It was agreed upon that the previous episode ended horribly, with Jacque and Watts now working together. Gods and Raider only knew the damage those two were about to inflict on the people of Atlas and Mantle. Everyone believed Jacque would win the Council seat and would only use it to hurt the people. Winter sat in her seat, contemplating her next courses of action to avoid this becoming a reality. She knew there had to be a single event that would lead the people to vote for him, and whatever is, Winter plans to put a stop to it.
"A positive, though, is that they've now just become huntsmen and huntresses, which means they're going to train like them," Ruby thinks out loud. Their training will be extensive in rigorous, especially if they're going to be working alongside the Ace-Ops.
"Ruby's right, they're going to be better prepared for the fight ahead now that they're getting the proper teachings for the situation," Blake concurs. Even then, anything could happen at a moment's notice and they might not be properly prepared for it. What if they come across Tyrian, or Watts, or Cinder? Speaking of Cinder, where was she? Because they haven't seen a single sign of her at all yet. That should be a good thing, but it only made them more nervous for when she would truly make herself known in the volume.
They all hoped that this episode would go smoothly, but everything starts off nice until it gets to the end and they're all collectively kicked in the throat. Jaune lets out a deep breath. "Are we all ready for what's in store?" Everyone shook their heads. Yeah, me neither, Jaune sadly thought to himself. Everyone took a moment to compose themselves before the episode began to play.
(Volume 7 Intro)
At Atlas Academy, Team RWBY was sound asleep until…"Sal-u-tations!" Penny screams, waking them up with a start.
"Hold on, did I sleep in that braid?" Weiss asks, pointing at the screen.
"And it still looks amazing! Weiss, can you tell me your secrets?" Nora asked, but Weiss didn't have any to give as she didn't know how it was even possible for it to still look good. Ruby couldn't help but pout as another opportunity to see Weiss's hair down was wasted!
"Another thing is that me and Ruby slept on top of the covers," Blake points out. Others were beginning to notice these small details and were very curious about them. Both Ruby and Blake knew they would have slept under the covers and why were Weiss and Yang chosen to be under them? Were Blake and Ruby so tired from the previous day that they just didn't care?
Penny wishes them good morning and Yang groans, asking what the time even was.
"To me, it looks like we were woken up at the crack of dawn," Yang grunts. Was it going to be like that every morning? If so, did they really want to do this?
"Time to be huntresses, of course!" Penny winks and Weiss, Yang, and Blake groaned while Ruby shouts in pure joy, already dressed.
Team WBY's annoyance was then replaced by the sight of Ruby's unbridled happiness. This is what she's been waiting for. Ruby herself was now excited to see what it would look like as an officially licensed huntress.
Jaune walks into the meeting room, a mug of coffee in hand, but as he sits down Marrow's tail starts wagging. Marrow is looking directly at the mug and Jaune relents, handing him the coffee.
Jaune sighed, he was sure there was going to be a next time to have his coffee. Just, maybe not that day.
"Eyes up huntsmen!" Clover announces as he walks in front of the group. "Time to get used to the new normal in Atlas." Blizzard winds blow through to have Ruby elbowing a sleeping Qrow awake in an Atlas cargo truck.
Winter chuckled with a smirk as it seemed Qrow was going to have to get used to the new schedule. Ruby huffed as now wasn't the time to be sleeping on the job, especially as one as important as this.
"Your top priority is Amity Tower. That means protecting supply runs from Grimm and bandits and protecting the sight itself." Weiss and Ruby drop from the sky, the two of them taking care of the Grimm. Ruby gives a thumbs up as three airships fly over them.
"Team WhiteRose!" Ruby shouts, bringing in Weiss for a tight hug. Weiss rolls her eyes fondly and doesn't make an effort to escape the embrace.
Dolt, Weiss thinks to herself with a smile.
"Diverting all construction resources to Amity Towers means there are going to be gaps in Mantle's defenses against Grimm they'll need help on the perimeter." Ren and Nora walk along the border walls of Mantle with Nora braiding Ren's hair.
"Nora, you should be focusing on the task at hand." Nora looks away from Ren sheepishly.
"But there probably wasn't anything happening and I was bored. Besides, I love playing with your hair," Nora says in her defense.
