"

Salem stood, eyes narrowed. "What, exactly, are you trying to say, Ozpin?"

"That this left me with two options. The most normal option being that you aren't really Salem and are just using an illusion of some kind. Then I remembered the screen and its purpose."

The screen's marking swapped to an exclamation point.

"You are a Salem from a reality different to that of the rest of us."

After a tense and cutting silence, Salem took in a breath, "How ridiculous. Do you actually think that…"

King sighed. "No… He's right."

"He is?"

The screen now showed a question mark followed by an exclamation point.

King cleared his throat (which doesn't exist?) and began to explain, "If I wanted the screen to behave at the time, I needed Salem to be here. And, as he said, the Salem from his world would just scoff and leave. So, I needed to pluck one from another version that would stick around. When I found her, I dulled her emotions just enough so that no one would notice but keep her here."

Salem was furious hearing that, "You can't be serious!"

"Yeah… I'd apologize, but it wouldn't really matter. I'll put you back to normal now. One sec."

Salem took a step forward to take a swing at the orb but was surrounded by purple flames.

Ozpin watched the display, awaiting to see how things go from here.

When the fire faded away Salem was clutching her head with eyes closed, "Gah! Damn it…"

Cinder ran up to her, "Lady Salem! Are you alright?!"

Salem groaned, "Cinder, dear… For the love of the gods, shut up. I have a splitting headache."

Cinder froze. Salem didn't talk like that. She never addressed her, or anyone, as 'dear.' "I… What?"

Salem took in a breath. "Now… I can finally think straight." She glared up toward the orb. "I should rip you in half for that."

King snickered, "I'd like to see you try~"

Salem growled, knowing she couldn't actually hurt the incorporeal mass of fire. "Damn you…" Salem's gaze fell back to Ozpin. "I suppose I should thank you for solving that so I could be myself again."

Ozpin smirked, trying to hide his sheer confusion, "You don't seem too different so far."

"I am to believe that I am still the Queen of the Grimm. I doubt I could be too different."

King floated back down between them, "You'd be surprised."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Last I checked, your version of Salem didn't have kids."

The Salem in the room went into a state of bliss, "Ah~ My babies~ Oh my gods! What are they getting up to without me there?!"

"Calm down. Your world is just as frozen as theirs. You're good."

"Phooey…"

"Yeah… I know… You want grandkids."

Cinder finally had all she could stand and passed out in sheer shock.

King chuckled, "She lasted longer than I thought she would."

Ozpin was in a similar state, but had a better handle on his vertical stance. "You have children?"

Salem gleamed at the mention of her offspring, "Yep~! Eight wonderful bundles of joy~"

Pyrrha went cold. "Eight?"

Salem nodded.

"It… wouldn't happen to be… 7 girls and a boy, would it?"

"It would~"

A loud thud followed as Pyrrha passed out onto the theater floor.

King turned toward the red head now sprawled out on the floor, "Dropping like flies, I swear…"

Glynda's glasses slipped. "Then… Mr. Arc is…"

"My son, yes. At least in my reality."

King sighed. "In Salem's version of reality, she made peace with human kind. However, Grimm still spawned as mindless beings, so huntsmen were still very much a necessity. One such huntsman being Montesquieu Arc."

Salem blushed and was in bliss again, "Oh! My darling Monty~"

"Yeah…" They could almost hear the deadpan look on his non-existent face. "The two fell in love and the rest is history… Despite her appearance, Salem is an offshoot of human. The biology checks out and eight kids followed suit. And I get the feeling that number is in counting."

Salem smiled, not giving a direct answer.

King sighed. "Whatever… Intermission is extended after that revelation and to get some food in your bellies. The lounge has a full selection of anything you could eat. The bar also serves simple foods like club sandwiches or something. Go wherever, but no food in the arena or library. Enjoy." King flickered out like a candle, leaving them alone again.

No one moved, though. Eyes were still very much locked on Salem.

