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Chapter Text

'Oh great, rain again!' I grumble to myself as I'm reduced to stalking the streets of Haven like a common criminal. The flickering wanted screens didn't help at all, though I can't help but admit that picture of me that they used was definitely on point. As much as I love this practical short number, part of me does miss my luscious raven black locks as they fell down my left shoulder. But I can't afford to spend all day dwelling upon my greatness or upon the terrible conditions I find myself in, I must escape this terrible rain that reminds me partly of why I left Haven to begin with. I close my yellow robe across myself and I get back to the task at hand.
'Wait what's this?' I put my back to wall and listen, it's a shrill high-pitched shriek, familiar but not too familiar.
'I know that voice but from where? Who's is it?' I think for a moment. It isn't the silver eyed demon's though it is close. They were at the battle, weren't they? I got it! That insufferable redhead who fought Hazel, with her companion who talks as often as she shuts up. They were teammates with that loser who tried to stab me in the face. Slowly I peek around the corner, oh yes, that's her. She is dancing around the silent androgynous one singing some asinine, repetitive rhyme. I swear, when her time comes, I will take her throat. It will not be quick, though the sound of her gargling on her own blood will be a noticeable improvement.
'We're going to Atlas, we're going to Atlas, we're going to Atlas!' The imbecile sings as she skips around the silent one.
'You don't say?' I smirk hearing her annoying chanting even if I didn't want to be eavesdropping, anyone with ears to hear could ascertain where they were going. And where that hapless trio were going, my actual quarry was most likely also going, and if I hadn't missed my guess, are somewhere nearby as well. So I trail them several blocks, I had intended to see that infamous Miss Malachite woman, but finally something is going my way and I came across them without having to spend a single lien left by that stupid robed woman.
'Hurry up already!' Another feminine voice commands them, the stupid male voice apologises, then apologises again, his voice I know, the pathetic loser who tried to stab me in the face, the loser with a death wish. The girl I think I recognise too, I shouldn't be hearing her. So, I look again.
'Fuck me!' I growl. 'She lived!'
'How can this be?!' It is definitely her, that heiress girl, white hair and dressed like ballerina. She fights like a ballerina, with all the speed and raw strength of one. And what's this? She's prodded the others forward and she is alone with her pretentious rapier. How fortuitous. A perfect opportunity to finish the job. I barely even notice the curved blade I summoned in my bandaged hand as I pull down my hood and close the distance to the Schnee brat in the crowd while she reloads the rapier.
Slowly I raise the knife behind her, and when at its zenith, I growl 'Die Schnee!' bringing it down but to my chagrin, at the last moment she parried. She parried! She can't be that quick, she blocked it even though she is still loading that rapier of hers, probably named something pretentious that would take minutes to explain the rationale behind the naming. Bent in half, with dust cartridges still to be loaded she fucking parried me! All I can do is cough as the dust is everywhere, for a moment my world is nothing but pink, some odd pink dust Schnee was loading. Waitaminute! Pink?! I know that type of dust. It soon blows away and my eye widens. Of course, it was the shrink dust. That rare pink dust, tightly controlled, like several other kinds of dust. That stupid, stupid girl! I grit my teeth as the dust parts to reveal her small as well. Neither of us could be bigger than five inches in height. My heart sinks, I could almost cry. Almost.
'You stupid! Stupid! Bitch!' I shriek, reality sinking in. Charging at her with a knife, she blocks with that rapier of hers and manages to keep my point at bay. 'Look! What! You've! Done!' I keep stabbing until she catches my knife in the hilt of her rapier and throws both to the side. Weiss takes the opportunity to run away, not that it will help her.
'You! Will! Suffer!' I declare, levitating and chasing the little brat as she runs down into the lane, I shoot fireballs at her. Schnee, coward that she is, she runs with the help of her glyphs, but it avails her nothing as I close the distance riding a flaming wind and tackle her, hitting the ground and colliding into her like a meteor crashing into Remnant. I lose no time pinning her down so I can beat her unopposed.
Punch after punch lands and it feels sooo good. Soooo, soooo good. Regrettably I may need to keep this entitled piece of shit alive long enough to get to a Schnee warehouse and undo the effect of this dust. But as I punch, I grin, knowing what that little Schnee can live through without shuffling off her mortal coil.
I release a yelp since I suddenly feel a freezing pain and look as I tumble off Weiss to see her ice knight kick me off her, she rolls back and gets into a fighting stance as the ice knight stands before her with its great sword in a high guard. All I can do is scream and growl as I materialise my glorious flaming scimitars and charge. The ice knight stands little chance before my righteous fury, the brainless minion of ice standing little chance in its mission to defend the brat who had the gall to shrink the great Cinder Fall. To reduce a goddess to this by sheer dumb luck. 'You will pay!' I will make her pay.
Weiss could not resist the flurry of kicks that came next, if only I wore my heels still and not sandals, but they did the job. Time and time again I kick Weiss to the belly as she tries to get up, on all fours like a dog. Her growls of pain are even dainty and refined, I make more of them, they amuse me.
'You will take me to a Schnee depot! Even if we have to mail ourselves to Atlas itself!' I command, kicking her to every word.
'I'd rather die than let you get back to how you were!' Weiss snarls back at me, such pointless and infuriating defiance in her big Sky blue eyes. 'If I have to live like this forever, it means you can't ever be a threat to the world again!'
'No, no, no!' I scream as I kick her against the wall each time, I yell a no. 'I will not live like this!' I run up to her as she is crumpled on the ground and I kick her into the bricks again.
'For once Schnee you will do what you're told! I don't give a fuck about you wanting to be noble or your delusions about being a great huntress!' Continues angrily kicking her into the wall. 'We will make this right! We will! We will! We will!' I shriek and scream, all the anger and frustration after Beacon, after Haven, it just came pouring out through my long legs and into Weiss, then Weiss into the wall where the anger and dissipates into the bricks.
'Weiss! Weiss!' A dopey voice calls out from the distance, echoing across the space, I know her, the silver eyed demon's older sister. An angry idiot, she'll punch twice before she can think, and twice more before she asks a question, with the maiden powers, I could still probably kill her, but I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a punch. So, regrettably leave Weiss to curl up, smiling stupidly because she thinks her salvation is at hand.
'Oh no!' I gulp. I see Yang and I see Ruby before the see me, the heiress will have to wait. I must escape for now. Of all the luck! First abandoning a relic, now this piece of shit I need to get the dust.
I bolt. My footwear isn't exactly the best to run in but I've run at almost super human speeds before in heels. And I will run to freedom now, away from this horribly wet and dreary place.
'Move it you filthy peasants!' I growl, running between the colossal, tower like legs of unwittingly farmers, merchants and shoppers.
'Cinder!' I hear as I run, dodging the clumsy footfalls of the peasantry and the heavy drops of rain, that voice, whiny and very, very annoying is that of Blake Belladonna, a colleague of Ruby and a former terrorist, she once served that hothead Adam Taurus. I ignore her and run like my freedom depended on it. Because it very well did.
I don't get far, I feel a solid yank and am pulled into a wall, hitting myself hard, seeing Blake's blade bury itself into a wall as it trapped me there. I barely register what is going on before that faunus stands towering above me. Half my attention on a gargantuan Blake Belladonna, half on the ribbon holding me to the wall.
'Ciiiinder!' Ruby Rose says as she comes running to Blake, Cresent Rose in hand.
'Noooooooooooo!' I scream, trying to free myself once and for all. 'Nooooooooo!' My eye blazes and I burn free of that accursed ribbon. Free but then tossed to a side and covered in chips of brick from where a bullet Ruby fired had hit the brickwork next to me, exploding. Far to close for my liking.
'Stay there.' Ruby orders. I can't find the will to get up again. I just can't. The weight of the situation is on my shoulders with a weight akin to Hazel sitting in me.
'Stay or I won't miss this time.' She grimly orders.
I look up up at her. My golden pupil so small, the terror must be so obvious. She does not seem to be in a hesitating mood. I let my head drop into the mud as I put my hands behind my head.
Soon after that I'm dangling from the air, Ruby dangles me before those cold grey eyes, eyes potent like the guns of a battleship. For a moment we stare at each other, eye to eyes, then I speak. Weakly.
'Mercy?'
'What?' Ruby asks, dangling me humiliatingly closer.
'Mercy?' I plead louder. 'Don't kill me?!' I can't help it, I shriek loudly, I scream it.
'Cinder...' She utters my name like a curse. My heart jumps into my throat.