Nora runs into Ren as he stops from hearing a growl from below. In one of the mines, Blake, Yang, and Marrow handle the Grimm infestation. "Hey, have you two ever thought about branching out a little?" Marrow asks.
Blake and Yang both cross their arms. "No, we haven't because the both of us work fine just as we are," Yang says, her eyes slightly narrowing. They have no reason to 'branch out' when they already work so well together. "Where exactly is this coming from?"
"You always pair up, but I don't know if your styles really-" Marrow is cut off by Yang's eyes turning red as she launches forward on a Grimm. Leaving bombs on its torso, Blake throws Gambol Shroud and Yang catches it, using it to punch the Grimm in the air. Blake yanks Gambol Shroud, throwing the beast and exploding a total of three Grimm behind Marrow.
"You were saying?" Blake asks rhetorically. The fights that they've been in together show they know how to make all their fighting styles work with one another. A case that shows how good a team leader Ruby is, being able to strategize and plan in such a way.
Blake and Yang stare at Marrow, daring him to say something. "Really good stuff, yeah, keep it up!"
Yang smirked and Blake nodded her head. Yeah, that's what they thought.
Jaune escorts the children across the road, holding a stop sign in his hand and reminding them of single file lines.
Jaune sighs, that was what he unknowingly signed up for.
"But, there's still plenty to do in Mantle itself." A group of moms swoon over Jaune on the other side of the road.
The room burst into laughter while Jaune let out an uncomfortable laugh, not sure how to feel about that. All of those women were…much older than him and don't they have husbands too? Pyrrha was quiet, but a small frown spread.
A large casserole was shoved into Jaune's hands when he tried to reject it.
Pyrrha's frown deepened. They were disrespecting the boundaries he was trying to set and he was clearly uncomfortable. Pyrrha also couldn't deny another certain emotion beginning to well up. Jaune noticed and surprised Pyrrha with a quick kiss on the cheek. Her cheeks flushed and Nora screamed. "Hold on! Since when was this a thing?!" Nora frantically gestures to the two while everyone looks back, a tad confused.
"Oh, um…" Pyrrha smiled, giving Jaune the okay. "Well, not long after you two got together, but I didn't want to say anything as I didn't want it to come off like I was stealing the attention from you guys." The room was quiet as everyone but Ren and Nora seemed to catch up on what this was all about.
"Thank you for that," Ren finally says as he appreciates his friend's consideration. Jaune was a little surprised none of them had said anything sooner with their moments of handholding.
"I think you'll find everyone appreciates having a huntsman around."
"Yeah, maybe a little bit too much," Pyrrha mutters. Jaune hums, not quite hearing what she said. "Oh, um, nothing, nothing." Blake rolls her eyes and shakes her head, having heard. Yang and Sun startle everyone by bursting out laughing.
"Look, look, look at that one kid!" Yang points at the screen to a little girl who's cringing. Everyone else proceeds to laugh as that kid has to be the child of the mom who is forcefully giving Jaune the casserole. "That is just hilarious!"
"Poor kid," Sun says through his chuckles.
Nora smirks saying it's totally the haircut.
"Yeah, the haircut," Ruby nods in false agreement. This episode was turning out a lot more funny than they anticipated. Well, except for Jaune.
"You're, of course, free to enjoy your time off as you see fit." A sabyr runs into an alleyway facing Ruby and Yang who corner it. "Whatever helps you take the edge off." Crescent Rose's swinging transitions to Weiss stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground and summoning an Arma Gigas, showing it to Winter. When she looks back, Winter faces away, insulting Weiss.
Weiss frowns, but she knows her sister. She knows her sister has some sense of pride for how she has come since they've last seen each other.
"You might not hear Oz anymore, Oscar, but that doesn't mean we can't try to jog him loose," Ironwood says to the boy. Oscar is curious as to what the general has in mind. Ironwood gets in a fighting stance and Oscar does the same.
The students were curious if this was the fighting scene the intro was referring to. If it was, it wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be, but…if it wasn't, then what else could it imply?
"The huntsmen around you can be a valuable resource if you're willing to pay attention." Jaune trains with Vine who uses his semblance to destroy the ground Jaune is standing on. Vine catches him before he can fall and Vine asks if Jaune's ever thought about extending his aura.
