Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[MidwayLives]

Moments like this always sucked.

They weren't frequent but still often enough that they bothered her all the same.

She wasn't one to brag, if anything she tried to be as honest and upfront about her opponent's chances. She didn't want to waste her time on a weakling who wouldn't even able to lay a finger on her and anyone who'd managed to land a good punch on her? They deserved a commendation for it. It was the same story she told anyone who may have even had a cursory interest in her semblance. it wasn't anything spectacular, it just puffed up her muscles. It was the skill she possessed that really made it worth a damn. When she was a kid and struggled to control it, she'd crush doorknobs, punch holes in walls just by tapping on them, couldn't even take a step without cracking the ground even slightly. Some called her a monster, others called her a beast.

Over the years she'd worked hard to develop control over her semblance lest it continue to ruin her life. In her own humble opinion, she liked to think she did a good job fighting for the same cause as her brothers and sisters. If it ever turned out that she wasn't? Well, she hoped somebody came along and killed her just like she'd done to the previous Tiger.

Her name didn't matter, her feelings didn't matter, her opinion....

She'd give it if anyone asked but....

Nobody did.

As she stood in front of the mirror situated in her bathroom, she sighed.

It was such a trival thing to be worried about, to let plague her mind for years. But she hadn't always been the 6'10 wall of beef that flicked hounds back to sleep and caused shockwaves.



"Alright, let's fight! Who's up next? C'mon!!! What are you guys scared of a girl or something?!"

She's once upon a time shared a figure more akin to Snake or Ilia's....rather than....say Bear's...

She frowned.

It hurt sometimes to be reminded of that. It really didn't matter, nobody in the Shadow Fang cared or judged her on how she looked. But just once it'd have been nice to have garnered the same gazes that say someone who was genuinely attractive like Snake did.

But....It didn't seem like that was gonna be anytime soon.

Tiger turned away from the mirror and pulled on her mask.

Bad memories, good memories....They should all just stay in the past.​

 

[MidwayLives]

"I think it's clear...You can't protect your friends. Maybe I'll play with them next..."

The bastard had been stalking Trifa and him since day one. It wasn't any surprise that he'd gotten to know about Mercury and the others too.

He wasn't even subtle about it. He'd told Tyrian off the bat that he was the one who'd kidnapped Trifa, that he'd hurt her, and that he'd keep on doing it til she lost her appeal to his sick fantasies.

Then he'd get rid of her.

No matter how hard he'd fought, how angry he got, Tyrian hadn't stood any kind of a chance against him to boot. When his collarbone had been fractured, it was as if time had jumped back. To the cruel employers of the mine that he'd worked in alongside his parents. The dirty clothes, the disheveled hair, the dried tears. It was the most vulnerable he'd ever been in his life and after proving his worth to not only Ichabod but to himself in the ring and even after joining Beacon, he'd hoped it was a feeling he'd never have to go through again. To never be that scared little boy who cowered at a human's words. He vowed to himself that it would never happen again.

After the fight with Jack, he'd broken that vow.

As he stirred and rolled from side to side, he eventually sat up in bed, a cold sweat running down his torso.

....Bed?

The place looked too nice to be the motel so as nice as it would have been for everything to be a dream, the faunus simply couldn't believe it. Somebody must have found him amid the wreckage at the warehouse. Tossing the blanket off his person, he turned to plant his feet on the ground. "What the-" After the blanket had been removed, he noticed what appeared to be bandaging over his injuries."Did....somebody really treat my wounds?"

The door opened and Tyrian immediately moved to his feet. His weapons were laying on a nightstand not too far from his bed. His tail coiled up as he waited to see who was behind that goddamn door...

"Please."

The voice....Tyrian himself didn't know it but when just a second ago, he'd been ready to leap up out of bed and figure out what the hell had happened, he....just didn't. The door continued to creak open until the figure who'd gone and saved Tyrian stood there in the hallway, a smile upon his face.

"Don't get up so quickly. Given thecondition you were in, I've done what I can but I'm no doctor. If you move around too much the bandages could become undone before they're ready and you'll be right back in the state that I found you in."

"You should have left me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm..." The faunus's voice cracked and he turned his head to the side. "I'm worthless."

"You're wrong."

The faunus grit his teeth and growled. "The hell do you know?! You don't even know me!"

The room grew silent fast after that outburst. The man who seemed to just exude an air of just being genuine shook his head and leaned against the doorframe. "You're right, I don't know you. Not by name anyway. But I've seen you and your friend plenty of times throughout town. Causing trouble seems to be your forte if you don't mind me saying so. I'm Blanco Vago, the leader of the Bound Ashes's 'Community Team.' I help make sure the people in the are that's under my team's jurisdiction are taken care of. Whether it be day to day issues, petty grievances, a shoulder to cry on, or a genuine helping hand. I try to do it all but I'm not perfect. Anybody who claims to be is a fool in my opinion. So, while I haven't had a chance to meet you until now, believe me when I say you're no stranger to me, Tyrian Callows."

The faunus's tail seemed a touch less tense after Blanco had introduced himself. He'd paid little mind to respecting Aurora given the authority beholden to being the Boss's right hand man, mostly because Aurora didn't make it a habit of trying to use his influence to order people around and or demand respect. The pink haired teen expected respect to be earned and he preferred it over frightened obedience. But you couldn't walk through town like Tyrian had and not hear at least one pair of old ladies going on and on about what a 'nice young man that Blanco was' and others praising 'how more of the Ashes should have been like him' and so on and so forth. Tyrian didn't buy it at first, to be honest he still really didn't. Nobody was as squeaky clean as much as they may have tried their damnedest to be.

"....So you're the one everyone's always talking about. 'The People's Man."

Blanco chuckled.

"Yes, yes, that's the alias I was given when I was promoted to lea the team after our former leader retired to live out the rest of his days in peace. In as much peace as you can get in a land like Mistral these days anyhow. You and along with everyone else my team has aided can call me that if you wish but I'm no better than anyone you may see on the commute to work or in your restaurant of choice. I simply do what I can. It's all I can do..." He eyed the zippers his semblance 'Seal it' had left on Tyrian's injuries. "All any of us can do. So, no, I don't agree that you're worthless. Whatever you went through in that warehouse is proof enough of that to me. I'd seen the trail of blood that lead me to you. You'd passed out by then but I could see that you'd tried to crawl out on your own." The gangster pushed himself off the doorframe and held a hand out towards the faunus.



"No person, be they faunus or human, is worthless. We all strive to do what we feel must in the days we're given in this life. Come, let us continue our discussion in the kitchen, I imagine you must be famished." He'd made no indication of discussing or asking what exactly Tyrian had been up to in the warehouse. He'd leave the choice for that up to Tyrian.

"..."

The faunus wasn't exactly in the best of moods. His entire body ached, the zippers felt weird, and he just didn't feel as though he deserved to be saved. Not when Trifa was still at the mercy of that monster. ...But if there was anyone in this shithole he felt might have been capable of aiding him, it'd be Blanco.

The hand was taken and Blanco's smile grew wider.

"Let us go then.~"​

 

[MidwayLives]

Blanco had chosen the kitchen for Tyrian and him to sit down and talk. His team could eat their meal in the living room so as not to be bothered by the new charity case that Blanco had decided to take on. Much to the gangster's surprise, Tyrian was absolutely tearing through the food that Blanco had set out specifically for him. All while Blanco had barely take a nibble out of the finest pizza this side of Mistral. "For a boy who took a nasty stab wound to the gut, he's certainly eating as if there's nothing inside him but a bottomless pit. Still, it's an encouraging enough sign I suppose. i'd never approached him or his friend before as I believed it wasn't my place. They'd come in from out of Mistral and while they'd ruffled a few feathers, they hadn't done anything worth chastising them about."

"Blanco?"

"Yes, Tyrian?"

After having gone through at least four plates worth of food, the scorpion let out a burp and leaned back in his seat, his hair falling forward and covering his eyes. "Thanks." Blanco couldn't help but laugh at the sight. For a boy that'd been so quick to write himself off as worthless just mere moments ago, it was nice to see that he'd clearly enjoyed his meal(s). "I hope you'll forgive me asking a very bizarre question."

"....Go on."

"What were you doing out at that warehouse that left you as injured as you were? I only happened to be in the area after my subordinates reported that locals had been complaining about the cold winds blowing through town and yet nobody else in the area besides the one that'd voiced their frustrations mentioned anything about strong winds. I don't know if you've heard but...There was an attack at a motel the other day or so and although the other tenants refused to speak to the police, one of them approached me and said that he could hear wind blowing outside during the whole time the killer was skulking around. When he was sure they'd left the wind died down. As if it'd never been blowing to begin with. The mention of wind in both cases seemed far too strange to be chalked up as mere coincidence. This was the work of someone with some kind of elemental semblance. In case my suspicions were true, my team and I headed further in until we came across the warehouse and as lo and behold....We'd heard trail of wind blow on through a shattered window and I decided to investigate."

Blanco took a small bite out of pizza.

"Instead of a killer I found you."

The faunus didn't feel it was his place to comment on the fact that some folks had apparently been too stubborn to share information when it'd mattered. Though it wasn't like it'd have done Trifa any good. This asshole played with Tyrian like the kid that he was, regular law enforcement would have been butchered like lambs to a slaughter.

Blanco set down the slice of pizza and rose to his feet.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is....Did you see the killer, Tyrian? if so, did you try fighting them?"

Tyrian froze for a moment even after Blanco propped a hand onto his shoulder. He didn't even register the touch. Thinking back to the beating he'd taken and that'd he almost been strangled to death.

"...Yes, I saw him and I did fight him." Tyrian's tail curved to point at the zippers on his person. "As you could tell by looking at me , I lost. Didn't even manage to injure the asshole and don't even have a clue as to where he ran off to. Fuck!" He slammed his fist down on the table, sending a plate spiraling to the floor where it crashed into pieces. If Blanco was at all dismayed by the loss of his plate, it didn't seem to show. He'd clean it up later. They had more important things to discuss. "I see. The killer...Can you describe him to me, Tyrian? Anything at all would help greatly. Scum like this that would prey on others is a threat to this community, this society, and I'm going to do my part to bring an end to this before anymore lives are lost."

"...He was tall, wore a grey trenchcoat, and...." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of bandage. "Couldn't quite make out his face but I managed to cut part of his mask off. " Blanco took the bandage when presented with it. "...Not only is he a murdering bastardo but he can't even bring himself to act without hiding behind a mask. Utterly disgraceful."

Blanco hadn't removed his hand from Tyrian's shoulder in all this time.

"Tyrian. At the motel, it was reported that there was a murder and also a kidnapping. ...Did you-"

"Stop. i don't want to say anymore." He....he couldn't handle thinking about he still didn't even know where Trifa was and what godawful things were being down to her right as he was chowing down on some food like a glutton. Blanco exhaled but nodded. " I understand. It seems as though you've been through a lot. Rest assured, Tyrian, this monster will be found and he will be brought to pay for his crimes. I can promise you that."

Meanwhile outside the Community Team's house(owned by Blanco), was a totally inconspicuous Aurora just minding his own business.

"Gee, um....Can't wait to go to....Ohhhh!"

He was no tourist! This was his home! Where he'd been born and raised! This was his worst disguise ever!

Not to mention he'd spent $20 lien on the map alone!

"Ughhhh, this is terrible!"

Jack had been too distraught by the near reveal of his face that he'd requested, practically begging one of his 'voices' to watch over for him. Being that the Boss wasn't going to risk revealing himself, one quick trip to back home to change and he'd set out to track down wherever Blanco took Tyrian. How or why he hadn't expected Blanco to do just that, Aurora truly didn't know. "I knew I should have spent the $30 extra for a fake mustache..." He grumbled as he continued to listen in as best as he could. it wasn't easy as it basically amounted to him walking full-circles around the house and hoping that none of the Community Team came outside and spotted him doing laps around their home. But most of what he'd heard had been what he assumed was going to happen. Blanco wanting to track down the killer behind the recent motel attack.

Normally, Aurora wouldn't have cared. So long as Blanco knew it was a threat his team and him could handle, go for it! Just so long as it didn't get in the way of other goals that the team had to meet/the neighborhood wasn't left in a panic while Blanco and co hunted down the murderer. The slight problem here being that if Jack was captured it'd really complicate things for the Boss. What if he spilled where he'd been keeping that poor spider girl? The Boss's influence and dark money ran deep but if enough people got talking and rumors started to grow, it'd turn into an avalanche before long. Which meant he had to do something about it now before this came back to bite them in the ass. If it'd been anybody else that had discovered Tyrian, the solution would have been easy. Just make them disappear. It was crude and some may have called it heartless due to the oath of loyalty that Ashes took to the Boss but even if the possibility was incredibly unlikely that the Boss's identity was discovered? Then it was absolutely worth the risk. Blanco wasn't just a run of the mill goon however. He was a pillar of the community, someone that many flocked to for advice and aid. Killing him outright would cause an 'absolute shitshow' in Aurora's opinion. One that they may not have been able to put the lid back on if things got too out of hand.

