Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Indolent]

"It's something that someone like Watts would never been able to understand. He thought I was impulsive, insubordinate, not the perfect little toy soldier." Tyrian hissed out with a touch of venom stroking his words. "I came close to punching him but I relented. No matter my opinion on him, I'd never lay a hand on him regardless."

Friendships were made, ended, possibly even repaired.

But memories never died.


"He....He wasn't a perfect man by any stretch of the word. So far as my parents were concerned, anyway. He was the scum of the Earth and the sooner they got me away from him, the better off I'd be. He never held it against my folks. They wanted him to promise them that he'd never allow me to fight or participate in any of this underground ring's events ever again. Up until I got the news that the place was attacked by the White Fang, he always turned me away at the door. Regardless of everything else, he was a man of conviction, of honesty. He hobbled around using a cane and had a trick knee but he still trained me every other day. He even helped me make my weapons after my parents found out about the place."

Tyrian sniffled.

"....And I miss him."


Tyrian didn't say anything as he was hugged.

He didn't seem to return it or even really acknowledge it.

The tears running freely down his face said more than any words could have. He returned the hug and sniffled sadly.

He hadn't been there the night everything went awry with the White Fang. The day that Ichabod was taken from him.

But what had happened that night...?

~~~



Business had been getting worse and worse after all the hullabaloo that Tyrian's parents had kicked up. If it hadn't been for Ichabod's quick intervention/willingness to keep his promise to the two scorpion faunus, the old man had no doubts in his mind that a riot would have broken out. The authorities would have gotten involved and the whole thing would have ended in needless bloodshed. The other shareholders weren't as happy about the peaceful ending to that whole debacle. Who cared if the police were called? Slide a couple fat stacks their way and the whole problem would disappear just like that.

Life wasn't just something you could throw money at for Ichabod.

He'd been something of a pugilist in his youth. Nothing on a regional scale or anything mind you, just a small town figure in his community. Just as was the case today however, faunus rights weren't exactly as far reaching as they could have and should have been. One of his last opponents was a cat faunus, a face he'd never forget. The white streak she had in her hair was absolutely beautiful.

He'd been ordered by his manager(and the people paying him)to beat her to a pulp. Help frighten the faunus back into submission. They were starting to get a bit uppity and simply siccing the authorities on them to disperse would have come across as far too heavy handed and possibly even lead to more trouble.

Ichabod was conflicted and spoke to his would be opponent and admitted what he'd been asked to do. She told him that she couldn't dictate what he chose to do but...that she liked him well enough. For a human at any rate.

When the time came to fight, he ended up throwing the match.

His manager's hired goons beat him and his left leg would never recover quite right. His own parents never came to visit him as he recovered in the hospital but she did. She visited him every other day and the two hit it off beautifully.

In the present day, she'd since passed away but whenever Tyrian asked about her, Ichabod spoke of her as though she and him were nothing but two love struck teenagers again.

"Tyrian...Felicia..."

Ichabod sighed and pushed himself up from his desk. Perhaps, just perhaps it was time to sell his share in the company. The three faunus who always seemed to protect him: Ike, Kyle, and Reese. They were just that as far as anybody else knew: just hired muscle. The three of them knew better though: Ichabod thought of them like his sons.

"What's up, pops?" Kyle asked as Ichabod grabbed his cane and steadied himself. "Ah, it's nothing, Kyle. Just an old man ruminating over his thoughts."

*BOOM*

Ichabod was nearly toppled over if not for Ike and Kyle quickly rushing to support him. Reaching for his scroll, Reese practically screamed into it. "Hey! HEY!!! What the hell's going on out there!? What was that noise!?"

The response made Reese's blood run cold.

"I-It's The White Fang! Beauregard made a deal with them!!!"

Beauregard was one of the other shareholders in the company who absolutely despised the attention he'd seen Ichabod lavish on his fighters, Tyrian being no exception. He'd also been the one who threatened the young scorpion faunus that if he didn't lose the rigged match to his son that he'd have a hitman kill Ichabod. The fact that whole affair ended with neither Ichabod or Tyrian dying left him flustered beyond relief. Still, Tyrian's parents declined to press charges knowing they'd never win and Ichabod didn't believe in retaliation. Everything seemed to have restored itself to the status quo but he wasn't satisfied with that.

He wanted the old man out of here. Now.

The White Fang and the Shadow Fang were the constant bogeyman hanging over their heads. If any of their agents got a whiff of this place then that'd be it. They'd be slaughtered without remorse for the purported 'sins' they'd committed against faunuskind. Any faunus that were bought these days were vetted harshly in order to make sure they weren't an agent feeding information back to their groups. Figuring that if he simply gave the White Fang a headsup/promised that he wouldn't get in their way, Beauregard was self assured this plan couldn't possibly fail. Ichabod would bite it and Beauregard could rebuild his own facility somewhere else and not have to worry about some bleeding heart animal lover getting in his damn way all the time.

....Things didn't quite work out like that.

Ichabod was an older man. It wasn't remiss at all to say that his fighting days were long behind him. He had no doubts that if it wasn't for his adopted children, he'd have been taken out by a White Fang goon in no time at all. As Kyle held his hand, Reese and Ike watched the front, horrified at the corpses they'd already seen scattered across the halls.

"This...This is a nightmare." Ichabod muttered. The faunus who fought here weren't all like Tyrian. Some hated it here and likely turned on their 'managers' without a second thought once they'd seen the White Fang show up. Others were just doing this for the cash in order to get by and didn't want to killl or hurt anybody unless it was for the spectacle of it all. Ichabod doubted the White Fang would discriminate but the very thought of those masked nightmares cutting down their fellow kind made him ill.

"Ichabod!!! Ichabod you've got to help me!!"

"....Beauregard."

ike and Reese drew their pistols. "The hell should we help you for?! You're the whole reason this is happening!! One of the suits that I found dying told us so! YOU gave the White Fang a tipoff to find this place you piece of shit!" Beauregard's suit was torn and his face was bloody but he waved his hands frantically. "I-I know! It was a mistake! Please! You've gotta take me with you!!! I-I thought these freaks would listen to me!!! They're killing any human who gets in their way! I barely managed to get away!!"

"Kyle. I'll be back, my boy. I need to do something I should have done months ago..."

"Huh? Old man-" Ichabod didn't let Kyle finish as he hobbled away from him and towards Beauregard.

"So many people are dying because of you. Many of whom just sought a better life. A chance at a better tomorrow. "

"Look, yell at me all you want, we gotta-urk!"

Ichabod reached out and grabbed Beauregard by the neck and activated Overheat. Beauregard tried screaming but the cries were muffled as Ichabod started to burn him alive from the inside out. His sons watching in horror. They'd never seen Ichabod use his semblance in such a way but from his training sessions with Tyrian, they knew it was nothing to sneeze at. Once the body was little more than a charred husk, Ichabod let it drop to the ground and immediately lurched forward. It was a painful truth to admit but he was simply too old to fight anymore. Even using his semblance like that to rid the world of a pestilence like Beauregard left him drained and gasping for air.

....He heard footsteps coming down this hall.

There was nobody else accompanying them from what Ichabod could hear. There was no fear or hesitance evident in the confident stride with which they walked. He knew his sons would be slaughtered if they stayed and tried to protect him. They simply couldn't make it against a force like this. Placing his hand on a wall to support himself, Ichabod looked over his shoulder.

"Kyle, Reese, Ike. I...I need you boys to go. Run away....Please."

"What?! Are you crazy!? There's White Fang all over this place! If they get their hands on you they'll-"

"I know. I've known for years. If it hadn't been Beauregard..." Ichabod looked down at his corpse. "It just would have been someone else. It's time I accept my dues like an adult."

"We're not leaving you...."

Ichabod smiled.

"I love you boys. ...Goodbye."

Activating his semblance and pushing it to it's limits to 'speed up' the heating, a fire erupted in the hallway. Blocking off Ichabod from his sons. They yelled in protest and screamed for him to deactivate it so they could escape together. He loved those three like they were his own, faunus or not, he only wished the stigma wasn't as strong as it had been when he was a boy. He wanted to openly say how they were related to him. They were more than just bodyguards. They were his family.

The footsteps stopped and the figure they belonged to stared him down from the end of the hallway.

"..."

Ichabod said nothing and continued to flare his semblance. If the stars aligned and he got lucky, just maybe, this figure would be roasted alive before they made it to him. He just needed to buy enough time for his boys to escape and-

"Why do you cry, Tyrian?"
"They spit on me!!! I do only what I love and they spit on me!!!"

"Why do the other guys hate me, Mr. ichabod? I've never done a damn thing to them."
"...It's often enough that humanity simply hates what it fails to understand."

"....Do you hate me, Mr. Ichabod?"
"...Tyrian." The old man gave a soft look before reaching over to wrap the young faunus up in a hug. "Don't ask such ridiculous questions."
"Hehehe!"

.....The boy grew up to be so kind and caring despite what he'd been through in his years in the ring. Others that had worked under Ichabod like Trifa couldn't say the same. Yet it felt as though every other week, or month, Ichabod was having to drive Tyrian away. It was in the boy's heart to fight.

...It was his fault. He'd given Tyrian a chance at a better life. To help him support his family. Instead, he'd only been perpetuating a cycle of violence that would only end with one of two things: The men in charge of these policies/actions were dead or changes were made.

Ichabod was too old to believe he could make any great change these days.

...But he could do this much.

His semblance deactivated and he dropped his cane. Taking advantage in the lull of the blazing inferno that Ichabod had been turning into the hallway, his attacker lunged forward. Ichabod wasn't afraid. His boys were adults and knew to fend for themselves if something happened to him.

....He only wished he could have seen Tyrian's face one last time.

He smiled at Death as it took him.

His cane hit the floor with his body soon after.

