Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Really? I hadn't gathered that much myself, just from the way you've been acting towards me." She couldn't help but sarcastically comment. Nevertheless, she seemed to concede on that front. "Well...what about just knowing more about you, then? The good adventures my daughter from another world went through? And maybe the not so good." Her eyes lingered on that arm for a bit longer than they probably should have. "If...if you don't mind, that is."

"...look, mom-" She winced slightly and took a breath before she restarted "...I mean Raven. I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh. Its clear that you're not much like my mom in a whole bunch of important ways, and it sounds like you've have your own share of pretty terrible problems to deal with. but... this?" She said with a small gesture between them

"This isn't a thing we should do. Its just gonna make it hurt when me and qrow and sis dip out. Make it harder for you to do what you have to when you come across this other me."

Unless Yang came across her first anyways. The more she learned about this other Yang and all she had and more importantly hadn't done, the more sure she was that if the two ever met Yang was officially gonna double her kill count.

"Let's just... agree to work together for now. ok?"

 

[MyrtenRose]

When the door opened, Blake was practically in the same position she'd been in in her last cell, the comfy furnishings ignored in favor of keeping her focus on the exit and her back protected. If anything, she looked even angrier to be in this cell than she had the other one.

All of that broke once she saw who was in the doorway.

For the first time since the attack on Beacon began, a genuine, if shocked, smile lit up Blake's face as she shot to her feet.

"Ilia?!"

She strode across the room and with a heavy sigh rested her head on her friend's shoulder. Her best friend. The only one who hadn't left her. The only one who kept to Blake's side when the blood had started to spill in earnest. One of the few people that Blake could say without hesitation that she actually trusted, maybe even the only one; Sienna would always have Blake's loyalty, but she wasn't exactly a friend, not someone to confide in about anything other than The Fight.

"Why are you here though?" She asked without raising her head. "I'm glad you made it out okay, but did they send you with Weiss to make sure I didn't kill her?"

There was the slightest edge of sarcasm to the question. If only slight.

"..." For a while there, Ilia had to admit, she lost herself in that moment. Despite being technically trespassing on a SDC ship, with the possibility of any random security guard striding by and catching her by surprise...the warmth of Blake's head resting against her shoulder was too much for her to handle. Her eyes slid shut, a small smile spread across her face and the spots across her face and arms even glowed, somewhere in the range from red to pink. But no moment could last forever, and Blake's last question brought her back down to Remnant. Ilia slowly opened her eyes again, the smile vanishing. Very very reluctantly she stepped back from Blake, her arms likewise pushing Blake back a small bit.

"Blake..." Ilia faltered, looking unsure of how to proceed for a couple moments before she managed to pull herself together. "How can you say that? Why would you want to kill a friend?"​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Blake..." Ilia faltered, looking unsure of how to proceed for a couple moments before she managed to pull herself together. "How can you say that? Why would you want to kill a friend?"

Blake was a little confused as Ilia pushed her back, though not too much. They were inside a prison ship, and she was currently handcuffed, it wasn't exactly the best location or time for a hug.

But that question left Blake utterly flummoxed, and her face scrunched up in a disgusted frown that said 'are you serious' far better than any words could.

"...Ilia. Just because we're working with them for now doesn't suddenly make a Schnee our friend." She practically spat. her hands reached out to try and grab Ilia's with an earnest worry. "Have you been talking to her? Is she trying to get inside your head? You cannot trust anything she says. I don't care if she plays nice in Ozpin's presence, that woman will trample the faunus the instant she thinks she doesn't need us."

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...look, mom-" She winced slightly and took a breath before she restarted "...I mean Raven. I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh. Its clear that you're not much like my mom in a whole bunch of important ways, and it sounds like you've have your own share of pretty terrible problems to deal with. but... this?" She said with a small gesture between them

"This isn't a thing we should do. Its just gonna make it hurt when me and qrow and sis dip out. Make it harder for you to do what you have to when you come across this other me."

Unless Yang came across her first anyways. The more she learned about this other Yang and all she had and more importantly hadn't done, the more sure she was that if the two ever met Yang was officially gonna double her kill count.

"Let's just... agree to work together for now. ok?"

"......You're probably right." Raven agreed, averting her eyes towards the ground in front of her instead of towards Yang. It was an unfortunate truth, but she was right. One day these other versions of her brother, her daughter and even Ruby would be gone, and the ones that would remain would only seem even worse in comparison if she got too close with them. It would dull her edge. But it being right didn't make it any easier to have to accept. She was silent for a long time after Yang finished speaking, a mess of complicated thoughts clearly running amok inside her head...but eventually she did turn over to face Yang.

"Agreed." Raven nodded and even extended a hand out for a shake, if she wanted to take it.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"I know, what is it with that thing?" He tossed back with a fleeting glance, returning his gaze to outside after a moment and only drawing them all the way shut again when he was satisfied there wasn't a sniper posted on the opposite roof. "When I was a kid, my dad left the cabin on a 'business trip'. Not exactly uncommon. Real pro, my old man. He was kinda famous on the wetworks scene if you knew who was who. But oh, man, did he like to drink. He never told me anything about his contracts... Til he was at least five beers deep."

The ironic smirk he meant to flash came off more of a bitter grimace.

"The night he came back he wouldn't shut up about it. Biggest kill to his name, that's what he kept saying. Everyone thought it was the White Fang at the time, but no way did they hire a human assassin. Especially seeing as they never came out and denied they did it. Mm, nah... some business rival paid my dad a ton of lien to off the guy. All came from some shell company account in Atlas, so we never found out who. They covered their tracks. My dad covered his. Or so I thought."

He paced over to his bunk, sat down and folded his arms, even grimmer in disposition.

"...I'm not going to jail. But if they try pick me up, I want you guys to know why."​

"Bunch of bull."

Roman sat up and slipped his hat on.

"Not the story I mean. I believe you there. But if anyone tries to punish you for your dad's sins?"

Roman slung an arm around Neo's shoulder.

"Then they'll have to deal with us. 'Appreicate you letting us in on this but I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or this team

Wow. That was... awful. Neo wasn't one to throw herself a pity party, but to put it bluntly her childhood sucked. But at least her parents had loved her while they were still there. She'd gathered by now that Mercury's dad was a bastard man, but... the more she learned about him, the more he sounded like an actual monster.