....Which meant more of a direct approach.

"I'm gonna hate this...i know I am."

He reached over and rang the doorbell.



Blanco's team were by no means pushovers but unlike say the Hitmen team, most of them hadn't been killers or got their rocks off at the 'license' to kill if the Boss requested it of them. They were former police officers, students who'd flunked out of Haven, and orphans who'd had their entire lives snatched away from them. Still if any threats arose that required the Community Team's full attention, there wasn't a more united band of criminals to have on your side(aside from Team MTEN but that's obvious) As the doorbell rang, the youngest member of the group sat up. "Ughhhhh, heeeeeeyyyy Rubis, why don't you answer the door??" The oldest team member and one who looked like he walked straight out of a Hot Topic at 21 and never looked back scoffed at the notion that he pause his music and get up from his comfy spot.

"Fuck off, Os. If it's the doorbell then it's probably for Blanco anyway. S'not like anyone's dying to send us mail."

The one who'd been wearing a beanie and glancing around the room like a caged rat decided now was the time to chime in after that. "Would you not mention mail for a while, Rubis?! You, me, we all know what happened to the Hitman Team!!" After the other three had spoken, the last one sitting at the table simply pushed his food away and got up. "Okay, uh, since you ruined my appetite by reminding me of that, Peche, I guess I'll answer the door."

'Oh okay' 'Thanks!' 'Yeah, 'preciate it.'

"...Assholes."

Swaying over the door, he opened it to see Aurora vigorously trying to figure out his map.

"lalala....oh! Hello, Sarcelle!"

"...Um...Aurora...?"

"Yup, that's me!"

"....Are you lost?"

"Huh?? The hell would you ask a question like that for?! You don't want me coming over or something-" Sarcelle tapped on the map. "Oh, well, hey! We all live here but that doesn't mean I know all of Mistral's landmarks, alright?! What's with the third degree, anyway? Where's Blanco?" Sarcelle was utterly weirded out but given that seemed to be the norm with Aurora, Sarcelle turned his head towards the kitchen. "He's in the kitchen eating. But I wouldn't bother him right now, he's talking to a kid we-" "Great, thanks! Hey, hang onto this will you?" Aurora said as he casually dumped his map into Sarcelle's hands and entered the house.

'Hey Aurora!' 'Nice to see you, man.' 'Digging the hat.'

"Thanks!"

"Um...."

What had just happened???

~~~

Waltzing into the kitchen, Aurora pulled his hat from atop his head and leaned against the fridge. In as cool of a manner as a wiener like him could accomplish. "Hey Blanco, we need to talk-" Both Tyrian and Aurora froze as they caught a glimpse of the other. Blanco hadn't been expecting a visit from Aurora but given that the tower had gone down, he supposed a in person meeting is what he should have expected going forward. Still didn't really explain the intense staredown going down in his kitchen. "Do you two know-"

"Met him in a bar."

"Malachite's bar."

"He punched me in the nose."

"I apologized."

"it's all good. Like the bandages by the by."

"Thanks."

With that out of the way...

"I apologize for the inconvenient timing, Blanco. I'd heard through some of my sources that there'd been some trouble going on down town. Wouldn't have figured it'd have anything to do with you, Mister Callows. What happened??" Aurora already knew but better to try and seem a bit clueless, y'know?

After Blanco filled him in, Aurora stood there with his arms crossed and an incredulous expression on his face. "Wow..."

"....Wow's a little bit of an understatement if you don't mind me saying so, sir. With how Tyrian's described his semblance to me, if left unchecked this madman could not only be a problem for civilians alike but the family as well. I swear on my honor that I'll see to it that bastard's either behind bars or six feet under."

Tyrian hadn't yet mentioned that the killer had kidnapped his friend, mainly due to not feeling quite comfortable just yet...

Aurora listened and didn't miss a beat when he replied.

"No."

"....No? ...Sir?"

"The Community Team's purpose is to keep the people safe and happy. Do you really think traipsing around your territory looking for a killer that nobody besides Mister Callows has seen is going to really put people at ease? For all you know he could have wandered off and gone on his merry way out of your team's turf and maybe even out of Mistral altogether. Last time I checked we're not law enforcement and subduing murderers seems like it's more of a police duty than it is ours. You settle arguments, scuffles that don't warrant a visit from the police, minor things Blanco. By going after this guy you'll only be making a bogeyman out of him the longer he evades your grasp. People won't feel safe at night. They'll be wondering just how scary is this guy if 'The People's Man' hasn't stopped him yet? So, in my position as underboss, I cannot give my blessing for the Community Team to pursue this matter further."

Tyrian was absolutely shocked. Not only was this guy colder than he'd seemed back at the bar-who cries over one punch???-but he was the 'underboss???' To think that this guy had let Tyrian walk away after giving him a bloody nose...

"...With all due respect, sir-"

"Stop. The answer is no, Blanco-"

Tyrian, Aurora, and Blanco's subordinates who'd been eavesdropping all jumped back as Blanco shouted at his Boss's second in command.

"Wha-What?! W-Who do you think you are screaming at me like some kind of deranged ape??!" Aurora exclaimed not having expected that kind of reply out of the usually kind and understanding Blanco.

'Yeah Blanco, what the hell?!' 'Did you forget who that is?!' 'WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK!?!?'

"....I apologize for my crassness, sir. But I simply cannot abide by your ruling. I grew up believing that there's no such thing as 'black and white' in this world. Arbitrary words such as good and evil hold little weight in a serious talk among adults. I'm sure there's some who think just because we're technically colleagues with the Narcotics Team, we're just as bad as they are, scoundrels with no morals who feign praise and love of the community when in reality we couldn't give less of a shit if we tried. But I know who I am and what I believe in. I believe that men like this killer are a cancer on this town and all the good people who dwell within it. We're not the Hitman Team, we're not the Narcotics Team, we're not even the Financial Team. We're the Community Team and as such everyone who lives here falls under our banner....Including those who wound up here for reasons all their own." He turned and smiled at Tyrian who'd been silent throughout this whole back and forth. "Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that Tyrian's wounds are not a sign of what's to come if this monster isn't stopped? That the man he'd butchered in cold blood wasn't a grim future of what awaits his future victims? Can you really do that? Sir."

Aurora stood there, his cap nearly sliding off his head as he struggled to think up any kind of response.

'Damn it! Damn you Vago, damn you straight to the deepest pit of Hell! If I keep arguing with you, it might start to seem so strange why I seem to be so 'anti-catch the serial killer running amok' But when that killer has the potential to ruin the Boss's 20-year buildup, what am I supposed to do!? I....I..."

"Okay! Okay....You win, Blanco. You and Callows can track down the killer. But, and this is non-negotiable, your team will carry on in your stead. They're not to be involved in this process at all and if I were to find out that they are? I'll report it directly to the Boss. Do you understand, Blanco?"

"...I do."

"....Alright, good luck then. Sarcelle, Os, Rubis, Peche. Keep things running smoothly around here. I'll be back before you know it."

'He's so goddamn cool.' 'Tch, where do you get off making hot-blooded speeches like that?' 'I can't believe you screamed in Aurora's face!' 'You're the man, Blanco!'

Tyrian watched as Aurora headed for the door and turned towards Blanco.

"....Thank you. Really."



"Of course. Now, let's start tracking down this piece of shit!"

~~~

"RRRRRAGH! STUPID BLANCO!!!! WHERE THE HELL DOES HE GET OFF THINKING HE CAN TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!? I'D HAVE KICKED HIS FUCKING ASS IF ALL HIS LITTLE POSER BUDDIES WEREN'T THERE TO BACK HIM UP IF I MADE A MOVE! OHOHO, YOU'RE SO LUCKY YOU COC-" Whatever rant Aurora was about to go on would have to wait.

He had a call.

"Ribbit???"

Grabbing his latest scroll, Aurora held it up to his ear.

'Hello, Hello? It's Aurora-"

"Aurora, what is the status of the Hitman Team." The Boss had little patience for his subordinate's usual introduction.

"Hello Boss! When I was getting ready to leave, I believe I heard them say they were thinking of having Char spy on them. Try to pick them off one at time if he could. Try and test the water a bit. H-hehe....i told them I don't like to micro-manage."

"Get back in touch with Abyss."

"O-Of course! But why Boss...? Don't you think they're up to it."

"I don't think anything of those deceitful lowlifes. Cowed they may be, even the stupidest of animals perform better when given an incentive to do so. Tell her this when you get in touch with her. I want Blanco dead and his body left in the streets as a reminder that when I say something, I mean it."

"K-Kill him?! But Boss, if Blanco winds up dead after I just told him no-"

"Then it'll serve a lesson to the others won't it? Just as Émeraude's work on those Pis taught the Hitman Team. If Blanco's team refuses to learn, then they can follow their beloved leader into the same early grave he dug for himself when he chose to defy us. Same goes for Marcus's son and company. If this Callows reunites with them and informs them of his friend's dillema it could prove....troublesome."

"...Understood, Boss."

*click*

"....Where did this frog come from?? Ugh, gross it's peeing!!!" ​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"We probably could borrow the van Penny and Fiona brought us here temporarily. But I need to remind you, we can't loiter in Atlas for too long. Well, it is Watts so maybe we could but..." He frowned, the natural transition of that silence very clearly hitched on the situation revolving around the former team leader and his members. Hazel shook it off, a somber air to him that slowly dissipated as he edged towards a happier tone.

"It will be nice to see him again."

"You don't have to remind me that I shouldn't stay long, I already know that very well. I don't want to drag him back into this...and trying to do so would probably only end up in a fierce argument. Whether it was the right choice or not, to disband our team and go back home...it was his choice to make. I...respect that. I only intend to apologize. The way I left, it..."​

"...nrgh... nnnrrrrrrRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! FINE!" he roared after her into the open sky as he kicked a branch at his feet wildly into the treeline. "FINE THEN! RUN OFF, PICK THE BANDIT OVER US! BUT I'M DONE, CINDER! NO MORE!"

"I'd think very carefully about who your true allies are, and if it's really worth forsaking them in the interest of accumulating power to protect the world with simply because you caught a glimpse of what was out there and it frightened you."

"...it probably burned some bridges beyond repair." She couldn't have sounded any sadder about that if she tried, the sorrow and regret already at their peak. "I could have done more, or said more." Her gaze remained locked on the ground as she strode along in their path for the van. Even if they weren't a team anymore in that moment...they had still been friends...and she had just turned her back. She didn't intend it that way, but in a sense Arthur had been right. She did pick Vernal over them. She got a month of training out of it, but looking back...she wasn't sure if it had been worth it. For all she knew, Vernal was dead now.

"But, yes, you're right. It would be nice to see him again, to know that he's doing okay. That...he's safe." ​

"Man, I know you guys consider him your friend, he was your team leader and all, but I'm calling it now. He's gonna be real moody, imperious and all about it, when we knock on his door, and probably will throw a very, very sarcastic I don't like to say this but I told you so your way. Actually, he loves saying that doesn't he. Or maybe he'll surprise us and be happy to see us, who knows, hehe." Her tune had changed when her brother had leveled a sudden and stern glare her way in the midst of her words.

"You're probably not wrong, but I'll put up with it anyway." Cinder fell silent after that the whole rest of the way, and when they reached the van, Cinder immediately hopped into the back, letting the two of them decide who should drive. When they did, she said the address out loud towards both of them before leaning back into her seat. She hoped the drive would not be too long.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Liza, please clear my schedule. I fully am intent on one thing today and that is to trash a subordinate's toy project."

As soon as she got back, she called him herself/picked up the line if he had stayed on hold.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Up until a certain word, it wasn't even a certainty that Eve was hearing her.

Apparently there was only so much even someone as spiteful as her could intimidate and hurt another faunus who suddenly seemed to have lost all the will to fight back. The still that had settled over her as her mind started to play back the words, the sheer directed viciousness in them, was genuinely unnerving. Now that her prey had gone too limp for Eve to keep seeing red, it wasn't the stalking, coiled form of a predator behind that stillness anymore. It was like... it was as if there was nothing. Like she was dead. Her face had gone completely blank, too, skin ghostly white and eyes glazed over as they stared through Ilia like she was a thousand miles away, like she wasn't even there, and had anyone else been privy to her thoughts they would've heard nothing save a reverberating cacophony of all the words she'd just said echoing around her brain, all the anger and spite and venom that had built up to an unstoppable inferno before she had even realized it, much less proved capable of reigning it in. Whatever she may have thought about her true motives or intentions, it was hard to imagine the woman in front of her as being capable of any kind of scheme or long con. She was just... angry. There was no pace to Eve's rage anymore. It was a dial with two settings, 0 and 100. Her prior choice of word hadn't been an exaggeration; it was as if she was genuinely growing to be feral.