~~~

Tyrian eventually was the one to break the hug, stepping back as he wiped at his eyes.

"....Thank you, partner. Really."

Pulling out his scroll, Tyrian brought up a list of contacts.

"....If we're really going to save Cinder, I need to do something about....this." Tyrian's tail swayed from side to side. "I know someone who might be able to help. She's a 'working girl' who used to work under Ichabod before I did..."
​

This train braked when it braked and Tyrian's efforts was stymied by the fact Hazel felt the hug needed to transpired a tad bit longer. Before long, it was entering the alarmingly uncomfortable territory and as it dawned on him, Hazel released abruptly with a nigh silent apology doled his partner's way. A telltale sign of his unfamiliarity with some social conventions if any, as it were. Stepping aside, Hazel raised a brow as the faunus went to work with his scroll.

"Tyrian. I know you have your troubles with Watts right now but can't he help you with your injury as well?"

Er, maybe too soon to inquire along those lines and Hazel was quick to jump to the next question.

"So what is this Trifa like? We've already got a collection of personalities. Granted we might be going our separate ways but."

 

[Indolent]

Gretchen loitered in the dim abode of the crocodile, failing to occupy herself so as to not entangle herself in the business of those all around her. It was an impossibility given her intense distractability and it in concerted unison with her stoat partner in crime that she edged around the vicinity of the room as akin to the interloper fly on the wall with an intensely vested interest in learning more of those around her. Specially since, ye, considering all the revelatory bits that arose from Jinn and the reactions of the others. And also, she wanted to squarely create distance between herself and the absolutely horrifying huntresses who wore the face of the Grimm like it was nothing. And the faunus leader of the White Fang. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

She edged closer to someone closer to her in age and listened, making no effort to conceal her glee at her listening and learning more of the first person she had a good impression of.

"...………………………………………….Hey." She eventually managed to cough out a greeting from where she stood a few feet away, some time after she reentered Tock's place once that talk with Qrow had wrapped up. "I realize we don't know each other that well but, there's some things I was thinking about that I wanted to say. From one team leader to another. I know that bad things do happen, sometimes no matter how hard you try to stop them. I know what loss can do to people. If we gave up every time we lost, though...we'd never be able to move forward. Never be able to see what might be lying beyond the pain of that loss. Never be there for people who might be lost without us." Ruby moved to the side and lowered herself to sit down on the floor next to Watts' chair.

"The thought of breaking up your team...I can't say whether you should do that or not. Whether it is right or not, it's not my place to judge. Maybe it is something that needs to happen, at least for a while, so that the four of you become stronger or better people than you were before. It did happen for us, my team. After we suffered our own heavy losses, our decisions and circumstances pulled us apart. And when we finally came back together, we weren't all the same people we were before. Of course, your team and mine aren't quite the same, hah, and you all have your own radically different issues to work out but...I personally think you guys have the potential to be just as brave, and kind, and noble as any other huntsmen team. Maybe not like the righteous hero from some cheery fairy tale, but good enough. I..."

"...I just think it would be a shame if you decided you disbanding your team was a permanent thing." ​

... Wow.

Honestly, she was super curious as to that lantern thing Raven had come bearing, before she pawned it off to her brother seemingly hesitant like then it was passed to Ruby. Her first impression of Ruby was that she was a complete badass, having seen her in action some the way in, and clearly had an important role to play here. Maybe she could be someone worth striking a friendship with.

She absolutely loved it when she nailed someone in some capacity, any capacity. A win was a win even if she only approximated a single percent of a person's personality and motives, she was just that good and unrelentingly, unbearably optimistic. Probably the more the latter.

Brosel the stoat confirms it's the latter.

"...Just Ruby is fine." She pointed out, feeling a little weirded out that he was calling her Miss Rose. She wasn't a teacher or professor or doctor or anything close to those to earn a formal greeting like that. Neither did she think she was that far above them as being referred to that way implied she was. She was the same age as many of them after all, just a huntress like them trying to push through all the struggles in her path. After he got through all he needed to say, she just looked at him in a thoughtfully curious way. "You know, that reminds me of something I once read in one of my teammate's many many books. What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" She repeated word for word. "If you're right on that, on how you think about yourself, which I'm not necessarily agreeing with, but if you are-" She looked over to him with an easygoing smile.

"-then I think that only makes you more admirable, not less. You're fighting yourself as much as you fight grimm, or any bad guys. You went to Beacon, brought yourself out here on a mission that like she said-" She nodded vaguely over in the direction of where the Raven who brought the relic was standing. "-is bigger than any of us. I don't know your exact reasons, but I believe if you didn't want to go through with any of it...you wouldn't be sitting here with us, trying to make a difference. You kept real smart people from locating us, upgraded a bunch of your allies' scrolls to try to keep that from happening in the future...if you truly wanted to be gone? To give this up? You'd just be gone. That big brain of yours probably has a dozen ways to ditch us all without even a chance for someone stopping you. Maybe even end with somebody unknowingly wearing a kick me sign on their back." She snickered despite the situation. "Right?" Ruby looked away from him right then.

"Besides-" Her eyes flitted from Yang to the two Ravens to everybody else in sight. "-do you honestly think you're the only huntsman in history with anger problems, or jealousy, or self-doubt? Trust me, you never want to see my sister when someone messes with her hair. And they aren't here right now, but the early days with my partner and one of my friends who leads a team of his own? They had plenty of the other two feelings, enough to go around and share."​

Gretchen was sorely reminded of someone she once had been close to, a boy by the name of Heinrich. He wasn't as remarkable nor did he have a special role to play in the grand scheme of things. The thing that did make him exceptional in her mind's eye was the overwhelming generosity and wisdom he had to spare, his large heart his key trait that Gretchen would always remember him by. He was the leader of her team and... he had passed in what would have been the Fall of Beacon.

The reminder didn't so much as elicit a tear, as she had cried her eyes out long enough and come to terms with his loss, a single resolve emerging in its place. The selfsame resolve that included the death of her partner. She would work towards ensuring something like that never happened again to someone else. Even if she took a stumble with the passing of Roman Torchwick... she still insisted in endeavoring to that end.

Heinrich had dedicated time to instilling a dollop of uplifting inspiration in the people around him, beyond his own team, offering perspectives they might have never considered and strove to at the very least help people see the way forward. To understand that even with the encroaching darkness all around us, there was still light. They only had to look for it and once they found it, they would latch onto it all the stronger, never allowing it to be snuffed out again. His legacy was simply that, helping others to find their sense of purpose, a drive, a goal, and it was through those that he would live eternal. Gretchen was one of those people.

And she was very much obvious in her beaming as she eavesdropped on the conversation between Ruby and Watts. She remained as such even with the words the genius had to say as he disengaged from the conversation with a startling epiphany.

 

[Indolent]

Neo had disappeared before the students had finished evacuating from the battlegrounds that Haven Academy had become. But she hadn't strayed too far. She watched them leave in secret, staying in the shadows, her eyes glistening with freshly spilled tears, Hush over her shoulder and her scroll in the other. She watched as they departed, the big one carrying Roman's corpse and Mercury carrying the other her. She seemed absolutely broken by the sight of her dead partner and best friend.

....And Neo couldn't blame her.

She closed her eyes and exhaled before following them in secrecy.

She hadn't approached them as they reached Tock's abode. It wasn't her place and she wasn't exactly on 'chill' terms with the other less murder-happy blonde idiot and her sister. Or probably with Qrow since she'd tried her hand at murdering him. Nobody was perfect after all. She sat herself in a nearby alleyway with her arms folded across her chest. Wasn't the worst place she'd ever sent an afternoon. At least before she'd met him.

Ugh. If there was any kind of god in this world, they were terrible for making her relive tragedy on this scale like this twice! TWICE! Perhaps she'd sinned but didn't those punishments come after she died?? Why punish the ones she loved?

She had followed Mercury/watched him bury Roman. It was a brutalizing affair on her heart the whole time. She didn't make a sound though. A silent onlooker to this morose funeral.

Then she shattered and went back to watching over them from afar.

Or more specifically, one of them, the other her.

They'd been enemies or at least they'd made eachother that way. Neo wasn't one to regret what she did. She did what she felt like devil may care. Yet, she refused to leave this other her alone. She'd watch over her from afar and protect her if need be.

Looking down at her scroll, she sniffled.

[ROMAN TORCHWICK}
{you:}i'll protect her just like you would have wanted Roman.

Payback would come. That was a simple fact.​

The alleyway looked fairly along in disrepair, given its infrequent use by the locals and the trash bundles along the edges of the adjacent buildings. It hardly helped that it was set out of the way, causing inhabitants to favor fleeter and cleaner routes whereas the likes of the craven sort appropriated it as a means of avoiding the errant eye of whomever, be it the long arm of the law, the good citizen, or rivals. It was something a street rat took to divining within the layout of any given city, a growing intuition that benefited a talented thief when casing for a job or plotting a menagerie of escape routes that dissuaded would be pursuers. Granted, it was occasionally useful for the unusual sort, like somebody that took to the aesthetic of ice-cream something too far though. Though for somebody to linger like Neo, in the way she had amid her grieving, it was simply all too out of place and it made easier for prying eyes to find her in this moment of vulnerability.

