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Chapter Text

The floating city of Atlas shone in the night like a lighthouse for the oceans of the world. Hovering above the continent below, it stood as a testament to the tenacity and ingenuity of humans, their sheer will to exist and thrive despite any opposition, even gravity could be defied and controlled. While it held a beauty all its own, the city below suffered from light pollution. The sky never grew truly black, only dulling to a deep purple, the beacons for the departing and arriving aircraft obscuring any chance of seeing stars. The noise as well never allowed the city to grow still to hear the simple sounds of nature, instead the massive military base simply created a white noise to which the people who lived below had grown accustomed to the point of not even noticing anymore.

Adam noticed. And hated it. He hated carrying out missions in Atlas, almost as much as he hated humans, but he knew why he was assigned to the task. He'd embarrassed the White Fang for participating in the Fall of Beacon, but Sienna Khan could hardly expel him from the organization; he was too well liked in the Beacon chapter, had she tried to remove him, she would have had a rebellion within the ranks. So instead she gave him the best possible punishment. Sending him away, alone, on a mission to someplace he hated. At least his mission would give him some sweet revenge he had been looking forward to for years.

He sat perched in a tree, high enough into the foliage no human eye could spot him. He'd staked out the Schnee's mansion for weeks, carefully observing the patterns of the guards and the advanced security system, then went on to observe the layout of the house. He knew where everything that had a window was: Mr. Schnee's office, the kitchens, the music room, the gardens, and on the upper floor, the one room he needed: her bedroom. The heiress.

It was common knowledge that Weiss was the middle child, the eldest having run off to the Atlas military as soon as she was old enough to bolt. It seemed Jacques Schnee was so detestable even his own family did all they could to get away from him, some in body like his daughters, the others in mind, like his wife. Adam had spied the middle aged woman in the gardens often, drinking until she was numb to the rest of the world. Weiss, however was the heir. The SDC would be hers someday, and everything it represented to the faunus: discrimination, enslavement, exploitation at the hands of humans.

The light went on in Weiss' room. His chance was getting closer. Sienna Khan had been the first leader of the White Fang to promote violence of humans, but she wished to minimize bloodshed as much as possible. She preferred the theft and destruction of their oppressors' property. This, however was different. Thousands of her people freed from the dust mines in Atlas cried out for reparation in blood. In vengeance, and under the pressure she was feeling from the vocal majority, she indulged them, ordering Adam to assassinate Jacques Schnee's heir as a message from the White Fang to the human population: they were not going to let the humans pass their oppressive ways down to the younger generation.

Through the small gap in the drapes he could see the huntress was changing into her night clothes, carefully stowing her rapier in the chest at the foot of her bed. She was slender and pale, pretty in a noble sort of way, her muscles and figure not nearly as defined as Blakes, but nothing unpleasant to look at either.

Blake. He squinted his eyes and shook his head. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Blake had been his failure. She was supposed to be his perfect match: his protégé turned romantic partner, but she had wounded his pride and his trust. With her connections and possible inheritance of the throne at Menagerie and his eventual ascension to the head of the White Fang, they would have been the liberating force of the faunus. They would have been hailed as king and queen, establishing a legacy for their people to no longer be afraid to take what they deserved from the other four nations. But she left. She'd rather stay with people like Weiss Schnee and that bimbo he'd disarmed at beacon than himself and Ilia, people she used to call friends.

In her room, a man entered and exchanged a few words with Weiss before offering her a consoling hug and turning out the lights as he left. One by one other lights went out in the mansion until only the outside sconces were lit. Adam was patient, waiting another hour before scaling the tree further, slipping over the wall and up the stone walls. He'd already made a plan to get in: there were six identical intake air vents, three on either side of the main atrium of the house, that led directly to the upper floors. Adam chose one that was in a seemingly unoccupied part of the house; the drapes were always drawn and there were never lights at night, scaling the stones of the ancient castle like edifice.

He hadn't expected the ceilings of the upper floor to be vaulted so high. The vent dropped him twelve feet to the floor. Even with his faunus reflexes there was no way he was getting back out the way he came it, but it wouldn't matter, he could just smash a window to make his escape at that point: the deed would be done and there'd be no need to sneak. He stole through the upper floor, counting the doors until he reached the one he knew was hers, turning the handle slowly with no sound at all.

She was sleeping soundly, the moonlight peering in through the drapes making the silver in her hair almost luminescent. For a brief moment, Adam didn't see her as an enemy, he saw her for what she was: a girl sleeping in the comfort of her own home. Not much more than a child, a girl about Blake's age.

Blake again. Blake would be devastated when she heard about her teammate. He smiled at this thought as he unsheathed his sword. Weiss barely stirred. And her family would certainly feel the loss of it: the Schnee's who had never suffered a hardship once in their life would be left to deal with the guilt of their daughter slain in their house. He stood silently at her bedside as he raised his sword to plunge it into her heart. This would indeed be sweet, perhaps as sweet as what he did to the blonde friend Blake had risked her life to protect.

But it could be sweeter. A thought crossed his mind just before he struck. There could be a better way: a way for him to get the vengeance he wanted on Blake, the Schnee family, and the SDC while still furthering the cause of the White Fang. It would take time, but that would just make his victory all the more satisfying when it came. He changed the direction of his sword, instead holding the red blade gently against her throat as he used his other hand to cover her mouth.

The smell and feel of the leather on her face woke her almost instantly, panic setting in moments later. She gasped for air and began to flail as Adam's mask seemed to peer at her from complete darkness.

"Move and I will slit your throat. Scream and I will slit your throat. Do you understand me?" he pressed the sword gently to her skin to show he meant business.

Tears immediately began streaming from her face. She nodded lightly to show she comprehended.

Tightening the grip on her face, he pulled her up, first to a sitting position, then out of the bed. His ears picked up two men coming down the hallway, continuing past, but clearly walking with a purpose. Adam pulled the heiress with him closer to the door, keeping the blade against her skin the entire time. If she was a huntress, she would surely have some kind of combat training he would have to be wary of.

"Vent is open here too," he heard one of the men say, "We'd better start searching, go wake Mr. Schnee."

He hadn't anticipated them finding his entrance route that quickly. He turned Weiss around, keeping his hand on her mouth, but standing behind her, using her to shield himself going out. He waited until the footfalls of the guards were no longer in their wing of the building. "Open the door," He hissed quietly.

She complied, gingerly reaching for the knob and turning it silently. He guided them out the wing and down the main staircase, looking for an easy exit. None was to be had, not with the security guards inside systematically searching the rooms. If he was caught, he would simply kill the girl and escape per his original plan, but until then, he continued guiding/dragging his hostage room to room looking for a silent exit. She remained silent the entire time save for a few sobs and whimpers of pain as he continued to grip her jaw shut.

He finally gave up after a near miss in the kitchen. He whirled the girl around, covering her mouth again immediately and pushing her into the wall with his blade. "Listen to me, I need a way out of here and if you help me, you'll live. Scream and you die, mislead me and die. Either way, I will make it out alive, whether you make it out with me is up to you." He spoke in low tones but with an intensity that almost would have been perceived as panic.

She gingerly reached up with both hands, guiding them away from her mouth. He was her superior in every way and she knew it; he could tell from the terror in her eyes. She had no intention of defying him.

"There's a secret passage in the library." She whispered. "It leads to the drainage system but extends far beyond the outer wall. The guards don't know about it. Only family and Klein."

Adam was almost skeptical. She was afraid of him yes, but thus far, she'd been almost too easy to manage for a hostage being forcibly removed from her home. It was almost as if she wanted to get kidnapped, or at least was complicit in the idea.

He let her lead, keeping a tight grip on her waist and a blade at her back, navigating the labyrinth of the tables and carts of the extensive kitchen back out into the main foyer. The guards were even more numerous now, but at no point did the heiress try to attract their attention. Keeping in the shadows, they reached the library with no suspicion. He'd stolen the heir from under their noses, even with them searching and they wouldn't even know she was gone until it was too late.

The bookcase made a terribly scraping noise as Weiss pushed it out of place. Adam shoved her through the opening, not even caring to put the shelving back in place and cover their tracks. "Move. And stay in front of me."

The walk seemed like hours with Weiss' bare feet. She cringed, tears coming to her eyes as she sloshed through the small amount of water in the drainage pipe, something slimy oozing between her toes with each step. She stopped, trying to keep herself from vomiting. Adam pushed her forward again, but unprepared, she fell to her knees, soaking her nightgown and splashing her in the face with gods knew what.

"Get up." He ordered.

"I'm barefoot and this is gross!" she said, the first sign of defiance she'd shown all night.

"Well, I'm not carrying you and we're not slowing down, so get over it." He growled, yanking her by her elbow upward and giving her a push forward again. She led the rest of the way. If she slowed, the man in the mask shoved her from behind, ensuring he could see her without her being allowed to see him as they trudged.

The pipe eventually emptied into what looked like a reservoir. Rocks that covered the shore scraped her feet bloody as the White Fang leader ordered her to push on, only letting her short rests to regain her breath and let her aura heal the gashes in her feet.

The White Fang hand camped in a concealed wooded area about ten miles outside the main city, about six from the Schnee's expansive estate. By the time Weiss stumbled into the camp, the purple haze of the night sky was beginning to bleed into the gray rays of dawn. Marched through the middle of the camp, Adam refused to speak to his underlings, dragging the white-haired huntress into his tent. Ilia was waiting for him.

"What is this?" the chameleon's face flushed pink with shock. "Sienna will not be happy."

"Let me deal with Sienna," Adam said, "Bring me one of the dust mine collars."

Ilia hesitated, looking over Weiss once again before slipping out the back.

With a forceful push, Adam forced his captor down on her knees before walking to her front, never letting the blade lose contact with her ivory skin. Standing in front of her now, Weiss was able to see her captor in the light. Fiery red hair, horns, blood red sword and a specially designed White Fang mask. He needed no introduction. She knew who he was.

"You're Adam Taurus." She said, not looking him in the eye.

"You are a huntress from Beacon Academy. You fought at the Fall of Beacon and on the Mountain Glenn train. Yet you didn't fight against me at all." He spoke these things all as a matter of fact. "Why?" his tone changed, demanding an answer from her.

"You had a weapon and the element of surprise. I was clearly at a disadvantage," she replied. "You said you'd kill me and I knew you weren't lying. So, I complied."
"You could have misled me," Adam countered. "You didn't have to lead me to an actual escape route. You could have led me into a trap."

"Perhaps. But why would I risk that, especially when the opportunity of getting out from behind the walls presented itself."

Adam laughed at her ignorance. "Miss Schnee. This wasn't a rescue mission for you."

"And yet, I'd rather be at your mercy than my father's. I assume you'll be seeking a ransom as soon as the morning comes, and I can guarantee whatever price you demand, my family will pay it in exchange for my safe return."

"There will be no ransom for you Miss Schnee. While you will be our prisoner, I have a much different plan than holding you as a bargaining chip."

Ilia slipped into the tent behind Adam, brandishing one of the seamless metal collars worn by the faunus in her father's dust mines. With just a nod in Weiss' direction, his orders were clear. Ilia stepped behind the kneeling girl, slipping the collar around her neck and under her hair. As soon as it snapped in place, Weiss immediately felt nauseated as the aura in her body drained.

"What is this?" she panted, grasping at the collar, but unable to pry it off.

"I'm not surprised you didn't know. The collars worn by the employees of the SDC aren't merely decorative. They have advanced Atlas technology that blocks aura. Supposedly these keep the upper management safe from any potential riots that may occur in the mines. What they really are is just another way for your people to oppress mine."

"That's not true!" Weiss shouted defiantly, "My father provides honest employment for the faunus where other company owners in Atlas wouldn't even give them jobs. And they repay us by destroying our ships, terrorizing our people and robbing our trains."

"You can't be that naïve!" Ilia spat the words at her, raising a hand to strike her across the face. She hesitated a moment to see if Adam would stop her and when he didn't, she slapped the Schnee heiress across the face so hard the handprint pulsed red on her cheek. "My parents were killed in a mining accident and do you know what your people did? You honest employers? They laughed!" She slapped Weiss again. "They mocked our loss!" Another blow. "And all the while, you sit in your palace and wonder why we hate you?"

"Enough, Ilia," Adam said. "That is the exact purpose of why I've decided to let Miss Schnee live. Killing her would profit nothing if she didn't know exactly what the faunus have to endure at the hands of her so-called benevolent company."

Ilia snorted before retreating a few steps in compliance with his orders

Adam knelt, gripping Weiss' jaw in his hands, forcing their eyes to meet, hers through tears, his through the slits in his mask. "Starting tomorrow, the White Fang is going to give you first hand experience of what it's like to be a faunus for the Schnee Dust Company. And the collar is just the beginning. We'll see if you believe your father and the people of Atlas to be as benevolent after you've faced the reality of what that benevolence costs us." He stood and turned to Ilia. "Put her in one of the cells tonight. With that collar there's no point in restraining her. She's not a threat to anyone. We'll introduce her to the miner's life tomorrow."

The thought to plead for mercy crossed Weiss' mind as Ilia pulled her to her feet, but she knew it would be in vain. Adam was a man who hated humans. It was in his bones. There would be no pleading or reasoning with him. Somehow this was his cruel idea of vengeance: punishing the child for the sins of the father.

What terrified Weiss the most that night was not the cramped uncomfortable cell, the collar that blocked her aura leaving her defenseless, or even the murderous glares she got from the faunus passing by. Her greatest fear was what she was going to experience tomorrow and if it was going to be as horrific as Adam had made it out to be.

Chapter Text

"Morning time, recruit!" The door to the cell swung open, admitting a gorilla faunus who seized Weiss by the arm and pulled her to her feet. "Adam says you're to be fed and given a uniform before we leave."

Weiss hadn't slept the entire night, and was already awake, prepared for the jostling as she was pulled from the cell and pulled across the camp toward Adam's tent. Her hair was falling out and she was still muddied and sweaty from the evening before, drawing the gaze of several masked faunus as they went about their morning duties. She could tell they were breaking camp, though Adam's tent was still erected and full of furniture when she was brought inside.

"Sit." The gorilla ordered, pointing to a carpet covering the grass. Weiss sat on her knees, folding her hands in her lap. She was too tired to be defiant and with no weapon and no aura, she would have to be smart about planning her escape.

A curtain was brushed aside and Adam entered, sitting on the same carpet across from her.

"Sleep well?" he asked, just to be antagonistic.

"No." she said quietly.

A woman entered. She was wearing a White Fang mask but had no animalistic features visible outside her clothes. She carried a tray of food with her, setting it between Adam and Weiss.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Ah, ah," he chided. "Yes, sir. The faunus had to address any human, superior or equal as 'sir'."

Weiss stared at him blankly before finally responding. "Yes, sir. I am hungry."

"Here," he removed food from the tray. Bacon and biscuits and gravy, milk and juice, all set on his side of the carpet. The oatmeal and a cup of water however was placed in front of her. "Common SDC breakfast if you were just a common miner. Eat up."

Weiss straightened up to eat, taking small bites and making no noises, even managing to keep her pinky's off the bowl as she held it.

"I didn't think it was possible to eat oatmeal with that level of sophistication." He commented as he ate.

"Just because I'm a prisoner doesn't mean I'm an animal." The last word caught in her throat. She hastily dropped her eyes and took a drink from her cup. Adam seemed to find no offense in the comment as he continued to eat in silence. She was done a short time before him, but he didn't speak again until all his food was finished and the dishes stacked on the tray.

"How old are you?" Adam asked.

"Eighteen." It took a moment for her to correct herself. "Eighteen, sir."

"Good." Adam seemed pleased with this answer. "Jacques Schnee began enforcing that child laborers could only be made to work eight hours a day. Since you're an adult, you can work up to twelve. But first, we need to handle all the preliminary requirements before you can start working. Namely, a uniform." He stood, striding to the front of the tent and flipping cloth door open, summoning Ilia inside. "See if you can find a woman's SDC uniform that's clean for someone her size."

She nodded before leaving.

"Several of our brothers and sisters have joined our ranks by being rescued directly from the mining operations. Once they make it to us, they are able to cast their old lives aside."

"And you keep the uniforms?" Weiss inquired.

"And the collars," he added, "The uniforms we keep in case we need to infiltrate. The collars we keep to restrain prisoners like you."

Ilia returned shortly with a folded dress and stockings in one hand and a pair of boots in the other. "That's the only pair of boots we have remotely in her size." She said as she handed them to Adam in the doorway.

"We weren't always given clothes that fit. She can learn that the hard way," Adam responded. When Ilia left, he turned to Weiss, dropping the clothes and boots beside her as he walked past. "Get these on. We still have to have you inspected before we can put you on a transport."

Weiss was given minimal privacy, the curtain she changed behind not even fully concealing her. It was a simple white uniform, made from a material that was designed to resist stains and water. While the fabric was not outright uncomfortable, it was hardly satin. Fastening around the neck and hugging tightly at the waist, the dress was backless, blending into a pencil skirt that stopped at the top of her knee.

The stockings came next. The mud she had waded through the night before had dried. She rubbed off what she could in the grass before putting on the matching white boots that extended to just below her knee. They were sturdy boots, scuffed from previous use but with plenty of ankle support; the kind of boots that would be for someone standing on their feet all day.

When she came from behind the curtain, Adam had been replaced by middle aged woman with leathery bat wings. She wore no mask, her eyes darting to Weiss as she stepped forward, her dingy nightgown in her hand.

"Everything seems to fit well, but I have to inspect you. Make sure you're not carrying any weapons or stole goods." She snatched the nightgown out of her hands. "Arms out." She ordered.

Weiss complied, holding her arms out at her sides as the woman patted her down. "You have any illnesses you could spread to the rest of the camp. Typhoid? Consumption? Lice?"

"No." Weiss replied, receiving a back handed slap before being able to correct herself. "No, ma'am."

Adam re-entered the tent just in time to see the heiress bent over in pain, nursing her eye with both hands. He seemed pleased to see her dressed like an employee for her father's company, smiling to himself. "It suits you," was all he said. If she didn't know any better, she'd have sworn he said it as a genuine compliment.

"Her hair is too long," the woman commented. “SDC" Regulation states it can’t come below the shoulder blades when down.”

"Cut it as short as you need." He ordered.

There were no sobs, but a few tears did trickle down Weiss' face as some twenty inches were cut off her ponytail. She'd spent years growing it down past her waist, and now, when pulled up the way she normally styled it, the ponytail did not even touch her bare shoulder blades.

"I think she's just about ready." The woman said when she had finished, wiping the loose strands of hair from her back.

"Almost." Adam countered. There's one more thing." He put his hand on the small of Weiss' back to usher her out of the tent and into the grassy courtyard that was expanding due to the tents being broken down. He led Weiss to the large fire kept at the middle of the camp.

"See this?" he asked, drawing her attention to a small set of stocks that trapped the head and forced its captive onto all fours. "You've probably never seen these, though they're still used at most of the mining facilities your father owns. They have many uses, but one of them was to hold us steady while we were punished. Displayed to the rest of the camp." He then extended his hand for Ilia to join him. "Why don't we introduce Miss Schnee to the accommodations the rest of us are all too familiar with."

Until this point, Weiss had felt no imminent threat to her, but now she felt it in the pit of her stomach as panic began to wash over her. She resisted when Ilia reached for her, shoving her aside and attempting to run, only to have Adam catch her by her ponytail and yank her back so hard it pulled her off balance. Seizing her by the back of the neck, he shoved her down, locking her neck into the stocks, her bare back exposed to the small group of faunus who had gathered around to see the commotion. She flailed and struggled, begging to be release and promising to comply until a noise silenced her.

She'd heard it before. The distinct humming followed by the snap of electricity arcing. She couldn't turn her head to see, but could only assume it was some sort of livestock prod. It suddenly made sense why the uniform was backless.

"No, please!" were the only words she got out before she felt her muscles simultaneously flex as the pain spread through her back.

Adam watched as she screamed in anguish, letting the wielder of the cattle prod zap her exposed back four more times before waving him away. He knelt, tilting her chin up to face him as her body convulsed and twitched. "You say your father was generous in providing us work, but he treated us like livestock, to be herded, to be controlled. He even wanted to ensure his livestock was never confused for someone else's." He glanced to the side, reaching for an iron rod resting in the fire. He removed it; the end glowing red with heat as he held it close enough to her face for her to feel the heat radiating from the brand. "Some of the more modern mining facilities use tattoos, but as a Schnee, I think you deserve the full experience." He handed the iron off to one of his men. "If she fights, I'll put it on her face."

It wasn't painful at first, it was just heat right at the small of her back, but after a split moment, the pain became unbearable, and then she felt none at all as her body went into shock. She gasped for breath, gagging at the smell of her own singing flesh, praying silently for it all to be over as Adam held her face in his hands, reveling in the pain he was causing.

By this time, the majority of the camp had gathered around out of curiosity.

Some cheered and clapped, some yelling vulgar obscenities at the sight of a young girl on her knees. Dozens of faceless faunus looked on as Adam released her head from the stocks.

"Put salve on it, don't let it get infected," he ordered the middle aged woman. "When you're done, bring her to the transport." He took an opportunity to address the crowd that had gathered. "She is a prisoner. Cargo. Property. Neither to be humanized or abused and no one is to speak about her presence at headquarters until I present her to our High Leader."

As a single unit, the men and women of the white fang nodded and bowed. Adam had done something to inspire loyalty in this many people, be it his charisma or his intimidation.

Weiss was helped to her feet by the same gorilla who had collected her in the morning. As shock overtook her, she wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness as she was laid on a table in the open and the burn dressed. Something cool was applied to her back to help with the pain and the brand was covered with a bandage. She vaguely heard the comments about her around the table.

"The Schnee heir? I thought she was a huntress."

"She is. I'm surprised something like this almost knocked her out."

"Not with that aura collar on."

"It'll take three weeks to heal without an aura."

"Does Sienna Khan know? I thought this was an assassination mission."

"Shhhh! Adam said not to talk about it."

"That's the most we can do for her now. Give her a few minutes for the shock to wear off. She should be fine to travel by the time the transports get here."

One by one, everyone except the gorilla faunus wandered back to their jobs at hand. Shock wore off after a while, maybe two hours, she couldn't really judge time well. Ilia reappeared with a loaf of bread and something to drink which she gave to her guard. "We'll eat better once we cross back into Anima." Ilia said. "She give you any trouble?"

The gorilla snorted. "She hasn't even moved."

"We're ready to load up. Hovercraft is here. Adam says she gets 'SDC' seating."

"Will do." He nodded as Ilia disappeared.

"Alright, you've had plenty of time to recover. Time to go." He said, lifting Weiss off the table and setting him on her feet. She subconsciously gripped his arm to steady herself. He didn't slow down for her, forcing her to cling to him to keep up until they came to the caravan of hovercraft no doubt stolen from the Atlas military. Weiss wondered if it was from robberies she'd investigated in Vale just a year before. White Fang of all shapes and sizes were loading into the first three transports.

"Not you," he said as Weiss began steering herself toward the cab of the transport."Faunus had to ride with the cargo." he said pointing to the back, sliding the side door open to let her on. Weiss noticed the straps hanging from the ceiling in the back, no doubt for the SDC employees to hand on to when in motion. No seats. "Be grateful," the gorilla said, "When I was your age, they still put us in cages to move us."

Ilia was already in the back, securing the luggage.

"In case you're thinking of a way to escape, a guard will be posted back here in shifts. Give us any trouble," she brandished her weapon, a tapering whip-like device that crackled with electricity, "and I'll electrocute you again." Ilia grabbed one of the overhead straps as the hovercraft heated up and pulled forward.

Weiss held herself upright, taking care not to stand too close to any of the cargo. Her back still burned and any slight movement renewed the pain afresh. There was nothing tall enough to sit on comfortably, and the bay was not air conditioned.

In her youth, all three of the Schnee children had been taught basic self-defense techniques, but also had undergone hostage survival techniques in the event of them being kidnapped. The first rule was always to comply as much as possible. Agree with one's captors and offer them exactly what to hear if you want to make it home alive. The second rule was to build up a rapport with one's captors. Bond with them, humanize yourself, and disarm their mistrust.

"What's your name?" Weiss asked.

Ilia didn't respond.

"Please?" Weiss pled, "I'm going to get into trouble if I can't keep up here. The faster I learn names, the less I get beat."

"Ilia Amolita, but it would be Miss Ilia to you."

Weiss cocked her head in surprise. "I know that name. Blake has mentioned you before."

"No, she didn't!" Ilia shouted. Her skin flushing deep red in anger as her chameleon skin couldn't keep her emotions concealed.

"Yes, she did," Weiss countered, not caring to add any of the titles of respect she was expected to use. "Blake said that you were dangerous because you were so thin and small, but fast. Everyone underestimates you and you use it to your advantage."

The conflict in Ilia's eyes was obvious. "Blake is a traitor," she finally said, folding her arms defensively. "She abandoned us."

"I know…" Weiss hesitated, "I know that probably must have been a painful blow to you. But she spoke of you fondly. She was on my team at Beacon along with a set of sisters. I hope you know, she didn't mean to leave you alone. She just had to leave the White Fang. It was something she couldn't believe in anymore."

"Yeah, well. It wasn't the first time someone left me all alone," she said bitterly.

"Your parents." Weiss remembered. "I'm sorry."

"You don't get to be sorry." Ilia snarled. "I spent seven years of my life on the streets as an orphan in Atlas fending for myself after my mom and dad died. Blake convinced me to join the White Fang, and she was the first person that made me feel like it was possible to have a family again. And then she just left."

The huntress had to wait until a wave of pain passed over her before she spoke again. "I know you won't believe me, but I know what it's like to be lonely. I know what it's like to wonder if anyone, even the people you look in the eye and work alongside every day truly love you or if they're only nice to you because it serves their purpose. But I got lucky, I have an older sister who visits sometimes, and I went to Beacon and made friends. But after Beacon fell, I wasn't allowed to talk to my friends anymore, and Blake…I don't even know where she is. She just ran."

"She's good at that." Ilia said coldly.

A pound on the door separating the cabin and the cargo hold before the gorilla faunus entered. "Boss says it's my shift."

Ilia stood, not caring to bid Weiss goodbye as she stepped into the cabin, locking the door behind her.

Adam, meanwhile was comfortably seated in the front, kept cool by the air conditioning unit. Ilia took the seat next to him, mulling over the conversation she'd had with the SDC heiress.

"You obviously don't think this is a good idea," Adam said.

"I think Sienna is going to say you didn't complete the mission." Ilia turned to face him, concern creasing her face. "Adam, humans aren't allowed to see the headquarters, and for good reason. She has family and connections. What if they look for her? What if you're leading the Atlas military right to our door?"

"I think you should let me handle it." Adam said, looking forward.

She didn't want to say it out loud, but that was exactly what Ilia was afraid of.

Chapter Text

At first, it was all one solid color. As the haze began to clear, the images around her began to focus and sounds became more distinct. Weiss realized she'd been unconscious, but unsure for how long. Her mind still in a fog, she tried standing only to find her legs were asleep and even the slightest movements brought the needle-like pains of blood flow returning. Everything was so confusing. Where was she? It took her a few moments to recollect her thoughts.

She'd been kidnapped by the White Fang.

Sentenced to a life of servitude.

Collared.

Branded.

Her hand instinctively reached for her back, feeling the raised surface of the brand; a scar that had permanently marked her flesh as the property of an organization. So, it hadn't all been just a nightmare. The memories began coming back with greater clarity. She'd ridden with Ilia on the transport and had made some headway, she'd hoped. But after a few hours of travel, the hovercraft had stopped and the supplies moved from ground transport to air, no doubt to cross the ocean into Anima. At that point, Adam had decided that their newest maidservant had better start earning her keep. She was worked, unloading and loading all of the cargo light enough for her to carry, and being sent on errands and tasks that kept her on her feet all day long. She wasn't averse to work, she'd worked hard to become an accomplished huntress and had endured pain and loss because of it, but this type of servitude was different. It was thankless, tiresome, and never gave her any sense of accomplishment.

The worst was serving meals. Weiss was placed in charge of serving any of the officers, Adam excluded. Clearly, she wasn't good enough yet to earn the privilege of serving him his food. Carrying trays of food, having to stand at attention while they sat and ate and having to cater to their every whim however ridiculous was wearisome, but Weiss complied as much as she could with a good attitude for the weeks they moved southward in Mistral.

She was biding her time, waiting for an opportunity to either escape or alert the authorities to her presence. The more comfortable the faunus grew with the idea they had broken her, the more likely she'd be able to get out.

After two weeks of using ground transport, the supplies were running low, but as no one was showing concern, she assumed it was because they were close to the White Fang's centralized headquarters. It was then someone had decided Weiss would be a liability if she knew the general location of the White Fang's hideout and slipped a sedative in her food rations.

She took it slow, carefully flexing her toes in her boots and stretching, staying quiet and taking in her surroundings until she felt confident she could stand. She was definitely in the cargo hold of an Atlas ship, though not a military issued vessel, it looked more like a leisure transport vessel used to ferry civilians. That made more sense; it would have been easier to steal. The ship wasn't moving, and didn't have that slight shifting feel when hovering, meaning they must have landed already. She began wandering among the crates looking for a door. Perhaps if she wasn't being supervised…

No such luck.

The bay door on the cargo hold hissed open as the hydraulics lowered a ramp to meet the waiting soldiers. Most of them were faces she didn't recognize from the camp.

"Looks like Adam wasn't bluffing," one laughed when he saw Weiss still clinging to a supply crate for stability. "He did bring a trophy home. Want to offload her first?"

"She's coming with me," Adam's voice boomed behind him. Everything about him contrasted with the faunus around him. His black attire and preference to wear his mask even in the comfort of his own territory starkly contrasted against the other faunus who wore no masks and seemed far more relaxed. The others genuflected, allowing Adam to retrieve his 'cargo' first.

Like he had in the tunnels, he forced her to walk a few steps in front of him, leading her away from the main entrance to a more private one. "As a servant of the White Fang, you will not speak unless spoken to." was the only command he'd given to her before they reached the guard.

"This isn't the gate for prisoners," the guard said, more out of confusion than demanding adherence to protocol. He knew Adam to well to try and contradict him.

"She's not a prisoner. She's property." Adam countered.

"Does High Leader Sienna know?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Sienna Khan is not the only faunus, nor is she the only voice of the White Fang." Adam said sternly, barely adding intensity into his voice. "I can assure you, the collar has rendered the princess here completely harmless and she has no weapons on her. If you'd like I can strip search her here."

Forgetting herself, Weiss whipped around to look at him, her eyes indignant.

"How dare…" the sentence couldn't even finish before a gloved hand struck her in the face.

Weiss took a deep breath blinking back tears more of embarrassment than pain. She'd been slapped in public before, and it always was so much worse than just the pain of being struck, it was the humiliation of being physically imposed upon and forced into submission. Nevertheless, she stayed quiet.

The guard watching the scene gingerly stepped aside as Adam pushed his captive forward into the compound. It had been some kind of imperial palace before, probably some feudal warlord of Mistral, but the building had been long abandoned before the White Fang found it and converted it to their base of operations. They passed areas that were clearly designed as barracks as well as rooms for public use such as dojos and an armory.

Adam's living quarters were larger and more accommodating than the barracks but that stood as no surprise. He was a division head, there had to be some perks that came with holding rank.

"You will clean yourself up eat while I finish the offloading of supplies. I will send food for you and a change of clothes. I intend to present you as a gift to Sienna Khan this evening when she returns. Again, whether that's delivering you alive or just your head as a trophy is up to you. A guard will be posted and if you so much as try the handle on the door, they won't hesitate to punish you in whatever way they see fit."

It was only after a few seconds of odd silence, Weiss realized he was waiting for an answer. "Yes…sir." she finally said.

"You're learning," he smiled, satisfied. He exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

Weiss was anxious, she felt dirty, and looked forward to the prospect of a bath but refused to do so until after her new clothes had arrived. But above all else, she was tired. The black out from the drugs wasn't a restful sleep, and the last few weeks she'd been on her feet during all hours of the day, Adam's way of making sure she got the full 'servitude' experience. It only took a moment of closing her eyes before she was asleep, curled up at the foot of Adam's bed.

"If you'll just follow me," a maid curtsied.

"I'll wait here," Winter said, letting General Ironwood be escorted into Jacques' office. Previously, she'd promised she'd never return to the Schnee Estate as long as she lived, but with Weiss home, she had a reason to visit. Weiss had been through hell at the fall of Beacon, she decided she could swallow her pride and come back just for a day. So, when she heard Ironwood was arranging a meeting with her father, she asked to come along.

She waited at attention refusing all offers to sit or take coffee in the lounge. She knew if she waited long enough, eventually either Klein or Weiss herself would come by and they'd be able to talk. But she didn't want to venture into the house any further. To Winter, the Manor wasn't home, it was a compound: a prison with exquisite décor.

Time wore on. From the far hallway, she could clearly hear Ironwood's voice getting louder and more frustrated and her father's tones rising to match. They'd gotten into heated arguments before over the dust embargo. Now, Atlas was officially closing its borders and the business mogul was sure to be livid. Winter began pacing the foyer to pass the time. As she passed the credenza, she noticed the mail, organized into trays to be delivered. One tray only had two letters in it both addressed to Weiss: one from her team captain, Ruby, and the other the letter she'd written her sister weeks ago, yet here it sat, unopened.

"The servants told me you'd come for a visit," a voice said behind her, "but I had to see it for myself to believe. How are you doing, sister?"

"Since when have you cared?" she asked, rounding on her brother. "In fact, since when has father allowed you to speak to me? I thought I was essentially disowned."

Whitley shrugged. "Father has never outright refused to let us contact you. He's just strongly discouraged it, and we both know what happens when father is disappointed in us."

Winter seized the letter and held it up. "Then why hasn't Weiss even opened my letter yet?

"I'm sure she will when she gets back," Whitley said nonchalantly.

"And when will that be?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, do you know where she went?"

"No. We don't really talk."

Winter's suspicions began to grow. "And how long has she been gone? I sent this letter two weeks ago."

"A few weeks, I think. Like I said, she usually stayed in her room anyway, so we never talked much."

It took every ounce of self-control not to slap the smug grin of Whitley's smug little face. Winter closed her eyes and breathed deep to regain her composure. "How do you not know where your sister is, Whitley?"

"To be fair, you don't know where she is, either."

"Miss Winter!" Klein's voice echoed from the top of the stairs as the stout man ambled down the grand staircase.

Whitley gave his sister one more smirk before excusing himself. "I'll let father know you stopped by without saying hello," he said, waving dismissively as he turned to leave, pacing with his hands behind his back. As much as he was her brother and a teenager, Winter had a hard time not hating her brother. He was just so infuriatingly like Jacques.

"Klein," Winter forced a smile as she accepted the servant's open arms for a hug.

"I wondered if I'd ever get to see you again once you left home," he said, just before a violent sneezing fit. "It's so good to see you again. Shall I have a room prepared for you?" He said in a cheery tone when he'd finally recovered.

"Oh, no, Klein," Winter said, resuming her more serious demeanor, "I only accompanied General Ironwood here because I was hoping to see my sister, but Whitley says she's gone. She tells you everything, do you know where she went?"

The manservant's face darkened immediately. "None of the servants are sure, really. Miss Weiss and her father have had quite a falling out recently." Klein briefly relayed the events of the charity concert. "From that point forward, Weiss wasn't allowed off the manor grounds. The media and any other interested parties have been told she was sent away to one of the summer homes to convalesce due to her still being affected by the events at Beacon. He even made her relinquish her rights to the company. Then, about three weeks ago, she went missing." As he spoke, he gradually guided the eldest Schnee out of sight into a corner, his voice lowering with each sentence.

"Missing how?" Winter asked in hushed tones to match his.

"We don't know. It was at night. The guards found an air duct open and Weiss gone. A search of the grounds turned up nothing."

"You think she's run away?"

"No," Klein said frankly, "Not without saying goodbye, and certainly not without Mytenaster. It's still in its case. I think something more nefarious is afoot but none of us has much to go on."

Weiss looked back at the mail trays. "If she has taken off, her friends might know where she is," she mused as she took the other letter. "This isn't much, but it's at least somewhere to start."

"Please find her, Miss Winter," Klein pled.

A door down the hall slammed and heavy steps echoed down the tiled hallway. General Ironwood appeared, a scowl on his face of both anger and disappointment. With just a look, Winter knew it was time to leave and to not ask questions.

"I know she was fond of you. I promise I'll find something." Winter whispered. She reached out and embraced Klein one final time. "I'll bring her home."

"Thank you." Klein said, letting a tear fall down his cheek.

With the letter in her hand, she followed Ironwood out to the waiting car. She'd been home for the first time in at least three years and she hadn't even seen either of her parents.

The ride back to the base was awkward. General Ironwood sat opposite Winter with a brooding look on his face, not making eye contact, but clearly bottling up a multitude of things he wanted to say. The fall of Beacon had a devastating effect on him, too. He looked older and haggard, the streaks of gray in his hair taking over the black. His face unshaven, and his gaze heavy, he looked so worn down. He had to answer to the council for his own tech turning on the people of Vale and bore the blame of bringing the doubt and apprehension by bringing such a large force to the Vytal Festival: the same doubt and apprehension that turned to fear and horror when the grimm attacked.

"I take it my father didn't respond well to Atlas closing its borders." Winter finally said, hoping he'd open up and get some of his demons off his chest.

"He blames me," Ironwood replied shortly. "He says closed borders are going to destroy the economy of Atlas, but I'm not the only member of the council who voted for it."

"He's only saying that because his profits are getting cut," Winter assured him. "My father is good at disguising his selfishness as objective concern. He's also facing the grim reality that a war is coming and he won't be able to cash in on it."

The general didn't reply. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"You….you were there at the fundraiser for Vale a few weeks ago, right? The concert and auction sponsored by the SDC."

Ironwood slit his eyes open. Winter never asked questions about home, and certainly never asked questions about the dust company.

"I was. It was just another excuse for rich people to drink and talk."

"Klein told me my sister, Weiss, made a bit of a scene."

"Ah," he understood now, "Yes. Your sister's outburst did put a bit of a damper on the rest of the evening, though her performance at the concert was magnificent. Jacques was none too pleased, but she was right. The upper crust just sits around and throws money at things without understanding the reality of what true loss is. I don't blame her for blowing up like that."

"But my father, he didn't take it well?"

Ironwood shook his head. "Not at all. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of that ballroom before she could embarrass him any further." Ironwood looked down. "I was actually hoping that entire affair would have been enough to convince her to enroll in Atlas. If she's half the woman, you are, she'd be an asset to the military. Why? did she tell you about what happened?"

"No. I didn't get to see her at all."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"General, she's missing," Winter's impenetrable persona finally cracked. "She's been gone for weeks, and no one knows where she is or what has happened to her, and my family is acting like nothing has happened at all."

James was at a loss for words. "I…Jacques said nothing about this," he finally managed. "Perhaps they were advised by the police not to advertise that she's missing. The last thing they'd want is to generate false leads."

"I need to find her." Winter said.

"I'd be more than happy to give you access to whatever resources that we have, and whatever leave time you need, so long as you come back when called. And you will be called. Atlas may very well be on the brink of war."

"I understand," Winter nodded.

The driver braked and pulled up to one of the airstrips that had regular crafts travelling between Atlas and Mantle.

"You're not going back to HQ?" Winter asked.

"No, I have a meeting with Dr. Polendino. If you need anything, security clearance, anything, give me a call. I'll make sure it's given to you." He pulled the handle and stepped out of the car. "I sincerely hope you find her, Winter. Best of luck." With that, the door closed and the car kept moving.

Winter was lucky enough to have private quarters all to herself as a specialist. On her bed, she laid out all the letters Weiss had sent her at beacon, as well as the one she'd received just after returning home. She was able to extrapolate basic information: her teammates names, Ruby Rose, and Yang Xiao Long, sisters from Signal Academy, currently residing on Patch, and Blake Belladonna, faunus and former White Fang member. She opened Ruby's letter, hoping to gain some insightful information.

Yang was still in Patch convalescing from her injury.

Ruby had joined some other students from Beacon and were heading to Mistral on foot.

Blake had vanished entirely.

It wasn't much, but she had somewhere to start. Using her security clearance, Yang's address was conveniently on file. Ironwood had shipped her an Atlas prosthetic and hence she was in the system. The name Belladonna also pinged: on a watch list as potential terrorists. Ghira Belladonna was the former head of the White Fang now residing as the chieftain of Menagerie. Even if the last name was a coincidence, he might know Blake from his White Fang days and set her in the right direction.

Three leads, three different continents. Where to start?

Logically, the closest would have been south of Mistral, but Ruby was travelling, meaning there was a possibility Winter would miss her or waste precious time in seeking her out. But the easiest continent to get to was Anima via Argus, and she could leave on a ship within the hour if she wanted. From there she could continue south to Menagerie and hit Patch on the way home.

One of them had to have a clue as to where she was.

Chapter Text

     The bluff that overhung the forest gave a great view of the land below, but was not without its drawbacks. It was colder and the wind was constant, making a fire impossible, not that he’d want a fire: the smoke and flame would give his position away in an instant. He kept an eye on the four campers seated around a fire less than a quarter mile away.

     They were far too young to be out here by themselves. This part of Mistral was rife with grimm and, if they pushed any further northward, bandits.

     Perhaps he was getting old, perhaps just too engrossed in the kids, or perhaps he was buzzed enough that his senses were dulled, but he didn’t hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late to prevent an attack. With lightning speed, he whirled on his aggressor, drawing his sword and growling, “If you want to die today, be my guest.”

    “Calm down, Qrow.”

     He squinted at the figure in front of him. He was drunk, yes, but he wasn’t that drunk. “Ice Queen?”

     Winter took a step closer. “It took me a bit to track you down. But following the string of bar tabs you left behind wasn’t that difficult.”

    Qrow lowered his weapon. “What are you doing here? Ironwood send you?”

    Winter pointed to a log close by. “Why don’t we sit. Talk.”

    “Not like you to make a social call.” Qrow said. as he straddled the fallen tree, patting a section in front of him for Winter to sit.

    “Who all are you keeping an eye on?” Winter asked, nodding at the teens bedding down for the night.

   “My niece; three of her friends from Beacon.” He said, pulling a flask out. Winter put her hand out to keep him from putting it to his lips.

   “Why don’t you go camp with them?” she asked, pushing his hand all the way down.

   “It’s complicated,” he grumbled. He looked at Winter closely in what little light the night offered. Her eyes had softened with worry and she hadn’t made any attempts to cut him down with her words. He put the cap back on the flask. “What’s on your mind?”

   Winter inhaled deeply. “Weiss and my father had a falling out and a few days later she went missing. I thought she might come to try and find her old team.”

   “Couldn’t stand your old man and jumped ship, eh?” Qrow tilted his head sideways. “Sounds familiar.”

   “Is my sister here, Qrow?” She gripped his hand tighter. She was desperate.

   He shook his head. “No. All I know is that Ruby wrote her a few times. We’ve been on the road since the first snow.”

   “I need to ask them if they know anything.” Winter stood hastily. “If there’s anything Weiss said before she left beacon, or any communication she’s had.”

   “No,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down into a sitting position. “Those kids have enough on their plate, and I need them to get to Haven. They don’t know I’m following them and if you show up, it could interfere.”

    “This is my sister we’re talking about!” She tried pulling free of his grip, but even with her military training was no match for the huntsman’s muscle and reflexes. “Let go of me!”

    “Look, I know you want to find Weiss, but we have a different mission we’re trying to accomplish here. If Ruby finds out Weiss is missing, she’d drop everything and go help look for her. She doesn’t need that heartache right now.”

    “I have to find her!” she cried in desperation, blinking back tears.

    Never in his life had anything sobered Qrow up so quickly. “I never thought I’d see the day,” he muttered. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, almost placing her directly between his legs. She instinctively leaned onto his shoulder. “Wherever she is, I’m sure she’s fine.”

    “I know her, Qrow. She wouldn’t have run off and told no one where she was going. She would have told Klein or me, or even Ruby. Somebody. I think something’s happened to her.” She nestled into him further as he put her arms around to cradle her.

    “What? You think your father sent her away?”

    “No. I think she was taken. Do you know how many people have a grudge against our dust company? We’ve been targets of corporate espionage and extortion for years. The White Fang, disgruntled dust store owners, even foreign distributers. And for her to just vanish…she didn’t even take her rapier. She could be anywhere…she could be dead. And my parents are just pretending like nothing’s happening at all!”

    Winter had to put out an icy front when she was in front of her peers at Atlas. As a woman, as a specialist, and as a Schnee. Everything had to be perfect all the time. Except with Qrow. He didn’t care, and he was the only one who didn’t. Qrow just shushed her and held her tight.

    “General Ironwood gave me permission to look for her, but only until I get recalled. I don’t know how much time that will be.”

    Qrow tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. “I know this looks dark and after Beacon…hope’s a bit in short supply. But you can’t give up yet. If there’s one thing I’m learning from these kids is that hope is going to be the only think keeping us going for a while.” He looked over at the cane of Ozpin’s he left leaning against a tree. Hope was all he had at this point. “So, keep your chin up.”

     He kissed her and she let him, shaking her head when she pulled away.

     “You taste better when you’re not marinated in booze.”

     “You sound better when you aren’t a frigid nag.”

      She pushed him off playfully, smiling for the first time in a while. She pulled her scroll out to check the time, realizing it was late, and she needed to get back. “If she’s not here, Menagerie is the next place I need to look.” She stood.

    “Stay the night with me?” Qrow asked, keeping her hand in his. “Nights out here get cold.”

    “I have to get back to my ship,” Winter said, pulling her hand free, though the longing in her eyes told him she wanted to stay. “I don’t want to waste any time. The sooner I find some trail to follow, the sooner I can find my sister.”

     “Oh, so I’m a waste of time, now?” Qrow teased.

     “When was the last time you swooped in to visit me in Atlas?” she countered.

     “Stuff came up," he said, genuinely disappointed "Family needed me.”

     “Next time, Qrow.” She promised.

     Winter's face softened. “Keep your chin up, Ice Queen.” He replied.

      As she walked back through the woods toward her ship, she sighed. Meetings with Qrow were always bittersweet because they always ended, and they could never talk about them. But she had push all of that out of her mind now. Weiss was her focus, and Menagerie was her next location.

      Maybe when things finally settled down. Maybe then.

      Maybe.

      Whenever that would be.

     The sound of the door closing roused Weiss from her sleep. A woman with horns and a kind face nodded at her without saying anything at first, giving the huntress a few minutes to get her bearings. Weiss considered asking what kind of faunus, sheep or goat, but thought better of it and kept her mouth shut.

     “I’m Lehela, I’ve been told to ensure you ‘make yourself presentable’ tonight and see to your meal,” she said, looking Weiss over. “You really the Schnee Dust Company heiress?”

     “Not anymore.” Weiss let out an awkward deprecating laugh, “My dad disinherited me about a week before Adam took me off the estate. My brother Whitley is now heir to the SDC.”

    “If you’re looking for pity, you’re telling the wrong faunus,” Lehela said, straightening the covers on Adam’s bed ruffled by Weiss’ nap. “Now, get to it. Adam doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

    Weiss was permitted to use Adam’s private bathroom to clean up. It was the first hot shower she’d had in weeks and it felt glorious. It was also the first time she’d seen herself in a mirror since her abduction. Her face had remained the same, but other changes had affected her visage. Her silver mane now barely covered her shoulder blades when down; she’d lost weight which was no surprise with restricted meals and countless hours of being on her feet. 

     The biggest change, however, was the brand. The raised panther’s head encircled and set in front of claw marks was now permanently emblazoned on the small of her back. No matter if or when she got away, she’d never be free from the White Fang.

    “Adam says you’re to wear this instead of your uniform,” Lehela instructed, handing her a bundle of red silk and sending her back into the bathroom to change.

    It was a rare event, but the Schnees had travelled to Argus on occasion during Weiss’ childhood. Most were for corporate dinners but some were for charity galas or other events that encourage the rich to feel good about spending their riches. The faunus at these black-tie affairs were always decked in traditional mistral cheongsams to serve food and check coats. Weiss had always been enamored with how elegant they looked in matching dresses. Odd how she never noticed the marks on their backs.

    Rolling her hair into two odango completed the ‘far eastern’ look. It took a few tries to get her hair to stay, but with determination and enough pins, she got it to hold.

    “You’ll have to eat fast,” said Lehela as Weiss slipped on the matching silk shoes of her new uniform.

    It was only soup and crackers, but it had flavor as opposed to the oatmeal and plain bread she’d been living off for three weeks.

    “Thank you,” Weiss said sincerely, “It’s the first time I’ve felt satisfied in weeks.”

    “I’m following orders. If it were up to me, I’d kill you in your sleep.” Lehela said calmly.

    “I understand why,” Weiss replied, “I just hope I get the opportunity to change your opinion of humans the way Blake helped change my opinion of the faunus.

    “Not likely.” She responded.

    Before Weiss could attempt to respond, the door opened and Adam reappeared. He looked Weiss over before uttering a brief. “Close enough.”

    “She’s eaten as well.” Lehela said.

    “Clear the trays and set her a cot up in the ante chamber. She’ll stay with me tonight. I don’t trust some of the Mistral faction.”

    “Yes, sir.” Lehela bowed and excused herself.

    With her gone, Adam focused on Weiss. “Our audience with High Leader Sienna Khan is in just a few minutes. I highly suggest you don’t try what you pulled at the gate this afternoon. After all, I’d hate to deliver damaged goods.”

    Weiss sighed. “You’ll have no trouble from me. Sir.”

   “Good.” He seized her by the wrist and pulled her out into the hallway.

    She could feel eyes on her as she was escorted through the halls of the refurbished castle. Faunus, all unmasked pointed and whispered as she passed, nothing loud enough to hear, though a wolf whistle did escape the lips of some unfortunate white fang as a glare from Adam Taurus silenced him before he was even finished.

    It was an odd thing to think at the time but Weiss noted how much the dress flattered her figure, drawing attention away from her smaller top and accentuating her hips and legs; the skirt reaching her ankles but slits on either side extending to halfway up her thigh, showing off just the right amount of skin as she walked. Yang may have been curvy, and Blake may have had the perfect athletic body, but the one thing Weiss did have was great legs, and she knew it. At least if she was going to be paraded around like a trophy, she’d be a pretty trophy.

    The innermost honmaru of the castle had been fitted with electric wiring and the bottom floor turned into a throne room of sorts for the high leader to conduct business A broad, red carpet paved a path from the back doors to the thrones that sat side by side atop a steep set of steps. Ghira and Kali once sat on those thrones where Sienna now sat perched, her ears perked and attentive at Adam’s arrival. The guards flanking her sides and lining the walls nodded in respect to Adam as he passed. A look of perplexity darkened Sienna’s face when he reached the bottom of the stairs with his quarry.

    “What’s this?”

    Adam bowed politely. “High Leader, I’ve brought you a present from our mission to Atlas.” With a firm hand on her back, he shoved Weiss forward so hard she fell on her knees, baring her back and the brand to the entire courtyard, the collar catching the light as it hung around her neck.

    Sienna looked at the girl on the bottom of the stairs, taking the whole image in and all of its implications.

    “Adam. What have you done?” Sienna looked offended. “Do you know what kind of danger you’ve brought upon us? The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company into the secret headquarters of our organization? She was on TV a few weeks ago. Her father is one of the richest, if not the riches man in Atlas, and her sister is a specialist in the most powerful military force in Remnant? If they track her here? Our entire operation could be compromised. What were you thinking?”

    Despite his mask covering the majority of his face, the faunus in the throne room could tell Adam didn’t appreciate being reprimanded like a child.

     “I was thinking that it was high time the faunus took their place as the dominate species of the planet. It’s time we stopped seeking equality with the same people who told us we didn’t count as people. We’re better than humans. We have everything the humans have and more. Humans shouldn’t just fear the faunus, they should serve the faunus, and who better to start the trend of humans serving faunus, than the daughter of the worst offender. Her luxurious upbringing was paid for with the lives of our exploited brothers and sisters, like the Amolitas. The least the Schnee heiress can do is serve the faunus in whatever capacity you see fit.”

    An eerie silence settled on the room. All eyes were fixed on Adam. Weiss stayed on the floor, awaiting whatever decision the high leader came to. She looked at the ground, fixing her eyes on the carpet to keep herself from trembling in fear. What she couldn’t see was the utter disdain in Sierra Khan’s eyes.

     “You’re suggesting dominating and enslaving the human race. To treat them like they treated us for centuries. That makes us no better than our oppressors, Adam.” She raised herself out of her throne, slowly stepping down the carpeted steps to the floor level. “She can’t stay here.”

     “You’re refusing this opportunity for retribution?” Adam growled. “You wanted me to assassinate her.”

     “I wanted you to make a political statement that we weren’t going to tolerate mistreatment by human business owners who only see us as fodder, not that we intend to one day assert ourselves over the humans as their masters.” She looked down at the offering had brought her. “I will not accept her as a servant, nor has a hostage. She cannot stay here.”

      Adam clenched his jaw. “Then if you will not permit her to serve you, I request that you let me keep her as a prize. Even you won’t deny we’re at war for our acceptance in society. And you would certainly permit spoils of war.”

      Sienna Khan sighed, more out of disappointment than exasperation. “If this is truly the direction you wish to take with the White Fang, I can’t stop you. The Vale chapter is loyal to you almost exclusively, and I know you want what is best for the faunus. However, I cannot allow you to bring this…liability back within our walls. If you intend to keep her alive and with you, then you cannot return to the headquarters.”

      No one moved. No one breathed.

     “Are…you banishing me?” Adam asked, indignant.

     “Banish? No.” Sienna said, turning and ascending the stairs back to her throne. “You will still remain in command of Vale, and you will still have access to any resources the White Fang has to offer. You will not, however, be permitted back within the walls with her in tow. I can’t stop you from being reckless, but I can stop you from that recklessness costing our operation. Get rid of her, or leave.”

   Seizing her by the Atlas collar, he yanked Weiss to her feet. The huntress instinctively grabbed the collar as Adam pulled her closer, like a child refusing to give up a toy.

   “Then I suppose I’ll be in Vale for a while,” Adam said, keeping the composure in his voice. “I’ll leave in the morning as soon as the supplies are replenished. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

   He might have been able to conceal it in his voice, but Adam’s posture exuded rage and anger as he dragged Weiss back to his quarters by her neck. Faunus scrambled to get out of the way. Conversations ceased and people stared, only daring to whisper when he was well out of earshot.

   She managed to keep her balance, even with her head down, and kept herself from falling when Adam finally released her, back in his room after slamming the door. He stood in silence, trying to control his heavy breathing. Weiss regained her composure and just waited expectedly.

   Weiss Schnee of all people knew what was coming next.

   The temper tantrum.

   She’d seen it before a hundred times. Perfect composure until behind closed doors when the gloves came off and things started flying: books, bedding, shoes, paper weights, wine bottles anything grabbable with no care to what was broken or who would clean it up. Particularly bad days ended with her being the moving target trying to dodge as Jacques took out his anger of the outside world on his children. The raging usually came with a string of obscenities, but Weiss imagined Adam as less of a ‘swearer’ and more of a ‘roarer’ when his temper boiled over.

   The huffing turned into pacing. After a few minutes of pacing, he forcefully sat himself into his armchair.

    “Get me a drink,” he growled at Weiss, tapping his fingers on the arms of the fabric of the armchair.

    Logic led her to check the first cabinet built into the wall. It contained a row of whiskey tumblers. Grabbing one, she checked the next cabinet. There were four bottles inside and he didn’t specify so she just chose blindly. It was a whiskey of some kind. Weiss wasn’t familiar with drinks. Her father only drank socially, and her mother preferred the wine from the family vineyard further north in Mantle. She poured him a glass and handed it to him, keeping her other hand firmly gripping the bottle in case she needed it as a defensive weapon…not that it would do much.

    “I don’t know where the ice is,” she said, extending the glass to him.

    “I want it neat,” he said, seizing the glass from her, extending his other hand, beckoning her to give him the bottle. She reluctantly handed it to him. After a few sips, he sighed. “Sienna is a fool,” he breathed. Perhaps the tantrum wasn’t coming after all.

    “Sienna isn’t free to make as bold of decisions as you,” Weiss countered without thinking. “She has to represent the will of the faunus, to the human race.”

    “She’s too busy playing politics to do what benefits us the most,” he mused, his voice returning to its normal cadence. “And she’s pushing away the one person who is willing to make the tough decisions.”

    “If you’re the head of Vale’s branch, this isn’t even that big of a deal for you.”

    “It’s not that she’s sending me away, it’s that she’s doing it as a punishment: to make an example out of me instead of trusting my decisions. She’s done that before. She punished me for ‘needlessly sacrificing lives’ at Beacon by sending me up on a mission in Atlas, away from Vale.”

   “My assassination,” Weiss surmised. “You could have killed me in my sleep, but you didn’t.”

   “And you’re wondering why?” he cocked his head and smiled slightly.

  Weiss shifted uncomfortably. “It would have been the easiest thing for you. You hate everything I am. Human, Atlesean, a Schnee, a student of Beacon, a friend of Blake.”

   At the sound of Blake’s name, Adam rose out of the chair in the most menacing manner. Weiss immediately regretted it. He took slow deliberate steps toward her. “What are you saying? That you would have preferred to die? To be a martyr for the human cause? To be a victim? To be party to Sienna’s plan to destroy my reputation?”

   “That is not what I’m saying” Weiss replied calmly. She maintained eye contact but retreated with every approaching step until her shoulder blades made contact with the wall. Adam still continued his advance, stopping only inches away.

    “I didn’t kill you because that’s what Sienna wanted and it would have been a disaster for the White Fang that should could easily have blamed on me. Another one of my ‘extremist tactics’ that she could denounce, and thereby denounce me. Trust me, for Blake’s sake, I would have liked to slit your throat while you slept and wallowed in your blood, but killing you would have done more harm to the faunus than good.”

    “Then getting away from Sienna is in your best interest anyway.”

    Adam snorted in exasperation. “You know, I find your stoicism admirable, but after so long it really grates on the nerves.” He used his body weight to her pinning her against the wall. A gloved hand slid into the slit her skirt, gripping her thigh. “You’ve been compliant at every turn and it’s maddening.” He leaned in even closer, the tip of his mask almost touched her nose. “What would it take, hmmm? To finally crack that ice-princess façade you have?” he asked as he gripped her harder, his fingers sinking into the flesh of her leg.

     Weiss remained unfazed. “You wouldn’t.”

     Adam removed his hand releasing her from the wall roughly. “Of course not, you’re human. But eventually something is going to be enough to break you, and I look forward to it.” He turned his back to her, removing a set of hanging clothes from his closet. “Until then, I have clothes that need ironing and shoes that need shining for tomorrow. You do know how to iron, don’t you? Or has daddy always made sure you had a clothes butler?” He stood, waiting for her to come collect the hangers from him.

     “I learned how to iron clothes by myself at Beacon,” Weiss didn’t see any point in pretending it wasn’t the case. She didn’t even know how to turn an iron on before Blake showed her. She took the clothes from him as he returned to his chair and to his whiskey. Propping his feet up, he kicked his boots off for her to collect.

     “There’s an iron in the antechamber. Once you finish ironing and polishing you can go to bed, but I expect you to be up in the morning in time to serve me breakfast.”

     “Yes, sir.” She bowed slightly at him before retreating into the antechamber where Lehela had set up her cot.

     He could try and humiliate her. Boss her around. Give her menial tasks.

     He wasn’t going to break her.  She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

Chapter Text

She served him breakfast. She made his bed. She carried his luggage. She ironed his clothes. She shined his shoes. She slept when he permitted. She ate only after she had served him his meals. At night, she laid out his clothes for the next day; she turned down the covers for his bed and stood waiting until he was ready to dismiss her from his service.

She was completely at his mercy.

Yet she refused to let it break her. During the day, she complied, doing everything she could to keep herself as invisible as possible, but her mind was always working, her eyes always looking for a way to escape, to get the collar off, or perhaps…kill her captor.

Getting away was impossible for the time being. During travel, she was unceremoniously loaded up with the luggage in the cargo holds of one of the airships, and at most camps, the White Fang made sure to stay off the main road and away from cities. Planning an escape was difficult when there was no destination in the escape plan.

After two weeks on the road, they reached Vale's headquarters for the White Fang: a converted series of warehouses on a river. Outside town but with easy access to roads, plenty of storage and concealment, and already established buildings made it an ideal setting if not as elegant as its counterpart in Mistral. It only took Weiss a few minutes to discern the eerie silence of the area.

"We're on the outskirts of Mountain Glenn?" she asked.

"The existing infrastructure and central location made it a logical choice," Adam replied.

"There are no grimm here," she commented.

"No. Not anymore," Adam handed her two bags to roll and two additional garment bags to carry. "All the grimm within at least a hundred miles are concentrated on the city of Vale and Beacon."

Her shoulders sagged as she followed Adam to his new quarters carrying his belongings like a pack mule. Beacon had become her second home, and a place where she'd finally learned to find herself. She wouldn't call the longing she had for her old school homesickness, but she did miss her school and her old schoolmates.

She was hanging clothes in his walk-in closet when she heard a knock on the door.

"Heard you were back," a husky voice said from the doorway, clearly addressing Adam. "How long do you plan to stay around this time?"

"For the foreseeable future," Adam replied.

She'd sectioned off a set of clothes that needed ironing, re-entering the main room to collect the ironing board and iron from the linen closet.

"Sienna done giving you a spanking then?..." His face abruptly changed.

The huntress had grown accustomed to being invisible to the faunus around her during her travels. She was excluded from all conversation and was not permitted to speak unless spoken to. This was different. She knew Adam's visitor had been taken aback at the sight of her, and stopped to look at him out of curiosity.

Adam wasn't short, but his visitor towered over him, having a good six inches on his superior. Bulging arms, mocha colored skin and black hair gave him a rugged look that matched his voice. She knew him. She'd never seen his face before, it had been obscured by a mask at their first two encounters, but his build as well as the tattoo on his arm were enough to bring the memories flooding back. She recoiled subconsciously.

"What the…?" he asked in pure shock.

The shock brought a sadistic smile to Adam's face. "Ah yes, you two must have encountered one another during your initial station at Mountain Glenn." He snapped his fingers at Weiss, a demeaning gesture ordering her to approach them. "May I present to you the prototype for our new method of dealing with the humans."

The lieutenant scoffed. "Keeping her as a pet?"

"Keeping her as a slave. Humans deserve the humiliation of being subjugated to a superior race. From now on, any humans captured will be put in service of the White Fang."

"And you captured her yourself?" The lieutenant seemed both in awe and perturbed by the concept.

Adam tossed his head arrogantly. "Took her from her mansion in Atlas. I was going to make her a gift to Sienna, but our high leader wouldn't have her." He flicked the collar around her neck. "We have the same setup as the mines: collared, branded and in uniform. Now if I could just break her spirit. She's a stubborn one for sure. She obeys, but I can still see the defiance in her eyes."

A mischievous smirk danced at the corner of the lieutenant's mouth. "I'll bet I can break her. Last year on the train she gave me a good run for my money, but I still took her down. I wouldn't mind putting her in her place again."

Adam shook his head. "I don't want her body broken. If she's hurt and can't serve, she's of no good to me. Besides, I want to be the one to break her."

"I see. You want to have all the fun." He took another step toward Weiss and could have touched her had the huntress not recoiled behind Adam. She hedged her bets that Adam would be angrier with the lieutenant for defying him than he'd be at her for disobeying an order.

"Perhaps you misunderstand me, soldier." Adam said, his voice deepening to be more authoritative. "She's a human here to serve the faunus. Not a punching bag, and not a new toy to be passed around." He looked his underling square in the eye in the most aggressive display of dominance Weiss had seen. "She's mine and she's not to be touched. Are we clear?"

"I believe so," he said, still eyeing the heiress, both of them knowing full well at some point they would come to blows again. Perhaps Adam sensed this or perhaps he was just selfish. Whatever his reason, he was loath to share his trophy with anyone in Mountain Glenn, reserving her for errands and service specific to himself, only trusting her with Ilia and a handful of his closest officers, the lieutenant not included.

After a few weeks, she stopped noticing the absence of her aura. Her life gradually grew more mundane. Endless days of menial tasks and nights on uncomfortable beds. It was shocking how quickly her life of servitude became normal. The routine of taking orders and being ignored was frighteningly easy. She could see now why it was so easy for the faunus to just accept being treated differently a hundred years ago.

With Adam out on a mission for a few days, she was spending her days while he was gone as a watergirl for the training sessions with the officers and the new recruits. The middle warehouse in the string had been cleared, creating an open space for combat, and shelves had been installed for weaponry, serving as both an armory and a list. The lieutenant she had crossed paths with dominated the ring with his chainsaw, brutalizing every newcomer like it was a gang initiation rather than a training intensive. One boy in particular, a badger faunus with black and white fur streaks extending from his nose to his ears, looked afraid for his life inside the ring.

It killed her to watch it. He was a kid, maybe fifteen at the oldest, and the Lieutenant was beating him from one end of the list to the other. His weapon was a battle axe he clearly wasn't accustomed to wielding. He was visibly fatigued and nowhere the skill level of his opponent; a casual observer could see this wasn't training, it was a beating.

The lynx who was acting as referee called time.

"Water!" the lieutenant order. Weiss scurried forward, bringing him his water first, only to be rewarded with a sweaty towel to the face. "Fetch me another," he barked.

"Yes, sir," the huntress slung the towel over her shoulder, the offensive stench already in her nostrils. She moved to the other end of the ring to give the young badger his water. He was bent over in pain, panting and gasping for air. He wouldn't have even seen the bottle being offered to him had Weiss not pushed it into his field of vision. He gripped the bottle without looking up.

"Make sure you chamber your blows before you swing," Weiss said quickly.

"What?" he looked up at her, still panting.

"You're getting tired and intimidated, so your swings don't follow through." She bent down and picked up one of the long handles used for practices between rounds to demonstrate. "When you swinging, you should be parallel to the ground, like this." She demonstrated the proper form. "When you're tired or feel trapped, don't just start swinging wildly because that puts all the swinging on your arm muscles." She made a few shallow swings at him. "See how those have no power under them? If you make sure you're chambered right every time, you'll deliver the blows from your core and you'll do more damage without wearing your arms out."

The badger squinted at her in mistrust. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because nobody deserves what's happening to you in that ring," she replied. Looking around, she saw the lieutenant taking notice of her linger too long and bolted away to find him another towel in the supply room.

When she returned, the lieutenant snatched the towel without so much as looking at her. She scurried away just in time for the moderator to call the combatants back in.

The lieutenant and the badger stepped back into the ring, preparing for another round. The badger looked doubtfully at Weiss who gave him a confident nod. The whistle blew, and the lieutenant immediately charged. The young recruit reverted to a defensive position, taking blow after blow as his superior pushed him into the corner.

He stayed in that corner for the rest of the match. By the time the lieutenant was through with him, the boy had to be helped back to the barracks, his arms and legs riddled with bruises and cuts.

When evenings came she was typically dismissed to have free time until curfew, giving her about two hours to herself, which she usually used to shower and hide in her abysmally small quarters to keep from being ordered around any more. This evening, however, she made her way to the mess hall to enact the plan she'd thought up during the afternoon. It was already dark, meaning the majority of off duty members were gathered in the mess hall. The tables were grouped by activity, some eating a late dinner, some playing cards, and the largest section just sitting around drinking telling war stories. Steeling herself, she approached the table of latest recruits, the badger sitting directly in the middle. Approaching the table, she placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Miss Amolita would like a word with you, recruit. If you'll follow me."

The badger looked reluctantly at his peers who either shrugged or asked what kind of trouble he was in to get a summons from a superior. He stood and stepped over the bench following Weiss out of the mess hall into the darkness.

"I'm not going to be sent home, am I?" he asked from behind.

"Not yet," Weiss replied. She headed toward the training warehouse; he followed, not asking any more questions.

It took her a moment, but she found the switches and flipped them on, the lights humming as they warmed up and brightened gradually. She immediately made her way to the wall to select a suitable practice weapon. The young badger stood, a little confused, looking around for Ilia as his eyes darted around the empty room.

"Amolita isn't here," he finally said, squinting at her.

She ignored him, selecting a wooden sword approximately the length of her rapier, "What's your name?"

"Dax...Branagh...my friends back home called me Bran."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Your name is Dax and no one seized the opportunity to call you Dax the Axe?"

Bran shrugged. "I didn't fight back home. This axe was my father's. He fought in the Faunus War. I'd never even used it until a few weeks ago when I left to join the White Fang."

"So, no one's ever taught you to fight?"

Bran shook his head. "My dad didn't want me to be a fighter. He wanted me to stay at home and be a tailor."

"Why didn't you?"

"My father fought for the right of faunus to be treated like equals, and I wanted to fight that fight too, especially now that humanity is on the defensive."

"So, you have no formal training?"

"None."

"Do you know how to use your aura?"

"I know what it is. I'm still learning how to use it." He brandished his arms, where the bruises from earlier in the day were already fading.

"What about your semblance?"

Bran exhaled deeply, almost as if he were going to shout, but after holding his breath for a short time, he exhaled heavily, shaking his head.

Weiss took a step toward him, testing the weight of the practice sword as she walked. "It's ok if you haven't unlocked your semblance yet. A friend of mine hasn't unlocked his and he still got into Beacon Academy." She held her sword up, expecting him to do the same. Bran remained unmoved, still suspicious.

"You're human. You're a Schnee. You're a prisoner here. You're...Adam wants to enslave your people."

"And?"

"And…you…want me to succeed?"

Weiss exhaled. She knew why she was doing this. He reminded her of Jaune. Determined and utterly lost. "I want you to survive. Let me at least teach you the basics." she finally said.

Bran let out a drawn-out sigh. "Ok."

"Good. Grab a practice weapon that's two-handed about the same length as yours."

He searched the wall, the only comparable item was a hammer. "This will have to do," he muttered. Weiss was already in the practice ring, leaning against the ropes. Bran stepped through to join her.

"First lesson will be how to wield your weapon. You have a two-handed weapon and it's heavy. So what you're going to be looking for is concussive force over cutting or stabbing. The lieutenant you fought today had a similar weapon, meaning your fighting styles will be similar. The difference is, he's experienced and has good upper body strength."

"I'm aware," Bran said, brandishing his bruises.

"What you have to do to hold our own then is to deal good concussive blows while being agile enough to out-maneuver him. He'll end up fighting a battle of attrition if you can deal blows without getting hit." She took her stance and demonstrated how to swing. "Rotate your core, step into it, follow through to transfer the kinetic force."

Bran tried, taking a step, stopping then swinging the hammer.

"Again," Weiss ordered. "Step into it and swing at the same time."

He tried again.

"Better. Again."

On his third try, the step, core movement and follow-through all came together to produce a powerful swing of the weapon. He could feel it. His face lit up with the excitement of his own success.

"You can feel the difference, can't you?" Weiss asked.

Bran nodded.

Weiss smiled satisfactorily. "Good, now we just need all of your swings to be that powerful. Now again."

She made him repeat the motion, switch sides, swing while moving forward, swing while ducking, swing with his non dominant foot forward, correcting every time his posture wasn't perfect. After an hour, his arms were on fire.

"I think that's enough for tonight." Weiss said. "If you agree not to tell anyone, I'll train you like this every night until you can take that lieutenant down."

Bran nodded firmly. "Thank you, miss."

Weiss laughed. "Technically, I'm supposed to call you sir, but I won't complain."

They came up with a plan to sneak to the training warehouse every night as they re-shelved their weapons and stole back to their respective barracks for the evening, both agreeing to keep the training under wraps.

Even with the threat of being caught looming over her, it was the one thing Weiss could look forward to in her day. She'd have to come up with some contingency plan after Adam returned, whenever that would be. During the days, she followed orders, but the minute she was released at night, she carefully stole to the warehouse and waited for Bran.

He learned quickly. After a week, he was much better on his feet, able to use his axe to block blows or dodge them altogether, stepping in, getting in two good blows and stepping out, and he did it all with perfect form. Weiss was proud of her little trainee, though it wouldn't matter until he had a real, moving opponent.

"Are you ready for a real target, now?" Weiss eventually asked.

"You want me to hit you?"

"Why? Afraid of hitting a girl?"

"Not when you've been so nice to me."

Her gaze softened. He didn't belong in a group of terrorists. He was still so young and innocent. "You're a sweet kind," she said with a sigh, "but if you want to survive training, much less the real world, you can't afford to be this passive. I'm a human, remember? I'm the enemy and you don't even feel comfortable attacking me?"

"Perhaps you'd prefer someone that would actually pose a challenge," a voice said from the doorway. The lieutenant stood with his hands resting on the door frame, other curious faces peering around him from the dark of the outside. Bran straightened immediately.

"Lieu...Lieutenant! I was just having the slave here, help me with my training." He was a terrible liar, and it was written all over his face, but at least he was committed to the bit. "I thought she'd make a fantastic training dummy."

"I see. Perhaps then you'd like to see if your extra effort has paid off at all. What do you say to a rematch?" Nothing about his tone or body language indicated that he was giving Dax any options as he sauntered into the warehouse, allowing in a string of faunus behind him that never seemed to end. There was no doubt in Weiss' mind that this was by design. Somehow, he'd found out and brought the bulk of the mess hall with him to watch. He'd even had an underling carry his chainsaw in for him.

Weiss turned to her pupil. "You can refuse, but I think you can do it."

Bran looked the lieutenant square in the eye. "I accept." he said solemnly.

Cheers and hollers went up from the crowd that had gathered. A referee was chosen and the combatants took to their corners. When the whistle blew, the lieutenant wasted no time in charging, but Bran had been practicing his footwork and managed to stay outside his reach. Following his practice, he moved in, struck on opposite sides and stepped back before his opponent could react.

He did everything right. He kept his back to the edge of the ring. He kept his distance. He stayed light on his feet, and was able to hold his own for the first four rounds of five minutes apiece. After the fourth round, both combatants were wearing down, and the lieutenant's skill was giving him the upper hand.

After the fifth round, Weiss was ready in his corner with a water bottle. The towel around her neck and stern expression would have made her look like a boxing coach if she didn't have such an emaciated frame.

"I don't know if I can do this," he told her between gasps. "He swings so hard."

"You need to end this now," Weiss said, her eyes locking with the lieutenant's across the ring. "What's your semblance?" she asked Bran.

Bran shook his head. "My semblance is not going to help."

"I asked what your semblance was," she said firmly.

"I can mimic sound." he breathed, almost embarrassed to admit it but too tired to continue arguing with her.

"You mean voices?"

"Any sound I've heard before." A frown pulled at the corner of his mouth. "See? Not much good for combat."

"Are you dense? You could win every with a semblance like that." She leaned in close and lowered her voice. "Go in for the two strikes like before, but between the first an second blows, use your semblance to distract him. Make it big enough you can sweep his feet before he can even register that he needs to move. Can you do it?"

"I can try. What sound do I even make?"

"Anything. Imitate his chainsaw snapping or a beowulf roaring, anything super loud that might give him pause."

"I got it," he said just as the whistle blew. He resumed his stance in his corner impatiently waiting for his shot.

When the round began, the lieutenant hung back having learned his lesson from the last few rounds. After a short time of dancing around the ring, he took a swing at Bran, giving the badger the perfect opening.

Weiss' chest tightened as he struck the first blow, which the lieutenant easily blocked, pushing Bran's axe away with impressive force for being so far into the match.

"Lieutenant!" Adam's voice suddenly boomed out from the open doorway of the warehouse.

All heads turned to the warehouse door, Weiss and the lieutenant included, stunned to see no one at all. The huntress almost laughed; Bran had even fooled her. Before she could turn back to the action, it was already over.

The room descended into absolute silence, which was broken by the crashing of the lieutenant's back against the concrete. He was down, and Bran had his axe in the lieutenant's face. He looked over his shoulder at Weiss who only smirked and nodded approvingly.

All was quiet, no one daring to cheer for the new recruit over their own superior. Bran held out a hand to help his opponent up, but the lieutenant pulled himself without accepting the badger's help. Murmurs went through the onlookers, and for fear of looking unsportsmanlike, brushed himself off and said. "It looks like your training is being beneficial. Keep at it and you'll be useful to the White Fang's cause." before turning with a huff and getting out of the ring. Once he was clear, Bran's peers felt comfortable approaching him to offer their adulation. Weiss used the opportunity to slip out quietly and make her way to the barracks before anyone caught her for being out past her curfew. As she snuggled between her rough blanket and thin mattress, she knew she'd sleep well tonight. She had accomplished something satisfying. After only a few minutes, she was slumbering peacefully.

She didn't hear him come in, the first sensation she felt at all was being dropped onto the floor as her body snapped awake and her heart began racing. Utter panic and confusion ensued as a looming figure stood over her, delivering blow after blow with his fists.

Instincts kicking in, she tried crawling under her cot, only for her attacker to lift the cot off the ground and strike her with it, leaving massive bruises on her torso. On his second swing, Weiss tried blocking the blow with her arm; as the metal met her forearm, she saw white, screaming with pain as she heard the snapping of her own bone inside her body. With no aura and no way to protect herself, she curled up in the fetal position and just prayed it would stop as the disgraced lieutenant dropped the cot on the ground and began savagely kicking her in the ribs. Tears and screams were to no avail; she'd ruined his reputation as a badass warrior, and he'd have his vengeance for such disrespect. Blood flowed into her eyes, effectively blinding her as the beating seemed never to end.

Once his rage was all worked out, he used his foot to scoot her crumpled body out of the way to restore the cot to its original location, a clear statement that the furniture mattered and she didn't. Stepping over her body, he shut the door behind him, leaving as if he'd conducted normal business, leaving her unconscious and bleeding frame on the cold floor.

Chapter Text

Of all the ships in the Atlas fleet, Winter's was the most versatile. Perhaps not the fastest, or the best armed, but it could handle both low and high-altitude flights, hover, make water landings and takeoffs, and could still fly even when down to one functioning engine. Winter, of course, never had need of any of these functions before, but was grateful for the alighting gear when she learned there were no airstrips in Menagerie.

As expected, the ship was detained. A handful of uniformed faunus Winter could only assume were some kind of coast guard or law enforcement boarded them, led by a woman faunus with rodent like ears and large eyes.

"What cause does an Atlas Military ship have to be within our airspace and landing at our docks?" she half asked, half demanded.

Winter bowed respectfully. "I apologize for the intrusion. I am Atlas Military Specialist Winter Schnee. I'm here to speak to Ghira Belladonna on a personal matter." She spoke in her usual tone of formality that lacked any kind of tenderness.

The squirrel-like woman nodded at her, "Olive Caspari, head of Dock Security." she said firmly, "And what sort of personal matter is that?"

The two women had a short staring contest.

"One I'm only willing to disclose to the Belladonnas," Winter finally said tersely.

"I hope you understand why we can't let you just wander Menagerie freely and speak to our village chieftain. Our island is supposed to be the one place humanity can't encroach upon us." Officer Caspari matched Winter in tone and coldness.

"It was not my intention to encroach and make demands. Like I said before, I'm looking into a personal matter unrelated to the faunus in which I believe Ghira could be of assistance to me."

The officers on board gave each other wary glances, Olive speaking for them. "This is unconventional to say the least. We will inform Chieftain Belladonna of your presence, but insist you remain here on your ship until we have an answer as to whether he will meet with you."

It wasn't ideal, but it was at least hopeful. "I understand fully and hope to hear back from him soon." Winter said coldly to conceal the urgency she felt inside.

"We will arrange for you to be fed and if you need any supplies, we'd be happy to sell them to you." Officer Caspari said as she marched her officers off the boat, leaving Winter with her detail of a pilot and two security officers.

From the windows, the sun arced steadily downward into the west. Winter frequently checked her scroll, hoping desperately for some news. Klein had sent her updates about once a week, but they all said the same thing: no news of Weiss and Jacques refused to look into her disappearance. She'd tried Weiss' scroll to no avail. Winter hated feeling helpless. She was always the apex of self-control, but this was beyond something she could manipulate: something she couldn't control or fix. It made her feel helpless: something she promised herself she'd never allow herself to experience ever again. She had the authority and the transportation to take her wherever she needed to find Weiss, but as she sat on the docks in Menagerie, she never felt more helpless.

As promised, the ship was visited with food twice: once for an afternoon tea and once for dinner. Just as the bottom of the sun touched the horizon, three officers came aboard to discuss refueling the ship. Officer Caspari entered with them.

"Our chieftain has agreed to meet with you exclusively, Atlas Military Specialist Winter Schnee," she pronounced each syllable with disdain. "And by exclusively, I mean only you will be allowed on shore. Your entourage will have to stay behind, as will your weapons."

"That is fair," Winter nodded. "I appreciate you relaying the message for me." It seemed the officer was upset that Ghira was going to allow a human within their borders, and Winter wanted to make as good of an impression as possible. They might have information on the White Fang, and consequently, Blake. Hence, she was doing everything she could to defer to the faunus where she could.

The head of Dock Security was not having it. "If you'll come with me. I'll have to escort you to the detainment facility." She said curtly, hardly waiting for Winter to follower her off the ship.

Atlas had its fair share of faunus, but being the only human made Winter feel out of place. The odd glances merchants and passers by made her acutely aware that she had to represent humanity well. She was a human, an Atlesean and a Schnee. She had to make a good impression.

"I tried making an outbound call, but my scroll had no reception," she said to Olive, trying to create a conversation.

"Since the CCTV tower in Vale fell, our reception only extends to local networks and whatever news comes in on the boats." Olive said over her shoulder. Something about her tone indicated she didn't want to continue conversing. Winter took the hint.

The stronghold that had been converted into a jail or detainment center of some sort was further south. Winter was escorted into the building and placed in what was clearly an interrogation room. Olive offered her a seat, but remained standing herself. She only had to wait about ten minutes for the chieftain to enter. An intimidating figure in both stature and posture, she could tell why he was selected to lead both the White Fang in his youth and the island in his more mature years. Olive bowed respectfully. Winter stood hastily and bowed in the same fashion.

"The Atlas Specialist who wished to speak with you." Olive said as introduction.

"It is not customary for humans to be permitted on the island," Ghira began, his voice deep and authoritative, "but thus far, you've been willing to comply with all of our requests. The daughter of Jacques Schnee must be very desperate if she's seeking the aid of the former high leader of the White Fang."

"I am," Winter said, "I know that my very coming to you may be perceived as insulting, but I seek nothing more than information on someone I am trying to find."

Ghira gestured for them to sit. Winter obliged.

"If you're on some kind of manhunt for some White Fang radical, I'm afraid I can't help you." Ghira said flatly, "I agreed not to disclose the names or locations of any White Fang members when I stepped down five years ago."

"I'm not looking for someone in the White Fang currently," Winter replied. "I'm looking for my sister, Weiss. She has vanished, and the only lead I might have on her is her team-mates from school. One of her teammates was Blake Belladonna, a former member. I noticed your names matched and hoped there was a connection."

Ghira's demeanor became instantly guarded. "You think Blake had something to do with your sister's disappearance?"

"No…not in that sense," Winter tried back-tracking, realizing how accusatory it must have sounded. "I think perhaps Weiss may have run away from our father, and if she were going to reach out to anyone, it would be her teammates."

"And not you?" Ghira raised an eyebrow.

"Weiss communication with me was…restricted. She does not have my scroll number and was only permitted to communicate to me via letter. My father has not reported her missing to the authorities in Atlas, and she didn't even take her weapon with her. As a huntress, I think you can see why this would be a strange and precarious situation for me." Winter was not one to air her family's dirty laundry but if it helped explain her story, she'd lay her whole family history bare.

"I empathize with your plight. Missing family carries an uncertainty that will never let you sleep comfortably, but I fail to see how my daughter can help."

"Blake is your daughter?" Winter was almost relieved. "Please let me speak with her. Let me at least ask her if she's heard anything from Weiss or know where she went," Winter pleaded.

"I was inclined to assist you myself," Ghira said, "But my daughter is a different matter. I don't want her entangled in an affair that is unrelated to her."

"Your daughter and my sister were roommates, Mr. Belladonna. Blake helped change my sister's perception of the faunus, and Weiss fought back-to-back with Blake during the fall of Beacon. They were teammates and friends. Can I at least just ask her if she knows where Weiss might have gone or if she's tried to contact her?"

A tapping emanating from the two-way mirror stole their attention. Ghira sighed in exasperation, his gravelly voice making it sound almost like a growl. "If you will excuse me." He placed his palms on the table and stood, briskly exiting, closing the door behind him a little too forcefully.

Awkward silence ensued as Winter sat and Olive stood refusing to speak or make eye contact, but acutely aware of each other's presence. After five minutes, Ghira returned, followed by a cat faunus about Weiss' age.

Winter stood again and bowed. "Miss Belladonna, I…"

"Please," Blake held up her hand, sitting. "I won't take up much of your time. I don't know where Weiss is, and I don't have any way to contact her. I'm sorry."

"Even if it's just her scroll number, anything would help," Winter said, her voice beginning to lose her veneer of dispassion.

"I don't have my old scroll. I left it behind at Beacon."

Winter's shoulders sagged. "Can you think of anywhere she'd go? Did she say anything about wanting to run away or if she ever planned to leave where'd she go?"

Blake shook her head. "She talked about how Beacon felt more like home than Atlas did, but I doubt anyone would be going back to Beacon for a few years now that it's overrun with grimm."

Another dead end. The white-haired woman slowly sank into her chair, resting her head in her hands. "I'm sorry to have troubled you," she said weakly, "If I may, I'll return to my ship now and stop wasting your time."

To her surprise, Blake reached across the table and placed a hand on her arm, her ears flattening back. "Weiss always talked about you. She said you were the most noble and driven person she'd ever known. When we wrote papers on our heroes, I wrote mine about my dad, Ruby wrote hers about her uncle, but Weiss wrote about you. If anyone can find her it's you. And if any information comes my way, I'll find a way to contact you."