Ozpin took a deep breath to try to wrap his head around it all, "Let me get this straight… The immortal Queen of the Grimm… has a family?"

Salem shook her head. "I'm not immortal. Like the fireball said, in my reality I'm just another type of sentient life. Like humans and faunas. I just happen to be a different kind…"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me something. King said you made peace with humanity. How?"

"If you're trying to pry and figure out how to calm your own version of me, I doubt it will work given how you addressed me before. I was born with this visage and I was ostracized for it. Many believed I resembled the Grimm and forced me out. My heart grew cold and I sought for some sense of revenge against the people that tossed me aside so easily. That's when you, or at least my version of you, came to me with an ultimatum. Live among humanity in Vale for a year. If I fail to reintegrate, he would release me back into the Grimmlands I started to call home. At first, it was a year to bolster my forces. Then… I met Monty."

As Nora and Ren helped Pyrrha back to her feet, Ozpin and his inner circle were stunned to see Salem in this light. She had a longing look. A reminiscent gaze of a cherished memory.

Salem wiped away a small tear forming. "Montesquieu offered a hand when I needed it, defending me from a group of muggers. After a while, we started to become close friends. He's a sweetheart like that. But something had bothered me for a while. One day he told me he could tell I was capable to defend myself. So, I asked him why he stepped in that day if he knew I was so strong. He told me it wasn't to save me from them, but from myself. I was alone for so long…" She took a breath, and had to wipe away another tear, an act that really told the group in the room that this Salem was a truly a different being altogether. "So, he came rushing to me too give me back what I lost. Hope. In humanity and in myself. I fell head over heels not long after~"

So many in the room were touched by her story, excluding Adam, Mercury, and a still passed out Cinder. One, however, had a different reaction. Not too dissimilar so as to be completely out of left field. Ozpin showed no signs the story meant anything. He was always difficult to read. But this was another level. Ozpin took a step forward and stood directly in front of Salem. His glare had fallen. Now, it was the gaze of a man, who had seen so much, seeing something totally new. "Salem… Your story sounds fantastical and mad. But I admit that its based on my preconceived bias toward your counterpart. She longs only for the destruction of all sentient life, but you are different. I've seen it in your eyes. A loving gaze that our Salem couldn't even fake. I will not apologize for caution given what information I had, but I will admit I was wrong. And I'm quite happy to be so." Ozpin held his hand up to offer to shake. It was almost unheard of to all involved; but, to Oz, it was the right decision.

Salem smiled and took his hand in peace. "A pleasure, Professor Ozpin."

Cinder started to stir and sit up. Though, when she saw the sight before her, she was floor-bound again.

With that, the groups split up into their groups, dividing themselves between the lounge and the bar. The bar, as it turned out, was rather empty, save for the form of Roman sitting at the counter. After a while, Neo walked in and took a seat next to the crime lord.

Roman smirked when she arrived, "Ain't you a little young to be in here?"

Neo huffed. Normally, it would be a gag about her height. But… she was only 20. She technically had a year before she could drink without a huntsmen's license, not that it mattered to criminals. Neo's eyes fell onto the counter.

Roman glanced toward Neo, "This about the 'death of all sentient life' thing from before?"

Neo nodded. After a second, she looked up toward Roman.

Roman sighed and dragged his hand over his face. "Yeah… It's been eating at me too. This operation with Cinder… Doesn't seem worth it if the end goal is death of all life, which by default would include us."

Neo's eyes asked her question for her, Where do we go from here?

Roman took a gulp from his drink and sighed, "I don't know. That ain't a hill I'm willing to die on. In the face of extinction, any alternative is preferable, right?"

Neo nodded.

Roman took a deep breath before continuing, "Alright. We're going to take a risk. A big one. We might end up pissing off a few old acquaintances and there's every possibility this backfires on us. But… It's either the longshot, or a sure death."

Neo stared toward him, a look of determination fueling her eyes.