"Soooooo..." Came a tone that dripped with cordiality, the opener's inflection typically making out whomever spoke to be amicable. At least if it were someone that Neo hadn't ever encountered before.

Emerald stepped into view from behind, both arms crossed with a severe expression.



"You're . Here . Too . Huh ?"

The volume oscillated, punctuated by sharp, staggering jaunts separating each word as they originated from... distinct Emeralds speaking within Neo's field of vision. One Emerald leered toward Neo with both of Thief's Respite drawn, her back straightened as if she readied herself for a confrontation. Another rested languidly against the alleyway's grime, eyes half lidded as she stared lazily with her lips knitted thin as if she were aggravatingly bored by the spectacle that was Neo. A third was frivolously portrayed, both hands resting against the small of her back as she swayed side to side while leaning in, her face mockingly inquisitive. The final was a merely cautious Emerald, eyes glancing side to side with Neo set squarely between, a series of micro adjustments in her body that suggested willingness to vanish at the sight of trouble, her hands hovering over her stowed weapons. All hyper-realistic portrayals of Emerald, or at the very least, portrayals of personas she had adopted plenty of times over the course of her life.

They all spoke in unison, the inflection of their voices reflecting their outward demeanor, the menagerie of tones overlaying one another in a hodgepodge.

"I know you're the annoying tart that worked with Torchwick, from the other world. Our world. That and you look nothing like this world's." She did pause, considering her words spoken just now. "... Well, I know we haven't seen each other in a hot minute but that attire change was for the worse." Not that she was one to talk but she so delighted in the opposite party's recognition of that very thing serving as a minute annoyance.

"Roman ended up dead with you disappearing and now you're here, working with this world's take on the goody-two shoes from Beacon and Ozpin. I saw it all, how you helped that sugar fairy beat Qrow and Raven Branwen into submission. Or was it the other way around..."

The clones' eyebrows squinted in remembrance, before they affected a nonchalant shrug.

"I had to ask myself, normally I don't really care, but I did. Why the hell was a Neopolitan working with them? Without her partner? Know how long it took to hit me? A few seconds. Cause this world's Roman had one thing going for him unlike ours. Well, so he did. Because that's the only explanation for why you're here, if it wasn't you would've returned to Evernight with them."

Only one voice spoke then, the frivolous Emerald straightening her back with the inquistive, pandering look still on her face, her presence seemed to magnify despite no change to her dimensions. "So, disregarding this dog and pony show of mine, since you seem to be flip-flopping all over the place? I'll only ask this once."

The personas then all sang in disjointed reverberation, their visages seemingly warping the lighting around their very selves into darkness, the alleyway becoming nondescript and far within seconds, as the crimson glint of their eyes grew in saturation until red spilled from them.

"WHAT . ARE . YOU . PLANNING . TO . DO . TO . THEM ?"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

".......Yes?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow, trying not to think about that frankly adorable defensive stammering. Or the furious side-eye she was getting from the other Raven.​

"Your semblance; it allows you to open gates to people close to you, yes?" he asked, getting a little too into her personal space in his fervor before almost immediately turning away to start pacing. "Including Qrow. It was how we made it from Vale to Mistral in a moment's notice."

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Your semblance; it allows you to open gates to people close to you, yes?" he asked, getting a little too into her personal space in his fervor before almost immediately turning away to start pacing. "Including Qrow. It was how we made it from Vale to Mistral in a moment's notice."

"That is essentially correct, yes." Raven nodded, staring him down without moving even when he got real up close and personal. "But I don't see what you're getting at, unless you just want to portal to laugh at my brother in his Mistral prison cell. I don't have a bond with Vernal or your teammate, obviously." ​

 

[MidwayLives]

(LATER~)

Trifa was what her mother called her. Trif or 'Tif' even was what friends called her.

"Bitch" or "Spider Slut" were what men on the street called her.

At least until she put them in their place.

Yet, nobody gave a shit about what her last name was and she preferred it that way. Less people sticking their nose in her business.

Like nosy clients thinking they were owed more than what they paid for. Steve, for example, had paid for one of Trifa's 'sessions' and as a safety precaution, she came to his place rather than the other way around. The precaution was more for her sake rather than Steve's. In case things ever went south, she could point to the fact that he'd invited her in to show the police that she hadn't been trespassing/planning on robbing him. ...At least not yet anyway. Most clients were eager like Steve to get to the 'good stuff' and didn't wanna waste any time fucking around. Trifa appreciated people like that. Helped keep a professional distance between them and her.

What she didn't appreciate were no-nos being broken.

"C'mon! One peek behind the mask please! Just one?~"

"No."

"Aw, why not?? I bet you look fine as hell under there-"

"I do. But regardless of how much I'm paid, the mask stays on. It's a personal thing. I don't take the mask off."

"I don't think a peek will kill anyone..." Steve reached downwards to try and pull Trifa's mask up. She lashed out and closed her hand around his mouth. The emotive lenses on her mask narrowed indicating just how badly Steve had just fucked up there. "You know, Steve, was it?"

Steve slowly nodded.

"Well, Steve, you know this costume's nice! I made it myself actually. I'm sure a well-read guy like you probably knows all about how faunus like me are stigmatized in society, right?"

Steve nodded again, just as slowly as before.

"Well, you get a lot more free time than you'd like. Mostly due to staying inside and trying to avoid the abuse that just being yourself brings. Got myself a bit of a creative streak and decided to make my costume and use it to earn myself cash. Mostly from people like you. You're the kind of guy who'd look at my hips and whistle at me on the street, aren't you, hm Steve? C'mon, you can tell me. It'll be our dirty little secret.~"

Steve was starting to get a bit afraid now and hesitantly nodded.

"Bingo. Well, you see, Steve. You told me a secret and now let me tell you mine." The grip on his face grew tighter, almost...painful! It hurt, it really hurt! "I fucking hate that. You're not being cute or funny when you pull shit like that. There are women who aren't as tough as me or as willing to call you bastards out on that bullshit. But I've got enough balls to put jerks like you in your place and you know that, you knew that from the moment you contacted me, isn't that right Steve?" Steve's cries of pain were muffled by Trifa's glove. "Oh! You're probably wondering 'fuck what hurts?? what's this crazy bitch doing to me?!' The thing there is that this costume isn't just for show. My gloves were actually designed in mind to let me cling to walls and crawl up them, heh, kinda like..."

Trifa yanked Steve down to eye level.

"Like a spider, hehe, funny how that works huh? Why, if I wanted to, I could just tense up and yank and rip the skin off a schmuck like you's face. Oh, I bet that'd hurt like hell. Who's to say I haven't done it before, hm? But I think I got the right impression about you, Steve. You're the kind of guy who wants to rush in, get their rocks off, and then vamoose. If you're listening to me now then you should have been paying attention twenty minutes ago when I told you that trying to pull my mask off is a big no-no. Too bad."

Steve's cries grew more desperate and it looked as though Trifa was really going to rip his face off....

....Then she let him go.

Steve stumbled back and wheezed. Trifa folded her arms across her chest. "Learn your lesson, Steve? When a lady-or anyone- says no? That's the end of it. Next person you try that on might not be as nice as I was." Pulling up the sleeve on her right arm, Trifa tapped her watch. "Ah! Would you look at that, you've already wasted 5 of your twenty minutes with me scolding you! Now, if you're done fucking around..." Trifa stamped her foot and pointed to the bed. "On the bed. Now!" She snapped and Steve obeyed.

Hehehe, the ol 'i'll rip your face off' trick got em everytime.~

Whatever else that may have transpired was left up to the reader's imagination and Steve was left hogtied with Trifa's webbing binding his hands and feet together. Trifa had stripped off the top of her costume revealing her toned musculature and her black sportsbra. For someone that dressed up to beat up scumbags and cater to people like Steve here, she still found time to work out and keep herself in shape. Maybe it was old man Ichabod's ghost nagging her subconsciously. "You ready for what's next, Steve?'

Steve nodded.

"Alright well-"

*beep beep*

"....?"

Well, that was curious. People(mostly clients and some officers) had her business number but not too many people had her personal number. Her mom and a couple of close friends. Holding up a signal to signify that Steve needed to hold on a minute, Trifa made her way over to the scroll and frowned behind her mask at the name that popped up with the number.

The Brat

Tch, he waited months before contacting her again? The hell was that asshole's problem??? Trifa couldn't help but roll her eyes. She had half a mind to hang up on him or let the call go straight to voicemail. All the guy could think about was fighting this, fighting that. Maybe it was a symptom of the life that Tyrian had lead after Trifa lost to him and stepped out of that lifestyle. Or maybe Tyrian just didn't know how to socialize beyond challenging people. Or maybe he was just an idiot. Trifa liked to lean towards the latter.

"...Ugh, fuck it."

Picking up the scroll, she answered.

"Hello...? Trifa...?"

"What the hell do you want, Tyrian?"

Steve tilted his head. 'Tyrian?' Was...it...Was it her ex or something? Or her boyfriend??? Shit, if this chick threatened to rip his face off, he didn't even wanna imagine what her boyfriend would do! He had to hurry this up and get this bitch out of his house!!

Tyrian visibly recoiled with the less than warm greeting he got.