Chapter Text

'Cinder...' She utters my name like a curse. My blood chills as I can sense the hate in her voice, almost like she is going to choke on it. If only. And only after I get to Atlas. I'll shove that insolent brat's hated down her throat at flaming sword-point the instant I'm "fixed".

'Why the fuck do you hate me?' I think not letting my inner thoughts seep out and corrupt my outer, angelic countenance. 'I didn't burn you! I didn't take your eye and your arm! I don't ruin your plans! And I don't silver eye you at every opportunity!' But alas, I must seem sad, pathetic and as is internally sigh, I must play at being penitent if I'm ever to escape this humiliating situation. I have done literally nothing wrong but here I am dangling before an imbecile who thinks herself fit to judge me. So, I must be convincingly penitent. Her kind love remorse like an idiot judge who shaves a sentence by many years for the sake of a few remorseful words and a fool's tears.
'...you want mercy, but you deserve none.' Ruby begins with her soft diabetes inducing voice, something like a chipmunk in a blender, how dare she get all high and mighty with me?! Two polar opposite emotions fight for my soul as she begins her sanctimonious bullshit and one of them can seriously trip me up if I'm not collected. A rage black as night, that she dare judge me! I'd best continue to reign in my tongue lest this get the better if me. And a chill fear that freezes my bones, she clearly is harbouring a puerile and unreasonable hate towards me and as I dangle before these large silver eyes, I reflect on how easily they could scorch me to dust. I look at her with my one gorgeous golden eye, wide and seemingly terrified and I communicate what I must, regrettably the fear is all real but it may just keep me alive. Judging by the disgust on her face she has heard my wordless pleas not to be killed loud and clear.
'Yeah... ...yes... ...s.... ...surrender...' I mutter. Judge all you want bitch, I think. '... but I'll not die for some defiant gesture.' For better or worse I find the "strength" to formally surrender. That distinction means a lot to her kind, despite necessity or expedience they find it wrong to kill prisoners.
'Killing a surrendering enemy is small and petty, small and petty like you.' She says clearly, coldly. As I internally sigh in relief that I may yet live and I rapidly lose the urge to clap and say; "Oh how punny, moron." Her narrowed silver eyes remind me how prudent that decision to not respond really is.
'I didn't need shrink dust to be bigger than you! Neither did Pyrrha!' She is clearly angry- ‘Oh gross!’ I think as in that angry explosion I get hit by some spittle but dare not attempt to wipe off my hair. I dare not even divert my attention from Ruby's little moral indignation tantrum as it drips nauseatingly from my hair. But she wants to be heard, she had bottled up these inane sentiments a long time, mocking her or giving her less than my undivided attention simply will not do and would set me back in my mission to get restored to my former and rightful glory.
'And then, when we get to Atlas they'll put you in a teeny tiny cage and throw away the key and the world will forget there ever was a Cinder Fall. And the world will move on, without you.' Ruby says. 'If you say so, bitch, but my glory will live on in the histories. I decapitated a nation in a night!' I think and look a little sad and nod my head, seemingly accepting my fate like I'm thinking over past "mistakes". I look penitent, or so I should hope, do-gooders love that. But I swear on that stupid girl's head, I'll not see the inside of an Atlesian cell, big or small.
'Understood.' I weakly speak, almost a defeated whimper, it's all I can say and it's not much. That impertinent piece of shit sternly examines me and nods. Satisfied that she had gotten her point across and that she "knows" I know I'm beaten. But Cinder Fall doesn't lose.
What follows, for all its indignity is much better, despite the fact that I am no longer dangling before Ruby's evil eyes after she stuffs me into some belt borne leather pouch as they make their way to what I assume is their residence or to the train station, I am no longer in mortal peril and I can clean off her spittle. So gross. I try to listen from my shameful prison, but the hustle and bustle manages to even drown out their asinine chatter, to me at least. Given the youth and general lack of intelligence of this lot, that may not be an entirely bad thing.