Jaune looks down in thought as, no, the thought has never crossed his mind, but he will keep the thought close. It would definitely be a nice idea. Maybe Pyrrha could help him extend it in their training.
Jaune appears in thought for a moment. "But make no mistake, school's over. You get to choose what type of huntsmen or huntress you are." Ren battles against Elm, wrapping his weapons around her arm. He comes down to slam her in the stomach, but she turns and makes Ren slam into her other arm. He tumbles on the ground but gets back up, gasping to go again.
Winter admires the man's determination. Ren's friends are glad to see him get up so fast and want to go again.
Another morning, Team WBY is just as drowsy while Ruby is full of as much energy as ever while she relays a tale to Penny. Jaune walks into the meeting room a cup of coffee in his and Marrow's hand. Jaune sits down and the two clink mugs. "So, what's it gonna be?" Clover asks. As time goes on, Team WBY falls asleep on an awake and stuck Ruby.
A few noticed the parallels from before when Team RWBY was asleep after coming back to the theater.
A training wall is exploded by a group of Flynts and Jaune avoids the attack with his shield. Neon skates past him, chanting 'Never miss a beat' and blowing a raspberry at Jaune.
Yang's eye twitches, remembering Neon. Her comments from the Vytal Festival still stick with her. Blake rubs her arm, hoping to soothe Yang's annoyance with the girl. "It's too bad you guys are fighting her, I would love to have a few words with Neon," Yang says.
Nora rushes after her, smashing through every pillar. "Come on, lightning bolt, aren't you supposed to be fast?"
Nora now fully understands Yang's annoyance when she's on the receiving end of it.
Ren hides behind another pillar, shooting at Ivori who blocks the bullets with his own weapon. "Wow, your boyfriend's actually holding his own," Neon taunts.
Ren and Nora's cheeks flush. Was it that obvious that something was going on between them, but the only two who were having trouble seeing it themselves were them? "Damn right though, he's MY man!" Nora shouts. Ren blushes heavily from her outburst.
"Where's all that energy when he's around you?" Neon asks after she jumps over Ren and freezes his guns in his hands.
Nora crosses her arms, wishing Neon would just be quiet already. She was sure doing a really great job at getting under her skin.
Nora follows after Neon, Magnhild being used as a rocket that can be sat on. Oscar fights against Cobalt who grabs Oscar up by his head.
Oscar's eyes widened. "Am I just that light or is that guy really strong?"
Oscar kicked Cobalt's stomach to free himself, and overhead, watching everything, impressed, is General Ironwood. Flynt is thrown into one of the walls and Neon looks around at each opening to find them blocked, except one.
The fighting group in question smirked as Nora punched her open palm with a fit repeatedly. Nora was about to fly through that opening and finish the fight.
Neon was about to take the opening when she looked behind her to see Nora coming down with her hammer. Everything was dark for a moment before Neon appeared with a black eye, looking amazed. "Wow! That was amazing! You guys have really improved since the Vytal Tournament."
Jaune rubbed the back of his head, chuckling with embarrassment as what happened at the Vytal Tournament was really his doing. Jaune planned to make sure that that won't happen a second time. He does appreciate the compliment because they've all come a long way.
"I think it's also cool we get to finally see the rest of Team FNKI. We've only seen Flynt and Neon from the Vytal Festival," Ruby says. Maybe they could all be friends when they properly introduce one another. Weiss nods, hoping she can make a better impression when meeting Flynt and apologizing for what her father has done to his dad's shop.
"And that cute farmboy had a few surprises for us too." Neon winks at Oscar, getting him to blush. Jaune chuckled as they had them on their toes, believing they had them there for a second. "Oh come on! It was way more than a second!"
"We'll make sure you won't even get a second!" Nora shouts as the rest of them agree.
Flynt asks if they're busy and if they want to grab some lunch. "Do we? I could eat a sandwich of Cobalt!" Nora exclaims as a metaphorical sandwich lands on him. He takes the 'sandwich' off and it disappears. Jaunce scroll buzzes and tells Flynt they'd love to, but Ren finishes for him that duty calls and maybe they could do it next time.
The team didn't know whether to feel relieved or not, but they could say a little bit of both.