"I know it's been a while-"

"Try a couple of months. The hell's wrong with you, Tyrian? Is being a huntsman in training so time consuming that you can't even drop by anymore? Not even to grab a cup of coffee? Or did you find somebody who was willing to indulge your fighting craving?"

Tyrian pulled his scroll away and GROANED. He was starting to regret this.

"I know, I know, I screwed up. You should know by now, I'm not exactly the best at 'socializing.' "

"No shit, sherlock. So, you still haven't answered me. Why'd you bother calling out of the blue like this?"

"....Are you busy?"

Trifa looked over at Steve.

"For like the next ten minutes."

"Well, you see, something happened and I...i need your help."

"...YOU need MY help??? 'The Black Scorpion' needs help from the 'Silk Seducer??'"

Tyrian blinked and didn't respond for a moment or two.

"...What?"

"....Is that what they're calling you?"

"....Look, I didn't come up with the name alright. It's just the name the news chose."

Tyrian held the scroll away and could barely contain his giggles. "Anyway, yes, I do need your help. I know your memory's pretty sharp. You know the exact measurements of my tail, right?'

"....What's wrong?" Trifa's tone throughout the call had been hostile but now it suddenly warmed over. Tyrian felt as though a wave of concern was washing over him.

"....I lost a chunk of my tail. Stinger included."

"....Was it a fight? Is...Is Ichabod-"

"No. He's dead. ...Pretty sure of it anyway. I...I can't say who cut it off but you're the only person I can count on to make a prosthetic. I don't have too much lien on me and I can't ask my folks for money so I'll-"

"....I'll do it."

Tyrian nearly yeeted his scroll he was so excited. "You will?! Oh, that's great news!!! When do you wager it'll be done???"

"Probably take me a couple of hours-maybe a day or two to sketch out the schematics. Once I get a prototype going, I'll send you some pictures and if you like it, I'll get the finished model to you out as soon as I can. Where are you?'

Ooooh, yeah, that was gonna need to be addressed wasn't it?

"MISTRAL!? TYRIAN, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GET TO MISTRAL?! IT'LL TAKE A WEEK AT MOST! DID YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT BEFORE YOU CALLED ME?! UGH, YOU HAD ME ALL CHOKED UP, YOU KNOW THAT?! SOME DICKHEAD CUTS OFF YOUR TAIL AND YOU ASK ME FOR HELP AND YOU'RE ALL THE WAY OUT THERE!"

"....Are you done?"

"....What's going on, Tyrian?"

"....Huntsman stuff. I can't get into it right now. If it's a cost thing, I'll pay for you to take the train, I'll-"

"Nah, nah, don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. Just promise me something."

"Hm?"

"When I get out there, you're gonna tell me everything, alright?"

"...I..."

"Tyrian..."