The encouragement was enough. Winter nodded. "I know the CCTV towers are down, but my ship is reachable via radio wave. I'll give you my scroll number but also the frequencies we tune to for private communication."

Pen and paper were provided for her to write everything down. Blake studied it, her face dark with concern, or perhaps guilt. When she had finished, Winter stood.

"I thank you for your assistance, in ways I can't express," she said.

"It's the least I can do," Blake replied, standing as well. "And if…when you find your sister, please tell her…" Blake's catlike yellow eyes began to fill up with tears as she turned away. It only took a moment for her to regain her composure, "Please tell her I'm sorry. For not saying goodbye."

"I will," Winter promised.

Ghira personally escorted Winter to her ship, insisting that she and her detail were given extra food for the journey, for the which the crew as very thankful.

"Any luck?" one of Winter's bodyguards asked once she was aboard the ship.

"Another dead end," she replied. "Looks like we're heading to Patch."

"We're fed and fueled up," the pilot said, "We can be on the island in about fourteen hours if we don't stop for anything."

"Make it so," Winter commanded. She had a terrible feeling her luck would be the same as it was in Mistral and Menagerie, but she at least had to try.

It was late, but Adam was in a foul mood and needed someone to order around to relieve the stress as he stepped off the air transport. Leaving his things on the aircraft, he immediately made his way past Ilia to the 'service' barracks.

"A briefing can wait until the morning," Ilia said as she walked briskly, barely able to keep up with him. "Adam!" she placed a hand on his as he reached for the door of the barracks, her face flushed an odd shade of burgundy with frustration. "You don't have to do anything tonight, it's late."

"I don't care how late it is, I want my things unpacked and an update on the trainees while I was away." He opened the door and had to take a minute to process what he was seeing.

His prize lay on the floor in a crumpled heap, covered in bruises and blood. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and her blood-stained hair draped in front of her face. One of her arms was clearly broken and bent the wrong way.

"Get a healer," Adam said calmly, "And don't tell anyone else what happened, but hurry."

Ilia fought back the urge to vomit and retreated. Two of the women in the camp had a healing semblance of some kind. In under five minutes, Ilia was back with one in tow. Adam had relocated the heiress to her cot, cradling her head onto the pillow and sweeping the hair from her face as she whimpered in pain.

"She has a broken arm and what feels like a broken rib," Adam said, maintaining his composure. "Can you fix it?"

The healer swished her tail and nodded, placing her bare hands against Weiss broken arm. Weiss inhaled sharply and arched her back from the pain, but soon, white pulses of aura began radiating into her arm and then spread throughout her torso.

It felt strange to have aura flowing through her body again. She suddenly felt lighter as her cuts closed and began to heal as the bruises began to fade. Her eye tingled as the swelling reduced in her eye enough to see again. Her vision made out a woman sitting over her.

"Can she sit up?" Adam asked.

The woman helped Weiss sit up, her body slowly adjusting to the aura leaving her body again. Her vision cleared to see both Ilia and Adam present: Ilia sitting cross legged across from her, Adam leaning on the opposite wall. He stood and approached her bedside, dismissing the woman, who Weiss could now see had a horse's tail as she left. Once she had gone and Adam was sure they were alone he turned back to her. "Who did this?"

"I didn't see," Weiss lied.

He leaned down to her eye level. "I'm ordering you to tell me who did this to you."

Weiss remained resolute. "He wore his mask, so I didn't see his face. But even if you find out who, it's only going to make me look bad if he gets punished. Either way, I lose again."

"You're so stubborn," he snorted, returning to his original height. "Your body is probably going to need another day to recover from having all that damage and foreign aura inside you. I won't expect you to wait on me tomorrow, but don't think of this as a mercy. Even livestock needs time to recover." He tossed her blanket to her before leaving, turning the lights off as he shut the door.

Weiss hardly slept through the night. There was no pain, but there was a restlessness that her exhaustion simply couldn't overcome.

She stayed in bed for the entirety of the next day, the same horse faunus coming in to check her. As the sun set, she grew impatient and hungry and made her way to the mess hall to get something to eat. She could feel eyes staring at her while she ate as recruits actively avoided her. Ilia was the only one who approached her as she finished her food.

"Why are you up?" she demanded.

"I'm feeling better," she shrugged.

"Then go see what Adam wants," Ilia ordered. "If your better enough to be out of bed, you're better enough to go back to work.

Weiss considered objecting, but it was a risk of being up and about. If she was well enough to leave her quarters, she was well enough to work. She tried Adam's 'war room' but it was empty. She tried his private chambers and was admitted. He was out of his official uniform and dressed in just his black undershirt and a pair of lounge pants. He'd already removed his metal grimm mask, but he still wore his black liner mask over his eyes.

"Why are you here?" She imagined him squinting at her through the mask as he permitted her entrance.

"I am sufficiently recovered," she said honestly. "When Ilia saw me, she instructed me to check on you, and make sure there wasn't anything you needed."

"The kid told me. Dax the Ax? He spilled everything after nothing more than a stern look," Adam said, getting straight to the point.

"It wasn't his fault," was all she could come up with as a reply.

"I can hardly censure a recruit for wanting to better himself, or making use of the slave labor I've provided," Adam turned his back to the huntress and walked to his night stand where a bottle and glasses were waiting on a tray. "Nor do I want it to seem as if I'm punishing any officer for causing violence against a human. The White Fang is specifically to be a bane to human existence. However, I cannot allow a direct defiance of my orders to go unchecked."

"What will happen to the Lieutenant?" Weiss asked.

"I'll find some way to subtly relocate him so that he can save face. Not everyone here knows. Perhaps I'll send him off to Mistral and let him be Sienna's problem for a while."

"And me?"

He poured himself a glass of bourbon. "Re-pack my bags. I'm taking a scouting crew south toward Vacuo. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," she mumbled, ambling into the closet.

"Pack things for yourself as well. You're coming with me. It seems I can't leave you alone for a day without you being the cause of some trouble."

"I don't understand how I was causing trouble. I was training one of your men. One who is showing marked improvement." Knowing she was under special protection and wouldn't be killed or maimed emboldened her. Even when he appeared in the closet doorway, he didn't have that air of intimidation he usually displayed around her.

"You're trying to endear yourself to the faunus and it won't work," Adam cautioned.

She threw the clothes into the suitcase with force out of frustration. "Because a faunus somewhere is benefiting from a human? Because it destroys the propaganda you've filled these children's heads with that all humans hate and are prejudiced against the faunus. You don't want them to see that we're not all evil. Not even the Schnees."

The commander leaned with his back against the door frame. "Jacques Schnee's actions were more detrimental to the faunus than if he had condoned their blatant enslavement and sale. No one would hire us and if we wanted to eat, we had to work for who hired us, no matter how humiliating and mistreated we were. The high society 'philanthropists' of twenty years ago only solidified in the minds of the Atlesean people that menial labor was all we're good for." He let out a short laugh, almost like a bark of frustration as if thinking about it only made him more irritated. "You think you promoted equality? All you did was condemn us to a life entry level work and entry level pay and worst of all, it was dressed up as this benevolent move by the Schnee Dust Company who was gracious enough to hire us when no one else would."

"It was more than what they were getting in Mistral, and on the whole of Solitas." Weiss had gotten used to defending her family and the company she would inherit. "My father paid his faunus employees the same amount as any human in the same position in his company, his finances are a matter of public record. Did you know the Atlesian military wouldn't let faunus enlist until my father began employing them in his company? People like my father allowed the faunus to regain some modicum of their dignity."

HIs mouth fell agape, too shocked by the ridiculousness of her answer to reply. His mouth tried forming words, but it took him a few tries to get it out. "People like your father? People like your father exploited an entire race they knew was already down on its luck. People like your father deliberately ensured faunus were never promoted to positions of authority to keep us from having any kind of advancement of our people. People your father put my people in danger in the name of making money. People like your father think we're animals! People like your father beat us into submission! People like your father did this to an eight-year-old boy!" He reached up with his free hand and pulled the black cloth from his eyes.

His eyes were a piercing blue, at least one was. The other was blood red, with no discernible iris. It took a moment for Weiss to make out the scar, at first thinking it was some kind of symbol. It was a brand like hers, burned into his face, but they weren't symbols, they were letters…

At the sudden realization, she put her hand over her mouth, her eyes immediately filling with tears. Adam looked away, almost embarrassed that he'd lost his composure enough to reveal his face to her. After a moment, she extended her arm and traced the outline the burned letters with her fingers, and to her surprise he let her. He'd touched her before with gloved hands, but this was the first time they'd made physical contact.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." Sorrow, guilt, and anger washed over her as the tears began falling freely. She always imagined herself the heiress of a noble and respectable institution, even if her father had made some questionable business decisions since his ascension to the company head. She'd been raised believing that the faunus were a bitter people who never forgave humanity for the atrocities a thousand years ago and that no amount of bringing them equality and modernizing would ever satisfy them. This was recent. This was an atrocity. And it was directly from the legacy she was once proud to inherit. She rested her hand on his cheek. "You didn't deserve this. No one deserves this."

"I don't need your pity." He gripped her hand and moved it away from his face.

She covered her face and sank to the floor. She'd been so strong until now, keeping her composure, hiding her pain and humiliation, but the events of the past two days and now this overwhelmed her, and her façade shattered. She didn't care if her captor was present; she just couldn't keep it contained any more.

Adam's shadow disappeared from her blurred field of vision, stepping out of the doorway to the closet. When he returned, his mask had been retied and the bourbon in his hand had been replaced with a cloth handkerchief. He extended it to Weiss who shook her head, refusing. Adam exhaled in frustration before kneeling and wrapping and arm around her waist and pulled her to her feet.

"Take this, wipe your face, and go back to the barracks," he ordered, pushing the handkerchief into her hand. "You're a mess, and I'm tired of listening to it."

Weiss dabbed at her eyes. 'I'm sorry," she said again. "I didn't…"

"Just go!" Adam snapped.

The tears immediately came back, but she obeyed, hanging her head and shuffling out of his quarters as quickly as she could, using the handkerchief to hide her face from any faunus she might encounter on her way back.

Adam went back to his bourbon, scowling as he sat in his armchair.

He'd broken her, but for some reason, it just wasn't satisfying.

Chapter Text

Adam stirred in his bed as the light from the high window reached his eyes. He'd fallen asleep with his mask on, something that was a rarity now. He usually shed the black cloth as soon as he was in private unless…

A figure next to him stirred, snuggling under his right arm, curling into him and resting her head on his bare chest, her hair tickling the skin of his shoulder and arm and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. This was a sensation he hadn't felt in years, and it was comforting: her heat, the softness of her touch. As he tightened his grip on her waist, the tips of his fingers grazed her bare skin below her night shirt. He let his fingers wander to the scar on her back, tracing the outline of the circle as she nestled further against him, rapping one of her legs around his and sighing in contentment.

He missed this: just the feeling of physical closeness with someone he trusted unconditionally. His hand eventually wandered upward, running his fingers through her hair and ending at stroking her velvety soft ears. Or at least that was his intent. Blake always loved it when he rubbed her ears, and it was one of the only times he could get her to purr for him, and nothing was sexier than both hearing and feeling her purr as he ran his fingertips across her catlike ears on the top of her head. However, as he reached the crown of her head, his fingers touched nothing.

Her ears were gone.

He glanced down in confusion. This wasn't Blake. Instead of her wavy, raven locks, there were long strands of white-silver hair. She looked up at him with her blue eyes where Adam was expecting Blake's honey golden irises.

The Schnee.

How had this happened? When did this happen? He'd sent her back to her barracks after she'd melted down over his scar, but then he'd remained awake for a while, drinking several fingers of his whiskey before the bottle ran empty. His thoughts ran wild as he tried to piece together what occurred after he'd gotten drunk. Had she come back? Or worse, had he sent for her? Adam squeezed his eyes shut, hoping her image would change back to who he wanted: back to Blake. He inhaled sharply, trying not to panic as a light feeling of nausea overcame him. The distress was clear on his face. Weiss' blue eyes narrowed in concern as she pushed herself up to reach and touch his face, her body pressed further against him.

"Adam?" She asked.

It wasn't Blake's voice.

It wasn't even Weiss' voice.

"Adam?! Why aren't you up?"

The White Fang leader jerked awake as Ilia shook him by the shoulder. He slapped her hand away to shield his eyes from the light gleaming in his face from the window.

"How much did you drink last night?" Ilia asked as she indignantly picked up the empty bottle. "You missed morning exercises and the Schnee girl has been waiting outside to serve you breakfast for over an hour."

Adam groaned. "Have her leave the tray; I'll get it when I'm dressed. She can pick it up later and finish packing my things."

"Do you really want to leave this late in the day? We won't get very far."

"We have to make camp anyway, what's the difference of a few miles?"

Ilia inhaled sharply and looked away, knowing it was better to not argue with him when his mind was made up, even though his decision was short sighted.

She was proved right when their entire caravan was attacked by a pack of ursas. Weiss did what she knew would be the most beneficial to the most people and just stayed out of their way. Adam decided to take on the Ursa Major leading the pack, carefully luring it away so he could use Moonslice on the creature without catching any of his own men in its wake.

It was the first time Weiss had seen the bull use his semblance and stood in awe of the raw power as his hair glowed red, the swiftness and power of his motion as the massive grimm seemed to evaporate before her very eyes. She snapped back to the chaotic reality of her situation when she caught the motion of something swinging at her from the corner of her eye. She may have no aura, but she still was light on her feet and incredibly flexible, dodging the paw of the ursa looming over her. Despite being surrounded by other targets, the ursa chose to round on Weiss swinging at her again, backing her away from her place with the White Fang's supply hovercrafts. She knew she'd only be able to evade and that eventually she'd need saving but was also confident she was valuable enough to the White Fang that she'd be protected and not left to die. Incidentally, it was Adam who came to her rescue, again turning the black bear into nothing more than vapor only a few feet in front of her. It was only after she realized she was safe that she noticed the hovercraft and White Fang were gone. Somehow, they'd been scattered in the attack.

"You're not a huntress anymore, Schnee. You're a slave." Adam scolded her while helping her back to her feet.

"And if I were still a huntress, with my sword and this stupid collar off my neck, I could have helped fight them off." Weiss retorted. The fight, and not being able to participate in it made her realize how much she missed her beacon life and her huntress aspirations. "So how do we find our way back?"

"We don't." He dusted off his clothes. "We have a protocol for if we ever get separated. For now, we'll look for shelter nearby and wait for them to find us," he announced. "Look there," he pointed to a structure in a tree a short distance away," we can stay up off the ground for the night, and we'll be able to see."

It was an old lookout or perhaps a hunting perch of some kind, but had been abandoned for years if not decades. The roof was entirely gone, and the floor had rotted away in areas. Adam tugged on the rope ladder to make sure it would bear their weight.

"Ladies first," he said with no modicum of politeness, handing the ladder to her.

At the top, Adam pulled up the rope ladder while Weiss tested the floorboards step by step making her way to a trunk, that had by some miracle stayed watertight. Inside there were sheets and a blanket. Adam seized all three, trying to find a portion of the floor sturdy enough to sleep on. Weiss figured the best way to block the wind was to curl up in a corner.

"What are you doing over there?" Adam said when she began moving away. "Come back and lay next to me."

The look of shock and disdain on her face was understandable, but Adam was in no mood to be defied. "Look, we have to stay awake and stay alive long enough for the rest of the team to find us. We stay together or we freeze to death," he said, removing his jacket. "You have no aura to keep yourself warm, and I know my aura dampens when I'm asleep so when night falls, it won't be keeping me warm. The only way we make it out alive is by sharing body heat."

Weiss clenched her jaw, but complied, gingerly making her way across splintered boards back across the floor to where he'd spread one of the thin blankets on the planks below them and laid down on it. He patted his right side, indicating where he wanted her to lay. She lay down, keeping a hand's breadth away from him. Adam rolled his eyes and snorted, but let her keep her distance for the time being. With his free hand, he draped his coat over her to cover her back and then used the blanket to cover them both.

It was awkward, but at least she could stay warm. She reached her arms up to let her hair down to cover her ears and neck before tucking her hands into one of his coat sleeves for warmth. The air outside was already turning from chilly to frigid.

"So, what now? We take turns keeping watch or…?"

"You honestly think I'd trust you enough to fall asleep next to you when my sword is within arm's reach? We can sleep on the hover transport when they find us."

Weiss snorted. "What are we supposed to do, then? Play twenty questions to keep ourselves awake?"

Adam shrugged, pushing her head up in an uncomfortable position. "It's not a bad idea. You go first."

Weiss had so many questions she wanted to know: about Adam, the White Fang, the SDC, but faced with an open-ended opportunity, her mind went blank. "What…is your middle name?" she finally asked.

"I don't have one. What is your middle name?"

"Erica."

"Erica. Fitting." Adam mused. "With a C or with a K?"

"That's a separate question."

"Probative follow-up questions are permitted. C or K?"

"C. My turn. Were both your parents faunus?"

"I don't know, but I assumed so. My mother never talked about my fathers, so either he was human or a cow-type faunus like my mom."

The questions bantered back and forth, mostly trivial minutia that required only one-word answers, but once the polite questions ran out, the pair found themselves at ease enough to ask more personal questions and to answer them at greater length.

The weather grew colder as the sun completely vanished. Adam wrapped his arm around Weiss and pulled her even closer, until her head was resting on his chest, but she didn't object: he was warm. His gloved hand rested on the small of her back where her scar was, as his fingers absentmindedly traced the outline of the panther's head and the raised circle of the border.

"Tell me about this?" he said, running his thumb along her scar.

"It was a training accident," Weiss began, "I wanted to go to a huntsman academy, so my sister was helping me train in secret for the entrance exams. She summoned an armored gigas and it got me in the eye with his sword when my aura was at its lowest. I won though…and that gigas became my first glyph summon."

"Was your father upset?" he asked absentmindedly.

"He never found out. We practiced on the roof of the building and Winter left for the military a few weeks after that. We were super careful every time. My dad didn't even know I was leaving for Vale…"

"No, I mean was he upset about your face when he saw it?"

"He never noticed," she admitted. "At least, he never mentioned it. So, either he didn't care or he still hasn't noticed I have a scar over my eye."

"Why didn't you have it fixed?" he probed further, "You had the money to afford a cosmetic surgeon, why not fix it?"

"Klein wanted me to, but I chose to keep it so the admittance judges would see that a spoiled rich girl like me was willing to get her hands dirty. I got in, so I assumed it worked. What about your scar?"

Adam leaned back, lying flat on his back looking at the broken moon. "Ask a different question."

Weiss exhaled deeply in displeasure. "Ok…tell me about your semblance. How does it work?"

"Moonslice works by converting kinetic energy that comes in contact with my body into aura I can store and send back at will."

Weiss nodded in comprehension. "My friend, Nora, has something similar, only hers is electricity not kinetic energy. Her metal hammer lets her absorb electric energy like your sword.”

Adam shifted underneath her to get comfortable. "My katana is a carbon steel that was literally forged with my hair and my blood. It's literally a part of me." He couldn't see her face, but Weiss was scrunching her nose, slightly disturbed at the thought of it.

"So that's why the blade is red and it glows when your semblance activates. Like your hair."

"Exactly."

"And, are your hairs sewn into your coat as well, because the red in the coat glows."

"No, that's just dust embedded into the emblem that activates when I use my semblance. It does nothing to enhance my attacks. It's just there to look intimidating."

"I guess that's cool," Weiss said. "It's your turn."

Adam was silent as he thought. He eventually asked:

"Why weren't you upset when I kidnapped you? You went without a fight, and you chocked it up to being overpowered, but you didn't fight back on anything. You were so…docile isn't the word…compliant? Why were you so compliant?"

"A combination of things I suppose," Weiss replied. "My father lived in constant fear of his legacy being taken away, so my siblings and I had training on what to do in any kind of corporate espionage situation. Self-defense, hostage negotiation, kidnapping negotiation, even getting poisoned. But the other part of it was…despite being a slave here, I'm not any worse off, except going hungry every once in a while. Here, I'm forced to do the bidding of someone I'm literally enslaved to; someone who views me as nothing more than property and a trophy to show off to everyone else. I might not have the freedom to use my aura anymore, but you're not going to force me to marry someone for their money, are you?"

"Not for the foreseeable future," Adam assured her.

"I don't feel betrayed by you. I feel betrayed by my own family. My father making up some story about me being unfit to take the dust company, and giving it to Whitley who literally knows nothing about managing funds or leading a company."

"He disinherited you?"

"I think he was looking for a reason to get the girls out of the way so he could give it to the boy. Whitley was so obviously dad's favorite; Winter just made it easy for him by joining the military; me he had to fabricate a reason. I'm sure that makes me sound even more selfish and spoiled."

"It's fine. It's your turn to ask a question anyway."

"Did you ever sleep with Sienna Khan?" Weiss asked.

Adam lifted his head to squint at her. "What kind of question is that?"

"A yes or no question," Weiss replied.

Adam leaned back and made himself comfortable again before answering. "Of course, we did. Sienna threw herself at anyone she thought could advance her position. I think she did it as a method of earning my loyalty. My turn. When's your birthday?'

"May 8th. What about Cinder?"

She felt Adam shudder beside her. "Why? Why would you even think that? She's human; she's a terrifying and manipulating woman. She threatened my people, pressured the White Fang to helping her take down Beacon Academy, sacrificed faunus lives, and I'm the one who had to bear the brunt of it dealing with Sienna Khan. I got sent off to Atlas…to kill you incidentally."

"So, you didn't want to kill me?

"I thought I did. But then, I thought of something that would be a better form of vengeance. But it's not your turn to ask a question, it's mine. And I want to know…" he struggled to think of a question. "Where the best place you ever vacationed?"

Weiss scoffed. "We never had vacation. We went on business trips with my dad sometimes, and we went to galas and stuff hosted in Atlas or Argus, but we never got to relax or spend time as a family. Our idea of vacation was when dad was gone and didn't take us with him to parade around like wind-up dolls."

"Wow…you have a very bleak outlook on your childhood," Adam mused. "It's your question."

"Did you ever sleep with Blake?" It became clear that the previous questions were just a warm up to this one. She was trying to subtly ease into that question.

Adam signed. "Twice." he admitted, "Both times it was after a life-threatening mission and we were high on adrenaline and success and had no one to be accountable to. I knew Sienna wouldn't be happy, and I assume Blake hasn't told her parents. Mostly the time we spent together was just cuddling…like this."

"I know you loved, her but you see why she left, don't you?"

Adam stayed silent for a solid minute. Eventually, he sighed. "I have spent my entire life watching people that I've grown attached to leave. Not die. Not get taken away. Leave. My dad walked out on my mom just after she found out she was pregnant. She had to work herself to death in the mines to provide for both of us and when the chance came, she was offered an advertising position in Argus, one of the conditions was that she'd have to go alone, no spouse or kids. And she chose to take it to leave me behind. She sent me money, but I was eleven and left alone at the mercy of the SDC children's barracks. When I was thirteen and broke out, I thought I'd found my family again in the White Fang, and the Belladonnas were the closest thing I'd had to parents in years. But then Ghira and Kali left too, and I was so heartbroken, my only solace was that Blake stayed. Blake was literally all I had: she was my protégé, she was my partner, and we made a great team. So, when she just disappeared, yes, I admit it, I was hurt, I was enraged, but she was more than just something to me, she meant a great deal to the White Fang…the daughter of Menagerie's chieftain. She should have been the face of the liberation movement. She didn't just betray me, she spat in the face of my future and the future of every faunus in the White Fang. So, while you ask me if I understand why she left, let me ask you: can you understand why I wanted her to pay for her actions?"

Weiss opened her mouth to answer, but was surprised when Adam put his hand over her mouth to shush her. He sat up, cocking his head as if listening for something. "They're coming." he said.

"Your people or more grimm?"

"From the sound of it, Ilia and maybe five or six more." He took his coat back leaving Weiss with the blanket as he threw down the rope ladder.

Ilia's search party had blankets and hot coffee to drink. Adam, of course was tended to first, but Weiss was given secondary consideration. They were returned to the rest of the camp and put by the fire. Adam, however, carefully avoided Weiss, though she didn't mind not being forced to wait on him hand and foot. In their moment of desperation, they'd been too open with each other, too honest, and it now was awkward between them. Somehow, they both knew nothing would be the same going forward.

Chapter Text

To say Winter felt a little awkward sitting in Taiyang Xiao Long's living room on Patch silently sipping a cup of tea would be like saying the dragon currently wrapped around the tower at Beacon was a little imposing. With her perfect posture, starched uniform, and air of social grace, she seemed stifling in the quiet home that exuded nothing but comfort and relaxation. Her host and hostess seemed as perturbed at her coming as the last father/daughter duo she'd encountered a few days before.

"I am terribly sorry to just intrude on you like this, but there wasn't anyone else I could ask," Winter explained.

Taiyang nodded, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "I know where you're coming from," he said, "Yang and Ruby both talked a lot about Weiss. They were very close. The whole team was."

"Tch! Was," Yang muttered angrily under her breath.

It was understandable why the blonde spoke with such embittered tones. Her right arm had been severed during the Battle of Beacon, allegedly by Adam Taurus, a member of the upper echelon of the White Fang, second only to Sienna Khan herself. Yang deliberately sat sideways on the couch, keeping her right side pressed against the back cushions to conceal her stump. Perhaps she was embarrassed or didn't want the specialist asking questions.

"As far as your sister's whereabouts, we haven't heard anything from her since we left Beacon. I know Ruby wrote her a couple letters, but they were never returned."

Winter sighed. "That was my father's doing," she said. "I hope your daughter was not under the impression that Weiss was ignoring her. Weiss thinks very highly of your sister, no matter how cold she may seem. She was very fond of Ruby…of all her team. Ruby was very sweet to Weiss when she was at her most guarded and really brought her out of her shell. As her father, I should be thanking you for the kindness your daughters have shown my sister."

Taiyang held up his hand, "There's no need for that. I'm only partially responsible for the good things my girls do. They're responsible for their own strengths and victories." He looked over to Yang who broke eye contact with her father to look down.

Winter nodded. "I knew it was a long shot, but I thought maybe at some point Weiss had contacted you. I've already been to Mistral and Menagerie to talk to your other teammates. If you're interested, Ruby is doing well and Qrow is looking out for them. They help every village they come across, and are about sixty miles south of Mistral."

Tai smiled. "She's a sweet girl."

"Menagerie was a bit less welcoming, but Blake at least was willing to speak with me, even though she didn't know where Weiss was either."

Yang promptly stood and stomped out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Tai apologized, "She's been through a lot, and Blake is kind of a sore spot."

"I understand she left without saying goodbye," Winter replied. "That couldn't have been easy."

"She gave her arm for someone who didn't even so much as stick around to say goodbye. She's still suffering from nightmares and she wasn't very happy about her sister leaving."

"Give her time," Winter said, "She's young, and she's also still coming to terms with all the trauma she's been through. That's so many wounds that needs to heal. She seems to have a very good family to support her."

"Speaking of family," Tai said, pouring her another cup of tea from the pot, "My brother-in-law? ex-brother-in-law? my exes' brother?" he shook his head frustrated to find the right term, "Qrow? Qrow. Qrow is very careful about talking about his job when the girls around, but when it's just the guys and he's had a few drinks, he opens up about his life and his job." He looked up at her. "He mentions you a great deal."

Winter blushed. "I hope he didn't go into detail."

"As a friend who could never break the man code, I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But, thank you. For being good to him. Not very many people in his life have been."

"He's told me before he thinks he's cursed with rotten luck.

"He.."Tai stopped mid-sentence, "I wouldn't call it a curse, but misfortune does seem to follow wherever he goes."

"He's strong, he can handle himself,"

"He must if he can handle a strong, confident woman like yourself."

Winter smiled. Ruby and Yang's father was so markedly different from her own. While her ow father was cold and distant, and Blake's was a protective powerhouse, Taiyang was all warmth and comfort. She could see why he was considered a good teacher at Signal, and where Weiss' teammates got their helpful and outgoing nature.

"I don't wish to keep imposing on you," she said, "but I am on a tight schedule, and my sister is still missing without a trace."

"We'll be sure to keep our eyes and ears open and I'm sorry I wasn't able to help more."

Winter placed her cup down and stood, "Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I intruded, and I do hope Yang is able to rally. I watched her fight in the tournament and she's rough around the edges, but she's a raw force of will and power. Weiss and I would like nothing more than to see her in action again."

Tai took her cup. "Safe travels." He said, ushering her to the door.

She looked back and waved goodbye as she left. She had always wondered where Qrow's sporadic moments of sentimentality came from amid his usual, gloomy, drunk self, but now she knew from whence he drew his occasional hopeful mood: his home.

Weiss woke up on the hover transport she'd spent the night in, still wrapped in her blanket. They were on the move and the sun was up. She must have slept in: shocking she wasn't expected to get up and break camp for the team. Knowing they'd come for her eventually when they wanted to order her around, she gripped her blanket tighter and closed her eyes, determined to enjoy every minute of getting to sleep in as possible.

Despite being back in a heated transport and covered in a blanket, she was still shivering. She could feel she was getting sick. A backless dress plus freezing temperatures and no aura made it inevitable. Adam, most likely, would be fine.

She expected to be roused every time the transport stopped, but was left alone the entire day until the transport stopped for the night. She was roused, and to her surprise was offered food and another blanket. She readily accepted, curling back up. She could see it was dark outside and tried to sleep, but she'd slept all day and with a hot meal, more awake than ever. Keeping the blanket wrapped around her, she ventured out of the transport to stretch her legs.

Most of the White Fang members were already asleep in tents or in the transports. Sentries and a few guards patrolled the camp keeping a close eye for the pack of ursas to try and overtake them again. The only members not on duty that were still awake were Adam and a bat faunus she had never seen before. His White Fang uniform was different as well, perhaps he was from another chapter, but where had he come from? And what was he thinking arguing with Adam.

It was apparent from their body language the two were having a disagreement, Adam tilted his head, clearly frustrated at the visitor. Even with his back to her, Weiss could tell by the subtle motions of his hands, he was getting genuinely angry. The bat, who was facing her was both more expressive and more emphatic with his arms and wings, pointing and throwing his hands in frustration. With each step closer, Weiss was able to make out their conversation clearer and clearer.

"It's scheduled for tomorrow; we execute the plan tomorrow!" Adam insisted.

"Your men are going to arrive two hours before the assault on the palace begins. They won't even have time to rest their feet. They'll be too tired to fight!"

"Then we came all this way for nothing?!" Adam snorted. In the weeks she'd known him, it was the most bull-like thing he'd ever done.

"Your time-table got messed up. Stuff like this happens. Which is why we need to either push the assault on the Belladonnas back a day or just let the Menagerie chapter handle it."

Surely, he couldn't mean the Belladonnas. Not Blake's Belladonnas. Her heart raced. She knew Blake hadn't been home in years, but she would be devastated if her brothers in the White Fang were responsible for her parents' deaths.

"If it isn't tomorrow, I won't be able to join in on the assault personally which was the sole purpose of me coming along. I have a meeting with…with another client." Adam said trying to calm himself down and express himself. "It can't wait."

"Look, I don't know what kind of hate boner you have for the Belladonna girl, but you have a choice and it's a simple one. Waste your opportunity to have the element of surprise, or sacrifice your personal vendetta to ensure the success of the mission. Send only a handful of soldiers who can travel fast and light so we can get to the boats by sunrise and give us a chance to arrive in Menagerie with enough time to let them eat and rest. As I've said before, the Menagerie chapter can handle this; the Albain brothers have a sizeable following and a loyal one at that…."

"That's not good enough," Adam said, slapping his fist into his open palm, "I want Blake alive, and I want her handed over to me in person. I don't trust the Albains to do that. That is my victory to taste, not theirs."

"There won't be a victory if we do it your way, brother Adam." the bat faunus held his ground, but never once did he speak in a condescending or arrogant manner. Adam was furious but couldn't be furious with him. He was just the messenger. "I will ensure Fennec and Corsac do not harm your girlfriend. We'll follow your instructions to the letter, and turn Blake over to your handpicked squad that you choose right now who can then deliver her to you personally. That is the only way everyone wins and still gets everything done."

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. Blake was home at Menagerie, but if she were captured, who knows what Adam had planned for her.? Weiss shuddered from her cold and the thought of the White Fang leader taking out all the hatred and anger he'd expressed to her the night before. At least Adam wanted her alive. Perhaps if she and Blake reunited, they could work together to find a way to escape.

Amid her planning of working together with Blake, another thought interrupted her. She was being selfish. If anything, she should be doing everything she could to keep her former teammate away from Adam. Once Blake was laden with one of the aura collars she'd be just as helpless as she: reduced from a warrior to nothing more than a walking trophy for the White Fang's second-in-command. She was brought back to reality when she heard Adam speaking again.

"Take Ilia, and Artemis and…Yehz." He then added as an afterthought: "Also, Weiss. I'll let them know immediately and they'll leave with you within the hour if I can make it. All three of them can be ready to go at the drop of a hat. I'll personally ensure the Schnee woman is ready to go."

The bat faunus seemed skeptical but nodded. "You won't have to do much explaining," he said before dismissing himself. "She's been standing behind that tent for the past ten minutes."

Of course he would have heard her. He was a bat. Adam jerked his head in the direction of the tent, displeased, but keeping his composure. Weiss figured it was better to reveal herself, scooting from behind the tent, clutching her blanket around her.

"I suppose I won't have to repeat myself then," he said flatly. "Clean up and get ready to leave."

"Why is she coming?" Ilia was beside herself when she saw Weiss being escorted onto the single ship that could convert from hovercraft to aircraft.

"Because I have a meeting with Hazel and I have to go alone, but I can't leave her alone…not with the lieutenant."

It was a big party, but Weiss had spent the bulk of it at Adam's side. She hadn't noticed. The same lieutenant that had left her a broken and bloody pulp on the ground just two days earlier was still active and part of the away team.

"You're doing it to protect her? Adam, why?"

Weiss had stopped into the doorway to listen. When Adam and Ilia stared her down, she decided to move on, sitting in the cargo area where she'd been accustomed to travelling.

He waited until he was out of earshot to continue: "I don't have to explain myself to you, Ilia." he said calmly, the authority in his voice adding a bite to his words. "You'll do as I say. Take the Schnee with you, keep her out of sight and return her with Blake to me when the mission is complete. Consider her a free servant for your time there. She can wait on you as she waits on me.

Ilia huffed, boarding the ship in the cargo area as well to make room for the bat faunus and Yezh who was the pilot for the mission. The entire trip Ilia refused to even look or speak to the prisoner with whom she'd harbored an odd resentment.

It was a long six hours. Because she had slept all day, Weiss was unable to sleep on the ride across the straight separating the continent of Sanus from Menagerie. Instead she sat huddled in her blanket, tried not to make eye contact with Ilia or Artemis, whom she assumed by his eyes was part owl, and looked out the window. Ilia drifted to sleep about an hour in and left the back end in silence for the remainder of the flight.

When she slept, Ilia's muscles relaxed, revealing her true chameleon colors. Her skin blended into a bluish green color with her freckles taking on an even bluer hue like her hair. It was both freakish and fascinating, though Weiss could see why she chose to color herself with normal flesh tones even around the other faunus. Someone like her might be stared at in Vale, but she'd be outright refused service or employment in Atlas. On a personal level they'd never tell her she was ugly or odd, but in a professional capacity no one would want to hire a freak.

A wooded area on the south side of the island served as a landing zone and a hideout for the party. Weiss was surprised when she was instructed to help set up camp rather than do it herself entirely. After both tents were set up and a fire made, Weiss awaited further orders, assuming she'd be in charge of meal preparations or some busywork, but Ilia gave her none.

"Are you sure there isn't something I can do?" Weiss asked. Not having something to do made her nervous.

"You can stay quiet and out of the way," Ilia snapped.

Weiss was stunned. "I'm sorry…it's just, Adam said…"

"I don't need a human slave as a show of force," Ilia sulked. "At this point you're nothing more than a burden." She cuffed Weiss' right hand to the main pole of the tent. The glowing bands had no chain between them but still limited her movement with the use of either dust or magnets, Weiss was unsure.

"Like you really have to chain me up," Weiss said sarcastically, "I'm the daughter of Jacques Schnee on the island of Menagerie. Where exactly am I going to go?"

"That's the point," Ilia replied dryly, "For some ridiculous reason, Adam wants you alive, and if you escaped only to get killed here Adam wouldn't be too thrilled. I would, but not him." She turned to Yezh and Artemis. "Stay here and guard the ship. We'll go meet up with the Albains and let you know what the plan is, rest and we'll head out once it's dark."

The two underlings nodded, the hedgehog needles Yezh had for hair rustled as he shook his head. Once they were out of sight, the two of them smirked. Artemis disappeared outside the doorway of the tent and was gone. Obviously, he was disobeying orders of staying to guard the ship but what mischief he was up to, Weiss had no idea.

Yezh flopped on his mat in the tent and immediately pulled out his scroll. Whether it was a girlfriend eh was texting, some interesting article, or a very engrossing webtoon of some kind, his eyes didn't leave his screen for the entire time Ilia was gone.

She returned without the bat faunus.

"We should get some sleep," she instructed Yezh before bedding down on a mat in the tent. "Where's Artemis?"

Yezh shrugged. "Said he had to pee. Hasn't come back yet," he lied. Weiss considered outing them both, but reconsidered. Ilia hated her enough as it was, she didn't need to be a tattle tail on top of it.

Ilia bought it, laying down on her bedroll and falling into slumber immediately. The hedgehog remained on his scroll as Weiss drifted off to sleep in a sitting position against the pole of the tent. Yezh remained on his scroll rather than opting to nap. Artemis returned with wrinkled clothes and ruffled hair, giving Weiss a knowing wink. Weiss just rolled her eyes in disapproval.

After a few hours of sleep and an MRE, it was finally dusk.

Yezh disappeared into the transport to plug in his scroll while Ilia geared up in the tent.

"We'll have to move quickly when we return," Ilia said as she loaded dust cartridges into her whip. "My primary objective is to get Blake off the island. If you're slow or inhibit us in some way, I'll make sure your death will be reasonably blamed on the faunus of Menagerie."

"I understand," Weiss nodded.

Ilia shifted her color scheme to blend in with the foliage before disappearing into the darkness of the forest outside.

She waited. She wasn't sure what would signal her to know she was safe to act, but knew it was coming.

About an hour later, a massive crack like a bolt of lightning erupted through the sky. That was it.

She knew she didn't have much time. Using all her strength she pulled the tent pole up. It took a few tries to pry it from the ground but once it was out, she was able to slip the other end of the cuff off the freed end. Placing the pole back in its place, she made for the transport. The scroll was in the cockpit, still charging. The complicated machinery of the transport shuttle she knew nothing about, but a scroll…she could do something with a scroll.

Making a phone call would be too risky. Calls might be monitored and the number couldn't be erased from the scroll once she typed it in, if he noticed an unauthorized call on his scroll to an Atlas area code he'd know for sure. But…but she could install an app and delete it without being discovered for months. Logging into the applications store on the scroll, she downloaded the Beacon Academy Student app. With the CCTV tower gone, the download time was unbearable. What only took about two minutes seemed like hours…

Within in the city, chaos ensued. The Belladonna's mansion was in flames, Artemis was dead, Fennec was dead, Corsac had been forced to retreat, and the entire mission was comprised. Ilia frantically found Yezh and pulled him out by the collar.

"Adam is going to kill us," Yezh panted as they ran.

"Ghira is going to kill us if we don't move," Ilia urged him on.

"What about Artemis?"

"He's dead." Ilia said flatly.

They arrived back at the camp, not even caring to break down the tent. Ilia jolted into the tent and used her whip to disconnect Weiss cuff from the tent pole.

"No Blake?" Weiss panicked, "Is she?"

"NO TIME!" Ilia shouted seizing her by the wrist and rushing into the aircraft where Yezh was already starting the engines and prepping for take-off."

"Just hold tight and shut up!" Ilia hissed with anger and desperation before slamming the door of the hold.

Seconds later they were off the ground. Weiss watched out the small porthole style window as Menagerie shrank below her. She'd tried to set a plan into action, but had no way of knowing if it ever paid off.

Winter's pilot and bodyguard were waiting outside the transport for her when she returned. Neither looked happy but the pilot approached her first to greet her.

"Any news?"

"Nothing." Winter shook her head. "Nobody seems to know anything."

The pilot sighed. "I've got some worse news for you."

"Orders to return home?"

He nodded. "I've told them that you couldn't land on the island and had to take a ferry out, which would buy you maybe two days at the most. I know it's not much, but at least it's time. They'll expect you to at least reply by then."

Winter shook her head. "There's no point. We might as well head back now."

Her pilot put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If we have two days, why not take our time going back home. Maybe stop for a refuel in Mistral and stop again for a 'maintenance check' in Argus. Maybe something will turn up during that time.

The specialist had no idea why he would care so much about helping her find her sister, but at this moment she appreciated it. She nodded in agreement.

"A lot can happen in two days, maybe something will turn up," she said nodding, sincerely hoping it was true.

Chapter Text

Mistral was a sight to behold from the skies. Beautiful oriental style architecture blended with the natural grandeur of the mountain ranges. It was a sight Winter had only seen from above twice before, but the magic hadn't worn off.

"It's late but I can see if the refueling service is still open. If not we'll have to wait until morning."

"Either way is fine, we have a day to spare," Winter replied.

The docks were well staffed with a welcome center at the entrance to the city. Winter stopped to pay the docking fee and gather some basic information."I'd like to track down any huntsmen or huntresses in the city, if any are available." Huntsmen traveled frequently, it was possible someone had reported seeing Weiss or just encountered her in passing that they'd remembered. She knew she was grasping at straws but it couldn't be any worse that the luck she was having at the moment.

A dark look came over the receptionist's face as she searched the computer database. "It looks like none of the registered huntsmen of Mistral are available right now. Several are hunting and several are not reported in, but yeah, nothing in this immediate area."

"Except for the one in the infirmary." A woman called from the back office.

Winter knit her brows. "Infirmary?"

"I guess that's true," the receptionist admitted. "There is a huntsman in the infirmary. Poisoned during a fight. Not sure if he'll make it."

Something in the pit of her stomach told Winter who it was, but she still needed to confirm it.

"Qrow Branwen?"

"I don't…yes, actually. How did you know?"

"I know his luck," Winter replied, clenching her fists. "Can you direct me to the infirmary?"

The receptionist gave some basic directions to follow. It probably would have been faster and cheap enough to buy a cab, but Winter walked, hoping and praying that her worst fears weren't being realized.

It was a building that looked more like a private residence that had been converted into a convalescent home: no whitewashed walls and smell of bleach, but rather a homey environment with medical supplies in the rooms. Winter asked to be escorted to his room as discreetly as possible.

"The students he was chaperoning are being housed here as well if you'd like to talk to them," the nurse on duty offered.

Winter shook her head. No thank you. I just want to check on him." She stopped walking. "He's going to pull through, right?"

The nurse stood in front of his door and sighed. "He had the toxin in his bloodstream for over twenty-four hours on top of all the injuries he sustained during the fight in which he was poisoned in the first place. If he hadn't been a hunter with some extraordinarily aura, he would have been dead before we even got to him. Right now, we've done what we can. It's up to his body and his aura to get him through."

"But do you think he will?"

"In my professional opinion? Hunters don't die from stuff like this. If he's survived this long, he'll pull through." The nurse sounded so resolute, Winter firmly believed her.

"I know you're not really up to visitors but I won't be here tomorrow morning, so you'll have to wake up in the next few hours or you'll miss me." She sat in the armchair next to his bed. "And since you're unconscious, I can sing and you won't hear it and you won't be able to accuse me of never singing when you're around." Her voice was a soft alto with a rich but feminine timbre. Not a powerhouse vocal like her younger sisters, but with every bit of compelling quality and tone.

Beneath this snowy mantle cold and clean
The unborn grass lies waiting
For its coat to turn to green
The snowbird sings the song he always sings
And speaks to me of flowers
That will bloom again in spring

When I was young my heart was young then too
Anything that it would tell me
That's the thing that I would do
But now I feel such emptiness within
For the thing that I want most in life's
The thing that I can't win

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

The breeze along the river seems to say
That he'll only break my heart again
Should I decide to stay
So little snowbird take me with you
When you go
To that land of gentle breezes
Where the peaceful waters flow

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

And if I could you know that I would

Fly away with you.

She removed her glove to put a hand on his. It was warm: a sign of life, but completely limp.

"I know I'm being selfish right now," she mused, "But I don't have anyone else to talk to, and you're the only one who will listen, so here goes. I failed. I can't find Weiss. She wasn't anywhere I looked and no one I talked to has seen her, and now…" she took a minute to regain her composure as if loosing it in front of him, even unconscious was showing some kind of weakness. "Now I have to stop looking because I have to go home. Ironwood is closing the borders and I won't be able to look for her anymore. And if I'm not looking for her, I know no one is. And losing her would probably be the most painful thing to me in the world right now. Which is why," a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I need you to wake up. Because if I lose you too, I'll have nothing left. I'll have no one left. And I don't think I could live like that. Every decision I've made up until now is to protect the people I care about and what would I have if I lose everything now? Before the real battles even begin?"

Why was she even telling him this? He couldn't hear. Even if he could, the last thing he'd want to hear is that they'd both broken their initial premise of their biconditional relationship: they'd remain as they were so long as neither got attached. The future was too precarious for them both afford that level of commitment.

And yet, here they were: severely attached. Ensuring their paths crossed at every available opportunity. He'd deliberately pick missions in Mantle or Atlas, and she'd always volunteer for TDY to get out of Atlas when she could. What started out as a few chance encounters ended with the pair of them actively seeking each other out.

Winter's scroll vibrated. It was a message from her pilot

"I have to go," she said, standing and pulling her gloves back on. "But I'd better see you in Atlas sometime…hopefully, General Ironwood would make an exception to the closed borders." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered into his hair. "Please don't die."

Her phone buzzed again, pressing her to leave. She stole out of the door and closed it quietly behind her, leaving no evidence that she'd even been to see him. She walked back to her ship with her arms behind her back, head held up. She could cry her eyes out when no one was looking but her escorts couldn't see her in any kind of disarray. Not over a drunken old Qrow like him: there would be rumors.

"I saw you called," Winter said to her pilot as soon as she got on board the ship. "Ironwood putting the pressure on us wanting to know where we are?"

"No actually," her pilot extended a headset to her. "Ghira Belladonna's daughter contacted us. She said she found something about Weiss. She's been waiting on the comm for you."

Winter wordlessly snatched the headset, flopping into the co-pilot's seat haphazardly. "This is Military Specialist Schnee," she said with a little too much force.

Her heart was racing. This was the first clue she'd gotten in months of searching.

"Um…this is Blake Belladonna," the voice crackled on the other end of the comm. "I'm not sure how long our connection will hold out, but my home was attacked last night by the White Fang."

"I'm so sorry," Winter said. "Is everyone all right?"

"My family is fine. They weren't expecting us to fight back as hard as we did. We managed to drive them off. They left in such a rush they even left their campsite up, but managed to get away via airship before we could capture them."

"And how does this relate to Weiss?" Winter asked, not mincing words.

"We found Weiss's weapon locker," Blake replied. "It was at the campsite. One of our men even saw it land.

"Her weapon locker? From Beacon?"

"We're not sure how it got here, but Weiss's locker was right next to mine, so it was one number lower." Blake explained. "We opened it up and it was empty but the foam padding definitely is cut out for Myrtenaster. If the locker is here, it means Weiss was too which means…"

Winter finished the sentence for her. "Weiss is with the White Fang."

The battered huntsman was used to waking up from blacking out or from nightmares, but this morning he was displeased upon awaking. He was having a pleasant dream. The stiffness of his injuries made it difficult to move. Slowly he flexed his arms and legs: they all worked, but his side still ached. He remembered the fight with Tyrian, the slice of the scorpion's stinger as it tore the flesh of his lower torso, but beyond that pain, the events of the last few days became more and more hazy until they blacked out altogether. Looking out the window, Qrow's room gave him a view of oriental roofs peeking out of evergreen trees, kissed by the morning sun.

They'd made it to Mistral.

Qrow breathed a silent sigh of relief. Downstairs in the commons area, the kids were bustling about at full tilt.

"Did you guys hear anything last night?" Ruby was asking.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you heard anything with the way Nora snores."

"I heard that!"

He could almost hear Jaune flinching and ducking behind the counter. "Please don't kill me!"

"I could have sworn I heard Weiss singing last night."

"Like on the TV?"

"No. No. Like here. In the building. You remember when she'd sing quietly to herself when she was getting up in the morning and she didn't want to wake anyone else up? It sounded like that."

"That's weird."

"I know, but I swear it sounded just like her," Ruby insisted.

"Nora! Stop stealing those when I'm not looking and come help me cook!" Ren said at a normal volume level, his own version of shouting.

"Am I interrupting your fun morning?" Qrow asked, leaning on the door frame.

"You're awake!" Ruby squealed. Before he could blink, she was at his side throwing her arms around his chest in a tight hug.

"I'm still healing up from that, kiddo," he said as he playfully pushed her away.

"But you're doing OK? You're going to heal?"

"Eventually. We'll just take it one day at a time."

"At least we're safe for the time being," Jaune said.

"Would you like something to eat?" Ren offered. "I made pancakes…and Nora doesn't need to eat all of them."

"That actually sounds nice," Qrow said taking a seat. Nora expertly slid a short stack of pancakes to him complete with butter and syrup.

"You kids have been taking care of yourselves alright?" he asked between bites.

"We really haven't gone anywhere or done anything," Jaune said sitting beside him. "We mostly just took turns watching you and relaxing."

"It's been nice to have some quiet time," Ren agreed.

"But now that you're awake, we can go to Haven Academy and contact Professor Lionheart!" she almost swooned through the hallways with excitement, half humming, half singing the tune she'd heard in the middle of the night. "And if I could you know that I would fly away with you."

The food almost fell out of Qrow's mouth.

He hadn't dreamed it.

Winter had been there.

"I need a drink," he said flatly, pushing his plate away and standing up, dropping the napkin off to the side.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked genuinely concerned. "You just woke up."

"I know." Qrow said. "I am going to celebrate not dying."

He pulled the door closed behind him and didn't look back. Strolling to the bar he cursed his poor luck in the lost opportunity.

He missed her.

Chapter Text

It was a very quiet, very awkward ride home. Ilia paced nervously in the hold trying to come up with some excuse, some explanation that would placate her boss.

"I know you're upset you failed the mission, but…aren't you a little glad Blake isn't going to be at Adam's mercy?" Weiss dared to ask after three hours of mumbling and pacing.

"Blake deserves to be at the mercy of the White Fang! She abandoned us!" Ilia rounded on her, almost relieved she had a reason to take her anger out on the human.

"Sienna Khan would have been one thing, but Adam is another. Do you really want to see Adam do to her what he did to me? You were friends with Blake, is that really what you would wish on her now?" Weiss realized emotionally she'd have the high ground and decided to remain calm.

"Blake chose Adam. Blake chose Adam over her family, over…over me. And then she just abandoned all of us, and now, now that it's coming back to bite her, she'll realize she made a very bad choice in making enemies of us. Of Adam, and of her family."

"You mean the White Fang as a whole?"

"We were more family to her than her actual family was. She was born into the White Fang and stayed after her parents left."

"And you really think punishing someone who left like this will send a positive message to the other faunus that what you're doing will help? You really think the people of Menagerie are going to look at the charred remains of the Belladonna's house and think 'the White Fang is definitely for the faunus'?"

"We need to unify our people, and the way to do that is by sending a clear message to the rest of the faunus that human sympathizers are our enemies, even if they are our own people."

Weiss folded her arms. "It sounds like you want equality for only the faunus that fall in like with your extremist ideology."

"We want equality for everyone! We just have to make them see that what they view as 'extreme' is nothing more than necessary means."

The speaker beeped and announced they were landing. Ilia sat and buckled herself in, but her nervousness came out in her drumming fingers and frequent sighs.

She was almost relieved when they landed and Adam wasn't waiting for them. The lieutenant was waiting for them.

"Yezik radioed and told me what happened," he greeted Ilia on the metal gangplank, a smirk on his face. "Adam is going to be pissed when he gets back."

"He's not back yet?" Ilia spoke while giving hand signals for other to unload the airship.

"No, he sent word to us that he won't be regrouping with us. He'll meet back up with us at Mountain Glenn."

The relief on Ilia's face was apparent. "Hopefully he'll have some time to cool down before he gets back."

"It at least gives you some time to get your story straight," the lieutenant half laughed. "If all else fails you can blame it on his little trophy here so nobody gets in trouble. Just say she tried to escape and messed up your plan."

"Wow," Weiss said loud enough to be heard, "Two officers in the most feared terrorist organization in Remnant blaming a failure on a spoiled human with no aura and handcuffs on. That would go over well."

"I've had to put up with her yappy mouth all the way home," Ilia groaned. "Can someone just, put her in the hold of the transport?"

"With pleasure," he said with a smile, seizing Weiss by the arm before she even had a chance to recoil. He roughly dragged her through the camp to the hovercraft, using her cuffs to secure her to a D-ring in the cargo hold, limiting her range to a semicircle barely the length of her body.

He was only doing this because Adam wasn't there. He was power tripping and there was little she could do about it. For the two-day trip home, she was only released to use the head on the hovercraft and was conveniently "forgotten" about whenever mealtimes came. By the time they returned to the installation at Mountain Glenn, she was practically faint with hunger. She couldn't believe herself actually wishing Adam would come back soon.

Just to be safe, Adam had Hazel's ship drop him off a solid hour from the Mountain Glenn station, and walked back on foot. He arrived sweaty and a little panicked, though he had no intention of letting his underlings see any apprehension. He led by being confident, stalwart and he had to keep that illusion up.

He'd agreed to meet with Hazel in Mistral at a city on the map and escort him there to the secret headquarters of the White Fang to meet with Sienna Khan. He knew the ire he might incur, he was already on Sienna's bad side, but Cinder was still alive and her veiled threat to the White Fang both something he couldn't ignore, and something he couldn't openly admit to in front of the high leader. He would come across as weak. Instead, he had to convince her of the benefits they would have working with Salem and her magic until he could figure out a way to supplant her. Sienna would take some serious convincing, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

The risk he was not willing to take was leaving Weiss with that lieutenant any longer than he absolutely had to. He'd already been gone for almost a week and each time his thoughts drifted to his HQ in Mountain Glenn he worried about leaving her at his mercy for too long. Last time he was gone the lieutenant almost killed her, and he couldn't afford to lose her after all the progress he'd made. That'd mean taking her back to Mistral and Sienna, but if Weiss were at Sienna's mercy, she wouldn't be killed. The high leader had no interest in making political enemies of the Atlas aristocracy.

"Good to have you back," Ilia said as she saluted him. He strode past her without speaking into his quarters. Ilia followed him in. "You were gone longer than expected; the troops were starting to worry. Even the Schnee asked where you were."

"I'm not staying," he grunted, tossing his overnight bag on the bed, He pulled his shirt off over his head and opened the door to the walk-in closet out of view. "Have Weiss pack me a new bag for me and herself. We're going to Mistral. I'll need my airship fueled and manned as soon as possible."

"You might want to put a hold on leaving," Ilia said as she turned to leave. "We have a situation that you're going to want to…address."

"You're just going to leave it at that?" Adam walked out, buttoning up a shirt.

"I don't really care to stand here in your bedroom explaining everything to you while you dress yourself. When you're ready, there's a surprise waiting for you in the mess hall."

He took his time changing clothes, taking a few caffeine pills to keep himself alert. Once he'd emptied his bag, he made his way across the campus to the mess hall for both lunch and the 'surprise' he was promised by Ilia.

The mess hall was a buzz of activity and excitement. Every available White Fang soldier in the had gathered until it was standing room only. Sitting at the tables were about twenty humans of various ages and sizes all bound with their arms behind their backs, secured both at the wrists and at the elbows. Some had been roughed up from attempting to fight back, but all were now terrified and disoriented. And it the thick of them was Weiss, travelling from person to person, giving them a gentle hand on the shoulder or word of encouragement, doing whatever she could to keep them calm.

"Where did they come from?" Adam asked, his tone sounding a bit be.

"Two patrol guards found them early this morning trying to steal food from the kitchens and tracked them back to their…what do you call it? Nest? Apparently, there were about thirty of them living underground off part of the railway system. Somehow managed to survive on their own like this since Mountain Glenn fell.

"Humanity has few qualities, but tenacity is definitely one of them," he said to no one in particular. Ilia couldn't be sure if he was referring to the survivialists or the Schnee. "Perhaps this is our chance to finally enact my plan for humanity," he said a little louder.

"Right now, thirty extra bodies to feed, clothe and find rooms for is excessive," Ilia replied without facing him. "It isn't feasible: we don't have enough collars to keep them in line, or even enough stuff for them to do to keep them busy…" she paused. "Unless they have something to keep them calm and organized. Perhaps you will reconsider taking Weiss with you and leave her behind to be in charge of them."

"No," Adam said firmly. "She's my 'trophy' as you all say, and she's coming with me. For now, keep them imprisoned until we can get uniforms and collars for all of them. But we're keeping all of them. Keep the children separate from the adults to ensure compliance. I should be back in under a week and we can allocate their duties then. For now, Weiss is to attend to me." He looked up and called to her with a harsh and abrupt: "Schnee!"

Weiss jolted to attention at hearing her name called, but immediately relaxed when she saw it was the faction leader rather than the lieutenant. She gave a reassuring squeeze to the shoulders of one of the prisoners before picking her way through them to the front standing with proper form in front of him: hands clasped in front, eyes down. "Sir," was all she said, awaiting orders.

"You will pack bags for me and for yourself. We're going back to Mistral on air transport, which means I'll expect your formal uniform while we're at headquarters," he kept his tone cold.

The white-haired girl looked over her shoulder at the scared group of people behind her. It was plain on her face she was both sympathetic to their situation and wanted to ask if she could stay, but she knew better than to ask. Adam would probably slap her again just as a show of force in front of the humans. Instead, she nodded and said, "Yes, sir," before returning to his quarters to start her work.

She was mostly finished by the time Adam returned from eating lunch and making arrangements for his absence. She continued working without addressing him as he entered,

not noticing that he'd spent a few minutes watching her work in silence.

"You've lost weight," he said finally.

"Not that much." Weiss insisted with her usual sarcastic inflexions. "Your not-transferred lieutenant you left in charge only forgot to feed me on the trip back."

"No, I mean since you've been in Vale," he said correcting her. "You're uniform no longer fits. I'll make sure to get you a properly fitting one when we get to Mistral. You'll need a hair trim as well."

She knew it was a risk bringing it up, but she had to try. "Perhaps it would be best if I stayed in Vale. The humans you captured are afraid and enraged and sad, and all those negative emotions could attract grimm, but if I stayed behind, I could help…"

"You do not get to make suggestions to me as to what I do with my property," he said sternly. "You're not staying. Besides, I doubt you want to stay around with the lieutenant hell-bent on making your life more difficult whenever I'm not around."

He was right, and Weiss was secretly relieved she'd be away from him, but she still wished there was something she could do for the thirty or so people whom she had been helping all morning. They were afraid for their lives, unsure of their fates. She remembered the feeling all too well when she had first been captured but she only needed to fear for herself. For them, it was almost worse. They had families to be separated from and worry over.

Adam's scroll vibrated before Weiss had a chance to reply. "Everything's ready," he said, "Load the airship first and then meet me in the mess pavilion. We have a camp-wide meeting to attend before we leave."

Weiss brought the bags with her when she left, securing them on the transport before dutifully helping the kitchen staff stock the transport will food for the trip and then being assigned to random boxes.

The pavilion that had been converted into the mess hall looked like it had been converted from a sports complex of some kind when Mountain Glenn was still a thriving metropolis. The warehouses came to an abrupt end and there was a vast amount of flat green space: something that would have held a sports field or arena, and the pavilion was some kind of concession stand and eating area for the field, meaning it contained an enclosed kitchen built off the eating area and the food was served through a window. It was a sizable slab of concrete, and even had a fireplace at the same end as the kitchen. Adam had ordered the tables to be cleared off and placed into the grass, but even so the last of the members to arrive were stuck standing out in the sun for the meeting. The prisoners had been secured with cuffs and then rope when the cuffs had run out. She took her place behind Adam at the front of crowd. He was standing at the concession end of the pavilion, directly in front of the fireplace.

Two sets of stocks like the one Weiss had been forced into at the quarry had been set up in the pavilion, facing outward.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening.

"Adam, sir. Please…don't do this," Weiss said emphatically going so far as to pull on his sleeve, tears already forming in her eyes.

"This will eventually be the fate of all humanity," he replied, "They just had the misfortune of being the first ones."

She could only look down in abject horror and blink back the tears as the last of the camp pressed into the area to see what was happening.

Adam held up his hand for silence and received it immediately. "Brothers and sisters of the White Fang: this is the dawn of a new era of the faunus! Since the origin of our people, we were systemically and systematically oppressed by the humans for nothing more than the fact that we look different." As he projected his voice, the entire camp was silent, even the humans. He had such a commanding presence. "But now, we are going to turn the tables on humanity! It is our turn to make them respect us! To fear us! To serve us! And this village will be the first of many. But humanity has no cause to worry. We will treat them the same way they've always treated us: as inferior and second-class beings. It's time to lift the faunus up by bringing humanity down!"

Shouts of agreement and approval went through the ranks in waves as Weiss tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes. The very least she could do for her fellow prisoners is put on a brave face.

Opposite the pavilion from her and back a few rows, she caught Bran's face: he was the only one clearly not enjoying the spectacle. When his eyes caught hers, he mouthed the words "I'm sorry," to her as the men two at a time were being forced into the stocks. They struggled at first, but a few jabs with the cattle prods left them doubled over in pain and compliant enough to lock into the stocks.

The lieutenant volunteered to do the honors, to which Adam gladly obliged.

As each of the humans was branded, the panic compounded as the men realized their wives and children would be subject to the same fate and those who were waiting to be branded heard the screams and cries of their predecessors. Like Weiss' branding, the gathered faunus began to jeer at them or even clap.

Just as Weiss thought she was gaining a grip of herself, the next set of prisoners pulled toward the stocks were two boys, neither of which could have been older than ten. He even intended to brand and enslave the children.

"Please no," she breathed, unable to get out any more words between the tears. Adam turned and stared at her. She knew under his mask his eyes were glaring at her.

"Why? Because that would be cruel?" He snorted. "The world is cruel, princess. It's better they learn it now when they can grow accustomed to their fate."

She turned away. She couldn't bear to watch. She cried as they cried for their parents.

When the last of them were done, the troops were dismissed and the slaves unceremoniously herded back to the dormitories. She tried to wipe her tears away with her hands, as the emotions in her went from sorrow to despair to anger to hate. She was only vaguely aware of the pilot approaching Adam and announcing they were ready for departure and needed to load up. By this time, she was practically seething.

Adam reached to seize her by her the wrist, but she surprised even herself when she slapped his hand away in a rage.

"You're a monster!"

Adam remained calm. "I know."

"Innocent people! Tortured and enslaved! Children! How could you?"

Adam had no intention of continuing this conversation. "Humans have made us out to be animals and now have the nerve to look shocked we play the part."

"You're no better than the humans who burned you in the face," she almost snarled at him.

He did not appreciate her bringing his face into this. "I don't have time for this." He stepped toward her and grabbed the top of her pony tail, yanking her forward.

He marched across the green to the airstrip with her hair in his hand as she awkwardly stumbled to keep her feet under her despite her head being held in such an awkward position. He all but threw her into the transport and climbed into the back after her.

"Despite what the lieutenant tries, make sure all the prisoners are properly fed and their backs don't get infected," were his last instructions to Ilia.

She nodded firmly. "I will, sir," she promised.

"And Ilia."

"Sir?"

"It's been a busy week, but I haven't forgotten about the disaster in Menagerie last week."

Weiss had seen Ilia change colors before, but had never seen her pale before. The color in her face and drained into a sickly white, but she nodded and stepped back away from the airship as it lifted off the pad, and Adam pulled the sliding door on the transport shut.

They were going back to Mistral. She didn't look forward to facing the main headquarters, but right now, anywhere was better than here.

Chapter Text

    “How did it even get here?” Winter asked as she ran her finger over the padding of the locker sitting on an evidence table Menagerie. She used the flashlight from her scroll to illuminate the inside hoping something would catch her eye.

    “It was in the middle of a White Fang campsite of maybe four or five people. Our crime division didn’t any prints on it,” Blake said quietly from the other side of the table. “As to how it got here, the most logical, however unlikely answer, is that she used a scroll and used her four-digit code to deliver it.”

    “But that would mean that Weiss was here on the island,” Winter countered. “If Weiss really has been with the White Fang all this time, why hasn’t there been a ransom demand or some kind of public demonstration?”

    Blake looked into the empty case blankly. “There are plenty of other reasons they’d keep her. Information, leverage for later on, or perhaps they’re keeping her alive so they can find a public even or some forum to execute her on. I don’t know.”

    “Do you think they’d really kill her?” Winter asked, her brows knit with worry.

    Blake sighed. “A part of me says, yes. Sienna Khan had discussed assassinating members of the Schnee family and other Atlesian officials before, and knowing her approach to violence, she’d definitely condone it if it meant something better for the movement. But another part of me says no: if they were going to kill her, they would have already done it.”

     “I just don’t get why now,” Sun said, lifting himself up to sit on another observation table. He crossed his legs and leaned on his elbows. “What reason would they bring a prisoner along on an attack mission, and if Weiss had a way of contacting us, why didn’t she call? She had to have a scroll to get that locker here, and she’d have to have known somebody she knew was here that would recognize her locker from Beacon.”

    “The only person that applies to is you,” Winter said turning to Blake. “Is it possible that the White Fang would have threatened to harm Weiss to gain your compliance and that is why they brought her along?”

    “But they never said anything about that. Not Ilia, not the Albains. None of them made that threat. They just wanted my parents dead and me captured and taken back to…” her shoulder sagged. “To Adam. If he’s got a hold of Weiss, she probably isn’t being treated well. He’ll keep her alive, but…”

    “But?” Winter’s eyes furrowed in concern.

    “Adam has a way of manipulating people. Gaslighting them and getting inside her head. He might…he might try to brainwash her.”

    Winter almost sighed in relief. “If there’s anything no one can do, its break Weiss mentally. One good thing that actually came of our childhood is that our father gave us hostage training. And Weiss was better at it than Whitley and myself combined. If anything, she’s probably working on him.” Winter almost smiled. She had answers for the first time. Adam Taurus was a specific person in a specific organization that she could track down.

    Blake however was still unsure. She folded her arms defensively, her ears reflexively folding back in displeasure. Sun, the monkey faunus slid off the table and was at her side immediately.

    “Hey, at least we know he won’t kill her right?” Sun asked trying to cheer her up.

    “I…I guess, but the longer she’s with him, the more dangerous it is for her.”

    “I’m going to get her back,” Winter promised standing, “This is the first working clue I’ve had in months, but I have a name, a face and a trail to follow. I’m going to follow up on it. Thank you so much for your help.”

    Neither Winter nor Blake were big huggers, so there was an odd staring and nodding between them until Sun placed a hand on both their shoulders. “We’re dealing with things here in Menagerie. Winter will handle finding Weiss, and stopping whatever plans Adam has for her, ok?”

    Blake nodded numbly. “I just wish there was something more I could do to help.”

    “You’ve helped immensely,” Winter said, “but I want to get on this as quickly as I can. If you’ll excuse me.” She dismissed herself from the evidence locker and hurried back to her ship.

    She boarded in time to hear the tail end of a hostile conversation her pilot was having with a dispatcher.

    “Yes ma’am,” the pilot was saying. Winter could tell by the sound of his voice that he’d been saying ‘yes ma’am’ out of fear for about five solid minutes over the static crackles.

    “If you have to leave without her, then do it!” the woman’s voice was screeching.

    “Yes, ma’am.”

    “And you’ll deal with disciplinary action upon your return for your insubordination!”

    “Yes, ma’am,”

    “Your specialists won’t be given any more preferential treatment! General Ironwood won’t stand for this!”

    Winter reached across the comm and switched the radio off. “Whoops,” she said flatly, “Guess we got bad reception all the way down here with no CC tower.”

    “Thank you, ma’am,” the pilot breathed.

    “We’re out of time, aren’t we?” Winter asked.

    “Yes, ma’am,” he said sadly. “Orders came in saying if you don’t come now to leave you behind and return to Atlas without you, and you’ll face a court martial if you try to return.”

    “Then we have to go back,” Winter breathed. “I can’t get you two in any more trouble than we’re already in. Set a course back to Atlas.”

    “We don’t mind staying with you, Miss Schnee,” her bodyguard said, stepping into the cockpit. “We get how much your sister means to you.”

    “No,” Winter shook her head, folding her hands behind her back, “Atlas needs us more than I need my sister right now. From what I can gather, she’ll be alright for a while longer. I’ll just find a way to look for her from behind the Atlas border.”

    “Yes, miss,” her pilot said, preparing the engines for take-off.

    She had unrestricted access to all of Atlas’ military databases, including terrorists, potential terrorists, or threats to national security. Even if it took her months to get back out again, she’d find Adam, she’d find Weiss and get her back.

    The beauty of the feudal era palace wasn’t as breathtaking the second time around for Weiss.  She was pushed past the guards and found herself in Adam’s private quarters unpacking everything for him.

    “While you are here, you will wear the cheongsam and will wear your hair up whenever you are providing service for me outside my quarters. But you’ll spend most of your time here.”

    “Yes sir,” she mumbled in response. The events of the camp in Mountain Glenn were still fresh in her mind. She was still sad for them, angry with Adam and frustrated with her entire situation.

    “Your bed is already set up in the ante-chamber. You will sleep there but will fetch my breakfast tray from the kitchen each morning before you set about your duties here.”

    “Yes, sir…” she muttered.

    “Since there is only one bathroom, you will be graciously given the luxury of the suite’s shower and toilet. I’d rather keep you inside the room as much as possible, especially if I can’t be around to make sure none of the idiots who’d like to take a power trip with you get a chance to do so.”

    “I am to be confined to these quarters, then?”

    “For your own safety, yes.” He checked the notifications on his scroll before he continued, observing how muted her normal, vivacious personality had become. “Whether you believe it or not, you are more valuable to me both alive and in good health.

    “Finish unpacking my things.” He ordered, “And press my formal attire: I have a meeting with Sienna Khan in an hour and am going to need to look my absolute best. This meeting might change the course of the entirety of the White Fang.”

    “Yes, sir,” She muttered, continuing to unload garment bags and put his clothes on hangars.

    After a few moments, a rap at the door summoned Adam away. He was greeted by several male voices, clearly excited to see him there, inviting him to eat lunch with them in the mess hall which he agreed to, leaving Weiss behind to work in peace.

    She got his uniform ironed first to get it out of the way, then she unpacked his toiletries, placing everything where it belonged in the bathroom, then unpacked his boots, followed by his booze, and finally, everything pertaining to his weapon. He had oil for his katana and for the leather, as well as several cartridges of dust. Weiss looked them over, desperately trying to return them all to their proper grooves as they’d been displaced in transit. Pushing each of them back into the foam, a thought struck her.

     He might not notice it was missing, and somehow her collar had to have something dust related if it was suppressing aura, her guess was it was gravity aura that drew in aura and somehow trapped it or suppressed it, though without seeing the inside of the silver collar, she’d have no way of knowing.

     And Adam probably wouldn’t miss a vial of dust. She was careful not to shake the vial, taking it to her cot in the ante-chamber. Lifting it up on its side, she removed the rubber stopper from the bottom of one of the cot’s legs. The metal legs were hollow just as she’d suspected and the vial was small enough to fit inside it. She wasn’t sure how this was going to help her in the long run, but at least she had some way of fighting back.

   “Adam, I’m not going to repeat myself, so listen to me when I tell you, the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy.”

   “High Leader, I am begging you.”

   “You should be begging to for forgiveness and nothing else. The assault you lead on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was, and you should be grateful your punishment wasn’t more severe. I thought giving you some time away from your team would give you time to reflect, but that clearly only solidified your path. You may be a symbol for many in our organization, but that does not make you infallible.”

    “I am just trying to follow your example.”

    “And what example is that?”

    “Strength. Strength and unwavering conviction.” Adam said, still on his knees.

    Sienna shifted in her chair uncomfortably. “It’s true that I was one of the first of us to advocate for violence when necessary. Peace bred complacency and acceptance of our place in the world. I will not let humanity push us down without pushing them back. But your actions: destroying a huntsman academy and enslaving humans is crossing a line! And don’t think I don’t know about your attack on Menagerie’s Chieftain and his house. You’re making enemies of our own people! Of the people we’re trying to protect!” She found herself getting too emotional. She stopped herself and settled back into her chair to regain her composure.  “The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl. Between your acts of terrorism and keeping the heiress of the SDC as a hostage, the White Fang will now be under even more of a target against us. You’ve justified the human’s campaign against us and for what? Empty promises from a group of humans? Humans we still know nothing about. Humans who come and go as they please; these are not good examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your strength being diminished by your shortsightedness.” She’d always had a problem with Adam being too passionate and too heated to see the big picture. He was a good strategist, but rarely were his goals aligned with the scope of all faunus in mind.

     Adam thought for a moment before pushing himself to his feet. “If you wish to know more about the humans, then why not ask them yourself.” He turned to the guards behind him, and called out for Hazel who was escorted into the throne room. All eyes were on him, wary of having a human in their midst, and not like Weiss, not a prisoner at their mercy brought by force, but who came by invitation.

     Sienna was livid. “What is the meaning of this?” She pushed herself out of her throne and to her feet as her guards readied their spears, waiting for her order to attack.

    “My apologies, my aim isn’t to cause any trouble,” Hazel said calmly.

    “You brought a human here…to this location!?!” Sienna seethed. He’d already been in trouble for this once, but Weiss didn’t have the capacity of telling other humans where they were. Hazel could, and his people were powerful enough to influence even someone as spiteful to humanity as Adam.

    “You should hear what he has to say,” insisted Adam.

    “This is grounds for execution!” Sienna shouted. Well liked or no, he was jeopardizing their operation.

    Throughout the outrage, Hazel remained calm. “Ma’am, please,” he tried to entreat her. “Nobody needs to die today. I’m just asking for a moment of your time.” He knelt submissively.

    Sienna stood her ground. “The longer you are here, the less chance you have of leaving alive.”

    “If you don’t mind, I’ll take those chances,” Hazel replied with an almost serene disposition.

    She was almost taken aback by how he carried himself. Out of nothing more than sheer curiosity, she seated herself and the guards lowered their spears. With a nod, she willed him to continue.

    “You don’t like me. You have no reason to like me but you don’t have to like me to get the results you want.” He stood.

    “I’m starting to doubt either of you fully comprehend what it IS that I want. I want humanity to fear the faunus: to know that we demand respect.  I do NOT want to start a war with the humans that we cannot win!” She pounded her fist on the arm of her chair for emphasis.”

    “That’s where you’re wrong,” Adam said, stepping forward. “We CAN win a war against the humans, not only because we have the support of Hazel’s master, but because the Faunus are the dominant species on the planet.”

    “Adam…”

    “I’ve said it before,” he spoke over her. “We have everything the humans have and more. I made my intentions very clear for humanity, and now is our chance to bring it to fruition. They should not be fearing us, they should be serving us.” As he spoke, the ascended the steps until he was almost at Sienna’s feet but parallel with her eye level with her sitting position.”

   “I think I’ve had enough of this conversation for tonight. Guards, take them away.”

   The guards moved in to remove Hazel, but no one touched Adam.

   “I said seize, THEM not just the human,” Sienna reiterated, but seemed shocked that guards refused to respond to her.

   “I’ll admit, Sienna, you were right about my popularity.” He turned to her with a steely glare, “My followers in Vale already see me as the true high leader and many here in Mistral feel the same.” With two more steps, he was on the same platform as she and looming over her, “From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the White Fang.” With a wave of his hand the guards turned on her, pointing their spears in salute of Adam before she could stand and draw her weapon.

    She had lost control.

    “If you think I’ll just step aside and follow beneath you, you’re wrong,” she practically hissed at him.

    “As of now, your choice in the matter is rather limited,” Adam sneered. “Your other choice is to die.”

    She remained silent as her own men led her away. A smirk danced on Adam’s face as she was unceremoniously escorted out by a guard grabbing each of her arms. Once she was gone, Adam turned to Hazel while simultaneously seating himself in the vacant throne. With the slightest nod, the guards released him.

    “I will convince her that this is the best course of action for the faunus. Just give her time,” Adam promised.

    “I think this was the best outcome we could have hoped for,” Hazel mused. “If we can convincer her to side with us, she may bring the rest of the White Fang with her.”

    “Thank you for coming with me,” Adam said sincerely. “I hope our alliance will be of mutual benefit.”

    Hazel nodded, half bowing before being shown out.

    Adam sat on the vacant throne, easing into it, leaning on his elbow deep in thought. He practically glowed with his victory, and he relished finally being what he knew he was meant to do from the moment Sienna Khan had told him there might be a place by her side in his future.

     One of Sienna’s former personal guard kneeled before him. “Sir, Sienna Khan is resisting being held. What should we do?”

     Adam’s smile widened. Catching himself, he returned to his more serious demeanor. “Secure her and put her in a cell. Once she’s had some time to cool off, I’ll speak to her myself.” He looked across the expanse of the throne room, now empty, but he’d seen it when it was pack with faunus, all in their unique masks. It was a beautiful sight and he would be admiring it until his death. There was little more than could make this victory sweeter, he thought, except….

    Every palace needed a full staff, didn’t it?

    He called for a guard, who again knelt before him. “Send a message to the Vale chapter,” he began. “Orders for Ilia Amolita, have her bring all the recently captured humans by transport to the facility here. We will put them in service for the headquarters of the White Fang.”

    The order clearly did not sit well with the faceless guard, but he nevertheless assented and left to relay the message.

     “Sienna served her people well after Ghira Belladona stepped down. Her strength paved the way for the faunus to find respect and equality,” Adam announced to the remaining White Fang present, “but now it is time for us to reach even beyond. No longer will we be finding our place in Remnant; we will be making our place in Remnant.”

     He stood and descended the steps to return to his chambers. He’d dethroned the high leader, fooled Hazel, implemented his new policy, and had done so with no opposition or bloodshed. It would be best to quit while he was ahead. Ordering dinner to be prepared, he retired to his room for the evening.

Chapter Text

    Weiss had heard a great deal of commotion in the halls, at one point she could have sworn she heard a woman screaming followed by what sounded like a full-scale battle stretching down the hallway complete with broken plates or pottery and splintering wood.

    Adam returned a short time later and ordered dinner. As Weiss navigated the hallways, she could see small pieces of the aftermath of whatever had gone on. Members were scurrying about trying to sweep up broken shards of what looked like decorative vases and frantically trying to cover holes punched in the wall with cloth banners. Avoiding eye contact, she stayed out of their way to the kitchen.

    Returning back to the room was more of a challenge with his dinner tray in her arms, but she managed it with grace. She could hear whispers and comments as the halls were still strewn with wreckage and faunus making speculations. From what she could gather, someone had put up a fight being restrained, and it took a number of people to finally wrestle her into a cell. Words like coup, loyalties, and overthrow were being thrown around in tiny snippets that hushed as soon as she was close enough to pass by.

    She said nothing as she laid out Adam’s food for him and then for herself, only speaking up as he was about to take his first bite of food.

    “You seized power of the White Fang from the high leader?” She said more than asked, but judging by the way he continued eating nonchalantly, she figured not only was it true, but that he’d been planning on it for some time.

    He saw no need to mince words with her. “Yes. Sienna Khan has been removed as high leader and is incarcerated in our prison block. I have ascended as high leader in her stead. This happened a bit faster and sloppier than I had envisioned. It goes without saying that Sienna Khan resisted the take-over vehemently.”

    “And now you are high leader with no Blake at your side.”

    “Not for lack of trying,” Adam said, shrugging his shoulders. Weiss realized that having Blake was initially a part of his plan in returning to Mistral.

   “That’s why you wanted to capture her in Menagerie. To be part of your take-over here? You can’t make her love you, Adam.” Weiss said.

    His shoulder sagged. “Blake wasn’t…I loved Blake, but I never really thought of us as romantic, I guess. We were partners. And I wanted us to stay partners, I wanted to use both of our determination and connections to lead the faunus into equality. I just assumed us as an inevitability: the logical progression of our relationship. I was the driving force that pushed us forward, she was the rock that kept us well grounded. The cause always came first, and she knew that. I thought we were on the same page about that until…we suddenly weren’t anymore.” He placed his chopsticks down in his bowl, almost in defeat.

    “And how did you think capturing her would help this situation at all?” Weiss asked. “Were you going to hold her hostage trying to get Ghira’s compliance with the White Fang? Or did you think bringing her back would make her want to rejoin?”

     “I wanted to face the people she hurt,” Adam snarled.

     “So that you could hurt her back?” Weiss pressed. “Were you going to execute her?”

     “I don’t owe you an explanation of my actions!” He snorted, but continued. “Of course not. She would have remained our prisoner as punishment for betraying her brother and sisters. Just as Sienna is now. Hopefully, in time, both of them will come to see reason.”

     He finished the last portion of his food. Weiss had finished her bowl of rice and prepared to take everything back.  

     “While you’re there, have rations prepared for Sienna and deliver them to her cell,” he ordered.

     “By myself?” Weiss asked, wary of his previous orders.

     “When you were just the servant of an officer you could still be touched without fear of repercussions. Since I am high leader, no one would dare interfere with my pet project now. Besides, right now, no one is even going to care about you, they’re all still buzzing about the high leader getting dethroned.” Adam poured himself a glass of bourbon, a rarity since that was only reserved for his end of the day routine, and the night was still young. Weiss bowed and excused herself.

     She had to get directions from the cook to the prison block where Sienna was being held. Her fare was to be the same as Weiss’s: a normal sized bowl of white rice with blunted chopsticks in a plastic bowl that she couldn’t break and use as a weapon. Weiss was honestly nervous taking food to the recently disgraced tigress.

     The guards only raised eyebrows when Weiss approached in her red cheongsam and heels, but stepped aside without a word.

     Sienna had been so violent while being detained it took ten guards to hold her down and bind her arms behind her back and her feet together at the ankles. She was seated on the stone floor of her cell.

     “Of course, he’d send you,” Sienna rolled her eyes after one look at Weiss. “Send the human I targeted for assassination to deliver my meals as a show of force.”

     Weiss was unsure of what to say at first, but sat the tray on the floor. “I…I don’t know how they expect you to eat this,” she said honestly.

     “It doesn’t matter, I’m not hungry.” Sienna said turning away from her.

     “If they feed you the way they feed me, you’ll wish you’d eaten when food was offered.” Weiss said calmly.

     “What do they want, you to feed me? By hand?” Sienna snorted. It was just like him, to make sure she was completely helpless and aware of it. She was in silent awe when Weiss picked up the bowl and put the chopsticks in, carefully holding the small ball of rice within her reach to bite. “You’re serious?”

     “Consider it me going it the extra mile to prove I’m not like the White Fang portrays humans,” she said, holding up the bowl. “Food is food, regardless of whose giving it to you.”

     “It’s nothing personal, but no thanks,” Sienna responded. “Adam might want to humiliate me this way, but if he thinks I’m going to eat out of the palm of your hands, he’s going to be disappointed.”

     The door opened.

     “Disappointed, but not surprised.” Adam said flatly. Weiss scurried to his side, leaving the tray and food on the floor Leave us,” he ordered. The two guards stepped away from the entrance and allowed Weiss to exit, leaving the food behind. He waited until they were completely alone before continuing his conversation. “Please understand, that I had no other choice but to seize power from you, high leader.” He kept his voice calm and even respectful as he spoke.

    “You’re going to run this organization into the ground, and the respect for the faunus with it,” Sienna spat.

     Adam kneeled to be eye level with her, but kept his distance. Knowing her, she’d probably try to kick or bite him, even tied up. “I needed to put on a good show for Hazel and let him report back to his bosses that we’re being compliant.”

     “You made a grave mistake by including them,” Sienna snarled.

     “I had no other choice, Sienna.” Adam said frankly. “These people have power we can’t even begin to fathom and I was afraid for my chapter in Vale when Cinder approached me after she’d gotten her maiden powers.”

    Sienna squinted at him. He wasn’t making any sense.

    “What do you mean, maiden power?”

    Adam sighed, but seated himself cross legged on the floor. He calmly explained everything to her just as Hazel had explained it to him. Hazel’s boss was a Grimm who used to be human, an immortal woman named Salem who wished to rid the world of humanity’s rule. He told her about the maidens and their special powers gifted to them by Professor Ozpin, who coincidentally was Salem’s lover in some past life. He told her about how Cinder had approached him years ago, when Blake was still part of the White Fang, about how he’d laughed her out of the camp, but she’d come back with magic, magic that didn’t require the aid of dust, and all but threatened his people if they didn’t assist her in her attack on Beacon. He explained that Salem had resources besides that of the maiden powers, that one of her men had hacked the android that turned on the Atlesean fleet. He even explained what he knew of the relics, though he didn’t understand for what purpose Salem wanted them.

    Sienna listened only half believing, but Adam was so calm, so serious: he’d either have to be telling the truth or completely convinced of whatever delusion he was under.

    “I knew you would have turned down Hazel on principle, because that’s what I did at first, but they will eradicate the faunus with humanity if we don’t assist them.”

   “She sounds like she’s going to eliminate us anyway,” Sienna replied. “If these people are as evil as you say they are, they’re not going to stop at the human race.”