She had gotten up to switch to Merc's bed around the time he grimaced, a hand placed on his knee for comfort. and when Roman slug an arm around her shoulder and made his declaration, Neo nodded and shot a bright smile and powerful thumbs up. She wasn't at all into that whole 'sins of the father' bull, and like hell would she let her leader suffer cuz of something dumb like that

 

[MyrtenRose]

Blake was a little confused as Ilia pushed her back, though not too much. They were inside a prison ship, and she was currently handcuffed, it wasn't exactly the best location or time for a hug.

But that question left Blake utterly flummoxed, and her face scrunched up in a disgusted frown that said 'are you serious' far better than any words could.

"...Ilia. Just because we're working with them for now doesn't suddenly make a Schnee our friend." She practically spat. her hands reached out to try and grab Ilia's with an earnest worry. "Have you been talking to her? Is she trying to get inside your head? You cannot trust anything she says. I don't care if she plays nice in Ozpin's presence, that woman will trample the faunus the instant she thinks she doesn't need us."

"...." Somehow she was even more taken aback, the way Blake practically hissed that name. Yeah, generally that name wasn't one associated with anything good among the faunus, but in the brief time between them helping save Haven Academy and her having to part ways with Blake as she went off towards Atlas, Weiss...she seemed like a truly good person. All of Team RWBY seemed as close as family, and it was heartwarming to see. Which only made her now more confused. "Wha--no, no she hasn't been talking to me. I...wait." Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, working with them? You and her? The attack on Beacon...you're in on that, together? Why? Why did you attack the school you once went to?" She took a deep breath and got right to the heart of the matter without waiting for an answer to any of those questions.

"After everything we went through on Menagerie, how hard you went about convincing me that Adam's way was not the right way, that murder and violence was not the answer...how could you kill like you did?"​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...." Somehow she was even more taken aback, the way Blake practically hissed that name. Yeah, generally that name wasn't one associated with anything good among the faunus, but in the brief time between them helping save Haven Academy and her having to part ways with Blake as she went off towards Atlas, Weiss...she seemed like a truly good person. All of Team RWBY seemed as close as family, and it was heartwarming to see. Which only made her now more confused. "Wha--no, no she hasn't been talking to me. I...wait." Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, working with them? You and her? The attack on Beacon...you're in on that, together? Why? Why did you attack the school you once went to?" She took a deep breath and got right to the heart of the matter without waiting for an answer to any of those questions.

"After everything we went through on Menagerie, how hard you went about convincing me that Adam's way was not the right way, that murder and violence was not the answer...how could you kill like you did?"​

The confusion and hurt on Blake's face as Ilia started to babble absolute nonsense was palpable. She might as well have been speaking in tongues. Seeing the person closest to her go seemingly completely unhinged was frankly disturbing, disheartening, terrifying.. She couldn't lose her best friend, her only friend, the last person she had left who she at least hoped wouldn't betray her. "What- Ilia, you're not making any sense-"

...

Wait. Adam? A her that went to Beacon? None of that made any sense to Blake. Or it wouldn't have, before an earlier conversation with the fake dragon. Blake's eyes dropped to the ground as she took a slow, deep breath, even as the grip on her best friend's hands tightened. This wasn't her Ilia at all. She was from that idiot's world. She was friends with that other Blake. When she looked up, it was with a relieved smile as the tension dropped from her shoulders. She hadn't lost her friend.

She'd just found a new enemy.

Ilia's hands were yanked downward as Blake swung her forehead to smash into Ilia's nose, then flipped over the other faunus and came down with her handcuff's chain around Ilia's neck. She pulled it tight like a garrote, intending to choke the other faunus unconscious. Maybe they could learn something from the girl.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Agreed." Raven nodded and even extended a hand out for a shake, if she wanted to take it.

"heh?"

Despite her miserable mood and all the bad, bad feelings in her gut, the incongruousness of ending this depressing conversation with a firm handshake startled a laugh out of Yang. She looked at the hand and then up to Raven, before she shook her head and took the handshake with probably more enthusiasm that was necessary. When they separated she stood up and dusted off her knees with a deep sigh, doing her best to recenter herself after that storm of emotional trauma of varying degrees. She took out her scroll and checked the time again with a wry smile.

"Welp. Now I definitely don't have time for errands. See you back up at the school?" She asked with a sidelong glance to Raven

 

[MyrtenRose]

The confusion and hurt on Blake's face as Ilia started to babble absolute nonsense was palpable. She might as well have been speaking in tongues. Seeing the person closest to her go seemingly completely unhinged was frankly disturbing, disheartening, terrifying.. She couldn't lose her best friend, her only friend, the last person she had left who she at least hoped wouldn't betray her. "What- Ilia, you're not making any sense-"

...

Wait. Adam? A her that went to Beacon? None of that made any sense to Blake. Or it wouldn't have, before an earlier conversation with the fake dragon. Blake's eyes dropped to the ground as she took a slow, deep breath, even as the grip on her best friend's hands tightened. This wasn't her Ilia at all. She was from that idiot's world. She was friends with that other Blake. When she looked up, it was with a relieved smile as the tension dropped from her shoulders. She hadn't lost her friend.

She'd just found a new enemy.

Ilia's hands were yanked downward as Blake swung her forehead to smash into Ilia's nose, then flipped over the other faunus and came down with her handcuff's chain around Ilia's neck. She pulled it tight like a garrote, intending to choke the other faunus unconscious. Maybe they could learn something from the girl.

"No, Blake, you're the one not making any--" Ilia was literally cut off from saying anything further by Blake using her own head as a weapon. The blow knocked Ilia's own head back, the chameleon faunus stunned less by the attack itself thanks to her aura and more that Blake would actually attack her here and now. Shock gave way to confusion, which in turn gave way to a look of hurt on her face that matched(if not surpassed) Blake's own in the seconds that preceded the cat attacking. And before Ilia could even get a hold of her thoughts, much less react, Blake was already behind her and using the restraints in a way they were never intended for. Both hands gripped the chain wrapped around her neck, trying to pull against the choking pressure. "Bl--ake. Please. D-don't do--ghkk!"

She struggled in that way for a few seconds more, trying to still force out a plea for Blake to not do this. A plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears, the tight impromptu garrote not relenting a single bit. The edges of her vision were beginning to darken...and it was only then that she accepted she'd have to do it. One hand released her grip from the chain, reaching for her weapon and angling it properly before she clicked on the trigger. A whip shot out from within and delivered just enough volts to the auraless Blake to knock her out.