"Ok..."

~~~



Tyrian hung up and sighed. "Well, she agreed to do it. What a headache..."

Tucking her scroll away, Trifa webbed her top and yanked it over to her. Slipping it over her head, she headed for the nearest window. "Sorry, sorry, Steve! Emergency! Gotta do something!!"

Steve couldn't believe what had just happened. "Hey! This isn't fair!! You wasted my last ten minutes talking to that guy!! Is he your boyfriend or-"

Trifa's eyes narrowed and she webbed a knife off Steve's kitchen table and flung it over onto his bed. "Knock yourself out." Trifa opened up the window and swung out. Eager to get home and start working out what Tyrian had requested of her.

....'What trouble did you get yourself into, you damn punk?'​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Soooooo..." Came a tone that dripped with cordiality, the opener's inflection typically making out whomever spoke to be amicable. At least if it were someone that Neo hadn't ever encountered before.

Emerald stepped into view from behind, both arms crossed with a severe expression.

Neo had thought about following Mercury as he trained. But it didn't take long for her to realize what a foolish idea that would have been. As much as she wished to thank him for taking the burden to bury Roman and try to make his makeshift tombstone look worth a damn, it wouldn't pan out like she'd hoped. He'd probably attack her and it'd lead to the others getting involved and that'd just be a problem altogether. She couldn't watch over her otherself if she was fighting her instead. ...Not that she could blame her of course.

...As Emerald's voice hit Neo's ears, the mute assassin sighed.

Oh, joy.
​

"You're . Here . Too . Huh ?"

Neo clapped her hands.

Didn't take long for Emerald to point out the obvious.
​

"I know you're the annoying tart that worked with Torchwick, from the other world. Our world. That and you look nothing like this world's." She did pause, considering her words spoken just now. "... Well, I know we haven't seen each other in a hot minute but that attire change was for the worse." Not that she was one to talk but she so delighted in the opposite party's recognition of that very thing serving as a minute annoyance.

Were the majority of her thoughts not focused elsewhere, that barb might have gotten more of a reaction.

For now, all it stirred up was an irritating roll of the eyes.

Everybody was a critic it seemed like.
​

"Roman ended up dead with you disappearing and now you're here, working with this world's take on the goody-two shoes from Beacon and Ozpin. I saw it all, how you helped that sugar fairy beat Qrow and Raven Branwen into submission. Or was it the other way around..."

At the mention of her Roman's death, Neo's eyes narrowed.

She didn't know the full depths of Emerald's relationship to Cinder or anything like that. She couldn't be asked to give much of a shit either way! Yet, she wondered if Emerald held genuine loyalty to Salem and her cause or if she had her own reasons. Neo truthfully couldn't be bothered but she had two good reasons for continuing to aid Cinder even after Roman's death.

One: The threat of death if she didn't comply.

Two: Revenge on that little red bitch. ....The non murderous one.
​

The clones' eyebrows squinted in remembrance, before they affected a nonchalant shrug.

"I had to ask myself, normally I don't really care, but I did. Why the hell was a Neopolitan working with them? Without her partner? Know how long it took to hit me? A few seconds. Cause this world's Roman had one thing going for him unlike ours. Well, so he did. Because that's the only explanation for why you're here, if it wasn't you would've returned to Evernight with them."

Neo's gaze softened at the mention of this world's Roman.

If she'd spent less time messing around with her other self, if she'd been more willing to give Ozpin and his minions the figurative finger, if...

No.

Could, should, would have wouldn't actually change a damn thing. Her Roman was never going to reply to the texts she sent him and this world's Roman would be nothing more than worm food under that tree.
​

"WHAT . ARE . YOU . PLANNING . TO . DO . TO . THEM ?"

"..."

If Neo was afraid of the display, she didn't let it show at all. Either in facial expression or body language.

With one hand held around the handle of Hush, Neo conjured up three illusions.

One was of this world's Roman standing beside this world's Neo.

Across from them was the wicked Yang working for Ozpin. She lashed out and left a hole in Roman with little more than a punch.

Roman collapsed with Other!Neo cradling them as he fell.

Neo swung out smashing the Yang illusion to pieces, wielding Hush like a bat. Similar to how her counterpart had been holding it before.

Roman's eyes clouded over and he shattered as well leaving the other Neo all alone. Neo stepped forward, looking down at the other Neo who rose up and 'stared' at her.

The two looked different, acted different, but now Neo could see what had been missing.

That sense of loss. Both of them had someone to lean on. Someone to look to in their darkest moments, to always count on. Now, in both worlds, he was dead. Whether it was by a cruel stroke of fate or either woman's failures, Neo couldn't definitively say. Either way she still felt a heavy blame for what had happened.

....Felt strange to think that. She'd killed without so much as a second thought, murdered gleefully, all with little more than a twisted smile on her face.

Yet, here, she felt genuine remorse.

Huh.

Pulling out her scroll, Neo held it outwards as she stepped infront of the other Neo illusion.

{'Protect her. It's all I can do.'}​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"..." It was no shock to her, seeing who was inside that cell. Ozpin had explicitly informed her exactly who she was to break out of imprisonment, after her outburst upon simply hearing the name Ruby Rose. Not that she would have truly needed that information spelled out for her, not after seeing every single one of her teammates present in some capacity at that meeting in addition to Nikos. Putting together who the Red Masque was, it was easy after all that. But though she was not surprised, it was clear that she was not pleased to be helping somebody wearing that face. Cinder pulled her hood up a little tighter, the robes she wore managing to do a good job at concealing herself. "Hey, you." She growled fiercely as the maiden posing as a simple visitor stepped closer to the edge of the cell, aiming to get her attention. "What made someone like you-" She spat out that word in thinly veiled hatred. "-what pushed you to do what you did here? Make me understand. Keep it brief."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Your semblance; it allows you to open gates to people close to you, yes?" he asked, getting a little too into her personal space in his fervor before almost immediately turning away to start pacing. "Including Qrow. It was how we made it from Vale to Mistral in a moment's notice."

"That is essentially correct, yes." Raven nodded, staring him down without moving even when he got real up close and personal. "But I don't see what you're getting at, unless you just want to portal to laugh at my brother in his Mistral prison cell. I don't have a bond with Vernal or your teammate, obviously."

"So, uh what are we doing then?" Ruby questioned, actually unsure where they were all going from here. "Going after Cinder or for one of the other relics or--"

The Raven who had just recently shown up snapped her head over so fast and with such a harsh glare that Ruby barely managed to keep herself from jumping in alarm. "Isn't that obvious, girl? We go for the relics of course. What a foolish--" The other Raven clamped a hand over her counterpart's mouth as she slid into place and took Ruby's place in that glare, narrowed eyes focusing on her double. "Keep quiet or I'll keep you quiet myself." Of course, the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, given that while they may be comparable in skill...one of them was far more powerful than the other. That didn't have any effect on the conviction present in that statement, however. The otherworld Raven wrenched the hand from her mouth with an extra emphasized "hmph" but she stood down. Arguing this point would get them nowhere.

That done, Raven 2 turned to Ruby. "I do agree though, I think it is obvious. The wounded that need more time to recover, they can rest here for the time being. The rest of us, however...there's enough of us that we can accomplish two tasks at once. You all saw what the lamp showed us. You know where the relics are, so after you go after your teammate-" She looked to Watts at this moment. "-then you can make your way towards Atlas after us. If you decide to do so. From the updates I've been receiving from Salem...our northernmost kingdom isn't in the best state right now." She remarked with a frown. "The only question is, who goes with what group. One after Vernal and another closer to the relic. I'll leave that mostly up to you all, but know that there is no way there won't be a professional present in both groups. Either myself, Qrow or Tock will be watching over you." She pointedly left out her other self, adamant that she was going to keep a close eye on her personally.​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Hey, you." She growled fiercely as the maiden posing as a simple visitor stepped closer to the edge of the cell, aiming to get her attention. "What made someone like you-" She spat out that word in thinly veiled hatred. "-what pushed you to do what you did here? Make me understand. Keep it brief."

Ruby had said nothing and given the authorities zero.

She wouldn't betray him no matter how dire things got. One thing was for sure, he'd always be in her corner, no matter how long it took.

....In the meantime, she sat happily in her cell, her hair a disheveled mess but her spirits high.

Kicking her feet back and forth, she whistled. She'd keep whistling until somebody forced her to stop.

"...Hm?"

Was she getting a visitor? Had one of her enemies from the other world returned? Or maybe an asssasin sent to shut her up???

As the hooded figure strode closer to the cell and asked her question, the Masque couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Why? That's a silly question!"

Ruby's smile stayed the same but as she strode closer, her head slowly inclined to the side. Her silver eyes never leaving Cinder.

"Because the man behind the Attack on Beacon was-is my friend. I'd give my life for his a dozen times over. He gave me everything when I had nothing."

Ruby didn't know who this was or why they were hiding their face from her. It didn't really matter though, she was happy to inform people of her motives. Clear as they were.

"Hehehe, it's pretty childish, I guess. But my motives are pure and my judgement unclouded. I'll follow him no matter what!"



​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Why? That's a silly question!"

Ruby's smile stayed the same but as she strode closer, her head slowly inclined to the side. Her silver eyes never leaving Cinder.

"Because the man behind the Attack on Beacon was-is my friend. I'd give my life for his a dozen times over. He gave me everything when I had nothing."

Ruby didn't know who this was or why they were hiding their face from her. It didn't really matter though, she was happy to inform people of her motives. Clear as they were.

"Hehehe, it's pretty childish, I guess. But my motives are pure and my judgement unclouded. I'll follow him no matter what!"

Her expression didn't change for the better, if anything it only got even more enraged. Even as someone fighting for the right side, this girl was absolutely downright insulting. Fighting for that? Actually believing a single word of that utter nonsense?? It was sickening to hear. But as annoying as she found the girl, every bit as repulsive as the Ruby she knew, he wanted her freed for whatever reason. "Right." She hissed between gritted teeth. In this case the hatred only helped sell her cover, since this girl was one of the many responsible for the attack on Beacon. The maiden turned and walked away out of sight after that. Five minutes passed. Ten. Cinder seemed content to let the minutes drag on to leave that unbearably naïve silver-eyed little shit stuck in that cell for as long as possible. But eventually, after the fall maiden was long gone, there was a faint hissing sound from under her cot. If she looked, she'd find two blades underneath that hadn't been there earlier, forged with obsidian and emblazoned with fire. The weapons were more than strong enough, hot enough, to let her cut through her cell. And deal with any guards that tried to deal with her. The Masque's escape was on her.

Right now there was another goal as well. She had observed that Glynda and a number of the staff had gone into Vale proper...but Salem herself was not among them. Cinder knew where the vault had been in her own world, and there was no reason to believe it wasn't in the same place here...but she wasn't sure if going for it here, now, without the chaos of a grimm invasion...if Salem would be alerted of the intrusion.

But there was only one way to find out.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"So, uh what are we doing then?" Ruby questioned, actually unsure where they were all going from here. "Going after Cinder or for one of the other relics or--"