   “Which is why we must play our cards carefully. Right now, Hazel and Salem think we’re being complicit which will buy us time to find a way to save ourselves and possibly find a way to overpower them. We can’t let them know we don’t trust them. If they don’t suspect us, we will have the element of surprise. Let me be their point of contact while you look for a way to get us out of this in the background.”

    For a long time, Sienna was silent. Trying to cope with her situation, learning all of this new reality and being put in such a situation by Adam took some time to absorb, much less formulate a response.

    “I’m sorry, Adam,” she said, still refusing to look him fully in the face, “You had a chance to keep the faunus out of this from the very beginning. You thought you were keeping us safe by joining with someone every human would seek to fight against. You put us directly into danger by subjugating our organization to the whims of an organization that seems more like a cult than anything. You played with fire, and you’re starting to feel the heat. Don’t have the audacity to take my throne from me and then enlist my help.”

     “This is the best course for the faunus,” Adam said, trying to keep his composure.

     “You thought helping Roman Torchwick was the best course for the faunus, and it killed how many of our men? You thought helping invade Beacon was the best course, and that disaster has only made the White Fang look like anarchists, not activists. You’re not in a place to determine what is best for our people.”

     Adam stood abruptly. “You’re tired. You’re hungry.  This has been an eventful day for you, and you’re not thinking clearly. After you fully are able to process what I’ve told you, I hope that you’ll change your mind.”

     He turned, and had his hand on the doorknob when Sienna growled at him.

     “I won’t.” She said flatly.

     The new high leader looked over his shoulder of his predecessor. “Probably.”

     He swung the door open to re-summon the guards. Weiss was gone. He was frustrated, but had to maintain control of his emotions in front of his men. Returning to his room, Weiss had already turned down his covers and was adjusting her cot for bed.

     “Is there anything else you will require for the evening, sir?” she asked, as she was required every evening before being dismissed for bed.

     “Yes.” He said removing the grimm mask from his face and removing his gloves, both signs that he was in for the night. “From this time forward, you will no longer address me as ‘sir’ but as high leader in front of the others. Here, you may continue to address me as sir.”

     “Yes, sir,” she nodded.

     “I’ll make arrangements for a different uniform for you. Typically, Mistral had the red uniforms but the faunus who had any kind of status or served high members of the SDC wore black uniforms that were a little shorter.”

    He dismissed her for the night. Laying on her cot, she thought of the vial she had filched. She’d decided to wait a few weeks before trying anything with it to make sure it hadn’t been missed. She doubt it would with everything that had happened today, but she’d been so careful to play along, to earn their trust, it would be a shame to ruin it now.

   In just the course of a week, Weiss’s situation changed drastically. She had some suspicions as to why, but couldn’t confirm any of them. It seemed the entire mood of the White Fang toward her had changed. Adam had insisted on moving into the high leader’s quarters, which were larger, and included a servant’s chamber, meaning Weiss had to move all of Adam’s belongings, but at least was able to get a private room to herself that wasn’t the antechamber.

     She only had to wear high heels the first day with her red uniform. After commenting on them being uncomfortable once, she was offered a set of flats by Lehela which were astronomically more comfortable. She was even given makeup and hairpins. For some reason, Adam wanted her to look good.

    As she passed through the hallways of the converted palace, she was given space. The sideways glances and snide comments stopped. It was as if she was now no longer a piece of property, but an extension of Adam’s authority. Whether by his orders or just by virtue of his new position, she was being respected.

    Most of her mornings were spent with Adam in the throne room. Literally seated at his feet, he listened to the concerns of the White Fang, assigned troops, approved campaigns, and ran his business from Sienna’s old throne. Whenever he needed anything, Weiss was called upon to deliver or fetch for him, giving her some amount of trust. The afternoons, Adam spent either training troops, working on his own technique, and conducting business that didn’t require her ‘assistance’, leaving her to attend to his personal matters such as his laundry, cleaning, and taking food to Sienna Khan.

    With the newfound respect, she was beginning to feel safe. The protection and status made her feel something akin to comfortable.

     At Mountain Glenn, the building her ‘dormitory’ was in was the furthest from the main grid. The electricity frequently went out and she’d gotten fully accustomed to lukewarm showers or the hot water running out altogether. She wasn’t sure if the other buildings were the same way, but Adam’s quarters were one of the best in the Mistral HQ. She looked forward to nothing more than her afternoon showers where she had the privacy and security to be to herself as Adam was almost always out.

   By day three, she was comfortable enough to start singing in the shower. At first it was just humming quietly, but by the end of the week, she’d turned shower time into her own private concert hour. It was almost cathartic getting to sing again; it gave her some miniscule sense of happiness and control in her world. The acoustics in the bathroom were even perfect. She could close her eyes and for just a few minutes every day be somewhere else.

   On the one-week anniversary of her shower singalong, she’d just turned the water off when the shower curtain ripped open.

    Adam was scowling her in his cloth mask, his mouth open to either shout at her and scold her, but upon looking her naked frame over he took a step back. His brows furrowed and his hardened frown was replaced by a look of confusion. The anger on his face immediately melted into shock and almost disgust.

    Weiss stood still and locked and eyes with him. Ashamed, but not willing to let it show, she stood in the shower.

    “How much weight have you lost?” he asked. If she hadn’t known better, he sounded genuinely concerned, almost sad.

    “I don’t know,” she stammered.

    “You look anorexic.”

    With as much dignity as she could muster, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. Quelling her internal panic, she used the smaller towel and began squeezing the excess water out of her hair.  “When you aren’t fed, but still have to work ten to twelve hours a day, you tend to get anorexic,” she replied softly.

    Without a word he retreated, pulling the door to the bathroom shut behind him. She promptly began to sob, praying he was far enough away not to hear her. In truth, she hated seeing herself in the mirror now. Her once shining mane was now dull, void of any vitality. Her eyes looked sallow, and every time she inhaled, she could see her own ribs. The muscle tone in her arms had improved, but with bones protruding from her hips, shoulders and ribs were unsightly on her already wiry frame.

     Adam was cleaning his weapon at one of his work tables when she emerged from the bathroom. He said nothing as she made her way to her room to dress. By this time, a new black silk uniform had been delivered for her, along with a set of black silk slippers. She emerged to find Adam putting his sword back in the sheath.

     “You’re left-handed, right?” 

     “Yes, sir?”

     “I need a left-handed sparring partner,” he said matter-of-factly. “I find that aspect of my skill…lacking.”

     “With all due respect, sir, I don’t think I’m the best candidate.” Weiss replied, fiddling with her hair. She’d gotten accustomed to having to put her hair up in the morning without the convenience of the bathroom mirror since Adam was getting ready at the same time every morning.

     Adam turned to face her. “I need someone who I can practice with at my command, and none of my left-handed officers is always going to be available. I will make arrangements for you to train with me in the dojo and will even provide you work out clothes to practice in. I doubt you’d want to spar in a skirt.”

     Weiss smiled despite herself. “Depends on the skirt,” she smirked. “This thing, with the slits up to here? No. Give me combat skirt and I’ll be fine.”

     “You’ll be getting a gi. I’ll also let you select from the assortment of practice weapons. I understand you’re more of a fencer? You seem to be the prissy, formal swordswoman type.”

     “My sword was…is a rapier. I took fencing, so I know the forms, but my style isn’t as prissy as you think. My main concern isn’t my attire, it’s this.” She lifted her collar with one finger.

     Adam scowled. He hadn’t thought of that. “I’ll think of something.” He resolved. “Carry on. The other humans will be arriving later today, so I’ll be overseeing their assignments and housing arrangement, you’ll eat at the same time you serve Sienna Khan and then join for their reception.”

     “Yes, sir,” she agreed.

     He left without saying another word, leaving Weiss a little confused as to his new request.

    The two trays Weiss went to collect for dinner were different. While one had regular ‘prisoner rations’ of white rice and a small amount of vegetables, the other had a large bowl of rice accompanied by a beef stir fry.

   “Yours,” the cook said as she handed Weiss the bigger tray, “And high leaders,” she said again stacking the tray on top of the first, before sliding in blunted bamboo chopsticks to each tray.

   “Are you sure?” Weiss asked.

   “This is what he ordered,” the cook said, splaying his hands over the food. “I don’t ask questions; I just do what the boss orders.”

   “Ok…thank you.” She made her way to Sienna’s cell. The guards made no comment, merely unlocking the door and stepping out of her way.

    In the week since her detainment, Sienna had been fitted with a collar similar to Weiss’s, and was still shackled by the feet to the wall. Weiss set the tray and scooted her food close enough to her to eat before sitting on the floor in front of her own food.

    “You’re early,” Sienna noted.

     “Adam wants me to be a part of his twisted welcoming ceremony for the human slaves when they arrive,” Weiss said frankly. She didn’t have to feign respect for Sienna, nor did she have to put on an air of respect for Adam in front of her.

    “Humans in our most sacred place,” Sienna sighed. “He’d better hope none of them escape. They’ll lead every huntsman in Mistral right to us.”

    “They’re taking people who have never wronged him and abusing them to get back at a system they neither participated in nor benefitted from,” Weiss confessed. “Those villagers in Mountain Glenn never did anything to him, to the faunus. Adam doesn’t hate the injustice or the prejudice, he just hates humans.”

    “He seems to have taken a liking to you though,” the tigress said, nodding to her larger portion of food.

    “I don’t know why,” Weiss said between bites. “When he first took me, he encouraged my abuse and starvation. Now, I’m basically his administrative assistant.”

    “More like his collared lapdog,” Sienna retorted. “It reminds me of the old stories of when kings would conquer their foes and then collar the defeated kings and make them eat under the table. You’re his prize, his trophy. Something to show off.”

    The heiress looked down at her bowl. “Maybe…that’s why he’s feeding me more. He saw how unhealthy I looked and maybe thought it reflected poorly on him.”

    “It could be that, but it could be just him seeing himself in you.”

    “What do you mean?”

    Sienna took her last bite of food and put the bowl back on the tray. “When he was a kid, pre-teen aged, he came to the White Fang after he’d escaped the mines. He was so starved Kali Belladonna cried when she saw him. He’d gone weeks without food staying in hiding long enough to find a White Fang outpost.”

    “That…had to be harrowing.”

    “This may not have been your decision personally, but I hope it makes you realize how wretched he had it in the mines. He’d rather starve to death than work for the Schnees.” She pushed her empty tray back in Weiss’s direction. “I’m not saying that his desire to exact vengeance on the human race is just, but his hatred of the human race is at least somewhat justified. And he won’t stop until he has his vengeance, regardless of the consequences.”

    “But then…why hasn’t he killed me yet?” Weiss asked, taking her finished tray and stacking it under her own.

    Sienna could only shrug. “He could use you for leverage later on. He could keep you as a testament to his achievements, or perhaps he is finding that he can’t hate you as an individual despite your race and your family history. Either way, don’t get comfortable. You have no guarantee he won’t kill you tomorrow.”

    Weiss took her tray. “If things were up to you, you I wouldn’t even be alive right now. I consider myself to be fortunate. In that regard, we’re in the same boat.”

     It was a fair point, Sienna nodded, conceding to Weiss as she stood. “It was nice to get to eat with someone,” she admitted. “Dinners with Adam are pretty quiet.”

     “I guess we’ll have to do it again some time,” Sienna half smirked.

     Weiss dismissed herself, joining Adam in the throne room after she dropped off the trays. The humans were brought in: collared, and separated out with the men on one side, the women on the other and the children in the front. Most of them looked thinner, and all bore the same expression Weiss had: resignation. They’d resigned themselves to their fate: a life of thankless servitude, but could one blame them? They’d had their spirits branded and starved out of them. Adam made some grandiose speech about how they’d usher in a new era of humans fearing their betters and how the humans before them were property designed to serve them and what would happen if they resisted their orders, but Weiss wasn’t paying attention. Scanning the faces of her fellow captives, she found only hopelessness and resentment, making it harder and harder for her to maintain her composure. Her eyes flitted to the White Fang members who had come from Mistral, still in their white uniforms instead of the Mistral black and silver. Bran was among them, and she almost smiled when she saw him. He never looked at her though, and was never able to connect. Looking further, she also saw the lieutenant. She scowled, and of all people, he noticed. His grin spread on his face as she could only imagine his eyes lighting up with sadistic delight behind his mask.

      Everything was changing so fast, Weiss wondered if she could keep up with all the new plans being put into effect, and wondered if Adam wasn’t stretching himself too far with his new regime.

Chapter Text

     “Has Adam told you about his human friend Hazel?” Sienna asked cryptically while they were eating one evening. Weiss had taken to eating her meals while waiting for Sienna to finish her meal, and the high leader hadn’t objected. They often made small talk, discussing the changes Adam was implementing and how things used to be run.

     “I know nothing about Hazel except that he works with Adam and the woman who launched the attack on Beacon with Roman Torchwick.” Weiss said honestly. She thought back to a time when she thought her life couldn’t get any more exciting or hectic; when Roman Torchwick was terrorizing the city of Vale stealing dust and rallying the White Fang to do his dirty work.

     “He hasn’t told you or any of our troops about the grimm queen?”

     Weiss put her bowl down. “The grimm queen?” It wasn’t even something her brain could supply a concept for.

     “Hazel works for a woman who is both grimm and human,” Sienna said calmly, continuing to eat while Weiss hands lay idle. “And she is hellbent on destroying mankind.”

     “Mankind has a tenacity and a hardiness that’s allowed them to endure every era. If she thinks that destroying the huntsman academies will bring us down, she doesn’t understand humans at all.” Weiss replied.

     “I think she understand mankind all too well. She’s discovered how to pit mankind against itself,” Sienna replied. “Hazel and his cohorts are humans, and she’s using them to instill fear and mistrust. Even if the White Fang had not been present at the fall of Beacon, man’s own fear and the grimm would have been enough for you to rip yourselves to shreds.”

    “But why? What is her purpose in erasing humanity?”

    Sienna barely shrugged her shoulders. “Jealousy? Spite? I don’t even think Adam knows, but he was willing to sacrifice faunus lives for that cause.”

     Weiss finally took another bite. “What guarantee does Adam even have that this grimm queen won’t turn on the faunus once humanity is eliminated?”

     “He has no guarantee,” Sienna continued between bites. “In fact, he suspects once the White Fang has outlived its usefulness, she’ll lump us in with you and kill us all?”

     “Then why is Adam helping her achieve her goals faster?” Weiss knitted her brow in concern.

     “Because his goals, for the time being, are the same. Bring humanity down, make them hurt. But Adam wants to subjugate humans while this witch wants to kill them altogether.”

     “What’s going to happen then when their ideals clash? Adam’s and Hazel’s?”

     “That’s a reasonable question. Why is he out there, leading our people, sacrificing our resources and manpower for someone who is going to stab him in the back while I’m chained up in here? He claims that this is the best path for the faunus, to feign compliance so we can find a way to either stop or her or at least hold her off, but no one in their right mind would think of that as the safest option. By complying, we are becoming complacent. He will grow comfortable that he won’t be discarded once she’s gotten what she wants.”

    “Does the rest of the White Fang know? About this woman? About any of the long term?”

   “I don’t know. But once the word does get out, it’s going to split the White Fang. This should be a time when we should actually be putting aside our feuds and fight this threat together. We can settle our ow affairs once this is sorted out, but Adam is having none of it. His bitterness against humanity knows no bounds.”

   Weiss hesitantly took a bite. “So…what will you do?”

   Sienna made a face, holding up her arms to remind Weiss of their shared predicament. “I’m not exactly in a position to do anything. I’m imprisoned in my own fortress, stripped of my authority, my title, and my aura. What exactly am I capable of at this point?”

   Weiss shrugged. “I don’t know; I thought you might have some members still loyal to you here.”

   “Anyone’s love for me is nullified by their fear of Adam.” Sienna placed the empty bowl back on the tray. “He takes great pains to be commanding and intimidating to his men.”

   Weiss nodded in comprehension. “He very much views the world in only black and white. If you’re not kissing his boots, you’re planning to stab him in the back. At least that’s how he would perceive it.” She quickly finished and balanced everything on the tray. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to persuade him from my end. If Adam wants what is best for the faunus, he’ll have to leave this grimm queen’s faction at some point.”

    “I just hope it isn’t too late,” Sienna said, giving a small wave goodbye as a guard unlocked the door for Weiss.

     Her mind wandered as she returned the tray to the kitchen and returned to the throne room to wait on the high leader. He had little for her to do, giving her freedom to wrap her head around everything she had heard. A grimm queen, a plot to holocaust all of humanity, magic without dust? How much was Adam keeping hidden? She jolted back to reality when Adam stood. She followed behind him back to his room, asking if he needed anything out of instinct.

    “Actually, yes. Today, you’re coming with me to the dojo,” Adam said with a hint of anticipation in his voice Weiss was sure she’d never heard before.

    “I am?”

    “I told you a few days ago I wanted to work on fighting left-handed opponents, and with the help of a few engineers, I can make it happen without compromising your captivity.” He disappeared into the closet and returned with traditional Mistral clothes: a hakama, a haori, and socks that she was sure had a name but couldn’t remember.

    “I see…” Weiss replied unsure of what he meant.

   “Clothes have been laid out for you to spar with me today,” he said, not looking up. “You can use a practice sword from the selection we have at the dojo.”

    Weiss looked in her small bedroom and spied the outfit on the bed, almost rolling her eyes. It was a dry fit ensemble with a blue gradient that faded from an ice blue at the shoulders down to navy at the bottom hem. Sleeveless top with a short skirt that barely came to her fingertips led her to believe it was an old tennis or badminton outfit. Where he found it, she couldn’t begin to imagine.

   “Are you serious?” she asked, holding it up for him to see.

   “What? You said you wanted to fight in a skirt?”

   “At least it doesn’t show my midriff,” she sighed as she went into the bathroom to change. She emerged a few minutes later in her ‘combat’ skirt and had pulled her hair back in a ponytail that kept her hair both out of her face, but high enough to keep it from touching her shoulders.

   Adam was ready as well, having changed into his hakama, wearing no shirt and keeping his haori open. The two of them could not have looked more mismatched as they walked side-by-side down the hall to the dojo. Adam seemed particularly eager to begin, and Weiss had to push herself to keep pace with him the whole way there.

    The dojo had apparently been under some kind of renovation. Fine dust was layerd everywhere and one of the padded rings was roped off caution tape. The main pad in the middle however was being cut free of the yellow tape just as they entered.

     The scene before her could not have been more stereotypical. A rat faunus with beady eyes and round goggles resting between his leathery ears stood with a clipboard. It didn’t help that had an overbite and long skinny fingers. His voice even sounded weaselly, cracking when he got excited. Adam surveyed the work, seeming satisfied as the rat kowtowed to him explaining the modifications. 

     “As you can’t see because we’ve done a fantastic job burying the nodes and cables, the ring has been fitted with a barrier similar to the one the Amity Arena used to protect the spectators. People can get in and out, but dust and aura can’t. It’ll keep the damage to a minimum. We went to the trouble of excluding each of the wooden pillars to keep the original architecture of the room. We’ve also allowed for the other modification of the collars.” He handed the diagrams for Adam to look over. After a quick glance, Adam handed the papers to Weiss to hold. She began looking over the modifications to the ring. It was all Atlas tech; modern stuff, too. The Amity Arena had state-of-the-art advancements: somehow, the White Fang had access to some of the best equipment Atlas had to offer.

      “Let’s see how it holds up,” Adam said, removing the haori, revealing his bare chest. He was broad enough through the shoulders and pecs to be intimidating, but not so much as too look macho or beefy. He had muscles, but not necessarily the sculped physique of a body builder, he looked more realistic, more solid like he both ate healthily and worked hard. His body was a weapon and it showed. He also removed the metal mask, leaving it atop his haori on one of the benches. He nodded to the myriad of swords on the wall. “Pick one. Let’s see how you do.” He took a few practice swings with Wilt and Blush still sheathed and stretching his neck.

      None of the swords were thin enough for her taste and all of them were heavy. She was finally able to find a double-edged katana on the final rack, and while it was shorter than she was accustomed, the blade was at least straight.

     Stepping onto the mat, the first sensation she felt was lightheaded. Blinking and trying to ground her feet only to have a wave of nausea wash over her. She stepped forward to lean onto one of the wooden supports, trying to control her breathing as her suppressed aura began surging through her body again.

     “It’s disorienting at first,” Adam explained. “In time, you’ll adjust.”

     “Thanks.” Weiss said, not meaning it at all. After a few minutes, the nausea passed. She began making a few practice thrusts with the katana, adjusting to the weight and balance of the blade. She practiced her foot work, taking a big stumble before catching herself. She focused on her aura, getting used to the feel of it. “All right, where do you want me?” she asked, shaking her free hand to loosen up.

    He pointed with his sword. “You sure you don’t need a few more minutes?”

    She used the palm of her right hand to summon a tiny glyph. A miniature suit of armor emerged in a tiny white burst of light. She looked him dead in the eye. “I’m fine.”

    Adam smiled his trademark smirk before taking his stance. Weiss took her own stance and waited for him to make the first move. 

    She wasn’t ready.

    His first thrust pushed her so far back she staggered to regain her balance. When he swung at her again, her instincts took over and she began blocking his moves, carefully keeping him from pushing her against one of the support pillars or getting her into a corner. She could tell he was using his aura but hadn’t even indicated he needed to use his semblance. She had enough of a sense of self preservation, but it was taking all her effort to just stay on her feet.

   Adam was accommodating the first few rounds letting her adjust and get back in the swing of fighting, but after he realized she had no intention of going on the offensive, he became more aggressive. Using her glyphs to summon a boarbatusk, it did little in the way of damage, but it was an excellent form of distraction because she could summon them anywhere in the ring. The next two rounds, she comfortably defended without letting him land a single blow. The rat and his fellow technicians watched, monitoring the state of the barrier to check for needed adjustments.

    “Why are you just defending?” Adam was getting frustrated. “I need you to attack me so I can learn how to defend left-handed attacks.” He chambered for a defense. “Come at me.”

    Weiss bent her knees and looked for a plan of attack. She’d never be able to match him in speed, but he couldn’t read her mind, she’d have to out maneuver him. She scooted her right foot back a little to ground herself. It hadn’t been that long that she was out of practice. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Lighting off her left foot she used both her arms to swing at his left side. He blocked it but she could feel the force of it push him back some six inches. She’d never had that much power in her swings before. With each blow her training came back to her, allowing her to predict his next move based on his body language. He was holding back in strength, but he couldn’t keep up with her strategy, alternating between swinging high and low but aggressively keeping on his left side.

    He was enjoying it. She was a strategist and he had to put effort into blocking her attacks. After an hour, her stamina was still holding up. After another thirty minutes though, she began to wane. Adam called it before she collapsed entirely. Towels were passed out and water bottles were passed through the ropes.

    “I can’t believe I’ve been holding up this long,” Weiss said between gasps for air. “I couldn’t last an hour with this intense of an opponent when I was adrenaline fueled fighting for my life at Beacon.”

    Adam panted for a few minutes before his breathing returned to normal and he responded. “Your body has built up muscles and stamina without an aura. You went from being a student with some athletic requirements to a day laborer using your body all day every day. It’s hardened you mentally and physically. Add your aura back in and you’re going to find you don’t even need a second wind.”

    Weiss squirted water into her mouth from the water bottle. “Imagine what I could do with my own rapier or even some dust.”

    “I’m not giving you dust,” Adam cut her off. “You’re here to help me train on form, not make me sharper. You could never match me in anything. Not in speed. Not in brute strength, not in swordplay.” He spoke with authority untainted by arrogance as he wiped the sweat off his neck and chest.

    She tried not to focus on him as she patted herself dry. She was sweaty and needed to shower but knew she’d have to wait until he was finished with the bathroom before she’d have permission to clean up.

     The instant she stepped out of the ring, the aura drained from her body and she slumped to the floor. Her muscles felt like they were on fire and a headache began forming on the crown of her head.

     “Guess it works as intended,” she could hear Adam say as she pushed herself onto her knees.

     “Everything is to your liking then, sir?” the rat faunus said tapping the tips of his fingers together.

     Adam looked at Weiss and smiled. “So far, yes.”

     Determined to not come across as weak, Weiss pulled herself up onto a bench and stood, pushing herself to taking steps even though everything hurt. She forced herself to match pace with Adam back to his quarters, immediately resuming her duties while Adam showered.

     Weiss took her time when it was her turn in the bathroom. Her tennis outfit more or less peeled off her and she smelled awful, but something about today made her feel satisfied. It was the closest thing she felt like to a huntress since she’d left beacon for home. Once she was finished, it was time to collect Adam’s tray for dinner.

    “For the record, you’re looking a lot healthier.” He said as he returned his food to her.

    “Thank you, sir,” she replied, taking the tray.

     A moment of awkward silence followed. Adam looked like he was going to say something but kept stopping himself.

     “If there’s nothing else you need sir, I’ll return this and take my dinner with Sienna Khan.”

     “That’s fine,” he said, grabbing a stack of papers and pretending to look through them until she left.

     She ate with Sienna like normal, asking more and more questions about what she knew about the grimm queen, listening as the former high leader recounted everything Adam had told her and adding her own speculation from what she’d learned. Salem couldn’t give out magic, but she could wield it; she was old and had some personal vendetta with Ozpin and all of humanity with him. She’d never appeared in person, but had sent out her minions like Hazel and Cinder. Apparently, there were two others: Tyrian, a faunus none of the White Fang had ever met and an escaped convict from Atlas: Arthur Watts.

     “Arthur Watts is dead,” Weiss said flatly. “He was killed in a military exercise gone wrong years ago.”

     Sienna Khan shook her head. “He is the one who was able to override the paladins at Beacon and turn them on you,” Sienna responded. When she saw Weiss knitting her brow trying to make sense of it, she expounded. “How else do you think the paladins turned on the huntsmen and the Atlesean military but never attacked the White Fang?”

     “I have had to unlearn so much of what I thought was true,” Weiss sighed. “If everything my father has said about the SDC is false, and the Atlesean military lied about Watts being dead, what else are they lying to their own people about.”

     “Every leader leaves information out,” Sienna Khan replied. “It’s the only way to ensure we can maintain control of those under us.”

     Weiss thought about what Sienna said the rest of the evening. Adam was leaving everything about Salem out. Ozpin left his knowledge of Salem out. Ironwood hid so much: Watts, Penny, new technology. Even her own father put on a fake show of helping the faunus while simultaneously marginalizing them in his mines and factories.

     Who else was hiding things? Lionheart and Theodore, the other school headmasters? Ruby’s uncle? Winter?

     “You look deep in thought,” Adam commented, jolting her back to reality.

     “I’m sorry, sir. I was just thinking of how to improve our training,” she lied. “Is there anything before turn in that you’d like me to do?” Adam had elected to pour his own bourbon. Weiss shrank, expecting to be in some kind of trouble for neglecting him, but he didn’t seem to mind

    “Some time tomorrow I need you to press my formals. I’ll also be cancelling our training Friday.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    “If you’d like I can arrange for you to practice so you stay in the habit of using your aura. Bran perhaps or someone else I am confident won’t accidentally be too forceful with you. I won’t have time to practice this Friday or the next.”

    “Big meetings?” she asked casually as she unfolded the ironing board.

    “I have a meeting planned tomorrow. Preparations for another meeting next week where I can introduce Hazel and a few of his men to the chapter heads of the White Fang as well as witness the execution of Sienna Khan.”

    “Execution!” Weiss said with more concern than she wanted.

    “I don’t know why you act either surprised of concerned,” Adam replied. “This is the woman who ordered me to kill you to atone for your father’s atrocities.”

    “She at least had logic to her actions,” Weiss said finally, “She wanted to hurt the Schnees the way the Schnees hurt the faunus. You executing her after you assured me you’d keep her alive to make her see reason is not logical at all.”

    “Sienna only benefits the faunus if she’s helping me work to find a way to stop Salem. She’s refused to help me in this and now she stands as the driving force that would challenge my authority. If I keep her alive, I’m only undermining myself and giving the White Fang the opportunity to choose sides.”

     “I see, sir,” was all she replied. “I’ll have your suit pressed by tomorrow evening.

     “Good. I’ll take a bourbon tonight,” he said retiring to his lounge chair. He smirked to himself with satisfaction as she served him, almost as if he were secretly happy to be ridding himself of his rival. After she poured his drink, he dismissed her for the evening.

     In bed that night, she made up her mind she was going to help Sienna escape. She had clout as Adam’s servant, she had the vial of dust, and she had easy access to both Sienna Khan and a place where the aura collars would deactivate. It would take nerve, but she would be able to pull it off.

Chapter Text

     There was something about the crisp, frigid air of Atlas that Winter loved returning to every time she came back from a mission. This time, it was the only solace she had. She knew Ironwood was going to be angry with her for being late, and knew Weiss would be left to fend for herself until the borders opened backed up.

     She sighed when she saw Ironwood waiting for her on the landing pad, and even from far away he was scowling in displeasure.

     “I wouldn’t be too worried,” the pilot said over his shoulder, “He was probably worried about you and is relieved you’re alright.” His words didn’t really seem to comfort her.

    For just a brief moment, she wished Qrow were there with her. He’d play the part of a ne’er-do-well boyfriend bringing his date back late and cooly telling her dad he was overreacting. Ironwood would have fumed like an angry overprotective father and Qrow would have just dismissed him as an old fashioned. It was fun to imagine.

    But Qrow wasn’t here. She’d have to face Ironwood on her own.

    “Where have you been?” Ironwood demanded as soon as her feet touched solid ground. “I sent orders to return five days ago!” It was the time of year that the spring winds made the floating city particularly windy, but his voice cut right through the whistle and noise of the aircraft.

    “I’m sorry, sir. I wanted one last lead on my sister.” Winter said, standing in formation.

    “We have more important things at stake than your wild goose chase,” Ironwood replied, turning on his heels to head inside. He stopped before turning around and face her again. It was only then Winter notice there was more gray in his hair and his beard has filled out while she was away. He sighed, his shoulder sagging slightly. “I’m sorry. I know your sister means a great deal to you.”

    “I’m sorry for my delay, sir. I know things must be dire here.” She continued walking, her hands folded behind her back, inviting Ironwood to continue.

    They walked together to Ironwoods office. Winter was invited to sit, but James stood behind his desk, pacing back and forth but stopping at intervals behind his desk.

     “With the borders closing, there’s a great deal of civil unrest, especially in Mantle. We haven’t seen or heard anything from Salem’s faction for months, but the unrest has increased grimm activity.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “In short, things are looking bleak, Schnee. You may be called upon to take the maiden’s powers sooner than we expected.”

     “It was something I committed to when I joined the specialists,” Winter replied.

    “I know, but it was always my hope that you’d never have to take that power on and we could defeat Salem without taking such extreme measures.”

    “Until that time comes, however, sir, I will do everything I can to keep Mantle under control.”

    “That won’t be necessary,” the general replied, “The ASOPs will be handling grimm matters here in Atlas and Pietro has designed a new defense unit for Mantle.”

   “Defense unit?” Winter raised an eyebrow.

   Ironwood pushed the intercom on his desk. “Send her in.” he ordered.

     For the next two days, Weiss played the exact steps of her plan over and over in her mind, rehearsing every step, every detail, every contingency.

      After serving Adam dinner on Friday, he left her alone in the apartment to attend his preparatory meeting. She used a permanent marker to black out two label stickers but didn’t peel them off yet, instead putting them in her slippers as hiding anything in a backless dress with slits up to the thighs was not going to be easy.

      The idea that she might fail only crossed her mind when turned down the hall to Sienna’s cell. If Adam found it, he probably wouldn’t kill her, but he was going to kill Sienna either way. It was too late now to back out. She took a deep breath and approached with confidence.

      “After she is finished eating, I’m to escort Sienna Khan to the throne room where she will stand trial for her actions.” Weiss said flatly.

      The guards only nodded as they unlocked the door to the cell and permitted her entrance. She’d gone through endless conversations in her head on what to say if the guards questioned or resisted, almost disappointed she didn’t have to use any of her canned responses. She had little time to ponder it, time was of the essence tonight.

     “Eat fast. We’re going to have to move quickly.”

     “What do you mean?” Sienna asked looking bewildered.

     Weiss kept her voice down. “Short version: Adam plans to have you executed in front of the other heads of the White Fang next week. I’m helping you get out of here. I have a plan, but we need to hurry and you’re going to need some food in your stomach.”

     “You’re serious?”

     Weiss responded by laying out the bowls of food, and handing the chopsticks over. “We need to hurry.”

      Bewildered, Sienna picked up her bowl to eat. After she had made quick work of her rice, she put the bowl back on the tray. “What’s the plan?”

      Using her chopsticks, Weiss took a few pieces of fish off her rice and handed them to Sienna. “You’re going to need the calories.” Sienna took them wordlessly, eating while Weiss explained. “There’s a special barrier in the dojo that mitigates the aura dampening collars and has weapons you can use. The guards think I’m escorting you to a meeting Adam’s having tonight. Instead, I’ll take you to the dojo. You can break off the collar in the dojo, grab a weapon and escape. Adam and some of the leaders of the headquarters here will be tied up in the meeting which should give you a short window of opportunity. Just act compliant and make it convincing.”

      Sienna nodded. “What do I need to do?”

      “I’m going to use this label and put it over the catch of the door on my way out. Can you take care of the guards without your semblance while I take the trays back? I need an alibi. This can’t be connected to me.” She kicked off her slipper, carefully peeling off the labels, layering the two for strength and concealing it in her palm.

      “You’ve…you’ve really thought this out?”

      Weiss picked up the tray. “Yeah. You ready?”

      Sienna took a deep breath and stood up. “I got this. Meet you in the dojo?”

      The huntress pounded on the door, her hand barely passing over the doorframe sealing the label over the catch on the lock. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m done with the trays to escort her to the throne room.”

     “Yes, miss.” one of the guards said as the other pulled the door shut.

     She waited until she was out of the line of sight to run, making it to the kitchen and down to the dojo in record time. The halls were empty: anyone not in the meeting was either in the mess hall or in one of the recreation rooms enjoying their first night of the weekend. She made it to the dojo first, slapping the wall blindly until her hands found the light switch to turn it on. Sienna emerged only a minute later.

     “Grab a weapon and get onto the mat,” Weiss said, “But fair warning, it’s going to make you sick until you re-adjust to your aura.”

     “We have time, but not a lot. I pulled the two guards into the cell and broke the tape. Once they wake up, they’re going to make some noise.”

     The selection of chain whips was wanting as Sienna hastily grabbed the closest one. Weiss braced herself as she entered the padded mat area, but Sienna dashed into the arena, promptly falling on her knees and vomiting on the mat. Weiss rushed to her aid but Sienna held up a hand to stop her: she could do this herself. Forcing herself up onto her knees, she grabbed at the metal collar, and pulled it apart with her bare hands. The metal shards flung across the room, and a tiny amount of purple dust dissipated with the natural circulation of the air, leaving only the electrical wiring on the padded floor of the practice arena. She finally held her hand up to accept Weiss’ help.

     “You need to take a minute and let your stomach settle,” Weiss advised.

     “I don’t have that kind of time,” Sienna said, trying to control her breathing. She climbed off the mat and stumbled her way to a window, pulling herself up and sitting on the sill. It was a single glass pane that opened sideways, giving her more than enough room to slide out.

     “This isn’t much, but it should help,” Weiss said stretching up to hand her the vial of dust she’d been hiding in her cot.

    “How did you get this?”

    “I stole it from Adam weeks ago. He never noticed.”

    “You could have done all this yourself and escaped.”

    Weiss shook her head. “I’m not fast or quiet enough. You at least have a chance of making it out undetected.” 

    “Why don’t you come with me?”
    It was only a split second of silence before Weiss replied “No.”

    “Why? You helped me out of here, I’m sure you want out, too! Don’t you have a family looking for you? A home for you to get back to?”

    Weiss took a step away from her. “I don’t want you to die. You’re the only hope the White Fang has right now of getting out from under Salem. But I’m still the daughter of the SDC’s owner, and you still put ordered my assassination.”

    Sienna scoffed. “Are you serious? We’ve got more at stake than the SDC right now.”

    “I know that Adam doesn’t plan to kill me. With you, I’m just not sure. I wish you luck.” She turned and ran, not even giving a proper goodbye. Secretly, she did wish Sienna would make it out and to safety, but if Sienna was going to work on the White Fang from the outside, she was determined to work on it from the inside.

     The evening was quiet. Weiss nervously cleaned the entire living quarters from top to bottom to keep herself busy, wondering how she was going to play off Sienna’s escape if she were questioned. She was jittery enough and had a horrible poker face. Adam would know the instant he saw her face that she had something to do with it.

     She was cleaning the bathroom when she heard the door open and slam. She stayed cleaning, hoping she could just have a few minutes more to regain her composure.

    “Hey!” he shouted from his bedroom. “Hey!” His tone could have sounded impatient, but it almost sounded panicked.

    She came out of the bathroom and began removing her rubber gloves. “Sir?” Then she saw him: blood caked on his neck and face, his clothes in tatters and his posture slumped as if he were about to lose consciousness. She rushed to his side.

    “What happened?”

    “Sienna Khan…escaped…she…she killed five guards and was fighting three more by the time…I caught up to her.” He was breathing heavily. “She…made it over the wall…and into the woods…we fought…but it was dark…and she’s a cat…she can see….she got away.”

    “Are you alright?”

    “No.”

    “He lifted up his shirt to show the would on his left side. Lodged between his fourth and fifth rib was the tip of the chain mace Sienna had stolen. Blood seeped out of the wound without freely flowing.”

    “Keep the blade in there until a medic can remove it. I’ll call for help.” Weiss stood to walk to the door, but a glove hand clamped down on her wrist.

    “No. No medics. They can’t…they can’t see.”

    “That’s life threatening, it needs to come out.”

    Adam gritted his teeth so he could spit out a whole sentence without grasping for air. “They can’t know I’m wounded and Sienna is on the loose. I can’t be weak. Not now.”

    “What do you want me to do?” Weiss did not like where this was going.

    “Take it out and patch me up,” he ordered.

    “I can’t.”

    “I’ll get good and liquored up….you pull it out and stop the bleeding, and my aura will do the rest.” He closed his eyes as a wave of pain washed over him. “I just need to make sure it comes out and doesn’t get infected.”

    Weiss pursed her lips. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it in the bathtub.”

     He sighed. He wasn’t going to argue with her. He reached for her, not waiting until she was grounded to pull himself up. The stumbled into the bathroom together, leaving a trail muddy footprints and blood smears.

      She helped him sit in the bathtub before pulling the shower curtain down, pulling up the bathmats and locking the door. She knew every nook of the room and was able to retrieve everything she thought she’d need in one pass. Gauze, bandages and rubbing alcohol were stored under the sink; fabric glue, scissors and tweezers, he had in a sewing kit for minor repairs and the booze was in the cabinet in his sitting room. She also grabbed a flashlight. Once she returned, she filled the sink with hot water and got to work. She gave him water to drink first, then giving him whiskey to sip. He breathed heavily, sometimes fighting to stay conscious but he never cried outright in pain as she worked on him.

      She first cut his shirt off, carefully stowing throwing it away in the plastic liner of the trashcan. Next, she washed as much blood away from the wound as she could. He was sweating and dreadfully pale. He made no objection when she removed his masks, gratefully pressing the cold washcloth Weiss gave him to put on his head. Next, she sanitized. Pouring rubbing alcohol over the wound, she felt Adam grip her arm like a vise. Remarkably, she wasn’t squeamish when it came to blood, but she was still apprehensive about open wounds and exposed bone.

     “I’m going to pull it out. On three?”

     Adam took a deep breath and nodded.

     “One, two, three,” she pulled, not expecting so much resistance. The scraping of the blade against his ribs made her ears ring, but she kept applying the pressure. The broken blade came out followed by a gush of blood. With the wound flowing freely now. Several towels were ruined blotting away the blood for Weiss to disinfect it again and glue the wound shut. After she was sure it would hold, she ordered him to drink more water while she grabbed him some fresh clothes.

     The shower had a towel rack tiled into the back of it, making it a makeshift handlebar for Adam to grip while he rinsed off the blood and sweat from his fight. It was the best they could do for now: a proper shower would have to wait until morning. Weiss helped him to dry off, averting her eyes until he could get a pair of boxers on. He had to lean against her to get his feet through each of the pat legs and at one point he collapsed against her hard enough she had to push him back upright.

     “You’ve lost a lot of blood. You need to lie down,” Weiss insisted, leading him to the bed. She didn’t bother pulling back the covers to make him work to move his legs that much.

     “I’m cold.” He muttered.

     “I’ll get you a blanket.” She found a thick blanket and carefully draped it over me. She ran her fingers through his hair. “Your best option is to just sleep it off and let your aura work.”

     “Stay with me,” he said. “Please. Until I fall asleep.”

     He never said please. Not even to his own men. Not even to his superiors when he had them.

     “What do you want me to do?”

     “I don’t care, just don’t leave.”

     “Ok.” She walked around and climbed on the others side of the bed, curling up beside him.

     “Does it at least feel like it’s sealed up alright?” Weiss asked him.

     “It’ll do,” he muttered without opening his eyes.

     “It will probably scar, but nothing major,” she tried finding things to keep his mind occupied.

     “I’ve been through worse,” Adam commented.

     Weiss ran her fingers along the brand on his face. “I’m sure this was worse.”

     He was silent for a long time. His labored breathing evened out and Weiss would have sword he’d fallen asleep but he spoke:

     “I was eight, and that was the age all the kids get their brands. I knew it was coming, and I don’t know what I was thinking: I’d seen kids the year before recovering from their brands, and I’d seen several kids in line in front of me get branded but in my stupid eight-year-old brain thought I could somehow get out of it. I tried to slip out of line and one of the guards saw me, and grabbed me by the arm. He decided he’d make me go next and I used my horns to nail him in the crotch. It made him mad, so he decided to put the brand on my face, to scare the other kids into submission but to also let everyone at the Schnee Dust Company that I was trouble just with one look. I was so scared when I first escape that the scar would keep other faunus from helping me because I’d be so easy to identify, but the White Fang made sure I stayed hidden and made it out of Atlas. Part of why I designed the masks was not just to emphasize our animalistic nature, but to conceal our faces from the people who used to be our captors that could recognize us.”

     She hadn’t realized it, but the entire time he was talking, she was stroking his forehead and scar.

     “Can I have some more water?” he asked after a pause.

     She slid off the bed and grabbed him a glass of water.

     “Thank you,” he said lying back down.

     That was another first.

    He only lifted his head to drink, but rationed it out, taking sips at regular intervals. They made small talk until he finished the glass and he grew even drowsier. Weiss was shocked he was even still conscious between the alcohol and the bloodloss, but perhaps the adrenaline rush was keeping him from falling asleep…

     Before she knew what was happening, he’d wrapped his arm around her, pressing his hand into the small of her back and sitting up just far enough to kiss her. It wasn’t particularly rough, but it was firm and deliberate. When he finished, he slumped back down into his pillow.

      “I’m sorry,” he whispered, releasing the grip on her waist, sliding his arm free and gripping her hand. He fell asleep like that. Not wanting to disturb him, she shifted her weight to get comfortable and curled up with her hand in his.

      A lot of firsts happened tonight.

Chapter Text

Weiss stirred first, her eyes opening as she lay motionless on the bed. She was still in her red cheongsam, stiff with dried blood and her hair had come undone during the night. Adam's hand still clung to hers, and she feared to pull it free lest she wake up, but there was work to be done. She gently pulled her hand free, watching his breathing remain even and deep and he slept.

There was so much to do: the walkway to the bathroom was caked with mostly just dried mud which could be easily scraped and vacuumed up, but the bathroom was something out of a horror film. Blood spattered everywhere during last night's events. The tile and bathtub would be easy enough to clean but the towels were a lost cause. She could throw them away, along with this uniform and not raise suspicion. Using the regular trash can liners, she set disposed of what she could and used the regular cleaners to re-clean the bathroom. She sighed in dismay when she pulled the shower curtain back into place. The night before she'd pulled up the bathmats and folded the shower curtain up and threw it over the curtain rod to keep it clean, but somehow, a clear line if red circles arced up the fabric side of the curtain. She took a deep breath and took it off the hooks. She could handle this.

Before the age of 16, Weiss had never even done a load of laundry herself. Moving to Beacon was a massive culture shock for her and while she was able to get help from Ruby and Yang for the basics, she found herself on the phone with Klein at least once a week getting advice for how to get unique stains out of her white dresses. Grass, ink, ash, blood, and even chocolate were no match for Klein's expertise. By the time second semester had rolled around, she was the stain sensei talking her seven classmates through how to remove food stains following the infamous food fight. Never did she think she'd be putting such an obtuse skill to use helping the high leader of the White Fang keep up appearances.

She finished removing the last of the dark brownish dots just before the normal time she fetched Adam his breakfast tray. Once the mats were clean and drying on the side of the bathtub, she put her hair up and changed out of her bloodstained dress into a fresh one.

She was unsure of when he would wake, but thought part of the keeping appearances would be to get his tray like normal. The hallways were refreshingly empty on a Saturday morning, giving her an easy chance to dispose of the extra trash bags before making her way to the cafeteria.

It was mostly bare, only the guard who just got off shift and the earliest of risers was about on the weekend. Weiss made sure to select fresh fruits and pastries for Adam: things that wouldn't get cold if he didn't wake up for awhile. Since Sienna was gone now, she'd have to eat breakfast by herself…or with Adam. She was hungry, but she knew she wasn't allowed to eat until Adam was finished with his meal: it was one of his dominance rules. But she decided to get a tray for herself so she didn't have to make two trips.

She passed Bran on the way out who seemed very excited to see her.

"Hey! I haven't gotten to talk to you much since I got here," he said smiling genuinely.

"I have to take this back to Adam, but here, walk with me," Weiss said, nodding in the direction of Adam's apartment. Bran fell in line beside her, the corridors empty enough he didn't have to worry about obstructing on-comers.

"You're looking healthier than you did back at Mountain Glenn."

"Yeah, actually. Adam's literally feeding me more so I'm not starving anymore."

"Do you want me to carry those trays for you?"

"Oh, no," she said pulling them away just in case he tried to reach for them. "It's part of the whole, 'I'm his personal slave' thing." She realized her answer had made him uncomfortable and tried changing the subject. "I take it everyone is abuzz about the events of last night," Weiss said, secretly hoping to get some information if Bran could provide any.

"I didn't see it but a lot of the people that saw the fight said it was bad. Lots of blood and heavy blows. I think it really bothered Ilia to see her idol and her mentor trying to kill each other."

"Yeah, Adam came in pretty riled up last night," Weiss admitted, hoping that if anyone overheard her that would be the extent of the rumors.

"They think she got out through the dojo. That's where they found her collar. Speaking of dojo, you and I should spar sometime. I know they set up the one ring so you can fight in it, and I have been improving on my technique since I've gotten some actual training from fellow axe wielders.

"I don't know if Adam will let me do that."

"Why not? It's not like you can get out the same way Sienna did."

Weiss sighed, louder than she'd wanted to. "Yeah, I know."

"I…I'm sorry." He stopped and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, I know it doesn't seem like much, but I really appreciate what you did for me in Mountain Glenn and I wanted to help somehow…to see if you could think of anything that I could do for the humans who are here."

"You mean slaves, Bran?"

"I know you're not a bad person, and that as individuals, humans don't deserve to be enslaved, but this is how Adam wants to handle captured humans and I can't just go against that. I can't go against him, but I do want to help in whatever way I can. And the best thing I can do is try to get some kind of concessions made for the slaves that are here. So, I'm asking you: as someone who is limited in what he can provide, what can I do to make it easier on the people Adam's captured?"

Weiss took a deep breath and sighed again. "Keeping families together would probably be the biggest thing. I don't' know if you can vie for getting them more food, but make sure that the husbands and wives are able to share sleeping and living spaces with their kids. Most people have nothing to lose if you take their families away and you don't ever want somebody with nothing to lose."

Bran nodded intently. "Ok. Ok. I can see if we can do that. Thank you."

"Thank you, Bran. You're really sweet."

Bran turned the door handle for her to let her into the apartment with her hands full and went on his way. He really was a sweet kid and how he got mixed up with a group of violent terrorists.

Weiss set the tray down on the credenza and pondered it. It wasn't a fair question. How did anyone get where they are? Bran, probably like Blake got swept up in the ideals of chasing justice and equality. Adam was on a mission of vengeance and Weiss like all the other humans in the compound were brought in by force. In one way or another, circumstances brought them to the same compound in Mistral and she was doing her best to make a positive difference. Weiss had helped Sienna escape and Bran was going out of his way to try to make things easier for the other human workers who she rarely saw on a daily basis because they were mostly relegated to physical labor jobs like the back kitchen and hauling lumber.

Adam was still asleep and she didn't want to wake him by running the vacuum, so she used the opportunity to shower and wash her hair.

It hit her like a brick wall while she was enjoying the hot water running down her back.

Adam had kissed her.

Why?

An odd feeling came into the pit of her stomach. It wasn't guilt, but it wasn't really dread either, just an uneasiness that came with unanswered questions.

Why did he do it? Why did he apologize? Did he kiss her on purpose? Was it because she saved his life? Was he even aware of what he was doing? How drunk was he? Would he even remember? Was it the whiskey, or the blood loss? It seemed so measured, almost calculated, but she had seen what his injuries had reduced him to, making her question if it was as intentional as it seemed. Maybe he realized he had actually been in danger of dying and he felt overwhelmed and lucky to be alive. Maybe the blood loss combined with the alcohol left him extremely confused and he thought she was Blake. Maybe the rush of adrenaline just caused him to be ridiculously impulsive and shut off his frontal lobes. Maybe he really wanted to and all his inhibitions were gone.

No.

No, that was not the answer. It had to be some other reason.

She racked her brain as she finished up in the bathroom. Her body was refreshed but her mind was heavy with confusion as she made her way back into the main room of the apartment.

"Were you showering?" Adam asked, standing in front of the credenza perusing his breakfast options, eventually settling for an apple.

She was completely taken aback. He was already up and walking around. He had his cloth mask on, meaning he didn't intend to leave the apartment for a while, but he was at least able to stand and walk. She hadn't expected him to be up and going so quickly.

"Yyyy…yes, sir," Weiss eventually stammered. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I hope the running water didn't disturb you."

Adam shook his head. "I was just curious. You were in there a long time but I didn't hear you singing." He limped to a nearby armchair and eased himself down before biting into his apple.

"I didn't want to wake you," she replied. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get the comforter off the bed and wash any stains out before sending it away to the laundry."

Adam nodded, and she stripped the bed, looking over the blanket, comforter and sheets for stains, counting herself fortunate she only had a single stain on the blanked and a few tiny ones on his comforter. Pillowcases and sheets were safe.

"You've probably bled through those clothes too. I can get the stains out or you can just throw them out." She said as she tossed the comforter and the blanket by the bathroom door. "I'll also need to run the vacuum to get all the mud up, and if you need to change the dressing on the wound, I can get you more gauze."

"It's fine," Adam said, sitting back in the chair and closing his eyes. "I just need to rest for a little bit and heal. Needless to say, I don't think we'll be training this week."

"Of course, sir."

Adam looked at his scroll, furrowing his brow.

"Have you eaten?"

"No, sir."

"Eat now and on and when you drop the dishes off, bring me a dispenser of coffee."

"The whole dispenser?"

"Yes. I'm going to need it."

She stood at the credenza to eat, wolfing down the pastry and apple she'd gotten for herself. Adam even offered her the banana off her plate which she gratefully accepted. He stayed in his chair with his eyes closed as she finished and loaded up everything to return.

It was an hour before lunch and the cafeteria was already beginning to fill up with mask-less faunus as Weiss explained to the cook that Adam wanted an entire pump dispenser for himself. She leaned on the counter of the serving line awaiting the return of her coffee.

"You think Adam taps that?"

It was louder than a whisper but not loud enough to pick out of the rest of the bustling of the room. The fact that she even caught it was a miracle, but she stayed where she was, listening intently. She dared not even turn around to see who was talking about her: the voice was obviously male, but she couldn't even be sure in which direction he was sitting.

"I doubt it," was the reply. "Adam's not into humans."

"Yeah, but I can see him doing it just to put her in her place," a third voice chimed in. This one was female.

"You're honestly telling me he keeps a girl with legs like that in his private quarters all day long and doesn't bend her over at least once in a while?" The first man seemed insistent.

"Honey, She's human. She's a Schnee. He might take out some aggression on her, but I doubt he's keeping her like a fleshlight in a drawer." the female insisted.

"Or he might get off on knowing he can have a Schnee on her knees for him every night. That has to be borderline cathartic." the second faunus added.

"I can tell you what I'd do with her. Same thing as Lieutenant…"

"Here's your coffee." the cook said, hoisting the entire dispenser over the counter and handing her a foam cup filled with sugar and cream packets. Weiss was jolted back to the matter in front of her. She graciously took the decanter by the handle and scurried away, trying to put the conversation she'd overheard behind her. They were just soldiers, and they were just talking. Everyone talks like that when they think no one is listening, right?

Adam was still in his chair when she came in with the coffee, albeit looking more alert. He was typing on his scroll, apparently making arrangements for him to stay in as much as possible even with the arrival of other White Fang chapter leaders and Hazel less than a week away and the plan to attack Haven the week after that. It was only when she went to pour him a cup that she realized she'd accidentally grabbed two foam cups stuck together.

"Sorry about that," she said as she pried them apart.

"You know what?" he gestured toward the extra. "Have a cup. You were up late last night too."

She didn't like black coffee, but was so rarely offered anything she was too afraid to ask if she could use the packets the kitchen staff had sent with her for fear she'd seem ungrateful. She poured herself half a cup and leaned with her back against the credenza sipping the hot bitter liquid down, feigning gratitude.

"You know," he finally said out loud. "I was the tiniest bit worried you wouldn't catch the clue to let Sienna out."

Weiss lowered the cup away from her mouth. "What do you mean?"

Adam smirked. "Why do you think I deliberately made you deliver food to Sienna Khan?"

"I don't know. To assert dominance? To force her to take food from the human slave of the man that over threw her. Are you saying there's another reason?"

"And why do you think I casually let it slip that Sienna Khan would be executed last night?"

The pieces all fell into place in her mind. "You were counting on me to not only befriend Sienna, but to help her escape?"

"Of course. You're a bleeding heart and that makes you predictable," Adam said without an ounce of remorse. He finished his first cup of coffee and pumped himself another. "I didn't know how, but I needed to bank on not knowing so that I could plausibly look shocked when I saw how it played out."

"But why would you even want me to do that?"

"Simple: because I needed to get Sienna Khan out of the compound without looking like I was just letting a fugitive go. I couldn't just set her loose, Salem's goons would think I was sabotaging the White Fang, but at the same time, I couldn't orchestrate the escape myself, I needed plausible deniability. So, I made sure you built up some kind of attachment to Sienna and then announced I'd execute knowing you'd want to ensure her survival. Even Sienna couldn't know I planned on releasing her or else she might go easy on me when I confronted her. You're actually a pretty good strategist."

"You manipulated me?" Weiss didn't know which bothered her more, that she had been that predictable or that he'd preyed upon it. Adam was her captor and wasn't above doing anything to her: the brand on her back was proof of that, but knowing he was willing to psychologically prod her into furthering his own interests…. she had no business feeling betrayed, but she did.

"How did you know I'd help her?" Weiss furrowed her brows at him.

"Because you asked to take your meals with her. People don't ask to spend time with people they hate."

It was unsettling. In one motion, Weiss quaffed the rest of her coffee and threw the cup away.

"I should get to vacuuming this mud up. I should be done getting it all out in time for lunch," she said as she marched away to retrieve the vacuum from the cleaning closet.

She was grateful she had something to focus on and white noise to tune everything out. She was a fool for thinking she was finally starting to make in-roads here. The faunus still hated her and Adam hadn't come to respect her in any way. He was still the same person, and that kiss was probably some kind of power play to manipulate her into saving his life in the future instead of letting him bleed out the next time he got impaled by an escaping fugitive. Inwardly, she began cursing herself for not taking Sienna up on her offer to escape with her, but with her luck, Sienna would have betrayed her, too.

No, Sienna Khan was a merciless antagonist.

Adam was a manipulator.

Blake was a traitor.

The Lieutenant was a tyrant.

The White Fang were all terrorists.

The faunus were monsters.

Chapter Text

Adam was scowling at her.

"You don't have any bloodlust," he commented as he sheathed his katana. He snapped his finger and was thrown a towel.

Weiss shrugged between pants for breath. Despite his own insistence that he would have to "take it easy" after his stab wound, he was back on his feet after only three days and was training again on the fourth. Weiss' skill had improved as she'd adjusted to her new weapon and intense training with Adam. With her aura restored in the ring, she was able to use her glyphs to at a minimum give her a fighting chance. However, despite her improvement against him, Adam still seemed unsatisfied with her. "Sorry, I have no dust, and this ridiculously heavy…double-edged stumpy katana thing slowing me down."

Adam lifted the weapon out of her hands. "It's called a tsurugi, and it's not your speed that's the problem. It's your drive. You're competitive but in a strictly theoretical sense. You enjoy achieving, right?"

"Of course," Weiss said, wiping herself down. "I've always been competitive: academically, fine arts, even at Beacon."

"But is it because you wanted to win or because you wanted to smash your opponent into the dirt? You may have gotten accepted into a huntsman academy, but did you feel a sense of satisfaction when you killed grimm?" He bent under the cords of the ring, holding them up for her to slip through as well.

As always, it was an uncomfortable adjustment feeling her aura drain away. She gripped the ropes to steady herself for a brief moment before replying.

"I guess not. I was more relieved at surviving or at succeeding in pulling off a strategy."

"If you're going to be a successful fighter, you have to desire the devastation of your opponent as much as you desire your own victory. Seeing them lose or suffer should give you some sort of satisfaction knowing that you caused it. You have to have a killer instinct."

"I…I guess…" In public, Weiss was wont to disagree with him, not to make him look good in front of his men, but fearing if she sassed him or displeased him where his men could see, he'd feel obligated to punish her as a show of force. Behind closed doors however, he almost welcomed her disagreeing input on things and they argued frequently.

"We'll try to draw that bloodlust out of you yet," he promised. "We just have to find what it is that makes you want to impose your power on others."

"Yes, sir," she replied. She took his used towel to put in the laundry with her own and put her weapon back on the wall.

"Friday, there'll be no training," the high leader reminded her, "Hazel and the chapter heads will be gathered here for a meeting. Let's hope the weekend is less…eventful that last."

Weiss smiled and gave a half laugh. Eventful was one word for it.

It had been four days and he still hadn't mentioned the kiss. Either he had forgotten it entirely or wanted to pretend like it never happened, leaving her with lack of closure she so desperately sought. She had decided to push it out of her mind by attributing it to some manipulation tactic on his part.

Despite such a short recovery time, Adam wanted to get back to normal, most likely to keep up appearances. She tried to tell him he was pushing himself too hard, he ignored her entirely, resuming his plans for the upcoming attack on Haven. Weiss was almost relieved because it meant Adam wouldn't be doing anything physically strenuous for the next few days while he'd be hosting the brothers from other White Fang chapters.

Bran was able to catch her in the hallway as she left. "Hey. I know it's not much but I wanted to let you know I tried to talk to the people in charge of the other humans. I asked if they could let the families stay together, but they said keeping the children separate ensured the compliance of the adults. I tried explaining that they'd be more compliant if they knew their families were safe, but they wouldn't hear it. They said that's how the humans used to keep us in line: they're just using their own tactics against them."

Weiss let out a long exhale. "I know it's not your fault, and I thank you for trying."

"I can at least let them work and spend time together when they're on my watch," Bran assured her. "If you of all people can treat a faunus with dignity, then I'll find a way to treat humans with the same respect."

Weiss smiled and nodded. "That's very kind of you," she said sincerely. "Out of everyone here, you're the only one it seems that doesn't have a…bloodlust for humanity."

Not much was said about Adam's platinum haired trophy at the meeting with chapter heads. The most shocked one to see her was Mercury Black, who had come with Hazel to oversee the White Fang's attack plan. She was required to sit on the floor beside his chair, ready at a moment's notice to fetch him whatever he wanted. She kept her ears open, but without a view of the tabletop could only hear the plans, not see where and how the plans were meant to unfold.

Without the Atlas military to sabotage and without any good methods to transport grimm, the attack on Haven would rest squarely on the shoulders of the White Fang: a perfect set-up for Salem as she could use it as a means of pitting humans and faunus against each other further. The plan as it stood was for the White Fang to plant bombs and wreak havoc on the school while Hazel and his associates would infiltrate the building and "collect" some things they needed. Hazel was vague about what he wanted, but Adam was satisfied being able to destroy another huntsman academy.

The meeting lasted for hours, with the twelve occupants never left the conference room. Weiss served the guests two meals singlehandedly, never once saying anything beyond a "yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am". To the room, she played her part well: a slave, accepting of her fate and stripped of all desires for a better existence.

At the end of it all, Adam was commended for his actions by the other faunus, though some were skeptical at his vision to institutionalize slavery with human prisoners. Despite their favorability toward her ownership, most agreed she should not be present at the survey trip scheduled over the weekend. Adam reluctantly agreed to leave Weiss behind as they travelled to Haven to further their strategies insisting instead on bringing Ilia, despite her wanting to return to doing recon in Menagerie.

Weiss would not deny that she'd enjoy the weekend off. She could sleep in, get ahead in some of her work like laundry and ironing, do some snooping through Adam's things to get a further look at his plans, and still have time to herself. She told herself that she should take this opportunity to spar with Bran like she'd been wanting, but time off was rare, and she wanted to spend it relaxing and finding ways to undermine her captors, not befriend them.

Adam hadn't fully trusted Weiss to not meddle with his things while he was away, but didn't want to put her in a cell while he was gone. He still didn't fully trust the other White Fang around her, and if the lieutenant tried to repeat what he'd done in Mountain Glenn, then putting her in a holding cell while he was away would just be delivering her on a silver platter. He'd have to leave her alone in his private quarters to maintain the image that he'd conquered her, though he knew full well her spirit was far from broken: her body and posture may have been a good show to the officers, but he knew by the look in her eyes and by the thing she said when the others weren't around that she was still as defiant as ever. Still, she had her uses: she did find a way to get Sienna off the property, and she had doctored him up after the fight…

"That can't be good," Mercury commented as he pointed to gray haze rising above the tree line.

While Hazel and Mercury looked at the smoke with interest, Adam and the other members of the brotherhood became agitated. The pilot of the aircraft ordered the passengers to sit and buckle up so he could take the craft in, pushing the speed of the ship until it put everyone on the brink of nausea. While they realized that the reality was probably nothing serious: a minor dust explosion or a kitchen fire that was already under control, there was still an air of dread as they landed and approached, fearing the worst. Adam was the first off the transport followed by Ilia who could only stand in shock as they took in the scene before them.

Smoke poured out of every window and door as the blaze consumed the palace. The fire protocol had been followed and several of the White Fang had made it out alive, gathering on the north side of the building in a forest clearing. Most just coughed and sputtered for breath while others with more severe injuries were carried out. Medics were working frantically, trying to attend as many injuries as possible while any faunus with a relevant semblance tried keeping the fire contained or went back in to find their comrades.

"Lehela," Adam knelt beside the aging woman as she tended to a burn victim. "What happened?"

"A handful of the human servants jumped their guard set a fire in the pantry, It got out of control faster than we could control it. They're still trying to get everyone out," she said without looking at him directly. Another wave of officers fishing out their comrades and slaves emerged from the doorways. Adam and the chapter heads immediately began assisting finding places to lay the injured.

"How many are left still in there?"

"From what we can tell there's at least thirty faunus missing and almost half the slaves," the officer reported.

"What can we do to help?" Hazel asked.

"For now, help set up a perimeter. This will be sure to attract grimm. We were able to move all the air transports away from the blaze and we're using them to haul water to try and douse the flames."

"What do we do about the ones still trapped inside?"

A loud crack interrupted them as a section of the building buckled then collapsed, shooting clouds of ash and soot into the air.

"I don't think there's much chance of living if they're still inside."

Adam looked around, surveying the splayed bodies of faunus and humans in various stages of injuries: burns, gashes, unconscious. The overwhelming majority had made it out alive and most with just minor injuries. He was grateful that everyone had made it out…

"Where's Weiss?" he asked.

No one answered.

His voice went from a command to a snarl. "Where's Weiss?"

The officer's daren't answer him, but Lehela did, standing as she moved to the next cot. "She was a human and no one was going to risk going in after her. We had more important lives to save."

"I'm going in after her," he said flatly.

"You can't go back in," one of his officers said, "The building's gone. The only thing we can do is keep it from burning down the forest at this point. The Schnee girl is probably already dead from the smoke anyway."

Adam looked somberly at the headquarters, then at the White Fang leaders, then to Hazel and the boy, and finally at his own men. His mind was made up; he removed a handkerchief from his breast pocket and tied it around his head covering his nose and mouth.

"Adam, don't!" Ilia pled, her chameleon spots changing to shades of gray and black as she grabbed his sleeve trying desperately to pull him away from the burning building. Adam rounded on her.

"I need her!" he shouted. Adam almost never raised his voice, but this wasn't a shout of anger or frustration. It was emphatic and distressed. Ilia loosened her grip in shock, watching helplessly as he vanished into the gray wall of smoke of the palace gates.

"What is he doing?" Mercury asked, looking perplexed at Hazel.

"Apparently he finds her valuable either to himself or his plans," Hazel responded. "But our allies need help, and we'll offer it to them in whatever way we can. Let the high leader sort out his own business."

Two minutes passed, then five, then ten.

"Should we go after him?" Lehela asked.

The security officer shook his head. "We're not risking more lives."

The airships arrived with the water, dousing the growing edges of the flames to keep them from catching the nearby trees.

The onlookers expected their high leader to march out of the building in slow motion, carrying his quarry bridal style like some sort of high-budget movie. The reality was far less glamorous. He staggered into the open, barely able to walk as he had the heiress over his shoulder, her hair and clothes scorched with black splotches. He gasped desperately for air as his knees buckled underneath him. Hazel was at his side in a moment, assisting him to the safe zone. The high leader wasted no time in ripping the bandana off and breathing deeply trying to catch his breath. Despite the commotion of injured comrades and frantic firefighting, never for a moment did he remove his attention from Weiss.

Her body was limp. He gently laid her down, removing his jacket to cradle her head.

"She's not breathing," he called to a medic. If the faunus around him hadn't known better, they would have sworn he sounded panicked.

He put his ear to her lips, and his fingers pressed into her neck feeling for a pulse. Her heartbeat was faint. Frantic, he removed his grimm mask and began giving her mouth-to-mouth. The medic hesitated before stepping away to help others. Adam continued, alternating breaths and chest compression. When she didn't respond, he removed his sword and slipped it between her neck and the aura collar, using only the tiniest bit of his semblance to shatter the metal. Immediately, the aura around her body began to glow an almost ethereal white and he pressed his lips to hers once again, forcing air into her lungs.

The boosted healing of her aura was enough to revive her. She coughed and gasped for air, her blue eyes opening to find herself cradled in his arms.

The sight left his underlings and allies speechless, but Adam didn't notice. Until he was assured of the huntress' condition, he refused to leave her side, letting her grip his arm to pull herself up as she continued to heave and clear her lungs of the smoke.

Small grimm: mimics and nevermore began seeping out of the forest; drawn by the pain of the faunus and the absolute terror of the humans who had survived.

"Adam," Ilia called to him.

"Go." Lehela admonished. "They need you. She'll be fine. We're going to sedate all the wounded to keep their emotions from attracting more grimm."

He hesitated at first, but seeing the approaching grimm, stood and joined Ilia in defending the survivors until the forest again was quiet. The hiss and crackle of the fire eventually died as the hovercrafts extinguished the flames, leaving the sky filled with haze, the ground covered in a layer of ash and the remains of the building charred black, creating a depressing picture of loss, all in shades of gray.

She hated the sensation of losing her faculties when the needle was put into her arm, but she remained compliant as the sedative took over, eventually regaining consciousness among the other humans stored inside a cargo transport, forced in a sitting position with her hands secured above her head.

"What's going to happen to us?" one of the women sobbed.

"I don't know, but we can't keep panicking, it's just going to attract more grimm," another said.

"What does it matter? They're just going to kill us anyway. Or worse," the man sitting next to Weiss chimed in.

"They're not going to kill us," Weiss corrected him. "They don't want to eliminate us, the want to subjugate us." Her words weren't intended to comfort, but even so, they came out harsher than she had wanted.

"That's easy for you to say, you're Adam's little pet," an angry young man shouted at her from the far end of the ship. "He feeds you and lets you sleep in a bed. Of course, he won't kill you."

"I sleep on a cot, I just sleep in a different part of the palace," Weiss snapped back. "We're all in this same boat, and we need to stick together if we're going to make it out eventually."

"Make it out and go where?" the first woman said. "We don't even know where we are."

"They flew us over open water, so somewhere in Mistral, I assume," mused another. "But where or if we can even survive long enough to make it back to civilization, I don't know. I was willing to go down with the building, but who knows what they'll do to punish us? They know we're the ones who set the fire."

"SHHHH! Someone's coming!" shouted a child.

The murmurings of the humans quieted as two faunus walked past, stopping just out of view of the ship through open doors on the hover craft.

"Including the Schnee, we've got twenty-two humans still alive and we've found four bodies we can confirm aren't faunus leaving us with twenty-six out of thirty-two accounted for," the faunus said.

"Do you know which ones aren't accounted for?" his companion asked.

"The other humans won't talk, so we don't know who, if any, are missing. Bran would have known, he was in charge of the humans, but he's one of the one's they took down to set the fire in the first place." There was a slight pause. "It was pretty rough when we found him. They left him tied up in the pantry so…He was just a kid."

Weiss spontaneously felt the blood boil inside her. "What did you do?!" she screamed at the other passengers. The cargo bay wasn't lit and the light outside was quickly fading into nightfall, but she could still see the defiance in their faces. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself before asking again in a demanding tone of voice: "What. did. you. do?"

"We had to try…" one began. With her hands still restrained, Weiss formed a tiny white glyph over his lips and pushed it forward with her fingers that forced mouth shut. She didn't want to hear it.

"Bran was the one person who tried to help you," she seethed, hot tears pouring out of her eyes. "Who tried to make your lives better! He asked me what he could do make your lives more comfortable. He was a good kid!"

"He was just another prison keeper!" the youth who had confronted her before said. "He may have been nicer but he was still part of the system of keeping us in chains."

"He was a child! And you killed him!"

"He was a monster, just like the rest of them!"

The use of the word monster caught her. It was the exact word she'd used to describe the faunus for everything they'd done to her from robbing her family to her personal interactions. Sienna, Adam, the Lieutenant, and the members of the White Fang who'd set grimm loose at Beacon on a bunch of teenagers and unarmed townsfolk were indeed monsters.

But not Bran. Bran wasn't a monster. He was fifteen.

She looked again into unapologetic eyes of the other humans in the compartment. There was no remorse. Just as she predicted: they had nothing to lose and were willing to throw that 'nothing' away even if it accomplished nothing more than inconveniencing their captors. Even if it killed innocent people along the way.

These people were monsters.

Humans were monsters.

Chapter Text

As Sun sipped his tea, he looked over at the piece of paper Blake was doodling on. It was a nervous habit she did when she couldn't get something off her mind, and while she wasn't an artist, the strokes made with the pen were decipherable. She's drawn the White Fang symbol, their new one with the more sinister lion's head and the claw marks rather than the original symbol flown under her father's leadership. There was also a snowflake: Weiss' emblem, as well as a vague outline of the roof-line and towers of Haven Academy. Despite looking down, the dark circles under her eyes were visible.

"You're doing it again," Sun said.

Blake jolted a little, his voice startling her. She frowned at him as she pulled the notepad out of his vision to keep away from his prying eyes.

"I'm fine," Blake sighed.

"It's ok to not be fine," Sun shrugged as he used his tail to raise his teacup in her direction. "You've been through a lot. We all have."

She put her pen down and folded her arms on the table before resting her head on one elbow. "I came home to help sort out everything that happened at Beacon. And not only have I not gotten to process that, but my family was attacked, my house burned down, one of my best friends almost killed you and I find out Weiss might very well be a captive of Adam's. This is the exact opposite of what I wanted."

"Hmmm. It's almost like you can't run from your problems."

She frowned at him. "No. Some of them follow me home and embarrass me in front of my dad."

"Fair enough." He placed his teacup back on the saucer.

"It's just…I just wanted a minute to calm down and collect myself and there hasn't been a moment's peace since…well, since Penny died. I couldn't even relax on the boat trip. I can't even relax in my own home."

"No…but that's because your own home burned down. Right now, we're relaxing in someone else's spare apartment. So?"

"What do you mean "so"?" She lifted her head to squint at him angrily, her ears flattening back. "We don't even have time to get our feet under us. The attack on Haven is less than a week away. We leave tomorrow. This is all happening too much too fast. How are we ever supposed to keep up?"

"The truth is, you might not be able to. But that's part of being a huntress." Sun rested a hand on her arm. "You said once that you wanted to become a huntress to help undo all the hate you helped spread when you were still a part of the White Fang. This is your chance, and there's a huge group of faunus ready to follow the Belladonnas into battle. We'll stop Adam, and we'll keep Haven safe."

"And after that? What new crisis will there be?"

Sun shrugged again. "Who knows. But we'll rise to the occasion to fight it, because we're huntsmen, and being heroes is kinda what we do."

While his words were encouraging, Blake's mind wondered if she could do it on her own without her team. Sun seemed to feel independent going solo, but Blake had come to trust both Yang as a partner and RWBY as her team. When this was all over, she'd have to find a way to reach out to them: at least to Ruby and Yang since she could probably find out their address. Patch was a small enough island they'd be easy to find.

She owed them an apology.

Hitting the bar first or home then the bar was a difficult decision. The huntsman had spent his entire day tracking down huntsmen and huntresses only to come up entirely empty handed. The day had gone from inconvenient, to mildly irritating, to almost beyond belief to outright depressing. And he didn't handle depression very well. Not one huntsman was available on a single registry in Mistral. They'd either been assigned missions that put them on the outskirts of the kingdom, or high in the mountains beyond the reach of scroll communication, or worse, just plain missing. With not one soul to aid in the defense of Haven Academy, Qrow trudged back into town. His grumbling stomach told him food was the priority over drink, leading him in the direction of the safe-house rather than the bar. He'd eat and shower first, then go drink away his frustrations.

In truth, he was more disappointed that he was letting Ozpin down again than he was about not having any numbers to keep the school safe. The White Fang could come at full force and Salem's forces, but without the Spring Maiden, the vault would remain sealed and the relic remain safe.

He leaned on a railing overlooking the in the foothills below. How could there be no huntsmen at all? What if there was a grimm attack, who would come? In the pit of his stomach, he knew it was no coincidence; Salem had something to do with the abandonment of Haven, and that mean the missing huntsmen were most likely dead. He sighed and removed his scroll, crossing off the last name of a huntress he was unable to locate. He closed out the huntsman app and let his fingers drag across the screen absent-mindedly, eventually opening up the secret messaging app he'd installed exclusively to communicate with Winter.

Most scrolls had a messaging app pre-installed with the operating system, but they were insecure and could be easily hacked. Winter had suggested a more secure messaging application, but even then, communication was strictly prohibited to emergencies and extenuating circumstances. In the past month he'd only received two messages from her.

Please let me know you're ok when you're able.

She'd sent it on her way back to Atlas just a few hours after she sang to him while he was still in a coma. He never had the chance to respond to it though. Only a few hours after she sent the first message, she sent another:

Ironwood is closing Atlas borders. No outside communication is allowed. I am deactivating this application for security purposes. Be safe. Come back to me.

His scroll had received the messages, but the window to respond with a message of his own was grayed out. The only way he'd be able to talk to her again is if they saw each other in person, and the only way that would happen is if they had the relic and, therefore, a good reason to be allowed into Atlas, and that only way that would happen is if they actually were able to defend the academy. And, of course, the only way that would happen is if they found enough huntsmen able and willing to help.

"This isn't right. I get one or two of them, but all of them?" he said aloud to no one in particular. He let out a heavy sigh and let his head sag in defeat.

Behind him, he heard the familiar crackle of Raven's portal opening.

"Raven?"

From within the portal, he could distinctly hear the sound of…an engine?

His eyes widened with recognition as he let out a drawn out "oooohhhhhhh".

Adam personally oversaw the care of the faunus wounded in the fire, made arrangements for Hazel and the other chapter heads and helped compile a list of confirmed deaths and those still missing. Currently, there were twenty-one bodies recovered from the remains of the building: sixteen faunus, five human. Six additional faunus died from injuries or smoke inhalation, and a seventh was killed by a grimm defending the medics, resulting in a total death count of twenty-eight. Three humans were still missing, presumably escaped in the chaos of the afternoon, but the remaining White Fang had all members present and accounted for.

The loss of the headquarters was irreparable. There were wounded faunus to care for, it was getting dark, the entire population of the palace being crowded on to the few hovercrafts and airships that had been salvaged before the building went up altogether.

Using the emergency rations and tents stored on the aircrafts, the site was converted into a makeshift camp. Patrols were established, hunting parties were sent to gather food and firewood.

"Typical," one of the chapter heads mused to Adam. She was a battered looking woman with dark hair and ears like a bear sitting atop her dark, short hair. "Humans sending us back to square one."

"That's nothing new," Adam replied.

"I'll have my chapter send food and whatever supplies we can spare."

"My people will greatly appreciate your help," he said with genuine gratitude.

Ilia appeared, but stood a short distance away so as not to interrupt them. With a wave of his hand, he beckoned her forward. She saluted before giving her report.

"We sent out a hunting party and they've gotten enough fresh meat to serve the officers. The cook says it will be ready in twenty minutes or so."

Adam nodded.

"The morale seems to be good, given the circumstances," she continued. The men at least want to know what the plans for rebuilding are. It'll give them hope if we have something we can tell them: at least give them a promise we'll put a roof over their heads."

"We didn't build that palace," Adam replied, "We moved in when we found it abandoned. Using Mistral's old cities instead of building our own keeps us further off the radar. There are several small villages overtaken by grimm and bandits we can move into further north. I'll send a scouting group to find a place big enough to hold all of us and we'll relocate within the next two days."

"And Haven?"

"Haven will burn."

Weiss had wound down from a second bout of tears and was exhausted. She'd refused to talk or interact any more with the other humans in the craft, too angry to even make eye contact with them.

They could have attacked anyone, any of the guards, the lieutenant, any of their captors, but the undoubtedly chose Bran because he was young, trusting, and would probably be easy to overpower. His innocence and youth, the two best things about him were the weaknesses his prisoners exploited.

Adam collected her some time after dark. She said nothing as he pulled her up and escorted her back to his tent. Under the better lighting he got a better look at her.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

Weiss shook her head.

As the high leader, Adam had been served roasted rabbit, and a few cuts were still sitting on a plate, which he offered to her, and she gratefully accepted. He'd gone back into a burning building to save her life; she wasn't going to complain about eating his leftovers.

"Gods I could use a drink right now," he muttered under his breath as she ate. The tent that had been set up for him offered privacy and little else. He'd gotten a small air mattress stored in the ships and a small end table that had been salvaged from the fire and two blankets. At least it was warm enough outside to not warrant a blanket for warmth.

"I always forget how you slip into that perfect refined posture whenever you eat," he said shaking his head. Her dress had holes in it, her hair had darkened from its silvery white luster to an almost lead color from all the dirt and ash, and her porcelain skin was marred with black smudges all up her arms and back and even on her face and yet, despite looking like she just survived a fire and sitting on the hard dirt with no utensils, she still managed to eat like a lady.

"What are you going to do to the humans?" Weiss finally asked when only bones remained of the rabbit meat.

"Why? Are you going to object? Get angry and call me a monster like last time?"

"No, I was just curious. I'm done defending them. Their stupidity got an innocent boy and even some of their own killed today for nothing. After this, I say let Salem have the lot of you. Humans and faunus."

Adam was undressing for bed and had already removed his outer mask and shirt when she said this. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Do you really have the nerve to look shocked after today? After all you've seen? The only thing that's shattered your faith is the death of a faunus boy you barely knew? You didn't lose friends at Beacon?"

Weiss thought back to the Vytal festival and seeing everything go wrong. It started all the way back when General Ironwood showed up with the whole of the Atlas fleet, but things hadn't truly become dire until…until Penny died. Then Pyrrha.

"I lost people, but it was different. That was a punctiliar tragedy; something only seen once a century. At least I thought it was…I always had this idea that there were grimm and maybe out there were some sinister organizations that dealt in black market trading or maybe were terrorists like the White Fang, but the normal people, and normal faunus didn't have that kind of hatred in their hearts. I didn't become a huntress to fight other people, I joined to fight grimm."

"The real world is much darker and messier than your precious academies would teach you. The grimm thrive the way they do because we act the way we do." He shut off the lamps, only leaving one remaining.

"And I think that's the most depressing part about it. Humans and faunus alike know that this kind of negativity only will bring more discord, more grimm, more death but they insist on acting that way anyway."

"Yes." Adam agreed nodding, "Humans are spiteful enough to let themselves die if it is detrimental to the advancement of the faunus. They'd rather die than see us succeed."

Weiss scoffed. "Really? That's what you're taking away from this whole scenario?"

"There's nothing else to take away. Mankind is spiteful and arrogant and the only reliable thing they do is destroy the things that benefit them." He threw one of the folded blankets at her, hoping she'd catch the hint that he wasn't in the mood to argue. He'd had a long day.

She did not catch the hint.

"We're the spiteful ones? Really?" It was too dim to see, but he was pretty sure Weiss had rolled her eyes. "You had a chance to make something of yourselves and what you made was a group of half-assed terrorists who are now bowing at the mercy of a mistress who is a combination of your two worst enemies. You are putting your people in the servitude of the humans and the grimm, risking the extinction of the earth because you'd rather see humanity extinguished than help them defeat evil incarnate. How is that anything but spiteful?"

"You sound like Sienna Khan."

"Because Sienna Khan was right, and you knew it. It's why you couldn't bring yourself to kill her. But you had to keep up appearances so you couldn't release her. Even you acknowledge the lack of logic of your actions but you'd rather stick to your guns than admit you were wrong."

"I may have been wrong about how I wanted to go about advancing the faunus, but I am not wrong about humanity's deeply entrenched belief that we will never be their equals and are just… anthropomorphic livestock." He huffed and rolled over. "And to answer your question, I haven't decided what to do with the prisoners yet. I've had suggestions from public flogging, to executing just the men, to tying them up in the ruins and leaving them behind so the grimm won't follow us to, offering to lessen their punishment if they implicate which of them actually started the fire, just to see what would happen if they turned against each other. That, however can wait until the morning, as can any other topic you want to wax eloquent about. Goodnight. Please put the lamp out, and don't try to escape, you won't make it very far."

Weiss pursed her lips. She didn't want to be done. She wanted to keep arguing: it would distract her from Dax Branagh, but if Adam wasn't in the mood she wasn't going to press him. She found a grassy spot in the tent and used the blanket as a pillow to try and bed down though she doubted she'd get any sleep.

It warmed Qrow's heart to see his nieces united. It almost made him believe there was a little bit of hope left in the world. From what he could see, Yang had started functioning normally again and had even mastered the use of her prosthetic. She'd be a powerhouse for sure and a great help when Haven was attacked, but after the conversation following dinner, it seemed like not only was she not fully on board, but that the tone of the group as a whole had gotten darker.

Qrow's secret had come out, met with suspicious stares from the five former students gathered in the room. It was hard to justify his actions to teenagers but Ozpin had done his best: his gifts of magic were not imposed upon non-consenting children as a means of forcefully ensuring their loyalty and service as Raven had portrayed it. The Branwen twins were seniors when they chose to accept the power willingly, they were twenty and Tai and Raven were already engaged. It may have been a hasty decision on her part, but Yang's mother had been fully capable of declining the offer in favor of what Ozpin referred to "abstinence" from his endeavor.

He thought he was in hot water as it was with Ozpin's interrogation, thankful that the tension had finally eased after Oscar and his host had answered their questions to satisfy them and offered to explain more in the morning. What Qrow was not expecting was for Yang to ask her younger sister if she'd seen or heard from Winter "again".

"Winter Schnee?" Ruby asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah she stopped by Patch. She was looking for Weiss."

"Weiss…ran away?"

The room became that eerie quiet again.

"They don't know. They just know she's missing. Nobody knows where she went or ended up. I thought you already knew. Winter said she saw you while you were still about sixty miles out of the city."

The members of RNJR looked at each other confused. Ruby had to sit down.

"I don't understand. Winter never talked to us; she was never even where we were…"

Qrow sighed. "Actually, she was where we were. Twice actually. You just didn't see her either time."

"You did?" Ruby asked, the sting of betrayal clear in her voice.

The huntsman nodded. "Once when I was keeping an eye on you just south of Higanbana and once the night after we arrived in Mistral."

"The singing? That I thought was Weiss? It was Winter?"

"I was too out of it, but I did hear it, too."

"And you didn't tell us?" Nora asked.

"Winter asked me not to." Qrow replied. He pulled his flask out to get ahead of the barrage of anger and disapproval he knew he was going to get.

"Didn't we literally just talk about having no more lies and partial truths?" Yang snarled. She folded her arms defiantly. "She's our team member, our friend…she's Ruby's partner! How could you know she went missing and not mention that to her own teammate?"

"Winter didn't want you to worry. You have enough on your plate already, the last thing you needed was another piece of depressing news. Besides, what were any of us going to do to find her?"

Ren remained silent, only shooting glances at a terrified Oscar but it was apparent he also disapproved of the secret being kept, though Qrow did have a point.