When she lost consciousness, the garrote went slack and Ilia dropped to the floor, taking the time she needed to recover with several long and deep breaths. Gradually her vision came back bit by bit and when her sight was more or less back to normal, Ilia pushed herself back up. With a click, her weapon pulled back into its handle and she looked over towards the ground where Blake had fallen. "...Blake." The hurt was still present on the chameleon's face. That Belladonna had gone for an attack at all, let alone one like that. She had no idea what she'd done or said to provoke something like that, and even less of an idea on what was going on with Blake that drove her to these extremes.

Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to really know what was going on here.

But it didn't matter. Ilia reached down to grab hold of Blake, hoisting her onto her own shoulders. The weight was considerable for someone of Ilia's size, and it would make trying to sneak on out of here much more difficult, but it didn't matter. The chameleon began to slowly walk, past the exit door and down the hallway. You were there for me once, Blake. No matter how much I tried to get you to stop, to leave...even taking part on an attack on your parents. You found the strength within you to not give up on me. I don't know what's going on with you but I don't care. I'll repay that debt. I won't give up on you. Not now, not ever. ​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Just as Ilia turned to leave, a pair of glowing, rotatory snowflakes appeared between the two faunus, viciously rebuffing them to opposite corners of the room. More appeared around Ilia's neck, arms and ankles before the chameleon even hit anything, suspending her in place in midair as two fingers slowly lowered from the door.



"You're on my ship."

The voice that interrupted the attempted rescue from the door was so formal, polite and unaggressive-yet-firm that either faunus girl could've been forgiven for thinking it belonged to a secretary or someone who just happened to stumble across Ilia by chance and was complying with her duties as civilly as she could. The reality was... Different. Standing behind them was the Schnee family matriarch herself, no doubt the youngest to ever bear the title for as much as she was clearly older than the Weiss Ilia was tenuously familiar with.

Here, in a room with the cameras disabled and two people she quite literally couldn't have cared less about, Weiss's outward presentation was rather... different. For one thing, the hat that was drawing so much ridicule had been stowed away, her cloak folded up along with it, leaving only her soldierly—as soldierly as the articles of clothing in question could get, anyway— dress and heels, with the conspicuous addition of her rapier still dangling from her belt. For another, she was leaning up against the doorframe almost sassily, facial expression made up of lidded eyes and a cunning smirk, and deftly pouring from the bottle of expensive merlot she held in one hand into the empty wine glass in the other.

"I don't like it when strange faunus appear on my ship. They're usually trying to kill me; I've become quite good at picking them out. Would you like to tell her who always ends up dead, miss Belladonna, or should I? Next time—"

She held up one finger to correct herself, using the pause to take what was way more than a sip of wine.

"—There's not going to be a next time. For future reference, Atlesian military uniforms are form-fitting and tailored to each soldier's specific needs. Yours was half a size too big. I also happen to know the name, face and rank of every Atlas military representative even allowed aboard my ship, and keep detailed transcripts of their comings and goings—General Ironwood doesn't trust me, you see, and the feeling's mutual. Oh, and I can tap into the live feed of every camera on board from my scroll, so when someone's running around disabling them I pretty much know right away. I may have missed some things, but you get the idea."

Weiss smirked and gave a dainty, self-assured shrug, swirling the wine around in her glass and holding it up to the room's main source of light for a momentary inspection.

"I suppose this part would never reach you back at the White Fang, or whatever you ridiculous people call yourselves nowadays, but I usually tend to instruct my guards not to interfere. To allow me the chance to address the matter personally. The practice is just too good to pass up! I'm not in situations where my life is in danger very often, so sometimes I worry my instincts are growing dull. Of course, they never are. Obviously."

The wry emphasis she put on that last word made the tone of the conversation seem more suited to one between close friends, not the bitterest of enemies. She downed the last of the wine and simply whipped the glass up the hallway, allowing it to smash with a faint echo, before pushing herself off the frame to stride into the room proper.

"How fortunate. Otherwise I might never have anticipated Blake's former allies would send an assassin to silence her while in Atlesian custody. Which is what the official story will be, but really I'm just bored watching you blunder around now, thinking you're clever. You're one of the doppelgangers."

The statement was both accusatory and completely bereft of doubt, her eyes narrowing sharply as she stopped in the middle of the room, peering up at Ilia with a degree of fascination.

"That means he'll want to talk to you. Unfortunately. For you, not for me."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"heh?"

Despite her miserable mood and all the bad, bad feelings in her gut, the incongruousness of ending this depressing conversation with a firm handshake startled a laugh out of Yang. She looked at the hand and then up to Raven, before she shook her head and took the handshake with probably more enthusiasm that was necessary. When they separated she stood up and dusted off her knees with a deep sigh, doing her best to recenter herself after that storm of emotional trauma of varying degrees. She took out her scroll and checked the time again with a wry smile.

"Welp. Now I definitely don't have time for errands. See you back up at the school?" She asked with a sidelong glance to Raven

"...Huh." Yang was stronger than Raven had anticipated, if that handshake was anything to go by. When it was over, it was with a very small, barely noticeable but content smile that Raven looked to Yang. "Yes. See you there...Yang." The older woman turned around, striding down the empty street. Before she reached the end of it, she vanished and a bird took flight.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Just as Ilia turned to leave, a pair of glowing, rotatory snowflakes appeared between the two faunus, viciously rebuffing them to opposite corners of the room. More appeared around Ilia's neck, arms and ankles before the chameleon even hit anything, suspending her in place in midair as two fingers slowly lowered from the door.



"You're on my ship."

The voice that interrupted the attempted rescue from the door was so formal, polite and unaggressive-yet-firm that either faunus girl could've been forgiven for thinking it belonged to a secretary or someone who just happened to stumble across Ilia by chance and was complying with her duties as civilly as she could. The reality was... Different. Standing behind them was the Schnee family matriarch herself, no doubt the youngest to ever bear the title for as much as she was clearly older than the Weiss Ilia was tenuously familiar with.

Here, in a room with the cameras disabled and two people she quite literally couldn't have cared less about, Weiss's outward presentation was rather... different. For one thing, the hat that was drawing so much ridicule had been stowed away, her cloak folded up along with it, leaving only her soldierly—as soldierly as the articles of clothing in question could get, anyway— dress and heels, with the conspicuous addition of her rapier still dangling from her belt. For another, she was leaning up against the doorframe almost sassily, facial expression made up of lidded eyes and a cunning smirk, and deftly pouring from the bottle of expensive merlot she held in one hand into the empty wine glass in the other.