Sometime later I have no idea how long later, my annoyingly shrill captor comes to a stop, their inane and ultimately useless chatter tells me little more than that they have bought tickets and what provisions they need for the train and are now back home. My world is once again light as the pouch is opened and to my eternal shame, I'm embraced by her seemingly large-as-tree-trunk fingers and she holds me tight and lifts me to eye level, again. Shame because of the situation I'm in and shame because of the fact it actually feels really good. It shouldn't feel this good!
'You're going to spend your life in a cell.' She begins. 'With what you're capable of you'll probably never see the sun again. And you deserve that. But until then I'll let you out a little bit and you and eat or whatever.' Ruby begins, stern and authoritatively. The dimwit seems to be fighting back a lot of pain. I don't dare challenge her. My heart sinks at the thought of perpetual darkness. 'Not again, not the dark basement!' I can't imagine the utter despair that crosses my gorgeous face for a moment.
'So behave yourself. Don't make me regret being lenient and saving your life. Or I will punish you.' Ruby sternly warns. Under different circumstances someone as weak and as soft as Ruby Rose threatening me of all people would be offensively funny but the cosmic injustice of this all makes me want to cry. Especially the word punish, I'd heard it a lot before, and it was swiftly followed by beatings and starvings for things I hadn't done. Obscured by my elegant robes all my fists can do is clench at the reliving of old traumas that she carelessly dredges up.
'Understand?' She pokes my chest with a force that's almost a punch.
'Y... ...yes Ms Rose.' I hate the world. I hate every fibre of it, I look contrite and I want for Ruby to deign to put me down when she feels I've understood. Which she does soon enough, luckily for me she can't stand by presence for too long. Hopefully these stupid lectures end soon.
I pace from one edge of the table she sets me down on to the other I give no fucks about that spoiled princess on the other end for now, she's nearly outlived her usefulness. I'm more concerned with Ruby's return and what she has for me which she sets down like it's a chore and then goes with her friends to comfort Weiss. 'Fuck Weiss!' I think as I look grimly down at the bottle cap full of water and the large chuck of cracker sitting across the top of the bottle cap. 'What am I, a fucking bird?' I think to myself disdainfully as my face betrays a venomous a grimace.
'Be grateful for what you have.' A guttural voice growls at me, I turn and look at the disheveled Qrow Branwen drinking from a flask as he slumps over the back of a chair. 'If it were up to me little witch, I'd have left you out there by yourself. To be killed by vengeful hunters, your mistress' grimm or to be fucked by rodents...' The washed-up hack laughs at that last one. The nauseating reek of alcohol that fills the air around him makes me wonder how delightfully flammable he must be.
I growl a little and ignore the drunken idiot as I sink to my knees and cup my hands to drink the water, behind me, the farm boy idiot takes his seat, too close to me, looming over me like a great tower, I don't like this at all. From my side of the table I look across to where the idiot who should have died at Haven and in the same predicament as me sits on a wallet, with the evil eyed scythe idiot, the vibrator arm idiot, the insufferable cat faunus idiot, the idiot who cried at me at Haven, the quiet idiot who never says anything and the hyperactive hammer idiot.
'I'm so sorry guys.' The Schnee brat sighs looking up at them all with her big, sky blue eyes.
'Oh Weiss, it's not your fault.' The evil silver eyed one says as she laughs.
'I bet it's my fault she was using strictly monitored shrink dust.' I think sarcastically as I look over at this sugary lovefest with a casual disdain without betraying where I am looking as I bite again and again into the cracker.
'I shouldn't have had that shrink dust, I was too ambitious, it is still very new territory.' Weiss laments, her icy blue eyes downcast, as much as I can't stand the brat, her eyes are gems. I can't help but agree with her assessment regarding her stupid deployment of that accursed dust.
'Daaawww! We all make mistakes.' Ruby gushes and picks up Weiss to hug her as tightly as she can. For all my hardships, thank Salem I don't have to deal with that. 'At least you have your friends to help you fix it.' Ruby adds affectionately, thoughtless patting her as if she was a pet, if Ruby did that to me, it would take all my legendary strength not to bite her.
'R... ...R... ...Ruby...' Weiss begins, she's about to scream at Ruby for being so forward with her and handsy, but she softens, she cries, overtaken by emotion. Weak. Sickeningly weak.
'We're here for you, Weiss Wee!' Yang says also joining Weiss and then Ruby with watery eyes and nudges Blake for laughs. 'Weiss Wee! Eh! Eh!' She laughs nudging Blake over and over again as Blake smiles and overlooks Yang's annoying nudging. Yang then Blake hug Ruby who is kinda hugging Weiss. Not being able to help herself the shrill redhead throws herself into the group hug and that pathetic boy follows suit, the long haired and stoic guy relents at the end and joins them at the end.
'Guys, guys...' Weiss laughs, wiping away a tear and seemingly cheered by this whole awkward and cringey display. '... I'm cut off. My father might not let me get the dust I need from our warehouse of experimental dust.'
'It's not that big of a deal...' Blake begins. '...not like it's the first time I've ever had to break into a Schnee facility.' She shrugs and they all laugh and chuckle like a bunch of morons. I never knew criminality could be found to be so funny or wholesome.
'Tell me...' Ozpin speaks through Oscar from behind me, apparently he caught me mid contemptuous snort, I almost jump at the surprise of it. '...if one of my colleagues were to exact revenge upon you in your vulnerable state, would anyone cry for you, would anyone even care?'
'Yes they'd mourn me!' I shoot back, a mouth full of cracker, too indignant to care as crumbs fly.
I'm met with a raised eyebrow of doubt.
'Emerald would!' I growl. 'She'd cry!'
'Anyone else?' He casually asks leaning forward on his cane, his big hazel-green eyes staring deeply into my very soul even. I hate him.
'Yesssss!' I hiss.
His eyes refute everything I say, he needn't say anything and he doesn't.
'Yesssss! Lots of people would miss me!' I shriek, but heck, even I don't believe that.
'...' Again his answer is silence.
'I've always been alone...' I softly concede. '...why should now be any different?' I bitterly ask, loneliness is my homeland.
'It doesn't sound like it's something you chose.' He leans ever closer. 'Perhaps it's time you stopped letting her make your decisions.'
I want to argue, I should argue, but he's right, my childhood along in my household of four wasn't my doing and neither was the path I find myself on. All I can do to save face is hiss and turn on my heel, throwing my cracker to the tabletop.

Chapter Text

The rain it never stops, it isn't particularly heavy, but it is fairly consistent. It is most of what I can see as I pace back and forth along the lacquered wooden windowsill. Other than the tiled roofs of Haven, semicircular tube-like tiles of brown and dark blue. It is a boring city, I never liked it much. It serves as a banal distraction, but a distraction nevertheless. Behind me the happy idiots set a table, the quiet one cooks, the manic one helps, though she is four parts help and six parts hindrance. Their leader, the awkward crying one takes the food from the kitchen, content with a role unfitting of his rank. The others set the table the silver eyed one sitting the silverware, admiring the knives in a not-quite-healthy way, the cat faunus sets the glasses and the blonde sets the plates. Their uncle lays asleep after more sullen drinking and the small Schnee speaks with the bumpkin who doubtlessly tells her it's not her fault that can't help and that she shouldn't feel so bad.
I steal a moment to look back a quick glare at the brat, she caused all this, she deserves a painful death, a painful undignified death.
'It wasn't my fault!' I utter beneath my breath, that familiar truism that can pretty much sums up my life so far sends me into the familiar, angry thoughts. 'I never got the chance to make friends, there was no fancy academy for those bastard hunters on the cards for me!' None of them hear me, I look to Oscar again and again, his harsh and unkind works eating at my mind like a grimm parasite. 'None of it, she promised me strength and power, for all the good it's done me so far!' I spit red hot truth through gritted teeth. 'Salem didn't tell me about the silver eyes until after Beacon! After! She was wrong about who the spring maiden was too! Two errors that have cost me dearly! None of it has been my fault! None!' I continue pacing as I breathe more heavily, I glare back at the monotonous rain. It beats down softly on the tiles and some against the window, it is a weak distraction indeed.
Gently the scent wants across the room to me, from the kitchen, the scent of rice stir fried with beef, capsicum, onion, corn and rice. Admittedly it does smell nice, all the nicer because I haven't eaten so well since the Haven debacle. Damn that veiny witch. I'm here now, suffering all this because of her lies, omissions and half-truths! As I cross my arms my anger rises, I look at my arm, my left arm, a grimm abomination I now have because of her! Wrapped up, the claws still visible from beneath the bandages. I am surrounded by serpents, the one back there giving me my orders the ones here that lord it over me. All of them snakes.