Or just very, very unwell.

Whatever genuine trance she seemed to have slipped into was broken only by the delivery of one word. That old, Sienna-approved buzzword she felt like she couldn't get away from these days, like it was a thorn stuck in her side and the wound was festering.

'Hypocrisy'.

She laughed, a harsh, rueful rattle as her head lolled back to look at the ceiling.

"Sure. Let's go with that. Kind of unusual for a hypocrite to admit every single thing that they are though, huh? And it doesn't mean I can't fucking hate you for not being better."

The laughter resumed, genuinely mocking in how it followed Ilia all the way to the door. Just when it seemed like that was all, a hand snatched her by the wrist to yank her around again and stare into her soul with flared, deranged eyes, eyes that seemed so wrong on someone who had once dared to call herself any kind of hero.

"Run and hide, Ilia. Do what you do best. Doesn't matter how righteous you think you are. It got me and Blake. It'll get you too. It's going to get all of you."

Anything she might have said back went unanswered, Eve's face falling back into that glazed thousand yard stare again. It took a sharp yank or some other physical means to get her wrist away from that grip, and if at any point Ilia looked back during her descent down the staircase it was to the unsettling sight that the Bull hadn't moved. She wasn't looking at her, though. Her eyes hadn't come back to life, and she hadn't moved her gaze away from the spot Ilia had been previously occupying. She was just... standing there.

Motionless.​

Ilia made a garbled noise halfway between a gasp and a growl as her arm was suddenly grabbed, her free hand immediately shooting down to grasp Lightning Lash's handle as she met Eve's horrible stare with a taut frown as every muscle in her body tensed. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until she was already a few stairs down after tearing her arm out of Eve's grip, meeting her last words with nothing but silence as she stormed away without looking back. She didn't need to look to see that Eve was standing there, watching her go; as her eyes turned an icy blue, after she rounded the corner, she could see it for herself.

The only thing that Ilia was going to get was proof that Eve wasn't just deranged, that she wasn't just dangerous to the humans she was put against as a Talon.

She was a danger everything Ilia cared about. Both the people, and her vengeance.


--------------------------------------------------------


The Talon's war room was almost entirely attended for once; Blake had called back those that she could for this meeting, which meant only Panther's and the Dragon seats were empty. Even's Snake seat was filled, Ilia already lounging quietly in the chair with arms crossed and feet up on the table before most of the others had arrived, the Talon's chosen representative for her section of Shadow Fang operations while she was away. Bear sat with arms crossed as well in a more upright position, eyes closed and radiating his usual calm as he waited. Hound's chair was spun around so he could rest his elbows and chin on the back of it, giving a toothy grin that radiated excitement over what they all knew this meeting was going to be about.

Others were seated at the table as well, who hadn't been there during Tock and Ilia's ill fated venture to Tengu Castle. A tanned skinned man with red, spiked backwards hair sat at the part of the table with the face of a hawk carved into it; He wore a dark Atlesian pilot's jacket, slacks, and military boots. His eyes were covered with Aviators rather than a mask, and the patch on his shoulder where his rank would have been had been torn off, with three blood red slashes drawn across the fabric instead. He sat with one leg over the other on a chair that was more of a stool with its lack of back to make room for the large, dark brown feathered wings that were folded behind him, and he took a short drag from the cigarette in his fingers as he drummed his other hand against the table. The chair with the mark of the wolf was also filled. A middle aged woman who's face skin was well marked with the touches of a life spent in the element and scraggly silver hair that had a pair of canine ears poking out of the top of it was slumped across the table, gently snoring. Her clothing was rugged, short, tattered sleeves showing off arms that clearly got a lot of love in the gym. The Fox seat had the strange creature that called itself a faunus Tyrian had encountered, still dressed in the same immaculately clean robes. They were cross-legged on the chair with their hands at rest on their knees, their stillness putting even Bear to shame.

Blake sat at the chair opposite Sienna's, her hands curled into fists in her lap as she took long, slow breaths, organizing her thoughts. There was a strange trepidation in her mind at for the coming discussion, and she could not place why; this is what they had worked towards for years, the entire reason they'd sided with a monster like Ozpin; deposing Weiss Schnee, destroying Remnant's most heinous kingdom, and depriving the villainous Salem of her most powerful army in the process.

So where were these nerves coming from?

Pyrrha Nikos stood behind her chair with her arm clasped behind her at attention, a rare direct representative of Ozpin's power in the halls of the Shadow fang, expression a mask of neutrality for now, save for the occasional glance towards the warrior who had given her such an excellent fight all those months back. Tiger and Bull had also been asked to come.

Finally, the High Leader herself strode into the room. Her eyes immediately narrowed, but she strode around the table to sit in the chair opposite Blake. It was no larger than any of the others in the room (it was, in fact, smaller than Bear's), yet somehow she made it feel as much a throne as the one that sat in the great hall as she leaned into it and spent the first few seconds merely staring across at Blake, who met her gaze respectfully.

"...Blake. Please explain to me why there is a human in this room."

The request clearly caught the hand off guard, and she hesitated for a moment before she answered.

" This is Pyrrha Nikos. She is here to assist us, directly on Lord Ozpin's orders. I-"

"I know who Pyrrha Nikos is" Sienna immediately cut her off with a sharp snap of her fingers. "But this place has never been meant for humans. There practically isn't a faunus within these walls that hasn't been harmed by them in some way or another, and those walls are meant to be a sanctuary against them. And you've brought her to our most important meeting places!"

"Lord Ozpin-"

"'Lord' Ozpin is not our god, Blake. These are are not his halls, and we are not his people. We are allies, not servants, and we do not need to cave to his every whim. Miss Nikos" She continued as she turned her imperious gaze on the disgraced Mistralian champion. "I do not mean any offense in this, but you need to wait outside."

Pyrrha glanced down at Blake, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. She turned back to Sienna and gave her a polite smile and a deep bow with one arm against her chestplate. "None taken, High Leader. I hope this meeting proves fruitful for all of us regardless." She still wore the smile when she came up, and she pushed her way out the doors shortly after.

Sienna almost seemed annoyed by that response, and she quietly glared at Pyrrha's back until the door closed behind her. She drummed her claws against the arm of her chair a few times before she spoke again.

"It should come as no surprise to all of you what this meeting is about. Atlas has broken its truce with us. Snake and Panther have done their best to mitigate the damage, but our operations in Atlas proper have been all but crippled. In Mantle we're bloodied, and we're not much better in Solitas. That is the purpose of this meeting; to decide whether we retaliate... or take this as the loss it is and pull from Atlas, for now."

Blake's eyes shot wide open behind her mask, her shoulders tensing as she stared at Sienna. "...Pull out? Sienna, we can't do that. The reason I asked us to hold this meeting wasn't to consider running away, its to organize us for war! Ozpin is on the move, High Leader. He is going to personally lead his grimm to Atlas, and he's asked us to be there before him to pave the way."

The room grew deathly silent at that. While Blake had been the only one who'd ever been to his citadel, the one who did the most work with the dark lord's personal enforcers, they all understood what Ozpin was. That he was going to take an active hand rather than act through the proxies he had for decades was, if nothing else, a shock. Grimm were a menace in every corner of Remnant; just what sort of power could their ruler bring to bear on a country? Whatever other feelings it inspired depended on the Talon. Some felt validation that the humans were finally getting what they deserved. Others felt horrified at the sheer scale of violence that was about to descend on one of the world's biggest metropolises.

Whichever side of the fence Sienna fell on didn't show on her face, her gaze shrewd and otherwise blank as she dug through the implications.

"...I see. If that is the case, then I see no reason for us to be involved. The reckoning he can bring to Atlas is surely more than we could bring. If anything, it gives me more reason to believe we should pull out. Quite simply... Atlas isn't going to anyone's problem. Let alone ours."

"Underestimate General Carnelian and the Schnee brat at your own peril, High Leader."

Bear's voice was a rumble as always, but rather than a gentle giant, is sounded more like the thunder of an oncoming storm as he cracked one eye open to glance down at Sienna from the seat next to her.

"We can assume this was purposeful by them now that we know relations between her and Ozpin have broken down. They believe this is the right tactical choice. In my experience, Carnelian does not make bad tactical choices. You asked me to return to the field to remove the likes of his evil from Remnant. Is this not our best chance?"

Sienna took the words he said in full weight, a frown bearing across her features as she gave a curt nod. "...Perhaps. But this would be open warfare, my talons. Not guerrila strikes. No knives in the dark. As much as it pains me to say it, we are not built for that. Not yet anyways. We still have work to do in Mistral before that, important work. Fox, how much longer?" She asked, turning her gaze towards the being. They answered, though still so still that their melodious voice seemed to simply form from thin air.

"At the very least, weeks it will take. A change of this scale takes time to make."

Sienna nodded, a thoughtful turn to her frown as she continued.

"I understand, Navano. Carnelian is a monster in every sense. If Schnee is no longer keeping to her word to keep him leashed, he needs to die. But the toll of lives it would take would be too great if we do it like this. None of us have forgotten Beacon, unmitigated disaster that it was. What makes this any different than that, but on a larger scale?"

"The fact that Ozpin himself will be there!" Blake snapped, frustration finally seeping into her words as she pushed herself out of her seat and slammed her hands against the table as she glared across at Sienna. "High Leader, we have the power that we do now because of our alliance with him. WIthout it, Atlas would have not given us the berth that it did in our operations, the grimm would not have ignored us as they have. We need his help if we are ever to take down Salem. We can't just... turn our back on him when he's asked for help!"

There was a dangerous edge to Sienna's eyes as she stared Blake down right back "This hardly sounds the like something he needs our help for Blake. If he needs bodies for the grinder, he has any number of grimm at his fingertips, and I will not stall our operations across the rest of the world just to give the man an honorguard he doesn't require, if he is as powerful as he seems to believe."

Blake's glare deepened, her hands balling into fists against the table. "...I am going to Atlas. You are not understanding, High Leader. If we do not oblige him, we are no longer going to be seen as allies."

"I am understanding perfectly, Blake. He wants to use faunus lives like bullets in a gun, but that is not what the shadow fang is." She replied quietly. "I'm disappointed you don't seem to remember that."

That finally made Blake blanch, and she pulled her hands back from the table with a glance to the side. "I... no, of course I know that, High Leader. But..."

Sienna sighed and leaned forward in her seat. "...I understand. We do need his help against Salem still. But if we are to help him it won't be with numbers. We will fight Atlas as we always have; as it should be; from the shadows, and with precision. Here are your orders, Blake. Take three Talons with you, a single contigent to reinforce our losses in Atlas, and do what you have always been best at. Be the knife in the dark, and slit Schnee and Carnelian's throats. That should be enough to satisfy Lord Ozpin, yes?"

She settled back into her chair, and glanced around the table.

"...Any volunteers?"

Ilia's hand immediately shot up, earning a snort of derision from hound as he rolled his eyes. "She asked the talons, Amitola, not Snake's seat warmer or the Hand's personal b-"

He froze as he felt a very large hand grip his shoulder, and turned to see Bear giving him a very slow shake of his head, and for the first time most of them seen Hound actually blanched under the weight of the glare and cleared his throat and mumbled an apology. Bear released him, and turned back to the table. "...I will go. I have a debt to settle with Carnelian. It would not sit well with me to leave the cubs to clean up my generation's mess."

 

[MidwayLives]

~~Sometime after Aurora had left~~

"With all due respect, Abyss...This is total fucking bullshit!"

"Char."

"Nononono, you can't 'Char' your way out of this! We get one of the biggest jobs since our screwup and you're giving me a babysitter??? Don't you think I can handle some fucking snot nosed kids by myself?! I don't give a shit who's seed gave this punk life. Whether it was Black's or the Boss's, it doesn't matter! My semblance means I already got the win in the bag! I don't need that bitch!" He thumbed to Violet. "That fucking dickhead!" He flipped off Blanche. "...And well I'm sure Vanille just has better things to do. Why are you doing this? Don't you believe me when I say I can handle this?"

Violet broke out into a fit of mocking giggles.

"The hell's so funny?! Huh??? Did anybody hear me say a joke?!"