Flynt tells them 'No worries' and to just let them know when they're free, putting up to fingers. Jaune copies him, getting a laugh from the other team.
Jaune facepalms, knowing not to do that in the future as some of his own friends chuckle.
Nora appears from behind Ren's back and asks if there is still time for sandwiches. Ren sighs, giving Nora her answer.
Nora pouts, really hoping that her counterpart could have a sandwich.
"Not that I'm bored, but why can't we just use an airship to take these supplies to Amity?" Ruby asks.
"The components for Amity Tower's construction are far too heavy. All that weight would require precious dust we should be saving for the launch itself and the Grimm that will come after." Ruby dozes off as she says it makes for very long supply runs. "At least the tundra is scenic." Both look out only to see snow and two penguins.
"The only thing I would say is scenic worthy would be the two animals," Yang chuckles. She feels bad for her sister as she looks to be extremely tired.
Ruby sarcastically agrees before she begins to fall asleep. She's about to land her shoulder on Penny's when the girl wakes her up by saying her name. "Ruby, I just wanted to say how excited am to be working with you in a professional capacity, as friends."
Ruby smiles, excited to be spending time with her friend again. In the back, Raider tries so hard to keep in cries of pain as she watches the interaction. It's so much to see them so happy only to know the knowledge of what will happen to their free in the future. It pains her tremendously.
Ruby gladly agrees. "Relationships are so interesting, and varied!" Ruby looked concerned and asked her if she was able to make any new friends since…the Vytal Festival but Ruby couldn't bring herself to say it. "Now that I'm the official protector of Mantle, I don't really have a team anymore. General Ironwood says I don't have time for friends."
Ruby couldn't stop her eyes narrowing. Not even a single friend? Once she was finished being fixed up the General sent Penny right back to work? That little detail doesn't sit right with Ruby. Everyone should have time for friends, even if it's just one.
Ruby asks Penny how she feels about that. "I feel like I wish I do both the things I need to do and the things I want to do. Is that normal?"
"That's about as normal as it can get," Blake chuckles.
Ruby laughs and tells her that's about as normal as it gets.
Winter got lost in thought for a moment. Despite Penny being a robot, she still has feelings and the same growing capability as any other teenager. Winter plans to go back and have a talk with General Ironwood about giving Penny more freedom and will.
From the back of the truck, Qrow asks if Ruby and Penny are doing good. Ruby tells him they're just fine while Qrow and Clover are playing cards.
"Hm, you think the both of them try to use their semblances to win?" Sun asks curiously. It would sure be an interesting deal on which semblance would make them come out as the winner.
Clover sets down his cards and tells Qrow he wins again and if he wants to call it quits. Qrow sighs, "Just shut up and deal." Clover laughs and picks up the deck to shuffle.
"Your niece is one of a kind, huh?" Clover asks. Qrow responds that they all are as they've been through a lot together.
All of them have been together through thick and thin, high and low. Every obstacle has only made their bonds and relationships grow stronger. Some are much stronger when paired with the right person.
"It's a good thing they had someone to look up to and get them through it, not everyone is so lucky." Qrow isn't so sure about that, but he then thanks Clover for looking out for them. Clover and his team.
Ruby and Yang frown as Qrow doesn't give himself enough credit. He always looks at the bad things and, more often than not, inevitably blames it on his semblance. He doesn't stop to take a second look at all the good he's done for everyone around him. Yang and Ruby are determined to change his perspective and show him he's not just some bad luck charm.
Winter sighs as that's something she needs to thank him for. He's looked out for her sister and has kept her safe, she and her friends. She'll thank him for that when they next meet, despite him being confused about what it was for and swallowing her own pride.
"What good is saving the world without another generation waiting in the wings? Hopefully, they'll leave Remnant better than we left it for them." Clover slides over Qrow's deck and he comments that once upon a time Qrow would drink to that.
That was the plan though, to find a way to stop Salem and make the world much more safer for future generations. They were going to take her down, one way or another.
"You shouldn't do that, you know." Qrow tells him that he gave up drinking, thinking that's what he's referring to.