As I watch the skies darken around the light of Remnants broken moon my captors take their places around the table, Red at one head of the table, the little Schnee beside her plate as they seem to be close friends. On one side of the table the drunken washout with the cat and the blonde. Across from them the awkward loser, the manic ginger and the quiet one. Facing down Ruby at the other edge is Oz-whatever. They seem so happy, well everyone but Branwen, then again, he's never happy. I listen carefully to their talk of that damnable relic and of their trip to Atlas to take it to where it will be securely held. I feel like screaming, pulling my hair, punching something. Within grasping range of the relic but unable to take it at all and doubly frustrated that soon it could be out of my grasp altogether.
'So where do you think Salem will strike next?' Ruby asks her merry little band. 'I mean we got Haven right, where do we think the next battle will be guys?'
'Maybe your pet will know...' Jaune suggests awkwardly, looking over at me, I watch him from the reflection, I can't get mad and have them think I'm not remorseful and such.
'Oh fuck you, Arc!' I think still looking at that broken moon. ‘I am no pet.’
'Good idea Jaune!' Red says with a cheerful determination as she gets up and strolls up to where I stand. I play it cool and turn, looking up with a neutral expression, naturally I'm not gonna be happy and I do my best not to be pissed. I’ve had to feign remorse much more suddenly than I’d like to have because of this predicament so it must be bullet proof, as if its roots sink beneath the current events.
'You're needed.' Ruby says matter-of-factly as she grabs me around the torso and walks back to the table. For someone who hates me so much, Red is very handsy. I say nothing, I know better than to complain about the comfortable indignity of it, she sits back down and drops me onto the table. My ass doesn't get the chance to hit the table, I roll and come back up in a more dignified stance, my back turned to her. As I measure the mood of the table which is either hostile; Ruby, Yang, Blake, Qrow and Oscar, or downright murderous; Weiss, Jaune, Ren and Nora I think: 'Tough crowd.'
'Cinder...' Red says and I turn looking up at her respectfully. '...are you actually remorseful at all for what you've done?' Those large silver eyes look down at me like a lioness scrutinising its prey, preparing to run whichever direction I may figuratively run off in, I think about the Battle of Haven, how my excellent plan was foiled by the machinations of mother-of-the-year, my face drops into a sad, depressed expression. There we go. Perfect. 'This situation has given me a lot of time to think, I've got nothing else to do but think about my life and fate up until now.'
‘Good.’ Red retorts.
'Well you're still going to prison!' Schnee angrily declared standing up and tried staring me down. The whole table watches me, I can't help but feel a chill run down my spine as I find my act put to the test. 'I know, I know.' I flatly respond, I keep my eye contact with Ruby.
'Well good! Enjoy prison!' Schnee says, the enthusiasm dying on her lips as she is confused by my reaction, she slowly sits back down to her food when it's apparent I won't engage her. Stupid girl.
'Weiss!' Ruby yells. 'This is important.'
'Sorry.' Schnee mutters as she continues eating. The aroma is overwhelming, and it makes my mouth water. I use the lull to swallow.
'Ciiiiinder...' Red says, turning to me again. '...well if you're remorseful you wouldn't mind telling me about Salem's plans, right?' The way she says it, the menace in her voice, she’s making me almost hate hearing my own name.
'Thing is, plans might have changed since Haven and I haven't exactly seen Salem since to touch base with her. But let's see...' With my right hand under my chin and my bad arm under the elbow of the good one I take on a thoughtful pose and expression, the stupid expression on her face telling me that buys my act. '... well the way Salem works is, she tells us just a little of what she's planning, just enough so that what we have done at Beacon might not compromise the later Haven operations by knowing about Haven.' The apprehension and shame eat at me as Jaune's angry blue eyes follow me as it pace up and down the table.
'If you had to bet your life on where Salem would strike next?' Yang asks, the wording unnerves me. I hate this. The wording is not very inappropriate given my current predicament.
'If I had to bet on it, then Atlas. Definitely Atlas.' I suggest as I turn around and head back towards Ruby.
'Atlas? Are you sure?' Schnee asks. I nod. And I think: 'Joke's on you bitch, Vacuo will fall first.'
'Definitely, when next assault will fall on Atlas.' I say arms crossed and talking softly. Out of nowhere a massive armoured fist slams down before me, I barely managed to jump back shocked and not be slammed though the table. I don't even manage to control my horrified expression as I take some sort of shielding stance.
'How can you be so calm about this?!' Jaune screams, his frustration over Beacon, over Pyrrha, over Haven, over Weiss is all as clear as day as his voice hits me like a whirlwind. 'To know what happened at Vale and almost happened at Mistral and be so calm about it!' I can't imagine how pissed he actually is at the moment, no wait, I'm surrounded by enemies, much larger than me and being told off like a child, I've just backed up humiliatingly into a glass of water with nowhere else to back off to and I'm being brought into some grotesque exaggeration of my childhood. I get it. The thoughtless blonde asshole is venting, but still it's a bit much and he thinks I should be contrite. I breathe heavily and look up at him my fists clenched hidden in my sleeves as I calm down and seem penitent once more.
'I'm telling you now...' I say softly, looking away. The injustice of it all, he gets to vent and cry and I have to stand there and listen, say nothing, do nothing and definitely not attempt to put a spear through his eye and have it explode in what little brains he has.
'You and Pyrrha should have swapped places!' He shrieks and cries before turning tail and stomping off like an emotional toddler. I should laugh but I'm too angry, and I'm too scared, I hate myself for that. It isn't fair! I'm tired of the fear! Ren and Nora stand, they look at me for a moment, I can't tell whether it's anger, hatred, pity or scepticism about my sentiments before they run after Jaune. All I can do is look back at Ruby and hope she doesn't blame me.
"Go on." Ruby icily gestures after what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence. Honestly, I'm not too sure what the plan was for Atlas because we had planned on bringing down Vacuo first. But here goes, it's probably the opposite of what we'd do, because we'd be playing Ironwood like a fiddle. 'We'd create disturbances in Mantle, make Ironwood declare martial law...' I begin, swallowing hard so I can be calm and clear and above all else, convincing. '... we'd make him deploy his army onto the streets have it bogged down fighting its own people in public order actions when an aerial assault on Atlas by grimm and myself takes them all off guard. Simple, but brutally effective.' They listen carefully, all seem to be taken by the performance. The drunk seems uneasy especially at the mention of Ironwood, the boy, he's mentally discussing it with Ozpin, I know that look, Silver Eyes, she's determined as ever to stop it, her face betrays as much and the brat, she's probably fearful for her homeland and worried for that famous sister of hers, the delicious terror makes those icy blue eyes go quite large.
'Good, we'll stop them.' Red defiantly declares. She turns to Schnee. 'We will I promise.'
'We will.' Schnee responds back to her after snapping out of her horror. I watch dispassionately, my expression neutral as ever. Curse that shrink dust, it hasn't been long at all but damn I miss smirking.
'May I be dismissed?' I ask when there's a momentary lull in the talking.
'Yes.' Red says with a nod.
'Good riddance.' The tiny brat mutters.
Casually I walk to the edge of the table, nonchalantly hopping off and landing what would be a several storey drop for me in a kneeling position and one hand down. 'Fuck I'm smooth.' I think to myself.
'Ciiiiindeeer.' Ruby says as I'm about to turn away, politely I look up to Gargantuan Red.
'Go get some rest. If you want to come with us, you better keep up, no sleeping in, no slowing us down no sleeping in. Understand?'
'Understood.' I coolly respond.
'And if ya don't like it you can take a hike!' The bimbo laughs and jerks the thumb of her robotic arm over her shoulder towards the front door. I wait for them to go back to ignoring me and I walk off.
She was right, I probably should rest, I lose no time getting to the kitchen and taking a tea towel before going to the bedroom Ruby and Weiss occupied. Fortunately the bed is one of those beds with drawers underneath which eliminates an avenue of attack, I crawl between it and the bedside drawers, dragging the towel behind me though the narrow crawl space before curling up in it and learning against the wall. At least no one can get me without moving the furniture, I won't be caught unawares. I close my eye to put this trying day behind me, one warm tear escapes my eye.