"I don't like it when strange faunus appear on my ship. They're usually trying to kill me; I've become quite good at picking them out. Would you like to tell her who always ends up dead, miss Belladonna, or should I? Next time—"

She held up one finger to correct herself, using the pause to take what was way more than a sip of wine.

"—There's not going to be a next time. For future reference, Atlesian military uniforms are form-fitting and tailored to each soldier's specific needs. Yours was half a size too big. I also happen to know the name, face and rank of every Atlas military representative even allowed aboard my ship, and keep detailed transcripts of their comings and goings—General Ironwood doesn't trust me, you see, and the feeling's mutual. Oh, and I can tap into the live feed of every camera on board from my scroll, so when someone's running around disabling them I pretty much know right away. I may have missed some things, but you get the idea."

Weiss smirked and gave a dainty, self-assured shrug, swirling the wine around in her glass and holding it up to the room's main source of light for a momentary inspection.

"I suppose this part would never reach you back at the White Fang, or whatever you ridiculous people call yourselves nowadays, but I usually tend to instruct my guards not to interfere. To allow me the chance to address the matter personally. The practice is just too good to pass up! I'm not in situations where my life is in danger very often, so sometimes I worry my instincts are growing dull. Of course, they never are. Obviously."

The wry emphasis she put on that last word made the tone of the conversation seem more suited to one between close friends, not the bitterest of enemies. She downed the last of the wine and simply whipped the glass up the hallway, allowing it to smash with a faint echo, before pushing herself off the frame to stride into the room proper.

"How fortunate. Otherwise I might never have anticipated Blake's former allies would send an assassin to silence her while in Atlesian custody. Which is what the official story will be, but really I'm just bored watching you blunder around now, thinking you're clever. You're one of the doppelgangers."

The statement was both accusatory and completely bereft of doubt, her eyes narrowing sharply as she stopped in the middle of the room, peering up at Ilia with a degree of fascination.

"That means he'll want to talk to you. Unfortunately. For you, not for me."​

...Welp. That just happened.

"Heh." She couldn't help from chuckling. So much for trying to escape. Her eyes glanced to the glyphs restraining her...literally everything, before those eyes shot over towards the other end of the room and settling on Blake...who seemed to be alright, all things considered. Ilia struggled against the glyphs for a while for all the good it did, eventually giving up entirely and just listening to Weiss run her mouth. It was all she could really do. "Yeah, well, I can't say I'm overly fond of you right now either."

As Schnee picked apart bit by bit how her infiltration had failed, thanks to the absurdly meticulous nature of Atlas uniforms, the ridiculous record-keeping of the military and her scroll being tapped into every single camera feed in a grand display of paranoia? Ilia just let out several bitter yet amused laughs. "Look at that, it's a first. Schnee Dust Company security that doesn't disappoint." Despite how clearly bad this predicament was, Ilia just gave a bold smile towards Weiss.

Yet as much as she wanted to keep that smile up in some small way to stick it to Weiss, what the CEO said next got her to drop it. "Doppelganger...what. What the heck are you talking about? Who's gonna want to talk to me?" ​

 

[Gus Gungus]

...Welp. That just happened.

"Heh." She couldn't help from chuckling. So much for trying to escape. Her eyes glanced to the glyphs restraining her...literally everything, before those eyes shot over towards the other end of the room and settling on Blake...who seemed to be alright, all things considered. Ilia struggled against the glyphs for a while for all the good it did, eventually giving up entirely and just listening to Weiss run her mouth. It was all she could really do. "Yeah, well, I can't say I'm overly fond of you right now either."

As Schnee picked apart bit by bit how her infiltration had failed, thanks to the absurdly meticulous nature of Atlas uniforms, the ridiculous record-keeping of the military and her scroll being tapped into every single camera feed in a grand display of paranoia? Ilia just let out several bitter yet amused laughs. "Look at that, it's a first. Schnee Dust Company security that doesn't disappoint." Despite how clearly bad this predicament was, Ilia just gave a bold smile towards Weiss.

Yet as much as she wanted to keep that smile up in some small way to stick it to Weiss, what the CEO said next got her to drop it. "Doppelganger...what. What the heck are you talking about? Who's gonna want to talk to me?" ​

Weiss seemed unruffled by the defiance, almost like she'd come to expect it from those in Ilia's position. She just flapped a hand, totally disregarding the show of will, and brought out her scroll to snap a picture of the faunus girl to have compared to their list of known Shadow Fang associates. "Yes, well. You're about a par for what I've come to expect from your tribe of whining hypocrites, quite honestly."

Just as Ilia's grin faded, so too did Weiss's overwhelming aura of superiority, at least for a moment as she stared the chameleon in the eye and let her lower lip curl. She looked almost sympathetic.

"Oh, dear. You really have no idea, do you? Look, let me give you some advice. Seriously." Her blue eyes were turning to ice, whatever sport she'd been finding in the situation rapidly draining as she pressed on, tone solemn and grave, no break in the eye contact. "Answer everything he asks you without resistance, without lying, without this whole gallantly defiant heroine thing you're doing. I can't promise it'll save your life, but it's the best way this ends for you. Otherwise, the brief remainder of your existence will feel stretched out over an eternity. And you'll spend all of it screaming."

When Ilia started to respond, Weiss immediately raised a fist to cut across her.

"Say you understand."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Weiss seemed unruffled by the defiance, almost like she'd come to expect it from those in Ilia's position. She just flapped a hand, totally disregarding the show of will, and brought out her scroll to snap a picture of the faunus girl to have compared to their list of known Shadow Fang associates. "Yes, well. You're about a par for what I've come to expect from your tribe of whining hypocrites, quite honestly."

Just as Ilia's grin faded, so too did Weiss's overwhelming aura of superiority, at least for a moment as she stared the chameleon in the eye and let her lower lip curl. She looked almost sympathetic.

"Oh, dear. You really have no idea, do you? Look, let me give you some advice. Seriously." Her blue eyes were turning to ice, whatever sport she'd been finding in the situation rapidly draining as she pressed on, tone solemn and grave, no break in the eye contact. "Answer everything he asks you without resistance, without lying, without this whole gallantly defiant heroine thing you're doing. I can't promise it'll save your life, but it's the best way this ends for you. Otherwise, the brief remainder of your existence will feel stretched out over an eternity. And you'll spend all of it screaming."