Everyone had noticed his path of refusal to drink. "Do you think…" Ruby started, "It started after the destruction of all the apathy?" Qrow must have felt incredibly guilty that his drinking habits played a part in that they were almost all killed. No one said a word, but their thoughts were all unanimous. None of them liked bringing up the horror show of a ranch. Weiss shuddered as she still remembers the scream her counterpart let out after she walked in on the lifeless bodies in bed.
"I meant deflect a compliment. Those kids wouldn't be where they are without you, you've had more of an effect on them than you realize."
"Is there any way we can have these two meet sooner? Because I really think he'd be a good support system for Qrow," Yang said. Clover would have such a positive effect on him.
Qrow shyly rubs the back of his head Ruby grabs his attention from up front. Qrow asks if it's Grimm but Clover tells them it's worse.
"What could be–wait, it's the Happy Huntresses, isn't it?" Jaune asks.
Clover tells Ruby and Qrow to be with him and orders Penny to stay put and keep an eye on their sixth, they may need an element of surprise. Penny says 'affirmative' and that she will plan for six possible outcomes. The others take a moment of silence to look at her.
"Penny, I don't think that's what he meant," Winter mumbles.
Robyn and Fiona stand in the middle of the road, directly in front of the site entrance. Robyn tells her teammates it's time to show the group their teeth.
Jaune nods his head as he is right. Raider gets internally giddy at Cristina Vee's voice, even clapping her hands lightly. Others were a tad confused by her behavior.
The truck comes to a halt and Clover steps out, along with Qrow and Ruby.
The group all hoped this wouldn't have to turn into some sort of fight. None of this has to turn into a fight.
"Robyn! Well if it isn't Mantle's hometown hero. Is there a reason you're blocking an official military transport?"
"Clover, I'm so glad you're here. Maybe you can help me understand why this truck that's supposed to be taking construction materials to fix Mantle's outer wall is on its way to the middle of nowhere. Are you lost?" Robyn asks with a lilt in her voice.
"It's pretty easy to get turned around out here in the tundra. Everything looks the same, thanks for checking up on us though, we'll be on our way now," Clove replied.
The group knew Clover was going to have to try a little bit harder to be more convincing. 'Getting lost' wasn't going to work so well in this scenario considering it looked like the truck seemed pretty confident in where it was heading for one and the supplies certainly didn't help.
Robyn sighed as Clover turned around, hoping he'd play it straight with her. "What's Ironwood doing with Amity at the old SDC mine?" Clover turns around and tells Robyn they're just giving it a check-up. "The next Vytal Festival isn't anytime soon," Robyn says as her eyes narrow in suspicion.
The students looked at the screen in worry as Clover needed to be more convincing, not to mention logical because with how the world is at the moment, no one is thinking about any Vytal Festivals.
"Only automated drones and a few select Atlas scientists are allowed out here, and Amity's getting invaluable resources we need in Mantle to protect against Grimm," Robyn retorts, now looking over at the additional members of the conversation.
The students are still on the fence about whether or not they can fully trust Robyn, but one thing they do know is that she clearly and genuinely wants the progress of Mantle to advance. They'd much rather have her take the Council seat than JaCqUe, but unfortunately, they already have some idea of how the election is going to turn out.
"Seems like more than just a…check-up." Clover sideglances Ruby and Qrow and comments that Robyn's been scoping out the area. "We can't fix the wall without the supplies on these trucks, I think Mantle deserves to know what they're being used for. It doesn't have to be difficult, just…tell me." Robyn puts out her hand for him to take.
"Is her semblance some kind of lie detector?" Yang joked. She then paused and looked back at Raider, now becoming more hyper-aware of what she says. "Is it?" Raider doesn't say anything, just gives her a blank look, which makes Yang grunt as she sits back in her seat.
Clover looks down at her hand and tells her he's gonna have to pass on that. "How about you, pipsqueak? 5 o'clock shadow?"
"Hey! I'm not that much of a pipsqueak!" Ruby retorts.
"Either of you want to tell me why Mantle's being put at risk for Ironwood's pet project?"
Ruby bit her lip as she was conflicted. She wants to tell Robyn about Amity and its communication tower, but she's not entirely sure she can trust Robyn completely. She wants to help Mantle but she's scared that telling Robyn is the wrong call and will lead to more lasting consequences.
Riby tries to defend them, saying they're trying to help Mantle but Clover cuts her off. "That's enough Robyn, as a potential Councilwoman you should probably focus on the election instead of harassing huntsmen."