Chapter Text

Today wasn’t going to be a good day, I'm not given much time at all to clean up and I'm only given water and a cracker to eat, again! I fear they intend to kill me of malnutrition well before we get to Atlas, I am fortunate that half of them have slept in, and the uncle is still hung over. I find some time to my thoughts as pace back and forth in a nook in the hall. Someone is coming but they shouldn’t notice me, everyone is busy after all.
‘You!’ The Blonde kid growls, swiftly kicking me against the wall. It seems I was wrong about being left alone. The pain running through my bones as I slam into the wall confirms this like the “wrong” buzzer on television game shows. I cough violently and look up at Jaune with a murderously narrowed eye as I rise to be on all fours.
‘We’re having a little talk.’ He commands, rolling me over with his foot and stepping on me firmly, not hard enough to wear down my aura but ominous never-the-less, his foot ends half way down my stomach so I have no doubt about how precarious my situation is. The pain of the kick, then the rolling and the pressure has my undivided attention. Looking up at him I recognize that pose, the expression, that asshole is attempting to reverse our positions from the battle of Haven. I shouldn’t have, but as I look up and I recognise him imitating me, my eye rolls. All I can do is grit me teeth as I recognise the horrible metallic taste of blood.
‘The others might believe you’re going good, but I don’t! You’re just a coward who likes other people’s pain!’ I grind my teeth and resolve to show him who’s the coward when the odds are even.
‘Why on Remnant would I do anything bad?’ I groan glaring up at him, the pain not overwhelming but consistent.
‘Because you’re a bad person.’ Vomit Boy spits back.
‘You don’t know the first thing about me.’ I try to say as calmly as possible, he doesn’t know me! He doesn’t know what motivates me! How dare he?!
‘I know you killed Pyrrha, you attacked Beacon, you attacked Haven, you enjoy hurting people.’ In my mind, my growls scream “You’re damn right I did!”
‘I did what I was told.’ I breathe heavily and take a moment, I must be careful with what comes next, he’s hysterical, I can’t fight him yet. ‘Like Pyrrha should have done. Ozpin told her not to attack me and she insisted on attacking me. You probably don’t know that Ozpin was grooming her for maidenhood, but he was, and she felt she had to kill me to get my powers. Only one of us were going walk away from that fight.’
‘You didn’t have to kill her!’ He presses harder, about to cry. ‘Y… You could have knocked her out!’
‘Didn’t I? Would she have not gotten back up when she could and try to kill me? Would she not have dedicated her life to hunting me down and killing me, to become what Ozpin felt she was destined to be?’
‘…’ I look up at Jaune as he struggles to refute my point. I allow myself the smallest of smirks after I lick some blood off my lip. I shouldn’t but it’s sinking in. By Salem, its sinking in.
‘Don’t look so hurt boy. She conducted herself with great skill and valor, she fell swiftly and with little suffering. Don’t take my word for it, ask Ruby.’ She was good, she was brave, just not good enough.
‘You’re lying to save your skin that’s as ugly as you are inside.’ He hysterically screams.
‘Ask her!’ I groan as he ups the pressure, it really hurts.
‘Everything I’ve said is true!’ I scream, almost pleading. ‘Prison is better than freedom in my current state! My current state has given me ample opportunity to reflect on the past vicious circle that has landed me where I am.’
‘And?’ Vomit Boy glares down at me, unsympathetic as I wriggle a little to avoid a falling tear.
‘And I’m trying to extricate myself. I’ve had enough…’
‘Well keep doing that.’ He orders, like I give a fuck that he’s the leader of some motley, incomplete team. ‘But you’re still going to pay for what you’ve when we get to Atlas. And if you even think about trying to hurt my friends, I will personally make you wish you were never born! Understand?’
‘Yes, yes…’ I groan, as he removes his foot, then he flicks his foot sending me back into the wall and glares at me once more before walking off. I lay on the ground for a moment or two fighting back the shame and the immense pain of what I’ve just suffered.