"You. You're the joke, chickenshit. You talk and talk about your semblance. Yeah, it's dangerous. You'd have to be a total idiot not to realize that. But it doesn't matter and you wanna know how I know that?" Violet hopped to her feet and jabbed Char right in the chest. "Because you know as well as I do, as well as everybody in this room does, that at the first sign of major resistance, you'd be looking for an out. A chance to escape. You can feed us drivel about 'wanting to do this yourself' all you want but trust me, nobody's buying it..."

She turned and sat back down.

"So that's how it is, huh? You all just think I'm just a pussy. Alright, I get it. " He held up his hands and shrugged. "You can go ahead and do what you gotta do, Abyss. I guess I'd just be too incompetent to go by myself."

"Oh wah-wah, the big baby got his feelings hurt. Who gives a -"



"Violet. That's enough."

She may not have had a semblance but it wasn't through intimidation alone that she'd earned the loyalty and trust of her subordinates. She'd the skills to back up her authority and Violet knew that just as well as anyone else in the room. "Whatever." She grumbled petulantly before grabbing the stress toy that Char had been playing with. Once that little situation had been defused, Abyss turned towards Char with her hands placed atop her lap.

"Char. You're a remarkably gifted fighter. Your semblance works perfectly when dealing with targets that may or may not have hired guards with semblances of their own. I can't imagine how many jobs could have taken sharp turns if it hadn't been for you. But..." She paused and Char looked away. "You're overly emotional, the same can be said for the rest of you. Except for Vanile but she's a special case. This line of work simply doesn't have the patience for attitudes like yours. Maybe it's because of your skill or your semblance that you've gotten as far as you have. But I can assure you that growing up as I did, I saw many men and women like you Char. All of them with a big chip on their shoulder and needing to prove themselves to their peers and the world around them. You just can't do that here. You're not just fighting for yourself here, you're fighting as a member of the Hitman Team. If you fail because you let your ego get in the way of things, it reflects poorly on the rest of us and we've towed the line for acceptable behavior as is."

"So I will be sending Blanche to accompany you. 'Beyond the Years' works perfectly with 'Null Zone' better than either Vanille or Violet's semblances would. If they're still in or around Malachite's bar, Blanche's semblance will force them to stay indoors where you can handle them, Char. If any of them try playing the hero and attempt to attack Blanche, you step in, and if they try to run? You stop them and give Blanche time to get his semblance's effects rolling. It takes time to erode an aura. Whereas normal civilians will increase dramatically in age, people like us will feel our aura start to fray and by extension ourselves the longer we stay in contact with his mist. I trust there are no objections?"

"Just one, Abyss..."

"What is it Blanche?"

"*sniffle..*"

"I...just cannot believe such a beautiful woman was taken from this world! So lovely! Gone before her time! That's the real tragedy in all of this and nobody's saying it so I will!"

Violet and Char groaned in disgust.

Vanille just winced and continued sipping her soda.

"But....Alas as a professional, I shan't let my emotions cloud my judgement! I will be as cold as the ice that blankets the streets on a winter's night! I will join Char and together the two of us will see if Marcus's son is worthy enough to join our ranks! If he is then I'm overjoyed! If it turns out he and the company he keeps are subpar...." He tapped the cigarette he'd been smoking out onto an ashtray atop the coffee table. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. No objections from me."

"Good. Char?"

Char sighed. He didn't really like Blanche. The two couldn't have been more opposite if they tried. Blanche was a hit with the ladies and often spent nights at Malachite's chatting up the staff and even the lady herself. Char was told from ever since he'd joined the gang that he looked about as unapproachable as a cactus in Vacuo. Whether it was his personality or his looks, someone somewhere always had their two cents to share with him. But despite everything, Abyss had worked her ass off and even humiliated herself to beg the Boss for mercy so he wouldn't have the entire team killed after they'd tried finding out his secret identity. That alone was deserving of his respect. But ever since he'd joined the team he'd been the butt of jokes, the team's walking punchline. He'd even lost the team potential income on some occasions when he'd lose his temper and kill the people they'd been told to capture but distinctly not kill. Abyss had to smooth things over with Aurora every single time it happened.

....This just felt like another case of him being the team idiot.

"...Yeah, no objections."

Somehow the leader wasn't entirely convinced. But there wasn't anything to be gained by having Char make an ass of himself.

"Then head out to the bar and do what you feel you need to do. Remember, the objective is to test them. See their fighting prowess and check if it's up to snuff. If it needs improvement, fine we can work with that. If they're pushovers?" Abyss turned her thumb down. "Get rid of them."

The two nodded and headed for the door.

"Oh, and Blanche before I forget?"

"Yes?"

"Try to keep an eye on how many civilians your semblance potentially kills."

"Hehehe, will do!~"

~~~

The ride to the section of town where the bar resided wasn't any fun in the slightest. Blanche could tell that his erstwhile partner wasn't happy at all about the arrangment of things. For his part Blanche hadn't held back in his own derogatory comments about Char. Still, in his time with the organization he'd grown to genuinely see it as playful ribbing and nothing more. TO have seen it take such an adverse effect on Char had never been his intention in the slightest.

"...Char-"

"No. Just focus, alright?"

"Char, there's nothing wrong with indulging in one's feelings. I know we're professionals first but nobody can see us. We're on the clock and yet we're not. No one's here to scrutnize you. Certainly not me if it helps.-" Blanche felt his aura give him a slight warning of danger as Char turned and snarled at him, his hand reaching for the hilt of 'Riot Breaker.'

"Look. We're colleagues, I'd even go as far as to say we're downright proper acquaintances. But that's all we'll ever be. I respect Abyss for all that she does. Even if she doesn't say much I respect Vanile. Fuck, I even respect that bitch who's had nothing but nasty thing to say about me since I joined the goddamn team! ...And I respect you, Blanche. That's all there can ever be though. Just a healthy respect for eachother's skills and that's it. I didn't join the Hitman Team because I wanted to just slice and dice people for shits and giggles. I mean I do that, I make time for it. It's just not the main draw for me, y'know? I did it because my semblance wouldn't let me do anything else. I could be a police officer and...what? Take bribes from the Narcotics Team to look the other way whenever a druggie overdoses in the streets? Perform some good ol police brutality? This place...This whole goddamn place just isn't the destination for kind souls. So my shit was predetermined from the second I could walk. The 'Null Zone' and I do our thing and I like to think we're pretty good at it. So...just save the pity and sympathy for someone else, alright Blanche?"

"...I...I didn't know you felt this way."

" 'Course you didn't, I never told anyone. Isn't any of their goddamn business. But I'm telling you because you're so goddamn persistent. Just stow it away, man. ...Save it for someone who can actually appreciate it because I just can't." The two were silent on the rest of the way to the outskirts of the bar itself.

"Go stand across the street, Blanche. Scrolls aren't working so just yell if something's up. If I don't come running then either I got knocked out..."

"Or the punks offed me."

Blanche simply nodded and moved to take his position. "Same to you, Char."

Char didn't say anything or do anything to show he'd acknowledged Blanche's willingness to help him.

He didn't want to.

"It'll take me a bit to get 'Beyond the Years' rolling. So....Make lots of noise and just be a pain in the ass, alright?"

Char simply nodded and headed towards the bar.

"....Are you just going to walk through the front door?"

"...What?"

"...Just curious."

Char was exasperated for a better lack of explanation and moved to walk around to the back. After all those attempts at peeking in on what made Char tick and he went and assumed he'd pull a stupid fucking move like that? What was this shit? Amateur hour??? Watching his partner storm off in a huff, Blanche sighed and began to activate his own semblance. Beyond The Years might have seemed strange for being such a horrible semblance coming from someone who seemed so genuine in his concern for others. The concern was good but the place it came from wasn't. Just as he'd mourned for the loss of Malachite, he'd do the same for any of the dozens of floozies who threw themselves at him whenever the Hitman Team (minus Vanille) hit up bars and clubs.

Time was fleeting as was life itself. You were here long know to know what you wanted and then die before you got it.

It was nature's cruelty.

....So, what better tool for a hitman than that?

Trails of grey mist began to ebb from all around Blanche's body and for those who lacked the training that Blanche/Char and those in the bar did?

They'd find themselves growing weaker and frailer...and older....much older...

~~~

'Go through the front door....Go through the front door...Why don't YOU go through the front door?? Fucking asshole..." Char grumbled as he finally removed Riot Breaker from it's scabbard and held it aloft. Flipping a switch along the hilt, a stream of electricity ran across the blade as he looked towards the back door. It still wasn't exactly 100% subtle but what the hell, bad news if he got 'caught' then it just meant he'd have to give Blanche even more time and the good news? It meant maybe he could get a drink before things went to shit.

*SSSSSSSSLASH!*

The door sizzeled and burned as Riot Breaker carved through it, the electricity giving a light hum at the end. Kicking down what remained of the mangled door, Char let himself in to begin scrounging through the back rooms for anyone who looked like they were worth a damn.​

 

[MidwayLives]

The Talon's war room was almost entirely attended for once; Blake had called back those that she could for this meeting, which meant only Panther's and the Dragon seats were empty. Even's Snake seat was filled, Ilia already lounging quietly in the chair with arms crossed and feet up on the table before most of the others had arrived, the Talon's chosen representative for her section of Shadow Fang operations while she was away. Bear sat with arms crossed as well in a more upright position, eyes closed and radiating his usual calm as he waited. Hound's chair was spun around so he could rest his elbows and chin on the back of it, giving a toothy grin that radiated excitement over what they all knew this meeting was going to be about.

Others were seated at the table as well, who hadn't been there during Tock and Ilia's ill fated venture to Tengu Castle. A tanned skinned man with red, spiked backwards hair sat at the part of the table with the face of a hawk carved into it; He wore a dark Atlesian pilot's jacket, slacks, and military boots. His eyes were covered with Aviators rather than a mask, and the patch on his shoulder where his rank would have been had been torn off, with three blood red slashes drawn across the fabric instead. He sat with one leg over the other on a chair that was more of a stool with its lack of back to make room for the large, dark brown feathered wings that were folded behind him, and he took a short drag from the cigarette in his fingers as he drummed his other hand against the table. The chair with the mark of the wolf was also filled. A middle aged woman who's face skin was well marked with the touches of a life spent in the element and scraggly silver hair that had a pair of canine ears poking out of the top of it was slumped across the table, gently snoring. Her clothing was rugged, short, tattered sleeves showing off arms that clearly got a lot of love in the gym. The Fox seat had the strange creature that called itself a faunus Tyrian had encountered, still dressed in the same immaculately clean robes. They were cross-legged on the chair with their hands at rest on their knees, their stillness putting even Bear to shame.

Blake sat at the chair opposite Sienna's, her hands curled into fists in her lap as she took long, slow breaths, organizing her thoughts. There was a strange trepidation in her mind at for the coming discussion, and she could not place why; this is what they had worked towards for years, the entire reason they'd sided with a monster like Ozpin; deposing Weiss Schnee, destroying Remnant's most heinous kingdom, and depriving the villainous Salem of her most powerful army in the process.

So where were these nerves coming from?

Pyrrha Nikos stood behind her chair with her arm clasped behind her at attention, a rare direct representative of Ozpin's power in the halls of the Shadow fang, expression a mask of neutrality for now, save for the occasional glance towards the warrior who had given her such an excellent fight all those months back. Tiger and Bull had also been asked to come.

Meetings.

She always felt so out of place at them.

Certainly she was welcome to come and had even been asked to do so.

But whether it was Hound referring to her as just 'Arena Meat' or what, her opinions were her own.

And nobody else wanted to hear them.

As she pulled on her mask, she headed to join up with the others.

Silence among her peers was infinitely more tolerable than sitting and thinking of things that once were that would never be again.
​

Finally, the High Leader herself strode into the room. Her eyes immediately narrowed, but she strode around the table to sit in the chair opposite Blake. It was no larger than any of the others in the room (it was, in fact, smaller than Bear's), yet somehow she made it feel as much a throne as the one that sat in the great hall as she leaned into it and spent the first few seconds merely staring across at Blake, who met her gaze respectfully.

"...Blake. Please explain to me why there is a human in this room."

The request clearly caught the hand off guard, and she hesitated for a moment before she answered.

" This is Pyrrha Nikos. She is here to assist us, directly on Lord Ozpin's orders. I-"

"I know who Pyrrha Nikos is" Sienna immediately cut her off with a sharp snap of her fingers. "But this place has never been meant for humans. There practically isn't a faunus within these walls that hasn't been harmed by them in some way or another, and those walls are meant to be a sanctuary against them. And you've brought her to our most important meeting places!"