The Raven who had just recently shown up snapped her head over so fast and with such a harsh glare that Ruby barely managed to keep herself from jumping in alarm. "Isn't that obvious, girl? We go for the relics of course. What a foolish--" The other Raven clamped a hand over her counterpart's mouth as she slid into place and took Ruby's place in that glare, narrowed eyes focusing on her double. "Keep quiet or I'll keep you quiet myself." Of course, the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, given that while they may be comparable in skill...one of them was far more powerful than the other. That didn't have any effect on the conviction present in that statement, however. The otherworld Raven wrenched the hand from her mouth with an extra emphasized "hmph" but she stood down. Arguing this point would get them nowhere.

That done, Raven 2 turned to Ruby. "I do agree though, I think it is obvious. The wounded that need more time to recover, they can rest here for the time being. The rest of us, however...there's enough of us that we can accomplish two tasks at once. You all saw what the lamp showed us. You know where the relics are, so after you go after your teammate-" She looked to Watts at this moment. "-then you can make your way towards Atlas after us. If you decide to do so. From the updates I've been receiving from Salem...our northernmost kingdom isn't in the best state right now." She remarked with a frown. "The only question is, who goes with what group. One after Vernal and another closer to the relic. I'll leave that mostly up to you all, but know that there is no way there won't be a professional present in both groups. Either myself, Qrow or Tock will be watching over you." She pointedly left out her other self, adamant that she was going to keep a close eye on her personally.​

"...Damn" Watts muttered through gritted teeth. He was hoping that the bond applied to the copies of their bonded souls as well. He ran a hand through his hair while he rested the other hand on the table, his eyes closed in vexation as the others began to speak. At the concept of splitting the groups, he frowned and pulled the hand of his head to point at nothing in particular, sounding less sure of himself than usual given they were in the immediate aftermath of his 'big brain' putting out a completely nonfunctioning idea.

"...Regardless of its inability to help save my partner, the semblances of the Ravens ensure this doesn't have to be a permanent split, not as such; As long as you have someone you're connected to in the other party, then we have easy access to each other in times of danger." He said.

"...Not that I intend to return to Atlas, but I don't intend to make decisions for the others once Cinder is safe" he added quietly.

 

[MidwayLives]

"Right." She hissed between gritted teeth. In this case the hatred only helped sell her cover, since this girl was one of the many responsible for the attack on Beacon.

"Hehehe, you know something? I'm not sure who you are but I think you'd look so much happier if you smiled!~"

Did this stranger hate her?

Well, if she did then that was okay. He'd told her that people would constantly get in her way. They'd never understand his dreams like she did.

Then as the lady left, Ruby sighed.

"Wish you wanted to talk more..."
​

he maiden turned and walked away out of sight after that. Five minutes passed. Ten. Cinder seemed content to let the minutes drag on to leave that unbearably naïve silver-eyed little shit stuck in that cell for as long as possible. But eventually, after the fall maiden was long gone, there was a faint hissing sound from under her cot. If she looked, she'd find two blades underneath that hadn't been there earlier, forged with obsidian and emblazoned with fire. The weapons were more than strong enough, hot enough, to let her cut through her cell. And deal with any guards that tried to deal with her. The Masque's escape was on her.

"....Oh.~"

Peeking under her cot to see what the noise had been, the Masque couldn't help but snicker.

That stranger had been sent by him! There was absolutely no doubt in her mind! He hadn't forgotten about her after all! He still cared about her!

Grabbing the blanket off her cot, the Masque cut off part of it and used it to wrap one of the blades to the side of her stump. Had to get creative when you wanted to duel wield and swords weren't exactly her specialty to begin with. Hopping back to her feet, she slashed through the bars on her cell. As the melted bits of steel fell at her feet, she stepped through and took a nice long breath.

She was free.

Looking down at her blades, she frowned. They were definitely no Crescent Rose. That had probably been lost or locked away somewhere. So, she'd just have to make due with what she had on her.

"I'm getting out of here....right...now!"

 

[Gus Gungus]

"...…...………...…"

By the time he'd finished letting it all out, the cocky demeanor Tock was putting on had long since disappeared. The bold grin, the confident slouch, every bit of what some might call arrogance could no longer be seen in the elder huntress. She was standing as straight and with as serious a look as she possibly could. Yeah, growing up the way she had, it wasn't exactly what she would have called the easiest time but at least she'd never had to deal with somebody who lorded themselves over her, disguising abuse as some sort of twisted training. Man...the rumors she'd heard over the years about the dreaded assassin Marcus Black, all the stories...not many lived up to that truth. Concussions and broken bones as a child...even by the standards she lived by, that was taking things way too far.

Her eyes briefly looked over to where the trashcan had come to a halt, eyeing the dent he'd left in it. After a second her gaze returned to him. "Can't say I can relate, kid. I left home because I hated the lack of attention, not the complete brutal focused attention ya got. I learned how to fight on my own, not training passed down from some I'm uncultured. Hell, my time at Haven, as bad as some days got, it was never that bad. Even 'aving to put up with the absolutely ridiculous name that was saddled on the team I was part of, as rough as that was, it don't compare." It would have been easy to take that last part as a joke but Tock's face still conveyed utter seriousness.

"Not gonna say I'm sorry that 'appened to ya or anythin' like that. Reckon ya wouldn't be that receptive to it anyway, I sure wouldn't be. I can't take back what your dad did, can't give ya back your semblance. But I can give ya this. Come at me again, with everythin' you 'ave. I ain't gonna dodge this time. Show me everythin' ya can do and I'll do the same. No more looking down on ya. Honestly, I respect that drive of yours, ki--" She caught herself before she finished and corrected. "--Mercury." She said with a smirk. "Not many can say they push themselves that far. Hell, without 'aving a semblance, some might as well just given up on tryin' to be a huntsman entirely. Dropped that dream. But not you. Like I said. Respect." She cracked her knuckles in preparation.

"You want to get stronger? Well, just so happens that I'm something of an expert on that. Let's go for real this time, if you're up and willin' for the challenge."

Mercury didn't turn back around until she finished. He was staring off down the street after the trash can he punted, shoulders rising and falling in a quiet rhythm while he reigned it back. Explosive outbursts weren't his style of expressing anger. People could say what they want about emotional health this, healthy coping mechanisms that; but getting mad made you sloppy. If you were a fighter, it was better to bottle that stuff up, cast it into a weapon you could deploy later, something to make you really hate the other guy. That was how all the best killers operated.

Apparently, he came to the conclusion that the time for that... Wasn't now. He turned back around, and blew a lock of hair out of his eyes as he put his hands up in a complacent shrug.

"Sounds fun. Try not to want me too bad once I figure out the holes in your game, old timer. I know it's probably been a while."

Step 1: see if psych-out tactics worked.

"Why don't we make it interesting? Soon as I land a hit on you, you have to tell me what stupid team name was."​

 

[Gus Gungus]

The Raven who had just recently shown up snapped her head over so fast and with such a harsh glare that Ruby barely managed to keep herself from jumping in alarm. "Isn't that obvious, girl? We go for the relics of course. What a foolish--" The other Raven clamped a hand over her counterpart's mouth as she slid into place and took Ruby's place in that glare, narrowed eyes focusing on her double. "Keep quiet or I'll keep you quiet myself."

To say Qrow reacted apprehensively when the cool Raven cut off her nastier, temperamental self packing ancient wizard heat so disrespectfully was putting it mildly. He was definitely, one million percent gonna have to keep an eye on those two. He knew no iteration of his sister's headstrong personality was likely to back down from a disagreeable version of herself, and if left uninterrupted they easily could've generated a self-sustaining cycle of negative energy strong enough to bring every Grimm in the continent down on them. And rip a hole in the universe. Plus, if one Raven killed another in an alternate universe would that be messed up or what?

Satisfied that his own charming sister was playing ball for now, he spoke up from the back of the room, arms folded as he leaned up against the wall.

"Atlas wasn't the easiest joint to sneak into by the time we got around to it. What's the word from James?"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Sounds fun. Try not to want me too bad once I figure out the holes in your game, old timer. I know it's probably been a while."

Step 1: see if psych-out tactics worked.​

"Tch. Keep dreaming." Talk about shooting way out of your league. "And it ain't been that long." She made sure he knew that. As far as sparring/training went, anyway. Relationships, that was...a different story entirely.
​

"Why don't we make it interesting? Soon as I land a hit on you, you have to tell me what stupid team name was."

"..." That got her to be quiet, at least for a second. The first impulse was to say an immediate no to the very idea of that, but...a quick glance over at the trash can again reinforced how much the kid needed to let off some steam. Instead of going with that first impulse she shrugged and took a step closer, a couple snickers escaping her among her reply.

"Alright, Mercury. I'll humor ya. Soon as you can land a solid hit, I'll tell you my old team's name. Deal." She readied herself for any sudden movements from the assassin's kid, eager to get this thing underway. Honestly, even if he was still just a student, he was an impressive one. More than enough to make this exciting.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

To say Qrow reacted apprehensively when the cool Raven cut off her nastier, temperamental self packing ancient wizard heat so disrespectfully was putting it mildly. He was definitely, one million percent gonna have to keep an eye on those two. He knew no iteration of his sister's headstrong personality was likely to back down from a disagreeable version of herself, and if left uninterrupted they easily could've generated a self-sustaining cycle of negative energy strong enough to bring every Grimm in the continent down on them. And rip a hole in the universe. Plus, if one Raven killed another in an alternate universe would that be messed up or what?

Satisfied that his own charming sister was playing ball for now, he spoke up from the back of the room, arms folded as he leaned up against the wall.

"Atlas wasn't the easiest joint to sneak into by the time we got around to it. What's the word from James?"​

"There is no word from James." Raven answered, more than a little bluntly. "Salem's kept me up to speed on the situation up north and it isn't pretty. I was trying to wait for a better time to say it, when a lot of us aren't so stressed and high-strung...but might as well say it now. Seems Ironwood made moves for a coup and tried to detain Schnee over suspected involvement with the Vytal festival attack. It didn't take. Ironwood and some of his best were overwhelmed by the councilwoman and one of Atlas's other top generals. Someone who was quick to step in to assume James' role as both councilman and head of the military, while James got tossed in a cell." She shook her head. "More than that, the kingdom itself has gone into lockdown, try to close themselves off from everyone else. Little more than rumors getting out after that, but they all paint the situation as tense. Like a powder keg just waiting to go off...if it hasn't already."

"..."

That was alarming to hear. It hadn't been the most friendly or pleasant of arrivals when they had finally got there, but that bad? General Ironwood, deposed and locked away...because of Weiss. Well then. What else was there to say on that? She tried but any words just...never made it out.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"There is no word from James." Raven answered, more than a little bluntly. "Salem's kept me up to speed on the situation up north and it isn't pretty. I was trying to wait for a better time to say it, when a lot of us aren't so stressed and high-strung...but might as well say it now. Seems Ironwood made moves for a coup and tried to detain Schnee over suspected involvement with the Vytal festival attack. It didn't take. Ironwood and some of his best were overwhelmed by the councilwoman and one of Atlas's other top generals. Someone who was quick to step in to assume James' role as both councilman and head of the military, while James got tossed in a cell." She shook her head. "More than that, the kingdom itself has gone into lockdown, try to close themselves off from everyone else. Little more than rumors getting out after that, but they all paint the situation as tense. Like a powder keg just waiting to go off...if it hasn't already."