I spend the intervening time between leaving the house and boarding the train in Ruby's pocket. It is dark and silent, comfortable but shameful. I can't believe I will have to spend weeks if not months in this humiliating way before I can activate my plans to make things right.
I ball up as Ruby's hand shoves down into her pocket, she isn't gentle nor is she respectful as she grabs me, and in a relatively loose fist places me down on the table in their train car. I stretch as I stand and look up to her expecting her to give me some command. She doesn't disappoint.
'Stay here. Don't cause any trouble.' Red sternly says. 'And don't fight with Weiss. Don’t even giver her any of your mean, pointy words.'
'Yeah!' Schnee says as she looks up from comically flipping over the page of a magazine much larger than herself.
'I won't.' I meekly say. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this fate. 'I won't give you cause for concern.'
'Fat chance.' Schnee snorts as she looks at a large glossy page with a long white great coat.
'Don't provoke the situation.' The cat one chides the brat and taps her head with a finger.
'Owwww!' The brat whines almost playfully as she rubs her head and pouts up at the darkly beautiful faunus girl.
I ignore these imbeciles, I've had my fill of such asinine antics for now. I take a seat on the edge of a thick glass ashtray and I use my powers to summon a small wind that softly flips the pages of a newspaper. One by one, my captors go to the bathroom or to get something to eat or whatever it is they are doing in the calm and lazy moments before the alarms ring and the merry band of hunters rush to what I assume is a grimm assault on the roof of the train. I continue to read my newspaper, looking up occasionally to see Schnee distracted from her own reading by the sound of the fight above, her eyes wide and full of concern for her friends. 'Weak. Pathetic.' I think, but I also sense my chance. 'In crisis there is also opportunity.'
'Tell me Schnee...' I say, speaking softly, almost seductively as I stand and slowly walk over to the edge of the magazine as she looks up at me through narrowed eyes, that scar on her left side makes her look more awesome than she actually is. '...do you want to help them?'
'Of course I do!' Weiss scowls back at me like I just asked if the world is round. She’s so predictable.
'Good, come with me, kid.' I casually respond, stepping across those glossy pages to grab Schnee around the waist under one arm like a sack of potatoes as all she can do is look up at me, confused and annoyed in equal measure.
'I'm not a kid!' Schnee pouts like a chastised child, grabbing her dainty rapier before I fly upwards.
'Wha... ...what are you doing?!' She asks at a higher pitch than her normal annoying tone as we fly towards the closest hatch.
'This is your lucky day, brat. I'm granting your wish of course.' I explain as I reach the hatch leading to the outside of train and drag Weiss with me until I can throw Weiss over the edge before I gracefully land on the train roof after her and am standing over a Schnee who is on all fours and who grunts at me as she takes her rightful place in the world.
'Now listen up. This part is particularly important if you don't want to end the day as grimm droppings. I am going to get those grimm over there in a position to where their heads will be about a metre or less from the ground. Can you kill them if I get them that close?'
'I can.' Schnee nods, she is now fierce and determined as she gets to her feet and for once that angsty rage isn't directed at me. She is in that typical I’m-going-to-be-a-hero huntress mood. Not that I’m complaining, it suits my purposes just fine.
'Just wait for the opening, you'll definitely notice it when it happens and then strike!' I command not giving any heed to her response as I run forward.
'Good to see you're not rusty!' The blonde exclaims playfully as her and the cat land before me like a pair of titans from the old legends, they have just cut a grimm manticore in half with some admittedly impressive team attack and its smokey remains dissipate. They look down to me for a second as I run between their massive tower-like legs, almost confused, to where another manticore grimm is flying at them from behind. Its burning eyes fix on me and it takes a dive towards me, the firing of the train's gun turrets making the grimm spin as bursts of energy strike its hide, but not enough to move it from its trajectory. It makes a blood chilling roar as its bone white leonine maw opens wide to take me whole. 'That'll be the day! Me getting killed by a Grimm!' I growl between my gritted teeth and place one foot behind the other in a fighting stance.
'Stay!' I scream when it is close enough to here and it slams into the train on all fours. 'Stay!' I command again, breathing heavily, my blood up and my heart racing as I'm face to face with this seemingly colossal abomination. It is like a dog, head bowed, looking around and growling as if there's a war within between its instinct to kill me and its orders to stay put. 'I've still got it.' I smirk.
'Schneeeeeeeeeeee!' I scream.
'Right, right!' Schnee responds as she falls to a knee and pushes her rapier down to summon a human-sized ice knight.
'Stay!' I command again, the manticore grimm’s murderous gaze still fixed on me, still glaring as I hear the heavy footfall of the ice knight and count its steps as it closes the distance. The knight is graceful enough as it leaps up crashes down on the manticores head, both hands around its grip as it drives down, creating a deafening crunch when the massive blade smashes through the manticore's bony mane. It barely can roar a death cry before it too disappears into a wicked black smoke like cloud. And I, Cinder Fall stood fearlessly still. Not. One. Step. Back.
'No hecking way!' The blonde exclaims incredulously as her, the cat and Red watch Schnee and I just dispatch a manticore. I couldn't resist, I smirk and bow like a performer. Schnee can't help but smirk triumphantly at Red. The jubilation doesn't last long before they turn towards the front of the train, where team JNR and Oscar were also climbing onto the top of the train.
'Why is it always something?!' The shrill ginger one complains.
'Just move them towards the back!' Red calls back as we follow them.
In the centre of the train car’s roof the three meet and the farm boy forward, towards the engine end of the train. The silent one obliviously steps past me as he fires at the grimm with his dual pistols, the loser raises his shield protecting the manic red head as she turns left and right to shoot grenades at the manticores attempting to flank the train. With no grimm close enough yet, I keep an eye on developments but also more importantly on the foot work of the others. One step could break my aura if it's hard enough, if they don't get off quick enough it would be my innards splattered across the train roof. I die inside a little every time I must take such considerations into account. Especially after this morning’s little chat with Vomit Boy.
Running to the quiet one the manic girl leaps and takes his hand as he swings her around and then throws her backwards at the manticores, using her flight time to transform her weapon into what seems to be its hammer form and uses the momentum to brutally crush a manticores head. There is a beauty to it, as stupid as that girl must be, she is a brilliant performer, and that team seems to have come a long way from the joke they were when I had a very fun time watching them make asses of themselves at the Vytal Festival. The thought is quite... ...quite horrifying. I fully expect a reckoning with these imbeciles over the stupidity of their fallen comrade, I just hope it comes when I'm back to normal.
'Tunnel!!!' The boy yells back to us from several train cars ahead. Before I can act Ruby zooms past, collecting Weiss and then myself in her free hand and kicking in her semblance to race down the side of the train car and enter via the side as the train enters the mountainside tunnel, leaving a few blood red petals behind.
'Playtime's over!' Red shouts to us. She is fast, I'll give her that, disturbingly fast.
Back in our train car Ruby drops us back on to the table and we fall on our knees, quickly trying to get back on our feet as Ruby leans over us and the others circle the table.
'What were you doing out there?' She asks, technically it could be answered by either of us, but I get the sense she is really concerned about the Schnee girl and that they wouldn't really mind me being devoured by those abominations.
'F... ...fighting grimm...' Schnee awkwardly laughs as she rubs the back of her head nervously.
'Why? You know you could have been killed?!' Red questions her, worried for her more than being mad at her, as is to be expected from this predictable and emotionally soft lot.
'Actually...' I summon my courage and step forward, speaking loudly and clearly. 'It was my suggestion, together I can stop grimm and she can deliver the fatal blow.' I feel like an idiot for doing this, directing all their anger at myself like a lightning pole and sparing Schnee from the chastisement she deserves but I'll need her cooperation in the future. Unfortunately. This will be the first of many such collaborations.
'That was dang-, what's the point of coming along with us if you're going to get yourself killed?!' Red asks in a rage, I breath heavily, in and out before I speak. Is that concern for my well-being? An interesting development, but one I will explore later.
'Apologies, I felt together, Schnee and I could be useful.'
Red looks at me and then looks at Weiss, as what we did sinks in, she calms down, her face betrays that we did a good job.
'Okay that was cool. You really nailed it with the ice knight.' Red adds. I'll take that, at least it ends this embarrassing awkwardness.
'More importantly, how is it that you can command grimm?' The Kitty asks, in the subsequent silence.
I turn to her, she seems like a force of nature, something dark and untamed looking down at me with bright yellow eyes and long black hair that makes think of an all-consuming night. 'It’s part of my maiden power.' I say as simply as I can, I don't want to delve too deeply into what I can or can't do.
'Well we definitely have to test this under safer conditions.' Kitty adds.
'Yes, definitely. For once you can do something good with your power.' Ruby taps my head. The taps are heavy, but they aren't hard. Though they are humiliating.
'Count the days, bitch.' I think.