"Lord Ozpin-"

"'Lord' Ozpin is not our god, Blake. These are are not his halls, and we are not his people. We are allies, not servants, and we do not need to cave to his every whim. Miss Nikos" She continued as she turned her imperious gaze on the disgraced Mistralian champion. "I do not mean any offense in this, but you need to wait outside."

Pyrrha glanced down at Blake, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. She turned back to Sienna and gave her a polite smile and a deep bow with one arm against her chestplate. "None taken, High Leader. I hope this meeting proves fruitful for all of us regardless." She still wore the smile when she came up, and she pushed her way out the doors shortly after.

Sienna almost seemed annoyed by that response, and she quietly glared at Pyrrha's back until the door closed behind her. She drummed her claws against the arm of her chair a few times before she spoke again.

Whatever feelings the woman known only as Tiger may have had on Nikos were known only to her.

But they started and ended with 'if we fought....could I kill her?'

A human being the one to finally put her down after she'd shed another faunus's blood to get to where she was standing now.

....Something about it almost seemed funny.

Almost.
​

Sienna sighed and leaned forward in her seat. "...I understand. We do need his help against Salem still. But if we are to help him it won't be with numbers. We will fight Atlas as we always have; as it should be; from the shadows, and with precision. Here are your orders, Blake. Take three Talons with you, a single contigent to reinforce our losses in Atlas, and do what you have always been best at. Be the knife in the dark, and slit Schnee and Carnelian's throats. That should be enough to satisfy Lord Ozpin, yes?"

"..."

They would be going to Atlas...the thought of killing Carneilan alone caught Tiger's interest.

No faunus alive didn't know of the butcher that'd slain so many of their kin back during the war.

To see him in a position of power instead of being six feet under was disgusting.

But in a way, Tiger supposed it was a blessing in disguise.

Someone to test 100% of her strength against.
​

She settled back into her chair, and glanced around the table.

"...Any volunteers?"

Tiger's mask hit the table and she immediately rose from her seat.

For someone who'd been so quiet and reserved during occasions like this, it surprised even her that she'd been so quick to speak up and react.

"....Yes, I'm quite interested."
​

Ilia's hand immediately shot up, earning a snort of derision from hound as he rolled his eyes. "She asked the talons, Amitola, not Snake's seat warmer or the Hand's personal b-"

Tiger idly rubbed her index finger against her thumb.

...No real reason.
​

He froze as he felt a very large hand grip his shoulder, and turned to see Bear giving him a very slow shake of his head, and for the first time most of them seen Hound actually blanched under the weight of the glare and cleared his throat and mumbled an apology. Bear released him, and turned back to the table. "...I will go. I have a debt to settle with Carnelian. It would not sit well with me to leave the cubs to clean up my generation's mess."

The dog....apologizing?

Tiger's ears twitched.

​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Sienna sighed and leaned forward in her seat. "...I understand. We do need his help against Salem still. But if we are to help him it won't be with numbers. We will fight Atlas as we always have; as it should be; from the shadows, and with precision. Here are your orders, Blake. Take three Talons with you, a single contigent to reinforce our losses in Atlas, and do what you have always been best at. Be the knife in the dark, and slit Schnee and Carnelian's throats. That should be enough to satisfy Lord Ozpin, yes?"

She settled back into her chair, and glanced around the table.

"...Any volunteers?"

"Me."

Eve had been silent from the moment she stalked in, the faunus equivalent of the Grudge in how pale, disheveled and bedheaded she usually was these days. Her step was quiet, reluctant to draw attention to itself as she made her way around the others to take her rightful place at this table of genuine freaks, lunatics and broken souls masquerading as some kind of revolutionary faction. It was a judgmental thought harbored by someone with absolutely no room to be judgmental, considering she put herself somewhere around the midpoint of all three, yet harbor it she did.

She wasn't even sure she looked around the room and saw faunus anymore; only the people responsible for gutting their kind's future. The noble few with revenge on their minds and pain in their hearts who took it upon themselves to make decisions that were going to define their entire species. Decisions that sent vibrations out along the spiderweb destined to impact its most remote threads, the faunus who didn't care about any of this and were just trying to lead lives. It was in motion now. The humans weren't going to forget or forgive anything they'd already done, when all was said and done and they made it through the other side as the race with the bigger population and superior armies like they always did. Nobody here seemed to get it. Whatever reckoning was coming for Remnant, the one they were helping bring about, it was coming for them all. Eve really couldn't picture a future where Grimm ruled the streets and tore down humanity's power structures then had the grace to leave the faunus the space they needed to grow and reassert themselves. At night she spent less and less time sleeping and more time wondering how many crimes the acts of the Fang, be it white or shadow, had already been used to justify. What massacre it was going to motivate one day.

How many damaged young faunus like her it was going to create. Had already created. Faunus who were just going to... t̸o̷ ̵w̷a̵s̶t̴e̷ ̵t̷h̴e̸i̴r̸ ̸l̷i̷v̶e̵s̸.̸.̵.̶

She hadn't looked at Ilia. Rather, she hadn't looked at anyone, but hadn't not looked at Ilia more than anyone else in the room as she sat sprawled in her chair like it was a throne and kept her eyes fixed on the rose on the back of her glove, lips slightly parted like her attention was on another planet. It all probably fed into that bullshit perception of her Snake was circulating around as the aloof, penitent soul, but in reality she really did tend to just space out during these meetings. The sole exception to that rule was Blake, who she stole furtive glances at whenever the hand spoke up during the proceedings, which grew more and more dismayed to a point where she was glad she had mastered the art of looking at her when she wasn't looking back.

And yes, she knew she was a creep. That was just the way it had to be, why her interactions with Blake had been limited to those covert stares and the occasional veiled, petty, attentionseeking comment since she returned, why there hadn't been so much as a single prolonged conversation between the two. It was the only way she felt she could watch over her when she was like this, when she sat around a table with these morons and acted like everything they were saying was righteous and rational and not just the words of a bunch of wounded animals looking to take back what the humans stole from them. Sad truth was, they never would. Whatever act of cruelty it was, whatever injustices had every single person in this room gathered here, they were burned into them now like scars. Eve knew that better than most.

The reason why might've made it something of an oddity when she didn't respond to the notion of killing Carnelian and a Schnee with more savage, gleeful enthusiasm. She hadn't made much of a secret out of it during her genuine zealot days, and while she never cared for most of the people at this table those she had knew both names conjured more personal memories for her than the broad images of spite and revulsion they did many faunus. One of them was literally branded across her face, an archaic mode of punishment reserved for unruly faunus born in only the most remote Schnee-financed penal colonies, where they were expected to live brief lives and then die before there was ever any need to process them with an official kingdom birth record.

The other name had been warden of that camp. Quietly working off the many favors he owed Jacques Schnee over the years with all too obliging a demeanor, faking reports and providing an extremely skewed 'oversight' to Atlesian military command of what exactly was going on between those chain fences, populated as they were chiefly by faunus convicts and survivors of the war he'd been a part of. Eve's parents had been part of the former category, raised her in that camp, and then died there, setting off a long chain of events that had led her to where she was now. Thanks to men like Carnelian it had taken years for the mistreatment and questionable practices in SDC mining colonies to come to light, and even now bringing them up in a room full of humans was likely to get at least a few 'playing devil's advocate' and pointing out many of those claims were officially unsubstantiated.

When it came to Blake, at least following a mandatory period of the bookish girl defrosting her during their mutually angsty teenage years, she had always been forthcoming enough about those years of her life. Why they made her the way she was, and why they led her to believe that faunus going through the darkest of times needed a hero to give them hope. Why she hoped she herself could be that person. There were only two subjects she never went into detail on, despite the tone of her passing references denoting their obvious significance to her: one was the branding itself, the circumstances behind it, and the other was Carnelian.

So she really should've sounded more excited when she volunteered, or at least intrigued. Really should've sounded more anything, anything other than some lifeless, hollowed-out, mindlessly dutiful shell of a person that had given herself over fully to the madness surrounding her, to the thought that she was meant to be nothing more than a tool of violence meant to be used by whatever the most bloodthirsty group of faunus were. A sword in every sense of the word. But that was what she sounded like, and an almost robotic spite continued to pervade her words as she toyed with Wilt in its scabbard while she voiced her opinions aloud.

"But I guess I'll go ahead and be the first to point out how unlikely that is. 'Kill Carnelian and Schnee' is an idea that's sounded great in just about every shadowy roundtable meeting dating all the way back to the beginning of the White Fang, and we've never pulled it off. How exactly is it going to work out any differently when both those names are more powerful than they've ever been? And preparing their city for a threat on Ozpin's scale, no less? Far be it from me to naysay, High Leader. I just hope your Right Hand has one hell of a plan to ensure she isn't just about to go cost you some fingers."

There was that faintly challenging tone again, the veiled, indirect sniping she'd been needling Blake on and off with so subtly and pettily that it generally didn't even register with anyone other than its target, if it even did at all. Maybe she didn't want it to. Eve herself probably couldn't have told you at this point.

"Which reminds me..." She began, and her features locked tight into a dark scowl. "I have to mention something else we should all really be thinking right now. Which is that, unless I'm missing something, Schnee put one foot out of line and now all of Atlas is on the menu. And suddenly we have a human implanted in our halls, one of the deadliest I've ever fought, to... 'assist' us."

She threw her venomous sneer in the direction of the room's doors, like she wasn't putting it past Pyrrha to be standing just outside with her ear pressed up against it.

"So my question is this. How long before we're looking at that exact same scenario? What happens when we don't keep 'obliging' him? When we're 'no longer seen as allies'? Just checking, but nobody in this room is honestly stupid enough to believe he actually gives a damn about the plight of the faunus, right?" She sent a glance around the table that was skeptical even beneath her horned mask and lingered on Blake a little bit longer than anyone else, words dry and almost verging on accusatory. "Between Beacon, Haven, and now this 'request', it should be obvious by this point how he really sees us. Shock troops. We're who he sends in first to scramble defenses and cause confusion so he doesn't have to lose so many Grimm. Grimm lives are worth more to Ozpin than ours; they're his allies, not us. We're pawns. Pawns that don't have nearly as much value as the entire kingdom of Atlas, if we're being honest, and he turned on them like it was nothing. He may have sided with us this time, probably because he has more faith that he can keep us playing nice, but what exactly happens when he takes just that little bit too much offense to us refusing to oblige him? What are we going to do then?"

Her tone was honestly just mystified by the end as she stared at Sienna, like she was genuinely, earnestly hoping that whatever response the High Leader gave was going to part the murky clouds like a ray of sunshine and finally let all this make some kind of rational sense to her. Like she was begging to have that reason restored to her life, that righteousness.

She doubted it, though.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

The two were silent on the rest of the way to the outskirts of the bar itself.

"Go stand across the street, Blanche. Scrolls aren't working so just yell if something's up. If I don't come running then either I got knocked out..."

"Or the punks offed me."

Blanche simply nodded and moved to take his position. "Same to you, Char."

Char didn't say anything or do anything to show he'd acknowledged Blanche's willingness to help him.

He didn't want to.

Oh, what the hell is this now?

So thought one onlooker hunkered down by an alleyway nearby. The dirty jacket and hood had been put back on, and with her hair and the somewhat still lingering smell of alcohol, it did give off a homeless vibe despite what she'd said earlier and the actually clean clothes underneath. The look helped somewhat, people rarely paid attention to the homeless, especially among the lower levels of the city.

An eyebrow raised as she observed the two, and while she wasn't close enough to hear, even from here she guessed just from the way they looked that they weren't two dudes just looking for a good night at the bar. Vernal...not even she was entirely certain why she'd come back this way after finding a place to pawn of some of that stuff. It wasn't like that the asshole kid playing at being a bouncer needed any help. Lookit me, I'm a 17 year old kid and I'm the roughest, toughest guy around for miles. I'm big and bad and oh so threatening. Vernal couldn't help but mockingly think, complete with a roll of the eyes. Even drunk, even without the...power, if she had gone for it she was pretty sure she could have broken that guy over her knee.

Yet she hadn't, and she couldn't settle on a reason why not done so, any more than she had with her returning here after earning some more lien.

Maybe it was some sense of guilt, buried within. Part of the subtle conscience she had found herself burdened with all these years since she had killed that girl. A part of the previous spring maiden that lived within her, a hidden presence within...and intensified some after that mess back at Argus. She'd let that stupid naïve black-haired idealist convince her to try and...look how that turned out. An ambush by the Shadow Fang, getting jumped by that general, and then it all went black. When she'd come back to, she was nowhere near Argus and neither that general or any of the Fang were there.

Only that bitch.