"So, what? She just disappeared out of Atlas?" Jaune asked.

Qrow shrugged and took a drink from his flask. "There was evidence of a break in, but no signs of a struggle, and she left her sword behind, but there was also no physical evidence of how the intruder made it out undetected…if there even was an intruder at all. Apparently not even Jacques Schnee is taking enough of an interest to report it to the authorities. They're refusing to even admit that she's missing. That's all I know and that's all Winter knew at the time. It could have been a kidnapping, it could have been her sneaking out, we don't know enough to even know if we should be looking at all much less where to look."

"You should have told them. Should have told us." Yang scolded. "Look at what keeping secrets and lying has gotten us so far."

Qrow's scowl hardened into a frown. He'd just been through it once already with her today and she was already at it again. "Look, kid," he half snarled. "We promised no more secrets and half-truths, but we don't owe it to you to play grapevine whenever we find out any snippet of information. I was asked to keep something in confidence and I had every intention of keeping it. If you want to lay everything out in the open, then by all means, feel free to share, but some of us want some modicum of privacy." He threw his head back and finished off the flask as he left the room, almost staggering into the doorpost on his way out.

"I feel like we ought to do something," Jaune said, running his fingers through his hair nervously. "Weiss was part of your team, and getting your team back together was always the goal for you."

"What can we do?" Ren replied. He knew his team leader. He knew about the feelings he still harbored for Weiss from their student days at Beacon as well as how personally Jaune took it to see an incomplete team. Ruby would never be able to replace Pyrrha, but her presence definitely filled the void physically, even if it was never intended to be permanent. But Ren was also the practical one of the group and the most objective member of both teams combined. "We don't even know if we're going to make it out of Haven at this rate."

"I'm afraid Lie Ren is correct." It was Oscar's voice, but the use of Ren's full name and the cadence of his speech indicated it was the Ozpin personality taking over. "Haven might very well be under siege by the end of the month, and if Haven falls, there's nothing any of us can do to locate the younger Miss Schnee. It appears that once again, we will have to put the greater good before we can pursue our own interests."

"That's not fair." Yang object.

"No, Yang. He's right." Ruby cut her off. "If we don't stop Salem from getting the relics now, there won't be any point in finding Weiss, or Blake."

Yang's visage visibly changed from irritated to enraged. For a moment, her eyes flickered red and the position of her brows and jaw revealed the family resemblance with her Uncle Qrow. She glared at her sister, but Ruby stood her ground. After a moment, her features softened, her eyes returned to their lilac color and she had regained her composure. "You're right," she finally said. "Haven is the priority for now. What can we do to help?"

Nora sighed. "Qrow spent the entire day trying to assemble a defense force with no luck. So, unless you know some trained huntsmen in Mistral that haven't been shipped a ways off or gone missing, there isn't much we can do except train and be ready to defend the school."

Yang thought for a moment before pulling out her scroll and began looking through her contacts. "I might not know a trained huntsman, but...would a huntsman in training count?"

Chapter Text

Most of the White Fang was awake by the gray of dawn; Weiss awoke to the morning bustle outside her tent. Her shoulders and neck were stiff from sleeping on the hard ground, but to her surprise, Adam was still sleeping peacefully, his arms folded above his head as his bare chest rose and fell with his breathing. Like her, he was still covered in streaks of gray and black soot, his clothes had spots that had either singed or melted the fabric, and admittedly they both smelled of sweat and smoke.

The thought crossed her mind that she could make a run for it: pretend she was running some errand for Adam so they wouldn't try to stop her and give herself a head start. With her aura full, she might have a decent chance at escape, but she didn't even know where she was, much less how long it would be before she could get to safety or how long it would take them to track her down when Adam found out. If only she knew if she were close enough to a village or outpost or something.

As she contemplated, Adam stirred, pushing himself up and immediately reaching for his cloth mask. He squinted at his scroll, noting the early hour.

"Well, we're up, we might as well see what we can do." He stood and pulled his black undershirt over his head. Weiss followed him outside, hoping they'd be offered some food; she was hungry.

Ilia was standing near the bonfire in deep discussion with some of the other faunus when Adam approached her to ask for a report.

"Scouts went looking for a place to relocate, and we've found an abandoned that's further north than we'd like, but it's the closest place to where we are now while still isolated enough to not catch attention from other villages or travelers."

One of the scouts removed his scroll to show pictures to Adam. "It backs up against a mountain on the east and has mostly stone buildings that need new interiors, but the exteriors have mostly been well preserved. The wall would have to be the first thing we repair, but it's big enough, it's close enough and it seems easily defensible."

"Any drawbacks?" Adam asked when he returned the scroll.

"The well is dry, so a water source would have to be found. Either drilling for a new well or diverting part of the river."

"Speaking of river, we're sending everyone to the river in shifts to wash up," Ilia interjected. "If you'd like to take some of the supplies from the transports, you can go wash up. We just don't want everyone to go at once and change the color of the water. People downstream might get curious and come looking." She nodded to the group of four men coming up the path who looked cold, albeit refreshed with towels wrapped around their necks. "If you want, you can go now."

"I'd like that: I at least want to look presentable to see the chapter leaders and Hazel off. Go ahead and start making arrangements to relocate as soon as possible."

Towels were in his hands and they were on the path to the river in no time, Weiss silently grateful that Adam was as devoted to hygiene as she was. It didn't dawn on her until he started disrobing that they'd be bathing…together. The apprehension must have been written all over her face as Adam sighed in exasperation.

"We've seen each other naked and we both know neither of us is anything special to look at," he said as he pulled his shirt off.

Weiss found it odd for him to say such a thing, not only because of his pride, but because it flatly wasn't true. Adam was a paragon of male fitness: tall, athletically built with muscles that were toned but still looked natural, and just enough scars to look sexy without looking grotesque. The scar on his ribcage was healing well, the line where the blade had punctured his side barely a slit, thin and fine enough it could have been a surgical scar. His horns were a trait that humans and faunus alike would both find attractive, as opposed to other faunus traits like gills or webbed hands that humans would find more visually off-putting. By all accounts, even with the scar on his face, he was handsome.

"Speak for yourself," she replied, choosing to deny his assertion without outright admitting she found him attractive. That is the last thing his ego needed to hear. But, he was right: they had already seen each other naked and in worse positions. It wasn't like her dress that was backless and had slits up either side halfway up her thighs didn't leave much to the imagination anyway. By the time she'd undone her dress and folded it by her shoes, Adam was already easing his first foot off the river bank and into the river. She stayed upstream from him, far enough to give herself at least some modicum of privacy, especially if any of Adam's underlings came looking for him, but still within his line if vision. It was cool and clean, and while not necessarily refreshing, it was still a relief to get clean.

The water in the river had turned into an opaque light gray color as it carried the remains of the fire downstream. Weiss tried running her fingers through her hair to get the knots out of it to find sections of her hair either singed off or melted into knotted hard patches and would break off if she tugged too hard. She left it down to dry, only giving it the gentlest squeeze to get the water out as she picked her way through the rocks back to shore. Adam was already dressed when she returned, and even handed her the smaller towel to dry herself off.

As they walked back up to camp, the trees suddenly emptied of all the birds, fleeing further east, followed by a slight rumble that grew louder and louder while remaining out of view.

"An airfleet?" the high leader asked more out of curiosity than shock.

"They sound Atlesean," Weiss mused. She'd lived long enough directly under them to tell the difference between their distinctly airy hums from the more mechanical whirrs of the ships from Vale and Mistral. She was proven to be correct when they returned to camp.

Five ships had landed, all advanced Atlesean models, and were opening their cargo bays to reveal crates filled to the tops.

Adam sighed in disbelief. "Supplies."

The pilot of one of the ships disembarked and approached Atlas' chapter head and saluted, inaudibly explaining the contents to his superior as he pointed from ship to ship. The she-bear nodded, seeming very satisfied, listening until he was finished before sending him to speak with Adam directly while she went to oversee the off-loading. He approached and saluted.

"High Leader, our chapter head, Artis, contacted us yesterday about what happened. We're sorry for your loss, and the loss of our brothers. May they rest in peace."

"Did you fly straight through?"

The pilot nodded. "Yes, sir. We came as soon as we could get everything packed and loaded. The Atlas HQ was able to spare medical supplies," he pointed at the smallest ship, "clothes, towels and toiletries," to the next largest up, "bedding and cooking supplies," he directed his attention to the closest ship,"and all the food we could spare. It should last about six weeks."

"She is too kind," Adam said, genuinely moved.

"I was also instructed to bring our largest cargo ship to loan to you."

Adam furrowed his brow. "For what purpose?"

"To loot Haven, sir."

With the wave of a hand he summoned Artis away from the ships and confirmed that was indeed what she was suggesting: the sacking of the huntsman academy.

"Of course," Artis replied. "Why would we destroy an entire campus full of weapons, supplies, and probably tech when we can just take it?"

Hazel did not seem pleased with the suggestion. He shook his head and scowled. "The attack was supposed to be swift and efficient. Stealing is time consuming and leaves your soldiers open to attack. Lionheart says the school is empty now, but there's a huntsman, Qrow Branwen, who is trying to marshal a defense force."

The mention of Qrow's name caught both Weiss and Mercury's attention. They looked first at Hazel and then at Adam. Mercury said aloud what they were both thinking:

"If that's the same huntsman I saw in the courtyard at Beacon, then he'll have at least two huntresses with him: Yang and Ruby are his nieces."

Adam's lip twitched, conveying an emotion Weiss could not describe: something akin to both satisfaction and anticipation but not exactly pleasure.

"And typically, wherever Little Red goes, Pyrrha Nikos' team usually goes, too."

"It's Jaune's team, and they're called Team JNPR." Weiss corrected him, not fearing any trouble she might get in with sassing the emissaries from one of his allies.

"Whatever, they're down their best teammate." Mercury said with a flippant hand gesture.

"Because you murdered her." Weiss snarled back.

"Enough," Adam chided. He turned back to Mercury. "You say there's at least five of them, then?"

Mercury nodded. "Possibly six with Ruby's other teammate, the cat faunus."

Adam shook his head. "Blake is back in Menagerie."

"And the heiress is obviously here," Mercury said gesturing to Weiss who was still shooting him death glares about the Pyrrha comment. "So, with the actual huntsman, there's at least six of them."

"Six doesn't sound like much of a force," Artis said, "If the huntsman is able to get more to help, there might be a problem, but for now, I think it's safe to say we'll be good to sack the buildings before burning them down without fear of much resistance."

Hazel put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "If it helps you make a decision, I'll becoming with a handful of my own and we can handle the entirety of the Great Hall. We're also expecting an additional…business partner that may also be sending in some reinforcements."

The high leader thought it over. The chapter heads became silent, waiting for his answer.

"We'll bring the ship, but we won't be looting until we have secured the area," Adam finally said aloud. "I want a chance to seize the opportunity, but I also refuse to put my men in danger."

The other chapter leaders, Artis included, agreed with his assessment.

"As for the cargo we have now, we may as well unload it at the new location." He called for Ilia who stepped forward. "Take two ships: scouting crew and a large enough group to unload and defend until we can move the entire camp there."

The chameleon nodded dutifully before bowing and going her way. He would have liked to accompany her to see the village for himself before relocating the headquarters, but he was pressed for time and trusted her judgement.

It was rudimentary, but the camp served the guest leaders and Hazel lunch before they departed. As per usual, Weiss was called on to serve every aspect of the meal, and when Mercury figured out no one was assisting, he'd wait until she was finished and just about to sit and eat her own food before magically requiring something else: salt, another drink, a second helping. Adam noticed, but it wasn't until Hazel caught on that anyone put a stop to it.

"Stop antagonizing her," Hazel said as Mercury held his cup up for the fourth time in less than half a hour. It was too late to stop this refill, but he got the hint and didn't try it again.

"It's a pity," Weiss said to him as she filled his drink for the last time. "Yang used to talk about you when we were back at Beacon. She thought you were hot."

"Yang wasn't my type," he retorted, taking a drink before setting his cup down. "Too bad Pyrrha's gone. She probably would have been worth my time. But, Ozpin tried to pressure her into becoming a maiden and Cinder couldn't let that happen so…" he pantomimed drawing and shooting an arrow.

It was the first she'd heard of this. Sienna had told her about the maidens, and about how Cinder had taken the Fall Maiden's power, as well Salem's existence, but Ozpin had never been mentioned before, and now Pyrrha's death made more sense. It took several seconds for her to process everything, but he spoke about it so casually as if seeing the kind of devastation he'd helped create didn't faze him at all. Calmly, she poured the entirety of the pitcher's contents into his lap. He jumped, swearing and sputtering even took a step toward her.

"I'm sorry," Weiss quietly recoiled. She wasn't sorry at all, but knew if she at least feigned remorse, no one would condone it if he got physical with her, least of all, Adam.

"Get him a towel," the high leader ordered.

Weiss scurried off, empty pitcher in hand and found a drying towel in the makeshift kitchen. She returned and handed it to Adam who threw it haphazardly at Mercury, who could only glare at her with profound indignation as he dabbed at his crotch. He looked like he'd peed his pants and Weiss was secretly satisfied with herself she was able to exact even such a small amount of vengeance.

When the meal was finished, the individual chapter heads and their entourages departed on various ships, promising to send aid when possible and agreeing to meet at the appointed time for the assault on Haven. The only participant who did not make such promises was Hazel, who merely wished him goodbye and good luck.

Weiss was happy to see them go.

If she walked fast and looked like she had somewhere she needed to be, everyone stayed out of her way. All Winter had to do was look confident in what she was doing.

It had taken almost two weeks of listening carefully and asking the right questions, but she'd finally found where Ironwood was keeping all the intelligence files they had on members (present and former) of the White Fang. His espionage in every corner of the globe knew no bounds and could prove fatal if any of the other nations knew exactly how much intel Atlas had on their government, military and lucrative corporations. She had full security clearance for everything in the system, but if she spent too much time snooping it would draw attention to herself and the last thing she needed right now was General Ironwood's suspicion.

Ozpin's death and the fall of Beacon were a blow to him, but it seemed to get worse with time rather than better. They never found the cause of the virus that had turned the AK's against humans, nor had closing their borders done anything to improve foreign relations. Whatever goodwill had been in the works over the past decade was wiped away by the Vytal Festival and the Fall of Beacon. He didn't know who he could trust and events in Mantle and Atlas weren't helping with that either. Domestic terrorism was on the rise with Robyn Hill deciding that robbing from the state military that kept everyone safe was a good idea, her own father had continuously raised his prices on dust and dared Ironwood to nationalize his mines, and worse, Jacques had just announced he was running for a seat on the council.

The archive room in the second basement proved to be a treasure trove of information. The current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan had little information but seemed exclusively interested in making political statements. The assassinations, riots, and robberies she'd orchestrated were specifically targeted at corporations that had a reputation of exploiting the faunus and governments both national and local that favored humanity over faunus or caused injustice to the faunus in some way, but Sienna Khan wasn't the one holding her sister captive. She continued scrolling through the blue screen of names until she found Adam's.

He was a chapter head in Vale and was at the fall of Beacon working with Salem…how she'd managed to rope the faunus into this was still a mystery but it's possible she promised them some kind of immunity if Adam agreed to help put humanity under her rule. His history was much more ruthless than Sienna's. Wanton destruction, every incident in which he was known to be involved had a death count. Every single one. Why he'd seen fit to take Weiss and keep her was beyond what Winter could imagine his motives. She looked further into his file, discovering his connection with the SDC, and theorizing that he was probably just going to keep her alive until he was able to make her death public, unless he had something more sinister in mind, but if that were the case, he'd definitely have publicized it by now, right?

Maybe not. She continued scrolling through the available information until she came to a section that was simply labelled: coordinates. She pressed the icon and another menu appeared.

It was the location of every national and local chapter of the White Fang that the Atlesean Military could find. She could feel her heart begin racing as she looked up the Vale headquarters, pulling up the coordinates, overhead photos as well as live satellite feed over the region. It was in Mountain Glenn but the site looked abandoned. She looked next at the Mistral HQ, which was the headquarters for the entire organization. The coordinates pulled up photos of a forest region of the middle of Mistral. It was secluded and provided coverage due to all the foliage, she couldn't even see the buildings from the satellite photos. She selected the live-feed imaging and watched the images switch from the dense green forest to gray and black.

The headquarters was/or had been on fire. The water of the nearby river looked like dishwater from the ash and the satellite could only zoom in so far, not nearly close enough to make out individual people, but there was a fire still burning as well as a series of white squares. Camps?

What had happened? Why had the headquarters burned down and was Adam involved in it? Something in her gut told her Weiss was there, but if she had contributed or if she was even still safe she couldn't even imagined.

She closed out of the archives and slipped out into the main corridor, tired and frustrated. She'd looked for some trace of hope she could at least find Weiss, but it only left her more concerned, more confused, and she felt more helpless than ever before.

Weiss would have to look after herself a little longer.

He'd just wanted a small band of huntsmen to help him out with his task.

Instead, Qrow found his group of teenage wards growing from four to six to now twenty-one, with the promise of four more by the end of the week. They loitered about their guest home, eating finger foods Ren and Nora had prepped and mingling, most joyously catching up on the past couple months of separation with Haven being out of session.

Yang had suggested calling Neptune, who brought the rest of his team except Sun, but that had quickly spiraled out of control. The three of them suggested a senior team, GLRD who lived in town and GLRD hand invited two more teams CHFN and XXIV.

"They're too young," he muttered before taking a sip from his flask. He'd been hiding from the noise in the kitchen, when Ozpin's new vessel joined him.

"I suspect Professor Lionheart is not as forthcoming about what he knows, but I doubt he would lead an attack on his own students. Perhaps seeing his own will re-inspire his loyalty," Oscar said looking out the open door at the Haven students. It was so odd to hear his voice again: the exact words and cadence Ozpin always used but with the voice of a fourteen-year-old. "Besides, the huntsmen in training were the ones that fought off the grimm at Beacon. Heroes are forged in crises like this."

Qrow scowled. "Some kids were forged into heroes. Some died meaningless deaths. Like that girl you liked for the Fall Maiden."

"Miss Nikos' death affects all of us still, Qrow. But you can't use her as your only example…"

"My niece lost an arm," he growled.

"I died." Oz retorted. "Again. Salem won again. I know it seems like we're sitting idly by sacrificing the lives of children, but we both have suffered loss from this war as well, and we'll continue to lose until someone is willing to stand up to her. That's what those huntsmen are doing now, whether they know it or not."

"Sacrificing yourself is one thing, Oz. But you'd better know what you're doing if you're going to start sacrificing the lives of others," Qrow put his flask away, picked up the notepad he'd been scribbling on and sauntered out to the main room, locating Nora and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Can you…?" he made a circular motion with his finger.

Nora gave him the thumbs up before inhaling deeply and shouting, "EVERYBODY LISTEN UP!"

The room hushed and looked at Nora who pointed at Qrow.

Close enough.

"Alright, let me make sure I have this straight," Qrow said trying to keep track of everyone on the list as he addressed the horde of students. A hush fell over the group and they all gathered into the main room to hear better. "I have RNJR, which is four of you, team SSSN, which is three of you, but I'll give you Yang for now just to keep your team full. Then, team GLRD?" He looked up to see if Goldenrod was indeed how it was pronounced. The all-boys team nodded gravely. "Next is team Chiffon, Saffron?"

"Chiffon," the team leader reassured him. They were an all-girls team that looked to be about first year, but all of them looked far to young to be killing monsters in Qrow's opinion.

"Goldenrod, Chiffon…and?" the huntsman looked at the last string of letters in abject horror.

"It's pronounced twenty-four," The last team leader said.

"Alrighty then. And you say ABRN is coming by the end of the week?"

Neptune held up his scroll. "They messaged saying they're trying to get transportation in, but as soon as they can, they'll be here."

"At any rate, I'd like to thank you all for coming and being willing to help us defend your academy." Qrow continued. He wasn't good at speeches at all. Oz should have been the one to give some kind of rousing call to action, but Ozpin hadn't wanted to reveal himself to anyone unnecessarily, so the task fell to slightly inebriated huntsman, struggling for the right words. "Look, I know you're still just kids, but the world we live in now means you're going to have to grow up fast. It's hard to believe that there's scarier things out there than grimm, but we've vowed to defend our countries and their citizens from whatever dangers may present themselves, from both without and within. And I'd like to thank you for that, and I'm sure Professor Lionheart will be proud as well. I suggest you all go to bed at reasonable hours and don't strain yourselves when you train. We need you at your best."

The teams all nodded or saluted.

"Enjoy tonight, but be ready for anything starting tomorrow."

Chapter Text

As soon as the guests were off, the camp wasted no time packing up everything that wasn't a necessity. They'd have to leave early in the morning to reach their new location and they'd have little time from there to move in on Mistral proper. The next few days would be busy.

New uniforms and shoes were provided to the humans who were worked tirelessly. Most of the supplies were originally from the transport ships or hovercrafts and were returned, leaving only the cooking tent and the sleeping tents for the morning. Weiss was assigned to help the humans load, but when the work was finished, accompanied Adam in the air-conditioned compartment of the hover craft as they flew directly to Mistral to prepare for the impending siege, albeit she had to sit on the floor to make room for the other officers.

"You don't think it's unwise to let the girl have some of her old luxuries?" Ilia asked Adam. "The other leaders might think you're going soft on her."

"I think it's wise to reward the one human who didn't take part in burning down our livelihoods. She knows her place, and I am going to reward it." He leaned down and ruffled her hair like she was some kind of loyal pet.

Weiss said nothing, looking at floor. This wasn't her place: sitting at the feet of her abductor, nothing more than a glorified prize of war. She was a huntress, she was supposed to be a protector of the people, not a servant of some angsty terrorist. Had being in captivity for so long weakened her? Should she have tried to escape the morning before? Was she a coward for not at least trying? Was a life of servitude more important to her now than her own freedom and agency? She tried justifying in her mind that she did what she had to do to survive, but her justification was met with the other voice in her head chastising her for being so weak minded. As the officers around her talked, she made up her mind: she was going to find a way to get the collar off and make another escape plan.

The rendezvous point was not so much a campsite as it was a hovercraft park. Vehicles from all four nations were concealed easily in the forests that overlooked the city. Outside the window, Weiss was able to take in the beauty of the city for herself.

Within minutes of landing, Adam was inspecting his force. About 120 had come to attack the school, a nice sized force with a dozen or so designated to stay behind and prepare for immediate extraction and relocation. The vast majority were faunus that lent themselves to a night time attack: nocturnal faunus such as bats, moles, and owls or others like Ilia who were most suited to stealth. She took in everything: searching for a chance to warn the academy of an impending attack or sabotage this one undetected.

"Reconnaissance has bad news," Ilia approached him and bowed, still greeting in the traditional method used in Menagerie. "The academy has been abandoned, but we put a tail on the huntsman Hazel's little friend mentioned. He has over two dozen teenagers at his house. Constant coming and going and he's still regularly seeking out huntsmen and huntresses. He's trying to amass a force.

Adam furrowed his brow. "Such young recruits."

"Our guess its it's huntsmen in training from the academy. Our man counted 25 of them but there could be more. It's not a force to be sneezed at, but they are huntsmen, and we were expecting no one at all."

"Is it possible they found out we were coming?"

Ilia shrugged. "It's possible we could have been compromised. It's also possible Hazel was compromised and the huntsmen are here to defend whatever secret they're going after in the Great Hall. If that's the case, Hazel's men will have to absorb the bulk of the force and will make it easier on us."

At least Qrow was prepared. They'd have a chance, especially if Adam was more intent on looting the place than wreaking havoc.

"Don't concern yourselves with the huntsmen unless they engaged us. For now, follow the plan: set up a perimeter, set the charges and then assign teams to sweep and raid the buildings. We still outnumber them almost four to one. How long until we expect to receive word from Hazel?"

"Hazel wants to attack well after dark, so we have at least six hours if you want to eat and get a few hours' sleep to prepare."

Adam agreed, returning to the hovercraft that had been cleared of weapons and made room for the White Fang to sit in the shade and lounge. The provisions on board were dry and barely tasted like food, but they were nourishment nonetheless. Adam offered Weiss both a blanket and a seat cushion for her head, which she gratefully accepted.

She must have been more tired than she initially thought, because she fell asleep withing just a few minutes, and awoke disoriented as to where she was and how long she'd slept.

It was already dark. Adam sat in one of the armed chairs of the hovercraft with his back turned to her. He'd taken his outer mask off and his gloves, engrossed by whatever activity he was engaged in. Weiss rubbed her eyes and blinked to clear her vision.

By the bluish light of a small overhead lamp, he was using the fold out tray as a writing surface, scribbling words on a page, folding it neatly and setting it aside when he was finished before beginning again. He looked over when he heard her stir.

"You didn't sleep?" she asked.

"There wouldn't be a point. There's too much adrenaline and planning, I might as well stay up and get some work done."

"What are you doing?" She sat up, sitting cross legged with her blanked wrapped around her.

"I'm writing letters to the families of the men we lost in the fire. Thanking them for their service and informing them how they died."

"Do you do that with all the faunus under you?"

"Everyone under my direct command. Even if their families disown or disapprove of them joining the White Fang, if something happens to them, the family deserves to know…and to be thanked for their service."

It seemed out of character for him. He seemed so willing to put his own people at risk for what he perceived their more noble or more effective cause would be. Such a personal touch was something she'd rarely seen in him, even in all their hours together. She knew he cared about his goal; it was nice to know that he also cared about his people.

"Have you written Bran's yet?" she asked.

"Not yet."

She wanted so badly to ask if she could be given permission to write something in Bran's letter: about the kindness he'd shown her, and tried to show his enemies, about how much he'd grown. But there was no way Adam would let her. If anything, he'd try and conceal his kindness to humans as some kind of weakness.

Adam interrupted her thoughts with a question. "Can I ask you a question about Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Yes?" Weiss seemed unsure as such a question came from out of nowhere.

"You mentioned her before, and when that little brat tagging along with Hazelbrought up her up again you got defensive. It seems like there was a special attention given to her at Beacon. I remember Cinder talking about her as well. Who was she?"

"She had the highest ranks at Sanctum before she came to Beacon, and always made top grades, top marks, and won every mock battle she'd been in until her death. She was a superior marksman combat fighter…and she was my friend, but…" Weiss had to take a moment to collect her thoughts. "We all knew she was destined for something great, something bigger than all of us. None of us knew how, or when, but she was just one of those people who was special, and everyone knew it…except maybe her. And if anyone was going to get a maiden power, it deserved to be Pyrrha. If anyone deserved to survive…it would have been her."

"You two were close?"

Weiss shook her head. "Not really. Not the way I was close with my team. My team and hers worked together a lot, but I couldn't compare my relationship with her to her own team's."

"Why do humans feel the need to take innocent people who die young and turn them into heroes?"

"Pyrrha wasn't just a bystander, she tried to fight Cinder, and she tried to buy her team enough time to get out safely. Yes, she was innocent, but she deserved the statue they erected for her in Argus. It's how we remember our history. Do the faunus not do the same?"

"We don't have statues and plaques for our heroes. We don't really see a point in glorifying people who just do their duty." He folded his hands behind his head. "We're not really prone to celebrate a lot anyway. We usually don't have the luxuries of time and resources to devote to them: just too worried about or survival."

"I doubt that." Weiss retorted. "You have plenty of time to organize riots, train robberies, attacks on academies that produce people that actually fight grimm. You have time to do those things but not celebrate holidays or build memorials to your own accomplishments?"

"Maybe when we finally do put down humanity, we will feel at ease enough to celebrate that victory." He spoke of conquering her people so calmly as if it were merely a business pursuit.

"You can try that, but it will never work," Weiss almost smiled. "There's something you can't ever account for or beat out of humankind and that's our tenacity. Surviving isn't enough for us, we are determined to thrive: in arctic tundra, in deserts, and in steep mountains. We have survived war and tragedy, and the grimm, and on top of that we've excelled. We figured out how to use dust, we've built communication towers and floating islands and trains that span hundreds of miles. What have the faunus done?"

Adam pushed up the fold up tray and turned to face her fully. "What have we done? We've done everything we could to survive because of your human tenacity. We were put in cages, we were forced into slave labor, stripped of our dignity and our rights." In the dim lighting, she could see him squinting at her trying to determine if she was being serious or just playing devil's advocate. "Are you going to act like humans aren't responsible for the plight of the faunus? Are you really going to deny not just your people's systemic abuse, but your own father's?"

"I'm not denying any of what happened in your past," Weiss met his eyes, studying his face. He wasn't looking for a fight. He was listening. She knew she really didn't have authority of herself to speak, but sincerely hoped he listened. "I'm criticizing what you're choosing to do with your present and the kind future you are forging for the faunus that come after you. You have a chance to make something of yourselves and what you made was a group of half-assed terrorists who are now bowing at the mercy of a mistress who is a combination of your two worst enemies. You are putting your people in the servitude of the humans and the grimm. How does that make you any different from the previous generation of Mistral and Mantle?"

"Listen, whether you agree with it or not, this is the path I've chosen to fight for my people. The generation before us took a barren rock on the outskirts of the kingdom as reparation for centuries of exploitation and abuse, but for my generation? For our future? That's not good enough. Men like Ghira Belladonna were willing to settle, but they can't be upset we don't. You want to forge your own future. Let me forge mine."

Metal creaked and Ilia stormed into the ship, her face and spots cycling through shades of red.

"Lionheart moved up the meeting. He called the huntsmen into the school. He plans to ambush them with Hazel's men."

"Why would he call them in if the buildings weren't even occupied?!" Adam was displeased, but the only visible sign of his ire was the slight bulge in his jaw when he clenched it.

Ilia threw up her hands. "I don't know! Lionheart was literally the only one at the school! We could have gone it, looted, blown it up, let Hazel do whatever he needs to do and gotten out with literally zero resistance if he'd just kept his mouth shut!"

Adam let out an exasperated sigh. "It doesn't matter now. We have to go." He stood, working purposefully, though refusing to rush as he put his stationary away and put on his grimm mask. As he took up his sword, he looked to Weiss. "You're here as leverage if anything with the huntsmen goes wrong. If you try to escape, the guards we've left behind will track you down and I'll break both your legs." The warmth in his voice when he spoke so candidly with her vanished, replaced with the cold exterior of the White Fang High Leader the faunus had come to either fear or follow. He left with Ilia, disappearing into the tree as other gathered White Fang fell into formation behind him.

Everything was falling apart quickly: Hazel and his associates were barely holding their own against the huntresses, the fight trickling out into the great hall. Adam found himself and his small attaché surrounded by the citizens of Menagerie, and the Mistral police overhead. And in the midst of it all was Blake. The Belladonnas undoubtedly were behind the force coming against them.

"This is your problem, deal with it." Were Hazel's only instructions before returning to the Great Hall.

"Do we set off the charges?" one of them asked.

Ilia shook her head. "We can't set them off without killing dozens, even hundreds of our own."

"The humans have to pay for what they've done!" Adam growled.

Cries came from the faunus pressing forward. Dressed in civilian clothing and carrying weapons made of wood or old weapons that still bore the White Fang logo before the sect had been radicalized. Pleas for them to stop, to see reason.

"The humans aren't going to reward you for standing up for them now!" Adam called to them.

"You don't speak for us!" a member of the crowd called. "Not anymore."

His own men raised their weapons, but were remiss to fire.

"What do we do?" one asked.

Adam held up an arm, ready to signal his men to attack, but something inside held him back.

Blake took a step toward him. "Adam, it's over. You have nowhere to go."

He thought for a moment before giving out a command. "All units back to the rendezvous point; take what you can and move fast. Fall back and we'll detonate the bombs once we're clear."

They had to fight their way out of the quad, leaving their looting and destruction half completed. It was a calculated risk, but his assumption was that the faunus were there to stop the White Fang and the White Fang exclusively. If they remained and interfered with Salem's faction, he'd hear no end if it from Hazel. But for now, the goal was to escape alive and with the respect of his men intact.

He'd have to wait for his shot at Blake until it was more convenient.

The splintered wood of the Great Hall strewn across the quad as the common faunus pursued the White Fang, chasing them into the woods to the east where the Mistral police quickly lost sight of them. Through the opening blown out by Nora's royal thrashing of Hazel, Blake and Sun saw the battle going on inside. Teams Sun recognized from school were taking on Cinder, Hazel and their underlings as Nora tended to Ren and Jaune tried to recover. Yang's eyes met Blake.

"Yang?"

"Blake?"

"Sun?" Neptune looked away for a moment before taking an uppercut from Emerald.

"Guys?" Sun seemed genuinely surprised to see the rest of his team. For a moment, they merely locked eyes before Ruby's voice pierced the bedlam.

"Yang, go!"

Breaking eye contact, her sister ran for the vault, leaving the rest of the battle behind.

Sun placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to catch his breath. "Blake, if Adam's here, it might mean…"

Blake looked at Sun. "It might mean Weiss is here, too. We have to at least try." She turned back to Ruby and gave a knowing nod, silently promising she'd be back, but had something she had to do first.

Most of the stolen goods were already loaded and the hovercrafts already started and readied for takeoff when the White Fang returned in full force. It was an odd mix of order performed in the most chaotic of manners as they hurriedly stuffed the remaining supplies they'd stolen onto the special airship they'd been lent by Artis and boarded. From what little information she could gather, they'd met with much more resistance than a few dozen teenagers. Weiss watched from one of the glass portholes as the ships filled and the camp broke and was emptied in record speed. Once everything was loaded and the stragglers were accounted for, the last task to be done was to extinguish the small fires dotted throughout the camping area.

Adam and his crew arrived later than the others, out of breath, out of ammunition, and out of dust. The guards left behind were putting out the last fire when another set of guards called for the high leader. They dragged two figures to the fire, forcing them on their knees, their hands behind their backs. Weiss suppressed a gasp: it was Blake and Sun. She scrambled over the officers who had already strapped in. The muscular officer sitting next to the door gripped her upper arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Adam wants me, he motioned for me to come through the window," she lied, pointing to the window as if it were proof. He released her arm and she hurried out the door, scrambling to find her footing in the shadow of the craft as the guards explained the situation.

"We found them trying to infiltrate the camp," one explained. "We thought you'd like to deal with them yourself."

It was written all over Ilia's face; she was afraid for Blake, but too afraid to stand up to Adam. She stood, looking between to two, to unsure of what move to make.

"You have to let them go," Weiss said, tugging at Adam's sleeve.

"Get back on the ship," he ordered. He jerked his arm free, but refused to look in her direction, focusing solely on Blake. He stalked toward them slowly, unsheathing his sword. "Perhaps this mission wasn't such a waste after all," he said quietly, his lips twitching to suppress a smile."

In a split second, she made a decision. He had said before that he wanted to capture Blake and 'make her see reason', meaning he was still loth to kill her. Ducking around him, she ran and threw her arms around Sun's neck, shielding him from Adam's blow.

"Move." His voice was sharp and authoritative.

"No, Weiss, don't!" Blake cried.

"I'm not moving," Weiss said, clinging to Sun even more. "If you kill them, the White Fang and the rest of the faunus are only going to see you as a tyrant who kills anyone who disagrees with you, and not a hero of the faunus. I know you don't care about being a hero, but you do care about your people, don't you?"

"Weiss you don't have to do this," Sun said.

Adam raised his sword again. "I'm not in the mood, Weiss." He snarled.

"You won't kill me," Weiss snapped back, "And I'm not letting go. No one will respect you if you keep killing other faunus. How are your people going to unite under you if they fear for their lives?"

For the second time that evening, Adam hesitated. Faces were staring at him from the camp, and from the widows of the already loaded ship. For the fist time, he became pointedly aware of exactly how much scrutiny he was under, by his underlings and even by his enemies. He looked to Blake who was staring him down defiantly, but looking to Ilia her face showed genuine fear of what he would do.

"They're not worth the time it'd take to clean the blood off my sword." He said finally. "Cut them loose; send them back to the Belladonnas." He lowered his katana and sheathed it.

"Sir, are you sure?" one of his guards asked.

"I said cut them loose," Adam snarled. "I didn't ask for your input."

Nervously, the guards bent down, cutting the ropes on Sun's wrists first, then Blakes. Adam stood in front of her, grabbed her by the collar and yanked her to her feet.

"Send your mother my regards, and tell your father to stay out of my way. He may be the chieftain of Menagerie, but he doesn't speak for the whole of the faunus either. And neither do you. Get in my way again, and I won't send you back to your friends and family." He pushed her away.

As Adam made his threats, Weiss helped Sun to stand. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "We've been looking for you." He whispered into her ear. "We found the locker on Menagerie and told Winter."

"Tell my sister I'm ok. And tell her Arthur Watts is still alive," she said, tears running down her face. "You have to remember his name. He was a computer scientist for Ironwood."

"Arthur Watts," I got it. I promise."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek as she was pulled away from him and ushered back onto the ship.

"Weiss!" Blake called after her. The huntress turned to see the guards pulling Blake away. "We'll get you out! I promise!"

Adam turned to Ilia who was blinking back tears as her skin flushed a pale blue, her eyes following Blake's every movement as they were hauled out of sight. Even without her chameleonic attributes, her feelings were clearly visible, written all over her face.

"You want to go with her? Fine, go!" he shouted.

Ilia used her hand to brush the tears of her eyes. "I…what, sir?"

"You don't want to be here! I saw how you looked at her in the quad, and how you didn't want to set off the charges. If you don't want to be part of the White Fang, then go! We don't need you!" He pointed in the direction Blake and Sun were released into the woods. "If you'd rather follow them, then fine, but don't stay here if you're not fully committed to our cause."

"But…"

"Go!" he roared, "Before I change my mind!"

She ran; phasing her coloring to help her blend in the with the trees she was out of sight within seconds.

"The rest of you, onto the ship!" he shouted. The last remaining guards scrambled aboard and they took off within a matter of minutes.

The Mistral police gave pursuit to the edge of the city, but turned back once they were out side of their own airspace. At first, the cabin of officers was quiet, a little shaken up by Ilia leaving but with time, conversations gradually emerged, exchanging stories and listing out all the loot they'd managed to compile while the others were distracted. Only Adam remained silent and pensive, Weiss seated on the floor between his legs, knowing full well she was in trouble and shouldn't talk or make contact with anyone right now.

"I think you did the right thing, High Leader." One of his officers said eventually. "A lot of us had friends and family in that crowd from Menagerie. They need to know we're not against them, we're trying to advocate for them."

"You're right." Adam said, shifting himself to sit fully upright. "And if we're going to keep fighting for the faunus, I think it's time we cut off our association with Hazel. He and his master don't seem to align with our interests as much as we initially thought, but we can discuss this more when we have the other chapter heads present. For now, we can at least celebrate the success of plundering their resources, however minor a victory it may be."

His men heartily agreed and liquor was produced from the galley. They drank and toasted the rest of the ride home, falling asleep one by one as the adrenaline wore off and fatigue set in. The pilot turned off the overhead lights, letting the officers enjoy a few hours rest as the ship navigated just over the tree line to their new makeshift headquarters. Weiss, who had slept during the afternoon was still wide awake, leaving her and Adam the only two awake in the cabin for the last hour of their flight, which they spent in relative silence. As the ship slowed to land, Adam finally spoke:

"When we land, I want you to find out where our quarters will be and wait up for me. We need to talk."

Chapter Text

"She said his name was Arthur Watts," Sun said, relaying the information he promised to the rest of Weiss' team and JNPR. "She said he's alive and we have to tell her sister this. Apparently, he's some important scientist."

"Our best bet is to try and get tickets on the Argus Limited." Qrow grunted, "From there we can hopefully access the Atlesean military base and contact Ironwood. I'm not sure how Watts plays into this, but if Weiss thinks it's important her sister knows, we'll be sure to tell her." He gave a nod to Oscar who nodded back.

Not wanting to reveal himself to those unknowing in the room, Ozpin would have to wait before explaining Arthur Watt's identity and the importance of him not being dead when only the core group was left. Salem certainly had an eye for both talent and evil, and Arthur Watts was a formidable opponent. Undoubtedly, he was the cause of the hack that turned the Knights and Paladins against the citizens at Beacon. Who

"But she was ok?" Ruby asked anxiously, "She wasn't hurt or scared or anything?"

"Not really," Blake said with a shrug, "it's obvious she's a prisoner, but Adam held back with her. He didn't want to hurt her."

"I don't understand, why would the White Fang want to kidnap Weiss and not just kill her?"

"Because she's more valuable alive than dead?" Blake shrugged. "Adam's pragmatic; he does whatever he thinks will be the most beneficial to him."

"She even said in front of us that he wouldn't kill her," Sun added. "She didn't seem afraid of him; she was willing to yell at him in front of his own underlings. It was ballsy; I liked it."

"She's leverage," Oscar said. "If he ever needs to get out of trouble, he can always offer the Schnee heiress in exchange for his freedom, and it'll be more desirable if she's unharmed. It's a political move."

"I guess we should be grateful to know she's ok," Jaune said, taking Ruby's hand in his own. "If we're able to sort all this out with…" he had to choose his words carefully. Ozpin had gone to great lengths to make sure none of the teams outside RWBY and JNPR knew his secret, and he was not about to be the loser who flubbed that up, "getting to Atlas and finding out who led the attacks on Haven and Beacon, we'll still be able to pick up Weiss' trail, and maybe Winter and her dad will be willing to help us when they know where she is." He tried to sound optimistic.

None of this put Ruby at ease about her former partner. She stood and walked out onto the balcony of the safe house, leaving the rest of the group to continue talking about their plans. Yang followed her outside to make sure she was ok. Ruby paced for a bit, sighed, then leaned on the railing and looked outward over the city.

"She's going to be ok," Yang said, standing beside her enjoying the view. "Especially if she knows we're still looking for her." The sound of a sniffle caught her attention. Ruby was trying to keep it bottled up, but tears finally fell. It broke Yang's heart to see her sister crying. She took Ruby into her arms and cradled her head in a maternal fashion as Ruby clung to her, taking a few minutes to just let out her emotions.

"It's ok to cry," she whispered. "I know you miss her. We all do."

"It's not fair," Ruby sobbed. "We should be out looking for Weiss, but there's always something more important. Getting the relic, defending Haven, taking the relic to Atlas. I hate that there's always something in the way; she's our teammate, we should be prioritizing her."

"She'll understand," Yang assured her. "She's always been the big picture person. She knows we'll come back for her when we can. She's still part of our team and we'll get our whole team back together eventually."

"At least we got Blake back," Ruby said, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "I know you're probably still mad at her, but…"

"It's fine," Yang cut her off, "I was mad, and I still kinda am, but she's part of our team and she did come back and she helped us. We just have a lot of things to work through." She released Ruby from her hug. "Come on. You're tired and you get cranky when you get tired."

"I'm not ready for bed yet," Ruby rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "We have stuff to plan and I want to catch up with Blake and Sun."

"If you need to stay out here a minute longer, we can. At least until your eyes aren't red and puffy anymore."

Ruby nodded. "Ok."

For a minute they stood side by side, looking up at the fractured moon.

"You think there's something Qrow's not telling us about Winter Schnee?" Yang asked absentmindedly.

"What do you mean?"

"They apparently knew each other and had harsh words when she came to town for the Vytal festival, but from the way dad talked to her, and the way Uncle Qrow talks about her, I think maybe they knew each other…more than just as colleagues."

"It's kinda weird to think she visited him when he was dying but didn't stay until morning," Ruby admitted, "And it's also weird she sang to him. Maybe they were partners on one of Oz's secret missions."

"Do you think she knows about all this stuff? About the relics and the maidens?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know, I have to think if she's Ironwood's right-hand woman, she'd have to know about some of it, maybe not all of it."

"Everything ok out here?" Jaune cracked the patio door open and poked his head through. "We were going to break out the ice cream, I wanted to let you guys know if you wanted any…before Nora eats it all…"

"We were actually just about to come back in," Ruby said.

"And I'm not letting ice cream go without a fight. I'll arm wrestle her again if I have to," Yang said, pushing the screen all the way open to allow herself passage. As she disappeared into the kitchen, Jaune and Ruby exchanged a knowing look.

"I know what it's like to be a captain with a teammate missing. The hole never really goes away."

"I know," Ruby said, "and I know you still have a soft spot for her, too."

"So, we both agree to not give up hope?" He held out his hand.

"And that we'll track her down the first opportunity that we get." She said taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "Deal?"

"Deal."

A new moon kept the relocated headquarters completely shrouded in shadows as the hovercraft and ships moved in to dock. Unlike the previous headquarters where all business and was conducted under a single roof, the relocation was a village comprised of several abandoned homes and few communal edifices, one being a watchtower. There were certainly some benefits to the compartmentalization and separation of the building: another fire wouldn't ruin the entire operation for one, it also allowed for privacy and cut down on the noise of other activities. While the buildings were in disrepair, they were still well constructed, leaving the things to be fixed superficial or at the very least, easily fixable.

Perishable items were unloaded for storage, but the faunus were tired and by Adam's permit, left the bulk of the stolen goods from Haven in the ship to be unloaded in the morning when they were rested and sober.

Adam disappeared to attend to his other responsibilities leaving Weiss to follow her instructions. The lieutenant smirked as he led her to Adam's quarters, a two-story house centrally located between the watch tower and what looked like a dojo.

The house to a degree had been furnished and cleaned as much as possible. There was a table and two chairs in the kitchen area, and a larger cushioned chair in the living area.

"No electricity and no running water just yet, but we're getting them connected building by building," He lit two lanterns, one to leave downstairs for Adam when he came in and another to show her around the upstairs.

"We have linens and bedding here, and there's a wash basin you can use and refill as needed," he directed. He shone the light into the master bedroom. "We have a foundation and a mattress but not a frame for the bed yet. We're working on unloading everything and are just getting the essentials out as we go. Servant's quarters are in here." He shone the light in the room. There was a hole in the roof, and no furnishings whatsoever.

"There's no mattress for me," she said quietly.

The lieutenant waved dismissively at her. "Not my problem. We have people who need mattresses. You and the other humans will get beds once we've secured housing and bedding for ourselves first." He left her the lantern and went his way with no more explanation or even a farewell.

Weiss hated the anxiety of waiting, and looked for things to do while she waited for Adam. There was a tank of water she used to fill the wash basin up and give herself a good wipe down. After that she carried the lantern from room to room, first sleeping the floor and then using the small pile of linens to put sheets on Adam's bed. Four pillows were delivered to Adam's room, but after putting the cases on them, Weiss took one for herself and hid another: if she was going to sleep on the floor, she'd at least have some support for her neck and back. From there, she kept herself busy sweeping up the layers of dust and dirt as well as she could with just the two lanterns until Adam came in.

He looked briefly at their accommodations, saying nothing, merely carrying the lantern from one room to the next. He finished in the kitchen, placing his lantern on the table next to Weiss and sitting in one of the chairs, removing his outer mask, followed by his sword, his jacket and then his gloves, all plunked on the table. Weiss couldn't take the anticipation any longer.

"If you're going to punish me for defying you at the camp…"

"I'm not going to punish you," he said calmly. "What you said this afternoon, before the siege started…"

"I stand by it."

"I'm not arguing it further, just listen," he braced his hands in front of himself, growing more and more agitated. "You kept me from making a grave mistake tonight. If it weren't for you, I might have set the White Fang on their own friends and family and if you hadn't convinced me that would turn my men against me, it might have ruined my status as High Leader and splintered the entire brotherhood."

"Is this your way of saying I was right?" Weiss folded her arms.

"I'm trying to thank you!" he said harshly. Why was she making this so hard?

"You want to thank me? Let me go back to my team!"

Adam didn't appreciate being shouted at, but remained unphased. "And let you run back to Mistral so you can lead an army here? I'm not risking my men like that."

Weiss leaned with her back against the table, gripping the edge. "I've been beaten, starved, worked until I couldn't barely stand. You…you permanently marked up my back, called me a trophy and property, and you even played mind games and emotionally manipulated, but I still tried to keep my moral compass. I patched you up, I went out of my way to help Dax Branagh, I put my heart into the training you wanted, I gave you honest advice about things in your best interest. If I have built up any trust, any amount of goodwill toward you and your people, you know I won't do that. Please, let me go back to my team."

Adam sighed. "You know I can't do that." He stood, taking a lock of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. It was an intimate gesture, almost affectionate. "You're the only leverage I have if the White Fang is attacked or captured. It's nothing personal."

"Nothing personal?" she recoiled from him. "You made it personal when you kissed me and begged me hold your hand until you fell asleep the night Sienna Khan escaped!"

It gave Adam pause. "That was a gamble," he finally said.

"A gamble?"

"I thought I was dying and I thought you were going to kill me in my sleep. You easily could have." He stepped away and ran his fingers through his hair. "You had access to my sword, dust and could have gotten out of your collar the same way Sienna had. But…I thought maybe you didn't hate me as much as you once did…just as I didn't hate you as much as I once did."

Weiss closed her eyes, her mouth falling open as she searched for words to say. After a deep breath, she glared at him, thin lipped. "I'm sorry, I need to get this straight: you wanted to convince me not to kill you and you decided the best way to do that was to kiss me while I sat curled up next to you caked in your blood."

"At the time I was hammered, hopped up on adrenaline and hemorrhaging blood. Granted, it wasn't the best plan, but it worked, and a week later I was able to return the favor."

"So, it was just another manipulation tactic? Another trick to keep me under your thumb?" She let out a laugh, half out of scorn for herself and half out of disbelief.

"I didn't mean it for it to affect you like this."

She'd had enough. She took a step toward him and planted her feet, pointing a finger in his face as his brows knitted in surprise at her outburst.

"You need to make up your mind about what exactly I am. When you first took me, I was treated like a slave, but then you turn around and start worrying about my weight. You used to slap my face when I spoke out of turn but then encourage my dissenting opinions so long as your officers aren't around. You lie and manipulate me and toy with my emotions and now you say you 'didn't mean for it to affect me'?" She'd been struggling to maintain her composure until this point, but his last comment was the final straw. Tears of frustration came to her eyes as she threw up her hands, letting them fall at her sides with an exasperated slap. "What exactly am I, Adam? Am I your trusted servant? Your bargaining chip? Your therapist? Your trophy? Your training partner?"

He responded by cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. Her body stiffened as she let out a small gasp. He kept her head cradled in his hands as he spoke.

"I don't know what you are to me, Weiss, or what I am to you. All I know is, you're the first human I've ever been able to trust, and right now, that's all that matters. I'm about to cut ties with Hazel which will no doubt anger not only Salem, but some of the more extremist factions. I'm going into this with no certainties, except you."

She put her hands on his forearms and leaned toward him, inviting another kiss, which he took, pressing his lips to hers, sweet and gentle at first, then escalating to firmer and more forceful. His hands wandered down her waist to her hips, pulling her closer as she gripped the fabric of his shirt.

Her mind tried it make up excuses: that she was only so responsive because she'd been starved of any kind of positive interaction and was overreacting, but she knew the truth: she wanted this, she wanted him to trust her, to value her as more than just her status as a glorified hostage, to be attracted to her, to affirm in some way that she'd won him over.

He broke from their kiss for just a moment to catch his breath. Keeping a hold of her hips, he sat in the kitchen chair, pulling her towards himself until she was sitting, straddling his lap. He wrapped one arm around her waist, his fingers tracing the outline of the brand on her back while he weaved the fingers of his other hand into her hair. She braced her hands against his chest until she'd steadied herself. He leaned in for another kiss, but she stopped him, trailing her fingers up to his cloth mask, pushing it up and over his horns, letting the black strip fall to the floor. She studied his eyes; he looked apprehensive but also intense and hungry. They said nothing for a moment, enjoying each other's closeness before Adam resumed, pulling her in to plant a string of kisses starting at her jaw and moving downward.

She winced when the kisses on her neck turned to bites.

"Please, no marks." she breathed, tugging on his hair to pull him away. "Your men; they'll see."

"They already think I use you," he replied, "We might as well give them something to talk about." He kissed and nipped at her neck again, kissing lower until he reached her collarbone. He released his grip on her hair, allowing her the freedom to return the favor.

She pressed herself against him, giving him a long passionate kiss before moving to his jaw, kissing and giving gentle bites to the sweet spot where his jaw met his neck, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him.

"Kitten," he panted, the word escaping his lips before he was able to control it.

The mood dissipated almost instantaneously, as Weiss process what he'd just called her. She froze, pulled back and glared at him with indignation.

"That's it," she pushed him away and stood, her actions measured and cold, despite the fact that internally her blood was boiling. "That's what I am to you. I'm Blake. I'm just replacement Blake. Another young, idealistic girl with status that you can keep by your side to use as a vehicle to keep yourself in power and validate the White Fang.

"Weiss, no," he sounded more frustrated at himself than desperate, "that's not…"

Weiss squinted at him. "That was probably your little pet name for her. But it's nothing personal, right? You're just hopped up on adrenaline again." She grabbed the lantern and stormed away from him up the stairs.

"Come back." He picked up his mask and lantern to follow her upstairs, refusing to let a human girl be the reason he lost his composure. He didn't rush, he knew he'd blown it, but he also knew she wasn't going anywhere.

She'd retreated to her room and had thrown a glyph in the doorway to bar his entrance.

"I'm sorry," he apologized through the blocked doorway. He sounded calm and sincere, but she ignored him, leaving the glyph in his way as she locked eyes with him defiantly. He could have broken through, and Weiss knew it. He could have done whatever he wanted; forced her, hurt her, but he stood outside the doorway, hoping she'd calm down enough to have a civil conversation. What he got instead was the most intense staring contest of his life.

When he realized she wasn't going to take the glyph down and talk to him, he took the lantern and left the house altogether, slamming the front door.

A wave of emotions hit her all at once. Seeing Sun and Blake again, Adam's reaction at Haven, and their…whatever the last ten minutes had been was overwhelming to process all at once, especially in a strange place with no creature comforts. She sat on the floor, replaying every detail for what felt like hours, realizing she'd never get any kind of sleep if she didn't resolve this as soon as she was able. She made her way back downstairs and waited for him in the padded armchair in the front room, eventually falling asleep as the lantern burned out.

One of the biggest positives of the new location was the bar that had been discovered not only still in good condition, but well stocked. A number of the soldiers and officers had gathered with their lanterns and were making a raucous singing and drinking and celebrating the return of all of their men safe and alive. Adam entered the building to cheers and toasts, the crowd parting to give him access to the bar.

"What'll it be?" a reptilian faunus asked, stepping aside to let him see the selection.

"Bourbon, if there is any," Adam said.

"You'll have to drink it out of a plastic cup," he said, pouring the stiff, amber colored liquid into a brightly colored monstrosity more suited to beer at a barbecue.

The lieutenant muscled his way to the barstool next to his. "Everyone says you had a chance to kill the Belladonna girl but didn't do it."

"Yeah," Adam sighed, "Half of Menagerie showed up to fight for the humans with the Belladonnas spearheading the attack. I wasn't going to make my troops fire on their own friends and family. The White Fang is against humanity, but not our own people, however misguided." He took a sip of the bourbon and winced: it was bad, but at least it was something. "In case you want to know, Ilia ran off with them and I let her."

"Sounds like it wasn't quite the victory you wanted."

"Well, we can't always get what we want, we just have to be content with the victories we do earn," Adam replied. After a moment, he looked over at the lieutenant. "I'm going to be going to traveling to our different sites for a bit," he said finally, "but there's a mission I'd like you to carry out for me while I'm gone."

"Sure, I'm up for it." The lieutenant smiled, "Since you put me on transport duty while you went to have fun at Haven."

"It involves you sneaking into Atlas."

The lieutenant leaned on his elbows. "I'm listening."

Chapter Text

When he didn't come back the first night, Weiss assumed it was just a fluke: that he'd spent the night drinking and would be home when his hangover wore off. Unsure of where to go or who to ask for food and what she was expected to do, she stayed inside the house alone until the late afternoon when two muscular faunus let themselves in with a dust-powered generator. They looked surprised to see her as they set the generator down in the front room.

"Why are you here?" the senior officer asked.

Weiss shrugged. "I'm assigned to Adam's housing, or at least I was last night."

"But why didn't you go with Adam to Vale?"

"Adam's gone?"

The officer nodded. "He left this morning. Everyone assumed as his personal servant you would have gone with him. He's going to be gone for weeks." He brushed past her and began searching the house for the circuit breaker

She blinked. "What am I supposed to while he's gone?"

The smaller faunus shrugged dramatically.

"I don't particularly care," the senior faunus said, yanking a door open, and looking inside. "Who do you normally report to if Adam's gone?"

"Ilia."

He looked blankly into the closet, it taking a moment to sink in he hadn't found the utility room. "Who after Ilia?"

Weiss wasn't sure. "I don't know…maybe the lieutenant?"

"The lieutenant is gone, too." He closed the door and continued his search. "Personally, as long as you stay out of my way, I don't care what you do." He yanked another door open. "With no electricity and no running water here, your best bet will be to just bunk with the other humans and work with them until Adam gets back."

She did not want that at all. "I will shower and eat with the humans, but as far as working, I'm assigned to the high leader and by proxy, his interests, chiefly the state of his living quarters. I doubt he'll want to come home to a dirty house if I've been here the whole time doing work for other people. He's particular like that."

"Suit yourself," he said, emerging from the utility room looking none too pleased. He'd removed his hood, revealing a large patch of black, reptilian scales covering the crown of his bald head down to the back of his neck. "The wiring is shot; we'll have to come back and install the generator when we get in some replacement wiring. Good news though: the piping and the hot water heater look good. Once we get a consistent water source, you'll be able to have hot showers." He walked past his apprentice and clapped him on the shoulder. "Just leave the generator here. We'll come back to it once we get the supplies we need."

"Yes, sir," the underling nodded, and with barely a look in Weiss' direction, the two were gone as quickly as they had come. She had no idea that this occurrence would repeat several times over the next two weeks as other workers arrived to perform various repairs and renovations. The reptilian faunus returned a few days later to fix the electrical wiring and install the generator. Electricity was the first step toward the house becoming fully functional.

Carpenters came from the smaller outposts in Mistral to fix the buildings. The roof was patched, broken sliding doors repaired and replaced, coats of paint to both the interior and exterior bringing the architecture of the crumbling village back to its former glory. Exterminators were even brought into the get rid of the insects and vermin.

Faunus delivered furniture, including a bedframe for Adam's mattress, a couch, a desk and chair, a cot for her, and a set of dishes and cookware for the kitchen.

Between the fixing and installations, she cleaned everything. From the scrubbing the floors to the walls to even braving the nooks where the spider webs were the thickest. She enjoyed the solitude and some big project to work on. It helped keep her mind off of him. When she was still at Beacon, Weiss was the only team member that could be considered a neat freak; though she hadn't discovered her love of cleaning until their first dormitory white glove. She found she much enjoyed cleaning, even if it did leave the smell of chemicals on her hands. It gave her some modicum of control and gave her a sense of accomplishment that she could take a step back and see her progress. With two weeks, she was able to wash away months of dust, dirt, and grime to make the building suitable for living.

Water was the last thing to be hooked up. It took awhile for them to find a viable water source, choosing to subversively divert a portion of the nearby river into the currently existing well that was already plumbed to bring water to the houses. From there, dust operated purification systems and electrical heaters provided both clean and hot water to the houses, making the village habitable and able to function to its fullest. Life began to flourish again in this new village, and the supply ships with aid came less and less the more independent the headquarters grew.

With no one to see or judge her, she slept in Adam's bed. She wasn't going to deny herself the luxury of sleeping in a bed when she was the one working so hard to make the place habitable.

Ten days after Adam left, someone knocked on the front door. It was the only time anyone had knocked on the door rather than just letting themselves in. She was a lanky girl, tall and thin with wispy blonde hair and brown eyes with thin horns that circled from the beginning of her hairline and encompassed her ears. Heavy eye make-up and her vibrant dress gave her a look of the eccentric, but also that she made a considerable amount of money.

"Hi, I know this must be weird, but my mom sent me here. She says Adam's ordered you to have a haircut."

"Oh," Weiss opened the door fully to permit her entrance. She entered with one hand holding a footstool and another a shiny caboodle.

"It's easiest to do this in the bathroom if there's room," she said.

"It's upstairs," Weiss pointed before leading the way herself.

"It'll do," the stylist said. "Grab a chair and I'll get started."

She fetched a chair from the kitchen set and the faunus got to work.

"Can I ask you your name?"

"Nessa."

"And Adam sent you to give me a haircut?"

"Not exactly." She unpacked the caboodle and removed the plastic cape to wrap around Weiss' neck. "He asked for volunteers and my mom asked if I'd like to help out here. I decided to come down for a week." Now, let me see what I'm working with."

She began combing through Weiss' hair, stopping frequently to either spray it or just shake her head in displeasure and say: "Oh honey."

"What's the damage?" Weiss asked.

"You've got one patch here that's completely melted. You've got hair scorched off, split ends…I'm going to have to take off a good bit to get it looking good again."

"How much."

Nessa scrunched her lips as she thought. "I think I can layer it to cover up the most of the damage and since your bangs are grown out, I'll blend those into your layers." She grabbed a piece of hair between her index and middle finger to show Weiss in the mirror. "Maybe six inches? It's a lot, but your hair will have a chance to grow out healthy again."

Weiss nodded approvingly. "I trust your judgement."

"It'll certainly give you a more mature look." She took her time to measure out the first cut and began to work. There was something to the touch of her scissors and her demeanor that indicated she was a professional, and probably a good one.

"Do you work at a salon? I mean, is that what you do for a living?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. I am a stylist in Argus. I work for the Papillon Noir."

It was a name Weiss recognized; one of the most expensive salons for the upper crust in Argus. Weiss and her sister had even had their hair done there once for a business event when they were younger.

"Your mother must be very proud," Weiss commented.

"I worked my butt of in school to get the job." Nessa said. "She wanted me to have a respectable job so that humans would respect me. Not like her I guess."

"So, you're not part of the White Fang?"

"I'm not a member, but if they need me, I'm always happy to oblige. I don't agree with everything they do but they saved my mom's life when she needed it and got her out of the dust mines."

Despite their frames being almost opposite, her coloring and caprine features made it obvious she was Lehela's daughter. Weiss understood now why Lehela had such animosity toward her the first time they met.

"Can I ask you something? Personal?"

"Um…yeah? Sure," though Nessa sounded far from it.

"Are you treated differently because you're a faunus? Not necessarily in general, but where you work."

"From my boss or from the clientele?"

"Both."

"I had to prove myself at the salon when I first got taken on. There were rumors of me only getting hired as a token faunus, but the owner made it very clear that I was expected to pull my weight. The other stylists don't care since I wasn't stealing any of their clients. The customers are a whole different story." She fell silent as she concentrated on a few cuts before continuing. "What few faunus clients we have prefer me, and most of the Atleseans don't care; a lot of the upper crust of Mistral and the Atlesean military officers will refuse to let me do their hair, but I make enough without them to let it bother me. The Mistralians are crappy tippers anyway." She finished and gave Weiss a mirror so she could see the back of her hair as well as the front.

"I love it." Weiss said. Her entire life, she'd tried to find that perfect balance of looking stylish and feminine while also keeping it out of her face for combat. She once considered her long mane a point of beauty and was even hurt when Adam initially forced her to cut it. But this…she liked this: chin length, no bangs and just enough layers to give it texture. It was still feminine but it was modern and light and gave her features a much needed update.

"I'm going to go ahead and give you a deep conditioning while I'm here. I can tell you used to take care of your hair, but you probably don't have the product to keep it as shiny and silky as it was.

Weiss half laughed. "Yeah, life as a political prisoner of the White Fang does have its drawbacks."

Nessa squirted the conditioner into her hands and began massaging it into Weiss scalp. "Adam must at least have some amount of respect for you."

"What makes you say that?"

Nessa shrugged. "You're the only human getting a haircut. Adam's instructions were to provide haircuts for the officers first, then you, then anyone else in the camp who needed it, and the rest of the humans were to have their heads shaved."

"That sounds like him." Weiss replied sardonically.

They sat for a few minutes in silence before Nessa rinsed the conditioner out and blew her hair dry. It was such a small thing, but this was the closest thing Weiss had come to being pampered since being allowed to take hot showers. She relished it, and was genuinely sad to see Nessa go. She seemed like a nice person.

The train station in Mistral was particularly busy that day. Two weeks after the attack on Haven, the remaining student body of the academy were all trying to purchase tickets west, probably planning to catch one of the ferries going to Vale and then an even longer train ride to Vacuo. There was also a suspiciously large herd of faunus trying to catch a train east to the bay; several of them mentioned something about having a boat to catch. Among the huge surge of passengers that day, the relatively small group of teenagers and a bristly old chaperone went mostly unnoticed.

Ruby teased Yang about her Winter Holiday gift as Blake stole away for a moment to say goodbye to everyone. In the upstairs food court overlooking the platform, she tried one last time to talk Ilia into coming with them to Argus but she refused.

"I have work to do in Menagerie," she insisted. "You parents are trying to heal the faunus community right now and that's where I need to be." She hugged Blake tightly. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too."

She stepped out of the way when she saw Sun approaching. Neptune was quick to strike up a conversation with his cheesy pickup lines to give Blake and Sun some privacy, but Ilia didn't seem to mind.

"Are you excited about going back home?" Blake asked.

"Excited yes, but also I know I've got my work cut out for me. Vacuo is a different sort of place and it's kinda up to me to make sure everyone adjusts ok. It was my idea to have the Haven students transfer to Shade and Professor Theodore is pulling all kids of strings to accommodate all of us on such short notice."

"I'm sure you'll be an asset to the school."

"We'll make sure to be ready if Shade is attacked next." He lightly punched his opposite palm in confidence. "And I'm sure you'll do the same in Atlas. Ironwood will be lucky to have your team on board."

"I won't lie, I'm not looking forward to that talk with Weiss' sister."

"Hey," he placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "We promised Weiss we'd take her message to Winter. If she saw that as a priority over her own freedom and safety, I trust her judgement. Fulfilling her wishes and relaying all that information to her sister is the best thing you can do. Besides, if anyone has the power and the reason to take action to save the SDC heiress, it's the Atlas military."

Blake's ears flattened against her head as she sighed. "I know it's just…." She didn't finish her sentence.

"You think Adam is going to hurt her?"

"No…I don't…" She couldn't find the words. After foregoing a chance to kill her and Sun, she was confident that Adam wasn't going to hurt Weiss, but that didn't alleviate her fears. In the six years she'd known him, he hadn't raised a hand against her until they fought at Beacon, but that didn't mean she never lived in fear of what he was willing to do. It was an odd, unsettling feeling, but Blake knew dumping that emotional baggage on Sun wasn't fair, or even if it was well founded.

"I'm sure you'll find her." Sun assured her. "Your team has come from all over the world to come back together. I'm sure wherever Weiss ends up, she'll make her way back to you. Teams have a way of finding each other. I found my way back to mine."

"I'm going to miss your optimism," she admitted, finally cracking a smile.

"I'm going to miss you."

His sincerity caught her off guard. A sudden surge of guilt that she was leaving him behind surged over her. "Sun, I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you for everything you've done."

He posed dramatically and stared out into the middle distance. "I go where I'm needed! And right now, you don't need me anymore. My team and my classmates need me in Vacuo, and your team is heading off to Atlas."

"I don't like saying goodbye."

"Don't worry. I have a feeling you haven't seen the last of me." He smirked at her.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him goodbye on the cheek, before descending the stairs to wait with the rest of her team. Neptune returned and the two of them exited toward their waiting area, a look of disappointment on Sun's face. Neptune furrowed his brow in concern.

"I don't know, man, it feels like you're letting her go." He was trying to be helpful, but Sun didn't particularly like his tone.

"We have too much at stake right now," he replied unfolding his hands, "Blake needs to be with her team and we need to get twenty something students enrolled in Shade."

Neptune shrugged and didn't say any more on the matter. He knew Sun was going to miss her, but he wasn't going to press the issue. If he wanted to open up about it and talk, he would eventually.

As the three trains headed from the station, one east, one west, and one north, no one would have suspected only two would make it to their destinations with all of their passengers. The Argus Limited, however was fated to derail, a group of brave huntsmen electing to stay behind to allow the front cars to speed away to safety. Two huntsmen died on impact when the cars flew off the tracks, the remaining six forced to brave the elements of the harsh north on their own.

Weiss returned from dinner in the house that had been converted into a mess hall for the humans. True to what Nessa had told her, all of the slaves had been shaved bald, women and men alike. It was degrading and humiliating and Weiss genuinely felt sorry for them, though her pity only seemed to draw their ire even more. Seeing her with a professional looking haircut coupled knowledge that the order came from Adam himself, the rest of her own people refused to so much as look at her.

They resented her.

She understood why.

Weiss asked if she could eat her meals back and was firmly refused. She would eat and use the utensils where the guards could keep an eye on everyone, her included. When Adam came back she could eat under his supervision, but until his return, she had to remain with her "peers" in the bottom floor of a modest sized house. Grabbing a tray of food, she found a secluded spot in the farthest room from the front door where the fewest humans were coming in to eat. Despite still having to haul water by hand and manage the rations of food, the food was good.

Back in Adam's house, she ascended the stairs, deciding to change into her pajamas and read on the balcony of the master bedroom. With spring well under way and the summer months approaching, the days were getting longer, meaning she'd be able to read in the sunset for longer each day…at least until Adam returned and made sure she never had a moment to herself again. In the same thought she both wished he'd return so things could go back to normal but also wished he'd stay away and give her as long of a reprieve as possible. Once he came back, they'd have to go back to their routine, he'd go back to being a terrorist, she'd go back to being his spoils of war but worst of all, they'd have to talk about what happened the night he left.

She'd changed into her pajamas and had dug a book out of the closet (the previous owner was gracious enough to leave behind a stack of pulp novels which were hardly literary masterpieces, but still worth a single read through) before she noticed the black case sitting on her cot. Almost four feet in length but still reasonably thin, it looked like a long skinny briefcase, complete with silver clasps holding it shut. No one had been in the house earlier today to her knowledge, but there was a bow tied around the corner and an envelope addressed to her tucked into the ribbon. She removed the card first and opened it.

Weiss,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there to give you your gift in person.

Happy Birthday,

Adam

Her birthday wasn't until tomorrow, but perhaps it wasn't his fault that the gift arrived on the wrong day, or perhaps she wasn't intended to find it until the morning. She slid the ribbon off the case and undid the clasps.

Sitting in a padding made of red velvet was Myrtenaster. The cylinders were bare of dust, but it was definitely her sword, cleaned, oiled, and in the same condition she'd left it in the night she was taken from Atlas. For what seemed like an eternity, she just stared, too afraid to reach out and touch it, fearing it might be just her imagination. When she finally gathered the courage, she picked it up and took a few swings with it. It was like reuniting with an old friend. She took her stance, back straight, one foot slightly in front of the other and began her practice routines. It was like she'd never been without it, her arms and hands immediately adjusting back to the weight of the rapier rather than the bulky and heave tsurugi she'd been practicing with.

She couldn't deny: it was a touching gesture from her captor. Was it his way of saying sorry? Perhaps it was his way of letting her know he wanted her to be herself around him as much as possible and that he appreciated her for what she brought to the table. He didn't stand to profit anything by putting her own weapon back in her hands; if anything it was a risk, but she was deeply and truly grateful for it.

Having her own weapon back was a sensation that was simultaneously comforting and empowering. As her confidence surged, she swung the sword with greater force, greater speed and precision.

Her tiny upstairs bedroom was too small of a practice space. She quickly went back downstairs and pushed the furniture of the living room up against the walls, giving herself as much floorspace as the house could give her.

She lunged, she parried, she threw glyphs on every surface, and then she focused and performed a summon. It was possible to do without the sword, but something about having her own blade back in her hands gave her the added focus and resolve she needed to bring the boarbatusk to life. She forced it to vanish and summoned the gigas, then a flock of nevermore. She kept going until her aura was drained. Her fights with Adam, however intense, never gave her this level of satisfaction, this kind of completeness.

By the time she was finished, the sun was completely down and the clock was approaching midnight. Exhausted, she stored her rapier back in its case, but brought the case with her to Adam's bed, eventually falling asleep with the case clasped in her arms. This was the best birthday present she'd gotten in years. She'd gone so long without her personal weapon she'd almost forgotten what it was like to feel whole again. Tonight however, she felt more than just complete, she felt unstoppable.

It was the best sleep she'd had all year: deep, dreamless, and full of contentment.

Chapter Text

After 15 days travelling by boat, air transport, hovercraft, and train, Adam returned to find the relocated HQ a thriving village: the fire already fading into nothing more than a minor setback on the road of their inevitable success.

The majority of his underlings were pleased at his return, showing off how quickly they had adapted to the new location with the help of all the local Mistralian chapters and some generous donations from Vale.

"Artis, I suppose, thinks she's done her part with the airships," Lehela muttered as she took the high leader through the infirmary house. "Mistral and Vale emptied out their medical supply cabinets, but Atlas couldn't spare so much as a roll of gauze. Even the brothers in hiding in Menagerie managed to smuggle us some tools."

"Atlas is under close scrutiny," Adam said, trying to be diplomatic. "Sending that airship was probably the biggest risk they'd taken in a year and they're not going to be reckless again for a while. Who knows what Ironwood is doing with the lockdowns and closed borders?"

Lehela snorted through her nose. "Mistral will remember this when Atlas calls for aid. Atlas wasn't willing to risk anything for us, why should we risk for Atlas?"

"Atlas can give us tech and dust and we have enough of both from Haven for now. I'm just curious about the other consumables we were sent."

"If you're referring to bourbon, then yes. Vacuo was happy to send us spirits," Lehela rolled her eyes.

"I think I'll go inspect that now," Adam said, offering her a thank you and heading to the tavern. He wasn't ready to face Weiss yet, but he also promised himself he wouldn't overdo it with the booze this early in the day.

He was the only patron in the bar at the time, though shortly after he arrived, he heard the door creaking and then slamming shut, revealing the lieutenant, fresh off the airship, bag over his shoulder.

"You're back, too?" he sounded more relieved than pleased.

"I guess we had the same idea," the high leader replied. "Join me?

He smiled and slid into the seat opposite the high leader at his corner table, setting his bag down and removing his mask. The barkeep took their order and returned with their drinks in a short time. Getting a sense that they pair wanted some privacy, he disappeared into the back, leaving Adam and the lieutenant to themselves.

They ate in relative silence, only making small talk until the sandwiches were gone.

"You seem spooked," Adam finally said, "Did things not go well in Atlas? Were you able to get what I asked?"

"I had it on her bed the night before," he said dismissively, waving his hand. "I fared well. You, however, high, leader have caused a huge division in the Atlesean. Artis was not impressed after the assault on Haven, especially wanting to cut ties with Hazel after the first time we've made a real impact in the world at large in the last decade." He rested his forearms on the table and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Artis attributes it to our alliance with Hazel and his associates."

"Moving away from human support to become self-sufficient is exactly the example we want to set for the faunus. Can she not see our interests won't align forever?"

The lieutenant shrugged while keeping his arms on the table, only his shoulders rising and sagging with his lack of an answer. "They might not, but cutting them off so suddenly might make us vulnerable on both fronts: Hazel wanting to punish us for leaving and the huntsmen coming at our front without a support system. We're weak right now; and Artis perceives you weak as well."

"She is just as big of a fool as Sienna was," Adam replied. "Hazel, and the rest of them are going to turn on us eventually anyway. "We have to find a way to get out before they have us dependent on their aid."

"I trust you, Adam, I always have, and I've supported you as high leader. I'm just reporting what Artis says and is telling her people in Atlas." He took a drink. "You need to be careful. Most of the Atleseans are siding with her, and it looks like she's' going to try and build a case to overthrow you the same way you did with Sienna Khan. She was not impressed with your wanting to alienate our only ally and your antics with the humans, particularly the Schnee heiress."

"Antics?"

The lieutenant leaned back in his chair. "Do I really have to spell this out for you? In front of the chapter heads, Hazel and the brat that came with him and your hand-selected officers, you ran into a burning building full of your comrades to rescue, not them, but the huntress daughter of Jacques Schnee."

When he put it like that, it did sound unbecoming of the White Fang High Leader.

He continued, "You were screaming "I need her!" and giving her mouth to mouth while your own men were fighting grimm and being burned alive, and then, for whatever reason, you brought her to Haven where she made a spectacle out of herself and you, so I'm told. She isn't given regular beatings like the other humans, she gets blatant favoritism in realms of clothes, food and sleeping arrangements and then to top it all off, you send one of your highest ranked officers on a fetch quest for her birthday present." His voice was growing more intense as he spoke. He didn't agree with Artis, per se, but he could at least see where she was coming from, "Look, it was fine when she was just your pet and you liked to parade her around, but now, she's affecting you in a way that's affecting us. Don't expect any more favors from Atlas until you can solidify your claim as High Leader and start acting like you're actually for the faunus, and not for you little snow mink you keep in your lap."

Adam said nothing. He couldn't deny it. He'd allowed himself to be too public. He removed his outer mask and rubbed his temples. "We can't fracture the White Fang right now. And we can't afford to lose our main source of vehicles and dust. I knew she was displeased with me, but not to the point of trying to oust me."

The lieutenant let out a long exhale, the kind one does before delivering bad news. "There's more. Artis helped smuggle two of Hazel's associates into Atlas. A scorpion and a human: Atlesean, thin, arrogant."

"Tyrian and Watts." Adam's brow knitted in displeasure. Not only did this mean Salem had her eye on Atlas next, but it also meant Salem had decided to work with the White Fang independently of him. She was growing bolder and that didn't bode well for anyone. "I…do…need Weiss, but not how you think." he chose his words carefully. He didn't want to give too many details away and be perceived as crazy with his leadership already in question. "Hazel and his associates work for a woman called Salem, and as you can tell, she has a number of vast resources, the White Fang being among them. She and her cronies are responsible for everything that happened in Vale. The dust robberies, Roman, the train, and everything that went down and Beacon; it was all Salem."

"The woman we saw with Roman sometimes? Red dress? Glass shoes?"

Adam shook his head, "Tahtwas just another one of her servants. She builds a network of people so she can remain in the shadows. Salem gets Cinder, Cinder gets Roman and the White Fang, Roman gets the Xiongs and the Malachites."

"They're all connected to her?" the lieutenant seemed a little disbelieving. "What does she want?"

"That's just it. I don't know. At first, I just thought she had some bone to pick with humanity in general, but this is more than just creating havoc. She has a plan and a system for enacting it, but she hasn't told any of us."

"Have you seen this woman? This Salem?"

Again, Adam shook his head. "She only deals directly with a small group: Cinder, Hazel, and the two Artis got into Atlas."

He was skeptical, but the lieutenant was being won over: the attack on Vale, Beacon and Have were too well organized and too well funded for just a rogue crime lord to pull off. "What are the implications then, for us?"

"That we're just a pawn in her game, just like Roman and Junior. As soon as we outlive our usefulness, she'll turn on us, too." It was easy to see the pattern: Vale, Mistral, Atlas…Vacuo would be next and after that? "There's no guarantee she won't come after Menagerie the way she did Beacon and Haven."

"What are we supposed to do?" The lieutenant mused aloud. "If we try to get out now, she could destroy us, but if we stay, we're just delaying the inevitable, at least until we know her true intentions."

Adam almost smiled. Knowing that the lieutenant was fully aware of their dilemma, he was comfortable sharing at least a part of his plan. "We do what we need, but neither side will suspect: we join forces with the huntsmen."

"No one would go for that," The lieutenant countered. "Even if our brothers and sisters agreed and reached out, the huntsmen would never agree to aligning with what they perceive as terrorists."

"And that," Adam threw his head back and finished his shot and set the glass down with a clink. "is where Miss Schnee comes in."

"Offering her return in exchange for the aid of the huntsmen?"

"No. We get her to advocate for us when it's time to join forces with humanity. Look at her: human, huntress, she comes from prominent family, with connections to the SDC and has a sister in the most powerful military in the world. She's Atlesean, but went to a huntsman academy in Vale, meaning she has connections in both. People have seen her face on TV and heard her sing on the radio. She fought during the Fall of Beacon: if there's any one person the huntsmen of Remnant would rally behind, it's her. And I have spent the last six months getting her to understand the plight of the faunus, the goal of the White Fang, but more importantly to connect with us. These allowances I make for her: Artis sees them as me being soft on her, but in truth, it's a way for men to soften her to us. That's why I went after her during the fire, why I let her go without a collar and why I wanted her weapon back in her had. If we can win her over, she can win humanity over, and we will survive whatever Salem's endgame is."

There was a long silence. Across the table, the lieutenant was trying to take it all in at once. "You can't have been planning this from the very beginning, but how long? How long has this been your design? With the Schnee heiress?"

"I never intended to kill her, but to trying to get her on our side to convince the huntsmen to help us in the future? I've been planning that since just before Sienna Khan's escape attempt."

The lieutenant sat all the way back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. "And what if this fails? What if now that she has her weapon, she tries to bolt? What if she murders you in your sleep?"

"Is that any more of a risk than staying with Hazel?"

It was a fair question that the lieutenant couldn't answer. The high leader stood and dropped a few coins on the table. "I trust you'll be able to keep this to yourself until the time is right. Until then, I need you to just trust me We'll have to tell the rest to be careful with the dust and tech we have until this all gets settled."

"I'll see to it," the lieutenant said, giving him an affirming salute as Adam turned to leave.

He wasn't sure of the stress of the past few days or the whiskey or the fatigue, or a combination of all three was making him feel this irrationally tired, but he'd heard enough. "Ok, stop, just stop!" he growled. In his days as a teacher at Signal Academy, Qrow had been in charge of the second-year huntsmen enrollees: fresh faced thirteen-year-olds, most of whom hadn't even hit puberty yet and still had underdeveloped motor skills. They talked big games and ridiculous weapon ideas that would have never panned out. They were young and unrealistic and even they wouldn't have come up with something as harebrained as the solution Jaune had concocted for getting the relic to Atlas. "Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas military we're talking about. For your sake, just drop this."

Of course, Ruby, ever the optimist hadn't heeded his advice and they were now gathered in the front room of the Cotta-Arc house trying to Jaune's scheme work.

"I know it's not ideal but…if we need a ship, and we have to have one with Atlesean security credentials, the best way to get to Atlas at this point would be to just take something that has everything we already need," argued Nora, "He's not saying it will be easy, he's saying it's the best chance we have."

"We'd never make it out of the bay," Blake countered. She knew what the Atlesean Military was capable of and how tight security was. "Especially if Ironwood has shoot-on-sight orders, we won't be taken into custody, they'll just shoot us down."

"If we could get away from the main base when we seized a ship, we'd be able to at least get a head start." Yang, like Nora, preferred using brute force to get what she needed and the plan made sense; all they needed was to hammer out the logistics.

Oscar shook his head. "And what if we're captured? We can't let the Atlas military get ahold of the relic, not knowing what it is. It's too risky." It was clearly the farm boy's tone and cadence. Ozpin had long decided to stop helping out after Jinn had revealed everything to the survivors of the train crash.

"Is there a possibility we could sneak on board a departing ship?" Ren asked. Ren typically aligned with Blake, using a strategic and subversive approach.

"I doubt it," Maria Calavera said, nonchalantly as she bounced baby Adrian on her knee. "If they can detect half a pound of cashews in a hidden pouch in a 60-pound piece of luggage, they'd find a person trying to stow-away."

Qrow had found the darkest corner in the room and put his arm to shield his eyes to keep his headache from getting any worse. He hadn't contributed to the conversation at all, hoping the idiot kids would figure out on their own it wasn't possible.

"What about not an air ship, but a….a submarine? The Atlas military has submarines, right? If we could take over one of them, it would protect us from air fire, and we'd probably be harder to find in the water," Jaune offered as an alternative.

"Atlas does have submarines, but there's no port for them here," Saffron said, "Plus, the way Terra talks, the security protocols are extra rigid since the border closing."

Terra nodded her head in agreement. "The only way you're going to get into Atlas airspace is if you're sent for, or they actually send someone from the Atlas military to come get you."

"Maybe we could do it that way," Ruby offered. "We could say we have information to the whereabouts of Weiss Schnee and they'll take us to Ironwood."

"And once they find out she's not actually with us? Will they do anything?" Oscar asked, "Won't they just have us give the information to Cordovan and then still keep us from going to Atlas.

"Cordovan wouldn't let us through, but if we got ahold of Ironwood directly, I'm sure he'd send an escort," Ruby insisted. "I just don't know how we'd get directly to him. Cordovan probably wouldn't let us communicate with him."

There was a blessed moment of silence and Qrow was silently relieved they'd finally seen the light and shut their mouths.

Then Jaune spoke again.

"Terra works for a communication relay, right?"

Saffron already didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah?"

"Would she be able to send a communication to the main comm tower in Atlas?"

There was a brief moment before Terra spoke. "I can, but if I do, they'll most likely be able to trace it back to me."

"What about reaching out to Ironwood directly? Is there any way you can send a message to his scroll directly?"

Terra shook her head. "If I use the tower to relay a message, I have to have a specific recipient, meaning it would have to be someone whose scroll number you know or a specific comm terminal, and I doubt Ironwood has any that are for him to receive incoming calls.

Blake piped up. "Winter might. She has both a scroll and a private ship. If there was some way we could call her directly, I'm sure she'd convince Ironwood to send someone for us."

"Yeah, but it's not like any of us have Winter Schnee's private number," Nora replied.

There was an exaggerated sigh from the corner. "Actually…one of us does," Qrow said sitting up, secretly livid not only that he still couldn't go to sleep, but that this plan was actually viable and he'd have some explaining to do to the kids. He removed his arm from covering his eyes and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "And I'll share it with you on one condition: you need to keep it quiet when you're around Ironwood. I don't want Winter to get in trouble for anything, especially with how paranoid James has gotten recently."

Jaune's face lit up with joy that their plan had all the ingredients they needed to succeed, while Ruby whispered a short, "I knew it!" under her breath to her sister.