Chapter Text

Earlier that day at the station

Obscured by onlookers from all angles but forward by Red's cape, I allow myself to push up her pocket flap a little and entertain myself by watching what the kid is up to. From what I can gather, she's wandered off into some sort of tacky train station gift shop. 'Fools and their lien...' I think.

'Uh hi, do you have any friendship bracelets?' Red asks in her sweet voice softly and polite as ever. I cringe internally at the image of what I assume she'd look like as she makes such an awkward request, probably with index fingers touching or one index finger raised.

'Right this way.' The attendant responds as Ruby follows behind her.

'Oh my...' I cringe as she looks them over and picks four identical ones. '...this is so embarrassing! No Ruby, no!' I think, as I close my eyes. This is very awkward indeed. She's unironically buying honest to goodness friendship bracelets, for her team, matching bracelets.

'Thank you.' Ruby says paying the lady as I laugh from my fabric prison. It's embarrassing just being in her pocket as this transaction happen. It almost literally hurts me to watch and it hurts more trying not to laugh.

'What's so funny?' Ruby scowls after she walks out and we're alone. I couldn't hold it in, I laughed heartily after the first burst of laughter forces itself out like laughter vomit. I laugh and I laugh until she lifts the flap and glares down at me with a pair of big silver eyes.

'What's funny?' She repeats herself.

'N... ... nothing...' I squeak. Looking up at those eyes, large and silver. So terrifying and yet oddly beautiful at the same time, they make the laughter stop immediately. Sobering like a bucket of ice water.

'I thought so.' She says firmly, putting down the flap and buttoning it closed.

'What's with the running?' The drunk asks her as she runs, of that, I have no doubt because she isn't a comfortable ride when she runs, and she runs with a lot of pent up energy given she has the soul of a hyperactive puppy.

'And what's with the standing? It's almost time!' She squeals back.

'Whoa!' I yelp when her semblance is activated and she's a storm of rose petals spending through the train station with her bag of awkwardness. I think I'm going to be violently ill.

She approaches the bench where her team sit there waiting, Yang next to Blake and Weiss in Blake's cupped hands. Despite the button being fastened I can still see a little, so I guess I'm not doomed to total darkness for now, though I'd probably wish I were.

'And?' The blonde asks as Ruby eagerly holds up the brown paper bag. I can't watch. This is cringeworthy as heck. Like she hasn't given me enough incentive to throw up already.

'What an absolute waste of time.' The brat pouts.

'What did you get me?!' The blonde asks as Ruby passes her the bag after taking a bracelet for herself. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion. This is so painful. Grown women, friendship bracelets, grown women that are huntresses with friendship bracelets. Xiao Long seems pleased and takes one for her left hand, the faunus girl takes one a little awkwardly and puts it on her right hand, she acts like it's nothing but she seems happy to have it when she thinks no one is watching.

'And I'll keep yours until we get to Atlas.' Red almost sings as she ruffles Weiss' hair with a finger and Weiss pouts.

'I could just-' Weiss says with a look to Myrtenaster.

'Don't even say that out loud.' The kitty cuts her off. 'You aren't supposed to have that.' She whispers like a protective mother at a child in danger. 'Tell me about it.' I think.

'Sorry, sorry.' The Schnee apologises.

'Team hug!' The blonde exclaims gleefully as she pulls up the kitty and pulls her half-sister into a team hug. I'd be laughing at whatever predicament the brat finds herself in, in the kitty's grasp and probably squished up against one of the sisters, but I find myself stuck between Red and the kitty's crotch. I shiver from the shame.

'Oh! I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus! The beautiful northern coastline... You really think it's too early for beach season?' The manic ginger shrieks from excitement.

'Unfortunately, but we will be one step closer to Atlas.' The irrelevant one adds, breaking the ginger from her daydreams.

'Well I'm glad you're all excited.' The Schnee pouts. 'But I don't think you appreciate all the trouble I went to leave Atlas!'

'Oh Weissy!' Ruby takes her in both hands. 'I know you're worried, but we'll get you fixed as soon as possible.' I feel like whatever breakfast I have eaten, it will be coming out soon.

'No one's gotta be worried with us around.' Some jackass says as two green huntsmen approach the gang like they're trying to pick them up in a club. They remind me of those SSSN clowns.

'Aaaaand you are?' The ginger asks.

'Why Dee and Dudley of course. The Argus Limited's very own huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through grimm territory.' The first one says, his confidence seems much more salient than any evidence of either's hunting prowess.

'But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things get dangerous.' Naturally, the girls are unimpressed, I can't blame them, even at this size, I'd put these two clowns on show and these girls are much better than these two pretenders. Maybe even Jaune is. Who the fuck fights grimm with a club, this idiot is actually carrying a spiked club.

'Yeah? I got a tip for ya?' The drunk says as they turn towards where his voice is coming from.