An encounter that left her without the magic power she'd grown accustomed to over the years, but still left that annoying presence within. And the more she thought about that bitch, well, thanks to that face, thoughts about the optimistic kid surfaced up as well. Vernal had no idea what had gone down after she lost consciousness, no way to tell for certain...but given how bad the Shadow Fang had been kicking their asses...she felt pretty sure there was only one way it could go.

It wasn't like the Shadow Fang had a reputation for taking human prisoners. Perhaps that was why she was here. One last favor to the dead kid. She hadn't been able to help her in the end, but maybe she could help her buddies. Even if they were a bunch of assholes.

Or maybe she just really wanted to fight somebody now, work off some of this bullshit stress. ​

Watching his partner storm off in a huff, Blanche sighed and began to activate his own semblance. Beyond The Years might have seemed strange for being such a horrible semblance coming from someone who seemed so genuine in his concern for others. The concern was good but the place it came from wasn't. Just as he'd mourned for the loss of Malachite, he'd do the same for any of the dozens of floozies who threw themselves at him whenever the Hitman Team (minus Vanille) hit up bars and clubs.

Time was fleeting as was life itself. You were here long know to know what you wanted and then die before you got it.

It was nature's cruelty.

....So, what better tool for a hitman than that?

Trails of grey mist began to ebb from all around Blanche's body and for those who lacked the training that Blanche/Char and those in the bar did?

They'd find themselves growing weaker and frailer...and older....much older...

She'd approached the guy with remarkable levels of quiet, stealth she owed to years as a bandit and sneaking around potential victims as well as avoiding errant packs of grimm. Vernal had no idea what the hell that mist shit was but she put it in the back of her mind for now. Instead...

"Hey, psst. Dude."

That whispered, taunting greeting from directly behind him was the only warning from her, though he near instantly got another thanks to his aura flashing with a sense of danger as a split-second later the former spring maiden swung out to smash a beer bottle into the back of his skull.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...General Ironwood, sir?" The chameleon faunus questioned when she found him again, wherever he was in this place. "There...was more earlier that I wanted to say, er...run by you. You see, there was somebody else who desired to meet with you, potentially. A group, really. That I unfortunately owe, a favor for a favor and all that..."​

 

[Indolent]

"You don't have to remind me that I shouldn't stay long, I already know that very well. I don't want to drag him back into this...and trying to do so would probably only end up in a fierce argument. Whether it was the right choice or not, to disband our team and go back home...it was his choice to make. I...respect that. I only intend to apologize. The way I left, it..."




"...it probably burned some bridges beyond repair." She couldn't have sounded any sadder about that if she tried, the sorrow and regret already at their peak. "I could have done more, or said more." Her gaze remained locked on the ground as she strode along in their path for the van. Even if they weren't a team anymore in that moment...they had still been friends...and she had just turned her back. She didn't intend it that way, but in a sense Arthur had been right. She did pick Vernal over them. She got a month of training out of it, but looking back...she wasn't sure if it had been worth it. For all she knew, Vernal was dead now.

"But, yes, you're right. It would be nice to see him again, to know that he's doing okay. That...he's safe."

"You're probably not wrong, but I'll put up with it anyway." Cinder fell silent after that the whole rest of the way, and when they reached the van, Cinder immediately hopped into the back, letting the two of them decide who should drive. When they did, she said the address out loud towards both of them before leaning back into her seat. She hoped the drive would not be too long.​

The drive was marginally longer considering the traveling velocity of the van was not identical to the same speed as Penny had taken it on the way to the facility, a calmer departure that it was over the clangorous roller coaster that it had been. Whether that presented itself as an aggravation to the Fall Maiden, that remained to be seen. Though the siblings indubitably didn't think of her as that impatient beyond the impulsivity she was prone to anyhow.

It was the elder sibling that took the driver's sit, a wistful expression that persisted evermore as if it were sculpted marble that gazed out the windshield. He was a vigilant driver when it came to the road, even the lack thereof actually, keeping his eyes affixed at a set distance to leverage his peripheral side by side his center. The largest concerns of the terrain were the general unevenness and beveled spots that were difficult to eke out due to the snowdrift, making for the occasional jarring drop.

Better that it was Hazel than Gretchen anyway, the diminutive Rainart's daredevil habits aside was staring out the window with a pensive frown. It was an uncharacteristic sullen affectation she adopted, one hardly going amiss by her brother.

He didn't have to ask, she was naturally forthcoming.

"I don't think I like Solitas much," Gretchen sighed out, her cheek supported by the back of her hand in her slouching position against the armrest, "Not that it's a terrible place or anything, there's a beauty to it. Mantle's probably the only real dampener on the spirit of it and I'm sure my tune might change a bit once we get to Atlas but... it's so different from home, even from Vale. I could be inside Beacon and not have to go far to find life. Hear the birds' songs, the chatter of the squirrels, the foxes' laughs, and so on... well, not always since Grimm but you know what I mean."

Hazel maintained eyes forward, letting the silence linger for a moment as he digested those words, arriving at these assuring words to say.

"Perhaps you could befriend a polar bear here."

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE RIGHT."

 

[Indolent]

As soon as she got back, she called him herself/picked up the line if he had stayed on hold.​

"I do not appreciate being put on hold by your automaton butler, Special Operative Helios," Gwen found an acerbic tone striking her full force with all the authoritative ire of a colonel a telephone line could funnel through, any more and the rotary headset's line terminating into the digital adapter might very well have caught on fire. In the next instant, the weight of his words diminished as Ector moved right along to business, content with the subtlety of that reprimand to speak far more for itself , forgoing the need to explictly expound on the finer nuances of protocol especially where superior officers were concerned forthwith.

"I see in the report you've submitted that you are currently underway on an ongoing operation to apprehend two suspects, at the very least, who illegally entered our airspace via impersonating one of our own aircraft, landed in Mantle, and managed to slip away. You noted these individuals to be two students formerly of Beacon, or at least posed resemblance thereof. With the implications therein of your observations, I cannot help myself in inquiring about the situation. It's simply two questions, really."

The archaic receiver rested against the right side of his head, its bottom cradled comfortably within his palm as he let there be a pause between the statement made and the coming questions.

"Know this is without any insinuation to your capabilities, Helios. Should be we concerned about these unsavory sorts reaching the Resistance? And if so, do you need support from my office?"

At the final syllable uttered, the colonel effected a complete 90 degrees counterclockwise turn of his seat, the receiver still supplely cradled in hand as he craned is head towards the ceiling in something of a contemplative pose, expectant of a reply from the Special Operative.

 

[MyrtenRose]

The drive was marginally longer considering the traveling velocity of the van was not identical to the same speed as Penny had taken it on the way to the facility, a calmer departure that it was over the clangorous roller coaster that it had been. Whether that presented itself as an aggravation to the Fall Maiden, that remained to be seen. Though the siblings indubitably didn't think of her as that impatient beyond the impulsivity she was prone to anyhow.

It was the elder sibling that took the driver's sit, a wistful expression that persisted evermore as if it were sculpted marble that gazed out the windshield. He was a vigilant driver when it came to the road, even the lack thereof actually, keeping his eyes affixed at a set distance to leverage his peripheral side by side his center. The largest concerns of the terrain were the general unevenness and beveled spots that were difficult to eke out due to the snowdrift, making for the occasional jarring drop.

Better that it was Hazel than Gretchen anyway, the diminutive Rainart's daredevil habits aside was staring out the window with a pensive frown. It was an uncharacteristic sullen affectation she adopted, one hardly going amiss by her brother.

He didn't have to ask, she was naturally forthcoming.

"I don't think I like Solitas much," Gretchen sighed out, her cheek supported by the back of her hand in her slouching position against the armrest, "Not that it's a terrible place or anything, there's a beauty to it. Mantle's probably the only real dampener on the spirit of it and I'm sure my tune might change a bit once we get to Atlas but... it's so different from home, even from Vale. I could be inside Beacon and not have to go far to find life. Hear the birds' songs, the chatter of the squirrels, the foxes' laughs, and so on... well, not always since Grimm but you know what I mean."

Hazel maintained eyes forward, letting the silence linger for a moment as he digested those words, arriving at these assuring words to say.

"Perhaps you could befriend a polar bear here."

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE RIGHT."

It was easier than they might have expected to tell she wasn't overtly irritated by the slower speed or the slightly longer travel time, despite her earlier hope. For one, she was grateful that she didn't have to somewhat worry about it as much as she had when Penny was at the wheel. Not to mention, much of her attention didn't seem to be on the drive itself, or on her fellow van passengers. Cinder wore a distant look as she peered out the window by her side, her single uncovered eye unfocused on anything in particular. Her mind, on the other hand...it was most definitely racing with thoughts on what to say when they got there. What would an appropriate start to that talk be like...?

Or was there even a good way to start that conversation? Or would Arthur even answer the door in the first place? Cinder didn't know. If it had been him that left her that way, abandoned for what he thought was the greater good for the world...she liked to think she would understand, but that wouldn't make it sting any less. Oh god what if Arthur never wants to see me again?

She supposed she couldn't blame him if so, but that train of thought was not one she wanted to continue down along. She quit thinking about any of that for the moment, attention swiveling to the siblings up front. "I've...always liked snow, but I'm not fond of being too cold...if that makes sense." Cinder put out there as she contributed her own bit to the talk about Solitas. "Though yes, Mantle, it's.....not the best, considering what is above it. And as for animals around here?" She shot a glance back out the window as they drove, spotting a pair in the distance. "Maybe you could befriend a penguin, too?" She snickered in plain amusement.

"...Wonder if they got a zoo here, actually..."

The teenager fell silent after that, only speaking up again when they were well into the heart of the kingdom, as they took the gravshaft up. She couldn't help but let out an appreciative "oooooh" at the creative and impressive dust usage. It might have been pretty mundane for the people that lived and worked in this kingdom, but for somebody who grew up in a wooded village deep in Mistral...this sort of thing was still amazingly remarkable. "...Hey..." Cinder started as she looked over at Hazel. "If we do end up trying to ally with Miss Schnee, do you think we could maybe score more upgrades, Atlesian style?"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I do not appreciate being put on hold by your automaton butler, Special Operative Helios," Gwen found an acerbic tone striking her full force with all the authoritative ire of a colonel a telephone line could funnel through, any more and the rotary headset's line terminating into the digital adapter might very well have caught on fire. In the next instant, the weight of his words diminished as Ector moved right along to business, content with the subtlety of that reprimand to speak far more for itself , forgoing the need to explictly expound on the finer nuances of protocol especially where superior officers were concerned forthwith.

"I sincerely apologize for that, sir." She replied with all the respect and deference that statement warranted. "In his defense, I was truly not in the room at the time you called. I needed to deal with a-" Her eyes scanned the room, where much of it was still scorched and stained with black. "-delicate situation. If there is any blame for not being here to answer your call from the start, it rests with me, sir!" Even as wildly enthusiastic as she could be when in her element, when it came to work out in the field or dealing with superior officers, she was just as disciplined, professional and emotionally detached as anybody else in the military. That was the job, and she knew it well. Something gained from years of service and training at Atlas Academy.​

"I see in the report you've submitted that you are currently underway on an ongoing operation to apprehend two suspects, at the very least, who illegally entered our airspace via impersonating one of our own aircraft, landed in Mantle, and managed to slip away. You noted these individuals to be two students formerly of Beacon, or at least posed resemblance thereof. With the implications therein of your observations, I cannot help myself in inquiring about the situation. It's simply two questions, really."

"That is correct, Colonel. After I first felt this vague recognition, I went to confirm that feeling. With that in mind as well, I went back over the footage of the entire group that came in before they split off and I do believe they are all are, or rather were, Beacon students. Or as you said, at least appeared to be them. Appearances can be deceiving with this group, between the way they manipulated that ship to look like one of ours and the fact that they've been successful in evading being apprehended thus far, which, I also apologize for."​

The archaic receiver rested against the right side of his head, its bottom cradled comfortably within his palm as he let there be a pause between the statement made and the coming questions.

"Know this is without any insinuation to your capabilities, Helios. Should be we concerned about these unsavory sorts reaching the Resistance? And if so, do you need support from my office?"

At the final syllable uttered, the colonel effected a complete 90 degrees counterclockwise turn of his seat, the receiver still supplely cradled in hand as he craned is head towards the ceiling in something of a contemplative pose, expectant of a reply from the Special Operative.

"..." She was briefly hesitant. "...That could explain why my personal squad has had difficulty tracking down the two, or any of the others. They could very well have help from the resistance. Aye sir, that's a very real concern." Gwen had to admit. "I certainly would not object to assistance, sir, but that is entirely at your discretion." The Spec-Ops soldier finished with the utmost respect.​

 

[MidwayLives]

Well...