When Ilia started to respond, Weiss immediately raised a fist to cut across her.

"Say you understand."​

Oh, she understood alright. She understood that there was no way this Weiss was the one she had briefly met. Not even close. And if that was true...Ilia tore her gaze away from Weiss to look at the unconscious Blake. Whatever thoughts she had, Ilia didn't say a single one out loud and returned to glaring back at Weiss. The only answer the CEO received was Ilia spitting right into the eyes of that rich, pampered fancy arrogant cold-hearted bitch as the chameleon's whole body shifted to a red color of angry defiance.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"Bunch of bull."

Roman sat up and slipped his hat on.

"Not the story I mean. I believe you there. But if anyone tries to punish you for your dad's sins?"

Roman slung an arm around Neo's shoulder.

"Then they'll have to deal with us. 'Appreicate you letting us in on this but I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or this team."

Wow. That was... awful. Neo wasn't one to throw herself a pity party, but to put it bluntly her childhood sucked. But at least her parents had loved her while they were still there. She'd gathered by now that Mercury's dad was a bastard man, but... the more she learned about him, the more he sounded like an actual monster.

She had gotten up to switch to Merc's bed around the time he grimaced, a hand placed on his knee for comfort. and when Roman slug an arm around her shoulder and made his declaration, Neo nodded and shot a bright smile and powerful thumbs up. She wasn't at all into that whole 'sins of the father' bull, and like hell would she let her leader suffer cuz of something dumb like that

It took Mercury a while to respond, just staring between the two in silence for a solid ten seconds before he looked away. For someone as out of touch with his emotions as he was, it was about as close as he came to being moved beyond words, something his teammates were no doubt keenly aware of. All the same, it was weighed down by a sense of bitter regret; his hand clenching into a fist atop the bedspread.

"...It isn't that."

He didn't raise his eyes to meet theirs again. Just kept them focused, locked on to Neo's hand like a homing missile, as if anticipating that at any moment it'd be yanked away. Emerald's eyes seemed to widen comprehendingly, and she put up her hand where she was seated on the end of the bed herself. "Mercury, maybe you don't have to—"

"I'm not worried they'll punish me for something my father did. What worries me is that if anyone starts digging up ancient history, turning over stones, piecing together the Marcus Black timeline, maybe it all builds up someone figuring out... what happened to the guy. Word might get out."

The split-second look him and Emerald exchanged seemed to communicate the intent of a full conversation, just in the eyes alone. She seemed to understand. He'd already committed to doing this, and he wasn't raised to back out of doing something if he said he was gonna.

"...That I killed him. And yeah. I did mean to."
​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Oh, she understood alright. She understood that there was no way this Weiss was the one she had briefly met. Not even close. And if that was true...Ilia tore her gaze away from Weiss to look at the unconscious Blake. Whatever thoughts she had, Ilia didn't say a single one out loud and returned to glaring back at Weiss. The only answer the CEO received was Ilia spitting right into the eyes of that rich, pampered fancy arrogant cold-hearted bitch as the chameleon's whole body shifted to a red color of angry defiance.​

"...Hm."

In a whirlwind movement so quick even someone of Ilia's caliber was hard-pressed to follow it, Weiss had drawn Myrtenaster, clasped one arm behind her, stepped back, and parried the gob of spit like it was an enemy projectile, the SDC president's eyes now much more clouded as she held her weapon up and stared at the point on the blade where it had impacted. For all she knew, that could've been acidic.

And Myrtenaster had just been polished.

"Or you could clear my conscience that way."

She lazily flicked the sword's tip towards her captive, and the last thing Ilia recalled seeing was a row of six glyphs spin into existence behind Weiss before each one fired off its own miniaturised burning meteor towards her face.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...Huh." Yang was stronger than Raven had anticipated, if that handshake was anything to go by. When it was over, it was with a very small, barely noticeable but content smile that Raven looked to Yang. "Yes. See you there...Yang." The older woman turned around, striding down the empty street. Before she reached the end of it, she vanished and a bird took flight.​

"..."

Yang watched her go with a quiet frown, before put her hands behind her head and glanced up at the sky, no longer coasting along the edge of a complete emotional breakdown but still not feeling, y'know, great. She still had so many questions, about so many things.

...including...

She looked around to see if the streets were as deserted as they'd been a few minutes ago, before she took a breath and clenched her fists as she screwed her eyes shut and concentrated.

Be a bird. Be a bird. Be a bird.

She cracked right eye open and glanced down at her arm.

Nope. All skin, no feathers.

She gave a long suffering sigh and shook her head, accepting the fact that she was going to have to hoof it. Why couldn't the cool stuff be genetic >_>

 

[MidwayLives]

She'd been left alone to sulk with nothing but her thoughts. Crescent Rose had been confiscated and her stump still stung. Forcefully removing a prosthetic tended to do that. She hadn't yelled or lost her temper since Eve had walked away from her. Continuing to leave her in this room.

*drip*

That infernal...

*drip*

...Was going to drive her crazy...

*drip*

She wanted to get out of here. NOW!

But then the door opened and the White Fang grunt who'd been tasked with feeding her stepped in. "You awake, human?"

Ruby said nothing, her head lowered. The grunt snorted in derision.

"Looks like all for your bark, you couldn't take the heat." He mused aloud as he took a few steps closer.

"If I were you, I'd wake up right now. This food might be all you get, human. I'd savor it."

Ruby still said nothing. The grunt growled and reaching out with his free hand lashed out and grabbed a handful of Ruby's hair to yank her up to stare at him.

The face that met him wasn't exactly a good wide. Her teeth were bared like a wolf ready to lunge and her eyes were wide. Eyebrows furrowed and her chest heaving up and down, the grunt let go of the hair and slowly stepped back. The look in this kid's eyes...It didn't seem human. After sitting in here for over a week, he'd expected her spirit to break and for them to tell Eve whatever she wanted. Yet that look in her eyes said the opposite.

It said..

"Once I get out of here, I'll make all of you pay for this."

"...Freak..."

He tried not to let it show but he'd obviously been shaken and it wasn't until he'd left that he stopped feeling those piercing silver eyes burrowing into him. Once he was gone, Ruby's head slumped forward. She was tired and hungry. But to eat the food would be to concede that point to Eve. The same woman who'd accused her of being just an attack dog. She was wrong! He didn't see her like that...He'd save her...