"Is it really that fair to call what she's trying to do harassment?" Yang asks. "All she wants is answers on why supplies are, in her eyes, going to an abandoned mine rather than a place that could actually benefit from the valuables. A place she's trying to do her best to better by getting herself the seat on the Council."
"She stands in an area of darkness and she wants to know what's going on," Pyrrha adds. "While she is in the middle of the way of the road, she isn't doing anything wrong as she's not trespassing and she has the right to voice her concerns."
"On the other hand, these supplies are going to a cause that will inevitably help all of Remnant as it will stand as a mass communication tower and will be able to inform all of Remnant about Salem," Oscar includes. Nora released a shout of frustration, she was getting tired of seeing the reason from both sides! It was exhausting!
Clover tells Robyn it's time to let them pass. "I think you've misjudged the situation," Robyn counters, "One way or another, these supplies are going to get where they're supposed to go…Mantle."
A couple of the students winced. This wasn't heading in a direction that wasn't positive for both sides. They sensed this was going to turn into a fight and Robyn openly admitted that she doesn't have a problem in stealing the parts away from the military.
"Then I suggest you do that through the proper legal channels as a Councilwoman if you get elected." Robyn smirks asking where the fun in that is.
The room became tense as everyone expected a fight to break out.
Ruby and Qrow grabbed their weapons when Penny burst out of the back of the truck, weapons ready. "Robyn Hill, I would like to politely ask that you call off the huntresses approaching the rear of the truck." Everyone looks back to find nothing.
If Penny said there was someone there, then someone was there, even if they couldn't be seen at the moment.
Robyn chuckles, "Alright, Joanna! May!" Two women appear and Robyn brings her attention to Penny.
"Woah…" Ruby muttered, amazed by the semblance. She's interested in learning the mechanics and workings of that semblance because it seems like there's more than just invisibility to it.
"Let us through, please," Penny asks. The ladies of the Happy Huntresses prepare for a fight, waiting for Robyn's order, but she sighs and Fiona opens the gate.
The students let out a sigh, thankful Penny was there so the encounter didn't escalate into something it didn't need to.
Everyone makes their way back into the truck. Clover pauses to wish Robyn 'good luck' on the election. The truck drives through and Qrow calls that a 'close one'.
"I agree, but out of all people, if I'm being honest, I don't particularly like keeping the truth from her," Blake says.
Clover agrees. Fiona walks up to Robyn. "What now?"
"I want to know why Amity Colosseum is suddenly so important. Whatever it takes."
Now aware that Robyn doesn't mind breaking the law when it comes to the protection of Mantle, they're all a little worried about how far she'll go.
Weiss and Winter share a look of determination as Weiss's summon goes head-to-head with Winter's.
Weiss's eyes immediately lit up, so excited to see her counterpart getting to spend more quality time with Winter, even if it is through training purposes. Winter smiles, she'll make it more of a priority to visit her sister, despite her busy schedule. Watching her counterpart train with her little sister has Winter realizing how she misses spending time with her own.
The Arma Gigas swings its sword, the lag allows the beowulf an opening to lunge. With a swipe of its claws, the Arma Gigas dissipates, and then the beowulf.
Weiss clicks her tongue then sighs. "You're summoning has improved, but your technique still holds sloppy touches. However, you've found a way for them to work for you." Weiss smiles, basking in the praise from her sister, then smirks.
"That sounded very close to a compliment."
"I didn't intend it to come out that way," Winter replied, getting a laugh from Weiss.
"Your technique still has those maddening, sloppy touches, but you've learned how to make them work for you. You've made them your own." Weiss smirks as she replies that that was very close to a compliment. "I didn't intend it that way."
"We all make mistakes, I guess."
Winter's eyes widened. Her sister truly has come a long way. Beacon and her friends surely left a positive impact on her.
Winter lightly gasps in surprise before chuckling. "You've grown up a bit, haven't you? You're not the little girl clinging to the family name anymore."
"Gods no, I never want to witness those days ever again, it was already painful enough having to watch how I used to act. I'm a little surprised you all put up with me for so long."
"Eh, it wasn't easy, but we got used to it," Ruby teased. Weiss gasped in mock offense, hearing this come from her own girlfriend, no less.