Roman smirked, "Guess it's a plan then."

\/

Yang was sitting with her family in the lounge. It took the weaponized form of cuteness that is Ruby Rose to get Uncle Qrow to stay out of the bar. She had just finished her meal and started to tell her father various stories from Beacon. Yang stalled during on story as a figure walked beside her. She turned to find Neo standing there with crossed arms.

Yang instantly went hostile, "What do you want?"

Tai raised an eyebrow, "Um… What's going on?"

Yang glanced toward her father, "She's Torchwick's sidekick. And I've got a bone to pic with her." Yang stood up and glared down toward Neo.

Neo frowned up toward Yang. Neither side was willing to back down. After a tense silence, Neo raised her hand toward Yang.

This genuinely confused the brawler. "What are you…?"

Neo thrust her hand forward a bit to emphasize her position.

"So, what? Is this supposed to be some kind of bygones moment like with Professor Ozpin and Salem? Well, news flash, you are the version I fought. The version that pisses me off. You think we can just move on from that?"

Neo shook her head. Peace wasn't her final intension. This was a ceasefire at best.

Yang groaned. "Fine." Yang shook Neo's hand. They weren't friends, far from it. They still hated each other, but at least they can be civil for now. As the two separated, Neo left and Yang sat back down, looking to the side to a wide-eyed Ruby, "What?"

Ruby had to blink, as if to reboot her brain, "Just… surprising."

Tai and Qrow looked toward each other and just shrugged in unison.

\/

A section of the lounge included a lone Salem, enjoying some Valen cuisine. As she ate, someone approached. They were slow, nervous. Salem was used to this. She took a breath and waited for what was to come. She turned to see Velvet Scarlatina standing nearby, a hand rubbing her other arm. "What is it, child?"

Velvet looked away, looking for the words to start this conversation. "Um… What is Jaune like… in your world?"

Salem was surprised to hear that. She expected a question about her appearance or how to stop the Grimm. She couldn't control the Grimm anyway… At best, she could direct them back in the day. But that was long gone. "I… I'm sorry. What was that?"

"You're Jaune's mother in your world, right?"

"Yes."

"What's he like?"

"Why would you…" Salem paused, seeing Velvet fidgeting slightly. "You love him, don't you?"

Velvet was silent. After a moment, she nodded. It was all she could muster.

"I get the feeling you're not the only one." Salem smiled, "But I am happy to hear that, even if it isn't technically my Jaune that holds your affections." She motioned for Velvet to sit before she spoke again. "Jaune is… an odd child to so many. All of my children inherited something from me. Be it my ashen complexion, my white hair, or my black sclera. Jaune was unlucky enough to inherit all three of those. Though he looks like his father, if life were a storybook, he'd be the shorthand for the villain. But he never let it get to him. He took all the shouts, the abuse on the streets, the stares, all of it."

Velvet's heart fell. She knew what that was like. There were still people out in Remnant that treated her awfully just because she was a faunas. To know that Jaune went through something like that…

Salem, however, smiled. "He took it all with a smile on his face…" Being a mother, she hated that her child had to go through that, knowing what it was like. Salem did let out a chuckle though, "He said he wanted to be a knight, like the old stories. That he would just smile and be a hero for everyone, like his father before him. My little boy just grinned and bore everything that came his way. No matter what, he was going to be a hero."

Velvet smiled. She stood back again and bowed toward Salem, "Thank you for telling me about him."

"Don't worry, dear. Good luck in your world."

"Thank you." Velvet walked off and back to her friends.

Salem chucked as Velvet walked off. Her face fell, fully aware of her situation since her arrival. Seeing versions of her son so unlike her baby boy. Few could be called a hero. She took a breath and smiled. But now she was back to normal. Now she could fully voice herself in the coming realities.

King's voice came in through the speakers again, "You may now return to the theater. The next reality will begin ten minutes."

Salem nodded and stood. This is going to be interesting~