"I know we said no more lies and half-truths, but I think this is one of those things you were talking about with using some discretion and giving you some privacy," Yang said.

"You're secret is safe with us," Ren assured him.

While the other kids caught on, Oscar seemed mostly confused. He'd heard the Schnee name before, and had heard Ruby talk about both Weiss and her older sister Winter, but this conversation had some history behind it and without the context, he had no idea what they were talking about until Nora gave him a subtle hand gesture, tapping her two index fingers together before he connected the dots.

"I can get Jaune into the comm tower easily enough since he's my brother-in-law," Terra said, "But hacking the comm and using it to get Winter Schnee's signal is something you're going to have to do while I'm away from my desk so that I can't be held responsible. You understand. I can't be arrested: they could put Saffron and I both in jail; they could even take Adrian away and I'm not willing to risk that."

"We understand completely," Jaune said, "Just tell us what we need to do and we can do it."

Through the rest of the evening, they hammered out their plan between Saffron, Terra and Jaune mostly, but with everyone contributing in some way. Qrow wasn't able to get any sleep until much later in the evening that he had hoped, cursing his headache and swearing that he'd never get that drunk that early in the day ever again.

Adam was quietly relieved Weiss wasn't in the house when he returned. Seeing her sword case not in her room, he correctly assumed she'd gone to the dojo. Using the time to himself, he showered, changed his clothes and played on his scroll until he fell asleep on his bed.

He had entirely lied when he'd told the lieutenant what he was planning, but he was leaving out key information that he couldn't reveal yet. Everything in due time.

By the time he woke up, it was dark outside. He came downstairs to find Weiss had already unpacked his bag and was sorting the laundry.

"The house looks nice," he said, trying to make conversation.

"Thanks. I made sure I always had something to do so I didn't have to report elsewhere."

"You weren't here when I got back, I assumed you were in the dojo."

"I was," she replied shortly.

"I take it you liked your gift then?"

"Yes, thank you." She didn't particularly sound appreciative.

"Can we talk?"

She looked up at him and tossed the pants in her hand back in the pile.

"Sure, let's talk." She folded her arms.

So, she was not particularly excited he was back. He took a deep breath and gestured to the dining room table. She picked her way through the piles of clothes she'd organized and sat in the table, scowling in a fashion that was more akin to a sneer. To her misfortune, when she had that stone-faced, arrogant look on her face, particularly how she pressed her lips, she looked like her father did in his youth before he'd let his mustache grow in. She and Winter both had the Schnee glare, but Winter's was more intimidating where Weiss just made her look snobbish.

"Nessa did a good job on your hair."

"Thank you."

"Look, I know the last thing you want right now is someone to talk at you, but at least hear me out?"

Weiss let out a long exhale, but eventually nodded. Adam sat across from her, removing the cloth mask so he could appear as transparent as possible.

"I know an apology won't make up for what happened, but I at least owe it to you. You're right: I let the adrenaline and the booze do the talking for me instead of controlling myself and you ended up getting hurt as a result. It wasn't my intention, but I still…I made you feel like a tool, and that isn't what I wanted at all."

"I know…and I overreacted…"

"Please," he interrupted her. "Please let me finish." He put his elbows on the table and held his hands out palms up inviting her to put her hands in his. She took them and he gently folded his fingers around hers.

"I kept telling myself that it was just the slip of the tongue, that I wasn't comparing you to Blake and it had just been so long since I'd shared any kind of romantic moment with anyone my brain reverted to her." His eyes fell, and his voice began to break as he had a difficult time choosing his words…the smoothness in his voice being interrupted by pauses as he gathered his thoughts. "But the truth is, I've been comparing you to Blake this entire time in my mind because everything I wanted in her I found in you, but not in the way you think. It's true that I thought the political aspects of our relationship would be good for the faunus, but that was just on the surface: what I wanted for the faunus and for the White Fang. For me… I thought she could change me, make me not want to be selfish anymore, help me follow my vision even when I had lost sight of it myself. I think I wanted Blake to fix me, and that's what she wanted to do too...but not you." He finally looked up and met her gaze. "You didn't want to fix me, you wanted me to fix myself. And through getting to know you and see you and how you interact with my people, I wanted that too, for myself…but also for you. I wanted you to have a better version of me. You deserve it…so yes, I was comparing you to Blake, and no that wasn't fair of me, but I promise you that I don't think of you as a replacement for her. I think…I think lots of different things about you…things I didn't feel with her…things I didn't know I could feel at all."

Throughout all of his speech, her face changed from indignant, to curious, to genuinely touched.

"And so this is me now: sober and calm telling you that I meant everything that I said two weeks ago when we came back from Haven: I don't know where we stand in our relationship, but I do feel like I can trust you and I want to see where our relationship can go from here."

Weiss was silent for a while, her hands lingering in his as he stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs. He'd returned her weapon to her, apologized for everything, and even arranged for a pamper day. Honestly, he'd done everything a boyfriend in the doghouse would do except bring a bouquet of flower back with him. Boyfriend being the operative word: he'd been acting much more like a romantic partner rather than a captor as of late. Maybe…maybe he was changing.

"I'd like to see where this goes as well."

Chapter Text

High in the limbs of an evergreen, Oscar perched with a set of binoculars. No, the irony was not lost on him that he was assigned to sit in the pine tree for upwards of two hours. He'd been strategically placed to have a view of three things: the front entrance to the communication office, the fishbowl style situation room on the west side of the building, and the airfield of the nearby Atlas military base in case ships or troops were deployed as a result of their stunt.

"I'm in position" he said, tapping his earpiece. "Still not sure how well this is going to work."

"It's better than stealing an Atlas military ship off the base," Qrow's voice crackled with static.

"How close are you to going dark, Jaune?" Ruby asked, keeping a close eye on everyone's scroll icon. She'd been left behind with the relic to be the centralized coordinator once Jaune went inside with Terra as well as provide an alibi for Saffron and the baby.

"We're in position as well," Yang said. She and Blake were a few miles out of town with her bike, ready for the go ahead to start up the winding path.

"Us too," Nora chimed in. She and Ren were concealed in the tree line just south of the grimm radar tower.

Jaune's plan had been a convoluted one, but it was the best they could come up with under the circumstances and with the resources they had. Terra had said when the grimm radar triggered, it interfered with the equipment at the relay tower. If Jaune happened to just accompany his sister-in-law to work, and the grimm radar just so happened to be interfering with the security equipment, requiring Terra to step away from her station, and Jaune happened to use her station to open a comm channel to Winter Schnee's private scroll, it might work. Hence, grimm had to be attracted to the radar in the first place to set it off, which would be the set task of Ren and Nora. Draw enough grimm in to keep the communication relay personnel busy long enough for Jaune to make the call without drawing any attention.

The comm tower however, had to stay up. The quarter mile between the two spaces would undoubtedly create less of a draw for the grimm toward the actual relay tower, but it could still be a target nonetheless. Keeping the tower protected was the job of Qrow, Yang and Blake. It would be an easy enough alibi for the two girls to say that they were just on a bike ride on one of the trails and saw the grimm and decided to do something, being huntresses in training and all; meanwhile Qrow could simply disappear into the trees; plus, if the grimm were too many in number, the way the teams were divvied would prevent them being overwhelmed. Qrow would be able to escape, Blake and Yang had a bike to escape on and Ren and Nora could vanish from the eyes of the grimm instantaneously due to his semblance.

The most difficult part of the task however, was keeping Terra and Saffron out of it as much as possible. If things worked according to plan, Winter would be able to come for them and no one would suffer any long-term repercussions. Jaune knew the risks, that me might be arrested and have to sit in jail until they were sent for by the military, but if it failed, he might be there much longer; but it was better than his sister and or sister-in-law being detained by the Atlesean military. Hence, everything had to be perfect. Everyone had a place to be or a way out, except for Oscar, who with his already established reputation as a runaway could probably use his boyish charm to talk his way out of any trouble.

Ruby would oversee everything while Jaune was occupied, and could make any calls necessary to create a distraction. The plan was far from perfect, but it was the closest thing they had to a chance.

"I'm here. We're about to go inside," Jaune said.

"Roger that," Oscar said, following Terra's car into the parking lot.

A rustle overhead caught his attention. Looking overhead, he saw Qrow perched in the branches above him, hunched delicately on the branches. Year of practice must have honed his skills because he balanced perfectly on branches Oscar assumed would never hold his weight.

"Let me know when golden boy gets inside. I'll take off towards the tower."

"Will do." Oscar promised, following the two Arcs on their way into the building.

"You ready?" Terra asked.

Jaune nodded. "I promise this won't be tied to you if this goes south."

His sister-in-law gripped his hand. "Whatever it is, this mission you're on: you're willing to put everything on the line for it. I know it's important to you and your team. It's the least I can do to help."

He gave an awkward smile and a sincere: "Thank you," before tapping his earpiece one last time. "I'm about to go in. Ruby, you're calling the shots from here." He pulled the earpiece out and turned his scroll off."

It was easier than he would ever have expected. Terra introduced him at the security desk and got him a visitor's badge, and getting him walked through the metal detectors, introducing him to everyone as her little-brother-in law who was fascinated by technology and just had to come see where she worked. He played along as the overly eager, naïve teenager who asked lots of questions, discouraging anyone from engaging with him directly. Terra walked him to her work station and began showing him how things worked.

Outside, Oscar saw as the pair walked down the glassed-in corridor.

"Jaune's in," he said quietly.

Without a word, Qrow vanished overhead, heading toward the tower.

"Ren and Nora, you're a go," Ruby said.

Southwest of the building, hidden in the trees, Ren gripped Nora's hand and the two pushed forward. Using his semblance, he was able to conceal them to the eyes of the grimm that would invade from the east, but not from the security cameras. They had to wait until the cameras had panned across in a different direction to move. Finally getting close enough to the detection station, he removed his semblance.

Their auras were enough to keep them warm in the snow, but they couldn't stay out for too long or it would deplete their aura too much to fight any grimm that came their way.

"So, all we have to do is attract some grimm?" Nora asked, patting her hammer. "I guess it really isn't hard to think of negative things to draw them in after what Ruby told us."

Ren nodded. "I don't know what Ozpin thinks he's doing, but we have no guarantee that getting the relic to Atlas will even do any good. It might just delay the inevitable."

"Jaune took it really hard," Nora replied. "I know…I know we all feel betrayed, but the last thing he needed to hear was that he put Pyrrha through all that when he didn't even really have a plan. She may very well have died for nothing even if she'd survived Beacon."

"Would she have even been a part of our team if she had accepted and gotten the powers?"

"You're right, they would have replaced her."

"Even if she had lived…she would have been destined to leave the team."

Finding negative emotions to dwell on was far from difficult, as not only Ren and Nora were finding, but the tower defense team as well. Yang had to stow her bike in a semi-public manner to keep up their story that she and Blake were just friends on a ride through the trails when they stopped to be good Samaritans upon seeing the tower under attack.

"Uncle Qrow will be patrolling between us, Ren and Nora and back to Oscar just to keep an eye on us, so we'll be on our own until he shows up." She put the kickstand down and let her bike down gently to make sure it wouldn't slip in the snow.

"Are you ok with that?" Blake raised an eyebrow as she took a survey of the land. The comm tower reached some four stories into the sky with firm and steady scaffolding.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang asked, having adopted one of Weiss' most common phrases from when they were in school together.

"Well, you seem to want nothing to do with me ever since I came back," Blake replied.

Yang sighed. "You waited until right now to talk about this?"

Blake was trying to find words but was becoming frustrated with Yang's attitude. "Yeah, I wasn't going to try and talk about this with everyone else around. We haven't had any semblance of privacy since…since right after the train wreck."

Yang folded her arms defiantly. "There's nothing to even talk about. I told you that back then."

"Then can you explain why you've had this wall up with me ever since I came back to the team?"

"Look…I'm…adjusting to a lot of things right now, and it's just going to take time for everything to settle down."

"Basically, what you're saying is you don't know how long it's going to be before you're done being mad at me?" Blake countered. "You don't want to bury the hatchet, but you're saying you want things to be normal: which is it?"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Yang was beginning to lose control of her temper, and when her self-control went, her semblance was going to be impossible to contain. Her hands were already beginning to shake.

"Why? Is it making you uncomfortable? Just like sharing a room with someone who won't tell me if they hate me nor not is really uncomfortable? I'm trying to make things right, Yang. I promised I would protect you no matter what…"

"It wasn't that you couldn't protect me!" Yang finally snapped and shouted back. Her eyes flickered to crimson red and her hair began to glow faintly. "You left! I needed you and you just left!"

Blake stood dumbfounded. She'd been trying so hard to apologize for things she couldn't control, but being faced with the impact that her choice had left her with an uneasy feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach.

"Yang…I'm sorry…" she stammered.

"My sister was in a coma! Weiss got taken away by her dad! I had just gotten kicked out of a tournament for something I didn't do, that was somehow caught on camera! I thought I was losing my mind! And when I woke up and tried to make sense of everything that had happened: Pyrrha, Penny, the school burning down, my arm, my sister…you had already gone. Just like everyone else I needed when things got hard. You just left me behind! Just like my mom! Just like Summer Rose! Just like Uncle Qrow does most of the time, at least he comes back sometimes, but we never know when or in what state. You didn't even have the decency to say goodbye!"

"I was afraid!" Blake shouted back. "I was afraid my past would catch up with me."

The blonde's shoulders sagged. "You're the second person in one month who've given me that same exact excuse. Fear being what drove them away from what was right…away from me!" She held her artificial arm up. "I lost an arm trying to protect you, Blake! Why wasn't I good enough to even get a goodbye?!" Her voice was filled with anguish, but there were no tears. She was beyond being hurt, or being sad, she was simply livid. "And you know what the worst part about it is? I…"

"Watch out!" Blake cried. A good sized nevermore swooped out of the trees, just missing Yang's hair as she ducked and rolled out of the way.

With a shot of her gauntlets, the inky bird came down, but was promptly beset by a small flock of them. Her semblance in full swing, she made short work of them, without even really needing Blake's assistance.

It was only the beginning.

The tree line became dotted with specks of black grimm, some small, like creepers and nevermore, but there were a few larger: beowulfs, and a ursa. Not too many for them to handle, but more than what they were expecting. The smaller and dumber of the creatures bolted toward straight toward the pair, the more intelligent choosing to stay back, having at least enough sense of self preservation to not rush in headlong.

Blake immediately took to the trees. Using the kusarigama portion of Gambol Shroud, she would swing between the trees, take a swing at one of the larger grimm and then disappear back into the branches. Always staying out of reach, she picked off the larger ones as Yang handled the smaller groups toward the foot of the tower.

Downwind Ren and Nora heard the radar alert signal overhead. A horn accompanied by red flashing lights told them their plan was at least working to some degree. Grimm were approaching, but only a few small creepers came their way.

"I don't get it. The alarm is going off but where are they all going?" Nora asked.

Ren looked intently to see if there were more coming. He closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses. He'd always been able to faintly sense both other people and grimm. People gave off the faintest of auras and grimm were the exact opposite, like vacuums of life and energy that were easy to sense because of the negative space they created. None were nearby, but toward the north, out of their reach he could sense them.

"It feels like they're going toward the comm tower," he said.

Nora shrugged. "Do we go help them?"

Ren shook his head. "We need to stick to the plan. If we're caught with them, we have no way of escaping or explaining our presence."

"Ren's right," Ruby said in their ears, "Unless it's life or death, let them stay where they are and keep drawing whatever grimm you can to the radar tower instead of the comm tower."

A flock of nevermores flew overhead straight toward the tower. Nora was able to take out about half the flock with her grenade launcher, but at least six of the birds made it past unscathed. Nora sighed, letting her shoulders sag. "I hope they'll be ok."

If Jaune had known the tower was going to be assaulted by a never-ending stream of smaller grimm instead of a few moderate sized ones, he would have sent Ruby and Yang together and left Blake to handle the coordination. Ruby was much more suited to the "crowd control" type of combat than Blake was. As they were now, Yang was doing most of the leg work, fueled by her temper, her semblance was draining and she was burning through her aura at an ungodly rate. Once the larger grimm arrived, Qrow would have to step in. A few beowulfs and alphas were coming closer, but their biggest concern was a creature neither of them had encountered before.

They'd seen their fair share of ursa and even encountered ursa major. This creature, however, seemed even more menacing. Unlike the normal ursas that would roar and charge; this one stayed quiet, observing first how the other grimm attacked. It was small for an ursa major, but its spikes and bone-like armor plating covered its entire body from face to claws, allowing it to blend in with the drifts of snow. Blake had taken a few shots at it from the trees above with no success, but other grimm that were more aggressive occupied her attention, leaving the pensive creature to inch forward remaining on the edge of the tree line, drawn to the source of negativity, anger and fear.

It was stalking Yang.

"I have to go," Terra said as the alarm shrieked throughout the communication building. "If you need anything, I'll be in the situation room. Stay here and I'll be back in five minutes, ten at the most."

"I'll be ok," Jaune said, nodding that he understood.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck."

"Thank you," he said.

Terra disappeared out of her office and began down the hallway into the situation room, the screens displaying the horde of grimm crawling toward the comm tower.

"I see Terra," Oscar said into his earpiece. "She's in the situation room."

"Good," Ruby replied. "Everyone hold your positions until I give the signal. "Oscar, keep your position and make sure you let me know as soon as Terra is on her way back."

At her office, Jaune could feel the pressure and the blare of the alarm was not helping his focus. Following Terra's previous instructions, he typed her password into her computer and navigated to access the comm tower, using a program to make an emergency outgoing broadcast. It required her security passcode again as well as her soft authentication token, which Jaune had practiced a hundred times to use. He had Winter's scroll number memorized, but he also had it written down on his forearm in ink. Using a headset he found in her drawer, he plugged it into her audio port, and took a deep breath before pressing call.

Hearing Adam's half-apology, half-confession was qual parts thrilling, relief, and terrifying for Weiss. It confirmed her suspicious that he was softening towards her but also that she had softened toward him: a dangerous predicament for them both. Hence, when he told her he wanted to see where their relationship went she was unsure how to answer.

"I'd like that…" she finally managed.

Adam's fate and posture immediately relaxed as if sighing in relief.

"But if we're going to…do…this, we need to has some things out firs and set some boundaries."

Adam nodded "There are some things that you need to understand as well."

"Like what?"

"Like my position as high leader and yours as a political prisoner. Unfortunately, I have an image to maintain, which means outside these walls, you are still my property and I still use and abuse you as a human and a huntress. For both of our safety, we have to keep up appearances."

"I understand," Weiss replied. Clearly, he'd been thinking about this.

"That means I can't go easy on you when others are around, especially now that I'm being scrutinized by Artis and her faction in Atlas. I've recently been perceived as…favoring you, and that has inspired some negative opinions of me. In order to combat that perception, you're going to have to play the part, do you understand? My laundry, my food trays, our training at the dojo, you're going to have to be in subjection and even a little afraid of me."

"I can do it," she promised.

"And you can't put me in any difficult positions. Not like what you did with Blake and her monkey friend when we were in Haven. In public, you can't make me choose between you and the White Fang, because if they think I'm choosing you, it'll be just more ammunition for Artis to use when she tries to usurp my seat as High Leader." By this point, he'd released Weiss hands and was leaning back in his chair.

Weiss folded her arms. "And how long are we going to have to keep up appearances? You realize you can't actually keep me here forever, right?"

Adam tossed his hands and let them fall back to the table. "Until I and guarantee my absolute authority and through that, your safety. I have to ensure you won't be killed when you try to leave, not just by the faunus here at HQ, but by the chapters in Argus and Atlas as well."

"Fair enough," she sighed, "But if I'm going to basically be a house maid to you on the surface, I'd at least like some concessions."

"Of course." Adam gave a single nod. This was going like a business negotiation.

"First, I'll look to the outside like I'm your trophy or spoils of war or whatever: I'll take the food trays and do whatever you want in your big wig meetings parading me around, but from here on out, you can sort and wash your own clothes, change your own bedsheets and do your own share of the house chores."

"That's fair. When I am able to release you, however, I expect you to keep this place and its people confidential. The police from Haven may have been averse to firing on us in the city, but out here, they'll kill us indiscriminately."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you. What else?"

Weiss hesitated before speaking her next statement. "No more drunk advances."

The conversation went from business discussion to somber reality check in just one sentence. They weren't just discussing a role-play they planned on acting out, they were discussing their actual lives and the gravity of all of it hit the both of them with her statement; the weight of the real danger and the real consequences they could be dealing with gave the conversation a much greater weight.

"You're right." he said, "and I won't. From here on out, anything we do…romantically…we do sober, and we do together."

"Thank you."

Adam inhaled deeply, letting out a long exhale of concern. "It's going to be a weird game of pretend for us until we get any kind of opportunity to get you out, but here, inside the house, we can actually be ourselves for once."

"And what does 'being ourselves' entail exactly?"

"Whatever we're ready for and comfortable with." He stood and leaned across the table, kissing her gently on the forehead, then as a show of good faith, stepped into the front room, picking up where Weiss had left off: sorting his laundry into various baskets for later washing.

It was the first of many small changes he began to make, and Weiss rather liked the direction this was going.

It was a long day and Winter had just returned to her quarters. She removed her scroll and dropped it in the catch-all bowl near the door of her small apartment. Being an officer with rank came with its perks, including a larger than normal quarter allowance, which was still only the size of a small apartment but with modern conveniences, all the accommodations of the modern world were at her fingertips and best of all, it was private. She could finally have a minute to unwind and decompress. Ironwood was growing more and more paranoid by the day and the strain of carrying all the knowledge of the relics and the maidens coupled with the fear of war around every corner left him on edge. As his right-hand man, she was shouldering a portion of that emotional and mental exhaustion, and it was starting to get to her. What if Penny wasn't enough? What if her father actually succeeded in winning a seat on the council? What if they did go to war?

She hadn't even had time to sort through her own personal feelings. She went from an officer just trying to find her sister to the presumptive winter maiden and took on duties to match. She wasn't ready for this: she had a life, and a career and a family that was still in shambles. Nothing in her life was together enough for her to even consider herself settled and yet, Ironwood expected her to take on the role of magical protector of the staff that kept Atlas floating.

Sitting on the loveseat in her front room, she pulled her boots off, taking a moment to relax before cooking dinner. Tonight was definitely a "two glasses with dinner" kind of night after seeing her curfew and travel restrictions PSA air on the digital banners surrounding the city.

Apparently, Ironwood also expected her to fall of the sword of public opinion to maintain his image of a caring benefactor. She hated being the villain to the citizens of Atlas and Mantle, but the general had wanted her to be the one in front of the camera. She was his enforcer, and while she loathed it, she also understood it: she was an uncaring ice queen who could toe the line to keep him from looking as harsh and irrational. He expected her to do take whatever steps were "necessary" and she already had the reputation of being an ice queen, she could be both authoritative enough to fear and obey but not sympathized or empathized with.

She had a sneaking suspicion he had ulterior motives for making her deliver the new executive orders that limited their freedoms: he wanted the people, especially the people of Mantle to distrust the Schnees; anything he could do to sow seeds of discord to hinder Jacque from buying himself enough votes to win a seat on the council.

Her scroll started vibrating. Audibly groaning she pulled herself out of her seat, half expecting it to be Ironwood or Clover and was surprised to see it came directly from the military base in Argus.

"This is Military Specialist Schnee," she said, hoping her fatigue wasn't audible in her voice.

"Winter Schnee, this is Jaune Arc, I'm a friend of your sister and Qrow Branwen. We need your help."

He sounded rushed, almost panicked and there were alarms going off in the background on his end. It was all very odd. He sounded too young and too unskilled to actually be a comm's agent. Her first reaction was to go on high alert. She immediately began grilling him with questions.

"How did you get this number? Why are you contacting me? Do you have any idea how many security protocols you're violating right now? Why haven't you gone through the main relay? Who authorized you to use this channel?"

"No one has authorized me. Look, I know what I'm doing isn't exactly legal right now, but Miss Cordovin won't let us send any kind of communication out," he was trying to keep his voice calm. "We have information we know you need, about Weiss, about the attack on Haven, but we need you to send Ironwood a message. We need to get into Atlas and we can only do that if we're sent for."

"Why would I believe any of this? How would I even know you are…?"

"Snowbird." Jaune cut her off before she could finish her question. "Qrow said if you asked how you know you could trust us, to say Snowbird."

Qrow called her many names: Ice queen, your worship, steel maiden, a few she couldn't repeat in mixed company, but the only one he said that made her feel special was Snowbird. Qrow must have trusted this kid a great deal to share such an intimate piece of knowledge. At least he was alive and well.

"What do you need?"

"I need passage from Argus to Atlas for my team, Weiss' team, Qrow and two more travelers we've picked up along the way. Altogether, there are nine of us. We have knowledge about both the whereabouts of your sister, we have the relic, and we need to discuss all of this with Ironwood. We were at the Battle for Haven and Atlas is going to be attacked next. Will you tell General Ironwood this?"

"My sister is alive? You know this?" Winter demanded.

"Yes. At least she was alive three weeks ago. She's with the White Fang's high leader Adam Taurus, but she was unharmed." The alarm bells in the background ceased. "I'm running out of time, will you send a transport for us or not?"

"I'll see to it that you and your teams are on a transport ship to Atlas by the end of the week." Winter promised.

"Thank you! Thank you, Miss Schnee!" Jaune said, thrilled beyond belief his plan actually worked. "You have no idea how much you're helping. I can't stay on the line for much longer, I have to go. I'm probably going to be arrested, but you'll come bail us out right?"

"I'll see to it personally," she promised.

Before he could reply, she though she could faintly hear a man's voice say "What do you think you're doing?" before the line promptly cut short.

That boy was definitely going to be arrested. How he managed to pull off a comm hijack she couldn't imagine, but she didn't have time to think about it. Too much was happening at once. Qrow was ok. Weiss was ok. The relic was safe. She immediately dialed Ironwood's scroll: she was one of only eight people who had permission to call him.

"What is it, Schnee?" he asked as he answered.

"Sir, we have a situation. I think I'm going to need to go to Argus."

Chapter Text

     Blake had to do something, Yang’s emotions were drawing too many grimm to the wrong place and their aura was running low.

     A crow flew overhead swooping low enough to be seen before gliding off to the end of the claring. Out of view of the tower’s security cameras, he transformed and began taking the grimm himself to give the pair a chance to recover.

     Yang bet over, her hands on her knees gasping for air. “How much loger….do we have…to hold them off?” she rasped between labored breaths, her eyes flickering between amethyst and red as her aura had a difficult time maintaining her semblance. Exhaustion set in and she began to feel lightheaded as her vision blurred from loss of energy and non-stop adrenaline. She was not ready at all for Blake to pull her into an embrace.

     “Yang, I’m sorry.” Blake Squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears from flowing. “I’m sorry. I was so selfish and I’m sorry I hurt you. I had to face my parents when I went back to home and I had to face Adam at Haven, but I need to face what I did to you, too. I know it’s’ going to take time, but I can’t live with myself thinking anyone on my own team hates me.”

     Yang gripped her back. “I don’t hate you. I just need time to heal.” She sighed. A heartfelt apology was truly all she wanted, for someone to acknowledge and validate that her feelings of abandonment were wrong and she had a right to be happy and to have people she could rely on. As her breathing became normal, her eyes returned to their amethyst color and her locks of hair lost the lapping flames that surrounded them when her semblance was unleased. They were finally on the mend and back to being friends again.

    Their moment was cut short wen an unseen force pushed Blake forward, pinning her partner under her as she felt claw sink into the flesh on her back. She screamed in pain as the tears in her white coat became stained with blood.

    Unable to move, Yang could only watch as the white ursa sank its teeth into Blake’s left leg and flung her away, her body crashing into the supports of the comm tower and her body crumpling to the ground, landing on her side but not moving any afterward. The obstacle out of the way, the ursa could now focus its attention on Yang, who dove out of the way of the creature’s sweeping claws. Her instincts kicked in and she rolled back to her feet. She’d been smart enough to conserve the ammunition of her gauntlet in case she an opponent she wanted to keep further than arm’s length away. Firing off a few shots to keep her distance, the shells doing little damage to the bony exterior of the ursa, but causing it to shield its eyes. When the creature had recovered, the ursa began to stalk toward her again, only to be thwarted by another round of explosive shells, this time from Qrow.

     The creature turned its focus entirely on the newcomer, turning its body and making slow measured steps toward the huntsman who bent his knees and brandished Harbinger. The ursa responded by roaring and rearing down on him with its full weight. He used his blade to block the attack. “Take care of her, I’ll take care of the monster,” he said quickly, before pulling back and counter attacking.

    Yang dashed to Blake’s side, horrified with what she found. Blake’s unconscious body was bleeding out of the slash marks on her back as well as the teeth marks on her leg. The impact of her body against the side of the tower had knocked her out cold and had broken her leg, as Yang soon realized the white protrusions from her pants were shards of exposed bone. Forcing down her urge to vomit, she began by tearing strips off the huntress’ now ruined white coat, using the pieces to clot the bleeding in the gashes. She knew the next step should be to elevate the leg with as little movement as possible. She gingerly rolled her limp body onto her back and began packing snow underneath her leg. She stroked the hair out of Blakes face to make sure she was breathing properly.

     “Tower team, the military base is deploying, ground units. You need to get out of there!” Oscar had been silent for the better part of an hour, but was still keeping a close eye on the situation. “They’re taking the main road, not the access road, you have…maybe ten minutes tops?”

 “We’re kinda pinned here,” Qrow said between dodging the claws of the ursa and trying to get a good swing in.

    “What’s going on?”

    Yang tapped her earpiece, “Blake’s been hurt and I don’t know if we can move her. Her leg’s broken and there’s this…white ursa that won’t leave us alone.”

    “Can you handle it?” Ruby asked.

    “I can handle it if I don’t have any distractions,” Qrow grunted. “It’ll probably take more than ten minutes, though.”

     Ruby’s voice came over the communicator next. “I don’t know if they’re coming for the tower or for Jaune, but you need to stay where you are Oscar until they leave. Ren and Nora, get out of sight and stay out of sight.” There was a brief moment of silence before they heard Ruby sigh. “I hate to leave you behind, but we need to disconnect now. We can’t have the military link the three at the tower to Oscar or anyone else.” Ruby hesitated before pushing the disconnect button. “We’ll meet at the rendezvous point like we agreed and see what we can do from there.”

    “Understood,” Ren said into his earpiece before turning it off and pulling it out. He turned to Nora. “We’re heading back into town.”

    Nora lowered her weapon. “Did it work?”

    Ren grabbed her hand. “We won’t know for probably a couple days, but we have to stick to the plan.” He tugged her forward, going back the way they came, desaturating as they walked out of the sight of the cameras and out of the detection of the grimm.

     With an enraged roar, the bear-like grimm reared back on its hind legs again, giving the experienced huntsman the opportunity he’d been waiting for. Rushing forward, he thrust his sword upwards into the soft, black underside on display before him. The creature dissipating into tiny black particles that blew away with the wind, leaving no trace that it was ever there aside from two exhausted and one terribly injured huntsman. No other grimm came after it, leaving enough silence for them to hear the ground units of the military approaching.

     Blake let out a whimper as she came to, her ears immediately flattening back as her mind tried to register where she was, what was happening and why she was in so much pain all at once.

    “Stay still,” Yang said, cradling her head, “Your leg is broken, but we’re safe for now.”

    Blake tried to stay calm as nausea and chills washed over her. She was in shock and with her coat ripped to tatters, she began to shiver.

Yang pulled off her aviator jacket and covered her friend with it.  “I know you’re in pain, but you need to stay awake, ok?”

    “Fair warning,” Qrow said, returning his sword to his back. “We’re probably going to be arrested and interrogated and it probably isn’t going to be fun. We’re going to be on our own before we can get bailed out…if we get bailed out.”

    “You can still go,” Blake coughed. “Qrow can fly away, and you can…take the bike and just get out of here, it’s better if only one of gets arrested.”

    “Yang shook her head. “I’m not leaving. You need help.”

    “And I’m not about to leave two teenage girls alone in a military prison,” Qrow growled.

    The sounds of the treaded ground transports grew louder as the crested the hill, revealing two shiny white units that looked like infiltration tanks. They hissed to a stop on the access road directly in front of them and four armed guards got out of each.

    “This is Atlesean military property and you are trespassing,” the head guard said curtly. “You’ll have to come with us for questioning.”

    Yang and Qrow both raised their hands in surrender, being seized and stripped of their weapons, scrolls, Qrow’s flask, and their ID’s before being cuffed with their hands in front and being loaded in the back of one of the transports, as Blake was being assessed by the other to determine what to do with her. By this time, she’d already slipped back out of consciousness and slipped into an almost catatonic state: awake, but entirely unaware of her surroundings.

    Jaune was already in the back. He raised his cuffs so he could wave at them goofily as they were being loaded up, his demeanor changing as soon as he saw Blake being loaded on in a stretcher. Guilt and horror set in as he saw what kind of condition, she was in. This whole mission was a huge risk, but he was expecting an arrest and a few days in jail as the worst consequence. Her leg was so mangled, she might not be able to walk properly again and she had bled through the bandages on her leg.

    He stood and stepped forward to kneel next to her. “I’m so sorry.”

    “We all knew the risks,” Yang said, “but did you at least make contact?”

    Jaune nodded. “She said she’d do what she could to help.”

    There was a collective sigh of relief.

    “She didn’t say when, but she said she’d come personally,” Jaune added. “Meaning we’ll probably be under Cordovan’s cronies for a few days until she can get clearance and transportation here. We’ll have to wait it out.”

    “Well, here’s to a successful mission,” Qrow said, pulling out his backup flask and unscrewing the cap with expert dexterity that could only have come from experience of doing so while cuffed. He held the flask to his lips and drank before capping it and returning it to its hiding place. “This is…easily the second worst time I’ve ever been arrested.”

    “Same,” Yang sighed.

    “Same,” Blake mumbled incoherently.

      True to his word, Adam began pulling his weight on the house chores, sending Weiss to get food and supplies to keep up the appearance that she was doing the whole of the work. He also kept his word when it came to their ‘appearances’ aspect of how he treated her once they were in the mess hall or the dojo. He snapped his fingers at her, occasionally grabbed her by the hair and spoke harshly to her just to demonstrate to his men that he wasn’t actually going soft on the Schnee heiress. Training in the dojo was especially brutal as he stopped holding back inside the ring now, leaving her exhausted and completely drained of her aura by the time they were done. It was hard, at first, for her not to take it personally, but she had to keep her emotions in check and remember he also was in a precarious position and was just doing it for show. Once they were home, behind closed doors, he was gentle with her, open and respectful of her insights. They discussed many topics at length, mostly about the state of the faunus in Atlas and the SDC’s policies and how they could be rectified.

     He covertly ordered her a pair of proper pajamas to sleep in. Her uniform would have to stay as it was: the backless white dress with the boots just to keep up the façade, but around the house, he let her wear his shirts and on occasion his shorts just to be more comfortable.

     He also began removing both masks whenever he was home, finally relaxed enough to allow his branded eye to be seen. Weiss considered it a small victory on her part that she was the person who he felt comfortable enough around to just be himself, but being able to see his eyes at all times was a two-edged sword. Now that she could see his full face, she began to notice the way he looked at her. It wasn’t all the time, but it was frequent enough and impossible to not notice. The way his eyes scanned her body whenever she practiced her fencing form in the front room or how his gaze fell on her when he caught a glimpse of her coming out of the bathroom in only a towel. He was hungry for her and it was written all over his face, regardless of how measured his voice always was, though he didn’t express it in any other way for another week.

    They were in the front room of the house, Adam going over some papers he’d received earlier in the day while he was out while Weiss sat on the couch reading her book, just keeping him company.

    The dust he’d requested from Atlas was conveniently ‘too risky’ to send across the border as the new dust embargo made searches more thorough and penalties steeper. Of course, Artis would ensure his headquarters was dust starved just in case she saw an opportunity to seize the position of high leader from him. He put the stack of papers down and looked over his shoulder.

   “You can say, ‘no’,” he said.

   “No to what?”

   “Can I put my head in your lap? Just for a little while?”

   Weiss put her book down and looked at him a little shocked. “I…yeah.” She finally stammered.

   He settled down, stretching his body across the length of the couch and resting his head on her lap. “Are you comfortable?” he asked. “Do you need me to move.

    “I’m ok,” she said, adjusting to his weight.

    He closed his eyes and let out a deep exhale. For a moment they just sat quietly. Weiss continued to read her book and casually stroked his hair, running her fingers along his horns and tracing his hairline.

    “How long are we going to have to hide like this?” she asked absentmindedly.

    “Until Sienna Khan gets a big enough following to overthrow me and barter an alliance with the huntsmen, I suppose,” he replied. “She’s been gone for what? Six weeks? Two months? She’s probably making progress, but it’ll still take time.”

    “What will you do then? When she retakes the throne?”

    He shrugged, keeping his eyes closed. “Regardless of how many people side with Sienna, there’ll always be a faction of the White Fang that just wants to kill humans and create chaos. My best option would be to take that faction and lead them while covertly doing everything in my power to stay out of Sienna’s way. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.”

    “So…what does that mean for me? I just go home?”

    “Sienna will most likely make your return a sign of goodwill toward the huntsmen to prove that I am no longer in power and that she wishes to have an amiable relationship.”

    “And you’re ok with that?”

    “You’re safe, the faunus have a fighting chance, and I keep the radicals in check…it’s the best solution for the largest amount of people.”

    Weiss put her book down. “It doesn’t bother you that we’re going to just part ways and probably never reunite?”

    He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Why would you think there would be any other outcome that us eventually going separate ways, never to meet again?”

    “Because we…we’ve kissed, we in the throes of foreplay that night when we got back that night from Haven. Your head is literally in my lap. You told me I made you want to change for the better, and I see. I see how you look at me when we’re alone…”

     He interrupted her by sitting up, running his fingers through his hair, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation topic. “If you must know, yes, I want to have sex with you; and yes, that desire occupies my mind. Often. But I’m in a precarious position with you.”

    “I don’t understand.”

    “You wouldn’t,” he sighed. Resigned that he would unlikely get to resume his spot in her lap, he swung his legs around to face her while he spoke. “The fact that I’m a faunus and you’re human is enough to give someone like me pause.”

    “Are you afraid you’ll be too rough with me or something?” Weiss raised an eyebrow, crinkling her nose in confusion.

    Adam pulled back from her, his frown deepening. “I don’t know what they taught you in primary school, but faunus are like humans: sex is an act of intimacy for most, not just a ‘primal instinct’. We don’t rut indiscriminately like animals.”

    A wave of guilt washed over her and settled in the pit of her stomach. She was aware that faunus had always been sexualized in some regard: female cat, rabbit and fox faunus were highly desirable in strip clubs and brothels and the smutty, pulp romance novels frequently featured male faunus as soft-hearted, but well-endowed savages who liked intense intercourse, particularly horses, rams…and bulls. It was always something she had assumed to be true.

    “Then what does the fact that I’m human have to do with it?”

    He replied with a snort of exasperation. She could be wretchedly naïve for as mature as she was.

    “Most faunus never have the luxury of having sex for pleasure, especially with humans. It’s ingrained in us from a very young age that getting…attached to any human is an incredible risk: one we had to be absolutely certain we are willing to take. That mentality isn’t easy to overcome. There’s also the issue of not wanting you to feel put upon.”

    “Put upon?”

   He gripped both her hands, just as he had done the evening he’d returned. “You’re not obligated to me, Weiss, and I don’t want you to feel like you are.”

    “I don’t feel like that. Not at all.”

     “Because barring our charade, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

     “I understand, and I still don’t feel put upon. Everything I’m doing is of my own volition. I don’t want you to feel like every little thing you do or say is an imposition on me.”

     “I understand…I’m just...” he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I have my own reservations to work through if you understand. It’s not you: you’re beautiful and a killer swordsman, and you have a voice like a songbird, and you’re so much more than your last name.”

     Weiss blushed, clearly flustered. “So much for ‘neither of us is anything special’.”

     Adam furrowed his brows. “I never said that.”

     Weiss laughed. “Oh, yes you did! Right after the fire. When we were in the stream washing off all the ash and flakes of black.”

    “Well, that was only half true.” He stood and offered her hands to help her to her feet. “I think I’m ready to turn in for the night. You?”

     She nodded, using his hands to pull herself up. They turned off the various lights and shut down the downstairs before heading upstairs, Adam stopping outside her door to take her hand again.

    “I was thinking we could try something different when we spar tomorrow if that’s ok with you.” 

    “That is more than ok with me,” she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him goodnight. As she nestled down on her cot, she was anticipating their upcoming session. She was looking forward to moving away from the brute force approach and toward something that hopefully would incorporate more of her actual swordsmanship and the use of her semblance that merely dodging blows and timing when to hit back.

    Her excitement evaporated as she and the high leader entered the dojo the next morning.

    Sitting on one of the benches was the lieutenant from Mountain Glenn. He looked up from cleaning his chainsaw and flashed an arrogant smile at her.

    “What is this?” Weiss asked, more from annoyance than fear.

    “I said we were going to work on your bloodlust. I decided our lieutenant here would be a perfect candidate to bring that out in you.”

   “I’m currently two and oh,” he smirked, “I doubt round three will be any different.”

   Weiss smirked. “Yes, congratulations on ambushing an eighteen-year-old girl with no aura that you have ten inches and fifty pounds on. You know what other kind of animals ambush their prey? Bottomfeeders. Is that what kind of faunus you are?”

   The lieutenant towered over her with an intimidating snarl. “Adam told me not to go easy on you. Don’t give me a reason to break you in half.”

   Weiss rolled her eyes.

   Adam called her name, nodding to the corner of the mat. She approached him as he held the ropes open for her to step through.

   “You know why I picked him. This is your opportunity to give him a taste of what he did to you back at Mountain Glenn Think of the things you hate, the people you want to punish, and let it make you angry. Now, use that power to exert that punishment. Don’t let the anger drive you, let your skill bring you the result you want.”

   “I can do it.” She said confidently.

   “I know you can. But you’re going to need these.” He opened his palm where three vials of dust were resting: a gravity, a fire, and an ice. Her eyes lit up as she picked the vials up one by one and loaded them into the handle of her rapier.

   “Combatants at their corners.” Adam called.

   Weiss turned to face her opponent. The lieutenant had removed his robe, giving her a chance to spy the SDC brand on his back in the same spot the White Fang brand was on hers. So, he had been a slave as well. No wonder he had a specific rage against the Schnees.

   Adam looked between the two of them to ensure both were ready. “Begin.”

   Just as he had with Bran, the lieutenant charged her right out of the gate. His oversized chain saw roared to life as he swung down, using his brute strength to intimidate her. Weiss bent her knees and let the blade of her weapon absorb the blow as it pushed her back almost to the edge of the padding. Using the tension between their blades to brace himself, he kneed her in the stomach knocking the air out of her.

   It was the only good hit he got in the entire match.

   Two years ago, she’d been a freshman in a huntsman academy. She’d still been a child, and while the lieutenant hadn’t changed much in that time; she had. There was a skill disparity. While the lieutenant had spent his time bludgeoning new recruits, Weiss had been training without dust and with a genuinely superior swordsman. Her reflexes had sharpened to account for his immeasurable speed and her body had been conditioned to take the blows. While Adam had always shown some modicum of restraint with her, the level at which she was require to train was still superior to the lieutenant’s.

    She used her semblance to summon an armored gigas to block his heavy blows while she flanked him with her sword. His aura was almost impenetrable: perhaps some aspect of his semblance. If she was going to beat him, it couldn’t be by any use of strength; she’d have to use his own body weight against him. She kept her distance and let him come at her, getting a feel for his attack pattern and footing. Occasionally, when she was feeling confident, she’d lunge forward with a strike, the thin blade of Myrtenaster whipping in a blur, sometimes being blocked but more often than not, landing a good jab, chipping away at his aura. After a few minutes, Adam called time and let them rest for a moment in their corners.

     “You’re not letting him get to you. That’s good, and you’re conserving your stamina much better than he is, but if you want to beat him, you’re going to have to be more aggressive.”

      Weiss squirted water into her mouth from the bottle he handed her. “I’m figuring out my perfect moment to strike. I still have my dust, and I’m hardly sweating. I’ll let him get frustrated and let him be his own downfall.”

     Adam shook his head. “The whole point of this exercise was for you to be the reason for his downfall. After what he’s done to you? He left you to bleed out on the floor of the barracks, and you want to just out-maneuver him?”

     “No. I want to beat him,” Weiss objected, “But I want…”

     Adam grabbed her by the jaw and yanked her face to be down even with his. “You have to want him to suffer. To be embarrassed, and to be defeated in a way he can’t recover his reputation. Otherwise, it’s not a win for the war, it’s just a win for a battle. You don’t see an opening to snatch victory, you make it. You make him go down.” He was so grave, and his look so intense, Weiss was unsure of what to say next. He released her face and called time.

      The second round began and it was more back and forth: the opponents keeping their distance trying to look for chinks in the other’s strategy.

     Weiss was too fast. It was never going to be a question of if she could beat him, but when. She toyed with him a bit, letting him chamber up for a swing before using a glyph to either push his weapon away or help propel her away from his blows. It did give her a small amount of grim satisfaction to see him so frustrated. Maybe Adam was onto something about making other people lose.

     Their match didn’t go unnoticed. What started as one passerby poking his head in out of interest had evolved into a dozen faunus slipping silently into the room, none daring to speak as they watched. Adam took notice, but elected not to stop them.

      Realizing she couldn’t keep it up forever, Weiss decided to put her plan into action. She waited until he tried to strike her; she parried it with her sword, and activated the fire dust, the small explosion sending him backward and causing him to fall on one knee. Before he could recover, she rushed forward, striking at his right hand and activating the ice, freezing his hand to his weapon and encasing the chainsaw entirely in a thick layer of ice. Evading a blow from his free arm, she used the last vial of dust to create a gravity glyph at his feet. With his weapon and his body disabled, she held the blade to his throat. He looked her in the eye, ready to take the final blow to his aura without surrender.

     “Maybe I don’t have enough bloodlust, but that’s just now how I’m wired,” the huntress said, sheathing her sword. “Besides, I think it will be more embarrassing for him to know that I pitied him enough to hold back rather than go all out.”

     “That’s it?” the lieutenant shouted as she walked away, still stuck in the kneeling position.

     “That’s all I need.” Weiss rounded on him. “I don’t need to avenge my ego to feel this victory.”

     Adam clenched his jaw, clearly disapproving. “Everyone out,” he said, displeased almost to the point of pouting. With the glyph dissipated, the lieutenant stood and pried his weapon free of the ice, saying nothing as he retreated into the crowd of his comrades who knew better than to offer any kind of consolation or encouragement.

      While she was returning her sword, she expected Adam to either scold her or force her to keep training despite being fatigued. To her surprise, however, he left with the rest of the White Fang audience, leaving her to towel off and hydrate in peace. She thought it odd but didn’t think anything of it until she returned home to shower to find Adam sitting in the front room waiting for her.

     “I honestly thought I trained you better than that,” Adam chided.

     “I won by skill alone,” Weiss objected. “How can you construe this as anything but a victory?”

     Adam snorted, sitting back in his chair. “We are talking about stopping the literal end of the world, and you don’t have it in you to strip off the aura of one of your worst abusers? How in the hell are you going to take on Salem? Watts? Hazel? Face it, princess, the final battle isn’t just going to be huntsmen versus grimm. You have to be willing to hurt others to protect yourself and the people you love.”

    “I respectfully disagree,” Weiss said, quietly, but with all the defiance she could muster. Without another word, she headed upstairs to shower, assuming Adam wouldn’t follow to continue the conversation.

    By the time she’d showered and gotten dressed Adam was gone out for the day and she was able to work on the house in peace. She hated questioning herself, she hated wondering if he was right about something because if it did, it meant she might not have the strength to make difficult decisions and that the people she loved: Winter, her family, her team would get hurt in the process.

    Was she too soft? Or was Adam just too harsh and too damaged to understand that there was a place for restraint or mercy?

    Were they beyond that?

Chapter Text

    Jaune was the only person in the transport who had never had his mug shot taken before and it showed. His nervous, shamefaced expression contrasted with the pained look on Blake’s face as they propped her up to take her picture and the self-satisfied smirk of the Branwens. After being booked, they were separated for questioning, but as they’d assumed that at least Jaune would be arrested had arranged to give out no more information than their name and occupation, and their cover stories for why they were at the “right place” at the right time.

     Cordovin herself oversaw the interrogation, seating them in dimly lit rooms isolated from each other and in uncomfortably cold temperatures. She’d stride in and approach, her full standing height about at eye level with them sitting.

     “What message did you send to Atlas?”

     “I’m afraid you don’t have clearance for that information,” Qrow replied smugly. “Ironwood had me on a special mission that I can only reveal on a need-to-know basis.”

     “And why couldn’t you just contact the General directly?”

     “That is also classified…now can I have my effects back or…”

     “Under what circumstances were you supervising six huntsmen in training from Beacon Academy?”

     “That was actually a specialized program initiated before Beacon was destroyed. I’m acting in a chaperone or supervisory capacity to monitor them for their training.”

     “And what was the name of this program?”

     “That’s classified, too. You’ll have to take that up with the staff at Beacon. Don’t I get a phone call? Can I make it long distance?”

     Cordovin pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. This was going to be a long afternoon.

    After an hour getting nothing from the Qrow, she tried her luck next with Yang.

     “Who else was involved in your little shenanigan?”

     “Is Blake’s leg being treated?”

     “You should be worried about yourself, young lady?”

     Yang folded her arms. “I know I’m going to be fine no matter what. But Blake? Her leg is broken and she needs medical treatment.”

      “I’ll be willing to update you on her status if you give me the relevant information I need.” Cordovin smirked, thinking she had the upper hand.

     “Ok…so tell me how she is doing first and then I’ll decide if that’s enough to give you any more information.”

     Listen! You impertinent runt!” Cordovin balled up her fists.

     “Projecting much?” Yang muttered under her breath.

     The special operative had to take a few deep breaths to maintain her composure. “Your friend is in a great deal of trouble, both medically and legally. You know a broken femur can keep someone from walking properly again if it isn’t set and allowed to heal properly… What if I assured you she’d get the best care provided you fill in all the little details of you and your uncle’s secret mission?”

     Yang squinted and tilted her head. Cordovin couldn’t think she was that stupid. “Are you saying you’re going to withhold medical care from a patient? And you’re planning on using that to pressure me into giving up information on my friends? That’s some really shady stuff. I thought the illustrious Atlesean military was above that. Especially since Blake’s a faunus, if it ever got out, the Argus base would have a huge discrimination lawsuit on its hands. It sounds like you have a lot more to worry about than three students and a drunk huntsman using a communication tower.”

     She couldn’t handle anymore after that. She stormed out of the interrogation ranting and screeching about how she would not hear her base nor her government’s name besmirched and ordered guards to return “that blonde hussy” back to her cell. The interrogation lasted no longer than thirty minutes.

      Blake was being seen by medical staff on the base and was under such deep sedation she wasn’t going to be able to be interviewed, though her mug shot showed she not only had a previous record, but was wanted in connection with a string of targeted attacks against the SDC throughout anima, information Cordovin was sure would be useful to her investigation.

     Jaune was the last interrogated and his interrogation lasted the longest, though he only repeated a set of sentences.

     “Who gave you the security protocols for the comm tower?”

     “My name is Jaune Arc and both my team and sister’s family were unaware of my actions. I acted on my own with the minimal assistance of Blake and Yang. Their team captain as well as my remaining team members were both uninvolved and unaware.”

     “Who did you contact?”

     “My name is Jaune Arc and both my team and sister’s family were unaware of my actions. I acted on my own with the minimal assistance of Blake and Yang. Their team captain as well as my remaining team members were both uninvolved and unaware.”

     “What were the contents of the message? Why did you refuse to go through traditional channels if your message was so important to get through?” For some reason, she was more patient than she was with the other two, possibly because Jaune wasn’t nearly as smug as the other two or possibly she saw him as weaker and thought she had more leverage with his sister and sister-in-law being in town. Regardless, his answer remained the same:

     “My name is Jaune Arc and both my team and sister’s family were unaware of my actions. I acted on my own with the minimal assistance of Blake and Yang. Their team captain as well as my remaining team members were both uninvolved and unaware.”

     He repeated the sentence in a zen-like state regardless of any questions, however simple or however inflammatory for the next four hours. Cordovin raged, tried threatening, appealed to him to help, tried guilting him, tried to sneak in innocuous questions to no avail. Qrow had told him if they did get arrested to stick to a single story and not to take any offers she made, especially if he had been able to reach Winter. All they would have to do is hold fast until Winter came for them and they’d be fine.

      At the end if the interrogations, Qrow, Jaune and Yang were returned to their cells: a block of transparent forcefields allowing them to see and talk to each other without being able to get to close.

     “Where’s Blake?” Yang asked as soon as she realized it was only the three of them.

     “The faunus detainee is still receiving medical treatment but will be extradited to Mistral when she is stable enough to move.”

      “Why?”

      “That is none of your concern.” The guard responded curtly before turning and leaving.

      What should have taken a single call and a few hours to arrange took Winter almost three days. Ironwood was convinced it was a trap, refusing to even acknowledge the call. Clover finally convinced him that anyone claiming to have a relic should be investigated, regardless of the risk, and that could only be done by someone who already knew of the relics’ existence.

     He next objected to Winter leaving as he didn’t want her too far away from the maiden should she die and need to pass on her powers, insisting that Clover or Penny be sent instead.

     When objections kept surfacing, Winter decided to force his hand. His paranoia was affecting more than just dust sales and curfews, this was jeopardizing an attack against Salem and worse, her family. On the evening of the second day, she stormed into his office and told him outright that she was leaving with her issued transport ship and crew and if he wanted to court martial her, he’d have to wait until she got back. Perhaps he realized he couldn’t afford to lose someone he’d invested so much in, or he didn’t want to lose the face of the military, or he realized his own fears were affecting him negatively, but he gruffly conceded, giving her clearance to leave.

     The evening had turned unfavorably cold. Weiss appeared at the doorway to Adam’s bedroom.

     “Can I have some socks to sleep in?” She leaned on the door frame.

     Adam stood from his desk chair and went to his chest of drawers. “Do you need me to turn the heat up?”

     “I should be fine,” Weiss replied, though she was shivering.

     In addition to finding a pair of socks for her, he also removed a long-sleeved thermal shirt and tossed them both to her. She stood in the doorway and put them both on, the socks coming halfway up her calves and the thermal shirt over her night shirt had sleeves too long for her arms and extended almost to her knees. “Thanks.”

    Adam took the sleeves that extended past her fingers and tugged on them, pulling her into his room. “Come here.”

     “What? Why?”

     “You’re cold, and I know how hard it is to get warm when you’re chilled.” He pulled her toward himself before taking her by the shoulders and directing her to the bed, grabbing a blanket and tossing it over her, before climbing on himself.  He let her adjust the blanket until she was comfortable before reaching his right arm around her and pulling her in close. “Just until you can get some heat built up.” He promised.

     Weiss smiled wryly, gripping the blanket and nestling into the crook of his shoulder with her head on his chest. “This reminds me of when we got separated from the group south of Mountain Glenn.”

     “It was only a few months ago, but we thought so differently of each other,” he mused. “I actually learned a lot about you that night. It’s how I knew when your birthday was.”

     Weiss was quiet a moment before she asked. “Can we play it again? Questions. Just for a little bit?”

     He decided to indulge her. “Ok. You go first.”

     “The idea of getting the huntsmen to join with the White Fang: was that your idea or Sienna Khan’s?”

    “Mine. To be fair to her, she saw that we needed to break away from Salem long before I did, but once I saw it, I realized it was the only logical solution. We can continue our own battle after we conquer our common enemy.”

    Weiss nodded. “Your turn.”

   “Will you advocate for us when the time comes? A final battle seems inevitable, and I know you’ll be fighting for the huntsmen, but will you help the White Fang and the huntsmen form an alliance?”

    She had idea how to answer that. “How would that even work? The faunus are predisposed to hate me, and the huntsmen believe me to be nothing more than a spoiled heiress.”

    “You have all the ingredients to make yourself a mediator between the two. Regardless of what most huntsmen think of you, you undoubtedly have connections that they will respect.” He inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. “As for the faunus: my initial goal was to give the White Fang the impression that I had you under my thumb, in a manner of speaking. Seeing you in the context of serving and helping them might endear you to them, knowing at any point they would still always be safe as you were at the mercy of their High Leader.”

      “And you think that has worked so far?”

      Adam took a moment to think of a response. “Yes, and no. I didn’t expect Artis to question my authority, but I also didn’t expect you to bond with Dax Branagh or even Sienna Khan. My own indiscretions have also contributed to your slow progress, but I honestly think the one incident that at least began the general change in opinion toward you favorably is the one that has changed everyone’s mind against me.”

     “Haven?” Weiss guessed.

     “Throwing yourself in the path of my blade for a faunus is something most other faunus don’t have the balls to do, much less a defenseless human. It may not have made a big impact, the people who saw it talked about it and it earned you at the minimum, a grudging respect. Lehela does not speak so ill of you now, and I even think despite being jealous of you, the lieutenant…”

     “You always use his rank,” Weiss interrupted him. “Why does literally no one address him as or by his real name? I know I’m getting sidetracked, but this has been going on for months and I have to know. What is his actual name?”

    “He doesn’t have a name.”

    Weiss leaned up on one elbow to look at him, but by the look in his eyes, he was being completely serious. “How does he not have a name? He has to be well into adulthood. Even if he wasn’t given a name at birth, he’s never chosen one for himself?”

    “He has no identity at all,” Adam replied. “He has no name, he doesn’t know how old he is or when his birthday is, he doesn’t even know what kind of faunus he is. No parents, no photos, nothing that would connect him to who or what he was before he could remember things on his own?”

    “How…what?”

    “You saw the brand; you know he escaped the SDC. He was raised entirely from the dormitories as long as he can remember. He’s from one of the refineries here in Mistral; one so bad Jacques Schnee shut it down because he thought it would bring him bad PR if news of the working condition and the abuse got out, so you know that it was beyond awful. But they refused to give him a name. They just called him ‘bastard’ or ‘animal’. They refused to dignify him with even a derogatory name.”

    “If you don’t know what kind of faunus he is, how do you know he’s a faunus at all?”

    “He has two scars on his head, both inside his hairline, but they’re symmetrical and big enough you’d notice them if you got close enough. Surgical scars like something had been removed; we don’t know if they were ears or horns or antlers but it’s fair to assume he’s a faunus, just not what kind.”

    “That’s so terrible.” She nestled back into him, her face riddled with sympathy and guilt.

    Adam tugged on her hair to get her attention. “You don’t need to feel guilty for what happened to him. Just because your dad employed monsters doesn’t mean you will do the same when you become the head of the company.”

    She had half a mind to correct him and remind him she was no longer heiress and would more likely than not have no impact whatsoever even if Whitley did ever let her hold a position in the company, but it wasn’t worth bringing up. She remained silent for a short bit, thinking. “Why did he never choose a name for himself when he was able?”

    “The same reason I started wearing grimm masks. Spite. You say that humans have a sense of tenacity, faunus have a sense of…implacability. Our good opinion once lost is lost forever and we’ll usually do everything to prove you right in the worst way possible. He wants no name now; his rank and his weapon are all he needs to get back at his abusers.”

    “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t change your name when you were able.”

    Adam furrowed his brows. “Why?”

    “Because of what Adam actually means,” she explained. “The name Adam means ‘man’, not like ‘male’ or ‘person’, it literally means ‘human’. We aren’t sure about the origins of faunus, but most creation stories agree that mankind was made from dust. Adam.”

    “My mother named me Adam because my hair was red. Adam means ‘to be red’: the idea life, red and vivacious coming from the dust of the earth. I’m sure its no different than why your mother named you Weiss.” He ran his fingers through her short, white tresses. “Are you warm?”

    “Yeah….” Weiss said slowly as if she didn’t want to admit it.

    “…do you want to stay here?”

    “Can I stay? Just a little longer?”

    In response, Adam reached across her to turn off his bedside lamp before laying back down on his pillow. He readjusted his arm to make himself more comfortable but still used his hand to absentmindedly stroke the scar on her back, even if it was through the fabric of his thermal.

     She felt herself nodding off, but she was warm and didn’t want to move. She closed her eyes, still vaguely aware of the rise and fall of his chest while he breathed. She drifted off to sleep in his arms, warm and comfortable.

     As she walked down the gangplank at the landing pad in Argus, she drew the look of every soldier on the base She was tall, young, beautiful, elegant, and commanded respect: all traits diametrically opposed to their base commandant.

     Cordovin didn’t even have the courtesy to meet her superior on the tarmac when she landed.

     “I need to speak with Special Operative Caroline Cordovin,” Winter said shortly to the first officer that she approached.

    He stiffly saluted. “Our glorious leader is otherwise engaged,” he said with a condescending tone.

    “Did you just call her your ‘glorious leader’?” Winter pursed her lips. “I understand that each base is run differently, but the chain of command is very clear. So let me make this easy enough for you to understand, soldier: if you don’t want to be spending the rest of your dreary career pumping sewage out of transport ships in a remote surveillance outpost north of Mantle, you’ll drop the attitude and show your superior some respect. Where. Is. Cordovin?” Her gaze made it clear she would carry out with the threat and had the authority to do so.

    The officer sputtered before saluting properly this time. “If you’ll follow me, ma’am.” He led her through the base directly to the commander’s office where Winter was seated and offered tea.

    An hour and a half later, Winter was finally given the privilege of speaking with the head of the Argus base. She was livid, but managed to keep her composure as the stumpy woman marched into the room with far more arrogance than she had any business displaying.

     Winter pulled up the relevant documents on her holo-pad before showing the mugshots to Cordovin.

    “I’m here to take in the four prisoners you’re holding in connection with the recent comm tower hack. These four will be remanded to my custody as well as the rest of their teams to be questioned further at HQ.”

    “I am happy to turn over the huntsman and the children, but the cat is being turned over to the authorities in Mistral.”

    “Under what pretense?” Winter demanded.

    “She has existing warrants for her arrest. Several actually; most are high profile White Fang attacks against the SDC.”

    “And you’re going to overrule a direct order from the Atlas Military in favor of a local police force in a different jurisdiction?”

   Cordovin smirked. “We want to cultivate a good working relationship with the government here in Mistral. Besides, any information about the comm tower you can extract from the other three. Her presence isn’t necessary to your mission.” It was apparent at this point she was power-tripping and having a chance to flex on anyone, especially another officer she perceived as a threat, was borderline cathartic for her.

    “You know I outrank you, right?” Winter asked.

    Cordovin folded her hands behind her back. “Miss Schnee, this may be your mission, but this is my base and these are my detainees. You may be able to use your name and rank to intimidate my men, but not me. Unless you have a direct order from General Ironwood himself or a matter of national security, the faunus girl will be on the Argus Limited tomorrow afternoon with an escort.”

    “Her name is Blake Belladonna, and she will be leaving with me by the end of today. You may release the huntsman and two students into my custody now, and you’ll withhold none of their effects.”

   She stood to leave without letting Cordovin getting in a last jab, immediately making her way to the holding block to ensure the release of the ones she at least could secure.

    Qrow, Jaune and Yang were shuffled out; their ID’s and weapons returned unceremoniously and Winter escorted them to freedom, using her steely gaze to get a base issued vehicle to drive; a black, extended SUV usually saved for the motorcades of important military and political figures. The three remained relatively silent throughout the procedure, though Yang did call her sister to let them know they were out and on their way to the Arc’s house.   

    “Thank you,” Jaune said sincerely as soon as the gates closed behind them.

    “It took a lot longer than expected,” Winter said, gripping the wheel with one hand and adjusting the climate control with the other. “I’m going to need directions to where the rest of your team is staying.”

    Jaune gave her directions and she began making her way through the traffic laden streets of Argus.

    “Hey, you can slow down,” Qrow said, trying to keep her calm. “Traffic is crazy this time of day, and we don’t have to rush. Now that you’re here, we have a sure way of getting into Atlas.”

    “Not necessarily.” She swerved to miss a car that had inconsiderately pulled out in front of her. “There’s another factor we need to work out and we have to do it tonight. They’re sending Blake back to Mistral on extradition charges. They say she’s wanted for crimes associated with the White Fang. They’re putting her on the Argus Limited tomorrow.”

    “How do we get her out? She’s shouldn’t even be out of the hospital by then,” Yang objected.

    “Cordovin is hellbent on it. I’m not sure what we can do to keep her with us, but Cordovin said unless it was a direct order from the General himself or a threat to national security, Blake’s going to be escorted back south.”

     The car was silent for a moment. Blake had just rejoined the group a few weeks prior, and now she was going to be sent away, probably terrified and in pain. Yang couldn’t let that happen.

    “What about the information about Weiss?” Yang finally said. “Information on a high-profile missing person’s case isn’t enough?”

     “I’m honestly not sure,” Winter replied, “It’s a huge matter for me, but for Cordovin? I doubt she’d consider it a matter of national security.”

     Yang could feel the tremors in her arm and tried to contain them. “This isn’t fair,” she said. “Blake was the one that had the message from Weiss and the knowledge she was with the White Fang.”

     Jaune perked up. “The message. What Weiss told Blake! That’s it! Would it be considered a matter of national security if we had information on Arthur Watts?”

     Winter looked at him in the rear-view mirror. “Do you actually have information on Arthur Watts?”

     Jaune opened his mouth, then promptly shut it. “Nnnnnnooooooo, but…Blake does.”

     “I mean…it will have to be something tangible, something that Cordovin can’t deny is a matter of national security.”

     “He’s alive.”

     Winter didn’t register the light in front of her turning green. She sat in stunned silence until a blare of horns behind her urged her forward.

     “He’s alive…as in, right now? In person.”

     “Yes, and Weiss gave information on where he is and who he is currently working for to Blake when they met during the attack on Haven.”

     “That…would most definitely constitute a matter of national security…how did she find out?”

     “She didn’t tell us,” Yang said, catching on. “You’ll have to ask Blake and I’m sure she’ll want a deal where she’d be willing to say what she knows in exchange for not being extradited.”

    “I can arrange for that with the information I have now.”

    “We’re here.” Jaune put his hand on the back of the headrest and reached his arm between the seats. “Just pull around the corner and you can park right here.”

     Winter followed the directions and threw the car into park. “We don’t have any time to waste, so pack fast and load fast.”

    As soon as they walked through the front door, Ruby threw her arms around Yang while Jane was unceremoniously tackled by Nora before he could even get to his sister to give her a hug.

    “We’re just glad you’re all ok,” Terra said sincerely.

    “The authorities didn’t give you any trouble, did they?” Jaune asked, prying himself free of Nora’s grasp.

    Saffron and Terra both shook their heads. “We were questioned after you were arrested, but they released us and didn’t even indicate they thought we were involved. They didn’t even question the rest of the team here.”   

    “We don’t have a lot of time, kids, I need your stuff packed and loaded in the black convoy vehicle out front,” Qrow said. “I want us out of here in an hour. If we’re lucky we can be out of the country by sundown and to Atlas by dawn tomorrow.”

    “Already locked and loaded!” Nora said with a mocking salute. Ren and Oscar were silently waiting with two bags in each hand. Nora picked up the remaining five bags and began hauling them out.  

    “How many people are we taking total?” Winter asked, trying to asses if she brought too small a ship.

   “Three from RWBY, three from JNPR, Qrow, Oscar and Maria…so nine?”

   “I know the teams and Qrow…but Oscar?”

   “Oh, he’s new to our group. Qrow found him in a bar. He’s…kinda Ozpin?”

   Winter gave a single nod in comprehension. “His next vessel.”

   “And I’m just an old coot that tagged along. You don’t really need to take me,” Maria said, revealing she’d been sitting on the couch the entire time, though her tiny stature was concealed by the back of the furniture. “I can find my own way into Atlas if it’s too much trouble”

   “She needs to get to Atlas to fix her artificial eyes. Her mechanic lives in Mantle.”

   “And you haven’t already gotten a flight to Atlas on your own?”

   “Unfortunately, I am considered a security risk,” She stood making little difference in her height before hobbling over to get a closer look at their escort. “Caroline Cordovin has denied every travel request I’ve made despite having all legal papers and reason to travel, as if a three-foot-tall woman in her eighties is some kind of threat.”

   Winter smiled. “Ma’am, I would be happy to personally escort you on an official Atlesean transport if it will irritate Caroline Cordovin.”

    “It seems we are kindred spirits in our hatred for that she-devil,” Maria smiled before turning to Ruby. “I like her. She’s a good judge of character.”

    They had to make their goodbyes short, but Terra and Saffron understood. Yang in particular seemed remiss to say goodbye to baby Adrian, but in just under twenty minutes after arriving, the team was loaded up in convoy and Winter was pulling away. With so many people Ren and Nora volunteered to sit in the back with the luggage, leaving Ruby and Oscar in the third row, Maria, Yang and Jaune in the second and Qrow sitting passenger again.

     The drive back was mostly comprised of Nora insisting that Cordovin was the worst and everyone agreeing with her and how they couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she found out Winter was going to be taking ALL of them to Atlas from her “big dumb boot” of a military base.

     In the front Winter and Qrow just made long periods of eye contact when she was stopped at lights or waiting in line. They’d been accustomed to having to exercise an enormous amount of self-control, but this seemed different. She wanted to tell him she was relieved he was ok and he wanted to tell her how much he’d wished he could have been awake when she came to him in Mistral. He reached across the console to rest his hand on hers but she pulled away, putting both hands on the steering wheel.

     “It’s ok,” Yang reassured her. “We’re not going to tell anyone.”

     Winter hesitated, but rested her hand on the console again. Qrow rested his hand on hers, but after only a few moments, she gripped his hand in her gloved one, squeezing it tight. This would have to suffice for now, but this would be enough. At least for a few more days once things had settled when they were in Atlas.

     She could wait.

     He wasn’t so sure he could.

Chapter Text

Word of Winter's arrival and previous interactions had gotten around the base by the time she got back, the gate guard not daring to question her intentions or passengers. Dropping off the vehicle at the motor pool, everyone was responsible for carrying their own bags. While they were unloading, Yang almost went into a panic.

"My bike!" she shouted, pointing across the motor pool, where the unmistakable bright yellow motorcycle was parked; large red tape saying "impound" covered the body. The blonde was both relieved it had been recovered but was also nervous that with Cordovin's power trip, she might have to leave it behind and who knows what would become of it then.

With a steely glare from Winter the mechanics in the motor pool fetched the keys and returned them to Yang who started it to make sure nothing had been damaged.

"Can we take it with us?" Yang asked.

"You'll need to get permission from Cordovin," one of the officers objected. "Any retrievals from impound have to be approved by her first."

Hearing Cordovin's name solidified Winter's decision. "We'll make it fit," she promised, glaring at the officer, daring him to defy her. When he said nothing, Yang pushed her bike out of the motorpool.

At Winter's directions, the passengers were sent to load their luggage on Winter's ship while she went to Cordovin's office to sign off on Blake's transport. It was a trek across the tarmac, but they'd packed light, and it was the first glimmer of hope they'd had in weeks that they might be able to actually make a difference. For once, a plan had worked: the relic would be safe, and Ironwood would surely be able to help them figure out what to do next with Ozpin going into exile. Ruby had the audacity to permit herself a smile. It was the first time in weeks she finally felt truly hopeful.

It was raining the next morning, just hard enough to rouse Weiss from her sleep before her alarm went off. It wasn't until she stepped off her cot that it hit her that hadn't woken up in the same place, she'd fallen asleep. Adam must have carried her back after she'd drifted off.

She got dressed, inwardly seething that she had to trudge through the mud and rain to get Adam's breakfast. After grabbing his tray and a pot of coffee, she got an idea. She waited until the very end of the day, when she was returning his dinner tray to enact her plan. The "cafeteria", a building she could only assume used to be some kind of restaurant was a much nicer operation than the house where the humans were allowed to eat, with plenty of room in the kitchen and dining area. She dropped his tray off and slipped behind the serving counter, wandering the shelves, not completely even sure of what she was looking for herself.

"Humans aren't allowed back here," a cook told her. She was a dog faunus with folded ears and a friendly face. "Not since last time."

"Adam wanted me to get supplies to cook him breakfast at the house," Weiss lied. "He said going forward, he'd like to take his breakfast in bed and cooked to his order."

"Sheesh," the cook rolled her eyes, "Even Sienna wasn't so ego-centric." She gave Weiss a piteous look. "Come on, you're going to need pans and some things to stock the fridge with." She led the huntress first into the supply room. As she rummaged through the stacks of pots and pans, she handed the ones she deemed relevant to Weiss to hold. "Frying pan…sauce pan…griddle…coffee pot…I suppose you'll need utensils, too."

"And stuff to wash them with."

This was turning into a lot more work than either of them had initially expected, but after three trips back and forth to the house, Weiss finally had enough food, utensils and pans to start cooking on her own. On her last trip, she took an unused coffee maker with her: the electric percolator kind with a detachable cord for ease of use. It took some time to clean, but the final product was the knowledge that she wouldn't have to trudge out early every morning, rain or not. She could cook in her pajamas, and not have to put on her backless uniform until/unless Adam needed her out later in the day. All she had to do now was set the automated function.

She plugged it and had just figured out how to set the delayed brew when Adam came downstairs to investigate.

"Is something wrong, you've been in and out four or five time in the past hour…what's this?" He craned his neck to see what she was working on.

She put a pan on the burner. "I'm done trudging across the village every morning to get you breakfast and coffee, so I got some supplies and I'm going to start cooking you breakfast here." She spoke over her shoulder as she turned on the burner. "It's supposed to rain for the next few days and I don't want to be packing trays in the rain back and forth."

"Do…you know how to cook?" he asked, arching his good eyebrow.

"I know the basics and I'm actually really good at making coffee. I was actually going to do a practice run on the eggs since I've never done over easy before."

"You're going to start cooking for me?"

Weiss turned to face him as she got the eggs out of the refrigerator. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm doing this so I can stay in my pajamas for a little longer every day."

He exhaled deeply as if trying to conceal a laugh. "Forgive me, I have a hard time imagining you cooking…"

"Oh, you should have seen me during my first semester. I literally called the kitchen the 'food room'."

He laughed. Not his usually sardonic breathy laugh, and not the maniacal cackling she always imagined he'd have if he ever laughed deeply. The only word she could to describe his laugh was light. He'd managed to regain control, though his boyish smirk was still on his face. "Tell me…tell me your first time trying to make something went horribly wrong. Tell me it was a disaster."

Weiss smiled. Did she have good news for him. "I caught the drapes on fire."

That was it for him. He laughed full and intensely, his voice becoming higher pitched the harder he laughed. In a weird way, it was unsettling: not because it was a rare instance, but because she had never imagined he'd laugh about something like this. He was a villain after all, and villains only laughed when their evil plans were successful, or when tragedy befell their enemies. Not about actually funny things. But here he was, laughing like a normal person about normal things and it looked out of character on him.

"Ruby had to get a fire extinguisher and I was panicking and screaming and the smoke alarm went off. She has never let me live it down."

"If that's the case then, perhaps I don't want you to be the one cooking my eggs and sausage links in the morning." Adam retorted with a smile.

"I can handle it fine, I just wanted to make sure I can get it right. I'm not familiar with this stove and how hot the burners get."

"Perhaps I should observe, just to make sure we don't have another headquarters-melting fire on our hands." he said pushing a plate toward her. "I can even sample the test run, provided you haven't burned it beyond recognition."

She rolled her eyes, but proceeded as she had planned. She lined the pan with cooking spray first before cracking the single egg that was serving as her test run. The yoke stayed intact and she was able to get it perfect…until it was time to flip it. She moved the spatula to scoop it up, and it just wouldn't get underneath the egg the way she wanted it. Refusing to panic, she tried again; again, the white of the egg caught on the spatula just wrong. She snorted in frustration. It was never her intention to cook with an audience, and for some odd reason she felt added pressure to get it perfect.

Adam's hand reached forward and enclosed over hers. "Don't be afraid to put a little force behind it," he offered. He reached his other arm around her, gripping the frying pay and guiding her hand to flip it properly. "Also, if you want a good scald on eggs, cook the bacon first, then fry the eggs in the bacon grease."

"Thanks, I'll remember that," Weiss muttered as she slid the egg onto the plate. She turned to him, expecting him to just take the plate and go, but he remained behind her, the fabric of his pajama shirt pressing up against her bare back. She could tell he was doing it on purpose and was making it hard for her to focus, but she couldn't deny how much she enjoyed his closeness.

"And…when we are done cooking, we turn off the burner so we don't catch the building on fire." He leaned forward to switch the burner off, pressing up against her further. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "Be careful you don't burn yourself in the morning, ok?"

"I'll be careful," she promised. "And no, the irony of you wanting to protect me from getting burned is not lost on me."

"I've already run into a burning building for your sake once before." His arms wrapped around her waist and he planted a few more kisses trailing down her neck to her shoulder. "It'd be embarrassing to have to make me do it again."

"Adam," she wiggled out of his grip and turned to face him. He had that look in his eye, the one she'd been wary of the past two weeks, but tonight it seemed even more intense.

He furrowed his brows in concern. "What is it?"

She tried to find words, but none came. Nothing that she was feeling could be articulated in a way that explained her thoughts completely. She instead replied by standing on her tip toes and kissing him; gripping the front of his shirt in her fingers and pressing her lips to his.

From there, things unraveled for the both of them. They went from kissing in front of the stove to making out on the kitchen table to feeling each other up all the way up the stairs to Adam pinning her to his bedroom door at an alarming rate. It was only then Adam had a moment of clarity. He pulled Weiss' hands away from him, pinning them above her head, the leather of his gloves quietly crackling as his grip tightened around her wrists.

"I need to…" he panted, "I have to know this isn't putting any pressure on you."

"I mean…you're putting pressure on my arms…"

He leaned in, becoming suddenly grave. "You know what I mean, Weiss. You can tell me no."

She chose her words carefully as she met his intense gaze. "This isn't me conceding to you, and this isn't me giving my consent. This is me asking you to make love to me."

"You want this? You want…me?" He had to be absolutely certain.

"Yes, Adam. Your horns, your scars…all of it."

It was all he needed to proceed. He pulled her to himself and kissed her like never before, without restraint and without concern of consequences.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as their clothes fell to the floor. It had been a long time in coming, but somehow, both of them knew it was inevitable for them to eventually share a bed, it was only a question of when they'd give in to each other. They pleasured each other long into the night until she fell asleep in his arms to the sound of rain pattering against the roof.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt truly satisfied.

Cordovin was just hanging up the phone when Winter entered her office.

"I just got off the phone with the motor pool who said you badgered them into releasing a bike taken into custody that belongs to Miss Xiao Long. You haven't been here for more than three hours and already you've made a spectacle of yourself. Most unbecoming."

Winter clenched her jaw. "It was never my intention to inconvenience you. I'm simply trying to get what I need and get out of your hair as quickly as possible." She approached the desk and used the holo-pad to bring up paperwork for Cordovin to sign. "I'll need clearance to leave as soon as possible. My pilot is adjusting the manifest right now to list the additional passengers and luggage, including Miss Belladonna. Please be sure she is prepped for air transport and not transport by train."

"We've already had this conversation, Miss Schnee," Cordovin began, with an unusually condescending tone.

"You said I could take her if it's a matter of national security, and I've discovered recently that it is based on the information the others in her group have shared."

"Do tell," Cordovin said with every intention of being not impressed.

"Miss Belladonna has a contact within the White Fang who has knowledge critical to Atlesean security. She recently was able to come into some information while in Mistral. During the attack on Haven, as a matter of fact."

"Surely, you don't expect me to believe that?" Cordovin smiled wryly.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. She has information on Arthur Watts that she refuses to share with the rest of her team, and I've been under strict instructions that anyone with information about the man or his technology be brought immediately to Atlas for debriefing."

"There's no way she didn't tell any of her friends what she knew," Cordovin objected, still completely confident she had the upper hand. "Like I said, I'll give you clearance for take-off for the rest of your party, but that's as far as it goes. You do not have permission to remove Miss Belladonna from my base."

Something in Winter snapped. She stood and leaned over the desk, bracing her hands on its surface, allowing her to loom over the stumpy woman. Her nose turned up into an almost snarl as her lips curled. All three of the Schnee kids inherited the sneer: Whitley's just made him look spoiled, Weiss' made her look angry, but Winter's was genuinely intimidating. "Miss Caroline, you are right about one thing: this is my mission, but contrary to your opinion, this is not your base: this base belongs to Atlas, and right now my orders are to ensure the security of Atlas and Mantle by any means. Like you, I take my job very seriously, but unlike you, I can make good on any and every threat I make. I'm not asking for your permission, I'm ordering you, and if you are ultimately the cause of a delayed investigation, I will personally oversee your court martial and ensure it is the most publicized and scandalous stripping of rank in Atlas Military history, after which I will inspect this base and its operations from your security protocols to how you clean your toilets and you'll bear the weight of every infraction on your discharge record." She kept her voice measured and even, despite the glare in her eyes. "So, lets' stop this measuring contest, shall we? We both know mine is bigger." She pushed the holo-pad over toward her displaying the paperwork for Blake's release papers." You will release Blake into my custody with whatever medical resources necessary to ensure she will be comfortable on the ride there. Do I make myself clear?"

Cordovin showed no outward signs of intimidation, but she clenched her jaw as she signed off on the electronic paperwork. Winter strutted out of the office without another word. She had more important things to do than flex over the tiny woman any longer.

The next hour was prepping the ship for leaving and getting Blake transported. The best option for a ride this length was to pump her full of antibiotics to ensure she didn't get an infection and keep her sedated through an IV for the whole trip and transfer her to a medical specialist as soon as they touched down in Atlas.

Maria made a show of pulling out the cashews to munch right in front of her while they were waiting to board, even going so far as to offer some to Winter who graciously accepted. Even from a distance it was easy to see Cordovin fuming as she had come out onto the tarmac to ensure they'd left.

Winter's ship was a personal issue, meaning it was intended for her to use exclusively. There was a tiny quarters and lavatory for her use and the cargo hold was relatively small, enough usually for her own luggage and her two pilots. Needless to say, it was a tight fit. Blake was put in Winter's quarters and secured in place so that neither her nor the medical equipment keeping her sedated would move much during transit. Yang elected to stay with Blake for the ten-hour ride to Atlas. Jaune and Qrow, who hadn't slept the night before were offered the cots in the pilots bunk area, which they accepted. The others: Ruby, Oscar, Winter, Maria, Ren and Nora were squeezed into the tiny cabin originally designed to seat only four. The pilot offered to let someone sit in the co-pilot seat to clear up some room, which Maria took. All things considered, it was a tight fit, but doable.

By chance, Qrow and Winter passed each other outside the lavatory. Seizing a moment alone, he scooped her into his arms. She nestled into his arms comfortably.

"I know we'll have more time once we get settled in Atlas, but I wanted to make sure you were alright." His gravelly voice was laced with genuine concern.

She sighed, sinking further into his embrace. "You're alive, Weiss' is safe for now, the relic is secure. This is the first glimmer of hope I've had in months."

"Is Atlas in that bad of shape right now?"

"Ironwood becoming unhinged. He's subjecting Atlas and Mantle to the rule of his paranoia. The people of Mantle are bearing the brunt of it, the growing political unrest is drawing in grimm attacks almost daily while the Military continues to enforce curfews and embargoes. The council is terrified to contradict him, regardless of how irrational his demands become all for this…illusion of safety."

"That doesn't sound like the James Ironwood I know," Qrow replied. "He didn't agree with Ozpin, but he wasn't some paranoid tyrant."

"Beacon changed him. He no longer trusts anyone. Even me." She pulled away to look at him, her eyes filled with fear and exhaustion. "We have to be extra careful. He can't know about us."

"It's not of Ironwood's business where I spend my nights…or where you spend yours."

"He sees me as the next vessel for the Winter Maiden and as a Schnee and therefore my influence must be kept in check."

"So, he's trying to control you?"

"I'm saying he thinks he has a vested interest in what I do and it's becoming invasive, but I'm not sure how to get it to stop without it turning violent. If he found out, he'd probably accuse you of trying to steal me away from my maiden duties to the ruin of Atlas. He might have you imprisoned or even worse. Promise me you won't tell."

He placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead. "I'll make sure he never gets the impression we actually like each other. Though with my luck, it won't stay hidden forever."

The door to the pilot's cabin creaked open, jolting them back to reality.

"Get some rest, we'll talk more when we have the chance." Winter said, giving him one last kiss on his neck before returning to the cabin area.

Back in her seat, she permitted herself a sigh of relief. Things were finally beginning to look up. For the first time in months she felt realistically optimistic.

When morning came, Weiss wasn't ready to get out of bed. Her alarm was going off in her room and the coffee maker had done its job if the smell of fresh coffee was anything to go by. Adam was already awake, his arm lazily draped across her body. She snuggled closer to him, trying to fight off being awake.

"You are quite the cuddle bug." he commented, running his fingers through her messy hair. She was still bleary and squinted at him, eliciting a gentle smile from him. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she said, her voice still groggy. "You seem happy,"

"I woke up to gray skies, the smell of coffee and a songbird in my bed. Not much would make me happier."

Weiss sat up, propping herself up on an elbow. "Is that going to be my pet name now? Songbird?"

"I think you'd prefer it to 'princess or ice queen, or snow angel, or all the other cold weather-related ones you've probably had hurled at you over the years." He climbed out of bed and began to dress himself.

"Fair enough," she admitted.

"How are you?" he asked. "You fell asleep pretty quickly after."

"Sore," she admitted. "You might have to carry me back to my cot."

He came back to the bed and leaned over her to give her a kiss. "I can promise you: you are never going back to that cot."