"..."

That was alarming to hear. It hadn't been the most friendly or pleasant of arrivals when they had finally got there, but that bad? General Ironwood, deposed and locked away...because of Weiss. Well then. What else was there to say on that? She tried but any words just...never made it out.

"That's... so much worse than the situation we walked into. And that was almost two years from now. Guess skipping Beacon didn't make Weiss any less of a workaholic."

Ruby felt his hand alight on her shoulder, Qrow having pushed off the wall to approach when he saw her growing more and more apprehensive near the end of Raven's reply. His own reaction wasn't any less grave, but the squeeze he gave Ruby was nevertheless reassuring in his own aloof way as he stood alongside her.

"If all that's true... we need to be careful. James putting the city on lockdown means one thing, but if this new general's listening to her..." His eyes widened as the full implication set in. "...All of Atlas could be under Oz's thumb without realizing."

"You don't know the half of it."

The interjection was little more than a raspy, strangled whisper, as if its speaker's windpipe had been tied in knots. But Eve was up, feet off the couch and planted against the floor again, hunched over with elbows on knees so her bushy hair hid her face from them. In her hands was her broken horn, held with a gentleness entirely uncharacteristic of the terrifying personification of faunus as her thumb traced mournful circles around its jagged edge.

"His name is Carnelian. And during all your cute little bedtime stories about a master of Grimm walking Remnant all these years, you never came close to scaring me as much as he does."

Qrow's brow furrowed in faint recognition. "...Carnelian...?"

"So you do know him."

"Sure, the name. But he should've been dead for a long time now. Ironwood's old boss had him executed, tried to sweep the whole thing under the rug."

She snorted. "Cushy Remnant you people had. Here his friends in Atlas let him walk away from the court martial with a demotion and a scolding. As if that wasn't enough of a slap in the face to my people after the things he did, when the war was over they put him in charge of the same penal colonies the faunus who wouldn't go quietly to their pen in Menagerie were sent to... including the one I grew up in."

She clenched the horn tightly to her chest, but still didn't look up.

"Old age didn't level him out, I'll say that much. And he's no one's pawn. If he's involved, you better believe he knows exactly what's going on behind the curtains. That makes Atlas enemy territory."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"That's... so much worse than the situation we walked into. And that was almost two years from now. Guess skipping Beacon didn't make Weiss any less of a workaholic."

Ruby felt his hand alight on her shoulder, Qrow having pushed off the wall to approach when he saw her growing more and more apprehensive near the end of Raven's reply. His own reaction wasn't any less grave, but the squeeze he gave Ruby was nevertheless reassuring in his own aloof way as he stood alongside her.

"If all that's true... we need to be careful. James putting the city on lockdown means one thing, but if this new general's listening to her..." His eyes widened as the full implication set in. "...All of Atlas could be under Oz's thumb without realizing."

"You don't know the half of it."

The interjection was little more than a raspy, strangled whisper, as if its speaker's windpipe had been tied in knots. But Eve was up, feet off the couch and planted against the floor again, hunched over with elbows on knees so her bushy hair hid her face from them. In her hands was her broken horn, held with a gentleness entirely uncharacteristic of the terrifying personification of faunus as her thumb traced mournful circles around its jagged edge.

"His name is Carnelian. And during all your cute little bedtime stories about a master of Grimm walking Remnant all these years, you never came close to scaring me as much as he does."

Qrow's brow furrowed in faint recognition. "...Carnelian...?"

"So you do know him."

"Sure, the name. But he should've been dead for a long time now. Ironwood's old boss had him executed, tried to sweep the whole thing under the rug."

She snorted. "Cushy Remnant you people had. Here his friends in Atlas let him walk away from the court martial with a demotion and a scolding. As if that wasn't enough of a slap in the face to my people after the things he did, when the war was over they put him in charge of the same penal colonies the faunus who wouldn't go quietly to their pen in Menagerie were sent to... including the one I grew up in."

She clenched the horn tightly to her chest, but still didn't look up.

"Old age didn't level him out, I'll say that much. And he's no one's pawn. If he's involved, you better believe he knows exactly what's going on behind the curtains. That makes Atlas enemy territory."​

Eve! Hardly a few seconds had passed after Eve brought up that name before the bull found another faunus by her side, reaching out with her own hand in the same way Qrow's was on his niece, trying really hard to be some level of reassuring and comforting. And despite the somber gravity of those words Eve could barely manage to speak, it was good to see her up again. After that frankly absurd pummeling she had taken, to be conscious again that soon...it was a testament to the bull's toughness, her stubbornness. Resilience. Whatever someone wanted to call it. Even if it would still take time for a full heal, or as full as it could get, with Ilia's eyes lingering on that broken horn.

"..."

"That's very encouraging." Her bitter sarcasm game was on point. Unlike the otherworld version of her brother, that name was one she recognized almost immediately. Now that she had a name to put to the one who had handled James, it made even more sense that James' attempt had failed. Carnelian...of course it would be him of all people. She couldn't say she quite agreed with Eve's assessment as him being as terrifying as Ozpin(she'd seen far too many of his atrocities and the things he'd made, to believe that) but she could understand why a faunus would view him that way. If the maiden version of herself came to recognize the name as Qrow did, she didn't show it. "If he's the one who helped Schnee establish dominance over the whole kingdom, then...perhaps I was wrong. I'm not sure you kids want to get mixed up in all that." Raven rubbed at her forehead, concern more clearly shown in her face.

"If that's the case, then I suggest that we only have a select few go to Atlas. Our most powerful..." Much as she didn't want to, her eyes lingered on her counterpart with those words. An older and experienced maiden, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt who the most powerful person in the room was. "...the more experienced..." She looked over towards Qrow, and though she didn't look down at herself it was obvious she was thinking that. "...and our toughest." She finished. Her gaze snapped over to the side, where almost as if on cue, the crocodile faunus was walking back into her place with a slight smirk across her face. "Yeah, kid, no fooling. That was our team name and I swear if you--" Tock cut herself off upon noticing Raven's stare, raising an eyebrow. "I miss somethin'?"

"General Carnelian."

Those two words were enough to bring Tock to an abrupt halt mid-step, almost as if she had been turned to stone. The expression on her face changed only subtly, but the look in her eyes was enough to say that she was on edge just from hearing that name. "What about him?" She asked, already thinking she had the answer but wanting to hear it from Raven. To be completely certain.

"Salem's kept you in the loop as much as she has with me. He's the one." She answered, not mincing words.

"......................................Shit."

"Yeah." She nodded, turning back to the others. "As I was saying...I wouldn't advise that you kids get caught up in all that. With him in line with Schnee and presumably the whole Atlesian military following suit, the city, it--"

"No." Ruby interrupted.

"I've been through this already, you can't keep us or them out just because you're afraid we aren't ready. We've managed to get through plenty of bad situations before despite the odds. Ask my uncle, he can tell you. If we have to face this guy and however much of the military that fell in line behind him to find our way back home, then that's what I plan to do. Don't try to stop us."

Raven's gaze shifted over to Qrow and tilted her head in silent ask.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"I've been through this already, you can't keep us or them out just because you're afraid we aren't ready. We've managed to get through plenty of bad situations before despite the odds. Ask my uncle, he can tell you. If we have to face this guy and however much of the military that fell in line behind him to find our way back home, then that's what I plan to do. Don't try to stop us."

Raven's gaze shifted over to Qrow and tilted her head in silent ask.

Qrow was pretty sure he already fought this battle. And lost. "Look, if you don't say yes that speech is just gonna keep going."

He couldn't say he liked the lay of the land, but it was their bad decision to make just as much as it was his. Besides, what choice did they have? Their only options were follow the path Jinn laid out for them or go try to make lives for themselves in this world. Qrow had always been a nomadic soul, and had it just been him he could've actually seen himself adjusting to such a big upheaval eventually. Maybe tried to make a fresh start of it.

But he knew for his nieces' sake that wasn't an option. And whatever they did, they were doing it together. As a family. They were all they had to keep each other afloat through all this.

"Besides, if the toughest are eligible Yang and Ruby more than qualify. As for the rest of 'em..."

His eyes roved over the students, squinting in faint thought as they locked with Mercury's where he was untaping his wrists by the door.

"...it's their call. Right now we should focus on coming up with a plan so whoever does go isn't walking into a slaughter. Some old man isn't our biggest concern. Weiss knows we'll be coming; she's gonna know who to look for. And if Atlas is really under her thumb..." He rubbed his stubble with a frown, shooting a meaningful glance at the two room's two other inhabitants who were first plucked here from Atlas along with him. "There's every chance she figured out where Ironwood's been keeping the maiden... and the relic. No telling how bad it might be until we get there. So who's pushing back against all this? There has to be somebody. What about Mantle?"

A questioning look went back towards Raven. Right off the bat he could think of another major issue inhibiting their progress, but one step at a time.

Eve! Hardly a few seconds had passed after Eve brought up that name before the bull found another faunus by her side, reaching out with her own hand in the same way Qrow's was on his niece, trying really hard to be some level of reassuring and comforting. And despite the somber gravity of those words Eve could barely manage to speak, it was good to see her up again. After that frankly absurd pummeling she had taken, to be conscious again that soon...it was a testament to the bull's toughness, her stubbornness. Resilience. Whatever someone wanted to call it. Even if it would still take time for a full heal, or as full as it could get, with Ilia's eyes lingering on that broken horn.

Oh, right. Her.

"Stop—"

Eve started to snap, or as much as she could snap with her voice a throaty rasp anyway. She seemed to forget what she was getting riled about not long after she did, however, and her tone lost its biting edge as what started as an angry jerk away from Ilia's touch became an uncomfortable scooch further down the couch instead. She planted her gaze firmly in the other direction from where Ilia was sitting.

"...just stop looking at me."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Oh, right. Her.

"Stop—"

Eve started to snap, or as much as she could snap with her voice a throaty rasp anyway. She seemed to forget what she was getting riled about not long after she did, however, and her tone lost its biting edge as what started as an angry jerk away from Ilia's touch became an uncomfortable scooch further down the couch instead. She planted her gaze firmly in the other direction from where Ilia was sitting.

"...just stop looking at me."

"...hey..." She said after a confused round of blinking, hand lowering to her side after Eve pulled away. The chameleon took a couple small hops over, her rear lifting slightly off the couch and then dropping back down onto it a little further away from where she had been sitting with each hop. Ilia ceased the hopping once she was again next to the hurt faunus. "What's the matter?" She asked, though she didn't reach out with a hand this time. "You don't...you don't have to be angry with, or worried about, or scared of little ole me. I'm not going to judge you or anything like that, I just want to talk."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"WHERE. IS. IT?!" Cinder fumed, pacing back and forth in a frustrated rage. She had been down here long enough! She had traversed every inch of this vault and still she was no closer to finding it. She had not spotted a single thing worth noting this whole time. Not until she heard the ding of an elevator reaching the bottom floor echoing out down the long, empty hallway. The maiden turned, attention pulled away from focusing on her angry tirade and settling on that door slide open and someone stepped out with a dignified air, hands clasped behind her back like she was at parade rest even as she strode forward.