'Buzz off.' He begins standing between the girls and the scumbags. 'A professional huntsman right? Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose unlocked.' The scumbags look to each other in shock and surprise. 'It'd be a shame to lose your job before it started.' He adds.

'I... ...I didn't do it!' The second imbecile exclaims.

'Come on dummy.' The first one says as they run off

Oz-whatever walks up to us and has an exasperated look like he is hoping they weren't Beacon graduates. I wouldn't imagine they were. These Beacon kids for their long, long list of faults are competent-ish and Red has the God of Darkness' own luck.

'You know sometimes the burden of saving the world can be overwhelming.' Oz-whatever begins in his saccharine hopeful tone. 'But then people like that come along that make me grateful that it's our job and theirs.' They all nod in agreement. All I can do is impotently roll my eye, my poor stomach won't be settling today.

Later that day

'Count the days, bitch.' I think.

In the background the drunk and the surviving sleazeball are arguing about the deployment of the defensive turrets. There's only one sleazeball now, I remember a manticore dragging off his moronic friend with the club to his death in the forest below. Pathetic. Of all the weapons in the world, a fucking spiked club. Still can't get over how stupid that is.

'They're keeping us alive!' The surviving moron groans, his arm in pain as the drunk slams him against the wall of the carriage.

'Us sure, but they're putting the passengers in danger!' The drunk growls back, such a stupid concern. I look back with a quick contemptuous look when no one will notice me. The two continue to bicker like a pair of delinquents until the cry of a baby from amongst the passengers stirs my idealistic captor into action.

'Please just shut off the turrets.' She asks softly as she walks up to him. Granted, and is convincing if you've a soft heart. But she's tried that voice before on Raven, it didn't end well.

'Trust us, we know what we're doing.' Vomit boy adds as he takes the sleazeball's arm that got that sickening crunch when the train hit the tunnel and seems to boost the man's aura. I sneer, even his semblance is that of a beta male, a support aura. My stomach sinks when I realise that could very well be why the Schnee brat is alive, those kids are hard to kill as it is. The sleazeball sighs and relents to turning off the turrets.

'Ren could you use your semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden they might lose track of us.' The ginger says, admittedly it's not a bad idea.

'Hmm, I never attempted to effect this many people.' He responds.

'Well you've never had Jaune's help before.' She chirps back. They all nod and the drunk weighs in with his approval. They all, with a determined demeanor encourage Vomit boy and the silent one. That is until Oz-whatever has their attention.

'I'm afraid there's one complication...' He gestures to his hip, where the relic dangles, that alluring lamp like artefact that should be mine. '...the grimm are also attracted to this.'

'What's that?' The sleazeball asks.

'None of your business.' The drunk shuts him down. 'Oz, are you serious?'

'Why wouldn't you tell us that?!' The blonde adds to the chorus.

'It doesn't matter right now!' Red interrupts, cutting Oz-whatever off. 'Every second we're on board this train we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you can still mask their emotions and kill the turrets... ...we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the relic, we can deal with the grimm, you just make sure the rest of the train makes it to Argus.' She explains. Stupidly heroic, but the others will get away, which is no consolation at all. Jaune walks up to Ruby with a heartbroken countenance and makes her promise she'll make it to Argus alive. I watch with what I guess is a frustrated expression on my face since they're making my life so much more difficult.

'Cinder.' Ruby bends down to me as team JNR begin herding the passengers forward. 'You don't have to come.'

'Oh, but I do.' I try to say calmly, unhappy about this stupid gesture of heroism I'm being dragged into.

'Well if you're interested in proving that redemption is something you seek, now would be a good time to play ball.' I swallow my anger and frustration and nod. Looking into her eyes with my own. The others go to take positions, kitty moves towards the link between carriages to decouple them. The brat runs to the edge is the table about to leap off or whatever she planned to do. I just shake my head and pulls her back by her collar.

'Hey!' The brat shrieks.

'You're staying with me, Princess!' I growl.

'You're not the boss of me!' She scowls.

'No, but I can fly, I'll keep you safe.' I explain through clenches teeth.

'She's right, Weiss. Cinder, keep her safe from now on, if anything happens to her, I'll hold you personally responsible.' She warns me, leaning down to tower over me and reinforce her point. Yang turns and gestures a finger across the throat at me too. I nod, I got the message and I take Weiss by the hip, flying her back to the top of the carriage.

'Now!' Red signals the loser team, and as far as the grimm are concerned the rest of the train disappears when the losers kick their plan into action, I watch sadly as my easy ticket to Argus disappears.

'Of course!' I snarl under my breath as the grimm dive into their attack. At least half a dozen manticores close on us as the train escapes their attention, the farm boy fends one off by whacking at it with the cane, Red leaps from manticore to manticore, fatally slicing them with her scythe, the blonde grabs one by its horns and impressively twists it around then punches it and the kitty severed one's tail. The one the farm boy fights now attempts to flank us with him riding it, rather unwillingly, before it lands on the carriage and farm boy continues to fight it I stand between Schnee and the edge, my eye blazes and I watch as a second manticore charges our flank, I send a gust of wind into one that Red was fighting allowing her to easily dispatch it. Then we turn to where kitty continues to whip a grimm with her ribbon weapon.

Behind us, the drunk plants his scythe through the carriage as he tries to gain traction, then he is hit by a fireball.

Pressing its attack on the drunk, the sphinx carelessly turns its flank to Ruby, Schnee and I, we charge accordingly. Naturally, I keep myself between the brat and the beast.

'Don't get yourself hurt, Princess!' I shout back to her.

'I won't! Now shut up and help me!' The brat yells back as she starts shooing ice shards at the sphinx to draw its attention away from Qrow. I shake my head and add my own barrage of fireballs into the fray. I hate that this is happening.

'We need to ground it!' Ruby orders as the plants her scythe into our footing and shoots off round after round at the sphinx.

'I'm on it!' Blake yells as she and the blonde seamlessly work together to strap it down to the carriage with her ribbon weapon. The Yang's bravery or recklessness, probably the latter is impressive as she slid under it after a run up, then managed to get through to the other side.

'You take the right one.' I say, grabbing Schnee by the waist and flying above the sphinx having guessed at what the team are trying to do, when we're close enough to be effective and perilously close to its snapping maws, she freezes the right wing, I freeze the left one and its wings shatter like glass, leaving it grounded. As I safely land her away from the violently thrashing grimm.

I barely have time to look up when Qrow and Ruby, in a duet of whirling scythe blades sever the grimm in half, though the sphinx in its malicious final moment manages to blast the rails ahead with a fireball. Weiss looks at me, I know what she wants, something something ice and protecting them so I freeze half the team to the carriage and she the other half as the carriages careen off the rails and slam into snow beside the tracks at the bottom of the incline.