They made more pillow talk as she got up and dressed as well. Conversation about the night before, about the situation with Artis refusing to supply them with dust or tech and about the impending return of Sienna Khan to seize the seat of High Leader again. continued over breakfast, which Weiss managed well on her own. He kissed her goodbye before heading out the door, leaving her to do the dishes.

He was scheduled to spar with the lieutenant in the dojo, but only realized upon entering that he'd forgotten his katana.

"I apologize," he told the lieutenant. "I'll have to run back for it. It'll be just a minute." He turned to leave but the lieutenant's words stopped him in the doorway.

"Your brain in a fog from last night?" the lieutenant asked with a snarl.

"First I don't know what you mean," Adam said, his temper rising. He turned around in the doorway to face the unnamed faunus squarely. "And second, you'll watch your tone. We may be friends, but I'm still your High Leader.

"Not for much longer once the entire White Fang knows you're banging the Schnee heiress, and not in a slave-master relationship way you're make it out to be to the other chapter heads."

Adam's mask prevented him from revealing a great deal of his emotions, but the scowl on his face was plainly visible. "Who told you that?"

"Tawny Conan," the lieutenant spit out a name before Adam could even finish his sentence. "She was helping Weiss get kitchen supplies or something last night. Tawny thought she might need coffee filters and she was bringing them to your house last night and she saw you two through the kitchen window. From her account, it was very intimate and very romantic. Almost like you two were a married couple."

Adam breathed deeply and let out a long exhale. He knew their relationship would be made public eventually, but it had been his intention to keep it concealed for as long as possible. Now that the cat was already out of the bag, he'd have to do damage control. "I promise, that isn't what you think it is…"

The lieutenant cut him off. "It doesn't matter what any of us think at this point. The rumor going around camp is that you've gone soft for her, and that's a danger to all of us. And it gets worse."

Adam put his head in his hands. "How could it possibly get worse?"

"Tawny Conan has an older sister: Tenne Conan, who happens to be the personal secretary for Artis. Face it: you messed up, Adam, and your arch-rival probably already knows about it."

Satisfied that he'd made his point, the lieutenant pushed past him in the doorway and left, leaving Adam to mull over his situation. He'd find a way around it eventually, he'd just need time to think of a plan, but for right now, it was hard to process that everything was happening so fast. He was always calculated, always thinking of contingencies and planning based on outcomes, but he didn't see this coming. It was the first time in months he was woefully unprepared.

Chapter Text

For some odd reason, Weiss was one of those people who enjoyed the cleaning aspects of any job, and cooking was no different. She set about doing the dishes and rinsing out the coffee pot. (Yang, who taught Weiss the art of coffee brewing was very strict about not putting soap in the coffee pot or any of the coffee maker's components.) Having some quiet time to think while still having something to work on was the perfect combination for her. She had time to process the night before and its implications.

She was a little surprised when she heard the front door open and Adam walking back in after being gone for only ten minutes.

"I thought you were sparring today," she said, putting her dishtowel down.

"Everyone already knows," he said flatly.

Her demeanor immediately darkened to match his. The implications were not a good look for either of them, but she never imagined the consequences would come back to haunt them so quickly.

"How did they find out?"

"A girl in the kitchen. She saw us through the window, and she at least told the lieutenant."

"Do they know you know that they know?"

Adam shrugged. "The lieutenant didn't say." He slumped into the armchair in the front room. "This was not how I imagined things going at all. I never intended for my actions to be spread around like hot gossip. I don't know where we go from here. I don't even know what to do next."

"I'll tell you what we're going to do," she tossed the towel down and came to sit beside him, kneeling beside his chair as she was accustomed to doing whenever they were in public. "We're going to get out. If we leave before anyone has the nerve to stop us, it'll be our only chance of leaving at all. Artis may not know that the lieutenant told you what he knows so we can prey on being underestimated. But we can't stay, especially not here where Artis knows where we are and has connections to confine you like you did to Sienna."

Adam clenched his jaw, furious that this was happening to him. "Our options are limited as to where we can go: if there's an upset of power, no one in the White Fang would take us, and we can't exactly be parading around in public. People will recognize at least one of us."

Weiss thought for a moment. "What if we just got to Mistral? Take whatever money you have, and anything valuable we might be able to pawn or sell and just stay there for a few days until we decide exactly what to do. It's a big enough city that we could blend in and the recent attack on Haven means the police are probably on high alert to the White Fang. They won't risk chasing us there, plus when we do decide, the train station will allow us to travel with relative anonymity."

"And from there?"

"Let's get to Mistral first, then plan. Right now, getting out before you get detained like you did with Sienna Khan and gods know what they'd do to me if you weren't there to protect me."

Adam half smiled. "I think you probably intimidate them more than you think. Remember, you did take down the lieutenant by yourself."

"I'd rather not test how intimidating they think I am."

"I agree." Adam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Getting out might prove difficult too. We can't just walk out, and I haven't driven myself anywhere in over a year, it'll look suspicious now if I decide I want a ship for just the two of us."

"If the lieutenant hasn't told anyone that he let you in on it, you might be able to appeal to your own ignorance. If you act like no one knows, then you can probably plan a trip off-campus. Have someone take us to the outskirts of Mistral and give some excuse as to what you want to do. I don't think anyone would deny you, even if it was suspicious. You're still High Leader." She gripped his hand in hers. "We just need to find someone loyal enough to you to take us, but that is in good enough standing that they won't take any heat for helping us."

"That…narrows it down…to one person."

"To Mistral? You're just going to leave?" the lieutenant was livid. He was intimidating enough just because of his size and posture, but in the dojo, with his weapon in arm's reach and his temper flaring, there were few who were brave enough to oppose him. "You're just going to leave? You can deny the rumors at the very least. Punish Tawny, get this under control."

"You know there's no controlling this," Adam countered. "If you know it, it means Tawny Conan has already told her sister and her sister has probably already run to Artis. It's only a matter of time before I get put in a cell, or worse."

"So, you're going to just…run? It's nonsense, Adam."

Adam inhaled deeply. "I asked you just a few weeks ago if you still trusted me…"

"And the fact that you keep asking is making me doubt more and more." The lieutenant crossed his arms across his broad chest, clearly unmoved.

"I do have a plan…" Adam insisted.

"One I'm sure has been derailed like the train to Mountain Glenn after last night." He quipped back.

"That wasn't supposed to happen."

"What wasn't supposed to happen? You weren't supposed to sleep with her? Or Tawny wasn't supposed to see?" He waited a moment for an answer but when he received none, he thought of another possibility. "Or was it that you weren't supposed to get attached to her and now you have? Answer me this: have you fooled yourself into thinking you love her? Are you going to eventually betray us for her?"

Adam let out a short exhale, resembling a snort. "I'd never betray you. Or the White Fang, and she knows very clearly what will happen to her if she puts me in a position of choosing her or choosing my people. But recently, with Weiss, things have gotten complicated. It doesn't change my end goal: our survival in the face of the end of the world."

"And if we survive this apocalypse you keep saying is doomed to happen, what then? You marry the heiress and leave the freedom fighting to the rest of us? Settle down in Atlas after everything you've done here? Sitting in a cushy life built on the blood and tears of your own people's oppression? Going to galas and fundraisers where you're being served champagne by the very faunus you vowed to protect?"

"You are overthinking this." Adam scowled.

"Am I? Or am I seeing it exactly as Artis sees it? Artis and the other chapter heads don't know about this whole alliance with the huntsmen to fight off Hazel and his boss. All they see is that you're romantically involved with the human embodiment of everything the White Fang wants to destroy."

"That might be all they see for now, but when the pieces fall in place, they'll understand."

"You realize what kind of difficult position you're putting me in? I've always been loyal to you, Adam, even when Sienna was High Leader, I chose to follow you and put you in power. I've considered you a comrade and a friend, but your actions are going to bring close scrutiny on everyone you leave behind."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I never meant to bring you into this."

The lieutenant snorted through his nostrils. "You shouldn't have brought me into it, but then again, you've been bringing in trouble ever since you kept deciding to bring Weiss Schnee into everything. You brought her into our camp, into Sienna's headquarters, to Haven, and now, into your bed. And I warned you before that it was a dangerous game you were playing. Now your life might be at stake."

"My life is nothing if it helps the faunus find equality and security for the future," Adam snapped back. "This is not how I planned for things to go, but for the time being, I need to protect myself, and Weiss, and that means leaving."

The lieutenant was silent for a minute, thinking it over, sighing in exasperation before finally replying: "I will take you to the outskirts to the outskirts of Mistral, but I'm dropping you off and nothing else. No money, no skimped Atlas equipment. Just you and your baggage…and your luggage."

"Thank you."

"You better load up quick before they catch on to what's happening."

Adam nodded firmly before heading out the door with purpose.

Weiss was waiting for him when came back to the house. "Will he help us?"

"Only so much," Adam replied. "But we need to give them every illusion that the trip will be short and that we plan to be back. Pack light and make sure everything is clean and put away. Dishes, bed, laundry."

"The housework is already done, we just need to pack. I only have two work uniforms for clothes but you should probably pack the most casual things you have."

They didn't have much to take with them: a few changes of clothes, their swords and a few vials of dust. As if maintaining appearances would help, Adam had Weiss carry both bags across the village to the grassy lot where the line of White Fang hovercraft vehicles were kept. Trying to work quickly but remain nonchalant, the lieutenant chose the smallest hovercraft and had it out of its parking spot to load. The guard posted with the sign out sheet for the vehicles hardly gave it a second glance when the lieutenant stated he was taking the High Leader out for a tour north, signing off on their departure with little more than a grunt of acknowledgement. Perhaps, if news of his social faux pas hadn't reached even the whole of HQ, they'd still have plenty of time to figure out where to go before anyone came looking for them.

The hovercraft ride was silent in the most stifling way. Adam and Weiss were understandably nervous but the lieutenant was fuming. Even with his mask on, the hard set of his frown displayed his displeasure to the both of them. Since Mistral was the largest city nearby, the White Fang had detailed information about the layout of the city and what were the easiest ways to infiltrate. After a six hour ride in the hovercraft, the lieutenant dropped them off about a half mile from the city in a thick, wooded area further down in the foothills.

"There's a road about a hundred yards that way you can find and follow into the city. The west side is where the slums are so probably more people but also more police. Be careful." It was the first time he'd spoken the entire trip and he seemed to be speaking exclusively to Adam, but Weiss didn't say anything as she unloaded their two bags. She understood the position they'd put him in and was grateful he'd at least been willing to stick his neck out.

"Thank you," Adam said sincerely, clapping him on the shoulder as he prepared to exit the cab.

"They're going to know." The lieutenant warned. "Artis and whoever sides with her is going to ask where I took you and I'm going to have to tell them."

"Of course," Adam replied. "You have to stay here. Keep yourself safe and don't cause trouble for anyone. If Artis does take over, serve her. It won't be long I promise. I am not abandoning the White Fang; I'm going to reclaim my seat as High Leader once the time is right."

His words did little to alleviate the lieutenant's nervousness. "They're going to ask me where you're going next."

"And you're going to tell you them you don't know because I didn't tell you."

"But they know we're friends. They're going to ask where I think you might hide or show up."

"And logically, where would that be?"

"The lieutenant shrugged. "I don't know. If your power is being threatened, you'd probably go back to Mountain Glenn and try to re-enforce your following with the brotherhood there."

"Then tell them that."

"Goodbye, High Leader. And good luck." He reached up and put a hand on Adam's shoulder, the most affectionate thing Weiss had ever seen him do.

Adam responded by removing his metal mask and handing it to the lieutenant. "I'll be coming back for this. Keep it safe for me." He hopped out of the cab of the hovercraft and shut the door.

"I guess we get to hike a bit." He said when he reached Weiss, taking his bag from her and not looking back at the hovercraft. Weiss waved goodbye but the lieutenant ignored her.

Mistral was a city set on a mountain, which was pretty to see, but terrible to traverse on foot. Most of their walk was strictly uphill meaning either a sharp incline or steps, neither of which were fun to traverse with even a small amount of luggage. People stared at them, particularly at Adam's mask, but among the throng of people there we just two extra freaks at the freakshow.

The afternoon was spent finding an inn, which they eventually did, The Spider's Parlor, using some of Adam's money that he'd been accumulating over the years. He had a reasonable stash, but it wouldn't last forever. Economy, therefore was key.

It was a seedy motel, attached to a seedy bar. The room was small with creaky floors and hardly any room on either side of the bed, but at least there was a small TV. Weiss' inner clean freak was going insane with no way to clean it herself, but she was also sure the stains on the walls and carpet were there to stay. There were holes in the bedsheets from cigarette burns and everything had an extra dingy look to it because of the poor lighting.

"What do we do first?" Adam asked once they'd settled in their room.

"I think first we should focus on clothes. We both need to cover up our scars and I'm going to need shoes I can actually walk in. We can find a thrift shop nearby and take our time. After that…food, and after that long term planning. The sooner we nail down where we're going, the longer we stay one step ahead of Artis."

Adam smiled despite the gravity of everything. "I knew you were a strategist, but how do you come up with plans like this on the fly?"

"A strategist is only good insofar as it's put into practice," Weiss retorted. "Some of my best laid plans were thrown out the window as soon as Ruby got involved because she liked to fly by the seat of her overgrown garden tool of a scythe."

"That's exactly what Roman Torchwick called it." He sat on the bed next to her. "You know, I never even saw her, but Ruby must have done a number on Torchwick. She lived rent free in his head for six months. He hated that he'd been 'thwarted by a 12-year-old. Not once, but twice.' Not sure whatever happened to him."

"Ruby said he got eaten by a giant nevermore on the night Beacon fell. Cinder may have won but she lost some key players."

"Key players?" Adam shook his head. "We were all pawns. Even Cinder and Hazel are just pieces in Salem's game, whatever that game is."

Weiss gripped his hand. "And we'll eventually beat her at her own game." She stood, keeping her hand in his and pulling him to his feet. "It's getting dark. We should get going before the shops start closing."

He agreed and with the directions of the polite innkeeper, they were able to find a resale shop. Weiss sifted through the racks to find something at least remotely close to her tastes with little luck, taking only a few garments with her to the changing rooms. With each outfit she was growing more discouraged as she and Adam met to compare and get each other's opinions.

"Clothes shopping is always easier for men," Weiss whined as she pulled off yet another ill-fitting shirt and pair of capri pants. "As long as you're comfortable, you don't care how you look."

"You could do the same," he said through the door, "It's not our fault you'd rather look sexy than look comfortable." He opened the door, showing off his most recent find, a red tartan style shirt that looked like flannel with black denim pants. She emerged visibly disappointed wearing a pair of denim shorts and a graphic tee.

"At least you look good as a hipster," she admitted. "Maybe you should get something with a hood to cover up your horns and your hair. Just until we can get out of the city."

"I'll see if I can find something," Adam replied looking her over. "You have a good figure, so no matter what you wear, it'll be appealing, just maybe not your style."

Dejected, she tried the last outfit she'd haphazardly grabbed from the rack because it looked approximately her size. Once she zipped up the skirt, she audibly gasped. It not only fit, but it was perfect, coming down to the middle of her knees, a nice full flare on it, and comfortable too.

"You alright?" Adam asked.

Weiss opened the door and strutted out. There was a midnight blue wash on the skirt and the coral-colored top had a boat necked collar accentuating her neck and bone structure. "It's combat worthy." She twirled for him, clearly excited as the skirt flowed with her movements.

Adam rolled his eyes. "I forgot your odd attachment to skirts as battle attire. Perhaps you should get the capris just as a backup. Probably some pajamas too."

They finished up shopping, buying themselves two outfits each and Weiss a nightgown. As they walked back to the inn to drop off their things, dark had completely settled on the city, though the streets still glowed from the restaurants and bars still open. Weiss was appalled at how many even in this part of town refused service to faunus.

As they rounded the last corner to get back to their room, a shattering of glass drew their attention. The front window of the bar attached to the in was broken out and two women were brawling in the street. Adam swore under his breath, pulling Weiss back around the corner. He peeked back around the corner to confirm his suspicions, muttering obscenities when he realized he was correct.

"We can just wait: go eat elsewhere. They'll be gone by the time we're done eating, I'm sure." Weiss offered.

"We can, but we need to be careful." He looked concerned, more nervous than afraid, but still unsettling. A shockwave rattled the buildings as the fighters, though out of sight were clearly both well versed enough to use their auras at a professional level. Weiss instinctively gripped his sleeve and pulled herself closer to him.

"It's someone that will recognize us?" she asked.

Adam nodded. "Both of us. That's Cinder and Torchwick's creepy little side piece having it out."

Weiss paled. "Why are they here?"

"Mistral is a big city, and Cinder was supposed to be at the attack on Haven. It's possible she's stayed in town. I don't know why they're fighting, I thought they were allies, but they can't see us."

They slinked back the way they came, eating at a café with their shopping bags between their legs and keeping a careful watch out the window. They waited until the store began to close down to make their way back. The pair were gone, but the shattered glass was being swept up by a very unhappy sent of bartenders and a heavy-set woman in a purple dress surveying the damage with mild irritation.

Once they were back in their room, they could finally breathe freely again. They changed into their newly purchased pajamas and sat on the bed together.

"When I said you'd never go back to that cot again, this was not what I had in mind…at all." He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumbs on her knuckles. "At least we were able to get out easily enough."

"Now, if we can just avoid the people we've both managed to make enemies of here in Mistral, we'll be fine." Weiss said sarcastically.

"We probably shouldn't stay here long," he said, trying to redirect the conversation.

"True, but we should also be aware of our surroundings." She grabbed the grubby remote and turned on the TV switching channels until she found a news station. With no frame of reference, the local news was difficult to follow, but the national news proved to be informative: dust prices everywhere were sky-rocketing due to the embargo, grimm attacks were on the rise in both Mantle and on the whole of Anima, and there was a benefit being held in Argus to raise money to restore the fallen CCT Tower in Vale, hosted by none other than Jacques Schnee. Lisa Lavender, who had stayed behind in Vale after the fall of Beacon to continue reporting on the situation seemed of mixed opinions about the announcement: the restored CCT tower would allow for communication, but what good would it be to talk to neighbors who won't send aid, or worse, send enemies, not to mention the desperate need many of the people who still lived on the outskirts of the city who were in desperate need of clean water and safety barriers to keep grimm out more than they needed scroll service. Lavender seemed to think it was more of a move to benefit his political campaign than the people of Vale.

"I…have an idea." Weiss said, keeping her eyes on the screen.

Adam reached across her to grab the remote and mute the TV. "What were you thinking, my mastermind?"

She finally took her eyes off the screen. "I thought I was your Songbird!" she said with mock cynicism.

He pulled her in and kissed her. "Very well, what were you thinking, my Songbird?"

She smiled. "I was thinking we should take the Argus Limited north to coast. I have connections there so we can be comfortable while we work on harmonizing the White Fang and the huntsmen…and we can do something else that I think will benefit everyone and put us both in very good standing with the huntsmen and the White Fang."

"And that would be?"

"Taking down Jacques Schnee."

"He's your father."

"He's also the man who took my mom's inheritance, used it to abuse the faunus and then took it from me to get me to comply with his crazy demands to just sit and home and look pretty and marry well. Think about it, if we bring him to justice: together, it will ingratiate me to the faunus, and since I will be reclaiming my position as heiress, I'll be able to supply White Fang, huntsmen and military alike with dust when the time comes to fight Salem."

"How are we even going to do that? Money and connections have kept him safe for over two decades."

"Because he's never had someone with any real dirt on him go public. That'll change once we get to Argus. I'll start stockpiling evidence and we can hide there until we have enough to go to the authorities and the media. I've met Lisa Lavender several times and I'm sure she'd jump on the first chance at an exclusive expose by the daughter of the richest non-royal dynasty in Remnant." Something dark came over Weiss face. She wasn't typically a vengeful person, but that bloodlust Adam had always said she needed suddenly appeared as a fire in her eyes and a creased frown on her face. He wasn't particularly sure he liked it.

His gaze softened and he kissed her again. "Only if you're sure."

"I'm sure. I want my birthright back."

The train station was bustling with life as Adam and Weiss stood in line for well over an hour at the ticket window. Their plan to get to the earliest train out was a good one, but good plans are often held by more than one person. By Weiss' advice, Adam had worn his hoodie and foregone the mask, doing the best he could to conceal his face. The mask would probably have drawn more attention in a place with security guards and officials than just walking the streets in Mistral.

The elderly man at the ticket booth looked at them: a young couple trying to look inconspicuous and travelling light and with nervous faces and was skeptical.

"What can I get for you two?"

"Two tickets on the Argus Limited," Adam said, already having pulled out a stack of Lien to pay.

"I have tickets, but I'm afraid the only ones still available first class."

"Private cars?" Weiss asked, hoping they could perhaps prevent being seen by a huge group.

"Private carriages yes, but not private cars. First class also allows for food to be ordered from the dining cart."

"Can we afford that?" Weiss asked.

"If its all the same to you," the ticket master said, "the business cars seat four to a room and have several amenities. You could purchase tickets to tomorrows train and secure a cheaper price if you like."

"We can't wait," Adam said shortly.

His tone got a disapproving look from the elderly man who began to scrutinize him harder.

Weiss put a hand on Adams, and looked at the man behind the glass. "Please, we'll pay whatever, we just need to get out of town. My parents are looking for me…and it would be bad if he found us." It was a vague lie, but the gray-haired man wasted no time in filling in the details. Adam, with his hair, scar and horns would probably be the exact kind of suitor any father in Mistral would have reservations about. Still, it was none of his business. He told them the price, they made the purchases and he handed over the tickets.

The pair hurried past the huntsmen designated to guard the train, made it to the platform to board, and settled into the small carriage with bunk beds with relative ease. With the door closed and the window shades pulled, Adam could remove his hood.

"It's odd," he commented. "The last time I was on a train, things were not this luxurious. There weren't any sleeper cars or room service…just a bunch of robots trying to kill me and a girlfriend who rain off."

Something about the way he said it made Weiss connect the dots all at once. "That was you?!...That was Blake?!" By no means was she angry, just shocked.

"Blake never told you?"

"No." Another dark shadow overtook Weiss face. "That was the angriest I'd ever seen my father. Ever. He threw things at the walls, at the staff…at me. That was the day I decided I was going to apply to a huntsman academy outside of Atlas."

At that moment, the train gently lurched forward to pull out of the station.

"And now we're both on our way back," Adam said as a way to end the conversation.

They talked of plans and ideas they wanted to see enacted in the White Fang and the SDC. Weiss wondered about Sienna Khan and how she was getting on with her resistance and Adam wondered if Artis had discovered that he'd left the HQ.

Perhaps Weiss would have preferred it if they had arrived in Argus just the day before. Had they arrived, they would have been in town and no doubt seen Winter's ship arriving as Weiss could have picked it out of the sky at ten miles' distance. Perhaps she could have been reunited with her team before they left for Atlas, but perhaps that wasn't her destiny. Perhaps fate saw fit to keep them apart a bit longer. Perhaps Adam and Blake encountering each other would not have gone smoothly at all, not to mention what Yang would have to say on the matter.

Or perhaps none of it was fate or destiny, but rather an unhappy coincidence that the day Weiss and Adam pulled into the Argus train station, Winter and her ship with everyone Weiss knew and loved on it left the Argus military air strip, their time in the same city only overlapping by a few hours and neither aware of the others' presence.

Chapter Text

Everything was a hazy gray color. Her eyes refused to open, only giving her the vague sense that she was in a room that was lit well enough for her to see gray instead of pitch black. Even when she focused, she couldn't distinguish any sounds. A few times, she was under the perception that she was being moved, but otherwise felt nothing, except exhaustion. She couldn't even tell herself whether she was truly conscious or was in a halfway between state trying to overcome sleep paralysis.

That was, until the pain started. At first a dull throb but growing increasingly intense and hot inside her right thigh. Trying to move it did nothing though as the pain increased, so did her ability to focus. Eventually she was able to force her eyes open. She was surrounded by medical equipment, the finest the Atlesean Military could over and her leg was propped up in traction. The IV sticking out of her arm was low, which she deduced was the reason she was conscious and in pain. In a short time, a nurse had come to switch out the bags.

"Argus?" Blake asked groggily.

"Atlas," The nurse assured her.

Blake smiled weakly. Somehow, Jaune had pulled it off and they were, for the most part, safe. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep as the nurse switched the IV bags out for some more of that sweet painkiller.

Blake had been the first off the airship, a medical team waiting in the docking bay to transport her to the infirmary. After she had been off-loaded, Winter knew the only safe thing to do was to escort them all to Ironwood right away.

"What do we do?" Ren asked, always thinking ahead.

"I don't know yet. I'm not sure what all we should tell Ironwood," Ruby replied, deliberately remaining vague. The guards on the elevator wore helmets that obscured their faces, but they no doubt were looking and listening for any information.

Yang put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I think we should be as willing to share as he is, but when it's all said and done, we'll follow your lead."

The others nodded in assent.

As the elevator doors opened, they were ushered through the lobby and into an antechamber.

"I swear, if the Council calls yet another emergency session, I'm…" he stopped when he saw them, equally surprised at their presence as they were by his appearance. This man looked nothing like the general they remembered from the Vytal festival. This man was bearded, tired and haggardly; the look of confidence in his eyes had been replaced with fear and desperation, and he had an expression of a soldier who had been jaded by months of combat. While his appearance was no surprise to Winter, the others, particularly Qrow were taken aback.

Even more shocking was the ginger haired girl that appeared behind them. The members of JNPR and RWBY froze, only able to stare in disbelief.

Unable to process the emotion, Ruby recoiled away from her, blinking back tears and mentally assuring herself that this couldn't be real, or this couldn't be the same person. She finally worked up the courage to say her name.

"Penny?"

The girl's eyes glowed with recognition. "Ruby!" In a speed that could only rival Ruby herself, Penny launched herself in what was supposed to be a hug but ended up being more like a tackle.

Tears flowed freely as she embraced her friend, though Penny looked confused.

"I thought you would be happy to see me again? I haven't upset you, have I?" The unique timbre and cadence in her voice bringing back a flood of memories for the kids from Beacon.

"No, no, Penny," Ruby assured her. "These are happy tears."

"Oh…I'm happy to see you, too."

"Penny, I doubt she wants to stay on the floor," Ironwood said with uncharacteristic patience.

"Sorry! Let me help you up!" She enthusiastically pulled herself and Ruby up using the boosters in her feet."

"Looks like you got some upgrades," Ruby said as Penny released her grip and resumed her place by the general's side.

"I…I don't understand," Jaune said aloud. "How?"

"We were able to recover her motherboard and hard drive from the Amity Arena when it was returned to Atlas," Ironwood explained, "But I think we have more pressing matters. You can catch up with your friends later." He shot a knowing look at Qrow who nodded in agreement.

Ironwood's office was at the highest point in Atlas, overseeing the entirety of the floating city through retractable windows on three of the walls. As the teams took in the view, stepped away from the group to take her place behind Ironwood's desk opposite Penny. The guards were dismissed, giving them some privacy.

"Winter took an incredible risk coming to get you," Ironwood said as he sat, "But she assured me you had information concerning both the relics and Arthur Watts."

"We do," Ruby assured him, taking the lead as the de facto spokesperson of the group.

"I apologize for being so difficult to reach, but surely you understand, with tightened security…you can never be too careful."

"We told you we were coming," Qrow said with narrowed eyes as he leaned against a wall to look extra rebellious. "I sent a letter from Mistral weeks ago."

"Paper mail?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "It's probably still in some container in Argus…"

"…which is a matter I fully intend to discuss with you further when you are available," Winter interjected.

"At any rate, I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're safe, though I'd like to not make a habit of bailing kids out of military prisons because they managed to hijack our only secure communication lines." He gave a sharp glance at Jaune who smiled nervously.

"We're glad we were able to make the necessary arrangements and thank you for sending Winter to get us," Ruby said. "We were able to get the relic of knowledge from the vault in Mistral. We weren't sure what else to do, but we're sure it will be safe here." She removed the lamp and held it up for Ironwood to see.

"And the Spring Maiden?"

"My mom took off," Yang said folding her arms. "As soon as the vault was open, she flew off to who knows where."

This bit of information was new and the general furrowed his brow as he looked to Qrow for confirmation that his sister was, in fact, the Spring Maiden. "Did you know?" he asked.

"I found out when she tried to kill me," the huntsman offered.

"So, we have one maiden working for the enemy and one in the wind," he shook his head disappointed.

"What about the Winter Maiden?" Ruby asked.

"She's…secure," Ironwood said vaguely.

"What Ironwood means is she's on our side and is being cared for," Qrow added, his eyes unable to meet Winter's as he spoke. "She's no spring chicken, but she is willing to help us any way she can."

"We may not have a lot going for us, but we at least have one of the maidens and two of the relics…and a plan to stop Salem for good."

"And Oscar!" Nora said, finally speaking up for the first time.

The general's focus shifted for the first time to the farm boy. He stood from behind his desk and approached Oscar, towering over him with a scowl, but his gaze softened. Somehow, Ironwood knew exactly who he was.

"Ozpin?"

Oscar shrugged. "Kinda. He and I share a body now, I guess."

"Then we have hope," Ironwood said with all sincerity. He looked to Oscar but was clearly speaking to Ozpin. "Let me tell you my plan and we can work together to ensure to put her down for good."

Oscar inhaled deeply, unable to find words. Not wanting to crush his spirit, he sighed. "I…I can't make him come out. Ozpin won't talk to me or through me."

The concern on Ironwood's face was immediate. He looked to Qrow, but Qrow nodded at Ruby.

She thought carefully before speaking. As much as she wanted to play it safe, Ironwood was laying everything out on the table and she felt it was only right to do the same. Even if he reacted badly, he deserved to know the truth. Yang was right: keeping secrets wasn't going to help anyone.

"We found out some things about him, we asked the spirit inside the lamp. Ozpin didn't want us finding out too much but we used it relic to find out the truth behind both him and Salem."

"And?"

"Long story short, we found out Salem can't be killed and Ozpin has gone into hiding since."

The truth hit him like a ton of bricks. He stepped back. "She can't…can't be killed?"

"She was cursed to be immortal by the gods."

"But Ozpin told us…it was our mission. For years…" it was too much to process. He returned to his desk and sat, burying his head in his hands, further disheveling his hair.

"I know it's hard and scary to hear, but you have to believe us," Ruby assured him. "The gods also tasked Ozpin with defeating Salem and unifying humanity, which means that it must be possible. Perhaps not death, but her defeat in some way is something that Ozpin can do…and we can still help him accomplish that goal."

"If he comes back," Yang muttered under her breath.

It was a sentiment shared by the group, some with more contempt than others. The general sighed. "If we are all that is left standing between Salem and Remnant, then we have to do everything in our power to put a dent in her plans. I need time to rethink my plan and you need time to rest. I'll have Penny show you to the academy quarters and we'll convene as soon as I have a strategy that I think will work."

"Sounds like a plan," Qrow said, standing upright.

"Now, on the matter of Arthur Watts…"

"He's alive and he works for Salem," Yang said. "Blake told us that Weiss told her."

Ironwood looked to Winter to confirm it was all true. "I thought your sister was missing."

"My sister is currently a political prisoner of the White Fang," Winter said coldly. "She ascertained information and passed it on to Blake Belladonna during a chance encounter they had in Mistral."

"During the attack on Haven?"

Winter nodded. "I can fill you in on the details if you'd like.

"I'll need a full debrief of both you and Blake as soon as she's out of the infirmary." He turned back to Yang and Ruby. "While our huntsman academy is very different, we most certainly understand the importance of a team's bond. I can assure you, Blake is in the best care we have to offer and you will be able to visit with her as soon as she's been seen by medical professionals."

"Thank you, general." Ruby said with all sincerity.

Yang said nothing but nodded.

"Penny, if you would please show the children to their quarters. Qrow, I'd like a word with you in private."

"Forgive me for asking but what's going to happen to me?" a voice piped up.

How she'd managed to go unnoticed for this long could only be attributed to her height. The elderly woman finally hobbled forward, angrily tapping the sides of her goggles trying to get them to focus.

"Who is this?"

"A legacy huntsman, if you'd believe it," Qrow said, almost smiling. "But she's just a travelling companion of ours. We met when the train derailed on our way to Argus."

"And she knows?"

Ruby shrugged innocently. "She was there when we activated the relic. She's in the know now, but I promise she's not going to be a problem."

"Look, I never intended to find out about the secret magical war for the fate of the world," Maria admitted, "I'm just an old woman looking to get my eyes fixed. Every few years I have to fly up to Mantle to get them calibrated. If someone could just fly me down to the old city, I'll be out of your hair."

"We'll see to it," Winter promised, nodding to one of the nearby guards who ushered Maria away after saying a short goodbye and a promise to keep in touch from the kids.

"And Penny, if you could show the students from Beacon their accommodations."

With a flurry of excitement, Penny practically floated to them, grabbing Ruby by the hands and leading them back down the HQ tower and to the dormitories. "We have so much to catch up on! I cannot wait to show you all the amazing facilities Atlas Academy has to offer, and since I live in the dormitories as well, we'll be able to see each other every day, it'll be just as if we were school mates!" Her sincerity was warming even Qrow managed to crack a smile as she led the members of JNPR, RWBY and Oscar away.

Once they were gone and the room was quiet, Ironwood turned his attention to Qrow.

"Now, why don't you tell me exactly what happened in Mistral?"

"Just in Mistral or everything between Mistral and here, because…these kids, James…"

"I know." James assured him. "But the boy, the relic, Lionheart, your sister, a trainwreck, Argus, and apparently the Schnee Dust Company heiress a hostage of the White Fang? I need to know everything."

Qrow thought back to the month he spent following Ruby and the remaining members of JNPR through the forests of Mistral. He wasn't even sure where to start.

Atlas has initially built the Argus Limited as a magnet train, using dust to supercool the track. It only took a few months to realize it was cost prohibitive to maintain such a track on such icy and grim infested terrain, so mile by mile, the track was replaced by traditional rails, albeit still had engines that could pull at 150mph even through snow. The initial planned travel time from Mistral to Argus dropped from a mere 5-hour ride to a 10-hour ride. Weiss and Adam used the time to sleep and plan once they got into the city.

"I think we should do what we initially did in Mistral: find a small and obscure hotel and use it as a base of operation while we get everything we need," Weiss said as she took notes.

As Adam watched her jot her thoughts down, it was the first time he'd gotten to see a sample of her handwriting and it was every bit as graceful as she was. Elegant cursive in perfectly straight rows even without the guide of lined paper detailed out her list of goals to accomplish while in Mistral.

Find an affordable hotel/bend and breakfast to use as a base of operation

Keep a low profile until we are certain the White Fang is looking elsewhere

Find ways to change Adam's appearance (eyes and hair)

Buy newer and nicer clothes to better blend in with the people of Argus

Purchase burner scrolls to keep in contact

Find a way to contact Winter without alerting the Atlas Military or Dad

Collect as many cases of faunus abuse from SDC HR (preferably ones with medical bills attached)

Make contact with Lisa Lavender

Get passage to Atlas (preferably independent of the military)

Fake IDs?

"You realize some of those are tall orders, even if we had infinite money," Adam noted.

"I know," Weiss replied, "But I have thoughts on how to do most of the legal stuff. The fake ID's and burner scrolls might be a little harder to do."

"The burner phones are going to be an easier task than keeping a low profile here. Both of our faces are sure to attract a lot of attention. You're easily recognized as a Schnee and…" he pointed to his scar. "People are going to ask questions if we don't have a story or a way to cover it up.

Weiss waved her hand dismissively, "With the military base so close by, prosthetics and eye patches are commonplace. I'm sure we can have one made out of the same material as your mask: something that looks opaque but you can still see through it. If we get the right kind it'll cover the entirety of your scar."

"We're on a limited budget, we can't just spend money like we have a bottomless supply."

"Housing is a priority," Weiss said, "but after that, I think blending in is the most important thing. Which is also why I think we should dye your hair."

"Why? What color?" He didn't like the idea of dying his hair. He was already a bit off-put by the idea of having to hide who he was. He'd been telling his followers for years to be proud of who they were, to embrace being the 'monsters' they had been made out to be, and now, he was no better than Blake covering her ears. It was shameful.

"Black. It'll help your horns blend in." She noticed the displeased look on his face. "Hey, I know that might sound weird, but this isn't the time to let your scruples get in the way of a mission. We can't have the Atlesean Military, the Argus police, or the White Fang recognize you. What if Cinder or another of Salem's goons showed up here? We have to play it safe, and right now, that means laying low…and concealing your horns."

Adam snorted, conceding her point. "Fine."

She gripped his hand in hers. "You trust me?"

"I do," he replied. "Which is why I'm agreeing to it." He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. She responded with a brief kiss before she continued down the list with her plans.

Immediately after getting off the platform at the station in Argus, they made their way through the streets to the cheapest parts of town. Argus was a high income/high cost of living city and while it had nothing resembling the ghettos of Mistral, there were distinctly lower income areas where they knew they could find affordable accomodations.

Where Mistral was Adam's territory and he took the lead in navigating and making purchases, Argus was Weiss'. She'd visited frequently with her father and was familiar enough to know her way around without needing to ask for directions or seek out a city map. Argus was an easier city overall; it was smaller, on flat land, meaning no long hills or staircases to traverse, plus it had ample public transportation in the form of trolleys that were easily affordable and fully extant within the city limits.

Their first stop was a strip mall in the "affordable" side of town where they were able to purchase scrolls with prepaid cards instead of having to show ID and set up a plan. A nearby hotel which both cost less and was nicer than the inn in Mistral was their next stop. They secured a room, but were too early for check in. Needing to burn a few hours, Weiss suggested they get their clothes buying in next.

"We can, but we have to watch the money," Adam insisted as they snagged a seat on the trolley. "We can't spend it all on clothes and then not be able to afford multiple nights at the hotel."

"I've actually already thought of that," Weiss said with a smile. "Hopefully this will be a one stop shop and we will still have time to get your hair dyed as well."

"Why do I feel like you're trying to give me a makeover?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't call it a make-over," Weiss countered. "You're handsome enough, I would think of this as more of a disguise."

"Hearing you talk makes me feel like a dress-up doll."

"This is the first time in almost two years I'm going to get to go shopping in my favorite district and I am in dire need of some retail therapy. Forgive me if I'm a little excited it about it."

"Well, at least one of us is having fun," Adam said.

"I'm just trying to stay positive." Her face became serious, "I know we're still in danger, but we have a plan, and we're acting on it and so far, things are going well. If we just stay cautious and stick to the plan, we'll have something to show for it here in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the small things we're able to experience."

"I doubt I'll enjoy the experience…but I think I'll enjoy who I experience them with."

"Oh, you're smooth."

Adam smiled despite himself.

The smile immediately dissipated as soon as they got off the trolley in front of a high-end dress shop. He could just tell by looking at the basic font of the shop's name Engel that this was an overpriced, bespoke kind of boutique he would have burned down out of spite had it been in Mistral during his heyday in the White Fang.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"What?"

His frown hardened. "Weiss, we can't afford anything in here. We have a very limited supply of Lien."

"First, we have to blend in with a certain standard of living and clothes bought at a thrift store in Mistral isn't going to cut it. Second, I trust the shop owner here to respect our privacy and third, we might not have to pay for anything if I can get what I want. All you need to do is stay quiet and act like you're a bodyguard. Can you do that?"

Adam sighed. "I can." After being in charge of waves of people, being at the directional mercy of this petite and dainty woman was a bit of a challenge, but he knew he had to play along.

And play along he did, opening the door for Weiss as she entered the dress shop and standing with his arms folded behind his back behind her, always staying a few steps behind and looking around as if assessing the room every few minutes.

Weiss put on her best distressed face and approached the counter. "Is Odette here? I need Odette."

"Odette is always here," came a voice from the back room. A tall, thin woman with a figure only achievable with surgeries emerged from the back, her face lighting up immediately. "Weiss Schnee! How lovely to see you back in Argus!" She came around the counter and dramatically took Weiss' hands in her own before kissing her on the cheek. "I heard you were convalescing in Atlas after all that nasty business at huntress school. How are you? I am loving this hair!" She shamelessly ran her fingers through Weiss' shorter locks.

"I'm better. I actually was travelling abroad and I'm on my way back home," she lied, flicking her hair from side to side. "You like it? I got it done by one of the stylists at Papillion Noir, Nessa. She's amazing, isn't she?"

"I would never have guessed a short cut would look good with your face structure but it really makes you look modern and more mature." Odette drew Weiss' arms apart to look her over. "My dear, what is this travesty you are wearing?"

Weiss scoffed. "You would not believe what happened to us on the way up here. I was travelling on the train to Mistral and the idiots at curbside check loaded my luggage to the whole wrong train. It's probably on the east coast by now. All my things are gone; my clothes, my scroll, my wallet, and we didn't realize it until we were getting off the platform in Mistral. We hardly had any cash and had to buy clothes at a thrift store. Luckily our hotel and tickets here were already paid for, but we're not supposed to get our bags for another three days!"

"How simply disastrous," Odette said, feigning concern and indignation, "We must fix 'this situation' right away," she said pointing to Weiss' resale ensemble. "I don't have as good of a selection as normal, but with the trade restrictions, this season was bound to be limited. Let me pull some things for you and you can browse as you need. "She looked at Adam who was trying to balance acting like he was one of Weiss' employees and trying to use his hoodie to conceal half his face. "And the gentleman with you?"

"This is my bodyguard, Adam," Weiss said. "He's been my head of security while I was…convalescing."

"I see…If you need, I can recommend some men's tailor's nearby if his luggage has also been relocated." She snapped her fingers and the two girls behind the counter immediately set to work.

"Yes, please," Weiss said with enthusiasm.

"Head to the dressing room, and I'll bring you some options,"

Weiss headed to the back with enthusiasm. The dressing rooms were a lavish semi-circle of stalls that opened up into a sitting room with cushy chairs and multiple mirrors. The pair were offered champagne while they waited which perplexed Adam, but they both graciously accepted.

In just a short time, one of the employees brought back an armful of dresses for Weiss to try on, hanging them on the hook outside the door. "Miss Elgel has taken the liberty of contacting our sister store and is sending over a few suits for your head-of-security. She also wanted me to let you know that we can have everything you like tailored by end of day if necessary."

"Thank you. I take it my daddy's card is still on file, right?"

Three hours and far too many dresses later, they emerged from the boutique with a new wardrobe and a custom order for Adam's eye patch, which would be ready by the end of the week. Overhead, three ships were headed to Atlas: one containing her sister and her team, another, invisible to the naked eye crossed into Atlesean airspace with only two passengers: both female, their destination and intentions unknown. The third could hardly be called a ship, though it carried a team as intent on making it to Atlas as RWBY and JNPR were, though for very different purposes. The flying grimm contained unspeakable monsters as well as their queen with disastrous plans for Atlas.

Things were being set in motion that would either lead Atlas to triumph or complete ruin, and everyone knew it: Ironwood, Weiss, Winter, Penny, Artis, Adam and even Salem herself. All eyes were on Atlas and it was about to become a battleground.

It was just a matter of time.

Chapter Text

The nurse was making her rounds, stopping in front of Blake's door, noting the room had two additional occupants besides the actual patient.

"They're still here?" the head nurse asked, passing by.

"They're her team mates from the huntsman academy," the nurse explained. Those two are sisters, the patient is their teammate, but here's the kicker, their fourth teammate is Weiss Schnee."

The head nurse furrowed her brow. "Huntress teams are usually pretty close knit. I wonder why she hasn't come to visit them."

"Maybe her dad won't let her," the other nurse shrugged. "You know how he is."

"I also know what he is," the head nurse chided, "The biggest donor to our hospital, so if you're going to say something ugly, make sure the board of directors and trustees don't hear you."

"I'm just saying, it might be good for her to visit with her friends a type of therapy. She's been convalescing for almost a year now."

The PA interrupted their conversation, calling the head nurse to another patient's issue. They split up to go about their separate jobs.

The next week in Argus consisted of Weiss using her influence and last name, to get more perks. The corporate SDC account landed them a room in a 5-star resort, family credit cards got her more clothes delivered to her room, and her name alone got her an appointment in the impossibly booked Papillion Noir. With every shop, she indulged the rumor that she'd been convalescing away from the public eye but that she was feeling much better. Adam leaned into the persona of Weiss' trusted bodyguard, concealing his scar with a pair of mirrored sunglasses and an earpiece. After a "cancellation" at the Papillion Noir, she was able to get him the dye job, completing his transformation from White Fang High Leader to Nondescript Faunus Bodyguard for the Schnee family.

Everyone seemed genuinely delighted to see her "doing so well" and "finally getting out again". If only they knew.

"Are you going to be in town for the gala?" Odette asked when she dropped off Adam's tailored clothes. Weiss was one of those customers that you came in person to deliver special orders to ensure everything was just so.

"I hadn't planned on it," she replied nonchalantly, her mind desperately racing to think of what gala would have been hosted in Argus before it finally hit her what time of year it was: toward the end of every fiscal year, her father hosted a gala, inviting all of the SDC's distributors and investors on Anima for an evening of lavish entertainment and food in the hopes they'd make promises for the upcoming year. She even performed for them once the summer before she came to Beacon.

"We were all a bit miffed he decided to cancel last year, but this year, he promises to throw a party twice as elegant to make up for it. He's even trying to get permission to come himself."

That caught Weiss off guard. "He'll be coming here?"

"If he can get clearance from the current council to attend. That idiot who runs the military thinks he'll conduct illegal business practices and is trying to get Mr. Schnee's travel passport revoked. It's all very silly."

"Well, if my father isn't able to get the clearance, I'll certainly have to represent, won't I?" She smiled her satisfied smirk she got when she had a good idea and knew it. "What do you have in the way of formalwear?"

Ironwood gave the crew from Argus an entire week to rest, decompress and debrief.

Maria used the time to get her goggles adjusted.

Qrow spent his days resting but conveniently disappeared every night, but was at breakfast each day sober, so the kids weren't inclined to ask any questions.

Oscar took the time to familiarize himself with Atlas. He'd heard of the floating city before but, living in the backwoods of Mistral, had never even seen footage of the city before: only some still photographs. It was an enlightening experience for him, and while he enjoyed the time to himself, the absence of the voice in his head was starting to worry him more than its initial presence.

Ruby divided her time between visiting Blake and spending time with Penny. She helped her mechanical friend defend Mantle during a grimm attack and learned all about how she was reconstructed for her salvaged motherboard. She even came with some fancy new updates that she was eager to show off.

Oddly, Nora had gotten invested in the political campaign going on down in Mantle and was reading up on it, going so far as to attend some rallies held by Robyn Hill. While not agreeing with her methods, she definitely agreed with her reasonings.

Ren elected not to go with her. He couldn't properly explain what was happening to him, but something was wrong. It felt like a barely perceptible nausea or the sensation when one is on the cusp of getting a headache: uneasiness but not even at the level of discomfort. It was something he could sense but couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was and decided to isolate so as to not worry the others, especially Jaune and Nora.

The only thing Jaune did of note was getting a haircut that no one liked. He was able to contact his sister to discover neither of them were being charged with a crime and that Cordovin had been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Yang rarely left Blake's side, spending her days keeping her friend company, ensuring that she was eating properly and encouraging her through her recovery.

The doctors in Atlas told Blake due to her having a compound fracture that was not properly treated right away, she'd have to be in traction for the rest of the week. There were doctors on hand however, with experience in using aura enhancing technology to expedite the healing process. If everything went according to plan, she could be walking again in another week and back to training with her team in six, provided she did the physical therapy and didn't overdo it. It was a good prognosis, and even though it was a short amount of time, six weeks seemed an eternity away for the faunus who just wanted to get out of bed and stretch her legs. Still, Yang and Ruby's visits made the days tolerable and go by. Her only other visitor was a single time Winter came to speak with her, politely asking if the sisters would mind giving them a moment alone.

"I hope you're recovering well," Winter said by way of introduction. "I've told the staff here to spare no expense to your treatment and therapy."

"I have been treated well. My only complaint is the menu is a little lacking…"

"In quality?"

"In selection. I don't see any fish options."

Winter couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but decided to match her tone by replying. "I'll see if we can get tuna sandwiches on the rotation. No promises."

Blake let out a long exhale, "I take it you're here to ask me about the comm tower?...are you going to sit down?"

Winter folded her hands behind her back. "No, thank you, I'd like to stand. Ironwood actually sent me to debrief you on what you know about Arthur Watts."

"I don't know anything about Watts except that Weiss told Sun that he was still alive. But she said we absolutely had to tell you."

"Is he working with the White Fang, then? Or with Salem?"

"I don't know. I just know that Weiss found out somehow from her time in the White Fang. It's obvious the attack on Haven was coordinated with Cinder's friends and the White Fang. He could be working with either or he could be doing freelance work for either."

"Can you think of anything the White Fang would need or want him to do?"

Blake shrugged. "I don't know what he's capable of, just that he was a computer scientist and that Weiss though that information was vital to you. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, but she only had a split second to pass the information along. She also wanted us to tell you that she's ok."

Winter remained still for a moment, doing everything to keep it together. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything else she said or did?"

"No, I wish." Blake's ears flattened back against her head. "It was dark, and from what I could see she wasn't injured, but she looked…I don't know, dirty. Her hair was messy, but he listened to her. She…she saved our lives." She took the pen and pad next to her bed and began doodling. Slowly, as the story came to her, Blake explained the events of what happened at Haven, trying to be as detailed as possible as Winter absorbed the entire story, knowing it was the most recent thing and most optimistic thing she'd heard ever since she'd gone missing over a year ago.

"At least he isn't harming her," Winter breathed a sigh of relief, unsure of what to do with this information. "We were both trained how to navigate a hostage situation in the even we were ever the victims of corporate espionage. Perhaps prolonged periods of time have allowed them to bond. If he's no longer willing to attack his own people, perhaps he's changed…"

"You don't understand." the huntress cut her off with a sudden intensity in her voice. "Adam doesn't change and Adam doesn't soften. He finds the weaknesses in the people around him and manipulates them. He manipulated my mom into letting him get away with lying and stealing food. He manipulated me into staying with him instead of leaving the White Fang with my parents. He manipulated Sienna into putting him in charge of the Vale chapter and he manipulated Ilia into turning against me. It's what he does. Weiss may not be in danger from the White Fang, but she is still in danger if she's around Adam Taurus. We have to get her out."

"For the time being, Miss Belladonna, there isn't much we can do." Winter replied, clearly picking up on the level of distress her teammate was expressing.

"I don't know what you can or can't do, but I can tell you this: the longer she's with him, the slimmer the chances of you ever getting your sister back will become. He was able to convince me to turn on my own family. Nothing would make him more gratified than if he were able to do the same thing to the daughter of Jacques Schnee."

Winter said nothing, simply allowing her mouth to hang open as her thin veneer of optimism shattered. Blake immediately tried to backpedal.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh."

"You were honest, and I have all the information I need. It wasn't my intention to get you worked up." She straightened her posture and held her head erect. "I should probably let you get back to resting. I'll see what I can do to accommodate you on the meals." She dismissed herself quickly.

Arriving back in her apartment, it took all of her composure to not melt into a puddle as soon as the door was closed behind her.

"You were out late," a husky voice startled her from the kitchen.

She sank into the loveseat to peel off her gloves and boots. "I'm sorry, I was supposed to debrief the Belladonna girl tonight. I forgot to tell you. Just give me a minute to get my boots and gloves off and I'll start dinner."

"No need," Qrow stepped out of the kitchen with two takeout boxes. "I found a nice little Mistralian cuisine takeout place in Mantle and I thought I'd bring some home for you…what's wrong?"

"My sister," Winter replied, her shoulder slumping in despair. "She didn't say it outright, but she thinks basically that she's been brainwashed by the White Fang's leader. She wasn't trying to be mean…but I just wanted some little piece of hope."

Qrow set the boxes down and sat down beside her. She leaned against his shoulder. She never broke down and had a proper cry, but a few tears left her eyes as she sat against him with her eyes closed. For a few moments, they said nothing. Qrow put an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead.

"But you know she's still with the White Fang?"

"Yes."

"And you know she's not in any immediate danger?"

"Yes."

"And you know she's somewhere in Mistral?"

"Somewhere on Anima at least," Winter shrugged.

"Well, that's more information than you had just a few weeks ago. You know she's not harmed and that she's still got enough presence of mind to pass along information when she can. I'd say if anyone has a good prognosis, it's her."

"Maybe…but…what if Blake is right? What if Adam has somehow guilted her into believing in the White Fang's cause because she has to make reparations for being a Schnee? What if she's doing all this under duress?" Winter sighed again, unsure of how to feel.

"I know it's not much, but I met your sister once. At Beacon. I don't know much about her, but I can say if anyone would be able to make it through an ordeal like that without being indoctrinated or brainwashed it'd be her. She's a Schnee, and the Schnee women have a habit of knowing their own minds." He half laughed. "And speaking their own minds for that matter." He rubbed his hand up and down her waist as if he were trying to put energy back into her before standing up and offering his hands to pull her to her feet. "Take a minute, eat, and relax, you'll feel better."

"I'm going to be honest," she said as she used his hands to pull herself up, "I can't remember the last time I actually fully relaxed. I think I was somewhere around eight."

He kissed her hand, "I have a few ideas that could help you unwind." He laced his fingers into her hair, deftly pulling out the hair tie keeping her silver locks back in a pony tail. With her hair up, she looked regal and even intimidating, but with it down, it gave her a feminine quality and softened the harshness of her piercing eyes and angular features.

Winter knew what he was suggesting. She stroked his stubble with her bare hand as she smiled tiredly. "Unwind, maybe, but I have a feeling they're not very…restful."

He leaned down and growled into her ear, "Oh, I can promise you, ice queen, you'll sleep very well once I get done with you."

She saw her opportunity and took it. "You plan on boring me to sleep?"

He smirked. He loved her banter and loved that she wasn't afraid to tease him. "Talk big all you want now, because after dinner, I doubt you'll be able to make very many coherent sentences."

"Now, now, old man. Don't make promises you can't keep. Isn't your bedtime in like, an hour?"

"Weren't you out past curfew?" Qrow shot back. "Ironwood is going to scold you if he finds out."

She pushed him off lightly. "What are you going to do? Tattle on me? You'd be ratting yourself out."

He leaned his weight against her, pinning her to the wall of her narrow hallway. "Tattle, no. Punish? Maybe." He kissed her until she ran out of breath, but even as he pulled away, he heard the discontented sigh he knew all too well indicating she hadn't wanted him to stop.

He could control so little in his life. From his very birth, his own semblance was working against him, the invisible war he fought and was constantly losing weighed on him day in and day out as he always questioned if he was ever making an impact. He couldn't prevent what happened to his mother, or to Summer, or to Amber, or even to Ozpin. He couldn't keep his sister from going back to the tribe; he couldn't keep his nieces safe from attack, and he now knew that everything he worked for to stop Salem had been for naught as she couldn't be killed. Despite being one of the most experienced huntsmen in all of remnant, he felt like every aspect of his life was out of his control.

But this he could control. He could make her happy; he could make her feel safe. He could satisfy her, and he knew full well he was the only one that could. Qrow could never dream of using the term love when speaking about his sexual partners, but with Winter, the word was coming dangerously close to being accurate. He felt more than just attraction and affection for her.

How long they'd have together before Qrow would have to leave on another mission or Winter would be called in on some military operation, they weren't sure and had determined to make the most of it, spending as much time as they dared without raising suspicion together in Winter's private quarters. He usually spent the night and left for home via the balcony or window in the morning, arriving late afternoon usually around the time she was relieved of duty. It was precious time and they planned on enjoying it to the fullest.

They just had to make sure Ironwood never found out.

"If I asked you to do me a favor, would you be able to do it?" Adam asked as he fitted the customer made eyepatch over his eye.

"Probably, what is it?"

"Would you be able to get a comprehensive list of all of the employees at a given SDC location: a mine, or office, or whatever?"

Weiss nodded. "I know most of the secretaries and executives by name. I'm sure if I acted like I was doing something for my father, they wouldn't even ask questions. What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a specific contact I used to know. She worked in HR, and I'm sure she'd be a great source of information of the abuses currently going on within the company. The last I heard: she was stationed here in Argus but that was before I was even the head of the Vale chapter." He turned around: the patch conveniently covering the entirety of his scar.

No one would look and say that Adam looked 'completely different' but the black dye in his hair blended his horns to become less pronounced and his opting to wear the patch instead the mask showed much more of his face than even his own men were used to seeing. It wouldn't fool anyone under close scrutiny, but hopefully, by the time news of her return to the public eye filtered through Solitas and Anima, they'd already be in Atlas and out of harm's way. The one benefit was that with the black hair and the black patch, the focal point of his face was now no longer his horns, but the color of his good eye.

She loved his eye color.

In that moment, Weiss Schnee's brain went to a strange place: secretly hoping their children had his vibrant, piercing blue eyes rather than her steely, icy shade. As quickly as it came, the thought moved on to other things, but for that tiny moment, Weiss envisioned herself not only having children, but imagining what they would look like were Adam the father.

"I think Nessa is a miracle worker," she said, standing and running fingers through his hair.

"And you don't think she'll tell?"

"No," Weiss said firmly. "She seems very attached and supportive of her mother, and her mother seems to hold you in high regard."

The answer satisfied Adam. Satisfied with the look of the eyepatch, he removed it to expose his full face again. "And this gala of yours, will I be expected to attend?"

"I wouldn't like to attend alone, especially if my father is present. Knowing him, he'd cause a scene. However, if there was a time to meet with your contact, that would be the ideal time: most of the executives from the branch of the SDC here are invited to the event so the office closes down early. She might even be able to get you into places as an employee that I couldn't without raising suspicion."

"I don't understand. Do you want me to come with you, or not?"

Weiss shrugged. "It's an all-evening affair. You could escort me in, spend half an hour being introduced to all the kinds of people you hate, slip out, meet your friend, slip back in to walk me back out to the car and no one would really notice. I'll just need to rent you a suit with a dinner jacket and a bowtie."

Adam scowled. "I don't particularly like being dressed up and paraded around like a new toy for people to gawk at."

Weiss cocked her head sideways at him. "You don't say."

By the end of the week, Blake had been released with the use of a wheelchair, making her slightly dependent on others but doing her best to move on her own, but it was comforting to know she'd be out of the wheelchair by next week and in a walking cast. Yang wheeled her into the conference room adjacent to Ironwood's office for a meeting he'd called. They were the last to arrive.

"I've reviewed all the information, from both what you have said and from the accounts I received from Qrow and Special Agent Schnee," he began, "And after consideration, I believe it is in our best interest should maintain the course we initially set out when we were under the assumption Ozpin was dead." He pushed a button on the console in front of him, dropping two projectors from the ceiling.

Using the hologram in the middle of the conference table, he laid out his plan. Using the Amity Arena, they'd restore the CCT towers, even if it was just long enough to get out a message about Salem, about the relics, the maidens and about how everyone needs to band together, after which, Atlas and Mantle would be secured for the rush of grimm that would undoubtedly be drawn to the fear and uncertainty of the citizens. Once secure, the Atlas Military would then be in a position to offer aid to Mistral and Vacuo.

"You will assist the ACEOps and help in securing the site and the transportation of the necessary dust and equipment to the arena to prepare it for launch," Ironwood said to the students. "Due to the current embargos and rationings, we're seeing increased attacks on military vehicles, particularly from Robyn Hill and the citizens of Mantle. Her 'merry huntresses' are nothing more than bandits sympathetic to the cause."

"Then why not tell her?" Yang asked sincerely.

"Because we can't trust her," Ironwood replied with a sudden severity. "I am going to be frank with you, Miss Xiao Long, I don't even fully trust anyone in this room outside of Specialist Schnee and Penny."

"Thanks," Qrow said, his tone void of sincerity.

Ironwood was entirely unphased by the comment. "We trusted Ozpin, believing he knew the solution to stopping Salem. We ran his missions, we secured his maidens, and followed his instructions to the detail and where did it get us? A burned academy, an enemy with the power of the fall Maiden, and our fearless leader is now trapped in the body of an untrained fieldhand."

"That's not Oscar's fault," Nora protested.

Oscar quietly shrank back and being called out so negatively.

"No, it's ours for trusting him. And with this new information of Arthur Watt's death being a farce, we are going to have to overhaul every last line of code to ensure our network isn't compromised any further with no guarantee he won't be able to break in with ease."

Ren had the same sensation that had been overcoming him ever since they'd arrived in Atlas. It was almost as if the general's paranoia had become…tangible and Ren could sense it if he focused, almost like a secondary aura, or a subtle flavor of his aura. His attention was broken when he began to speak.

"Ozpin may have wanted to keep the world of magic a secret but if we don't tell the people of Remnant first, then we don't have any control over how and in what way they find out. At least now, we'll all be on a level playing field once the information goes public. Salem wants to use the fear and mistrust to divide us, but if we can do this right, we'll be able to bring the people of Remnant together."

"As much as I don't need your validation, Mr. Arc, I'm glad you're in agreement," Ironwood replied. "We have our work cut out for us. I suggest we start tomorrow with cleaning out the remaining grimm still in the Schnee Mine #2, which will be converted to the ground zero for the project. If things go well, we'll have the arena up by the end of the month."

He dismissed the teams, asking Winter to stay behind as the group filed out: some confused, some pensive, but Oscar in particular looking uncomfortable and out of his depth. A part of Ironwood wanted Ozpin to hear the plan out of spite while another hoped he stayed out of it for as long as possible. He'd been doing a bang-up job of protecting Remnant for hundreds of years, perhaps it was time for someone else to start offering solutions.

"Is there something you wished to discuss with me general?" Winter asked.

"Not discuss, but at least express some…concern," Ironwood replied, pulling his attention off Ozpin's new vessel and focusing on the remaining occupant in the room.

"What do you mean?" She had a confused look on her face.

"I've had a cyber security team update every line of code. Pietro has found countless backdoors Watts left for himself and is trying to get them closed. This has caused every keystroke to come under close scrutiny and some things have come to my attention."

"Sir?" Winter asked, her nerves immediately causing her stomach to feel uneasy.

"It looks like some two months ago you accessed satellite footage of the White Fang's current HQ."

"Yes, sir,"

"And you also received illegal communication from an unknown source on your scroll."

"That was Qrow and Jaune and all of their teams."

"But you didn't know that at the time. You just answered a call from an unknown number with no way to prove they were who they said they were on a private military line."

"I'm sorry, sir." Winter apologized out of reflex, wondering how something that brought a relic to Atlas was getting her in trouble, "And I'm sorry that I was so forceful in taking a transport to get them, but there was a relic at stake. Qrow and my sister…"

"I'm not angry at you, Winter," Ironwood said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He rarely used her first name, and Winter didn't particularly like when he did it. It made him sound fatherly, and she did not ever wish to see him as a father figure. "I'm just concerned. I don't want you bogged down with distractions. We have an important mission and you and I both know that the time is drawing very close for you to assume your role as maiden. When that happens, you won't be able to continue your military career, or your search for your sister, and I know that's hard to hear, but you need to make sure you're in the right frame of mind to do what's best for everyone."

Plastering on her best and most sincere face, she stood at attention. "I understand my duty, sir, and my only desire is for the ultimate safety of Atlas. You should know I'm willing to make whatever necessary sacrifices to accomplish that."

"That's good to hear. Just make sure you remain focused. This next month is going to be critical for us. With the elections, the Amity Arena and a possible attack from Salem, we all have to be sure where our priorities lie."

"Of course, sir." Her face was resolute and unreadable.

He dismissed her.

She cried herself to sleep in Qrow's arms that night, overwhelmed and angry.

Chapter Text

The day General Ironwood surprised the kids with probationary huntsmen licenses was a unique experience for all involved. It was, for all intents and purposes, a triumph for the kids who had worked so hard and had made it to Atlas despite multiple hardships. It was a reason to celebrate.

Just shy of seventeen, Ruby would have been the youngest licensed huntress in Vale's history had anyone been paying attention. She'd overcome her age and inexperience to finally achieve her goal.

Yang had done the same, overcoming her amputation and the trauma that had come with it.

Blake was finally able to put her past behind her and move toward making a positive change with her life rather than the negative one she had with her life in the White Fang. Ambling out the arena in her walking cast, she was happy to finally be out of her hospital room and back where she could eat real food. Not caring who saw, she made her way to the refreshment table for her third serving of chicken salad.

Oddly enough, her injury had been the avenue for Team RWBY to re-bond as a team. Hanging out in Blake's room and deliberately trying to keep each other in good spirits, the girls were able to reconnect away from the crazy circumstances and the looming threats of the outside world. They hadn't had this much time to themselves since they roomed together at Beacon. Blake was able to catch the sisters up on her visit home, Sun and what brought her to Haven the night of the attack.

Ruby was able to relate her journey through Mistral with JN_R, Ren's village, meeting Oscar and the terrifying encounter that was Tyrian Callows.

Yang's story, though far less plot driven, contained just as much growth as she had come to grips with her new arm and had confronted her mom before rejoining the team at Haven. Being able to talk about everything so freely was relaxing and healing for everyone.

While the celebration was happening in the Amity Arena, there was an almost melancholy air among the kids and adults alike. What should have been a joyous occasion was marred by the sobering realization of why they couldn't have gotten their licenses the conventional way at their own academy.

Jaune was particularly conflicted as his emotions vacillated from excitement to guilt to apprehension. Ren could sense the inner turmoil even as his team captain smiled for photos and indulged himself on cake.

"Being a huntsman not everything you imagined?" Ren asked quietly as the two stood awkwardly behind the punch bowl.

"It's nothing like I imagined," Jaune confessed, putting his fork down on his plate. "I knew I'd be making tough decisions and risking my life, but now I feel like I'm playing chess with other people's lives while feeling like a pawn myself."

"You're a good team captain," Ren assured him, pausing for a moment before adding. "Even Pyrrha thought so."

"You know...I'm not even sad about it anymore." Jaune shook his head. "That isn't what I feel when I miss her or something like this happens when I think that she deserves to be here."

Ren gave a single nod. "I know," he said, "You're not sad. You're angry."

"It's not fair," Jaune said, the disdain in his voice now apparent, "Ozpin couldn't even...and he made her promises...and of course Pyrrha would have said yes to be a hero: to do what she thought would help other people. And I don't even want to do this: I don't want everything we do, every accomplishment to be dampened by her death; she wouldn't want that for any of us...but who knows who Ozpin's going to sacrifice next?"

Ren put a hand on his shoulder. "You and I both know Pyrrha would have fought to the death at Beacon no matter what. You can't blame Ozpin for Pyrrha's choices. Ozpin didn't sacrifice her; she sacrificed herself."

"I know," Jaune sighed.

Ren's grip tightened. "And you can't lay blame on Ozpin's actions on Oscar. I know Ozpin lied to us and put us in a bad position, but Oscar never has. Oscar's innocent.

"I know it's just...when I look at him, I never know if it's ever just him, or if Ozpin is spying on us." he looked over at Oscar and Ruby who were deep in conversation. "I promise it's not personal, I just can't trust him right now…" he realized his own words as he spoke them, his eyes going wide. "I sound like Ironwood."

Ren nodded.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize how crazy that sounded."

"Neither does Ironwood," Ren replied with all gravity.

The general had elected not to stick around for the cake and celebration, but Winter stayed at Penny's request. She'd worked so hard at putting the entire event together and was so proud of her work, Winter could hardly say no.

She poked at her cake, feeling all the invisible pressures of her situation while everyone cake and offered their token condolences.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be here with your sister.
"Weiss should be here with the rest of us."

"She'll get her license one day and we'll throw a big party for her, too."

"I know you miss her."

Qrow sent her a sympathetic look, but kept his distance. Ironwood's presence or not, they couldn't risk anything other than strictly professional behavior in public

The only truly comforting comment came from Penny of all people. Amid the laughter, sparkling grape juice and selfies, the military specialist found herself isolated across the arena, just watching her sister's team and Qrow when she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, gentle but devoid of human warmth.

Penny.

"I know Ruby, Winter. If anyone won't leave Weiss behind, it will be her team. They miss her a lot, too. Weiss is probably trying to fight to get home, too."

Winter looked at the three girls making small talk, taking selfies and poking fun with their fellow teammates. At least when this was all over, they'd be free to leave Atlas and go about finding their own battles to fight. If she couldn't help Weiss, at least they could.

"It's so good to see you out and about again, Miss Schnee," the receptionist said, "And it's also good to see you showing an interest in your father's company."

Weiss put on her best "business professional" smile as she took the personnel file. "Thank you, Millie. I have always been invested in the family business, but it's just been awhile since I've been able to get out and be hands on the way that I want."

"Will we see you at the gala on Saturday?"

"Of course," Weiss said with enthusiasm, "I really want to get back on my feet and back into the swing of feeling…normal. I want to start participating in society again."

"That's a relief seeing as your father won't be able to make it. It will be good for the investors to see that the Schnee children are preparing to take the mantle, as it were."

"Well, I will see you there on Saturday then," she said with a hint of finality before bidding the woman behind the desk farewell and heading out the door, file in hand.

"How did it go?" Adam asked the instant she came through the door of the hotel room. He was fidgeting with a garment bag hanging up on a hook, immediately abandoning whatever he was occupied with to the far more pressing issue of Weiss' reconnaissance mission from which she'd returned. She insisted he not go with her so as not to cause any issues of someone at the SDC offices recognizing him or asking too many questions, so he had to wait in the dark for Weiss to do this on her own.

She held up the file folder as proof of her victory. Without any courtesy, Adam snatched the file from her hand and pulled out the paper. Weiss glared at him.

"Is she at least still working for the company?" she asked impatiently.

Adam's eyes scanned the first page, found nothing and flipped to the second, then the third, then the fourth. With each page his face hardened as his eyes narrowed.

"Is it possible she married or divorced and changed her name?"

Adam looked up at her sharply, his brows furrowed. "It's possible." He flipped back a page or two.

"How many women do you know named Siria?" he asked.

"None," Weiss replied.

"Then this is probably her: Siria Hummell. She's still here…and she's moved from advertising to HR." He looked up to meet Weiss' expectant gaze. "This is it. If I can get to her the night of the gala, I can slip in unnoticed and make contact, she can provide us with more than enough evidence to bury your father." His lips spread into a wry smile. "You're amazing." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "What were you fiddling with when I came in?"

Adam used the papers in his hands to point at the garment bag, "I was trying on the tuxedo you had delivered for the gala. I'm not exactly used to tying bowties and cummerbundts."

"It's all things you'll learn in time. I had to adjust to my new life, you will have to as well."

Adam's smile dissipated as he pressed his lips together.

"And you are sure you absolutely need to go to this gala?" he asked as he redressed himself in the casual clothes he'd purchased in Mistral. Despite having the resources now, they still roomed together at Weiss' request, creating even more buzz around the higher circles about Jacque Schnee's daughter sharing a room with her "bodyguard".

Weiss sat on the bed and turned the tv on, hoping to see if there was any recent White Fang activity or any relevant news coming out of Atlas in the local news."

"I have no way of contacting my sister," she replied. "I tried her scroll number from my burner, the hotel scroll and when I was at the SDC offices, and I couldn't get through. The only way I'm going to tell her and possibly my team that I'm ok and need passage to Atlas is if it's so public, it becomes newsworthy."

"But why do I have to come as well?"

"Because me showing back up isn't newsworthy enough. We need a story that will sell: and Weiss Schnee being seen returning to the public with a hot new guy will create a buzz even the Atlesean military can't ignore. Also, the bigger and more dramatic we make it, the farther it will spread, plus the less likely my father will try to silence me. I have to ensure he won't try to have me declared insane again." While all of this was true, she also wanted to be sure Winter knew Adam was with her so as to arrange passage and clemency for two. She needed her sister to know exactly where they stood and what she was getting herself into.

Adam didn't seem very pleased. "Are you certain it's wise to put me in the spotlight?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You really think there's going to be White Fang operatives at a SDC gala that would also kill you in public. Besides, once this goes public, Winter is going to come for us and we'll be in Atlas by the end of next week."

"Where Artis is?"

"The White Fang doesn't operate on Atlas proper, they mostly organize in Mantle, particularly in the crater, and if Ironwood has tightened security, you know there's no way they're sneaking up to the floating island. You won't be in any danger."

"That isn't my concern," Adam replied, "You may be trying to restore your image, but remember, that mine is at stake as well. If I'm seen by former White Fang loyalists at a SDC gala with you, I'm not confident I can keep their loyalties."

"It might push them toward Sienna Khan," Weiss offered. "It might even work for the best. If people are forced to choose between two charismatic high leaders, it might be more difficult, but if Sienna can create a united front against Artis, the White Fang might stand a better chance of surviving a schism."

"There's also the issue of my having absolutely no knowledge of your social circles," he added, his voice as always measured, "I am not going to blend in with your kind of people. I can't talk politics; I don't know any of the popular culture or fashion, music or celebrities; I can't dance."

"I can teach you," Weiss said, sliding off the bed. "You don't have to do anything extravagant, just some basic steps. Here," she held her arms out. "Let me teach you some basics."

"Is this really necessary?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She crossed her arms, slightly annoyed.

"I mean, are we really expected to go all out like this? Tuxes and limousines and...dancing?"

"Yes," Weiss said emphatically. She stood and grabbed his hands in hers. "Yes it is! You are going to dress up in black tie attire, and you're going to have a sharp hairstyle and you're going to have that eyepatch that makes you look like a war hero and you're going to look like a vision out of an erotic romance novel and you're going to have me on your arm and I'm going to look like a princess, and everyone is going to stare at us, and talk about us. And then, when the dancing starts and you twirl me around and hold me, every woman in that room is not just going to be looking at me, they're going to wish they were me, and every man is going to look at you and wish they had what you had. I will be the envy of the entire gala, and no one, not even the fear-mongering propaganda peddlers, will be able to talk about anything but me, I'm going to be such a big deal, it's going to overshadow the rampant dust shortages, my own father's political campaign, and even the military exploits of General James Ironwood. Now, stand up, give me your hands, and let me teach you how to dance a waltz!"

Adam's lips pulled into a satisfied smirk.

"What?!" Weiss said, not having yet come down from the energy of her speech.

"I pegged you as a strategist, but not a puppet master," he mused. "All of this, the buildup: going around town to announce your return to form, ensuring they're all curious about you and us, but also acting secretively by having the majority of things delivered to our hotel room. You're literally building media intrigue to apex at the gala and I didn't even realize it until now. It's impressive. And you, of all people know how rarely things impress me."

"Thank you?" She squinted skeptically, unsure of the compliment.

"How long did it take you to think up this mass charade?"

Weiss shrugged. "Three, maybe four days. About as long as it took me to arrange for Sienna's escape."

"Another work of your genius."

"Flatterer," she held out her hand. "Now are you going to learn willingly, or am I going to have to make you?"

The faunus pressed his lips together and put his hand in hers. She smiled. He scowled at her.

"Waltzing is actually super easy," she promised, placing his hand in the proper posture to take hers. "It's just like this: you're going to lead off with your left foot so I can follow with my right, and one, two three, one, two three…just like that."

He followed stiffly. He was a coordinated fighter, the footwork wasn't difficult, but the entire thing still made him uncomfortable and it was written all over his face as he fumbled through her instructions on how to lead her around the floor.

"And if that's all you do is go back and then forward again and then lift your arm every once in awhile to twirl me around." He complied, letting her glide underneath him effortlessly. "You'll be golden."

"If I'm going to play the part, I'm going to do it right," Adam said with determination. "I just need practice."

It started as something spontaneous, but evolved into an all-afternoon affair. After he understood the basics, she moved onto teaching him different steps like the box step and scissor step, promenade and then began using them in combination. It was awkward at first, but they worked together, laughed at their mistakes and became more comfortable in each other's arms.

Throughout their stay in the hotel, they'd made good use of the bed. Weiss was nigh insatiable, but this somehow seemed every bit as intimate, as she rested her head on his shoulder and let him lead her all around the room, weaving around the furniture and through the doors to the receiving area and back again. It was the closest thing he'd come to enjoying something since they'd been in Argus. But he didn't have time to lose focus: a mission was a mission.

"I think you've pretty well mastered the basics," Weiss said, finally breaking from him and sitting on the bed. "We can practice some tomorrow and Friday before it starts."

Adam nodded, grabbing his boots by the door before sitting down next to her.

"You going somewhere?" Weiss asked, genuinely confused. He'd spoken about wanting to keep a low profile and had refused to leave his room alone until this point, going so far as to not even make use of the hotel amenities such as the pool and dojo.

"Siria needs to know about my plan in advance," Adam said as he put his boots on, followed by his gloves and jacket, "If we're to make the most of our time Friday night, I'll need to have plans with her in advance. I figured she's probably off work by now and I have her address," he picked up the employee roster, "I think the best time to meet up with her and coordinate would be now."

Weiss nodded. 'Do you want me to come with you?"

"No." His voice was firm, but not accusatory. He stood, grabbed his wallet with their remaining lien that he had in cash and made his way toward the door.

"Be careful," Weiss called after him."

He released his hand from the doorknob and returned to her, kissing her on her forehead.

"I will. I promise."

He made his way toward the door again, putting on his eyepatch and securing it before he opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

She sat on the bed for a moment by herself, then picked up the hotel telephone and began making some calls. If Adam had his contacts he could tap into, so did she.

About thirty minutes later, Adam stepped off the trolley onto a well lit street on the north east side of Argus where the land had levelled out before meeting the coastline. He found the address he was looking for and approached the small cluster of buildings to find the right door number. After just a few minutes, he stood in front of Siria Hummel's residence. He hesitated before walking up the narrow sidewalk.

It was a modest apartment on the first floor, easily within walking distance of both trolley and train station, ideal for someone who didn't own a vehicle themselves. He knocked on the door, nervous about the reunion and a small part of him would have been relieved had she not answered the door.

The few seconds between the knock and it being answered was just enough time for him to compose himself and regain control of his emotions. His face hardened into its usual façade, he was ready when the door creaked open and a face peered out at him.

She was middle aged, matronly in face, but not in figure. Her prominent black horns, set atop each of her ears were short, barely extending in height over the crown of her head, but easily contrasted with the platinum blonde of her hair, which assumedly came from a bottle as her roots were showing.

She opened the door a little further, then jolted, physically startled when she saw the high leader's face and realized who he was.

"Adam?" Her voice betrayed how shocked she truly was. "I…how…your hair."

He sighed. "Mother. May I come in?"

Chapter Text

The majority of Atlesean TV and media in general had suffered since the Fall of Beacon.

The loss of the CCTV tower removed all foreign broadcasts

The increased grimm attacks and closed borders impacted most network's filming schedules and outright killed reality/daytime television.

Lack of imports and restrictions on supplies meant less advertisers paying for ad spots causing the networks already unable to produce new content to hemorrhage even more lien.

Ironwood's restrictions on "seditious talk" and "misinformation" killed talk shows and any program not favorable to the actions of the council and the Atlesean Military were either fined or censored into submission. All that was left were limited channels for only 3 times of programming:

Propaganda coming straight from the military, usually veiled as PSAs

News reporting pre-approved local and international points of interest.

Political ads.

If the general had his way, the political ads wouldn't have been aired either, but even he realized that silencing candidates for political office would be viewed unfavorably by the rest of the council.

None of that could keep the press from covering the SDC Autumnal Gala. Despite this year's gala being a blatant campaign tactic by Jacques Schnee, there was little Ironwood could do to stop either the gala itself or the media coverage as the company employed a significant percentage of civilian workforce in Atlas and Mantle, to say nothing of the high dollar investors in both Mantle and Solitas. It was a matter of public interest and would appear as being either biased against a political candidate, or worse, racist against the number one employer of faunus nationwide.

Reporters and film crews were given travel permits with military transports to Argus. The general did flex his power by only allowing legacy and mainstream media stations to exit the country and report on the event live, leaving the independent journalists and bloggers out in the cold. Even Lisa Lavender, who had been hailed as the heroine of journalism for actively going on site to report on the state of Vale and Beacon, was bringing her film crew into the military town for the evening.

It was the first time in months the people of Atlas had any kind of distraction from the fear imposed from within and without and whether the Schnee Dust Company had any impact on them directly, everyone was tuning in just for a taste of something positive, optimistic, anything to help them escape from the grim reality being forced through their screens every night.

It was like something out of a heist movie where a couple attends some black-tie affair under false pretenses. The limousine pulled in front of the steps of the Goldenrod Palace; the most expensive venue space in Argus. A historic building that had served different civic purposes in the past, but had been modernized and turned into a three story, ten thousand square foot plus, fully catered venue space. It was a stately building of gray brick with high ceilings, grand spiral staircase, and a rooftop balcony with an unparalleled view of the ocean.

Adam stepped out first, clad in a black tuxedo with his hair suitably slicked back, the color and shape of his hair partially concealing his horns. He held a gloved hand out to the passenger. She put her ivory hand in his and made her entrance. A blood red dress perfectly tailored to her frame caught the eye of every partygoer, reporter and cameraman as she slipped her hand into her escort's elbow to walk up the stairs to the building's entrance. Her silver hair had been pinned into a French twist with ruby hairpins that matched her earrings and necklace. Everything about her appearance was perfect from her heels to the flow of her skirt, to her painted fingernails, to her bare shoulders, to her flawless make-up to her fur stole.

Two years ago, she was a freshman at Beacon, a child: naive and immature. The woman who walked up the stone steps was devoid of her childhood innocence. She was a woman, a survivor, a huntress, and a businesswoman and she looked every bit the part.

A reporter managed to catch her just inside the front doors.

"Weiss Schnee," she held a microphone out to her, "Jacqueline Sprat from the Remnant Reporter, can I ask what brings you out of convalescing and to Argus tonight?"

Weiss smiled, clinging dramatically to Adam's arm as she spoke into the microphone. "I was actually going on a tour of Solitas and heard my father wasn't going to be able to make it to the gala tonight, so I thought it would be a good thing to represent the family."

"Well, you certainly look like you're back with a vengeance! New hair, new look. Any plans to be more involved with the family business?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I always plan on having a hand in corporation, but how much will depend on my father's political campaign, of course. We'll have to see after the elections."

The reporter put on her best 'surprised but not really' face. "We certainly will! You've been out of the public eye for so long, it's refreshing to see you again."

"It's good to be back," Weiss said sincerely.

"I'll let you get to it," Jacqueline said, stepping out of her way and moving onto the next arrival.

A host of other microphones swarmed her before she could even reach the door, fumbling over themselves and others attempting to ask her further questions. Seizing an opportunity, Adam made a show of parting the crowd to escort his lady through, his gloved hand on the small of her back guiding her through the sea of reporters and photographers until they were out of the lobby and into the main hall on the first floor of the event center.

Jacques had spared no expense. The venue was beautiful, well staffed, and well catered. A staircase wound up three flights of stairs to various indoor rooms for meetings, dancing, while eating and the large display screens, currently not in use, remained on the first floor. Roof access from the third floor was available, but few were brave enough to weather the cold for too long, despite the unparalleled view of the city.

"It's beautiful," Weiss breathed, drinking it all in. She hadn't felt this much at home since she was still at Beacon.

"It's just rich people flaunting their wealth and status," Adam said, the smoothness in his voice unable to fully conceal the cynnicism. "I'm surprised your father didn't make it a masquerade ball just to make it even more pretentious than it already is."

Her eyes widened. "That would have been a great idea! I'll remember that in case we get to host this next year."

He exhaled sharply but said nothing.

"Start at the bottom and work our way up?" Weiss asked, more instructing than actually asking.

"This is your affair," he replied, the throng of people and unfamiliar faces making him uncomfortable, though his face would never show it. She took his hand and pulled him behind her as she wove through the clusters of people on the first floor.

Cabaret tables dotted the floor for guests to stand and chat without having to hold on to their food or champagne. There were tables lining three of the four walls with various finger foods and hor d'ourves, though there were waitstaff also milling about with trays, offering their contents to any of the guests who seemed to be lacking. Growing up, Weiss never noticed the servers for these kinds of events, but tonight she was almost pointedly aware of them.

All faunus.

All SDC employees.

Men and women both had uniforms: the men the traditional western formal wear, little different than what Adam himself was wearing, but the women: they had the traditional servants' attire of the SDC. Mandarin collared dresses that went all the way down to the ankles, but were sleeveless, backless and had slits up to the mid thighs. Unlike the traditional uniforms worn which were red, however, the special corporate event uniforms were a shimmering black with gold trim. It became apparent that only certain faunus that were the appropriate height and size were selected so as to be the most aesthetically pleasing: and the scooping backs of the uniforms conveniently came up just high enough above the waist to cover where their SDC tattoos or brands would be. Weiss was reminded of having to serve in Adam's chambers when they were in the headquarters in Mistral: long hours on her feet in high heels, expected to be both pleasant to look at and easy to ignore.

"Champagne, Miss Schnee?" a youthful looking rabbit faunus bowed slightly, extending the tray to her. When she politely refused, she made the same offer to Adam, who also refused.

They had discussed their plan beforehand, if Weiss floating from person to person, being sociable, and 'catching up' with old acquaintances could be considered a 'plan'. Regardless, she played her part expertly; strategically making her way through the building, chatting up business associates of her father's, laughing, smiling, and engaging with everyone who she thought might recognize her. Adam honestly didn't have much of a function beyond being eye candy; few people interacted with him beyond a vague congratulations on being the man who managed to bring Weiss Schnee as a date.

Of course it was difficult not to overhear the comments and gossip being whispered about.

"I thought she was out of the company! Didn't her dad have her declared insane or something?"

"It was PTSD. She was supposed to be in the Schnee's summer home going through therapy or something,"

"Dang…puberty hit that middle Schnee daughter like a bus. When she was at that concert on TV last year, she did not look that hot. Can I say that? Is she over 18?"