She knew he would.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

It took Mercury a while to respond, just staring between the two in silence for a solid ten seconds before he looked away. For someone as out of touch with his emotions as he was, it was about as close as he came to being moved beyond words, something his teammates were no doubt keenly aware of. All the same, it was weighed down by a sense of bitter regret; his hand clenching into a fist atop the bedspread.

"...It isn't that."

He didn't raise his eyes to meet theirs again. Just kept them focused, locked on to Neo's hand like a homing missile, as if anticipating that at any moment it'd be yanked away. Emerald's eyes seemed to widen comprehendingly, and she put up her hand where she was seated on the end of the bed herself. "Mercury, maybe you don't have to—"

"I'm not worried they'll punish me for something my father did. What worries me is that if anyone starts digging up ancient history, turning over stones, piecing together the Marcus Black timeline, maybe it all builds up someone figuring out... what happened to the guy. Word might get out."

The split-second look him and Emerald exchanged seemed to communicate the intent of a full conversation, just in the eyes alone. She seemed to understand. He'd already committed to doing this, and he wasn't raised to back out of doing something if he said he was gonna.

"...That I killed him. And yeah. I did mean to."
​

...What?


The warrior class of Remnant was notoriously difficult to kill. There was a reason that despite the hordes of grimm that roamed the world, humanity had carried on, some would even say thrived. Aura was a powerful defensive tool, and even when it broke and you were wounded, you only had to live long enough for it to recover, and your wounds would begin to seal. Accidents happened, but the majority of the time, if someone died in battle, its because the other side wanted them dead.

So it wasn't that Mercury had meant to kill his dad that surprised Neo. No, that was clear. Its that he did it at all. She had absolutely no desire to judge her leader too harshly. The last revelation before this one just been one more weight on the pile of reasons Neo was pretty sure she hated a man she'd never met, a situation she now knew was never going to change. She didn't know anything about the situation that led to the Black family showdown, only that Black Sr. probably deserved it.

Which is why she almost immediately felt guilty when her hand pulled away in surprise. But it did pull away.

She'd become a huntress to protect life. She'd had the ugliness of death thrust upon her at far too young of an age. It still haunted her dreams, with the squelch of flesh, the smell of viscera, protective whispers drifting into panicked yells and choking gurgles. There was nothing good that came from death. Sure, she'd learned how to fight people, hunters threw down with criminals all the time, but to kill them? To give into the anger she held onto and point it at something with a soul instead of the grimm? She didn't think she had it in her. Its why seeing her doppleganger revel in the violence instead of the victory was so disquieting.

To hear that her leader had killed someone, his own father, even if that father was a monster...

She slipped out of Roman's arm and stood up, wringing her hands as she let her brain process it all, and desperately frustrated that she couldn't voice any of these thoughts to her teammate, to tell him that this wasn't so simple as suddenly hating him, but being confused, and needing to understand more.

 

[MidwayLives]

It took Mercury a while to respond, just staring between the two in silence for a solid ten seconds before he looked away. For someone as out of touch with his emotions as he was, it was about as close as he came to being moved beyond words, something his teammates were no doubt keenly aware of. All the same, it was weighed down by a sense of bitter regret; his hand clenching into a fist atop the bedspread.

"...It isn't that."

"Eh? Then what is it? Whatever it is, I'll always have your back, Merc. It's just the way things are."

Roman never said it aloud and Neo was too closer to him to point it out. But he knew all too well. He was the weak link of this team. He'd gotten his ass kicked and people celebrated him for it but that wouldn't have changed the situation on the ground or the broken ribs or nose. It just kinda made him feel better.

Why would he abandon Merc when Merc never looked back on or regretted their friendship?

"Go on and tell us. I'm dying of suspense."
​

"I'm not worried they'll punish me for something my father did. What worries me is that if anyone starts digging up ancient history, turning over stones, piecing together the Marcus Black timeline, maybe it all builds up someone figuring out... what happened to the guy. Word might get out."

The split-second look him and Emerald exchanged seemed to communicate the intent of a full conversation, just in the eyes alone. She seemed to understand. He'd already committed to doing this, and he wasn't raised to back out of doing something if he said he was gonna.

"...That I killed him. And yeah. I did mean to."

"..."

Poor choice of words perhaps?

Roman didn't say anything at first. What could you say after a bombshell like that?

He pulled down the brim of his hat and looked away. "...God." Merc and Roman were about as opposite as you could get. One was good with the ladies, the other believed he was but was really only good with one(Neo), one was a great fighter who lacked a semblance, the other was...well, 'decent' was pushing it. He didn't fully know Mercury's goals in the long term but Roman hadn't planned on being a huntsman. He only did it because it's what Neo wanted and he...lov...He just didn't want her to be alone. Never again.

But in his heart of hearts, he respected Mercury. Not just as a leader but as a person. Others may have thought differently of Mercury now after hearing this. Was he truly invested in being a huntsman or was going to Beacon his way of running from what he'd done? To leave behind the 'Mercury who murdered his father' and become 'Mercury the proud and brave huntsman who ladies and men swooned over.'

But not him. Not ever.

"Your old man....must have been a real piece of shit for you to go that far."

Rising to his feet and strutting towards the window with Melodic Cudgel tapping along the floor, Roman looked at the blinds.

"I..."

Roman paused and shook his head.

"I didn't know you or your old man before I got here, Mercury. Maybe you had good reasons for doing what you did, your old man sounded terrible, just awful. Someone no child should have been lumped with. Or maybe one day you just got tired of this scumbag breathing the same air as you and took it upon yourself to do something about it. I can't hate or approve of the Mercury in that moment. All I've got to work off is the Mercury who jokes around with me and makes me feel like a scrub like me actually belongs with you guys." Roman propped his free hand on the wall and the squeakiness of his glove tightened up around the handle of Melodic Cudgel.

"I don't hate you, Merc. I don't think I ever could."
​

She'd become a huntress to protect life. She'd had the ugliness of death thrust upon her at far too young of an age. It still haunted her dreams, with the squelch of flesh, the smell of viscera, protective whispers drifting into panicked yells and choking gurgles. There was nothing good that came from death. Sure, she'd learned how to fight people, hunters threw down with criminals all the time, but to kill them? To give into the anger she held onto and point it at something with a soul instead of the grimm? She didn't think she had it in her. Its why seeing her doppleganger revel in the violence instead of the victory was so disquieting.