"Since Beacon, I haven't really had a choice."
Weiss scoffed, reality hit the pompous rich girl. Hard.
"Father's view of the world no longer matches with mine."
"Whatever the case, I'm glad to see you've moved on. Distancing myself from the Schnee name is the most beneficial thing I've ever done. We can move forward without him, together." During this talk, Winter had moved closer toward her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Weiss and Winter bother smiled. Together.
"I know General Ironwood would have a place for you."
"While that would be nice of him, I don't see myself taking the steps of a militant," Weiss said. Winter nodded, she was okay with that, whatever made her sister happy.
"I would be grateful to him if he did, but I'm not sure I could accept, Weiss responds and Winter voices her surprise. "It's just…our kingdom isn't supposed to be like this."
Weiss agrees as their kingdom is currently in the process of ruins and with how many villains are in the city walls, it's not going to get better any time soon. Tyrian is out killing those who speak out against Ironwood, trying to make him look like the bad guy, Watts is now working with Jacque and trying to get him on the Council, and there was still the problem of Neo and Cinder.
"Fearful and withdrawn, we should be opening our borders to help the world, not closing them down." Winter assures her sister that they'll open the borders, once the storm is weathered.
"Yes, but how long will it be until the storm has finally passed? Would there even be anything left to help?" Weiss asks. Winter wishes she could give her sister a clear answer, but she doesn't have one.
Winter sighs, "I know the General hasn't done everything perfectly, but he's doing what he thinks is right."
"But is what someone thinks is right, truly right?" Ruby mumbles. Everyone holds different views, and what if those views only benefit one half instead of the whole? Is it really the right thing to do?
"Everybody thinks what they're doing is right, but, usually, they're just looking out for themselves, and their secrets."
Ruby sinks lower into her seat, her eyes meeting the ground as she feels tears wanting to well up. I'm not doing what is right, am I? Are any of us? Would it be right to tell the world of Salem now before Amity is complete or wait for it to be finished? What if the world is already destroyed by then?
Winter crosses her arms and tells Weiss that Ironwood isn't keeping secrets.
Winter scoffs at her own words. Then what would her counterpart call keeping Amity a secret from the public? Or knowing about Salem and keeping that information close to his chest? From where she stands, it surely appears that he's keeping secrets.
Winter finalizes that Ironwood isn't keeping any secrets from her. Weiss asks if she can be sure. For a moment, Winter looks down with doubt in her eyes. "Come with me, there's something I want to show you," Winter says, now standing in front of Weiss.
Weiss's eyebrow raised, what was Winter wanting to show her? She looked pretty serious, well, more serious than usual.
Winter escorts Weiss down a hall and past other members. An automatic door opens with two guards posted outside. The two walk down a small flight of stairs where they're greeted by multiple Atlesian Knights and security cameras that go all the way down the hall.
Winter realizes that her counterpart must be taking Weiss to see the Winter Maiden. Though she's never met her yet, she assumes it is due to such high security and surveillance. This makes Winter herself wonder when General Ironwood would trust her in their timeline to tell her everything.
Winter lets Weiss into a separate room with a large glass wall peering into another area. Winter goes through a different door and greets Fria, the Winter Maiden, who is lying in bed. The two talk, but the glass is much too thick to make everything out, just words here and there.
"So that's the Winter Maiden," Pyrrha mutters. The woman wonders what kinds of procedures she's had to go through and is this what a normal room would look like for the Maiden? Or was this just Atlas and the power transfer of Amber was a special case?
Winter goes through an upper cabinet and takes a pitcher and a couple of tea cups. Walking towards the bed with a tray, she sets it down and proceeds to talk with Fria. Weiss's eyes widened slightly in realization as that was the Winter Maiden. The both of them are now behind the glass. "She could pass any day now. Until that happens, I'm the only person Fria's allowed to see."
Winter and the students froze in their seats. "General Ironwood is entrusting me to become the next Winter Maiden." Winter's question came out more as a statement. How long has General Ironwood been thinking about this decision? Or, if at this point in time, at all? Weiss also feels her chest tighten that he sister entrusted her enough to let her see the Winter Maiden.