She had a new arm in the works. Better than her old one by lightyears from the sound of it. Not only was Maria alive but she was better than ever. Well, aside from the whole 'being old' part but she said that Merlot guy would help her out with that. Soon they'd be both swinging their scythes in no time.

*flump*

Laying back on her bed, she gazed up at the ceiling.

'I should be happy. Overjoyed, even. No fighting, nobody screaming at me, nobody....hating me.'

So, why wasn't she?

'For as long as I've known Maria she'd always spoke of Ozpin fondly. Seeing her now felt like peeking behind the curtain of a magician's trick. Only this 'trick' involved ruining a girl's life.

...A girl just like her.

'Why did she have to go through all that? Why am I so lucky to have avoided that? It's not because I deserve it...'

Her Yang could tell you that much without hesitation. Glancing over to her tied off sleeve, Ruby moved to untie it and roll the sleeve up. Leaving her stump on full display.

'I think the only good thing I did for Yang was saving us from that Beowulf.....'

Gently running her hand over her stump, the thought crossed her mind once or twice. It hadn't strayed too far from her time stuck in jail.

....Still, here she was piggybacking off Weiss's mercy and interest in what kind of person she could be.

Maria, the other Yang, and Weiss all wanted to see what a Masque would be without Ozpin.

....Or rather, a Ruby Rose.

"Ughhhh....."

​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"⁠—But the absolute WORST THING would be if she felt bad, hit a downward spiral, developed some kinda one-sided redemptive fixation on us and tried to force her way into our lives as some unwanted mentor figure type, thereby selfishly depending on us to give meaning to her pitiful existence and ignoring the fact that Neo obviously isn't in any kind of a headspace to see her now or ever again." Emerald summed up concisely at the tail end of a long and emotionally fulfilling conversation in the back rooms on what to do about the hobo who nearly sent Neo off the deep end a while ago. That conversation also happened to be framed against the most intense game of Bullshit, Cheat, or whatever your preferred nomenclature might be for that one game where you pair your cards and can lie about it either had ever engaged in. There had been turnarounds, rule checks, numerous instances of Emerald messing with Mercury's mind, basically gaslighting him, and many a pokerface, but the end result was Emerald had eliminated almost all her cards and Mercury was holding like, a lot. She tossed one of hers facedown onto the pile. "Jack."

"Agreed. Let's make sure that doesn't happen," Mercury concurred, throwing three cards of his own down from the borderline full deck he was holding as his hand. "Three queens."

"...You don't have three queens."

"Wrong."

"Let me see."

"..."

"..."

"What was that?!" He suddenly demanded, spinning around from his seat into a ready stance so suddenly and violently it conveniently knocked every single card off the table.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"I'm serious. Someone just—"

"—Broke in here, no shit. They cut our back door down and were super loud about it. You obviously just took the opportunity to spaz out and mess up the game."

"Anyway, make Callie kick everyone out while I look for Neo then meet back here in 5?"

"K."

They really were way too good for that stupid academy.

By the time Char forced open the door to the staffroom, all he found were some flickering lights and a deck of playing cards strewn wildly across the room.​

 

[MidwayLives]

She'd approached the guy with remarkable levels of quiet, stealth she owed to years as a bandit and sneaking around potential victims as well as avoiding errant packs of grimm. Vernal had no idea what the hell that mist shit was but she put it in the back of her mind for now. Instead...

"Hey, psst. Dude."

"Geez....Haven't even heard any commotion yet. I know I gave him shit about the front door but maybe that would have been better! Cut on through, cause a scene, get everybody panicked. They run out here and my semblance helps raise the stakes a-" How had someone snuck up on him so easily? He wasn't the best of the Hitman Team, he liked to think that honor fell onto Abyss or Vanille. It was part of why he deigned to leave them alone and free from his flirtatious efforts. He had flings here and there but settling down was for the life of a man that wasn't he. A hitman just didn't get the luxury of calling it quits and retiring. Certainly not with the paychecks he'd been getting.

On top of that even approaching him wasn't the wisest of ideas. As she drew closer to Blanche,the mist ebbing from his person caused Vernal's aura to flare the second it came in contact with her. The longer she'd stayed close to him, the more it'd flare up and she'd start to see faint signs of wrinkles here and there.

"Hey, if you're a bum you ought to get outta here. Official gang business y'know-"
​

That whispered, taunting greeting from directly behind him was the only warning from her, though he near instantly got another thanks to his aura flashing with a sense of danger as a split-second later the former spring maiden swung out to smash a beer bottle into the back of his skull.

"...!!!"

His hand immediately went for his pistol as he tried to shoot Vernal in close range.

*smash*

THe bottle collided with him all the same just as he'd pulled the trigger.

Stumbling back as his aura flared, he couldn't help but be slightly annoyed.

"Guess you're not a bum."

He proceeded to keep shooting.

Maybe she was and she'd just felt like a fight was in order. As nice and charming as Blanche could be when it came to hitting it off with the ladies, he was still a hitman at the end of the day. His mist continued to spread along the length of the street causing those who'd stumbled across the scene to quickly turn right back around. If so then there was the slightest pangs of sympathy that this person's life lead to them swinging beer bottles around at people they didn't know for sick kicks.

On the other hand,, it seemed far more likely she'd something to do with the guys in the bar. The timing seemed like too much of a coincidence. The Boss had ordered them not to kill Black's kid or his friends unless they turned out to be total schmucks. They didn't say anything about people posing as bums though!

*bang bang bang*
​

They really were way too good for that stupid academy.

By the time Char forced open the door to the staffroom, all he found were some flickering lights and a deck of playing cards strewn wildly across the room.

"....Huh, that's a bit anti-climatic isn't it? I got myself all hyped up...."

Riot Breaker practically hummed as he looked around the deserted room. He'd carved through those doors expecting a fight to be waiting for him on the otherside. Letting the humming die down a bit, he glanced around the room. Seemed like if there was anyone in here, they'd up and bolted after hearing him coming through. If he had to hand it to Marcus's brat, it was that much. Most people usually stood their ground and called him ugly. Granted, he enjoyed beating the shit out of them afterwards but it wasn't really the same feeling you'd get when people flee a potential encounter with you.

Was it out of fear of the unknown? Or were they simply trying to form some kind of battle strategem?

.....He supposed in the end it didn't really matter.

His eyes began to glow a dark red and a blood red marking in the shape of a circle appeared at his feet before spreading outwards until it encompassed the bar as a whole.

"Null Zone....completed."

As Abyss had made mention of back during the debriefing at their apartment, Char's semblance was good for group fights when you didn't know what certain semblances were had or what they could do. Null Zone made it a non-issue/forced both sides to rely on their skills to see victory through to the end. In some cases though opponents still managed to get the better of Char, semblance or no, something that always bugged him. He'd taken away their power! He'd done that by himself with no help! ....And yet all his comrades could think of to call him was 'Tears of the Rat.' It was demeaning and hurtful but to be a gangster you had to grow a thicker skin.

.....And wield a sword sharp enough to cut through it.

​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"⁠—But the absolute WORST THING would be if she felt bad, hit a downward spiral, developed some kinda one-sided redemptive fixation on us and tried to force her way into our lives as some unwanted mentor figure type, thereby selfishly depending on us to give meaning to her pitiful existence and ignoring the fact that Neo obviously isn't in any kind of a headspace to see her now or ever again." Emerald summed up concisely at the tail end of a long and emotionally fulfilling conversation in the back rooms on what to do about the hobo who nearly sent Neo off the deep end a while ago. That conversation also happened to be framed against the most intense game of Bullshit, Cheat, or whatever your preferred nomenclature might be for that one game where you pair your cards and can lie about it either had ever engaged in. There had been turnarounds, rule checks, numerous instances of Emerald messing with Mercury's mind, basically gaslighting him, and many a pokerface, but the end result was Emerald had eliminated almost all her cards and Mercury was holding like, a lot. She tossed one of hers facedown onto the pile. "Jack."

"Agreed. Let's make sure that doesn't happen," Mercury concurred, throwing three cards of his own down from the borderline full deck he was holding as his hand. "Three queens."

If she had been in the room...she would have agreed with both of them. That...would have been the worst. She'd already tried something like that, had somehow gotten talked into it by some foolish kid. Against her better judgment she went along with it, and that had led to them getting jumped in Argus. Led to her losing both her weapons, tools she'd put years of her life into. Led to her nearly fucking losing an arm along with them, in one goddamn move even. Led to her losing all of the power she'd once wielded, a strength that had made her the most valued member of the tribe once, even above their leader. Something that had shaken her immensely, even if she had refused to show any of those feelings to the bitch who stole it from her.

And speaking of her...all that had led to the kid's death, as far as she knew. The Shadow Fang had been kicking their asses despite her best efforts and she'd slipped into unconsciousness in the thick of it. When she came to, she was nowhere near the city anymore and she could only assume the kid died. The Shadow Fang had been winning, and she didn't see any reason why they would have taken the teenager prisoner. Or even more unlikely, shown any mercy to her.

Cinder, the younger naïve one, was probably resting in an unmarked grave by now. That was what the bandit got for being talked into giving a damn.

Fuck the world, it could hang for all she cared. After this whatever the hell was over with, there had to be a boat out there willing to give her a lift elsewhere. Just had to find it and throw out enough lien. After that...well, there are worse ways to go out than drinking yourself into an early grave.​

"...!!!"

His hand immediately went for his pistol as he tried to shoot Vernal in close range.

*smash*

THe bottle collided with him all the same just as he'd pulled the trigger.

Stumbling back as his aura flared, he couldn't help but be slightly annoyed.

"Guess you're not a bum."

He proceeded to keep shooting.

Maybe she was and she'd just felt like a fight was in order. As nice and charming as Blanche could be when it came to hitting it off with the ladies, he was still a hitman at the end of the day. His mist continued to spread along the length of the street causing those who'd stumbled across the scene to quickly turn right back around. If so then there was the slightest pangs of sympathy that this person's life lead to them swinging beer bottles around at people they didn't know for sick kicks.

On the other hand,, it seemed far more likely she'd something to do with the guys in the bar. The timing seemed like too much of a coincidence. The Boss had ordered them not to kill Black's kid or his friends unless they turned out to be total schmucks. They didn't say anything about people posing as bums though!

*bang bang bang*

The homeless looking Vernal staggered back a step or two with all the shots, every single one chipping a bit at her aura. She blinked with each bullet that landed up until the fourth or fifth one, she wasn't quite sure. Neither did she really care what shot it was. One of them ricocheted off her aura and struck the other bottle she'd been holding, shattering it with ease. The sounds of glass bouncing and spreading across the ground went unheard to most people close by thanks to all the gunshots, but Vernal noticed it all the same. As well as the broken bottle spilling its contents all over the street in a fruity sweet-smelling explosion. "...…"

The sight of the busted bottle and the wasted drink brought such a profound look of dismay to her face...but it didn't last too long before her attention shot back up to the guy proper, more indifferent to any gunshots that hit her after that than she probably should have been. The look on her face now was clearly annoyed. She raised the handle of the bottle she still held onto up to face level, pointed at it with her opposite hand and slowly shook her head in plain disapproval, just as her pointing hand moved to further emphasize how uncool that had just been.

If she even noticed the faint sign of wrinkles starting to spread across said hand, her expression didn't reveal such. Her eyes did darken, however, the former maiden going immediately for the use of her semblance after that devastating loss. The handle of the beer bottle got thrown down to the street to join the rest of the shattered bits before Vernal lunged forward at the now blinded hitman, hand moving in a downward strike intended to knock the gun out of his hand followed by a rough kick to the chest to force him further away and let her pick up his gun and shoot him right back.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"It could serve as a token of good faith. A good one, at that. But be warned. The fights are unsanctioned. There are very few rules. There's no aura threshold like the Vytal Tournament; the fight stops when it breaks, and that can often lead to life-threatening injuries. And the other combatants aren't going to be your run-of-the-mill criminals or huntsmen—They're likely to be some of the deadliest in all of Remnant. Competing in these freakshows is not something I suggest lightly, and I certainly wouldn't encourage anyone to line up and throw themselves at the idea. Somehow I feel like you're all going to anyway though."

James Ironwood.

She couldn't say that she knew him much, on a personal level. But she knew of his reputation, had personally seen his combat prowess when he had so casually dominated an alpha beowolf before them...and she knew that, at least of the Ironwood back home, that he had the habit of reacting to things with the utmost seriousness. Perhaps too much, honestly. Overreaction to the extreme, given the state of Mantle when they'd all arrived there in their Remnant. Still, that aside...that serious demeanor, which from what'd she seen over these weeks applied equally to this James Ironwood...the message had not been lost on Nora. Unsanctioned fights with little if any in the way of rules...and open to some of the most fearsome fighters the world this Remnant had to offer. It wouldn't be an easy undertaking, put like that.