To hear that her leader had killed someone, his own father, even if that father was a monster...

Seeing his partner, best friend and probably the most important woman in his life step up and away after hearing that made Roman frown something fierce.

Roman often tried to repress what was...left of Neo's parents when he found her that fateful day. But he'd completely blocked off his own parent's demise.

His reason for doing so was thus: Who would be there for Neo if he couldn't go on? Who would understand her like no other could?

The answer?

No one. The ones who had were all dead.

He had to be strong for her sake. It was the only thing that kept him going.

"No matter what comes our way, Neo? We'll face it in our own way. Just like we always have."

~~~

Roman turned back towards Mercury and the others with a hand in his pocket.

"Well, if that's it then..."

He sighed.

"Your past doesn't change who you are now. Even if stuff gets dug up, I'll still be with ya. But..."

Roman looked towards Neo.

"Only if she is too. We're a package deal, heh."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Or you could clear my conscience that way."

She scoffed in disbelief. "Hmph. What conscience? You--" That attempt to further rile Weiss Schnee was the last one she got out before she ate a nutritionally balanced meal of glyph meteors and fell into the same unconscious state as Blake, the red defiant color slowly fading back to her usual look.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

...What?


The warrior class of Remnant was notoriously difficult to kill. There was a reason that despite the hordes of grimm that roamed the world, humanity had carried on, some would even say thrived. Aura was a powerful defensive tool, and even when it broke and you were wounded, you only had to live long enough for it to recover, and your wounds would begin to seal. Accidents happened, but the majority of the time, if someone died in battle, its because the other side wanted them dead.

So it wasn't that Mercury had meant to kill his dad that surprised Neo. No, that was clear. Its that he did it at all. She had absolutely no desire to judge her leader too harshly. The last revelation before this one just been one more weight on the pile of reasons Neo was pretty sure she hated a man she'd never met, a situation she now knew was never going to change. She didn't know anything about the situation that led to the Black family showdown, only that Black Sr. probably deserved it.

Which is why she almost immediately felt guilty when her hand pulled away in surprise. But it did pull away.

She'd become a huntress to protect life. She'd had the ugliness of death thrust upon her at far too young of an age. It still haunted her dreams, with the squelch of flesh, the smell of viscera, protective whispers drifting into panicked yells and choking gurgles. There was nothing good that came from death. Sure, she'd learned how to fight people, hunters threw down with criminals all the time, but to kill them? To give into the anger she held onto and point it at something with a soul instead of the grimm? She didn't think she had it in her. Its why seeing her doppleganger revel in the violence instead of the victory was so disquieting.

To hear that her leader had killed someone, his own father, even if that father was a monster...

She slipped out of Roman's arm and stood up, wringing her hands as she let her brain process it all, and desperately frustrated that she couldn't voice any of these thoughts to her teammate, to tell him that this wasn't so simple as suddenly hating him, but being confused, and needing to understand more.

"...Yeah."

He admitted evenly with a sigh, blowing a few locks of his heavy bangs away from his brow. He shifted up the length of the bed to lay on his pillows and shut his eyes, figuring he'd just pretend to fall asleep for a while so she'd quit eyeballing him like that cat he forgot to feed. Neo was the easiest person in the world to break off a conversation with. After that (entirely normal and expected) reaction, he didn't mind that at all.

"Your old man....must have been a real piece of shit for you to go that far."

Rising to his feet and strutting towards the window with Melodic Cudgel tapping along the floor, Roman looked at the blinds.

"I..."

Roman paused and shook his head.

"I didn't know you or your old man before I got here, Mercury. Maybe you had good reasons for doing what you did, your old man sounded terrible, just awful. Someone no child should have been lumped with. Or maybe one day you just got tired of this scumbag breathing the same air as you and took it upon yourself to do something about it. I can't hate or approve of the Mercury in that moment. All I've got to work off is the Mercury who jokes around with me and makes me feel like a scrub like me actually belongs with you guys." Roman propped his free hand on the wall and the squeakiness of his glove tightened up around the handle of Melodic Cudgel.

"I don't hate you, Merc. I don't think I ever could."

Except he couldn't resist cracking one eye open at that. "Dude, I was bullying you. Don't tell me you thought all that was in good fun."

The uneasy smirk on his face was as much of an indicator as Roman was gonna get that he was kidding. Probably. Even though it was definitely true for like the first week or so. He rolled out his shoulders, idly cracking his neck while he considered his next words. He hadn't expected to get this hung up on it. He was putting this out there for their sake, not his; If knowing he was a murderer was too much for them, which it had every right to be, they deserved to know. And he was just screwed if it came out some other way. He'd started this talk with the mantra that if he had to rip off a band-aid, better do it now before it... stayed on longer and got grosser and stickier. Mercury hadn't had a friend in the world until he arrived at this academy. It was just him and his dad, up on that hill. It all came to a boiling point eventually, but with that figure reduced by half... He was sure he could go back to that, after this for-the-good-of-the-kingdoms garbage was over with, to the security and isolation of a recluse. Killing to eat. Smashing down timber with his bare hands and feet. They were the perfect conditions to breed a warrior, someone dedicated to the art of combat, someone who was strong. Someone who'd never let himself become weak, like them, like all these weekend warriors and their flawed techniques, he was the one, he was harder than iron, if words could make him feel pain then he was worthless, he was... he was...

Not thinking with his own voice right now. He didn't even know it was possible to start thinking with someone else's voice. That was a trip.

Screw it. Might as well make it a clean break rather than some weird, prolonged, awkward affair.

"...That's all real touching, but I'm not sure you get what I'm saying. I don't regret it or anything."

"Mercury, just stop—!"

"In fact, when I did it I felt great! So you can take that or leave it, if you decide it makes me some kind of monster then I don't care! Cat's finally out of the bag. It's a load off my mind. Do whatever makes you feel safe."

He turned over to face the wall, some time to reflect sounding great right about now.

"...You don't always have to double down on everything, moron." Emerald told him, staring gloomily at his back a few more seconds before she got up to leave. She was taking that walk.

Mercury just snorted. Be a cool sounding final word if it meant anything to him.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

She scoffed in disbelief. "Hmph. What conscience? You--" That attempt to further rile Weiss Schnee was the last one she got out before she ate a nutritionally balanced meal of glyph meteors and fell into the same unconscious state as Blake, the red defiant color slowly fading back to her usual look.