Weiss quietly gasps. "Ironwood has chosen you to be the next…when she dies. How long have you known?"
"Since Beacon fell."
Winter hums. So it wouldn't have been that much of a time gap and that kinda answers her question.
"Doesn't it bother you? He practically groomed your whole military career."
Winter's breath hitches as Weiss was right.
"It did at first when the general first proposed it to me, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as a privilege, a chance to do some real good for Atlas, for Remnant." Weiss fights that Winter's destiny was chosen for her without her input. "Perhaps, but I'm choosing it now, I've made it my own, and I take great pride in it. That has nothing to do with father, or the general, that belongs to me."
Weiss is happy to see her sister is taking her future into her own hands, despite someone choosing it for her. They might have been the ones to start it, but Winter was damn well gonna be the one to finish it. "I just hope this responsibility doesn't have me making the wrong calls or anything," Winter muttered.
"I guess we've both had to do a little bit of that, carving out our own way."
Both Weiss and Winter smile, loving that they're getting to see more moments between the two of them now that they're together. Weiss really misses hanging out with her sister.
"I suppose we have." The moment is ruined by a beep from Weiss's scroll. When she takes it out it's broadcasted video of Jacque Schnee's speech. "Speaking of the family name."
More groans of annoyance erupted around the room. They wished Jacque Schnee wasn't such a vital person to this volume and that he honestly was a great threat as he's now running for the Council seat.
Weiss, agitated, asks what he is doing. "If I'm elected Councilman, I've made it no secret that I will be opposing General Ironwood and his senseless embargo that is crippling all of Atlas."
"He has to be fully aware that the murders are connected to people speaking out against the General, right?" Jaune asks. He was essentially putting himself on the chopping block.
"Unless… because he's now working with Watts, the man must know who is behind all the killing, and because he's working with Watts he knows he's safe to speak out," Blake says.
Winter scoffed in disgust, "If that is the case and he is fully aware of who the murderer is then he's letting him do as he pleases. Keeping this knowledge to himself to win the election!" As if they all couldn't hate him any more than they do now, he continues to prove them wrong.
"It is my belief that these measures are not only reckless."
"Since when has he ever given a shit about recklessness?!" Yang screamed. This man kept other people as slaves for crying out loud!
"But criminal. With no shipments allowed to enter or leave the kingdom, I know many are suffering, and my family has been weathering the same storm as many of you." People all over are listening from people in bars to unhappy Faunus in mines. "Effective immediately. I'm forced to shut down all nonessential SDC operations." Hearing this causes an uproar in the crowd.
Everyone began to panic as this would paint General Ironwood as the villain and give Jacque Schnee a higher chance of winning the election. "This is horrible! Without dust, this will begin to crash economic industries both in Atlas and Mantle," Weiss says.
"Not only that, without dust, no one will be able to use them for their own homes, or weapons will cause a panic all over!" Ruby adds. What is this man thinking?! Does he wish to have the seat so badly that he's willing to ruin even more people's lives?!
A man looks at one of the SDC shop windows that read "Closed: Until further notice, all operations will be suspended". "If elected to office, I will make the changes necessary to fix what Ironwood has broken. I hope you ask yourself before the vote: can you trust anyone else to stop Ironwood? Will Robyn Hill be able to get your jobs back?"
Everyone sat in fear as all were taking in the information Jacque Schnee had given them.
Weiss and Winter look up from the scroll, horrified. "I think…I think father may have just provided the spark that's going to set this kingdom on fire." A man walks back, picks up a trash can, and throws it at the screen, shattering it. The people of Mantle begin to riot and the military doesn't know how to handle it.
People were covering their mouths out of shock after what they just witnessed. With each episode that progressed, more and more of Mantle began to crumble into anarchy. Raider internally sighed, ahh, politics, don't you just love them? The theater room felt like it was going to break out into its very own riot, but they knew Raider would never let that kind of thing happen.
Weiss noticed Yang who appeared to be biting her own fingers out of nerves. "Yang, is everything okay?"
"A thought just came to me, about Winter becoming the Winter Maiden. I don't think the details of how she will obtain is going to be in a way that any of us will like."
"What do you mean?" Oscar asks.
"I'm terrified that someone is going to interfere with the process, just like with Amber and Pyrrha's."