"Why did she cut off all her pretty hair? Is it a huntress thing? They don't have long hair?"

"Twenty lien says she's banging the bodyguard."

"Well they're sharing a single hotel room, so…probably…"

"Is he a faunus? Are those horns?"

"Ohmigosh, how ironic would it be if Weiss Schnee ended up dating one of her dad's faunus employees? And a bodyguard? It's like something straight out of a novel."

"I wonder what happened to his eye."

"Mine accidents happen all the time. It's probably a work injury."

"Isn't she a little young to be in a dress that revealing?"

"She's got legs that go all the way up."

"Why is she here, though? Jacques couldn't make it so he thought he'd send his daughter?"

"I'm not sure if using the huntress daughter as a campaign tactic is genius or ridiculous."

"You think after what happened in Vale she'll still try to be a huntress? Or do you think she'll just take a job at the company?"

"I'd rather her take over than that little clone of Jacques he keeps bringing down with him on business trips. She's a spoiled princess, but she's at least polite to people. I heard Whitley fired an intern because she brought him a coffee with one too few creams. In it."

"I believe that one," Weiss said, knowing Adam could probably hear more than she could.

When the live music started in the upper ballroom, Weiss was one of the first on the floor, putting Adam's week of practice to good use. He wasn't flawless, but nobody really noticed because she certainly was. Her elegant, yet precise movements and the flare on her dress drew the eye of every bystander. They danced the first four dances together before Weiss had to stop for a short rest.

"It's been a while since i was this active in heels this high," she said, pulling Adam toward the seats lining the wall. "My feet are going to hate me tomorrow." As she sat, she slipped her shoes off for just a moment, rubbing her ankles. Adam stood, observing the room, scanning for possible threats. Though he didn't expect an incident, he was still the high leader of the White Fang, and both international authorities and probably his own brotherhood had a bounty on his head. One can never be too careful.

Across the dance floor, Weiss spied a familiar face. A young man, approximately her age with dull blue hair stood with a champagne flute trying to chat up some of the ladies. She recognized him immediately. She stood and made her way to him, Adam following closely behind, unsure of who her target was and what she was planning.

"Henry Marigold," Weiss called his name, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Henry's reaction was hardly as positive. His eyes widened as he realized who she was and memories of the benefit concert came flooding back to his mind.

"If you'll excuse me ladies, I simply must steal him for a dance," She pulled him onto the floor with her, leaving Adam and Henry's companion's behind.

Weiss smiled at him as she took his hands and began to sway to the music. It took him a moment to find his rhythm, but as she expected, he knew how to dance and found his steps easily enough. "

"I wasn't even sure you'd remember who I am," she said with a half laugh.

"I think I'd pretty distinctly remember a girl I tried to flirt with telling me she'd have security throw me out and then scream that no one knew anything."

Weiss' face became serious for a moment. "Actually, that's why I'm here. Not here tonight, but why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for what I said."

Henry let out a small scoff, as if it had never bothered him in the first place. "That? It was over a year ago."

"I know, but I was being selfish and immature and even if I thought the people of Atlas were calloused to what happened to Beacon, I shouldn't have taken it out on you, or threatened to have you thrown out. You bought a ticket to the concert and you weren't trying to be malicious."

"I…I don't know what to say," Henry said, not making eye contact. He clearly was uncomfortable having this serious of a conversation. "It isn't really a big deal."

"Maybe not to you, but I just wanted to make amends. Can we start over?" She smiled, indicating to him the conversation going forward wouldn't be so heavy.

He seemed agreeable to this. "I think we can. Who wouldn't appreciate having a dance partner this pretty and this competent?"

That was the Henry Marigold she met and didn't actually like, but at least she'd been able to get back in his good graces. They finished the dance, making small talk, him shamelessly flirting and her pretending to enjoy it. Once they were done, they parted amicably and Weiss returned to where Adam was standing, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Was he a friend of yours?" Adam asked once they were out of earshot, back on the dance floor together.

"No, actually, that kid's a trust fund baby with no redeeming qualities whatsoever," Weiss replied curtly, "But his mommy is rich and if he and his mom like me, it'll be easier to network with them once I takeover the SDC. It's never too early to start accumulating allies."

Adam gave an approving nod. "I take it you'll be filling up your dance card with the socially prominent this evening while I'm out?"

"That's the plan. Give it a few more minutes and enough people will be inebriated enough, they won't realize you're missing. You'll have an alibi, and I'll be free to brown nose my way through the building, maybe talk to some more reporters, hopefully get a few minutes alone with Lisa Lavender."

"I have an idea." He took her hand and let her out of the ballroom, back into the lobby where the grand staircase wound up all three floors. The lobby was surprisingly quiet on the second floor as most of the occupants had moved either into the ballroom or the smoking room, and was slightly deserted. Her eyebrows furrowed in consternation as he pulled her further out of sight behind a support pillar.

"Do you think anyone could see us from here?" he asked quietly.

Weiss looked around, taking in her surroundings. While they were technically visible from the lobby of the first floor and could be seen if anyone happened to walk in their direction, it was a secluded spot. "They could if they were looking directly at us, but do I think they'd notice us? Probably not."

"Good." His lips curled ever so slightly into a smile as he used his gloved hands to push her shoulders into the colonnade and press his lips to hers.

She inhaled sharply, more out of shock than disapproval. "Adam, what are you doing?'

"Giving the tabloids something to talk about."

"But…" she was cut off as he leaned in to kiss her again, pushing his full weight against her. She didn't resist, gripping the lapels of his tuxedo until they wrinkled. He kissed her until she was lightheaded and her face flushed red.

"Do you have any other good ideas?" she asked.

"One, but I need to take care of it before I cut out for a bit." He stroked a flyaway strand of hair from her face. "Go back and dance with your socialites, I'll take care of everything. I'll be back before you know it and no one will be the wiser."

Weiss gave a firm, resolute nod. They both had their missions to finish, and this night would be critical to her long-term plan of vengeance against her father. Adam left first, heading back into the ballroom, giving her a brief moment to regain her composure before she stepped out from behind the pillar. The next time she was offered a glass of champagne, she took it.

While Argus was alight with activity, it was a relatively slow night in Atlas. Robyn Hill had made a terrible decision to hold a political rally in an attempt to take away from the Autumn Gala and viewers from Jacques Schnee's shameless politicization of his business affairs. While Jaune, Ren and Oscar had commandeered the TV to play games, Nora flipped through her scroll, trying to find footage of the rally that wasn't full of static. Apparently, Hill's campaign budget was not spending money on broadcast equipment. As she flicked from site to site, she saw articles of the Autumn Gala in passing, even recognizing Lisa Lavender on site. Then, it caught her eye: the red dress.

Ren sensed in an instant that something was off. He paused the game and turned around, not even speaking, just looking at her intently, waiting for her to tell them what had caused such a sharp turn of emotion. She couldn't find the words.

Jaune looked between the two of them. "Everything ok?"

"Jaune," she held her scroll up for them to see the pictures. "It's Weiss."

Jacques Schnee gripped his glass of bourbon tight as he stood in his office.

Arthur Watts had helped himself to Jacques' chair and was currently propping his feet up on the mahogany desk. He fiddled around with the tablet in his lap as spoke.

"As you so humbly requested, the broadcast feeds of Robyn Hill's rally are…suffering from interference." When Jacques didn't respond, he added. "I think you'd appreciate my efforts."

"I would appreciate it if you got your feet off of my desk." Jacques quipped back. For a brief moment, he wondered if allying himself with the 'dead' engineer was not going to ultimately be his downfall.

"As you wish, Councilman Schnee," Arthur said dramatically, removing his feet but remaining in the chair. He didn't hold it against the businessman; with his campaign and his business under heavy embargo, he was under a lot of stress and frustration. Watts himself had a bee in his bonnet as well: all of the backdoor protocols he'd left in place to let him into the security mainframe of the Atlesean Military had been deleted. He frowned, the crease between his lips growing harder with each failed attempt. He eventually gave up, closing the program with an exasperated sigh. He flipped to newsfeeds to check on the interference he'd been placing on Robyn Hill when the Argus news caught his eye. "Did you know your daughter was in Argus?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Jacques' eyes went wide. "No. What is she doing?"

Arthur smirked as he showed Jacques the picture. "Apparently, making a spectacle of herself at your gala."

Jacques inwardly seethed. She disappeared for months without a word of contact and now she shows back up to steal his thunder at one of his company's events. She'd be dealt with as soon as she came home, he'd see to it personally.

She'd caught up with most of the SDC investors she'd remembered meeting through her father and had even spoken to a few more reporters in the hour or so that Adam went missing, but ensured that she stayed mainly in the ballroom on the second floor, eager to share a dance with anyone who asked. She was slightly shocked when the music stopped for a short time and who she had to assume was the emcee took the stage with a handheld microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand we have a very special guest this evening. Miss Weiss Schnee who is here in public for the first time in over a year. It's lovely to see her, again." He gave a polite golf clap which was lightly followed by the occupants of the ballroom. "I know it's short notice, but we were rather hoping you'd be willing to sing for us, Miss Schnee. It's been too long since you've graced us with your voice."

It took a moment for the request to actually register in her brain. She nervously approached the stage, taking the emcee's hand as she stepped onto the platform. A microphone stand was put in front of her and she was left on center stage. Somehow, she knew this was Adam's doing.

"I believe the orchestra knows a few numbers that could accompany you." he nodded to the musicians who brought in a familiar tune. She sang two songs for them, and was encored into a third. While a part of her knew it was a combination of the novelty of having her back, people wanting to flatter her to get in good with her as the daughter of the owner of the largest international corporation, and the media wanting something sensational, but it had been so long since she'd been on a stage, so long since she'd gotten to perform, she treasured the opportunity. The adrenaline rush of singing for a live audience, the tension, the accompaniment…it wasn't just something she relished experiencing again, it was something she never realized she missed while being captive within the White Fang.

After the third number, the crowd present burst into applause and the emcee thanked her graciously. She gracefully curtsied, using her vantage point of being elevated to scan the room.

There she was.

Amid the attendees with her trademark earpiece and pantsuit.

Lisa Lavender.

Weiss made a B-line to her. They made nice, going so far as to fake hug and ask how each other was since they'd last seen each other.

"So glad to see you," Lisa said with minimal sincerity. "And I was surprised to get a call from you. You said you had a very important offer to make me."

"Yes, ma'am, I do."

"Oh, what's that?"

Weiss smirked, the arrogance evident on her face. "How about a kiss and tell expose on the most prolific businessman in Remnant in the height of his run for office?"

Lisa smiled. "Why don't we find a private conference room where we can talk?"

Chapter Text

With the buzz going on at the Goldenrod Palace, the rest of the city was quiet, especially the SDC office buildings. Anybody who was somebody had been invited to the gala, leaving their underlings behind to slack off and go home early with no fear of repercussions. Siria Hummell was waiting just inside the glass doors as Adam emerged from the shadows undetected by both security guards and the cameras.

"I only have an hour," Adam said to her.

"If you know exactly what you want, we'll have plenty of time," the matronly woman assured him. "There's maybe fifteen people in the entire building including the janitor and night guard."

She led him silently to the HR department and past the sea of cubicles to a storage room filled with both computers and boxes of papers.

"Now, you want information on the mistreatment of the faunus, but you're going to have to narrow it down," she said, logging into the database with her credentials.

"I'm looking specifically for hard proof that the faunus are being abused systemically and that Jacques Schnee is privy to it."

Siria sighed, "I can't download the entire employee database."

Adam leaned over her shoulder to look at the screen. "Why don't we start with medical records. There's bound to be proof of faunus not receiving proper medical care, especially at the minings sites"

"Oh, we've got incident records for years." Siria selected a file folder that was broken down by year, each folder yielding hundreds of results.

"Download all of it..." Adam ordered, then realizing who he was talking to, he added a polite, "...please."

In preparation for such corporate espionage, Adam had purchased two high-capacity external hard drives. Plugging one in to the unit, Siria gave it permission and started the download. The estimated time jumped first from eight hours, then two hours, then twenty minutes, then four minutes.

"Are you sure you can trust her?" Siria said, with motherly concern in her eyes. "I've worked for the Schnees for years…they don't care about people like us."

"Weiss is different," Adam assured her, without giving any additional information. After a few moments of silence, he finally asked the uncomfortable question. "When did you remarry?"

"Ten years ago," she said. "We worked together on site and one thing led to another…"

Adam had always wondered why his mother was never fired/questioned by police in connecting with her son's terrorism, but with her moving to Argus, and with a last name change, she would have been considerably harder to find. "Does he make you happy?"

"He does." She replied.

"Do you…do I have any siblings?" He was unsure how to ask.

"Technically you have two stepsisters but no halves," Siria responded just as the download was finishing up. "What next?"

"Personnel files. We need to prove that there's a pay and promotion disparity."

"Payroll might be harder to get into," she admitted, attempting to access the information. The system denied her access request. "We'll have to try something else."

"Do they have any records about pensions? Money offered to retirees or widows/beneficiaries in the wake of someone dying on the job?"

"That would be under insurance claims," Siria pulled up the claims by year, dating back to when Jacques formally took over as CEO, twenty one years ago. "There's thousands of claims each year. This will take time."

"I have time," Adam replied. "We are so close to turning the tables on the SDC, we will make time to get all the evidence we need."

"You do realize this is going to paint a target on your back," she warned as she initiated the download. "Jacques Schnee doesn't take too kindly to people that oppose him. Whatever you're going to try to do to take him down, even with his daughter backing you, he'll use his money to try and ruin you."

"Our goal is to shut him down without having to go to the media. If we hold this much damning evidence, he knows all we have to do to retaliate is leak it to the press."

"He might want to take you down with him."

Adam remained emotionless. "I'm already a wanted criminal on three continents and the high leader of an organization that wants to kill me, and that's not even the most dangerous people I've associated with. Jacques Schnee can't scare me anymore."

Her eyes went wide with apprehension, "You aren't in the White Fang anymore?" Even before his ascension to high leader, Adam Taurus was the name associated with the White Fang to inspire the faunus and strike fear in the hearts of humans. "Why?"

Adam let out a prolonged exhale before speaking. "Because this is the best way to help the faunus. It would take too long to explain, but there are forces at work other than the abuse of the SDC and the terrorism of the White Fang. The brotherhood is in a precarious position right now, and the only way we're going to survive is if we temporarily align ourselves with huntsmen until our common enemy is taken out."

"Faunus never win when we ally ourselves with humans." his mother warned.

"This isn't about winning, this is about surviving…for now. Once we deal with this…current threat, we can resume our interpersonal conflict, but by then, we'll be in a much better position."

The computer dinged, having finished the second download. "Anything else?"

"Exit interviews?"

"The SDC doesn't do exit interviews."

"What about hiring records? You have to keep records of hiring and interviews to be equal opportunity hiring compliant."

"That I can also get you."

Hiring laws had only been instituted for the past five years, a piece of legislation passed in an effort to appease the more radical efforts of the White Fang under Sienna Khan, particularly on Anima. With ease, Siria accessed the monthly reports that broke down the ratio of candidates interviewed, hired and the positions to which they were hired: information that included their base pay.

As the files were downloading, Adam got a text on his scroll.

They're calling everyone into the main room for some kind of presentation. Need you back soon.

He took a moment to text her back, confirming he'd read it. Then he turned to his mother. "My time is up, I have to go back."

She nodded. Careful to delete the search history, she shut the computer down, careful to leave everything at the computer station exactly as she'd left it, removing the memory stick only after the computer was powered off. "This should be enough."

"It's plenty," he replied, feeling a sense of urgency. They said nothing as they calmly weaved their back through the wing and back into the main hallway. Using her keycard, Siria opened the side entrance to let her son out.

"If you ever need to bring this to trial or have a need for people willing to tell their story, you can contact me. I know plenty of faunus who are willing to speak against the Schnees and the company in general," she said as one last final offer of assistance.

He leaned forward and kissed his mother on the cheek as he passed through the doorway. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "I know how much of a risk it is to do this…"

She shook her head and gripped his hand. "No," she cut him off, "It's nothing. I would do anything to make up…" she caught herself on a sob, "Anything I can do to make up for all the horrible things I left you to go through by yourself." Her face contorted as she tried to hold back tears until shame overcame her and she covered her face with her hands.

He had to step back inside to place his arms around her. "You did what you thought would keep me taken care of." He squeezed her tight, "I don't fault you for that. I don't even fault you for moving on. You didn't put me through those horrible things. They did." He pulled away from her and lowered himself to his eye level, his voice shifting to his typical, cold and calculating And it made me strong, and now I'm going to take back everything they took from us. I promise."

"Adam…I love you."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I have to go. I don't know when I'll see you again, but stay safe."

She nodded, reluctant to let go of him again. He pulled his arms free, giving her a resolute nod before pushing out the door and disappearing into the night.

It had been thirteen years since Siria had seen her boy, the tears came back with full force as a myriad of mixed emotions overpowered her. She was proud of him, concerned for him, and even a little afraid of him. Whatever he was planning, she knew it was going to be big.

"Attention, Schnee Dust Company guests: if you would please make your way to the main floor ballroom, CEO Jacques Schnee has a special video message he would like to share with you in his absence. The presentation will begin in ten minutes. Thank you."

Hearing the announcement, Weiss knew the night must be winding down. She sent Adam a quick text to let him know she needed him back. He responded with a short.

On my way. Mission success.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she made her way downstairs, keeping up her facade to all of the other party guests: talking fashion, business, the social climate of Atlas and all the niceties she hated to talk about. Internally, she wanted to just scream at them for their shortsightedness and shallow lives, as if it would have any effect. Her outburst a year and a half ago had no bearing on anyone except herself. Here, she had to play their game long enough to get what she wanted, which she knew after tonight wouldn't be much longer.

In the time she'd spent socializing across the upper two floors, the staff had cleared the food and drink tables from the ground floor, leaving only the cabaret tables for socializing, and an overhead projector had been lowered at the east side of the room, drawing the attention of all. For now, it only displayed a generic SDC splash screen with a countdown to the main video. The room quickly became crowded, leaving standing room only for the presentation, which hopefully wouldn't be long; her feet were killing her in these heels and she wanted to retreat as soon as Adam returned for her to see what information he'd managed to pilfer from the HR databases.

An Atlesean trumpet voluntary began playing through the speakers to let the audience know it was time to be quiet and focus on the screen. The room hushed as the screen flicked to a new image: The owner and CEO of the company sitting comfortably in his office for what was undoubtedly a pre-recorded message and not a live-stream. Dressed to the nines as always, he was seated comfortably behind his desk, a family portrait hanging in the background on a mantle; in the hearth, a cozy fire burned as he sat with his posture relaxed: right ankle resting on his left knee.

This wasn't a corporate end of year speech to employees, this was a political candidate speech to his employees.

"Good evening to our most esteemed guests from Atlas, Argus and Mantle," he began, his voice measured and smooth. "I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the accommodations and entertainment of the evening. Despite my absence, I've taken every measure to ensure your evening would be to the highest standards of what the SDC has to offer." He looked directly at the camera as he spoke. "This past year…well, two years really, have been tough on everyone, but none tougher than industries such as ours. Manufacturing, distribution and sales have all taken a hit due to General Ironwood's policies, making it difficult to keep above the red line. Despite the setbacks, we are still going strong and have every intention of continuing that trend into the new fiscal year."

There was a smattering of applause.

Weiss heard a voice in her ear.

"What did I miss?" Adam asked.

"Just my dad throwing Ironwood under the bus," Weiss replied without turning around. "Everything go ok?"

"I believe so," he replied.

On screen, Weiss' father made promises to the investors, assuring them that his political campaign would not interfere with his company duties and with the support of the voters his seat on the council would reopen the borders and keep revenue flowing, making an attempt at winning over the Atleseans. Next he appealed to the Mantle residents: blue collar workers and faunus, most of whom weren't even invited to the event, assuring them that the reason for the hiring freeze and the loss of sales was due to the evil and paranoid general, but that even if he didn't win the council seat, he'd still ensure the current employees would be financially supported, even if there was no work.

"...Which is why this year's new initiative will protect jobs and steady income due to the work shortages caused by General Ironwood's embargo. We will be providing 70% compensation to any full time employee that has been laid off or underemployed with not enough hours…"

"Buying votes," Adam said under his breath.

"Typical dad tactic. Just throw money at it until the problem goes away. Either that or take money away from it until the problem goes away."

"Well, there are some things money can't hide forever," Adam said.

"I don't want to listen to this anymore," Weiss turned around and slipped her hand into his. "I want to go back to the hotel."

He nodded, gripping her hand and turning to exit through the press of people. Squaring his shoulders and walking deliberately were enough to make others move out of his way. He looked and walked like a bodyguard and no one there had any attempt to test him. He fetched Weiss' fur stole from the coat check as she called for the limousine to be brought around. In the lobby, tabloid reporters and cameramen were gearing up to catch footage of the end of the event, most of them not fully prepared for an early departure like Weiss.

"Leaving so soon?" Lisa Lavender's voice called out as Adam was almost out the front door. Weiss squeezed his hand and turned around.

"I think we've caused enough commotion for one night, don't you?" Weiss quipped back while the reporters frantically tried to get in place and accost her with their microphones.

"Fair enough," Lisa replied.

The two disappeared out the front door before any of the reporters could catch a shot of them lighting down the steps and into the waiting limo.

Once inside the back seat, she pried off her shoes. "How did you get them to ask me to sing?" She'd been waiting to ask him all night.

"You were busy dancing and I thought it would serve a purpose to draw more attention to you. I simply informed the band leader of your presence and how much Jacques would enjoy the surprise of his daughter performing for the event since he was unable to attend himself. I knew if he asked you, you'd say yes. Songbirds like to sing."

Her mouth spread into a smile of genuine amusement, rather than the plastered smile of fake interest she'd been maintaining all evening. "What about your end? Tell me what you got," she said with an expectant twinkle in her eye. She was at that happy balance between being exhausted from having to perform all evening and the adrenaline high of having pulled it off.

Adam sat back in his seat, a satisfied half smile on his face. "Insurance claims, EEO data, injury and incident reports for each facility going back over twenty years." He held up the memory stick. "It's almost full of data, meaning we have thousands of pages of evidence."

She leaned on his shoulder, "I can't believe it. We did it. I just hope Winter will see me on TV."

Adam cupped her face in his hands. "You planned this down to the last detail, and you left no room for error. She'll see, and she'll come." He kissed her deeply, and from there they found themselves unable to stop. High on adrenaline and success, he pulled her by her hips until she was straddling his lap. The limousine was spacious and the streets were full of traffic. They had plenty of time.

Everyone had so many questions. Ten people had squeezed into Winter Schnee's quarters, and there was barely enough room for everyone to squish. Teams R_BY, all managed to squeeze on the loveseat, Blake's booted foot propped up on the coffee table while TEAM JNOR was seated on the floor. Penny, Qrow and Winter herself had decided to stand. She was trying to maintain her composure, but the news came as a shock, a relief, and a mass amount of confusion. She began pacing in the tiny space.

"Do the articles say anything? Did she say anything?"

"Just that she was there to 'represent the family'," Jaune replied. "She's in all the articles and even did a few brief spots with cameras rolling."

"How did she escape?" Winter asked, half to herself, half to the horde gathered in her apartment.

No one had an answer.

"Regardless of how, we need to get her here. She needs to be reunited with her team." Qrow said, looking at Winter, and knowing what they'd be up against. Ironwood again, and Cordovin, again, exactly like when Winter came to get them out of Argus. But that was two weeks ago. Since then, they'd discovered Arthur Watt's security breach and Jacques Schnee was looking more favorably in the polls. Ironwood might try to completely shut the rescue mission down.

"I'll make the call tonight," Winter replied, "It's all over the tabloids, I'm sure General Ironwood already knows. If I am able to retrieve her, I'll have to be carrying a skeleton crew to leave quickly and fly fask. Only her team could come with me."

"Blake shook her head and pointed to the boot. "I can't. Travel restrictions."

"And I don't want to leave her here alone," Yang said. She looked at Ruby. "It looks like you'll be picking her up alone. Is that ok?"

Ruby nodded. "Just let me know when we're leaving, I'll be ready in half an hour.

Winter stopped her pacing and picked up her scroll. She looked up at the crowd watching her expectantly.

"Alright, out with all of you," Qrow said, opening the front door and pointing. The kids filed out one by one. "Why are you even here?" he asked Oscar, who had never met Weiss and had nothing to contribute. He shrugged and followed Ren. "Why are you here?" he asked as Penny passed.

"None of them knew where Winter's quarters were, so they had to find me to lead them here," she beamed, happy to be of assistance.

Qrow shook his head.

"I tried to ask you, but you weren't in your room," Jaune said as he passed out the door.

"You were already here," Penny said, "You must have already known and came to tell Winter yourself."

As Yang passed by, she opened her mouth to crack a dirty joke but before she could even try, Qrow grabbed a tiny lock of her hair and tugged on it, eliciting her silence.

Ruby was the last to leave, and Winter grabbed her hand. "I'm getting my ship ready tonight. Be at Bay 5 and ready to leave at 0500."

"I'll be there."

Qrow shut the door behind her.

Winter took a few deep breaths before breaking down into tears, slumping to the floor, overwhelmed by the flood of emotions she was feeling, gasping for air between sobs of relief and apprehension. Qrow knelt beside her, putting his arm around her shoulder until she leaned on him.

"You're going to go get her. You're going to get a good night's sleep and then in the morning, you're going to Argus and bring her back." he said, over and over, to reassure her that this was all real and it was happening. Weiss was ok and she was coming home.

Once they were back in their room, Ruby finally felt comfortable enough to permit herself a little cry. Her team would be whole again, her partner was coming back, and she'd be reunited with her best friend. Blake and Yang gave her reassuring hugs, shedding their own tears of joy, but left Ruby mostly to herself to process her emotions.

Wound up from the night's activities, Ren and Nora decided to whip up a snack. Oscar offered to help while Jaune declined. He made his way to the bunk room and holed himself up on his top bunk, continuing to scroll through the articles of the events in Argus, looking through countless pictures to find more of Weiss. He quietly cried to himself, not wanting the others to perceive him as weak or as imposing. He wasn't her sister, or his team mate, but all the same, he was overcome with emotion to know she was alive and well and they'd be seeing each other again soon.

Only one pilot was commissioned for the flight, meaning the ship would only have three occupants. Once bringing him up to speed, he promised to "fly it like he stole it" to ensure they'd be in Argus in record time. The ship was fueled and ready to leave at 0430 and Ruby had arrived by 0450. They'd be given clearance for take off and were in queue to leave the hangar. All they needed was Ironwood's permission.

"I can send an escort detail for her, but I need you here," Ironwood insisted. Sitting behind the mahogany desk in his office he looked at the tablet in front of him, not even caring to take the stylus in her outstretched hand.

"You let me go to get Qrow and the kids," Winter said, inwardly fuming.

"I didn't let you, you just went," he corrected her. "Revealing a glaring flaw in our protocols for departure clearances. One I corrected immediately." His voice softened, though his gaze remained stealy.. "I know she's your sister and I know that this is a matter that has been weighing on you heavily, but you can't just abandon your post because a family matter came up. You swore an oath to serve, and I'm holding you to that oath."

In a maneuver she hadn't planned on pulling, she dropped the stylus and reached her hand across the desk to place on his: his flesh hand, rather than his iron one. Though they were both wearing gloves, she hoped he could feel the warmth of her touch and find some spark of altruism within himself.

"General…sir…you know how much I believe in you," she looked into his eyes and held his gaze, "I'm your most avid supporter, your right hand, your maiden presumptive. I know what we're really up against and I chose you over my own family because I believed I could make a difference in the lives of the people of Atlas. I've followed your orders, I've made choices that have permanently alienated me from my family fortune. I've been the face of the military imposed restrictions: curfews, martial law, travel bans, anything you wanted me to enforce. I've even agreed to give up my autonomy to become the Winter Maiden, and help you fuel your fight against an evil we may never be able to defeat. But never once have I asked for anything in return." She squeezed his hand. "I'm asking now for this one thing: let me get my sister. After that, I will be your sword, I'll assume the maiden power, and I will follow your every order to the letter, and I won't offer one iota of resistance. Please…please just let me do this."

Ironwood was moved. This was not a request of want, but of a need.

"Go." he said.

She didn't ask him to repeat himself. She merely offered her sincerest thanks as she bolted out the door, leaving the tablet and stylus behind for him to send and submit electronically."

"We're clear," she said, rushing past Ruby in the hangar, "Load up, we're behind schedule." She clambered into the ship, tapping the pilot on the shoulder, affirming that she had the go ahead, looking through the windshield to see the lights turn green.

The ship pulled out at 0507 hours, pulling into the sky before Ruby could even get her seatbelt buckled. The ship raced, as her heart and thoughts were racing to keep up.

Everything was happening so fast.

Chapter Text

"It says she was with a 'mysterious gentleman' all evening, but there's hardly any pictures of him." Ruby was reading aloud, seated in the small cabin of Winter's ship while Winter herself paced back and forth nervously.

"It doesn't give a name?"

Ruby shook her head. "It just describes him as tall, black-haired and with an eye patch. Also, he's apparently very handsome, but he declined to comment to anyone in the press. A lot of people are assuming he's her private bodyguard. There's even a suggestion that he's a faunus."

That gave Winter pause. "That's how she got out. Whoever this guy is, he helped her escape." She began pacing again, "Which means he'll probably need safe passage as well, and that might prove difficult if he has no ID or existing arrest warrants if he's a White Fang operative…just something else I'm going to have a wild time trying to explain to Ironwood…and Cordovin…I am not looking forward to dealing with that dwarf hag again." The cabin wasn't necessarily small, but it wasn't designed for standing and walking, giving Winter only maybe ten steps before she had to turn and reverse course. How she didn't go dizzy as she ranted boggled Ruby's mind, but her nervousness was understandable.

"We survived Cordovin once, thanks to you, and with the internal investigation, she knows now you'll follow through on your threats," Ruby said, trying to be optimistic.

"Will she resent us for not coming for her sooner?" Winter asked herself aloud. "Will she think we're too incompetent to find her and bring her home? Will she be traumatized?" Her mind raced to Blake's medication induced rant at the hospital a few weeks before.

Ruby shrugged. "We'll have to wait and see. But either way, you're family, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

The rest of the ride to Argus consisted of mostly the same type of dialogue: Winter being a nervous, guilt-ridden wreck while Ruby tried to remain objective and cheerful, though inwardly she was nervous, too.

They landed on the air strip at the Argus military base and walked off the aircraft to be met by one of Cordovin's underlings and not Cordovin herself; a faceless, but tall male officer who did very little talking. She was given the keys to a sedan from the motor pool and wasted no time. Multiple articles Ruby had read aloud to Winter mentioned the name of the hotel she was staying in, taking pains to mention that Weiss and were sharing a room for extra intrigue. Neither of them were sure they liked that additional piece of information, but knowing what most likely had transpired during Weiss' captivity, understood it.

Walking into the luxury resort, Ruby felt horribly out of place. This was the kind of glamorous resort that only people in movies actually got to go to. Polished marble tiles, elegant support columns, perfected lighting. Seeing the wealthy and famous from Argus walk about as if nothing was happening outside their tiny sphere, Ruby wondered how these people would react when the Amity Tower went up. Would they be afraid? Would they even care?

"Officer Schnee," the woman from behind the reception called to her as if they were expecting her. Waving her over, she smiled politely and handed her a keycard.

"Miss Schnee said you'd be by today and reserved one of our private meeting rooms for you. It's down the main hallway and it's the fourth door past the atrium."

Winter took the keycard in her gloved hand, slightly perplexed and muttered a thank you. She knew her way through the hotel, even though she hadn't been in high society in over a decade. It was a short walk but it seemed to take decades to get there, weaving through throngs of the resort's patrons and staff bustling about. In reality, it was less than five minutes before they reached the windowless door to the conference room, the small light on the keycard scanner shone green to indicate it was unlocked.

She put her hand on the doorknob and looked over her shoulder to ask Ruby if she was ready, only to notice Ruby had remained a few steps behind.

"You should go see her first. She's your sister." Ruby said with a smile.

Winter nodded resolutely, unsure of what to expect on the other side of the door as she pushed down on the handle and opened the door. A small piece of Winter wondered if this was all in her mind and Weiss was still in the wind at the mercy of the White Fang.

But Weiss was here.

She was leaning against the conference table, her hands positioned behind her. She looked so casual, and yet so adult. The last time Winter had seen her, she hadn't yet turned 18. Now, she was past 20, her hair, clothes and demeanor all evidence that she was no longer a child, but a woman: independent and confident. Her face brightened the moment she saw her sister. Pushing off from the table, she approached, throwing her arms around Winter and squeezing her tight before either could even get a word out.

For a moment, they just embraced each other in silence. It had been over a year and despite all the setbacks, they'd finally found each other. All of Winter's apprehension melted away as she held her sister. Tears were next.

"We never stopped looking for you," Winter could barely get out in a whisper. "I looked for you everywhere. I went to Menagerie when they found your locker. But I got called back…I had to stop looking. Ironwood closed the borders…"

"I know. That's why…that's why I went to the gala, I knew it would make the news and I knew you'd find a way to get us to Atlas." Tears were flowing from her eyes as well. "I never lost hope that I'd make it out. I followed our training and I survived."

"You were so brave, and getting that information to us about Watts was helpful. We've had to overhaul the entire military network, but it's secure now."

Weiss sighed audibly, relieved. "I never gave up hope that I'd get out, but I wanted to get you that information as quickly as I could." She released her embrace from her sister.

"You're ok?"

"Yes, I'm ok. I made it. A little worse for wear, but I made it."

Winter looked her sister up and down. It was a hard thing to pin down, but somehow, Weiss looked hardened. Her scowl was more determined, and the slender muscles in her arms were more toned than she remembered. "Let's get you home. Ruby's waiting outside…"

"Ruby!?" Weiss cut her sister off, making for the door as quickly as she could without losing her composure.

Ruby was waiting patiently outside, fidgeting with Crescent Rose and trying to keep herself occupied until the sisters were finished. Their eyes met.

More hugs.

More tears.

"We missed you so much!" Ruby said. "Yang and Blake: we all met together in Mistral, and we made it to Atlas. We can put the team back together!"

"As we should be," Weiss said. She pulled away until she was holding both of Ruby's hands. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before turning to Winter. "Adam should be ready with our bags if you want to load up. We can talk on the way."

They followed as she led them back into the lobby where the "mysterious gentleman" was waiting for them next to a luggage cart. He was just like the articles described him: tall, with one piercing blue eye and an eyepatch that covered the other. His black hair concealed his horns, but he was indeed a faunus, with the bearing and posture of someone who had been in a position of leadership before.

"I'll pull the car around," Winter said, pushing out the door. Something about how she said it was off. After she disappeared, the three stood around with a brief moment of awkward silence.

"Oh, how rude of me! Ruby, this is Adam," Weiss said, deliberately leaving off his last name. In her mind, it would be best to introduce Adam to them slowly. Truthfully, she was glad it was Ruby that had come and that Blake and Yang hadn't. Ruby would have an easier time accepting him and his help in the fight against Salem, and if Ruby stood behind her, the rest of the team might have an easier time as well.

Ruby smiled, extending a hand to shake. "Hi. I'm Ruby."

"The team leader that turned the dragon to stone," Adam accepted the gloved hand and shook it. "Weiss talked about you a lot."

"We were partners. I'm just glad you helped her escape."

Adam nodded, his face remaining stoic. "It was something that benefitted both of us." He replied vaguely.

There was an awkward silence at first until Ruby finally spoke up again. "I like your hair."

Weiss smiled. "Thank you. I didn't intend for it to be this short, but after the fire, there was some damage and we had to cut off a lot. Luckily, Nessa is a good stylist and was able to make it look super cute."

Ruby nodded, but no immediate conversation followed and the trio became silent again.

"Who else came with you to Atlas?" Weiss asked. "I know the rest of Team RWBY, but what about Sun?"

Neither of them noticed that Adam clenched his jaw.

Ruby shook her head. "Sun went to Vacuo with a bunch of former students from Haven. With two schools down now, Vacuo is opening its doors to any former huntsmen-in-training. We went to Atlas with our team, JNPR, a boy we met named Oscar, and my Uncle Qrow."

Weiss' eyes narrowed. "The one Winter fought in the courtyard?"

"You mean the one that kicked your sister's butt in the courtyard?"

Weiss rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever." She noticed the car parked in the portico and Winter exiting to open the back end for the luggage. "That's us." she said to Adam, who pushed the rolling luggage cart toward the sliding glass doors.

They loaded up the luggage in the car and like the last time Winter was in town, she headed straight back toward the base with extra passengers in tow. Unlike last time, Winter was eerily silent. Ruby, sitting in the front seat acted as a buffer and kept up the conversation with Weiss and her "mysterious gentlemen."

"So…how did you escape?" she asked.

"I pretended to be transporting Weiss as a prisoner. I was given access to a vehicle and we used it to get to Mistral. By the time they noticed we were missing we would have been on the train to Argus."

Weiss nodded. "From there we used my status and the SDC resources to get ourselves some notoriety that couldn't be ignored."

"But…won't the White Fang come looking for you?" Ruby asked, genuinely concerned.

Weiss shrugged. "They might already be. I'm sure they'll have it out for both of us." She took Adam's hand in her own. "So far, they haven't bothered us, and hopefully we'll be safe in Atlas."

"We'll see about that," Winter said with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" her sister asked.

"Winter shrugged with her hands on the wheel: only her shoulders raising and lowering as she shook her head in exasperation.

"Ironwood hasn't…been making good decisions since Beacon. He's become paranoid and distant. He doesn't even trust Ruby's team…or Jaune's…or even people that used to be part of his inner circle like Qrow and Ozpin."

Weiss' eyes narrowed as they usually did she was skeptical or confused. "Ozpin?"

"Oh yeah!" Ruby brightened up. "Ozpin isn't dead."

"...how?" Adam asked, clearly as confused as his partner.

"So…remember the lady who attacked Beacon? The voice on the radio?"

"Cinder Fall, who is now the fall maiden and has otherworldly powers without the use of dust, yes." Weiss replied.

Ruby sighed in relief. "Ok. Good. I didn't want to have to explain all that. So, when Cinder killed Ozpin, his body died, but his soul didn't. It went to inhabit a new body. He's a boy, named Oscar. He's fifteen and he doesn't have a lot of training yet, but he's learning fast. He's a good kid."

It was a lot to take in. For a moment, Adam and Weiss just exchanged glances.

"And Ironwood doesn't believe you? Or Ironwood doesn't trust him after what happened at Beacon?"

"Not since Beacon. He's given us no reason to. We found out that he lied, but Oscar is trying to figure everything out. And," Ruby paused, daring to admit something she'd been thinking for weeks but not ready to tell the rest of her team, especially Jaune. "I think that we won't be able to take Salem down without his help. Ironwood wants to try, but Ozpin is the only person with the kind of magic that can withstand her."

To Weiss' surprise, Adam nodded. "Salem can use magic too, but hers is a dark magic, from the grimm. Ozpin must be the counterbalance."

"Not exactly," Ruby said. For the next few minutes, she relayed the information she'd experienced from Jinn the day they'd been thrown from the train. About Ozma's charge from the God of Light and Salem's curse of being plunged into both of the brother's pools.

"We know she was part Grimm, but not how she became so," Adam mused.

"You seem to know more than we expected about Salem," Winter interrupted brusquely.

Her intensity didn't phase Adam. He merely ran his fingers through his hair, revealing the tiniest sliver of his red roots growing back in. "I never saw her. I only dealt with Cinder at first and then Hazel…and the brat."

"Mercury." Weiss clarified. "You would probably have seen him at Haven."

"We did." Ruby replied.

As Winter pulled onto the base, she handed her electronic ID to the guard and was waved through. "I think its best if you let me do the talking and head straight to the ship. It's on the closest airstrip to the motor pool and the pilot will be able to let you on. We'll take off as soon as I get clearance." Even though it was subtle, there was a change in Winter's demeanor. She was colder, and her typical scowl had hardened into a frown. Even if Weiss and Adam couldn't see it from the back seat, Ruby could from shotgun.

"Cordovin is kinda hard to deal with," Ruby said out loud. "I can show you where the ship is so we can leave Winter to tackle her."

"It wasn't our intention to make it hard on you," Weiss said. "I know neither of us have ID and Ironwood's got the borders on lockdown, but we knew if anyone could make it happen, it'd be you." She reached forward and put her hand on her sister's shoulder. Winter made eye contact with her through the rear view mirror and feigned a smile.

Twenty minutes and one terse conversation with Cordovin later, the pilot lifted off the ground and was at cruising altitude over the northern channel between Atlas and Argus another fifteen minutes after that. Winter had remained tersely quiet and everyone seemed to follow suit.

It was finally over.

They were going home.

After over a year as a hostage, she'd made it out alive.

They'd done it.

She'd get to see her home again: her mom, her team; Klein…she suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion overtake her. When she'd been with the White Fang, exhaustion was the only thing that overcame her fear and apprehension to help her sleep, but the sensation was more of a temporary blackout than a truly restful sleep. She thought it would improve with the downy penthouse bed in Argus, but the nervousness of planning and executing their plot to get to Atlas and undermine her father kept her up at night and she spent as many hours pacing the floor and laying in bed awake as she did actually unconscious.

Around her, she was vaguely aware that Ruby sat next to her, and Winter had stood and approached Adam, offering him a handshake and saying some words of gratitude for his bravery in getting her only sister out of the clutches of the White Fang…

One doesn't really feel themselves falling asleep, but Weiss felt herself jerk back to wide awake from the edge of slumber by Adam's voice.

"What is this?!" Adam almost never raised his voice, but this time it was loud enough and with enough incredulity it snapped Weiss into the present as she saw the hand he'd extended to shake Winter's was locked in a dust cuff.

"What are you doing?" she heard Ruby say from behind her, surprise in her voice.

"I'm detaining this dangerous criminal and putting him in the brig until we can get him to Atlas and decide what to do with him." She locked eyes with Adam before she said, "And if he wants to make a show of good faith, he'll let me put this other cuff on him and go without a fight."

Adam remained generally unfazed. "Put me in the brig, then. You probably have a pretty good grasp of what I'm capable of, so you also know that won't do anything to eliminate me as a threat. Or was this just a test to see if I would comply."

Weiss on the other hand stood and stormed over to her sister. "What do you think you're doing, Winter?"

"I'm incarcerating the High Leader of the White Fang. I can't just leave him loose to wander about an Atlesean Military aircraft"

Ruby's eyes went wide. "You're that Adam. You're Adam Taurus." She drew her weapon from off her back, keeping it compact in front of her but ready if he tried anything violent.

Weiss seethed. "Are you serious? He's risked everything to bring me here! To get both of us out!" She seized Winter by the wrist, pulling her a few steps away from Adam. Winter indulged her at first, then pulled her hand free.

"Risked everything for you, or to cover his own hide once he realized he was going to lose power because Sister Artis started vying for the position," Winter chided. Their looks of surprise only seemed to irritate her more." What? You think I haven't kept up on every detail of the White Fang's activity since you went missing? I know about the fire, the relocation in an abandoned Mistral Village, the sacking of Haven for supplies, the and about your inability to unify your officers after you deposed and probably murdered Sienna Khan."

"That's not true," Weiss countered. "Sienna Khan escaped. I helped her and Adam let her go. She's probably somewhere in Anima raising a resistance. We just hoped she would have come through before Artis made her move."

"And now, all that's left is for you to "have a change of heart" and come to Atlas for protection from when Salem finally unleashes her wrath on mankind. You realize you're asking the very people you attacked to keep you safe from the person who sent you after us in the first place?" All throughout this, Winter never raised her voice. She was intense, but never at a loss for control and never taking her eyes off Adam.

Adam stood completely still, and said nothing while the sisters on either side of him bickered.

"Adam helped me escape."

"Adam kidnapped you in the first place."

"He wants to get the White Fang out from under Salem's control."

"Because he doesn't want an authority figure telling him who he can and can't terrorize?"

"Because he knows working with humans is the only way we're going to defeat Salem! We have a common enemy now, Winter!"

"We can't have an ally who will stab us in the back and loot our academies." Winter remained resolute, "Have you forgotten that Adam was the one who let grimm loose in the school during the Vytal Festival? Adam Taurus cut off Yang's arm and stabbed Blake in the kidney."

"I actually made sure I got it in the tiny window between her kidney, her spleen and her large intestine. I should have missed all three of those." Adam said flatly.

"How merciful," Winter replied sardonically before turning her attention back to Weiss. "He has attacked not one school, but two. He's responsible for the deaths of countless civilians and huntsmen."

"And he's trying to change," Weiss interrupted her sister. "He knows that right now, humanity and faunus are joined in our existences being at stake. If there ever was a time for everyone to unite under one banner, its now, and that won't happen unless people like us in places of influence begin reaching out. That's why he came with me. That's why he helped me escape instead of killing me or merely letting me go: he wants to help and show the world that the White Fang is for the faunus, even if that means working with former enemies and oppressors."

"And you're just going to be his mouthpiece the whole time?" Winter shook her head and took a step away from her sister. Standing directly in front of Adam, she looked him squarely in the face, her piercing blue eyes examining his cerulean iris. Even in heels, she was half a foot shorter than him, but any intimidation she may have felt knowing what he was capable of she concealed well. "I want to hear it from you," she said to him. "Why did you leave with Weiss and what are your intentions in Atlas?"

Adam thought a moment before speaking, his voice remaining even and measured as always. "Although it will be tenuous and also temporary, I think it is everyone's best interest to join forces against Salem for the sake of our survival. It was my intention to extend the olive branch first between the White Fang, the Atlesean Military and the huntsmen…whatever of them are left. I know in your eyes, I'm a terrorist and a fugitive of the law, but I'm also the high leader of a force that no government, military, academy or grimm have been able to eradicate. We have a skill set that would only compliment the forces you're currently trying to muster."

"And you came to this conclusion, when?" Winter cocked her head up and folded her hands behind her back. "Two weeks ago? Three?"

"The night we attacked Haven," Adam admitted. "Hazel made it out to be a partnership, but the truth was, he left us outside and encouraged us to loot the place and plant bombs so that we could draw all the attention away from what his private little mission was inside the main hall. At Beacon, we shared the blame and the hatred of the population; but Haven? Hazel wanted to ensure the White Fang took the fall for everything that happened, and the Mistral police hunted us and us exclusively. I don't appreciate feeling used: it's something that makes faunus particularly resentful. So now, we can either use what we know to attack back at Salem while keeping up our conflict with you, or we can set aside our differences for now, deal with the grimm queen and then pick back up where we left off."

"And Weiss?"

"Weiss agrees with me."

"Is that why you brought her with you?"

"I didn't bring her with me. I let her go and she asked me to come with her."

Winter looked to Weiss for affirmation. Weiss nodded.

"Why?"

"Because Weiss thought if I just released her, my life was going to be in danger anyway, so I might as well let her protect me and us continue to work on this effort together rather than risk either or both of us getting killed."

"Then why release her at all?"

Adam didn't respond immediately, confirming Winter's worst fear.

"You two are involved romantically."

As they were speaking Ruby had slowly been lowering Crescent Rose as the conversation dragged on, but this made her stow the weapon altogether.

Winter put her head in her hand, sitting in defeat. There was nothing she could say: not at this moment. Even if Adam decided to become violent in some way, he wouldn't be able to make it off the ship alive. Her concern was after they landed.

"Seeing as putting you in the brig would only put a rift between my sister and I, I won't. But once we land, I think it would be best if we escorted you to a cell and detained you until you've been thoroughly debriefed and Ironwood himself has had a chance to speak with you."

"I find that reasonable." Adam extended his arm for Winter to take off the cuff.

The military specialist removed the other cuff stiffly and turned on her heels to begin her nervous pacing. She stopped as she passed Weiss to say, "my quarters are free and there is a cot if you'd like to rest. I can see you're looking fatigued. We'll deal with all of this once we land."

To her surprise, Weiss took up Winter's offer and disappeared into Winter's quarters for the rest of the trip.

Adam kept to himself while Ruby and Winter did little to talk to him in earshot. Eventually, Ruby stated she'd also like to nap and headed down the ladder to the cargo hold where the pilot's cots were available to sleep. Adam declined the offer, leaving himself and Winter alone in the cabin to sit in silence for hours. Finally, the military specialist took the opportunity to approach Adam, standing and looming over him as he sat with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Is this the part where you get me alone and threaten to make sure no one ever finds my body if I ever hurt your sister?" he asked, a hint of cynicism in his voice.

"I'm not going to threaten you with anything," Winter shook her head. "But I can promise you something: if you hurt her; if you take advantage of my sister, General Ironwood would personally ensure you were published to the full extent of the law and if you escaped, you'd be hunted down like a dog. There would be nowhere in Atlas for you to hide and if you fled to Mantle, you'd be gambling with running into the huntsmen and your own faction that's turned against you. But before Ironwood could even get a crack at hunting you down and taking you to trial, Weiss has friends who would hold you down and break your legs, and while I think you could take any of them individually, you wouldn't be able to take all 3 of them, and I'm not talking about her teammates, her teammates would probably get to you before her friends would and two of them already have an extra bone to pick with you, but before even they get a chance to exact vengeance on you, you're going to deal with me first. And I can assure you, if I get my hands on you first, there'll be nothing left for her team, her friends, or the Atlesean Military to find. I will strike first, and I won't hesitate to end you." Her face snarled up into the classic Schnee sneer, and despite himself Adam smiled.

"I think I see a family resemblance between you two, and I am encouraged to know Weiss has so many people that care that much for her." His eyes focused on her and his smile vanished. "And I am pointedly aware of the gravity of my situation in her life as a faunus and as a criminal. I understand your mistrust completely."

"I've given you all I can of my good will. Don't squander it." Winter stood. "We'll be landing in two hours or so, and I'd like to get in a few hours worth of work. I'll be in my cabin if Ruby or pilot need me." She disappeared into her cabin, leaving Adam alone in the cabin.

He slumped forward, his head in his hands as he suddenly felt the same wave of simultaneous relief and exhaustion Weiss had just a few minutes prior.

It was finally starting.

They would be safe in Atlas.

After over a year of planning, things were finally starting to fall in place.

He'd done it.

Chapter Text

"Dust cuffs can have some side effects," Winter warned as she prepared to put the cuffs on the White Fang High Leader. "Nausea and vomiting are common, but also lightheadedness, blurred vision, vertigo, and chills have also been reported."

"I have both been in a dust collar and used them before, Officer Schnee. I am certain that the cuffs are not so different." Adam said. He turned his back to her. "I'll survive."

Winter placed the cuffs behind his back and for a brief moment, he wobbled as if he was losing his footing, but after a moment, he regained his composure and gave Weiss a weak smile. They'd come this far, they had a plan. All they had to do was put it into action.

They stood in place, ready for the gangplank to lower. Weiss turned around one last time, giving Adam a resolute nod before the sound of the hydraulics drew all their eyes forward.

It was evening, and the sun had set, leaving only the blaring artificial lights of the airstrip and the general luminous glow of Atlas as a whole, keeping the outside filled with light, but an artificial white light that kept the sky from getting truly dark and revealing stars. Weiss wondered if the lights had always looked like this, or if being outside of major cities with a clear view of the night sky for a year had affected her opinion of her home. She wasn't so sure she liked it.

As expected, Blake and Yang were waiting for them on the airstrip, wanting to be there the instant their last remaining team member got off the ship. Ruby was first down the walkway, followed by Weiss, the prisoner third, and finally Winter, who was guiding him: one hand firmly between his shoulder blades and and another gripping his right arm.

It was a weird five seconds for Yang. At first, it was elation at seeing Weiss again. She'd changed in looks a bit, but her classy gait, her icy exterior, but sparkling eyes brought back all the feelings of love and camaraderie she'd missed when the whole team was together. She and Blake rushed forward together, all four of the girls catching each other in a group hug of squeals and tears. It had been almost two years since they'd been together. Resting their heads together, it was like a dream come true. Yang closed her eyes and relished the moment. She couldn't think of a time in her life when she had truly been happier.

Within seconds, however, a strange feeling came into her stomach and her chest muscles tightened without warning. She pulled away, unsure of her uneasy feeling to see that Blake had also gotten the same vibe. With her cat ears flattened back against her skull, her eyes fixed on the man Winter was escorting in cuffs. Seeing the back of his head, Yang surmised that this was the man in the tabloids with whom Weiss had been seen about Argus and at the gala. Black hair, and an eye patch didn't ring anything familiar, but he took a moment to stop and vomit on the airstrip, giving a brief profile of his face.

Blake audibly gasped.

"Adam?"

The word alone wouldn't have been enough to send Yang into a panic attack, but the realization that she was right certainly was. Her vision blurred as her heart rate soared. She began sinking to her knees as flashbacks from her first encounter with Adam Taurus began coming to life in front of her. Ruby caught her, falling with her to break her fall on the concrete.

"It's ok. He's in cuffs, he's not going to hurt you," Ruby said, quickly. She stayed with her arms around her sister, offering soothing words as the blonde began to hyperventilate. Her body broke into a cold sweat as Yang desperately clutched Ruby for support, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm sorry,.. I can't…I can't stand up…I can't," she tried to regain control of her legs, then panicked when they refused to obey her.

"It's ok. We can stay here until you're ready to stand back up," Ruby reassured her. "I'm not going anywhere, you can just hold onto me, ok? He's gone. He's not going to hurt you. You're safe."

Still standing, Blake's hands began trembling. In that moment, she realized how painfully vulnerable they were. Weiss had no weapon, Ruby and Yang were on the floor and she was in a walking boot. If Adam had any desire to break free and attack them, they'd be helpless to stop him. "Why is he here?" she asked, her voice betraying the terror she felt. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that the production of him being aled around in cuffs was for the benefity fo the Atlesean military and any White Fang spies among their ranks. One did not simply apprehend Adam Taurus and the only way he would have been in cuffs and in the custody of Winter Schnee is if that was exactly where he wanted to be. "Weiss, why is he here?" this time, her voice sounded demanding, but still had that hint of desperation. She reached for her weapon, waiting for her teammate to give her some answer.

Weis, however, wasn't facing her; instead, her haze followed Adam as he was pushed forward after puking and marched to a tower where he disappeared behind a set of sliding metal doors. Her eyes never leaving his visage until he vanished from sight; she looked of all wonders, concerned for his well-being.

"Weiss!" Blake grabbed her wrists, tugging on them to regain her attention. "What is he doing here?"

"He got me out…I know you won't believe me, but he's here to help."

"Help what?"

"Fight Salem."

"Are you crazy? Weiss, what did he do to you? What did he say to make you believe…believe all this?"

"No, I'm not crazy. Adam knows what Salem is and he knows once the Whtie Fang stops doing her dirty work for her, she'll send her goons after us, too."

Blake blinked. "Us?"

"Yes. Us. Faunus and humans. Adam sees that now. Please…can we just…worry about him later?"

Blake released her hands in disbelief. Adam only made moves like this when he was playing puppet master, or when he was desperate, and for the life of her, Blake couldn't decide which was the case now.

"We need to get her inside," Ruby said, pushing Yang up by her shoulders. "Can you get up?"

Weiss knelt to help Yang to her feet. With Ruby on her right and Weiss on her left, the blonde stood shakily to her feet. From a lift tower a short distance away, five huntsmen in Atlesean garb exited the doors and met the team as they walked. Seeing them, Yang struggled to find her footing and wipe the beading sweat from her face.

"What do they want?" Ruby asked.

"Who are they? Weiss asked.

Blake only had a one word reply. "AceOPs."

"Miss Schnee, you'll need to come with us," the apparent leader said, "My name is Clover and I"ll be escorting you to your debriefing. General Ironwood would like to conduct a probative interview immediately."

Weiss shot her teammates a nervous look. "But…I literally just got here."

"You'll have plenty of time to reconnect with your team once we're finished," Clover assured her. "If you'll please follow me."

A broad woman stepped from behind Clover and approached Yang, lifting her from between Ruby and Weiss with hardly any effort. "I can take her back to her room."

Weiss mumbled a value thanks as a wolf faunus moved in to separate her from the rest of her team, following Clover's lead and escorting her off the airstrip. With a nod from their leader, the silent pale man and the shorter, twitchy woman in front separated from the group, boarding Winter's ship.

"What are they doing?" Weis asked as looked at them over her shoulder. She had aimed the question at the leader, but the faunus answered for him:

"Your luggage will be searched and processed," he said flatly. "Don't need any illegal cashews or malicious software being brought in by you and your White Fang friend."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"What Marrow means is that it's just a security measure," Clover explained with a much less accusatory tone than his subordinate. Pushing a button on the wall, the lift doors opened immediately as if an elevator had been waiting specifically for them. Marrow entered first, followed by Weiss and Clover last to preserve the walking order. "We don't necessarily suspect you of anything criminal, but General Ironwood is very particular of security protocol of late. Your friends underwent the same scrutiny when they arrived."

"I understand the luggage being seized, but did you have to separate us so quickly?"

From behind her, Marrow scoffed. "Is it a Beacon thing to be this attached to your team unit? All your friends were that way, too."

She did not appreciate the critical attitude and the glare she gave him perfectly conveyed the sentiment. "No, it's not a 'Beacon thing' or even a 'huntsman thing'. It's a friendship thing; friends trust each other and stick together no matter what. Do you not feel that way with your team?"

There was a brief pause before the wolf answered. "No."

"Our division has a reasonably…high turnover…" Clover explained. "We don't really have time to build those kinds of relationships off the battlefield."

Weiss didn't reply; instead hoping that the big talk about the loyalty and tight-knit friendship of her team was still true, or if it would continue to be true once they found out about her and Adam.

They conducted the interview in a prison detainment interrogation room. The artificial light emanating from the long tube bulbs cast a bluish glow that reflected off the sanitized metallic surfaces of the walls and table.

To her utter surprise, Ironwood himself conducted the interview. The last time she'd seen him was at the concert benefit, and then he'd looked tired and haggard. Now…he just looked old. His beard had grown in fully, streaked with gray to match his hair, but his brows and eyes now had permanent creases, no doubt created by the stress of trying to keep the country together.

"Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?" he asked, politely as he sat. His voice was low and still as grave as she remembered.

"Coffee would be nice," she said, feeling immediately more at ease with a familiar face. "Three sugars, three creams,"

Ironwood nodded to the mirror behind him, and clearly someone on the other side. In a few moments, a minion of some sort brought in the foam cup and handed it to her.

"I'd almost forgotten how cold the elevation makes Atlas," Weiss said aloud after taking a sip. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome. I understand you'd like to get back to your team quickly," Ironwood said, getting immediately to business, pulling out a holo-tablet. "I don't intend to waste your time, Miss Schnee, but I do have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Of course, I understand," Weiss replied.

"Your return to the public eye was of course a great shock to us," he began, "I was wondering if you could recount the events that led to your release from captivity when it was the understanding of your sister and your team that you were a political prisoner of the White Fang."

"I was never intended to be a political prisoner," Weiss began. "Adam told me from the beginning that I was not going to be used for leverage or for ransom, but as a trophy: a symbol of his intentions to use the White Fang to overthrow humanity."

"And by Adam, you mean Adam Taurus, the former Vale Chapter leader and High Leader of the White Fang,"

Weiss hesitated. She should not have been so casual calling him by his first name. "Yes." she said finally.

"And you can confirm for me that you were taken against your will and did not leave your own volition."

Weiss needed a moment to collect the correct words. "I can confirm that I did not leave of my own volition, General. Even being under house arrest with an abusive dad and a drunk mom, I would not have willingly become the prisoner of White Fang assassin sent to murder me in my bed."

Ironwood was taken aback by her coldness. Her detached demeanor and flatness in her voice conveyed exactly how much she had to mentally disengage from reality just to survive during her captivity. As he asked her a litany of questions from her whereabouts to an approximate timeline to her experience and perspectives, to her knowledge of Salem's actions and plans, she remained polite, but distant. No amount of attempting to be personal or show of concern could thaw the frosty exterior for which the Schnee women had developed a reputation. After almost three hours of questions, he'd finally finished with everything he wanted to ask, with only one question remaining.

"Miss Schnee, would you be willing to submit to a psychological evaluation from one of our experts here on the base?"

"I would be willing, but does it have to be today?" I've spent the last fourteen months in fear of my life and I'd like a few days to…decompress and process everything. I'm exhausted and feel very…overwhelmed."

"Of course. We can conduct the evaluation whenever you're ready, however, we will not permit you to see or communicate with Adam Taurus. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Weiss responded blankly.

"The question then falls to your accommodations," Ironwood said, putting his tablet down and leaning on his elbows. "My assumption is that you have no intention of returning to Schnee Manor and that you would prefer your father not be informed of your return to Atlas."

"That is a correct assumption," Weiss replied. "If there's no objection, I'd like to stay with my team."

"Are you certain? We can place you with your sister or even in a private quarters if you need time to yourself. We know you've been through a lot."

"I have been through a lot, but I've spent every day since the attack on Haven trying to stay alive so I could make it back to my team. I want them to be with me as I navigate this state of post trauma."

"I understand. I'll have your luggage delivered to the dormitories, and have one of our security staff provide you with scroll access to your dorm room, mess hall and academy rooms." Ironwood stood, prompting Weiss to follow. "I know this may not mean much coming from me, but I'm glad to see you returned to Atlas safe. It's been weighing heavily on several minds, your sister's especially. You can rest easy now; you're safe here."

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad to finally make it back in one piece." She smiled, giving a hint of warmth, knowing his promise of safety rang incredibly hollow, even to her.

Marrow escorted her to the dormitories, remaining relatively silent, though she caught him staring at her with an expression somewhere at the trifecta of intrigue, trust and…resentment? It was difficult to tell. She tried to ignore it, keeping her attention occupied with her new surroundings and learning the layout of the facilities. Despite her sister's years of service, she had only been on the Atlesean base a handful of times.

It finally came to a head just outside the elevator on her team's dormitory floor. Marrow had to use his scroll to not only operate the lift, but to gain access to the floor's lobby. It made sense: security clearance OTPs or passes on a scroll and would allow for monitoring and restricting access as necessary. What she found unnecessary was his insistence on unsubtly concealing the scroll as it was scanned as if she had the motive or means to steal his security access from his scroll.

"You know I'm not a White Fang agent, right?" she said as she followed him through the door.

"Maybe not, but something is going on with you."

"Yes, I just engineered my escape from the White Fang, convinced their High Leader to come with me and got passage for the both of us into Atlas. I'm sure there's going to be some need of therapy when all of this settles."

"That's not what I meant," he snapped back. "I grew up in the crater. I know what the White Fang thinks of the Schnees."

"And?"

"And for the life of me I can't figure out for the life of me how you made it out alive."

"I'm sure you observed my interrogation. Adam insisted that I remained unharmed and the rest of his brotherhood either respected or were afraid enough of him to leave me alone."

Marrow snorted. "Listen, you grew up in a different world from us. To you, Adam Taurus was a name and a capital loss tax write off. To us, he was a force of nature, a legend: he was the White Fang, and because of that I can't imagine why he didn't kill you when he had the chance."

"You'll have to ask him. I have a feeling his interrogation is going to last far longer than mine. I can't speak to his state of mind the night he took me. I'm just grateful he didn't kill me and I have a chance to survive long enough to make it home."

By this time they'd arrived at team RWBY's door. Marrow offered her no well wishes or goodbyes, ending the conversation with a brief. "We'll see." before turning around and heading back the way he came.

She was glad he was finally gone, but she wasn't completely sure how things would go on the other side of the door. Their reunion was shaky at best, but seeing her team again was one of the only things that kept her alive when she was in exile. This was it.

Opening the door, three heads swiveled in shock to see her.

"That was fast. I figured they'd keep you longer," Yang said, raising to her feet.

"I think he would have if I hadn't asked to be done."

"It doesn't matter. Come on: I'll show you where your bunk is. Your stuff's already here. They dropped it off maybe an hour ago." Yang smiled, picking up two of Weiss' bags, leaving her to carry her overnight bag and her weapon.

Ruby stood to assist, following the pair into the bedroom. Blake, however, remained on the couch, noticeably silent. The concern was evident on Weiss' face as they passed through the door into the bunkroom.

"I'm sorry," Yang apologized for her. "I tried talking to her, I don't think she understands…"

"It's fine. Really it is," Weiss replied, taking the bedding provided on the bunk and making it ready for sleeping. "It's something that's going to take time. I completely understand."

Her answer seemed to satisfy the sisters who showed her which wardrobe would be hers and how to operate all the appliances in the room from the motion-sensor lights to the complicated shower and the small kitchenette area. When they finished, they sat on the couch together, Blake remaining quiet, but not unpleasant.

"Do you need anything?" Ruby offered. "Are you hungry? It's late but we don't mind cooking anything."

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not really hungry and I slept almost the whole way here, but I'm still just…exhausted."

Yang nodded, understanding. "We get it. We're just glad to have you back."

"I'm…I'm glad too. For a while…I didn't think…I…" and like a brick wall, the emotional gravity of it all hit her. She couldn't even finish the sentence, she just burst into tears.

Blake was the first person to give her a hug.

"It's ok; you did it. You made it." Blake said, squeezing her tight.

Yang and Ruby immediately joined in, completing the group hug and sharing in her tears of relief and overwhelmed feeling. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Weiss finally got enough of her composure.

"I felt like I was never there for any of you once we left Beacon, but I never once doubted that if I tried to reach out to you, you'd find me."

"We found you because Winter was looking," Yang assured her. "And you were so smart, with the weapons locker and the information about Watts, and even showing up at the gala. We never gave up hope that we'd find you, because you never stopped trying to get back to us."

"You tried to help us even when it risked your life," Blake added. "If it weren't for you, Adam would have probably killed Sun."

"It was a calculated risk, but I'm glad it paid off," Weiss admitted.

"It paid off in more ways than one," Ruby said, "Your information about Watts saved Blake from being sent to jail in Mistral."

"You guys got arrested?" Weiss asked, genuinely shocked.

Yang nodded. "Me, Blake, Jaune, and Uncle Qrow." Her scroll dinged with a notification. Yang furrowed her brow as she read the text. "Speaking of Jaune, we have been invited next door tomorrow for breakfast. Team JNPR is hosting and is inviting everyone…relevant, which I assume means Qrow, Winter and Penny."

The last one caught Weiss off guard. "I'm sorry, Penny?"

"Oh, that's right, you didn't know!" Ruby blurted. "Yeah, Penny is alive. Her dad rebuilt her."

"...because she was a robot, right," Weiss said, remembering vaguely the reaction the crowd made during the Vytal festival when one of the finalists turned out ot be a superweapon disguised as a child. "I have so many things I need to catch up on."

"And we can do that over breakfast tomorrow. For now, we should probably get to bed." Blake said, being the first to stand. "Ren likes to start cooking early so we'll have to be up and dressed well before 7:00."

"Let me guess: pancakes?" Weiss guessed.

"Actually, no. Ever since we got to Atlas, he discovered this super advanced cooking gadget called a waffle iron. He's never looked back and Nora has never been happier."

Weiss gave a light laugh. "Of course not; waffles can hold more syrup so she can have a better syrup to breakfast ratio."

"And still not gain any weight," Yang muttered bitterly under her breath.

Ruby yawned, creating a yawn chain with the other three. They couldn't deny it any longer. Ruby had been up since 4:00 that morning and had barely slept the night before in anticipation.

It wasn't as luxurious as her accommodations the previous week, but Weiss had very little trouble falling asleep. She was in a strange bed, without Adam, or her sister, but she was surrounded by her team: Ruby below her and Blake immediately across from her on the top bunk, just like the way they were at Beacon.

She was home.

"You may want to get your concerned and welcoming face on for the press…" Arthur Watts had made himself so much at home in the Schnee residents that Jacques had just given up and let him have a guest room to himself, hoping he would spend his evenings there and leave Jacques alone in his study. His hope was never realized. Watts spent every night in his office drinking his bourbon, and rigging his campaign. It was the least he could do after all, since the Schnees were such generous hosts. "It seems you're due for a family reunion soon."

"What's that supposed to mean, Arthur?" Jacques said, not looking up from his desk. He was trying to manage a company, run a campaign, and maintain his image with both sides of his life. He was walking a tightrope trying to appease the starving, unemployed faunus in the crater as well as the political elite of Atlas who opposed General Ironwood's borderline draconian measures.

"It means that Weiss is back in Atlas and is more likely than not, being housed on the military base."

"How do you know?"

Arthur smirked. "I have eyes everywhere. The drama after the gala last night has hardly calmed down, and a paparazzi caught Weiss leaving her lavish hotel this morning with Winter Schnee."

"Winter went to get her," Jacques mused. While he was not surprised, necessarily, he was a little shocked that Ironwood had let her go so soon. They must have left first thing in the morning and gotten back within the day.

"She also brought the boyfriend with her?" Arthur added as he idly scrolled through the pictures of the media postings, as well as some private sources he'd managed to hack with the power of the Schnee's advanced network.

"And what do we know of him?" Jacques asked, as he poured himself a drink. This conversation was pulling him away from his work and he needed something to deaden the nerves, otherwise he'd be throwing things and punching holes in the drywall.

"I'm not completely sure, but I have some suspicions," Watts replied. "What we know for sure is that he is definitely a faunus, he definitely has ties to the company, and he was definitely sharing a bed with your capricious daughter, not just a room. The maids are very eager to talk if their anonymity is preserved."

"No doubt she's looking to get pregnant with a faunus father just to insult me." Jacque lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip, taking a moment to savor it before speaking again. "I was wise to take the company away from her. She's impulsive and reckless."

"I think the question you need to worry about is: is she honest?" Watts asked. "Because if she tells Ironwood and her military specialist older sister that you knew she'd been kidnapped but made no attempt to look for her, you could be looking at criminal charges. Ironwood and Robyn Hill would love nothing more than to see you facing an arrest just before the elections. Even if you are able to get the charges dropped, it'll damage your reputation."

"I had her declared," Schnee replied with confidence. "Anything she says won't stand up in court unless its procured by a guardian or medical professional, and since legally I'm still her guardian, I can insist Ironwood turn her over to me and make sure she stays quiet back here at the manor."

"It seems you thought of everything," Watts said. "The council will greatly value your added sense of efficiency and…pragmatism."

Jacques didn't thank Watts for the compliment, nor wish him good night when he finally decided to turn in for the evening. He stayed and finished his glass of bourbon, then a second, then a third.

If he didn't play his cards very carefully, not even Watts would be able to help him out this.

Breakfast was nothing short of chaos.

The dorms were designed for huntsmen teams of four, and accommodating three times that many people made for cramped spaces, having to shout just to be heard, and an endless stream of breakfast food. Ren never left the kitchen once; others had to migrate to him to have a conversation.

There were so many things to catch up:

Ren and Nora had finally admitted that they liked each other and were an item.

Oscar was a new addition to the group, and he seemed lively and sweet, though the idea of Professor Ozpin's soul being in his body was so surreal.

Penny was alive, but upgraded, and was the only person Weiss knew that had a hug tighter than Nora's. She and Ruby had really bonded and Weiss couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy that Penny had gotten to bond with her partner in her absence.

Throughout the morning, they told her their stories: how they had all come back together, and how Winter had engaged all of them trying to find her. She got to hear their side of what happened at Haven and how their trip to Argus had split them up for a while, but reunited them again. Ruby in particular was excited to tell the story about how they managed to hack the comm tower to contact Winter, Yang and Blake having to add the perspective about Blake's leg, about their arrest and subsequent detainment with Cordovin, and how Winter swooped in to save them.

"Honestly, if anyone was the hero of that story, it was Jaune," Winter said, nodding to Jaune who had been quiet throughout the entire affair. Weiss noticed that out of everyone, he'd physically changed the least. His face and overall appearance was the same, though she couldn't say she liked his new haircut.

"I may have come up with the plan, but the only way it worked is because everyone played their part and worked together," he said, clearly not interested in talking. He stood and acted like he was going to make his way to the kitchen for more food, but as the conversation picked back up around her, Weiss couldn't help but notice he slipped into the bunk room instead of turning to Ren for more food. She stood, picked her way through the living space and followed him.

She found him keeping busy by throwing clothes into the washing machine.

"Not feeling very sociable?" she asked.

"No, just…trying not to get overwhelmed."

"I know there's too many people," Weiss responded. "I noticed you…retired the Pumpkin Pete hoodie."

He stopped loading clothes for a moment. "I told everyone it was time I moved on," he admitted as he closed the lid on the washer and chose the cycle, "but the truth is, I'm scared if I keep wearing it, I'll wear it out or worse…ruin it somehow in combat. It's one of the only things I have left that reminds me of her."

"It's ok to want to hold on to the memories," Weiss said, pushing herself atop their counter space. "She, of all people, deserves to be remembered."

"It's weird, I have so much training here, but whenever I'm feeling like I just can't make any progress or I'm frustrated, I go back and watch the videos she made for me and just practice the basics. It's like practicing with her and I just get re-rooted in sword skills."

"She would be proud of you," Weiss said, putting a tender hand on his shoulder.

"If I'm the one who carries on her legacy, I'm going to do it right," he replied.

"And your semblance?"

Jaune shook his head, discouraged. "Still nothing. But at least I'm not the only one. Oscar has yet to unlock his, so I don't feel so awkward."

"It will come when you need it," Weiss promised. "I wasn't able to perform a summon until everything was at stake during the Vytal Festival. You'll unlock it when the time is right." She slid off the counter and in an instant she was in his arms.

"Thank you for coming back," he said. "I don't think I could lose another friend. Not so soon."

She didn't know what to say, but she returned the embrace, thankful they were able to be friends despite what all had happened and how she treated him at Beacon.

"We'd better get back," Jaune said. "The party is for you, after all."

They squeezed back into the main room where Winter had a frantic look on her face.

"Weiss, you need to come with me, but you need to promise you won't say anything." The look on her face was grave and it immediately sucked the life out of the room. Everyone fell silent. All eyes looked to Weiss.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Winter held up her scroll indicating she'd gotten a text.

"It's Father. He's here, on the base."

Chapter Text

Excerpt from interrogation of detainee #04200520

Audio only

Name: Adam Taurus

Date 8/31/XX82

Time: 0210

Interview Conducted By:

Head of ACEOps Clover Ebi

General James Ironwood

AceOps Specialist Marrow Amin

[0210] EBI: Good evening, or good morning, rather. It is 0210 hours and we are going to be interrogating the High Leader of the White Fang, Adam Taurus. Thus far, Mr. Taurus has been cooperative and pleasant. He will be escorted in by Mr. Marrow Amin who will also be overseeing the recording of this interrogation.

[edited for time 6 minutes]

[0216] EBI: Thank you, Marrow. Won't you have a seat, Mr. Taurus?

[0216] TAURUS: Adam is fine.

[0216] EBI: Is there anything I can get you? Tea? Water? Coffee?

[0216] TAURUS: I don't suppose there's any way you can swing me a bottle of bourbon?

[0216] EBI: (chuckles) Unfortunately, no. As much as I could use a drink now, as well, I think General Ironwood would not approve.

[0216] TAURUS: And will your fearless leader be joining us this evening, or morning rather?

[0216] EBI: Unfortunately, no. General Ironwood has other matters to attend to, even at this ungodly hour. I'm afraid you're stuck with me.

[0216] TAURUS: That's unfortunate because I won't be speaking to anyone unless the General is present.

[0217] EBI: He will be given a transcript of our conversation.

[0217] TAURUS: Sir, with all due respect, I am the High Leader of the White Fang. I did not send my highest ranking lieutenant to Atlas, I came myself. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask you to do the same.

[0217] EBI: You're not really in a position to dictate who will be speaking with you.

[0217] TAURUS: I came here of my own free will, and with what I'm offering, I believe I'm in a position to make all the demands I want. You can deny them, of course, but I will not speak another word of why I turned myself in unless it's directly to the General.

[0217] (shuffling)

[0217] EBI: I can assure you, he'll be informed of our entire conversation and any action will be overseen by him directly.

[audio edited for time 6:18]

[0224] EBI: Mr. Taurus, I'm sure you're tired…

[0224] TAURUS: No doubt by your design. My cell was deliberately kept very well lit and cold, and now after 2 am I've been summoned for my interrogation? I'm sure your offer of coffee was only a ploy to fuel that fire.

[0224] EBI: We can let you back to your cell as soon as you answer a few of my questions.

[0224] TAURUS: I'm not answering any questions unless they are asked directly by General Ironwood and he asks me his questions in person.

[0224] EBI: I'm sorry, but I have no control over what the General does with his time and I"m not about to interrupt whatever very important matter he is doing now and tell him I have an uncooperative prisoner who has demanded to speak to my manager.

[0224] TAURUS: I'm not asking you to do any of that. I'm just informing you of the circumstances under which I will talk and answer questions. If that happens tonight, so be it. If that doesn't happen until four weeks from now, I'll wait.

[0224] EBI: Listen, I'm not trying to make this more difficult, I want to go to bed and sleep as much as you probably do…

[0224] TAURUS: Pity.

[0224] EBI: …but in order to do my job, I'm supposed to conduct this debriefing.

[0225] TAURUS: Perhaps then it would be in everyone's best interest if we stopped for today. We could both get some sleep and you would also have a chance to pencil in General Ironwood for this interrogation.

[0225] EBI: That just isn't going to happen.

[0225] TAURUS: It will…when you're desperate enough.

[0227] EBI: Mr. Taurus…

[0230] EBI: Please be reasonable. You really are just going to sit and say nothing until we get the General in here?

[0230] TAURUS: That is correct. Either you'll get tired enough to let me sleep, or you'll get curious enough to bring him here. Either way, I can last. I've gone days at a time without sleep or food in harsher conditions than this.

[0230] EBI: (sigh)

[transcript edited 8:04]

[0238] (door pneumatics)

[transcript edited 1:24:24]

[0403] (door pneumatics)

[0403] TAURUS: General Ironwood. It seems the AceOps aren't the only ones burning the midnight oil.

[0403] IRONWOOD: Adam Taurus. The head of the AceOps tells me you refuse to speak with anyone except me.

[0403] TAURUS: That is correct, though I did not insist it be tonight. Regardless, I thank you for meeting with me.

[0403] IRONWOOD: Why is it you wish to speak with me so desperately?

[0403] TAURUS: Not necessarily desperation, but I am aware that you and I have a few common goals that I believe need to be discussed face to face. No recordings, no transcripts; just two men who want what is best for their people having a conversation candidly.

[0403] (chair scraping)

[0404] IRONWOOD: If I may be so audacious, I'd like to see your scar for myself. I've seen the photos from your booking, but I'd still like to see it for myself.

[0404] (cloth ruffling)

[0404] IRONWOOD: Hot iron brand?

[0404] TAURUS: Yes, sir.

[0404] IRONWOOD: How old were you?

[0404] TAURUS: Eight.

[0404] IRONWOOD: And your vision?

[0404] TAURUS: I can see out of my left eye, but have limited peripheral vision. I cover it mostly to hide my identity.

[0405] IRONWOOD: Your identity as High Leader of the White Fang.

[0405] TAURUS: While I am proud of my former position, I also understand the need to not be easy to identify to the authorities, particularly of Mistral and Atlas.

[0405] IRONWOOD: I see. And I take it you have no objections to Clover Ebi being present during this debriefing and he may ask a question or two?

[0405] TAURUS: None at all. I merely insisted I speak with you in person as I am sure you will have questions only I can answer and I wish to be done with this entire process as quickly as possible.

[0406] IRONWOOD: I see. Very well. I suppose I should begin with why exactly you are here, having willingly given yourself over to the custody of the Atlesean military knowing full well you'll be tried for your crimes in Atlas and most likely extradited to Mistral to be tried for your crimes there as well, and quite possibly after that Vale and Menagerie.

[0407] TAURUS: I turned myself in, General, because something bigger than the White Fang threatens both of us and if we don't start working together now, I believe it will sign death warrants for all of us.

[0407] IRONWOOD: So this is your attempt at an alliance?

[0407] TAURUS: For this isolated instance and only as long as Salem threatens Remnant, yes. I believe our best chance at survival is for the Atlesean Military to join forces with the remaining huntsmen in Mistral and Vacuo and for the faunus to join and do their part in preventing her victory by also forming an alliance with the White Fang as well as Menagerie's volunteer militia. The grimm queen is bigger than all of us, and if we don't band together, she'll pick us off one by one.

[0408] IRONWOOD: She's already done a fair job of turning us against each other.

[0408] TAURUS: A pain I am sure you realized at the fall of Beacon. My moment of clarity came during the sacking of Haven when Hazel's men left us to take the fall for the bombing of the school and tried to arrange for our involvement to shadow his own. I can only hope the others she has worked with from the Xiong crime family to the Branwens figure out she isn't going to keep us around forever and the spoils of war only last for so long.

[0408] IRONWOOD: And how do you propose we unite? You'll just give a speech to your men, I'll give a speech to mine and we'll put down our weapons and hold hands?

[0408] EBI: We could never allow an alliance with a terrorist organization. Sharing weapons and intel with them would only result in disaster later on down the road.

[0409] TAURUS: But there will be a 'later on down the road'. If we don't, Salem will overrun the world with grimm and either destroy all of us, or subjugate us into a life worse than death.

[0409] IRONWOOD: That still doesn't answer the question. How is it that you propose we go about joining all of these adversarial forces, some of whom don't know about Salem's existence to work together to defeat her?

[0409] TAURUS: I will act as liaison to the White Fang and direct my troops accordingly to coordinate. You, of course, already have command of the strongest military force in Remnant. Blake Belladonna is here, as the daughter of the Chieftain of Menagerie has already demonstrated her ability to rally the faunus to work with huntsmen. With the combined forces, we will be able to coordinate an attack to eliminate Salem's armies, both grimm and otherwise.

[0409] EBI: So…what? We're going to network our way to victory? You know, one of our huntsmen has connections with the Branwens, should i get him on the comms and see if the bandits are interested in joining forces as well?

[0409] TAURUS: You're free to mock, but this, working together, is the only way to survive.

[0409] IRONWOOD: Logistics aside, that's only her minions. For every one of her pawns we take out, she always has one to replace it. We cannot merely defeat Salem's forces and expect her to give up. She's been at this for centuries, she'll always find a way to come back.

[0410] TAURUS: I am also under the impression that Salem's destined nemesis is also here in Atlas. Ozma's soul has inhabited a boy. If he has true magic, between him and your silver-eyed warrior, you'll have the relevant firepower you need to destroy the grimm queen herself.

[0410] IRONWOOD: How you know about either of those things is beyond me, but perhaps you weren't made privy to the fact that Salem cannot be killed.

[0410] TAURUS: I believe the information is that Ozma cannot kill Salem. That speaks nothing of Ruby Rose or anyone else that might make the attempt. Ozma can assist, which is imperative as he can wield actual magic, but the only caveat is that he can't strike the killing blow.

[0410] IRONWOOD: That's assuming the information is applied specifically to Ozma. We're acting under the assumption the relic's answer applied to everyone. If she can't be killed, there has to be some other way she can be defeated in a relatively permanent way.

[0410] TAURUS: No matter how you attempt it: capture, destruction, banishing her to another dimension, it's going to take real magic, serious manpower, and serious firepower. I can bring you two of those things.

[0411] EBI: Two? You can bring portions of one. You know nothing about real magic: the relics and maidens and I seriously doubt you have enough manpower to actually assist the Atlesean army and the full force of the huntsmen.

[0411] TAURUS: Then explain to me why the White Fang has thrived and evaded capture for decades acting outside of the law. You have yet to make any kind of meaningful headway with who you have characterized as a ragtag group of urban terrorists. Your people outnumber mine almost five to one and yet we've won a war unto ourselves and have successfully mounted attacks on two of you academies.

[0411] IRONWOOD: You had help.

[0411]TAURUS We are resourceful and pragmatic. We aren't bound by a council like your army or by a code of ethics like your huntsmen, we do what needs to be done.

[0411] IRONWOOD: And the serious firepower?

[0411] TAURUS: Weiss Schnee.

[0411] EBI: She isn't even the SDC heiress anymore and she's not a licensed huntsmen.

[0412] TAURUS: Not yet. But this is the crux of our conversation. Whether anyone realizes it or not, Weiss is the lynchpin holding our success together. She may not even realize how crucial she is to the fate of the world. But I do.

[0412] IRONWOOD: Why don't you elaborate on your relationship with Weiss Schnee?

[0412] TAURUS: I was initially instructed to assassinate Weiss as a means of redeeming myself from the shame of my involvement at Beacon. Then High Leader Sienna Khan thought it was…unbecoming of me to work with humans to attack a school full of children and that had faunus attendees. To make up for this, I was instructed to regain my goodwill with the White Fang by killing the heiress of the SDC, though I know now she's been disinherited.

[0412] IRONWOOD: Why didn't you kill her?

[0412] TAURUS: I thought…at the time…I thought it would make for better revenge to enslave her to the White Fang, the way her father had enslaved the faunus to his company. Not even being given the dignity to die for your cause but instead being forced to serve the very people who despise and abuse you. I was filled with hatred for everything she was: a human, a Schnee, a huntress, and I wanted her to suffer. I wanted my vengeance to be more long term than just slitting her throat in her sleep

[0412] IRONWOOD: And when did that change?

[0412] TAURUS: I don't know if there was any one point, but it was gradual, like falling asleep: slowly and then all at once. She never fought me, and yet she constantly challenged my ideals, my philosophy and even pointed out when my actions contradicted my desires. I knew, despite my mistreatment of her, that I could trust her, and in time, we came to depend on each other because we were all each other had.

[0412] IRONWOOD: You had an entire terrorist faction at your disposal.

[0412] TAURUS: General, you and I know that there were things that I know, working with the likes of Cinder and Hazel that we couldn't just reveal to the dedicated faunus under me. So, yes. Weiss became my confidant, my advisor, and eventually, we became involved romantically.