Was that...her? The light blonde hair, the bright blue eyes...everything just stood in such contrast to the fearsome witch she'd grown so familiar with. Had this once been what she had looked like, a very long time ago? Salem didn't have the same opportunity to reflect on the other's appearance. Whoever this was, the robe, the hood, and especially the cloth running over much of the face left her unable to determine who this could be. The only thing she could see of the other were those burning gold eyes. "Are you lost?" The headmistress asked, her tone more akin to someone finding a crying child in a large crowd than one appropriate to finding an intruder in the vault.

There was a throaty grunt of vague irritation...and the energy in the room changed in an instant. One of the mystery person's arms lashed out, fast, incredibly fast, and it stretched out much much farther than any limb ever should, its fingers clutched tightly against Salem's throat and slamming her hard into one of the walls of the vault. Salem's hands pressed against the arm in counter with a scorching touch that forced the arm to pull away in sudden pain. But instead of falling free to the ground below, the headmistress stayed...exactly where she was. After a moment of scrutinizing the person before her, she started to stride forward, walking as casually on air as she would have on solid ground.

And then without warning, lunging through the empty air...a split-second before the stranger did likewise, both their paths taking them on a collision course. Two swords materialized in the other's hands, swinging each with impressive speed and strength. And each was intercepted, blocked with or parried away with bare forearms or once or twice her empty palm catching one of the blades in hand without drawing blood. The two were moving at unnatural speed with each blow, the conflict taking them all over the vault in bursts of orange and light blue that illuminated the natural darkness of the vault like twin comets slamming into each other in rapid succession.

An open palm strike caught the intruder in the obscured face, sending her soaring skyward from the force of that strike as well as the strong gusts of wind that followed. Salem managed to keep her face expressionless, but inwardly there was cause for concern as she felt her already low reserves of magic power dwindling even more. But if the intruder was weakening, it wasn't showing. The mystery individual had broken the momentum of the strike and remained hovering in the air as a miniature sun erupted to life behind her, flares shooting off from it and all across the vault.

Those blue eyes narrowed in scrutiny as she now recognized who she was looking at, even with the outfit obscuring identity. A maiden...who unleashed a blast of flame much more massive and intense than any before it. A blue spherical shield sprung up around the headmistress as she charged straight into the blast......

When the blinding light finally went out, neither of them were in sight anymore. Not until a faint pool of light formed on the ground and the whole form of Salem emerged from it, looking no worse for wear. She quickly glanced around but there was no sign of the other any longer. "...fled." She thought aloud, her face gravely concerned. She had very little magic remaining...and more worrisome, there was a maiden acting against her. But who? Her presence in this vault would have suggested Fall but...that display had been far beyond what she knew the young Cinder to be capable of.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Do none of you check the news on your scrolls?" Arthur drawled "Ironwood's fall was all anyone was talking about a few days ago." He thought this was as bad as everyone else did, but he'd already gotten all of the panicked concern out of his system by that point. It was one of the few reasons he personally didn't see fit to return to Atlas.

"I wish you all luck in your increasingly suicidal task, but this just cements that all my team needs to focus on as of yet is ensuring Cinder's safety."

"I've been through this already, you can't keep us or them out just because you're afraid we aren't ready. We've managed to get through plenty of bad situations before despite the odds. Ask my uncle, he can tell you. If we have to face this guy and however much of the military that fell in line behind him to find our way back home, then that's what I plan to do. Don't try to stop us."

"Besides, if the toughest are eligible Yang and Ruby more than qualify. As for the rest of 'em..."

Before Yang could even get offended at Raven not including them, Qrow and Ruby were already shutting that down. She she dropped the annoyed glance she was shooting at Watts in favor of an easy shrug and a wry grin. "You heard the boss lady. She says punch I say how hard, she says 'storm the most militarized country on Remnant', I don't say anything because we're too busy storming the most militarized country on Remnant. You wanna tell her no, you gotta tell me no, which, y'know. No way : |"

...Not that she was looking forward to it. The smile fickered away once someone else spoke up and drew the attention back off her, and she looked down at her prosthetic and gently flexed the fingers in and out. A gift from a friend at the lowest point in her life. The first reminder of her team after Ruby left. The same friend she found first when she finally got back on her feet, who'd made Yang feel needed in a way she hadn't since even before Beacon fell. Her party planner buddy. Weiss may not have been her actual sister, and she may not have been her partner, but she was just as important to Yang as the other two were.

And she was who they were about to go throw down with. Not simply defending themselves against attack like they had with Ruby or Blake or Trash Fire, but leading a full on assault on her. It... wasn't a fun thought.

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...it's their call. Right now we should focus on coming up with a plan so whoever does go isn't walking into a slaughter. Some old man isn't our biggest concern. Weiss knows we'll be coming; she's gonna know who to look for. And if Atlas is really under her thumb..." He rubbed his stubble with a frown, shooting a meaningful glance at the two room's two other inhabitants who were first plucked here from Atlas along with him. "There's every chance she figured out where Ironwood's been keeping the maiden... and the relic. No telling how bad it might be until we get there. So who's pushing back against all this? There has to be somebody. What about Mantle?"

"It's not just any old man." Tock retorted, more than familiar with the general. "But...you're not wrong. There are bigger concerns-"

"-And a top-notch plan is definitely a requirement." Raven finished for her. "Either of those being in Ozpin's grasp, that's a nightmare. Worst case scenario. As for your question, well. There are unconfirmed rumors that a resistance movement headed in Mantle was making moves as things got worse and worse up there, but I can't really confirm those until we're there."​

"Do none of you check the news on your scrolls?" Arthur drawled "Ironwood's fall was all anyone was talking about a few days ago." He thought this was as bad as everyone else did, but he'd already gotten all of the panicked concern out of his system by that point. It was one of the few reasons he personally didn't see fit to return to Atlas.

"Been a little busy, you know? We can't all be on our scrolls as much as you are."​

"I wish you all luck in your increasingly suicidal task, but this just cements that all my team needs to focus on as of yet is ensuring Cinder's safety."

"...How can you say that? If Ozpin gets his hands on the staff...he already creates grimm. The dragon, that monstrosity in the woods we fought...and I've seen even bigger and scarier." She thought of the Leviathan and the Apathy. "Grimm are growing more frightening and more prevalent by the day. Who knows what nightmare he could bring to life if he utilizes the staff or if he decides to do something even worse? Are you saying that doesn't concern you? Bother you? Frighten you? Yes, you want to make your friend is okay, and I understand that completely, but what does it mean for you and her and everyone else in your world if he has a maiden and a relic at his disposal? How could you ever ensure your partner's safety if you don't focus a little bit on that???"​

Before Yang could even get offended at Raven not including them, Qrow and Ruby were already shutting that down. She dropped the annoyed glance she was shooting at Watts in favor of an easy shrug and a wry grin. "You heard the boss lady. She says punch I say how hard, she says 'storm the most militarized country on Remnant', I don't say anything because we're too busy storming the most militarized country on Remnant. You wanna tell her no, you gotta tell me no, which, y'know. No way : |"

For a short time, she didn't look overly fond of the idea, but with what Qrow had said...​

Qrow was pretty sure he already fought this battle. And lost. "Look, if you don't say yes that speech is just gonna keep going."

"...Very well then. But not without a plan. I can get us into the heart of the kingdom, bypass most outer defenses and whatever blockade they have set up to isolate themselves, but once we're in, we can't just play it by ear. This is Atlas we're talking about." Raven looked around. "Open to hearing out any suggestions."​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"...hey..." She said after a confused round of blinking, hand lowering to her side after Eve pulled away. The chameleon took a couple small hops over, her rear lifting slightly off the couch and then dropping back down onto it a little further away from where she had been sitting with each hop. Ilia ceased the hopping once she was again next to the hurt faunus. "What's the matter?" She asked, though she didn't reach out with a hand this time. "You don't...you don't have to be angry with, or worried about, or scared of little ole me. I'm not going to judge you or anything like that, I just want to talk."

"Why would anyone be scared of you?" She contested hotly, obviously irritable that the chameleon hadn't taken the moodiness as a cue to stay away from her right now. Clearly her and the demented male version of Eve from another world hadn't been very well acquainted if her interpretative skills were that rusty. "Do yourself a favor and get scared enough of me that you stay far, far away."

"Do none of you check the news on your scrolls?" Arthur drawled "Ironwood's fall was all anyone was talking about a few days ago." He thought this was as bad as everyone else did, but he'd already gotten all of the panicked concern out of his system by that point. It was one of the few reasons he personally didn't see fit to return to Atlas.

"Maybe whatever conspiracy boards someone like you gets your news from were talking about it." Came her sharp interjection, a dark glare incising the one among the humans whose air of smug Atlas elitism stank even from across the room as she took the opportunity to stay involved in the main discussion as much to keep Ilia at bay as anything. "But actual communication from the region has been restricted as a 'temporary security measure'. When Atlas goes dark, it goes dark. Or did you seriously think the CCT towers were for your benefit and not the people who built them?"

"...How can you say that? If Ozpin gets his hands on the staff...he already creates grimm. The dragon, that monstrosity in the woods we fought...and I've seen even bigger and scarier." She thought of the Leviathan and the Apathy. "Grimm are growing more frightening and more prevalent by the day. Who knows what nightmare he could bring to life if he utilizes the staff or if he decides to do something even worse? Are you saying that doesn't concern you? Bother you? Frighten you? Yes, you want to make your friend is okay, and I understand that completely, but what does it mean for you and her and everyone else in your world if he has a maiden and a relic at his disposal? How could you ever ensure your partner's safety if you don't focus a little bit on that???"

"Okay, Ruby. Can't preach everyone into submission. I'm sure brainiac's more than capable of making his own calls." Qrow intervened, doing a driveby to slip one hand out of his pockets and start towing his wonderful niece away by her hood.

"...Very well then. But not without a plan. I can get us into the heart of the kingdom, bypass most outer defenses and whatever blockade they have set up to isolate themselves, but once we're in, we can't just play it by ear. This is Atlas we're talking about." Raven looked around. "Open to hearing out any suggestions."

He dropped his cargo off next to Yang and took on an even graver countenance as Raven spoke up again.

"Kinda hard not to draw a blank knowing so little about your Atlas, but if it's got anything in common with ours... Our first stop should be a point of contact we can trust. The only people I can see putting up any kind of an active fight against all this are the Happy Huntresses, so my thinking's we head for Mantle and find them. Explain our situation and see what we can do to coordinate. Only..."

His perplexed frown deepened, and he glanced between the two incarnations of his sister present with evident disorientation. That was still taking a little getting used to.

"I don't ever remember you having many friends in Atlas. Or anywhere. When you say 'the heart of the kingdom'..."

His sigh was deep and weary.

"You mean jail, right? You're taking us to jail. And we're gonna have to spring James."​