Weiss gave a disdainful sniff, marched over and snatched the unconscious faunus's ponytail when she fell from the banished glyphs, using it to wipe the blade off. It was clear from her coldly distracted squint that she thought nothing of the gesture, concerned only with whether the metal stained or not; it was a stupid hairstyle anyway. That matter rectified, she nodded with profound satisfaction on her own behalf and turned to go call a guard. She had every intention of finishing that bottle of merlot.

But first... practically as an afterthought, she adjusted her path course through the room to stand haughtily over the other downed faunus in the cell instead, the way she nudged Blake assessingly with her foot downright disinterested looking except for the morbid curiosity. Like finding roadkill.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...Yeah."

He admitted evenly with a sigh, blowing a few locks of his heavy bangs away from his brow. He shifted up the length of the bed to lay on his pillows and shut his eyes, figuring he'd just pretend to fall asleep for a while so she'd quit eyeballing him like that cat he forgot to feed. Neo was the easiest person in the world to break off a conversation with. After that (entirely normal and expected) reaction, he didn't mind that at all.

Closing your eyes was pretty much the same as telling Neo to shut up, cutting her off from the one way she could even try to communicate. Any other day it wouldn't be a big deal. Some non-verbal sass between friends that Neo would still be offended at, just in an actually amused way. She'd bother him till he deigned to use his eyeballs again, convey something astonishingly annoying, and the cycle would repeat.

But not today. Today it hurt. Her hands balled into fists at her side, and a sickening frustration curled in her gut, and she found her mouth opening despite herself in an effort to just make the words work for once, to tell Mercury that this wasn't the time to be funny. Of course, nothing came out, and her breathing hitched slightly as the frustration started to give way to a very un-Neo-esque panic-

"I..."

Roman paused and shook his head.

"I didn't know you or your old man before I got here, Mercury. Maybe you had good reasons for doing what you did, your old man sounded terrible, just awful. Someone no child should have been lumped with. Or maybe one day you just got tired of this scumbag breathing the same air as you and took it upon yourself to do something about it. I can't hate or approve of the Mercury in that moment. All I've got to work off is the Mercury who jokes around with me and makes me feel like a scrub like me actually belongs with you guys." Roman propped his free hand on the wall and the squeakiness of his glove tightened up around the handle of Melodic Cudgel.

"I don't hate you, Merc. I don't think I ever could."

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

Roman turned back towards Mercury and the others with a hand in his pocket.

"Well, if that's it then..."

He sighed.

"Your past doesn't change who you are now. Even if stuff gets dug up, I'll still be with ya. But..."

Roman looked towards Neo.

"Only if she is too. We're a package deal, heh."​

...that slowly faded as Roman put it into words for her. Helped her get her own thoughts in order, and spoke enough for both of them.

It was true that Neo was keenly aware Roman wasn't the strongest ass kicker on the team by any stretch, but calling him its weak link was a deep falsehood as far as she was concerned. No. That was her. Sure, she could kick some serious grimm or bad guy butt, but so could hundreds of other hunters and huntresses. Some of them might even be a little better at it than her. And most of them could talk. Function like a normal person. Go through life without being glued to someone to speak for them. If she died in a fight someday, she was sure Roman would take it hard, but he'd be able to go on with life eventually. She wasn't sure she could if it was the other way around. Not if she lost her voice.

She took a deep breath and gave Roman a tremulous, grateful smile, and nodded in agreement. It was definitely... a lot, to know that Mercury, their team leader, had killed someone. But it didn't change the fact that he was Mercury, and it didn't erase the year they'd spent together.

"...That's all real touching, but I'm not sure you get what I'm saying. I don't regret it or anything."

"Mercury, just stop—!"

"In fact, when I did it I felt great! So you can take that or leave it, if you decide it makes me some kind of monster then I don't care! Cat's finally out of the bag. It's a load off my mind. Do whatever makes you feel safe."

He turned over to face the wall, some time to reflect sounding great right about now.

"...You don't always have to double down on everything, moron." Emerald told him, staring gloomily at his back a few more seconds before she got up to leave. She was taking that walk.

Mercury just snorted. Be a cool sounding final word if it meant anything to him.

She shrunk a little bit at the yelling, but she took a deep breath and gently padded over to give Mercury a soft grip on the shoulder. If he didn't want to look at them, then she had to hope that a reassuring touch was enough for now. She let go and turned to leave. Even if she was slowly convincing herself that she could be ok with this, the air in the room was still heavy with a sad and dark tension, and she wasn't sure it'd dispel at all if they didn't give each other some space.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Weiss gave a disdainful sniff, marched over and snatched the unconscious faunus's ponytail when she fell from the banished glyphs, using it to wipe the blade off. It was clear from her coldly distracted squint that she thought nothing of the gesture, concerned only with whether the metal stained or not; it was a stupid hairstyle anyway. That matter rectified, she nodded with profound satisfaction on her own behalf and turned to go call a guard. She had every intention of finishing that bottle of merlot.

But first... practically as an afterthought, she adjusted her path course through the room to stand haughtily over the other downed faunus in the cell instead, the way she nudged Blake assessingly with her foot downright disinterested looking except for the morbid curiosity. Like finding roadkill.​

Blake definitely should've been out cold. Ilia's weapon was designed to fight warriors with aura, and the voltage it was capable of was downright dangerous if used incorrectly.

So it was a testament to either the faunus' tenacity or sheer bloody mindedness that she grunted in pain as she was forced to acknowledge the fact she was slowly regaining consciousness. She pushed herself to her knees and gazed across the room, pointedly ignoring the Schnee above her in favor of locating her so called savior. This other Ilia. An Ilia who had followed her Blake away from the war that mattered to play on the wrong side in a game of the gods.

What a waste. Another faunus who decided to be an obstacle instead of fighting The Fight.

She winced slightly in pain as she forced herself to turn so she was seated, one knee up and her hands resting on it as she regained her composure and her shallow breaths slowly evened out.

"...She's not dead, so I'm guessing you figured out she's one of them. Ozpin already knows about that then."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement, delivered with the sort the sort of cold void of utter detachment that you could only achieve when you were using all your self control not to scream at who you were talking to. Weiss was probably used to it by now.