[0412] IRONWOOD: Sexually?

[0415] TAURUS: Yes.

[0416] IRONWOOD: And how long have you two been involved?

[0416] TAURUS: There isn't a hard and fast start date to this, but I'd say…two months, maybe ten weeks.

[0417] IRONWOOD: And did the White Fang approve of your relationship?

[0417] TAURUS: (snort) Not when they found out.

[0417] IRONWOOD: You tried to keep it a secret?

[0417] TAURUS: I was concerned it would affect my reputation and her safety, yes.

[0417] IRONWOOD: And after that, after they found out about the two of you, is when you decided to flee here to Atlas?

[0417] TAURUS: It was her idea and I thought it wise.

[0417] EBI: And how do we know you're not just using Jacques Schnee's daughter to get the huntsmen and the rest of humanity to fight off the devil you were foolish enough to make deals with?

[0418] TAURUS: Because if I had wanted to use her, I would have started the night I took her and I wouldn't have brought her back to you. Had I wanted to "use her", either for my personal pleasure or for my nefarious plans, I would not have put her back in the path of her people, her team, and her own sister. I put her own weapon back in her hand. I followed her lead here, and I have no guarantee now that you'll even release me when this is all over. I'm risking everything I have ever loved or had for the last fourteen years. You think I would do that because I thought I could get the Atlesean military to do my dirty work for me?

[0418] IRONWOOD: Perhaps not your dirty work, but I have a hard time believing that you've miraculously seen the error of your ways and have decided to turn from enemy to ally just because you've had some revelation.

[0418] TAURUS: Please don't take this as some kind of change of heart, General. The faunus are not so eager to let bygones be bygones.

[0418] EBI: You mean you do not wish to work alongside the huntsmen?

[0418] TAURUS: What I mean is, I do not wish to side with humanity: to aid the same kinds of people who put us in cages and made us resort to violence just to make our voices heard. The faunus have spent the last twenty years not benefitting from a war we supposedly won. I fear that if we reach out an olive branch to humanity now, without any real change on their part, we are absolving their past, but also condoning how they treat us now. We will be giving humanity every right to say they were just "misguided' in the past and that our actions are us being difficult and vindictive. Our goals may align, but we are not working for the humans.

[0419] IRONWOOD: And after this ordeal with Salem? What then?

[0419] TAURUS: I think we should wait until we get to that bridge to cross it, don't you?"

[0419] (chair creak)

[0419] IRONWOOD: And you believe the White Fang will still follow you? Now that you've been seen at Schnee funded galas and have fled to Atlas to seek shelter from the consequences of your actions and under the auspices of the very rich humans they despise?

[0419] TAURUS: When they learn the truth about Salem, yes. I have many loyal members of the White Fang. Both Vale and Menagerie are loyal exclusively to me, and even if Artis takes over as the high leader, most of Mistral, if given a choice, will choose me over that she-bear.

[0419] EBI: And why will they follow you?

[0420] TAURUS: Because I am a product of both the mistreatment of humanity and the misanthropy of the White Fang. If anyone can bring the faunus to see the necessity of doing something untasteful to ensure our mutual survival, it's me.

[0420] EBI: And why should we trust you?

[0420] TAURUS: Because Weiss and I have come to Atlas for more than just our safety. We have a mission here, and I think in this regard, our desires would coincide.

[0420] IRONWOOD: How so?

[0420] TAURUS: Your biggest fear right now is Salem, but your second is the elections. We've brought with us enough evidence to ensure Jacques Schnee must recuse his campaign and, if all goes well, steps down as the CEO of the SDC as well, leaving you with Robyn Hill on the council and an ally at the help of the greatest dust supplier in Remnant.

[0420] IRONWOOD: You must have some pretty damning evidence. Something we've been trying to dig up for years and you were able to obtain it within the span of a few months.

[0420] TAURUS: A week actually.

[0421] (papers shuffling)

[0421] TAURUS: You see, General, if you know which people to ask, the information comes to you quite easily. You spent all your years trying to figure out how he was cooking the books and didn't even consider asking any of the actual people he victimized.

[0421] EBI: The faunus?

[0421] TAURUS: His daughters.

[edited for time 3 minutes]

[0424] IRONWOOD: And after that?

[0424] TAURUS: After that, we begin the insurmountable task of working together to take down the greatest threat to life that has ever been.

[0424] IRONWOOD: A task for which we are woefully unprepared.

[0424] TAURUS: Perhaps now, but if my plans are put into effect, and if Weiss is allowed to assume her rightful place as the heiress of the SDC, we would be able to bolster your troops with the dust and additional skill sets offered by the faunus and we actually might stand a fighting chance.

[0424] IRONWOOD: There are still so many logistics. (sigh)

[0424] TAURUS: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Our first step is removing Jacques Schnee from his company. Will you assist us with this?

[CONTENT REDACTED FROM 0424 - 0431]

[0431] IRONWOOD: We can discuss the matter further. Operative Ebi, you are dismissed for the time being. If you'll excuse us, Mr. Taurus and I have some matters to discuss in private.

[0431] EBI: Yes, sir.

[0431] IRONWOOD: And if you would be so kind as to turn off the recording devices in the room.

[0431] EBI: Yes, sir. I'll see to it.

[0431] IRONWOOD: Get some rest, Clover.

[0432] IRONWOOD: Thank you sir.

[0432] (door pneumatic)

[0432] IRONWOOD: (sigh) You must have a serious ace in the hole if you've come into my compound with that kind of confidence. What exactly is it that you have on Jacques Schnee?

[0432] TAURUS: First, I think we should discuss the terms of my release and immunity from charges. Even if you decide to not to try me for my many…many crimes, I need a guarantee that I won't be extradited to Mistral or Vale…or even Menagerie.

[0432] IRONWOOD: I can't give you that kind of guarantee if the information you have isn't as effective as you'd like it to be. Immunity is not going to be something I can offer you until I can see the information you have.

[0432] TAURUS: There are two encrypted flash-drives; one is with my belongings and the other is with Weiss. Hers is enough to take Jacques Schnee out of his run for the Council. Mine will remove him from ownership of the SDC. You are free to check the information Weiss has to prove its voracity. After that, if you want what's on my drive, we'll need to discuss the terms of my immunity.

[0433] IRONWOOD: You've thought of everything, Mr. Taurus. Planned to the last detail.

[0433] TAURUS: As always. My survival and the survival of my people depends on it.

[0433] (chair scraping)

[0433] IRONWOOD: You should get some sleep. We'll collect the information from Weiss later this morning. If things check out, you could be released as early as this evening.

[0433] TAURUS: Thank you, sir.

[0433] audio disconnected

Chapter Text

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I was away for so long. It might take a little time to get back in the swing of things, so if the next few chapters drag or are clunky I apologize. Getting back into writing is hard.

I also realized far too late that it's been longer for my AO3 audience as I forgot to upload my last chapter from before my break in addition to this new one. So, yes, there are two chapters uploaded the same day, one from before my hiatus and the other my first chapter back.

Jacques Schnee expected some resistance when he came to the base to 'collect' his daughter. What he did not expect was a party of thirteen huntsmen, Pietro's puppet girl, his eldest daughter and the general himself all coming to him armed and ready to defy his attempts.

Winter led the group, flanked by Ironwood and another huntsmen from Vale he recognized but could not name, though immediately behind them, Weiss walked with her head held high, hand on her sword and a snarl curling her lip and nose into the schneer all three of the siblings were famous for. She clearly wasn't afraid of him…but he had many other motivators aside from fear.

They met in the lobby of the reception building, coming out of the elevator as a single unit. The space was largely empty, Jacques only accompanied by his driver and the stationed guards dotted throughout the first floor.

"How did you even get clearance to get on the base?" Ironwood demanded.

"I have a vested interest in the military proceedings and I passed all the security checks," Jacques said, keeping his composure, arrogance spilling out with every word. "I think the real question here is, why did you conceal the return of my missing daughter from me?"

"We had no idea she was missing," Ironwood replied, his voice flat and unable to discern. If Jacques was going to play the posturing game, he could too. "It was never reported to the authorities. We were under the impression she was convalescing due to her severe PTSD and finally made a breakthrough while on a tour through Anima."

The dust mogul had years to perfect his facade. "James, I think we know each other well enough to not play games. I chose not to inform the authorities so as not to ensue any more panic or false ransom claims and instead decided to have my own private investigators look into the matter."

Winter rolled her eyes. Jacques glared at her but kept going.

"At any rate, I'm not one to be petty. She's safe and home, and,at this time, I won't be pressing any charges against the Atlesean Military, nor will I be withholding my business as it would be unbecoming for my campaign. I have an image to maintain. So, if you'll simply hand her over, that will be the end of things and I'll be out of your hair."

"She's nineteen, she doesn't have to go with you. You're not her guardian," Winter said sternly.

He smiled. He returned the schneer as he pulled out a manilla envelope. "She may, perhaps, be of legal age, but what Weiss may not have told you was that during her short time home, she was declared mentally incompetent and disinherited from SDC ownership until she could again be determined stable enough to take charge of her own affairs, much less the company in the event of my death or retirement. Her current well being and financial assets are under a conservatorship of which I am the sole conservator."

"I didn't sign anything like that," Weiss insisted, the statement meant more to inform Ironwood than declaring it to her father.

"You didn't have to. You were underaged at the time and your mother was only too happy to sign the papers if it meant going back to her vintage bordeaux."

Both sisters clenched their jaws. Their father could be a real piece of work sometimes.

Looking the documents over, Ironwood had to concede that everything, at least legally, backed up what Jacques had said. He still maintained a type of custody over his middle daughter that allowed him to make financial and well-being decisions for her, including her place of residence. He said nothing, only pursed his lips.

"Well you're not taking her," Yang said, folding her arms, deliberately showing off the prosthetic. "You can't just waltz onto a military base and take her away."

"I can if she's mine," Jacques quipped back.

Nora's grip on her hammer tightened. She cast an expectant look over to Ren, begging silently for permission to break his legs.

Ren shook his head silently.

"She's not your property," Jaune said, finally speaking for his team. "And you didn't even care where she was for the past fourteen months. Why do you care now?"

"Because he needs to make it look like the entire situation at the gala was part of his plan," Weiss replied, locking eyes with her father as she spoke. "He also needs to get me out of the tabloids and news stories before the elections."

Jacques refused to speak to his daughter directly, instead keeping his focus on General Ironwood. "Regardless of the circumstances of her disappearance or return, she is still in my custody. You can't just keep her here without cause. You're already in enough hot water with the council, James. Do you really want to start a feud with not only a candidate but your sole dust provider for the entire island? You've already embargoed my business until it's hemorrhaging money, put the entire nation in a state of lockdown and caused mass paranoia. And on top of that, your actions of limiting my business are affecting the most disadvantaged of our society."

Blake snorted.

"Unfortunately, Father, I am part of an ongoing investigation into a person of interest," Weiss said. "I'll be released as soon as the investigation is included, and I'm sure even the council will be understanding in that regard, provided I'm returned as soon as the investigation is finished."

"Was my daughter questioned and held without your lawyer or legal guardian present?"

"I'm afraid neither is permitted to be present for a military debriefing, nor a psych evaluation…which still needs to be administered," Ironwood added. "She should be ready in another day for 'collection' as you put it. You'll be free to take your daughter and we'll have concluded our investigation."

Jacques hated losing, but could see with this amount of resistance he'd either need to bide his time or come back with more firepower. "Twenty-four hours," he conceded. "After that, if she is not handed to me, I'll be taking this to the council and to the news stations. I won't let you keep my daughter from me." As he was leaving, he pulled out his scroll, asking for the family doctor and lawyer to contact him immediately. Weiss kept her eyes on him intently until he had disappeared into his car and driven away.

"Find whatever guard let him on the base and pull his credentials," Ironwood immediately ordered the ACEOps. "No one representing Jacque Schnee is to come on this base for the foreseeable future: not Jacques himself, not his lawyer, no one. Stop them at the gate and if anyone lets them in, I'll have them court martialed."

Clover nodded solemnly. "We'll see it done, sir."

"We won't let him take you," Ruby said to reassure her. "We'll figure out a way to hide your or get you sent away."

Weiss shook her head. "We need to start the psychological evaluation now," she said, turning to the general.

"Now?"

Winter agreed. "Our father is without question right now trying to stop it from happening. He doesn't want any kind of documentation that he didn't inform the proper authorities she was missing or that we suffered any kind of abuse."

"But are you ready for it?" Ruby asked. "I'm sure General Ironwood can stall…"

"I don't know, but if I don't get one now, I'll be forced back to his conservatorship with no way of getting out." Weiss was insistent, and everyone could tell by the intensity in her voice she wasn't afraid of her father, but she needed to stay out from under his thumb.

"The rest of you can return to your rooms. Miss Schnee, if you will follow me, we can take you to the medical wing and begin the evaluation as soon as a doctor becomes available."

Winter gave her sister a hug. "When you're done, come find me," she whispered. "In case you get taken away, there are some things you need to know."

Weiss nodded, before releasing her grip on her sister.

James and the younger Schnee walked alone to their elevator while the opposite elevator on the other side crowded with the miniature army that had come to defend her.

Alone in the elevator, James turned to ask Weiss a question but was surprised when she cut him off before he could get a word out.

"General, if I ask you a question, will you promise not to read into it?"

"I'm…not sure if I can. I'm not in a place to take anything anyone says at face value. Not anymore. But, for your sake, I will try. What is it you wanted to ask?"

"Is Adam ok?"

Ironwood could tell by her tone that it came from a place of concern. He understood why she didn't want to ask with the others around and why he didn't want him to interpret the question for anything more than it was. She wasn't desperate, she didn't ask to see him, but she was genuinely interested in his well being.

"He is still in a collar and he is still in a holding cell, but he is being treated well," Ironwood assured her. "He is sleeping and eating regularly and is calm. He hasn't given us any trouble."

'And through his interrogation, which I'm sure you conducted, has he informed you about the evidence we have compiled?"

"He has but we can worry about that once we are sure your father isn't going to sick the council and media on us for keeping you here. Let's get through the evaluation first and we can look at all this evidence you two claim to have once you get done."

"I think that is wise," she agreed. "I know…I know for all the atrocities he committed, I appreciate you treating him with decency and hearing him out."

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows," Ironwood responded. Weiss was sure it was a quote from something she had read before but could not quite place, but at least he was willing to see the benefit Adam brought to the table and that an alliance with the White Fang, however distasteful, was necessary to have a chance against Salem.

He walked her to the medical wing where a psychologist was waiting in the lobby to take her back. Weiss was escorted away by the woman, just old enough to have wrinkles and graying hair but still looked young enough to not seem out of place in a hospital.

Ironwood did not want to admit it, but he had reservations about her receiving an evaluation this quickly after her rescue and return to Atlas. If she didn't perform well, this could bode terribly, especially if Jacques locked her away again. He secretly hoped she was as confident as she acted, following the doctor down the hall and out of sight.

Returning to the elevator, he found Marrow waiting for him, a memory stick in his hand.

"Good news is, I found it," he began, "Bad news is, it's encrypted and it might take weeks to crack."

"Good. I also want you to find the one in Miss Schnee's belongings. Adam said hers also contained incriminating information."

"Perhaps…it would be better if we let them hand them over. It might not inspire trust if we seize them first, especially without their knowledge or consent." Marrow spoke from his heart but with great caution. Over the past few months he'd seen Ironwood's deterioration, and the lack of trust was creating an unhealthy atmosphere on the base, especially toward authority figures such as himself and Winter.

"We don't have the luxury of trust, Operative Armin," Ironwood replied, staring him down with his steely gaze of authority. "Find the other memory drive now. I don't care if you have to pry Weiss' luggage out of her teammate's hands."

"Yes, sir." Marrow saluted, but his tone indicated he was obeying only because of rank and not because he agreed with the orders. He turned and re-entered the elevator, leaving James alone to take the elevator going his direction.

He was new on the ACEOps team, and Clover had nothing but praise to offer about him, but Ironwood knew Marrow Amin was on the edge more so than the rest of his team. The kid was new, he still had ideals and altruism and a conscience, and if it came to a matter of duty or conscience…the general wasn't sure which Marrow would pick.

He'd have to learn pretty quickly in times like this one couldn't afford to have a conscience anymore.

"She passed?"

The doctor shrugged as she reviewed her papers, choosing the old school method of physical, tangible paperwork over the impersonality of a hologram or tablet. "I see no reason to believe Weiss Schnee, although having some trauma, is of a sound mind and able to make competent decisions as an adult. You sound surprised."

"She was a hostage of the White Fang for over a year." As much as Ironwood wanted to believe it, he found it hard to do so. He had to be absolutely sure.

"She also survived the fall of Beacon and a less than ideal homelife, but based on her responses and demeanor, I have no reason to believe any PTSD she may or may not be suffering from is affecting her ability to function in society as a normal citizen. She did have training as a huntress and has undergone hostage training. People have gone through just as much and not completely had a mental break. She's…relilient. Damaged, but more than able to make decisions for herself and her well being."

Ironwood turned away to face the window. "Did she say anything about what they did to her?"

"I'm not sure if you're referring to her parents or the White Fang, but you know I can't answer that either way. The specifics of what I asked her and her answers are privileged information."

"And her father won't have access to the questions either? As her executor?"

The doctor shook her head. "Privileged."

The general permitted himself a wry smile. "Good." He turned back once he'd composed himself to look over the evaluation. "What's next?"

"The next step would be a request to have a medical board review my evaluation. If we can process the request by today, the board can probably declare her legally competent by the end of the week."

"Her father is coming back for her in less than 24 hours, there's no way we can request for an emergency hearing?"

"You can," the doctor conceded, "If you can offer some kind of proof that you believe that Weiss is in some kind of imminent danger by being turned back over to her father, which we really don't have any indication of by either his actions or Weiss' evaluation. She does not perceive him as a threat to her safety…at least not anymore. However I think it best that you ask her opinion on the matter. While she may not be interested in returning to her father, she has a mother and a younger brother as well."

Ironwood let out a long exhale in exasperation before nodding at the doctor and entering the quiet evaluation room where Weiss was still waiting. The room looked almost like a dentists office with a fish tank, abstract furniture and cosmos style art that was nothing distinct, but composed of curved lines and cool colors, all allegedly thought to relax a patient. Weiss herself was seated primly opposite a coffee table.

"The doctor says you should be declared mentally competent," he began, "she can send her evaluation to the Atlesean Medical Board to have your case reviewed and if they agree with our findings, you'll be declared competent and released from your conservatorship."

"And I would like that board review, but not exactly yet," Weiss said calmly.

"This is your only chance to get out from under your father, Weiss…"

"This is my last resort. I can get out from under him without involving the Council or the military or any medical system. The best way and the easiest is for him to cancel it himself, and I want to give that a try first. Have a request for review drafted, but don't send it off just yet."

The general sat across from her. "What are you planning?"

"My father is probably trying to do everything he can to lock me down and when he comes for me tomorrow, if you don't release me, it will reflect poorly on the military. It will look like you and my father are unable to set aside your personal qualms with each other for the sake of professionalism, and it will look worse on your end. If you refuse to turn me over, the council and media will have questions. You have to let me go back hom and make it look like you helped me reunite with my family."

He frowned. He absolutely did not agree with this plan and Weiss could see it all over his face. "If he gets you back, he'll either lock you up or send you away and who knows when we'll see you again."

"General, it has to be this way. If the medical board rescinds my conservatorship, that still leaves Whitley as the heir of the SDC. I have to have that position, Whitley cannot take my legacy and run it into the ground, not with what is at stake with Salem and the maidens."

"How can you be sure he'll actually relinquish you, much less return your status as the heir apparent to his company."

Weiss' face suddenly contorted into something Ironwood had never seen before: it was cold but with an intensity that would have scared him had it come from Winter. "It's not his company, it's my mother's," she snarled. "Everything that my father is and has is because of who he married. It's not his name, it's my mother's, it's not his money, it's my mother's, it's not his company, it's my mother's, and I will be the one to carry on my mother's legacy, not Whitley. And I am sure that I have enough evidence to ruin him. If all goes well, he won't only be stepping out of his political campaign, but he'll be stepping down as CEO of the company and moving out of the manor."

"You're that confident?"

"We have the proof to back it up."

"And if not? If he tries to lock you away from the public like he did the first time?"

"If I'm not back on the base within 24 hours of my father picking me up, then send the request to the medical board. That threat alone will keep him from doing anything rash. If he pays off the medical board, then release the contents of my hard drive to the tabloids; they'll eat it up. If he pays them off too, then I still have a back up, one he can't touch because she's not even on the continent."

"And who is that?"

"Lisa Lavender. We spoke at the gala in Argus and I provided her with a very juicy interview that she can release the day before the elections should I not specifically contact her to not run the story."

"And when you keep saying "we"?"

"Myself and Adam."

"That's not going to happen," Ironwood said flatly.

"You can't just let him come with me to the base in Argus with all those rumors flying and then just vanish as soon as he gets to Atlas. People are going to ask questions. We have to keep this facade up. Even my father will have to play along with it."

"I'm not going to just let the High Leader of the White Fang loose on an Atlesean military base. We have no idea what kind of threat he poses."

"That was the deal," Weiss retorted. "He would be released once I handed over my hard drive and you were able to decrypt it, and after that he'd be given immunity for his past crimes including the international ones when his was decrypted."

"Perhaps that was the outcome you two cooked up together when you were plotting this, but he's a terrorist with a personal score to settle with your father, I'm not going to let him just walk off the base with a hard drive and a pinky promise from you that you'll make him behave. I've worked hard to secure our borders and I'm not ready to risk letting someone as dangerous as him loose in Atlas and Mantle. We won't know if the information the two of you compiled is worth the risk until we decrypt the hard drives we confiscated."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Of course he'd try to find some way to circumnavigate their plan in case he didn't want to play by their rules. Neither of them were tech experts, there would be no way to keep out the professionals forever, but Adam had at least put enough security on both drives that the information would be more expedient with their input.

"You realize you can have both of those hard drives by tonight if you just let Adam and I work our plan?"

"Weiss…I…" he sighed. He leaned forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees as he slouched toward her. "I know you've passed this psych evaluation, but if I'm going to let either of you off this base and out of my sight, there's some things I need to know for myself. Things I had no intention of asking on the record during your initial interview."

"Ok?" Weiss seemed skeptical.

"I know I'm not your father, but, I feel like someone needs to ask. Adam Taurus tells me the two of you are involved romantically. Was this completely consensual on your part?"

Weiss was either unfazed by the question or had mastered keeping her composure. "Yes. I was not coerced or pressured into a relationship with him."

"And is that something anyone else on your team knows? Or your sister?"

"I haven't explicitly said we've become involved. I did not think anyone was ready for that, but I don't plan to hide it from them forever."

"Miss Schnee, you're safe here. Adam is incarcerated and in a dust collar. He can't hurt you and you're in no danger of being charged criminally. I need you to be honest: was any part of your relationship coerced? Have you been guilted, or manipulated in any way to sleep with him, to agree with his ideals or to assist him in destroying your father's reputation? All of this was of your own free will and outside of his influence?"

Weiss looked at her reflection in the finish of the coffee table. With no repercussions, did she still wish to proceed with her plan, and did she still believe as Adam did about the White Fang, her father's company and the fight against Salem?

Yes.

"While I was initially kept as a hostage, I can assure you, and the evaluation will reflect this: I was not coerced into anything that led me back to Atlas. I was not pressured to have sex with him at any point, in fact he refused to proceed until I had given him an excessive amount of consent. He did not initiate the move to Argus, that was my suggestion, and as far as the SDC goes…we both have our reasons for wanting my father out of this election and out of the SDC."

"I see." Ironwood mulled over her words. "I just wanted to make absolutely sure. If I'm to let the two of you leave together, I have to be absolutely sure you're confident he won't try something ridiculous like holding all of Schnee Manor hostage for some kind White Fang statement."

"Technically, Adam isn't even High Leader anymore," Weiss admitted. "His choices to defy Salem as well as…me…got him in hot water. He left before it was official, but he knew there would be a meeting with the chapter heads to have him removed."

"And…who does that leave in charge?"

"Either Artis, the chapter head of Atlas or Sienna Khan."

"I was under the impression Sienna Khan was dead."

"We helped propagate the lie so she could muster a following of White Fang who agreed with us in secret while Adam kept up appearances with Hazel. The best we can guess is she's somewhere in northeast Mistral."

"Is there anything you haven't schemed up?" Ironwood asked.

"We can't take everything into account," Weiss admitted. "But we were heavily banking on Adam being released eventually. I'm not necessarily afraid to face my father on my own, but if he decided to try and force me to stay, I would have liked to have back up."

The general stood. "I'll see what I can do."

She stood to follow suit. "That's all I can ask for."

"Would you like me to get you an escort back to your room?"

"No, I'd actually like to find and speak to my sister. We promised today we'd catch up."

"I'll let her know you're free," he said, pulling the door open and holding it for her to exit first. "I promise you we'll be right on top of it. We'll have the papers drafted and if we don't hear from you within 24 hours of you leaving the base, we'll send it in. From there you might be stuck for another week, maybe two with how slowly things are going."

"Thank you, sir."

He bid her farewell and made his way back to his office. It took multiple hallways and two elevators to finally get him into his office with the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the entire complex. He'd been called crazy for being so strict and possessive, but it was his responsibility, his to protect and every last soldier looked to him for guidance and the security that what they were doing was actually going to help save the world. As he looked out across the airstrip and the courtyard, he tried to think of a way to get those two crazy kids under control. In under a week, he'd been presented with two new players in a game that decided the fate of Remnant, and both were running circles around his plans. He needed a way to control them, to make sure they didn't go rogue and make things worse for everyone, but he had nothing over them: somehow, they'd accounted for almost every contingency and as admirable as it was, Ironwood was secretly furious it was happening to him. Their plan, admittedly, was their best shot at destroying Salem: uniting as many people as possible that could fight and coordinating attacks was something he would never be able to do alone, but the idea of trusting a terrorist and a teenage girl were also not inspiring confidence, as good as their plans sounded.

He took in a deep breath.

He had to put his people first.

He had to give them their best chance.

He had to take that risk.

He had to trust them.

Pulling out his scroll, he called down to detainment.

"This is Officer Cathari," the voice on the other end said.

"Arrange to release prisoner #04200520," Ironwood said, "Authorization code 261881482"

There was a long pause.

"Authorization code received. Mr. Taurus will be released and his effects returned to him as soon as we finish the formalities on our end."

"You can return his clothes and his eyepatch, but not his sword. Have it brought to my office. And keep his dust collar on."

"Yes, sir. I'll have it sent up. Where would you like to send him?"

"Have him sent first to Cryptology and once they're finished, bring him to me."

"Will do, sir."

The general offered a short 'thank you' before disconnecting the call. 

He was already regretting his decision.

Chapter Text

The color white. 

     A long recognized symbol of purity, clarity and strength, but also conveying both the softness of snow and the harshness of light. It was the color chosen by the Atlesean military to convey their commitment to demonstrating their ice-cold precision and flawless execution of their missions. 

     The Schnee name meant ‘snow’, hailing back to their origins from the north and the snowflake design of the family glyphs. The family even doubled down on the winter motif when a Gele married into the family and they named their eldest daughter Winter. 

     Her very name meant White, and between her hair, her skin, and her choice of color palette, it seemed like Weiss was the physical manifestation of the color white itself. She liked it, she liked all the things it stood for and had integrated it into her identity as much as her public image. 

     But standing here, in an observation deck looking in on the woman clad in white in an all white room filled with shiny chrome appliances and artificial white lighting, the color looked harsh and cold. She liked white when it looked innocent, but hated it when it looked clinical. 

     “And you’re the only person she talks to?” she asked Winter without facing her. 

     “I’ve been the only person whose face she has seen in the past year, yes,” Winter affirmed, also facing forward and looking in on the decrepit maiden. 

     “And if this doesn’t work? If her last thought is of some daughter or niece or some little girl she saved in a village somewhere?” 

     “It seems unlikely,” Winter said flatly, “She never married, had no children and her mind is not what it used to be in her youth. She has sacrificed much, and we are going to make sure that it doesn’t go to waste.” 

     “So…you’ll do the same? You won’t ever marry, you’ll live a life in seclusion for a people who will never know or thank you, and end up spending your last days in a bunker hooked up to a bunch of machines so your special gift can keep feeding their machine?” 

     Winter let out a long exhale before answering. “I’m willing to do it, yes. It’s what Ironwood needs me to do. Keeping the maiden powers secure is the only way to keep them from Salem.” “And you saw how that worked for Pyrrha…and Pyrrha’s predecessor.” 

     Winter clenched her jaw. She’d chosen to show Weiss all this hoping she would understand, but it seemed she only had cynical barbs to offer her older sister and her choices. “What happened with Amber is only proof that we have to work harder to protect this power. If Salem gets ahold of the other three there is nothing we can do to stop her. Someone has to do this, and I’m willing and I fit the criteria.” 

     Weiss softened seeing her sister becoming tense. “But is that what you want? Be honest. Do you want to live the rest of your life as a glorified superweapon and die in obscurity with no husband or family or legacy? I’m not asking if it needs to be done, Winter, I’m asking if you want to do this or if you just feel like you need to do it because we need heroes?” 

     “Weiss, I left home the day I turned eighteen to join the military,” she turned to her sister. “I knew if I stayed, I’d be daddy’s little puppet to show off at all the galas and corporate events and then be used as a pawn in some merger, arranged to marry some rich prig who only wanted me for my pedigree. I thought the military would let me become something more than my last name. But then I realized it followed me here, too. Any time I was promoted, any time I was chosen to fall on Ironwood’s sword for him, I never knew if it was because of my last name or because I was the right woman for the task. You know what it’s like, always feeling scrutinized and every action being the wrong one.” 

     The younger sister let out a half laugh. “I know. If you date a rich guy you’re perpetuating the class war, if you date a poor guy you’re virtue signaling. They put me on a stage to sing and play the piano to show off the Schnees and then called me privileged when one of my songs made it on the radio. We can’t win.” 

     “But I can. I can make a real difference if I do this here. Even if it means dying young, this power is immense and I can use it to fight against real evil and even if no one knows my name, I’ll be able to leave a legacy of peace so that…I don’t know when you get married and have kids, I’ll have had a part in

creating a world where my nieces and or nephews don’t have to live in fear of a looming evil and the destruction of the world. There was never any hope for me, Weiss, but you? You have a real future and I’m going to fight for it. I just wanted someone to know in case I went missing or if I ever was listed as some wanted criminal that I’m out here doing Ozpin and Ironwood’s work. I wanted at least one person to know the truth and what I was doing.” 

     Weiss pulled her sister into a hug. “As long as you’re choosing this. I support you. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to because Ironwood is pressuring you into it because you feel like you owe him your loyalty.” She released Winter when she felt her scroll vibrate. She fished it out of her pocket to read the text. 

     “They’re releasing Adam,” Weiss said. 

     “I know, they want to meet us in Ironwood’s war room,” Winter held up her scroll, having gotten a notification as well. 

     Adam was seated at the conference table, still collared and with his hands bound with dust cuffs he rested on his elbows under the table. Weiss took her seat next to Adam, vaguely acknowledging his presence so as not to give too much away to Ironwood or her sister. Winter sat across from Weiss while Ironwood seated himself across from Adam. The attendants were dismissed and for a few moments, the four of them were completely silent. The whole thing felt more like a hostile company take over rather than a negotiation between allies. 

     Ironwood finally broke the silence. “Your father will be here first thing in the morning for you, in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up at midnight to get you as early in the day as possible, but the both of you will need to be prepared to leave as soon as he arrives. Adam will be released at that time and not before, though we will maintain your ruse as you are permitted to leave the base.” 

     “We understand,” Weiss said. “My assumption is that he’ll be here as soon as the sun is up so it’s visible and he can still seem reasonable to the council and the public. If you give me access to his things, I’ll pack him overnight bag. We won’t be staying long, and if I can avoid it, we won’t be spending the night in the manor at all.” 

     “Be prepared for the worst, but as we discussed earlier, if you’re not back in 48 hours, we will release a medical request to have your psychological evaluation admitted to the board to rescind your conservatorship. The threat of that alone should keep him in line.” 

     The thought occurred to Weiss that this was going too amicably for this to warrant a meeting in the general’s private office with Winter present. “But there’s something more?” she asked skeptically. Ironwood took a deep breath. Sometimes he hated how sharp the Schnee women were. It was impossible to outmaneuver them. “We understand the need to keep up appearances for everyone’s safety and to establish a believable narrative but you also have to acknowledge our need to protect ourselves, and you. The military has an image of confidence to maintain.” 

     “So there are conditions?” Weiss looked incredulously at Adam’s collar and cuffs. 

     “You have caveats, Weiss. So do we.” He gestured at Adam as if negotiating for an alliance with the White Fang was some charitable act and the Atlesean military was getting nothing out of it. Ironwood pulled up a document on his holopad. “First, Adam Taurus will not be returned his weapon and will not be permitted access to a weapon or dust while in Schnee Manor. His sword will only be returned once he returns to the military base.”

     Adam and Weiss said nothing, not even looking at each other, but both clearly displeased. Ironwood continued. “Second, for the duration of his time off the base, Adam will wear a dust collar designed to dampen his aura and render him unable to use his semblance. His location, aura consumption and any dust use will be monitored and at any point he attempts to surge his aura or tamper with the collar, we will be alerted and will dispatch the AceOps to your location. He will immediately be removed without question and returned to the holding facility here.”

     “That is both unenforceable and ridiculous, but do go on,” Weiss said, her face becoming darker and angrier with every word the general spoke. 

     Adam remained quiet for the entire proceedings, keeping a blank look on face. Winter was unable to tell if he was as displeased with the demands Ironwood had come up with, did not care, or was just a bit disconnected from fatigue. 

     “It’s just a precaution,” Winter offered, trying to cut the tension between her boss and her sister. “You don’t think it will look weird that my bodyguard is unarmed and wearing an Atlesean military prisoner’s dust collar?” Weiss asked her. 

     “The collar will be discreet under his clothing. We do not wish to make a spectacle of him any more than the two of you already have.” 

     “Ozpin would have trusted us.” The accusation sucked all the air out of the room leaving an eerie silence. Winter shot her sister a look of shock and almost fear, but Weiss kept going. “We were only first years, and he let us explore Mountain Glenn which was crawling with grimm and White Fang.”

     To Winter’s surprise, Ironwood remained calm, though was clearly irritated. “Ozpin also thought Pyrrha Nikos was ready to be the Fall Maiden and we all know what a disaster that turned out to be.”

     Having her words turned back on her made her temper flare. “How dare you bring Pyrrha into this!” she seethed as her face contorted in anger. “She made the ultimate sacrifice. She was a hero…”

     “She was sixteen!” Ironwood boomed, cutting her off. The abruptness and loudness of his voice sent her immediately recoiling. “Qrow and Raven were still children when he gave them powers and sent them to spy on the enemy!”

     “They may have been children, but we aren’t! I’m 19, Yang is 20 and we’ve earned our right to call ourselves huntresses and be respected as a contributing force in this war. We’ve sacrificed, we’ve shed blood and we have the scars to prove it.”

     “That’s the point. You shouldn’t be doing any of those things.” The harshness in his voice was marked by regret. “You should be in your third year at the academy, taking summer apprenticeships and dating, discovering who you are; you should be agonizing about finals, not the fate of Remnant. But Ozpin has a nasty habit of roping in young people to join him in his ‘noble crusade’ , especially young girls. So yes, if you want to criticize my methods, go ahead. I’m not getting more teenage girls or young mothers killed while he hides in the mind of a farm boy. If you want to follow his methods, you can do so once you’re off my base and out of my purview. However, as long as you are receiving my protection from my officers, you’ll do the mission my way. The weapon and the collar stay. End of discussion. Do I make myself clear?”

     It was sobering. When he put it that way, Ozpin did look like an exploitative coward who routinely weaponized impressionable young adults to fight his war for him.

     “We understand,” Weiss said with an air of defeat.

     “What else?” Adam asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

     “Upon your return to the base, Adam will return to the prison compound until such time as we can verify the information provided by the data drive we found in his possession. You will both also be expected to cooperate fully in the decryption and verification of the information you have provided. After an assessment on whether or not the intel provided is sufficient, we will negotiate Adam’s release, upon which both of you will be sworn in as recruits for the Atlesean military: Adam will be put in a peace-keeper division in the crater in Mantle and Weiss will be put as a liaison for White Fang activity.” 

     This demand even surprised Winter who only showed the faintest expression of shock or displeasure before regaining her composure. 

     “With all due respect, sir, I’m a huntress and I’ve finally been reunited with my team, who I understand are all licensed now. My training and my experience would be better suited to resuming my place within my team and fighting grimm. I am sure you probably don’t take feelings into account, but that is also where I would prefer to be placed.” 

     Ironwood surprisingly furrowed his brow, thinking seriously about what Weiss had said. “I understand and will consider it. I’d almost forgotten that Ruby’s team was yours once. Not many of the students can say their full team is still intact after the Fall of Beacon. If that is the route we decide to go, we’ll get your license.” 

     “Thank you, sir.” 

     “Your father will probably be here to collect you first thing in the morning so I wanted to give you the evening to collaborate and pack anything if you want. I’ll have quarters set aside for the two of you.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Her voice was firm with authority. “I have gotten to spend a total of one night with my team, I’m going to stay the evening with them for the evening, though I’m sure Adam would appreciate nicer accommodations than the holding cells.” 

     “I would.” 

     The general nodded. “Winter can escort you to the guest quarters we’ve prepared. You’ll have privacy from the students and other military personnel, but you'll still be monitored.” 

     “Isn’t everyone here?” Weiss asked. 

     “Weiss!” Winter chided. 

     “You father and possibly the rest of the news media has done a fantastic job of making me out to be the paranoid veteran who never left the battlefield, but I won’t ever apologize for taking steps to keep my military and my people safe, Miss Schnee. I won’t be shamed into becoming lax enough to let Salem win.” He stood, the gravity of his statement sinking in as he towered over them. With the press of a button on his pad, the cuffs on Adam’s wrists deactivated, loosening enough to free them and leave the metal rings on the table. He turned to Winter. “Show them to the overnight quarters and see to it his effects are returned to him.” 

     Winter saluted, giving a sharp nod to the two of them. They followed her to the elevator, but said nothing until the elevator doors had closed. 

     “I understand that you disapprove of General Ironwood’s choices, and I do as well on occasion, but hearing verbal jabs from a nineteen-year-old spoiled rich girl who hasn’t even been in Atlas for the past year is not the way to go about winning him over. You’ll do better to at least feign respect for him until you’ve built up enough trust with him to challenge his ideas.”

    Weiss opened her mouth to retort. It was clear no one was brave enough to challenge his ideas and some of them were ridiculous to the point of madness. The look her sister gave her silenced her for the rest of the elevator ride. The two of them could have had a heated argument that would have lasted the rest of the elevator ride, but the look she gave her sister was similar to the one she’d had while they were talking in the Maiden’s observation room. ‘I’ve already chosen this. I can’t question him now.’ her eyes said. ‘What other choice do any of us have?’

     Adam caught on, staying out of their discussion until they remained on his floor. The elevator ride was long and awkwardly quiet.

     After four hours of surveillance, Harriet Bree was starting to get bored. At first, she thought being assigned to the overnight quarters of Adam Taurus would at least be interesting. As she sat in the dark room observing the pair from three different angles, she secretly willed them to do something of import. He was a terrorist embroiled in a forbidden romance with Winter’s younger sister and the two were conspiring to commit corporate espionage. Surely, there’d be some juicy detail to glean, some scandalous act or conversation, anything they could use for later on. But so far, all the pair had done was chit-chat and take showers. 

     Guest chambers lacked any amenities of long term stays such as a kitchen or laundry machines like the dormitories. The small, tidy quarters were furnished more like a hotel room without an entertainment center. A bed, bathroom and desk all decked in Atlesean white, blue and red modesty occupied the small space. There wasn’t much room for them to go: every angle was covered by the three cameras in the main room. 

     She hadn’t picked up on them talking in code or passing notes of any kind either. It’s like they knew they were being observed and were careful to guard every word and action. 

     The door opened behind her, flooding the room with light as Clover entered the room, followed by Marrow.

     “Anything?”

     “Nope.” Harriet quipped, the disappointment in her voice apparent. “They haven’t so much as asked how the other was doing. I think they know the room is bugged.”

     “Did you listen to the bathroom audio?”

     “Not yet. Neither of them were really in there long enough for there to be anything.”

     Marrow looked visibly uncomfortable by the question and answer.

     “There aren't cameras in the bathrooms, are there?" he asked. 

     "No cameras, just voice activated mics," Harriet said as she pushed away from the console. "not that it would do any good." She stood, clapped Marrow on the shoulder and wished him luck before exiting. 

     As Marrow settled into the chair, Clover ran back the footage to see if he could spot anything the others had missed. The whole ordeal left him uncomfortable. Surveillance was necessary, yes, but this didn't feel like monitoring, it felt like spying. These were two people actively helping them, but the general insisted they be trailed and eyes on them at all times. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" he asked aloud, more to just voice his uncertainty than ask his superior. 

     "We don't have to worry about doing the right thing. Marrow. All we have to do is follow orders. And before you ask is Ironwood is doing the right thing, the moral high ground is a luxury we can't afford. You think Salem or the White Fang care about "going too far" to get what they want?" 

     "Yeah, but... they're the bad guys. If we are willing to go to extremes and not care who it affects, how does it make us any better than them. It's just them using their power to get what they want and us using our power to get what we want." 

     Clover removed his headset and faced Marrow head on. "The difference is: Salem wants to destroy humanity and we want to save it. We might be doing things now that the future will view as barbaric and cruel and unethical, but at least there will be a future. And if you look at the big picture, violating the toilet privacy of a known terrorist and the daughter of Jacques Schnee to make sure they don't have the opportunity to betray us seems like a small moral qualm to give up, don't you think?" 

     "I guess. "he mumbled, but in his mind he wasn't so sure. Half of his mind wondered if a future was built on the altar of sacrificed integrity would be a future worth having at all. If such a future were obtained that way, wouldn't it have to be maintained that way? If peace were achieved, would Ironwood ever loosen his Iron grip? Where did it end? Where was the line?

     The other half of him wondered if the general kept this close of an eye on everyone so as not to give anyone the opportunity to betray him.

Chapter Text

     In his 53 years of life, Jacques Schnee had never once shaken hands with a Faunus. He could be polite. engaged, benevolent even. but he could never bring himself to offer such a gesture of respect: not to them. He had an image to maintain to his investors. He also knew that his life as a business mogul, political candidate, and open critic of the Atlesean Council's most prominent member, every move he made would be heavily scrutinized if not recorded.

     Which is why, in front of Clover, Qrow and Ironwood, Jacques put on a campaigner smile and reached out a hand toward Adam the moment he exited his vehicle.

     "It's good to see you again, Adam," he said.

     Adam took his hand and shook it heartily, falling into the charade. “You as well, sir.”

     Weiss feel into character with alarming ease. She handed her bag off to the driver before throwing her arms around her father's neck in a public embrace. He dutifully returned the hug and ushered into the back of the car, followed closely by Adam.

     Ironwood said nothing, exchanging only a silent glare with the dust mogul for a moment before ducking into the open door the chauffer was holding for him.

     From the inside of the limousine, Weiss was having a difficult time gauging how Adam was processing everything. The man responsible for his poverty, his scar, his personal hell, and the oppression of the Faunus was picking him up in his lavish car no doubt bought with the sweat and misery of his people. How was he processing this? Before, he'd been able to separate Weiss from her last name because she was detached from it in some way: she was in his camp at his mercy. Now, he was the one detached and she was thrust back into her own context. Would interacting with her father impact his opinion of her? His eye and mouth were stoic an unreadable but she thought his jaw looked a little tense.

     Jacques took his seat and both of them immediately straightened their posture. The car pulled away and Weiss could have sworn Adam's jaw clenched a little tighter. Perfectly relaxed, the smile fell from his face into a confident sneer. He opened a compartment and produced a bottle of whiskey and a glass, not even caring to offer a glass to his fellow passengers. They were well off the base and Jacques had finished his first glass before he spoke.

     "I suppose you plan on making a further spectacle of yourself; luckily, my publicist has minimized the risk you and you... bodyguard have brought on my image."'

      "It's good to see you, too, Father," Weiss returned his energy with her own air of superiority. "Being kidnapped by the White Fang, forced into slavery, suffering abuse at the hands of a terrorist organization for almost a year. If it weren't for your tireless efforts and resources, I may never have been found…"

     "That's not the narrative either of us have faced to the public and you'd be a fool to try and spin that yarn now. The re-entrance at the Gala was the best you could have done given the circumstances.”

     Weiss snorted "Just out of curiosity, what would you have done if I'd never come back while under your conservatorship? All you care about is profits and perception: did it even occur how terrible it would have looked if I had gone from record deals and inheriting the family business to completely invisible?"

     "I figured I would have done the same thing I did with your mother. I'll just attribute the mental breakdown to your PTSD instead of post-partum." He spoke. so casually about it; as if it were a vacation spot that had rained out and he already a contingency to book a hotel elsewhere. She knew he’d successfully taken the family business from her, but this was the first time he’d openly admitted to how.

     It took every ounce of Weiss’ self-control to not launch across the car's interior and beat her own father within an inch of his life. Jacques took another sip of his bourbon, unaffected by her glares. "In my defense, I had every reason to believe you'd run away and were perfectly safe hiding from me and your responsibilities."

     "A belief you made no attempt to verify. You left me to suffer while you gave my inheritance to Whitley and now you expect me to bolster your image."

     "You went missing from our family estate through an escape route known only to the family: there was no sign of forced entry and later there was no ransom demand or public execution. I had no indication that you'd left under duress.”

     Adam and Weiss exchanged a glance. They both knew it wasn't true, but did he actually believe that? 

     “All of that matters little now. You’re back, and I know how much your lifestyle requires my money. I’m sure you tried extra hard to make me hemorrhage lien while you two were in Argus, but going forward, if you want to touch the family money, we’ll need to lay down some expectations. However, it’s still early. We’ll have brunch”

     He always did this. He had to establish dominance in some petty way: be it home or business. The CEO was infamous for deliberately turning down the air conditioning to make others cold, sitting people he didn’t like so the sun would be in their faces, rescheduling at the last minute with an ‘emergency’ he had known about weeks in advance. As a father, he was just as manipulative, from placating their mother with wine to keep her out of the picture to delaying uncomfortable conversations with food or business trips: he only met with others on his terms and when he was holding the good cards. Brunch was not a gesture of goodwill with him, it was a reminder that he dictated the timeline and the topics of conversation.

      The car pulled to the front of the estate and for a moment, Weiss felt the muscles in her chest tighten. She felt gloved fingers reach in and tighten around her hand. She looked at Adam to see his brow furrowed. He was nervous about this as well. There wasn’t any sort of imminent physical danger they were in. Even with the aura dampener concealed underneath the mandarin collar of his shirt, he was still physically formidable, and Weiss with aura and weapon could easily overpower whatever guards with which her father may try to detain her.  But to accomplish what they wanted, they needed a quiet, diplomatic looking resolution and if they had to use any kind of force, it would shatter their plans.

     A polite, but unfamiliar servant opened the door to escort the three of them out.

     “It’s good to have you back, Miss Schnee,” he said with all the warmth of a plastic dummy.  

     “It’s a pleasure,” she replied with equal fakeness. Adam followed next and Jacques himself exited to escort them up the stone steps to the manor’s entrance.

     Whitley was in the foyer at the top of the staircase, looking down on them both literally and metaphorically. His look had changed drastically in the year she was gone, looking less like a fifteen-year-old preppy theater brat, and looking more like a young business tycoon. He’d started wearing his hair combed back like his fathers instead of the boyish side part he’d had since childhood. He also had finally gotten over his obsession with fashion vests and had graduated to suit coats. He was only sixteen, but he was trying too hard to look more like an adult and less like a high school student.  

     He looked like Jacques.

     Weiss hated it. She and Whitley had never been close due to their father’s blatant favoritism towards his only son and the sheer difference in personality, but she inwardly lamented how much like his father he was turning out to be, secretly wondering if her absence had accelerated the process.

     “At first, I didn’t believe it when Father said you were returning home,” he said as he descended the stairs. How he managed to make walking downstairs look pretentious, Weiss never knew, but here he was, pulling off. “It is good to have you back, Sister.” It sounded almost as scripted as when the servant had said it not thirty seconds earlier, but he at least sounded genuine.

     “It’s been a long time,” Weiss said, making no further attempt to approach him. They’d never been an outwardly affectionate family.

      A servant came and bowed lightly. “I can have your things brought up to your old bedroom if you would like,” she said.

     “Yes, please. We’ll both be staying in my room, so you can take everything there.”

     Whitley clearly wasn’t expecting that, frowning in disapproval.

     The poor servant girl looked to Weiss, then to her father to make sure he approved of such a thing under his roof. When she was unable to catch his eye, she stammered out a brief. “Of course, ma’am. I’ll have everything brought up,” before scurrying away.

     "Where's Klein?" Weiss asked, assuming he would be the first to greet her once she got through the door.

     "Father let Klein go shortly after you left." Whitley said matter-of-factly. “As you can probably see, the dust embargos and the campaign have impacted our income for the past two years. We had to cut some of the staff. It’s tragic. We’re down to only a single cake butler now.”

     He'd only spoken twice and Adam already hated him. Why couldn't Sienna Khan have sent him to assassinate this smug, condescending pretty-boy?

     Jacques approached the three of them. “Brunch will be served on the terrace, and I’ve even seen to it your mother will be in attendance,” he said brusquely. “Whitley, you’ll be in attendance as well.”

     “Of course, Father,” Whitley immediately simpered, giving a small, but dramatic bow as he pulled out from their presence to go his own way.

     “I’ll also have some business that I’ll be attending to before then, if you and…Mr. Taurus could make yourselves busy.” He walked past them toward the north wing on the first floor, most likely toward his private study. How he could be so nonchalant with the situation made Weiss wonder if he knew something she didn’t. Clearly, he was quite secure that having her back on the manor grounds would solve all his problems, but he was rarely one to underestimate his competition. He was always a chess player: thinking of a counter to every move his opponent could make and he must have a strategy in mind if he was willing to delay their conversation and leave them unattended.

     Adam watched him closely until he was completely out of sight before returning his attention to Weiss.

     “He seems unconcerned by our presence,” Adam said.

     “Even if he wasn’t sure he had everything under control, he’d keep a straight face,” Weiss assured him. The stood for an awkward moment in the foyer before Weiss decided to change the subject. “Since we have time, would you like me to give you a tour?”

     Adam gave her a subtle smile. “I’d like that. I didn’t get to see much on my last visit here.”

     It took a solid ten seconds for Weiss to make out what he was insinuating. “That’s awful!” She said without any sincerity. She took his hand. “Well, since you’re here legally, I’d like to show you my home.” She started off in the opposite direction of her father’s study, heading southward on the main floor.

     No one bothered them as she directed him through the main dining hall, the kitchens, and eventually the library. He followed her as she pointed out intricacies of the architecture, advancements the home had or childhood memories she had associated with the places. The north wing contained everything related to her father’s business: his private office, his conference room, and the archive room he kept business documents carefully documented away. Weiss had few memories in this wing of the house, and none of them were pleasant.

     Returning to the foyer, they ascended the stairs to the second floor, choosing to explore the north wing first, skipping occupied servants’ quarters and moving instead to one of the rooms Weiss liked most in the house: the drawing room, complete with paned windows covered with elegant drapes, area carpeting, piano and lounging furniture.

     “I took vocal and piano,” she said, grazing her hands across the lid on the recital grand piano. “Winter was never interested in music and Whitley took saxophone for a bit, but I was the only one who really took to it.” The shiny black surface was free from dust, but the way the lid stuck when she lifted it to uncover the keys indicated no one had touched it since she last practiced for the charity concert a little over a year ago. She sat gingerly on the bench. “I was shocked my dad was so supportive of me pursuing something I knew I’d never need to take over the family business. I know now he saw the value of having a wind-up doll he could parade out at company gatherings and at charity balls. It was useful to him.” She sighed.

     Adam slid on the bench next to her. “Your love of music has nothing to do with his foul intentions. Don’t let him being exploitative ruin something you’re passionate about.” He kissed her temple. “Play me something.”

     She gingerly put her fingers on the keys, swing her legs fully under the piano to reach the pedals. Her fingers pressed down and out came dissonance from the piano. She recoiled, looking at her hands and repositioning them to make sure she had started off right. It had been a while since she’d done this, after all. The notes again clashed. She removed her hands entirely from the keyboard and pulled the cover over it. “They must not be heating this room in the winter. It’s come out of tune. I’ll have the servants fix it.” She stood hastily, Adam following her after pushing the bench back in.

     Once in the main hall, Weiss flagged down a servant and ordered a tuner be called immediately. The servant curtsied and continued on her way. Adam noted the staff were willing to take orders from Weiss, indicating she still had some agency here.

     She took his hand once again. “There’s one more room I want to show you before we have to go down.” The north wing terminated in a large room with enormous cathedral arched windows set high in the walls, streaming light from above. The north wall itself with a stained glass bearing the Schnee family crest. Perhaps when it was first constructed, the room had been a type of ballroom, but it had long ago been stripped bare of any furniture or fixtures. The room had no artificial lighting and the lack of soft surfaces cause every step within the room to echo. At the front, on a slightly raised platform sat five enormous suits of armor clearly designed to be animated for training use.

     “This is where Winter and I bonded. Where we found our love of the sword together,” Weiss said proudly showing off the empty space. “I know it’s not like the dojo, and I know it’s not pretty, but this, more than any other room in the house made me what I am. And here….” She stepped into a specific spot on the training floor. “Here is where I got my scar.”

     Adam put his hands on her waist, leaned forward, and kissed her scar, then her lips.

     Gripped with a sudden primal fear, Weiss pushed him away. “Adam, stop. Not here.” She knew it was irrational. She had all but announced to the entire household they’d be sleeping in the same bed tonight, but in some ways, she still felt like a teenager that needed to sneak around her parents when she brought a boy over.

     He was completely unperturbed, pulling back to smirk at her. “Not here? How about here?” he leaned in and this time kissed her neck. “…or here?” he sank his teeth gently into her ear.

     Her face flushed a deep shade of red as she put her hands on his pecs and pushed him away with both her hands. “Please…we can take all night to celebrate once this is over, but I…I want to keep my focus on the plan. And this…this isn’t helping.”

      Seeing how serious she was, he checked his behavior, keeping himself at arms’ length and changing his demeanor. “I get it. No distractions. Not yet, at least.”

      “Exactly, not yet.” Weiss pulled out her scroll and looked at it. “We should get down to the terrace. It’s time. I’m sure my father will make us wait, but…we’re not playing that game.”

      Adam nodded. “Lead the way.” As she led him back into the main atrium of the house and out the back toward their terraced yard, he couldn’t help but reminisce on his first time here. Sienna Khan had sent him to devastate the SDC by killing its heir and now, he was after a year going to destroy the SDC by restoring her.

    Her hair had been gently curled and tied to cascade over her right shoulder, and despite her clothing and makeup being carefully selected and procured to the level of the lady of the household, Willow Schnee looked awful. No amount of makeup could cover the gaunt expression of her alcoholism: the sunken cheeks, bloodshot eyes and lifeless facial expression told the world the true story, regardless of how well kempt she tried to look to keep up appearances, the scene looking all the more hypocritical as she nursed a half-full glass of merlot.

    When Weiss and Adam arrived on the terrace, she was sitting alone among the servants bustling about to put food on the glass table. Weiss almost cried when she saw her mother, but approached her with optimism. At least she was still hanging in there.

     “Mom?”

     Willow looked up, squinting into the sunlight. It took a few moments for her to register the reality of what was happening. “Weiss? Darling! You’re home?” She stood, leaking on the glass table for support as she approached her daughter and put her arms around her in a hug. “Where have you been? We didn’t know what happened to you! I was worried sick!”

     “It’s a long story, but I’m back for a visit. I won’t be staying very long, but I’m ok.” She squeezed her mother back, the familiar scent of her perfume mingled with wine faintly emanating off her. She wished she could get her mom far away from this place, but there were bigger things at stake than her mother’s toxic marriage. Weiss promised herself that when all of this business was over with Salem, she’d return and get her mother some real help.

     Her mother pulled back to get a look at her. “You changed your hair. I like it.”

     Weiss permitted herself a smile. “Thanks, mom.”

    Willow then spied Adam standing behind them. “And who is this gentleman?”

    “Oh, this is Adam….my boyfriend,” Weiss figured it would just simplify things if she referred to him as such. “Adam, my mother, Willow.”

    Willow held out a hand for him to take. “Is he a faunus?” she asked out loud to no one in particular.

    “Yes, ma’am,” Adam said taking her hand and shaking it. “I’m a former employee of the SDC, I now do freelance work. I assisted in your daughter’s return to Atlas. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

    “You as well. Won’t you have a seat?”

    The three of them took their seats at the table just as Whitely and Jacques appeared from the main house.

    “I can see you started earlier than usual today,” Jacques muttered to his wife as he took his seat at the head of the table.

    Willow said nothing. She just looked at her lap, defeated.

    The servants began removing lids from the food and began serving. The fare was typical brunch food: eggs, frittatas, sausage, bacon and an endless supply of bread options.

    For the first ten minutes, they made painfully small talk, commenting on the food, the upcoming election, Whitley’s intention to graduate early, and a few other things that didn’t matter at all. The four Schnees carried on as if this was perfectly normal for behavior at mealtimes: to ask nothing of consequence but act as if it was interesting to prevent any real meaningful conversations from happening that might provoke feelings. Adam couldn’t keep up and simply stayed completely silent until Willow addressed him directly.

     “You say you used to work for the SDC, Adam. What was it that you did?”

     He took a moment to think about his answer. “I worked in Atlas Mine #1 when I was a child. Since we were smaller and had smaller hands, we were usually responsible for cleaning the machinery that had small working parts or delicate wiring.”

     Jacques turned to Weiss. “Perhaps he won’t be so off-putting to the investors,” he said. “Some random faunus bum would have made it look like you were dating him just to spite me, but a former SDC employee and one with a…” he looked at Adam’s eye patch. “…disability dating my daughter would look favorably. It might even boost my approval rating with the non-SDC employee faunus in Mantle.”

     Weiss saw something in Adam’s eye snap. He put his drink down, and took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. “Actually, it’s not a disability. My injury has impacted my field of vision in my left eye a little bit, and it’s a little sensitive to bright lights ,but I can still see out of it. The damage is mostly just cosmetic.” He pulled up on his eyepatch and removed it entirely from his head, letting the rest of the family see the scar, bearing their family legacy across his face. He set the patch down next to his plate on the table, indicating he had no intention of putting it back on. His lips curled into an arrogant smirk as the family looked at the lettering imprinted over his brow and the deep red of his damaged sclera. Weiss gave a nod of approval. “I used to wear a cloth mask over both eyes, but Weiss got me this patch in Argus which I think I like better. It’s made of a fabric that dampens the light coming in, so I can still see out of it, but from the outside is completely opaque so it covers the scars.” He spoke casually, just as the mindless banter they exchanged before the conversation took an awkward turn.

    While Jacques recoiled at the sight before him in disgust, Willow’s eyes welled up with tears in sympathy. The most impacted by it however was Whitely. This was something so beyond his understanding, it contorted his face into an expression of utter confusion. Nothing his mind could imagine could explain what was happening in front of him.

     “How did it happen?” Whitely asked.

     “The site manager of Mine #1 took a fire brand and held it against my face because I fought him putting it on my back,” Adam explained bluntly. “I was eight years old.”

     Whitley looked to his father in disbelief. He sought some confirmation that this was a lie, something to ruin his run for office, some racket to extort them for money. When Jacques stood quickly and asked if Weiss and Adam would like to take their coffee in the study so they could get right to business, he knew it was true, and Weiss could see in his eyes that he was crushed.

     Father was his hero: and now, Whitley got a glimpse of who he really was. Not a good father who sometimes got frustrated and made empty threats, but a man who only cared about money and didn’t care how he got it.

     Good. He needed to know what their father’s true colors were.

     His desire to move to the study was also expedient. Weiss and Adam dismissed themselves politely to follow her father indoors, Adam choosing to take his patch with him, but not put it back on.

     The instant Jacques entered his study he poured himself a drink and sat behind his desk, adjusting his computer monitor and chair to make himself comfortable. He made no offer for the two of them to sit, but they took their seats opposite his desk and faced him.

     “I think it’s time we stop delaying the inevitable,” Jacques said, the pompousness in his voice completely gone and replaced with a gravity and business approach. “You clearly want to be free of the conservatorship and still have a small portion of the family wealth and I still want to maintain a good image as a business owner and family man to secure my election to the council. I, of course, could merely invoke the conservatorship and have you sent to a mental facility, but that would look horrible for my campaign, but I also need some method of guarantee you will not be airing our family’s dirty laundry for all to see so you can ruin me out of spite. As you are a Schnee and entitled to some portion of the estate, what can I offer you that will ensure your silence and not force my hand into forcefully silencing you?”

     Weiss’ face hardened. She and Adam had been planning this conversation for weeks, since their train ride on the Argus Limited. Despite knowing the risk such a demand would pose, she took a deep breath and spoke, her voice remaining steady and confident.

     “You can offer me my freedom from the conservatorship, reinstate me as the heiress of the company, and resign your position as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company to allow a true Schnee to take the helm. Oh, and I want the manor. You can take the staff and move to one of the other properties you own, perhaps the one in Argus, but I want Schnee Manor to live in and your undying support on all faces to the media.”

      Her father scoffed. “I’m not sure what delusional world you live in, but those sound like the demands of a spoiled, entitled child.”

     “No, they sound like the demands of someone who has lived under your abusive hand for decades and has spent the last several weeks carefully compiling evidence that will bury you in legal trouble up to your pretentious mustache and ruin any attempt you had at running for public office if you don’t take a step back and realize I’m willing to follow through on these threats.”

     “No you won’t,” Jacques snorted, a small gesture in his shoulders as he spoke indicated he did not understand the gravity of what she was threatening. “Legal and criminal trouble will only tie up all our family money in the courts, and if we lose it all, there goes your pampered way of life. Just by the credit card bills I’ve received this month, I can tell your standard of living is still high as ever and you won’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

     Weiss sat back in her chair, growing more relaxed. “I’m a huntress and lived as a slave of the White Fang for almost a year. I don’t need these creature comforts as much as you need your public image.” She removed a small thumb drive from her pocket and handed it to her father. “I’ve sent a copy of all of these documents as well as a recorded interview to Lisa Lavender. If I’m not back on the military base by this time tomorrow, she’ll release it to the world and there goes your company, your good standing with the ‘investors’, and probably the generational wealth you’ve been siphoning off Mother like it was your own as you are sued into oblivion only for the Atlesean courts to bring you in and try you for crimes that would put you behind bars for the rest of your life. I’m sure James Ironwood would love nothing more than to find a reason to remove you entirely from your run for office. And if you think I wouldn’t destroy my family legacy and drag our name through the mud, I should remind you that Schnee is my family name, not yours, and I’m capable of restoring it in a way you would never be.”

     Adam spoke up. “If you’re wondering what’s on the drive, it’s the medical records of the thousands of untreated, misdiagnosed, or covered up injuries of faunus that worked in your mines over the past thirty years as well as an internal investigation citing Atlesean code violation for the cause of the explosion in Mine #2 that caused the deaths of forty-seven faunus lives and the absolute pittance they were paid in exchange for their signatures on NDAs. There’s also the tax fraud, the memos instructing site managers not to promote faunus, countless instance of wage theft, and the exact number of company mandated pregnancy terminations occurring at each mining site to prevent female workers from getting paid maternity leave or filing sexual assault charges against their human superiors.”

     At first, the business mogul simply stared at the drive. Based on the information they’d revealed, he knew they weren’t bluffing, but he also considered the possibility that he had good enough lawyers to fight every one of these charges. But to fight them, he’d have to admit the accusations were there, and in so doing, bring unwanted attention at the height of his approval rating only a week before the election. After considering every possibility, he sighed.

     He’d been had.

     “And if I give you this: the company, the conservatorship and the manor, you’ll ensure none of this reaches the public eye?”

     “Not a peep.” Weiss promised him. “You’ll be free to be elected to the council and continue your measuring contest with Ironwood until Atlas collapses back to the earth. I only want my family’s legacy to be restored to what it ought to be.”

     He thought for a moment before reaching for his desk phone and pulling the receiver off the cradle. “Iris. Please contact my lawyer. My contract lawyer. I need to have him draw up a few documents. Today if possible.”

Chapter Text

     He may have verbally agreed to all of their terms, but Weiss remained on high alert. This was too easy and Jacques was caving too soon.

     Four possibilities formed in her mind; all equally feasible

1. He planned to trick them somehow through the paperwork: loopholes, word games, fine print…something that he could appeal to on a technicality. If he could get her signature on something, he could later insist that she, as a competent adult outside her conservatorship should be held to that agreement.
2. He was involved in something even more sinister that fighting this arrangement would uncover and it was best to cut his losses.
3. He had an ace up his sleeve neither she nor Adam had anticipated and was waiting for dramatic time to reveal.
4. He was blowing smoke to buy himself time.

     Her best guess was that he had something he thought would stop Lisa Lavender. The most pressing threat was his criminal activity making it to the public and if he was feigning defeat, he must believe he could stop it somehow from getting out.

     She was abruptly brought back to the present when she noticed Adam staring at her intently, trying to catch her attention. His eyes flicked down to her scroll and back up to her. She looked and saw she had a message from him.

     You want to finish that tour while your father and his lawyer talk it out?

Weiss texted back.

     I don’t really want to leave him alone. If he tries anything, I want to see.

Adam looked at his scroll and frowned, thinking a moment before replying

     I think we both need to get out of here and clear our heads. If we sit here, it’ll just get you all worked up. If we get up, stretch our legs and talk, we can come back to the table focused.

He was mildly insisting. She decided to indulge him, giving him a nod first in acknowledgement then standing and stretching.

    “I’m going to finish showing Adam the property. You can send a servant to find us when your lawyer arrives,” she said to her father as he sat behind his desk, furiously typing emails and receiving texts. He barely acknowledged her or Adam as they took their leave.

    Once they were out in the main entrance, Adam decided to put his eye patch back on.

    “You said this included a tour of the gardens?” he asked.

    “We can go outside,” Weiss said.

     As they walked past the clearing just outside the veranda where they’d eaten their brunch, Adam put his arm around her waist. “Are there cameras here? Can your father see us out here? Or hear what we’re talking about?” he asked as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

    “If he does, he’s never told us,” Weiss replied. “Why?”

    “Because I’m pretty sure Arthur Watts is here and if I’m right, Salem might already know what we’re up to.” He remained calm as he spoke, following her lead through the terraced garden.

    Weiss also tried to maintain her composure but the initial alarm on her face gave away her shock. “Watts? He’s here? In the house?”

    “I caught a glimpse of your father’s monitor and it had the W in the corner. I’d seen Cinder Fall use his hacking software before when she was infiltrating Beacon. He may not be physically on the property, but at least close by and in communication with your father. It would explain how Jacques knew my name.”

    “I can figure out if he’s staying in the manor. If not, we need to find out exactly where he is to report to Ironwood.”

    Adam’s brow furrowed as he thought about it. “We can report what we know to Ironwood: that your father and Watts are in league, but we can’t jeopardize the task at hand. If an opportunity presents itself, we can seize it but we can’t afford detours. At least not until you’re out of your conservatorship.”

   Weiss exhaled sharply. She hated that he was right but also frustrated at the thought of losing a chance to capture one of the men who staged the attack on Beacon. For now, her father posed the greater threat. “Is there any direct danger to us from Watts?”

   “I don’t think he’d blow my cover, but that is a possibility that your father may have arrangements with him to leak my identity to the press. They might also be foolish enough to try and take the flash drive from us by force knowing Watts would be able to get into it. I honestly don’t think either of them would be that stupid, but if they have some notion that they can get the drop on us while we’re sleeping or try to separate us…I don’t have my semblance or my sword. I can’t pretend it’s possible for them to overwhelm me if they knew they’d have the advantage.”

    Weiss nodded understanding.

     They continued walking through the varying terraces of cultivated hedges and flowers until they reached the veranda once more. No servant was waiting for them, meaning the lawyer was still on his way.

     “The upper south wing is mostly bedrooms. I can show you the study and the gallery and then…I guess we can unpack our things for tomorrow and relax a little bit before the lawyer gets here?” Weiss offered unsure.

     “There’s not much else we can do besides wait,” Adam agreed.

     She led him up the grand staircase again and turning right, led him to the family gallery.

     The first door on the left was an art gallery. The small room sported framed canvasses in varying sizes, mostly of cityscapes or landscapes. Weiss never tired of looking at these. The few family portraits of Nicholas Schnee and his family as well as Willow and hers were the ones she could do without.

     “I’m surprised,” Adam broke the silence. “When you said gallery, I was expecting an endless hallway of white haired, blue eyed austere portraits of Schnees gone by.”

     “We were an old family, but we weren’t a rich one until my grandfather came along,” Weiss said. “There’s only three generations of portraits here, though my father had commissioned enough of just Whitley to suffice our family for generations.” It was then that a new painting caught her eye. A paved road leading to a series of towers above a green landscape, against the golden hues of daybreak chasing away the dark blues of night. It was the painting of Beacon Academy: the one that had been up for auction the night of the benefit over a year ago. She had admired it then, but in an instant, she almost fell in love. Obviously, this was going to be some kind of tax write-off for Jacques, but it was a final vestige of what Beacon was before Salem and her minions had destroyed it. She stood for a moment, admiring it and letting the fond memories of school bring a smile to her lips.

     The next room was the study. It functioned more as a library and public study space as Jacque used his private office as his study and Willow had no study of her own. Identical barrister bookshelves revealed rows of books behind glass with a matching table and padded chairs in the middle of the room.

     “I remember this room,” Adam said, looking judgmentally at the vaulted ceilings. “I got in through that duct there. Easy to get in, impossible to get back out.” They exchanged a look, silently acknowledging how awkward it was that they were discussing the night they met, which was also the night Adam had kidnapped her.

    “Why don’t we just wait in our room until one of the servants calls us down?” Weiss asked, abruptly changing the subject as a mercy to them both.  He followed her to the door, letting her lead the way into her room.

     Everything was the same as when she had left it. The drapes were the same, but had recently been washed and pressed. The carpet had been shampooed and the room had been maintained with dusting, window cleaning, and general maintenance. Something about it seemed surreal to Weiss. This didn’t feel like coming back to her childhood. The way the bed was made was never how she wanted it tucked into the mattress at the foot and the pillows arranged in a perfectly symmetrical pattern. It looked like a hotel had taken her bedroom as inspiration for the wallpaper and linen set and tried to imitate it in the most formal, impersonal matter. The servants had gone to the trouble of unpacking their toiletries to lay them out on the bathroom counter and had even taken their nightclothes and laid them out on the bed.

    “Is that normal?” Adam asked, clearly uncomfortable someone else had be casually digging through his bags to find his lounge clothes.

    “It’s a rich people thing,” Weiss explained. “It’s supposed to be a courtesy, but we all know it’s just another power play. The servants use it as an opportunity to look through guests’ luggage for anything dangerous…or useful.”

    Adam lifted his bag onto the bed. “You father and the general are more alike than either would care to admit, it seems.” As he opened the main flap, he spotted subtle differences in the arrangement of his belongings: a zipper he had left partially unzipped had been zipped back all the way, the shoes placed too close together and side pockets that had been unused and completely flat now bulged slightly as if someone had stuck their fingers inside to look for items but had not smoothed them back down. Nothing was missing however, and even Jacques wouldn’t be foolish enough to think they’d leave there leverage where some servant could get their hands on it.

      Weiss used the opportunity to give Myrtenaster a cleaning. To her immense satisfaction, she found the hope chest at the foot of her bed still contained all the supplies and accessories she used for the upkeep of her blade. Adam replaced her bag and contented himself to sit on the bed and watch her as she applied a medium weight oil, and used the designated cloth to wipe it down, carefully inspecting it for rust or loose screws as she worked from the handle to hilt and then from hilt to blade. From the perspective of an outsider, it hadn’t been dirty before, but with the smallest effort, it went from shining silver to an almost mirrored brilliance. She admired it when she was done, but then got a puzzled look on her face.

     “How did you get this?” she asked, looking up at Adam.

     “I sent the lieutenant to get it.”

     “I understand that but how did he get it?”

     “He got in the same way I got in,” Adam said, “Except he had the benefit of knowing about the vaulted ceiling beforehand and left himself a rope to get back out the same way he came in.”

     “That was a risk,” Weiss said as she thought about it, “My father could easily have changed security measures around that vent and made it impossible to get in either from the exterior or the interior. It’s a miracle he didn’t and just kept the silent alarm.” She thought for a moment. “Although, if he had security come out and change anything it would have left evidence that I had been taken and not that I had left on my own. I guess he could have waited a few months, but it still would have aroused suspicion that a silent alarm got tripped the day I allegedly ‘ran away’.” She sighed as she began putting the cleaning supplies away, packing then with her belongings rather than the hope chest. “It’s exhausting trying to out maneuver my father at every turn.”

     “He’s cornered now,” Adam said, “And if I know anything about rats, he’ll either try one last attempt to escape, or he’ll turn feral. Either way, we’ll be ready for him.”

     Weiss leaned in to kiss him again, but they were interrupted by a knock on the door. A servant entered and curtsied.

     “Begging your pardon, but Mr. Schnee wishes to see you both in the conference room. Mr. Dolion is here.” She remained in the doorway, indicating she was to escort them directly to ensure they came immediately.

      Adam quietly squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. This was it.

     The conference was smaller than the study and occupied almost entirely by a table surrounded by 20 comfortable office chairs. Polished wood panels, the windows facing the front lawn of the home and all its splendor reminded its occupants that you were in the Schnee’s home doing the Schnee’s business. As Weiss and Adam entered, a short, portly man seated opposite of the head of the table stood and walked around to greet them. Jacques, seated at the table’s head remained seated, refusing to make eye contact.

     He was small and tidy man in a tailored navy suit. Androgynous features and hair styled so meticulously it looked like plastic, gave him the look of an automaton.

     “Good afternoon, Miss Schnee, Mr. Taurus,” he said shaking their hands in turn, conspicuously not giving any attention to Adam’s eye patch. He spoke as if this were a polite business acquisition. Weiss could tell, much like her own congeniality, that it was all performative.

     “Please, sit,” Jacques invited, the same air of false politeness in his tone.

     “You two certainly made a good impression in Argus,” Dolion said as he sat. He removed a stack of printed papers from a briefcase stored out of their view.

     “I have every intention of repairing the reputation of my grandfather’s business,” Weiss said, matching their energy of polite, but cold.

     The lawyer may have been ignorant of the insult, but Jacques was certainly not, his face ever-so-slightly curling into a scar.

     “We might as well not bandy about,” Dolion said, “You’ve made some substantial demands and while we want to find a solution that makes everyone happy, we all need to have realistic expectations.

      Adam leaned back in his chair and let Weiss take the lead on this.

     “Based on the evidence we have and are prepared to share, I think you’ll agree our expectations aren’t unreasonable, sir,” she said with confidence.

     “Perhaps, but you must also remember you have secrets to keep hidden as well. I’m sure neither of you would want it reaching the public that the former SDC heiress is sleeping with the High Leader of the White Fang.” He looked directly at Adam. “Or that he’s been smuggled into Atlas by none other than General Ironwood.”

     “Outing me will only reveal that I’d been kidnapped and my father did nothing to try and find me.”

     “Or it will serve as further proof that my daughter is mentally unfit to manage her own affairs,” Jacques interjected.

     Weiss rolled her eyes, turning her attention toward the head of the table, “You’re going for the Stockholm Syndrome angle? That would only confirm to all of Atlas that I was kidnapped by terrorists.”

     “Not if you went willingly,” the lawyer said calmly.

     “I didn’t and both of us will attest to it. I have scars, I have a brand on my back….”

     “Which story do you think the public will believe? That the clearly troubled and recently declared Weiss Schnee was kidnapped by the Whit Fang and no one knew about it and in the meantime, she managed a fairytale ending where the High Leader fell so hard for her sweet spirit and warmth that he abandoned his people for her…”

     “Because everyone knows Weiss Schnee for her kindness and winning personality,” her father jabbed.”

     “Or that a spoiled and traumatized teenage girl ran away from home because she’d been disinherited for her erratic behavior, cut off communication so she could not be returned only to join and then be radicalized by a group of faunus terrorists and seduced by its charismatic leader who is clearly using her and her hatred toward her father for his own personal vendetta.” He had been shifting his eye contact from Adam to Weiss while addressing the both of them, but now shifted his focus directly to Adam. “Which one would you prefer the faunus believe?”

     “What exactly are you offering,” Weiss asked directly, drawing the lawyer’s attention back to her.

     “Our silence on Adam’s identity in exchange for the Lisa Lavender ‘exclusive interview’.”

     “That’s not enough,” Weiss replied. “That doesn’t address any of the things we discussed after brunch. My information will ruin everything my father has and wants. We can burn both our lives down, but he has so much more to lose.

       Dolion removed a much smaller stack of papers and put them back in his briefcase. “Very well.” He pushed the larger stack toward Weiss. “If you wish to split hairs, then this is the agreement we have drawn up to ensure that both parties leave with their public image and dignity without drawing too much attention from the tabloids…or the council.”

     Weiss pushed the paper between herself and Adam so they could read it together. The first introductory paragraphs she skimmed, skipping ahead to the bulleted items, including the one that included her restoration as the heiress of the SDC, the removal of the conservatorship, Jacques retiring and the ownership of Schnee Manor, but none of its contents, to Weiss. The next sent of numbered points listed out what Jacques would receive in exchange: no information collected from the SDC could be given to anyone any time under any circumstances, any information had to be returned without retaining copies. In addition, Weiss would forfeit any claim to her inheritance beyond the manor and headship of the SDC.

     Until the final paragraph, Weiss read with confidence and triumph, but the loss of her inheritance gave her pause, mostly because everything she was to inherit from Nicholas Schnee would pass to Whitley.

     “The Schnee has no bearing on this, why is my inheritance from grandfather even here? It’s entailed away.”

     “That is true,” the lawyer conceded, “The entailment cannot be altered unless you consent to it, but those are the insisted terms of your father.” He spoke as if Jacques weren’t in the room. “The Schnee entailments are only limited within the family bloodline, meaning you can sign away your entailments to any of Nicholas Schnee’s descendants that have not chosen to legally relinquish their entailment.” He was, of course, jabbing at Winter. She’d been so desperate to get out of from under father, she’d taken legal measures to disown herself, cutting her off from the family money. Whitley then, was the only other available option.

     “You’re determined to robe me of my inheritance,” Weiss said wryly. “Is this your pound of flesh?”

     “I’m sure Whitley thinks the same thing about you taking the SDC and the house,” Dolion said as Jacques exhaled exasperatedly through his nostrils.

     This was always about Whitley. The boy he always wanted, the baby, the one who would always do what father wanted. She looked at the contract in silence for a few moments. After another re-read, she signed the papers. The contract, as it was, gave her what she needed: the company, the conservatorship and the house.

     One thing at a time.

     Jacques signed as well and both parties shook hands with Dolion. Jacques immediately called for a servant to make copies of the contract so each would have a hard copy: a sign of good faith that they had every intention of honoring the bargain. Most of the details would have to be sorted by the legal team of the SDC and the family lawyer but things were underway.

     Only after Weiss had the paperwork releasing her from her conservatorship did Adam hand over the flash drive.

      “If you call and schedule a press conference, I’ll call Lisa to cancel the exposé.”  Weiss offered.

      Jacques responded by pulling out his scroll and pressing the speed dial.

      Once she’d finished her call to Lisa, she sent a quick text to Winter.

      Everything going well. Father is giving in to all demands. Paperwork to release me from conservatorship has been submitted. We should be back tomorrow.

    She wanted to send more information, specifically about their mother, but Winter already had enough on her plate and the thought of anything she sent could be read by some random IT lackey and sent up the chain of command, seen and gossiped about all the way up.

    There was no reply.

     As Weiss kept looking down at her scroll, she couldn’t believe the time. They’d eaten lunch at 11:00 and immediately afterwards started negotiations, how was it almost 7:00 pm? Between the endless signings of papers, scroll calls, and all the arrangements, it was night time. She realized all at once that she was spent: physically tired, mentally exhausted, emotionally sapped, and hungry.

     “I think Adam and I will take dinner in our room this evening, if that’s alright with you, father?” she said, more aloud than addressing him.

      Jacques nodded, clearly the loss and fatigue was wearing on him as well. Weiss shook Dolion’s hand one last time before retreating to her room with Adam.

      “I need a shower,” she said, stripping off her clothes. “My shower has a sauna function if you’d like to join me. It’s very relaxing.” She offered.

     “That sounds amazing, but I want to be here when the servants bring the food,” Aam replied. “Go unwind, take your time.”

     The long hot shower relaxed her, but being alone with her thoughts brought her back to the contract she’d signed, ensuring her dowry, her insurance policy and her trust from grandfather Nicholas would all be given over to Whitley. There was more as well. Nicholas had promised her some other things in his will when she came of age, including the grand piano, some jewelry pieces, and the suits of armor. Money would also have been taken out of the family trust for each of her children, and her original entailment included a 3% share of SDC stock. All gone. All rightfully hers, but Jacques put her in a position that required her to sign them away. Maybe it was a test. He wanted to see how badly she wanted to remove Jacques from power and he was trying to see if he could scare her out of it, or maybe it was his pound of flesh: the only vengeance he could get in his last few moments of having power over her. Then again, it could have just been his ploy to get even more for his favorite child. Again, it was all a game of mental chess with her father and she was tired of playing. She’d gotten him to a stalemate and that was good enough for her.

     She returned to her bedroom, wrapped in her fluffy robe to find the servants had sent them up a dinner of smoked salmon with green beans almondine and a cilantro lime rice pilaf.

     “A victory dinner indeed,” Adam said, removing the dish covers.

     They discussed their plans once they returned to the military base as the ate. Weiss wondered if Jacques had bugged the room to listen in on their conversation. She didn’t put it past him, but that didn’t sound like something he would do…but it did sound like something Arthur Watts would do, but would he even be given access to this room? Had he been to the manor? Would Jacques have risked letting the servants see a man presumed dead and wanted by the law? 

     “You’re overthinking again, aren’t you?” Adam asked.

     “I don’t know if I’ll ever believe it’s over and done with,” Weiss said honestly. “He’s always looking for an angle to get the upper hand.”

     Adam reached across the bed and took her hand. “We won this round. We can keep an eye out for the war, but at least let us enjoy this victory.”

     Weiss burst into tears so suddenly, Adam recoiled, letting go of her hand and pulling back.

      “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, “I know this is for the greater good, but I have to let go of the one thing I was so proud of, my family legacy.”

      “What you signed away was money and stuff, but what you got was the real legacy,” Adam assured her, “The company is what Nicholas Schnee founded, and it’s now back in the hands of a true Schnee, one that will build better future for all of us.”

     “But my family treasures, my heirlooms…they’re not just going back to my mom or to Winter. They’re going to Whitley. And it’s only a matter of time before Whitley starts fighting me on the company. He’s going to own 6% of the shares and he’ll have sway with the stock holders and the trustees. I have no guarantee Whitley won’t weaponize the board members against me and oust me once things are quiet enough that we can’t reasonably blame it on my father.”

     Adam cupped Weiss’ head in his hands, forcing her eyes to meet his. “Your ability to analyze threats and strategize around them is one of the things I love about you, but you’re going to make yourself sick if you keep second guessing every decision we just came to. We worked this out. We followed the plan. We got you out of the conservatorship. We got the company. Let that put your mind at ease for now. We will have time later to negotiate with Whitley for the company stock and the heirlooms and anything else you want. For now, we can take a deep breath and relax knowing we accomplished what we came here to do.” He kissed her. “And you did it very well,” he added.

     She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re right. I just…I’m almost too afraid to admit victory because I’m terrified once I do, the other shoe will drop.”

     “Well, if and when it does, you’ll be in a position to make decisions for yourself and a dust company at your disposal, so we’re in a much better position now than when we came.” Adam kissed her again.

     “Thank you,” Weiss said. “You’re right. We won today. And the victory salmon was delicious.”

     Adam stood, removing his eyepatch, followed by shirt as he headed for the bathroom. “I’m going to clean up and then we’re going to celebrate properly.”

     “I’ll get dinner cleaned up,” Weiss called after him.

     At least if her father was listening in on the room, he was about to get an earful.

     It was well after midnight when Weiss started awake. She was cold, despite being under the covers and in Adam’s arms. His breathing was labored, and he was cold to the touch.

    “Adam?” She turned to see he was wide awake and staring at her, panic in both his blue and crimson eye.

    “Weiss…I…I…can’t….move…” he spoke in long dragged breaths.

    “What’s wrong?” She clambered off the bed, pulling the covers back to look for some injury.

    “Aura…” he gasped. “It’s…the…collar…”

    Weiss immediately reached for the dust collar the Atlesean military had fitted him with before he was allowed to leave the base. She turned it over, trying to find some damage or flaw in the metal that would explain it draining his aura rather than dampening it. It was similar enough to the one Weiss had worn that she knew about the tiny red light that blinked on the underside of where the almost seamless collar closed. The red light, no larger than the head of a straight pin was supposed to blink red when functioning properly but fade to black if the dust supply was depleted.

    The light on Adam’s was solid red.

    It was killing him.

    As Weiss’ mind raced trying to figure out how this had happened and how to make it stop, only one name came to mind as to who could do this that wanted Adam dead.

     Watts.