She'd heard the story of how easily Neopolitan had toyed around with Yang on that train.

She'd personally been there when that scorpion faunus, Tyrian, caught up with them out of the blue and firmly illustrated the gap between them and some of Salem's finest followers. Her, Ren, Jaune, even Ruby...if it hadn't been for her uncle, they wouldn't have come out of that as fortunate as they had. And even then it had ended with him poisoned.

Of course, she was better, much better, than she had been back then. All of them were. If Team RNJR tried again with him now...who could say? Yet...it didn't sound like these fights would be team oriented. If it was just herself against who knows who...the outcome was uncertain. Not that she lacked the confidence to fight against the odds all the same, or was not eager to meet the challenge head on. She definitely was eager, more than eager! But...it couldn't hurt to try to level the playing field some, if Ironwood was right on the caliber of opponents this thing could and likely would bring in. While she'd been the number two best fighter on her team, and she'd improved plenty since their time at Beacon...Magnhild had stayed relatively the same. Some slight adjustments here and there, but nothing too major.

But if there was ever a time to give her sweet sweet baby some significant upgrades, now seemed to be perfect!

To that end she had sequestered herself in one of the more distant rooms of this place, complete with gathering up what materials the resistance had access to. She'd kept herself busy through the hours and now...

Nora glanced with an appreciative smile at the shiny silver bracers, lined with a soft sky blue. She lightly banged the bracer adorning her right wrist against the table and was rewarded with a resounding and reassuring clang of metal impacting metal. It sounded sturdy enough, for sure. Another means of defense, if it came to it, but hardly the primary function of the bracer. Her turquoise eyes locked on the center of the bracer, which glowed with a faint purple. It seemed to be in order.

Her eyes shot over to the side, where Magnhild rested a good fifteen feet away or so. There was a faint lining of purple along the hammer's handle now, too. If she'd done it right, then...

She outstretched her hand in the direction of her warhammer, finger quickly tapping on a button on the bracer...and Magnhild responded immediately. Gravity pulled her weapon in, but...it overshot and passed her by. The dangerous end of Magnhild slammed into the opposite wall with enough force to lightly shake the room itself.

"...Halfway there!"

That hardly discouraged her, and she knew it worked to a degree, she only needed to fine-tune it. If she found herself disarmed in any of those fights to come, she now had a way to quickly fix that. She could just call her weapon to her, as befit a Thor inspired character. Not to mention the possible ways she imagined she could use gravity dust in her fighting style...that brought an excited smirk to light.

Yet there were even more upgrades she had thought of, was tempted to try!

She returned to work.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

By this point there was a steady murmur of scroll conversations coming from Weiss's study most days. As they rolled past, her daily number of stressful phone calls increased, and her recreational drinking fell in accordance out of a simple need for sharp thinking, an unfortunate side effect was that her volume of cigarettes consumed per day was becoming alarmingly high.

"—koff, koff koffkoff—"

It was the tiniest, daintiest, most polite coughing fit the man on the other end of her scroll had ever heard, but that didn't make him any less terrified. Nor the explosion it dovetailed into less volatile.



"⁠—WHAT do you mean it's an 'unreasonable window'? I've given you all the time you need! More than enough! I could do it in half that if I weren't going to be busy implementing the million other strategies and protocols we're going to need to successfully defend our borders! Was the general less than clear about the scale of the threat he uncovered guiding the hand of those faunus zealots? Are you eager for what happened in Mistral to recur here?! In Vale??? If you can't do your job properly we're going to be looking at a massacre bloodier than both those incidents COMBINED! Is that what you're telling me?!"

*nervous scroll babbling*

"I DON'T CARE IF THERE'S A PRECEDENT! The council has been granted emergency powers! This entire scenario is unprecedented! Which means it's time for the sort of innovation that makes this the greatest kingdom there ever was, do you hear me?! It is NOT the time for stubborn bellyaching from people who haven't needed to fulfill their duties properly in years! Every cog in the Atlas machine needs to be well-oiled and performing at 100% productivity! I catch so much as the slightest whiff of complacency and guess what? YOU'RE FIRED! YOUR ENTIRE DIVISION IS FIRED! I'LL EVEN FIND OUT WHAT YOUR FAMILIES DO FOR THE KINGDOM AND FIRE THEM TOO! I'm getting another call, but I do not want to have to communicate with you personally again. I hope that's understood."

*boop*

She hung up without awaiting confirmation, fully aware that it was. The incoming call was a lie, and when she switched back over to one of the others she had on hold her tone was a complete departure from the one she had left the other conversation on. Courteous, diplomatic, soothing, any wants or ill feelings she might've harbored buried so deep it was hard to imagine them ever seeing the light of day. The doll her father always wanted her to be.



"The matter's all taken care of, general. Just remind him of precisely how many androids he has to accomplish his task and you should find him far more compliant. He's one of James's oldest supporters, but if he starts dragging his feet again you can simply threaten to put him back through to me and he'll remember himself quickly enough. Did the auxiliary site satisfy your inspection?"

*affirmative scroll babbling*

"Wonderful. Well, we may both be facing some inquiries on the other side of all this, but I have full confidence in this plan of ours. I'll admit, I'm even a bit eager to see the look on Ozpin's face when his assault fails to claim the life of so much as a single member of the civilian populace! I pledged myself to protect them, after all. Maybe that's when he'll finally understand I don't make promises I can't keep, and it'll finally click exactly how much danger he's put himself in."

*apathetic scroll babbling ending in a question*

"Oh, I imagine she'll make her move soon enough. Don't worry general, we'll both get what we want out of this. She's fantasized about killing me for so long I find it extraordinarily hard to believe she'll be content waiting for Ozpin to prepare his assault now that she has his leave to do so. I suppose we'll see if the enhancements to my security detail were worth all the time and effort, but to be honest it's low on my list of concerns; The tactics they used to throw the other kingdoms into chaos really won't be very effective here. They're not stupid enough to be unaware of that, though, so I fully expect a more personalized assassination plot to present itself any day now—Possibly even the most elaborate one leveled against me to date. Exciting!"

*further babbling*

More questions. Weiss's cheeks were starting to hurt from all the fake smiling, but this was the side of her Carnelian most wanted to see, the one that made him his most loyal, his most agreeable. Probably the one that reminded him most of the little girl he remembered from her father's poker nights, the one too traumatized to be anything other than the image of politeness. This was the true secret of Weiss's guile, her micromanagement skills; every colleague, every contact, every pawn had their own psychological profiles, certain responses to certain approaches, certain expectations of her. The councilwoman was a master of determining what somebody wanted her to be, then, depending on their disposition, either fulfilling that expectation or upturning it to achieve the desired effect. Manipulation was a careful game of push-and-pull, and Weiss had been subjected to daily reminders of the rules from almost the moment she came into being. For every pawn, there was a different side of her.

A different mask.

None of them false; simply different aspects of herself she elected to reveal and conceal depending on who she was dealing with. That was real power. It was a skill the likes of Ozpin could only dream of, in her mind, tenuous as his own attempts at using others appeared to be. All his allies either fulfilled their own agendas or required merely the right push to set them down their own path. It was different for those under Weiss. Even when she was (intentionally) angry, even during her most ruthless of admonishments, no one ever really believed she had anything other than their best interests in mind. She believed that much herself, that her actions were the way forward to a higher standard of living for all those their cruel society had neglected. Every word she spoke came off as completely, wholeheartedly sincere. All Ozpin's manipulations came from the shadows; Weiss carried out hers in the plain light of day.

Well, most of them.

"Yes, things are more or less proceeding as expected in regards to that ethical abomination. A few of my own personal agents have already placed, as you're aware, but more importantly our friend in Mantle tells me Ironwood's done as expected and proposed his best and brightest enter that despicable bloodletting contest themselves."

*inquisitive scroll babbling*

"No, I can't tell you who it is! We have a personal rapport, it'd be a complete betrayal of trust. Just know anything that might incriminate us of foul play at this juncture is practically guaranteed to end up in my hands at this point, so my focus is going to remain on more pressing matters. Yang was convincing enough that they've already begun entertaining early discussions of an alliance, as well. It's only a matter of time before it all falls into place. Excuse me, I have to take this."

*boop*

Carnelian went back on hold before he could protest, Weiss switching the line over to the incoming call relaying the latest from her eyes in Vacuo.

"Well? Were they able to locate them?!"

*negative scroll babbling*

"Oh."

She kept her true feelings on that carefully contained, a staunch believer that the most crucial masks were the ones she put on for her own benefit.



"...I see. Well... have them check our summer home one last time. My mother always talked about going back there."

*boop*

She hung up on that line before the voice on the other end could start about how unlikely it was they'd turned up there since the last sweep, or how unlikely it was that they were even going to appear there at all. She already knew.




As she strove to sweep some of her more obligatory calls off the table, the tempo and speed at which she tore through them started to become dizzying. "I'm sorry, WHO deployed that many androids in the middle of Mantle?!"

*boop*



"Hi,~ ♡ colonel Ector.~ Just making sure you're aware that all the contents of my defunct company's storage warehouses are steadily making their way back to Atlas, and there's more than enough for your delightfully insane proposal that we—"

*boop*



"The fall maiden's just riding around in a van...? Okay. Well at least we know where she is now."

*boop*

Oh dust, was that the time? "Eleanor, I'm not going to make my hair appointment today."

"Very good ma'am. Would you like me to reschedule it for later this week?"

For the very first time during the absolute maelstrom of business calls she'd just torn her way through, Weiss faltered briefly as she considered how to answer.

"...No..."



"You might as well just cancel."​

 

[MidwayLives]

"zzz....."

Despite her best efforts, Masque had succumbed to the urge to take a nap.

Weiss was working and it'd be doing her a disservice to bother her. On top of that while Weiss may have been nice up to this point. What with providing Ruby room and board and even getting her a new arm, the fear had never really left. It was just hidden behind the giddiness. Weiss could still kill her if the desire came to her and there would have been nary a thing Ruby could have done to stop her. Maybe it was due to growing up in a camp of killers and lowlives but fear wasn't something so easily dissuaded. Clutching onto the blanke in her sleep, Ruby tossed and turned. It'd been the same dream since the first night she'd slept here.

It was Ruby surrounded by those who cared for her.

The other world's Yang, Maria, and Weiss.

It was nice to feel wanted. Not for what she could do but who she was and could be.

....Then he showed up.

"Masque."

She turned to face the voice.

"Are you really going to betray me? The one who took you in? Showed you what you were capable of? Things you never would have understood on your own. Part of who you are is what I helped to bring out in you. You need me." As Ozpin's voice trailed off, his image began to vanish little by little. "....Never forget that..."

Then she woke up.

"AAAAH!"

"...."

Face it, Ruby.

When it comes down to the wire, you're going to have a decision to make.

In the meantime....She wondered if a glass of milk would calm her nerves.

With glass of milk in hand she made her way to Weiss's office and knocked on the door. "...Weiss? Is it ok if I come in?"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

When they eventually got to the address Ironwood had given her, it...still took Cinder a long while to actually work up the courage or the willpower or whatever people wanted to call it, to go up there and ring the doorbell. Her thoughts were still racing throughout that whole period of time, and there was a point where she thought that the best decision to make regarding this idea was just to leave before they were noticed by anybody inside the residence, but she didn't actually reveal that thought by saying it out loud towards the other two in the van. Finally she let out a deep breath and exited the van with as much fiery determination as she could muster to stride for that front door. She still was extremely unsure about what to even SAY but she'd resolved that whatever words that came spilling out of her mouth when the moment came...that they would have to do...she'd have to live with them.

It was still a minute or two further of just standing by the front door in awkward silence before another deep breath escaped her and she reached out with a finger to press that doorbell. She stepped back swiftly after that, eyes sliding shut in nervous apprehension as she waited.

God please let this go okay...or at the very least, not terrible...​

 

[MyrtenRose]

With glass of milk in hand she made her way to Weiss's office and knocked on the door. "...Weiss? Is it ok if I come in?"

”No.” Tock said as she threw her out​

 

[Gus Gungus]

With glass of milk in hand she made her way to Weiss's office and knocked on the door. "...Weiss? Is it ok if I come in?"

"I am EXTREMELY BUSY, Ruby," Weiss answered candidly, a little bit snappish. "...But thank you for knocking. Apparently you were still somehow reared with more manners than the other world's Yang. What is it that can't wait?"​