Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[MidwayLives]

The room was pitch black, but she knew from the moment she landed its every surface was coated with... something. The floor her boots thudded against felt adhesive somehow, not overtly but as if millions of tiny suckers gripped onto her soles and only came away with a bit of resistance and noise like elastic bands snapping.

For all the money Schnee had you think she'd at least invest in a few lightbulbs.

"Ugh...What the hell am I stepping in??"

Schnee had enough grace even when completely sloshed to not drop whatever it was she chose to drink that day. Sure, the ground felt sticky as if something had been spilled but with every step she took, it had to have been one hell of a mess or there was something else at work here.

Whatever it was it was really pissing Harriet off.
​

Zwei immediately whined when his own paws touched the substance, gently lifting his paws and hopping around like he was trying to navigate his way through a field of nettles instead of a cellar room floor, and eventually opted to scrambling his way up to rest on Harriet's shoulders and rest his muzzle on what struck him as her very bald head.

"Zwei!"

Okay, so the little mutt had nipped at her earlier. He'd also made her run in a circle like a jackass.

Still, Harriet's heart wasn't made of stone. She let the scamp climb aboard her head.

DIdn't mean she was happy about it.

"...Grrr, just don't make a mess while you're up there."
​

Even if she'd been a faunus befitting her namesake her eyes wouldn't really have been able to pick out anything in that gloom. The darkness was deeper, more encompassing, made all the more sinister by how just when she felt like her vision had adjusted enough to make out a solid object or two they would move, distorting or curling into the shadow around them like wisps of smoke. Sometimes she even thought she felt herself move, as if the floor beneath her feet suddenly shifted, spun, or otherwise displaced her around whatever space she was in without her say-so. It wasn't long before she realized: she had no idea where the exit was. It was just her, Zwei, and what appeared to be an endless void.

What was happening here?!

Was this the semblance of another one of the prisoner's friends? The ability to coat an entire area in nothing but darkness??

"Schnee! Schnee, if you can hear me! Say anything at all!"

No matter how dire things got, she was an Ace Ops and she wasn't going to let the fear of what MIGHT be out there scare her.

She wasn't afraid of any damn bogeyman.
​

"...Operative Bree, please... please..."

The voice that reached her was not its customarily strong and authoritative self. It sounded weak, preoccupied, like a candle on the verge of being snuffed out and requiring active concentration to refrain from doing so, and though she didn't see anything it was clear that wherever Weiss was in this mess she was not enjoying the experience.

"Schnee! I'm here! I...I can't see a damn thing but I'm gonna-"
​

"...Please return to your post. I'm in the middle of a negotiation, and I don't recall ever asking you to snoop around my manor. In fact, didn't I assign you to monitor Yang? Isn't that the ENTIRE REASON you're in my house? That's right, it is, and now you mean to tell me you reacted to a perceived dangerous intrusion in said house by abandoning the person I told you to guard?? While you're here, why don't you tell me exactly which part of my instructions you interpreted as optional???"

Harriet respected the chain of command more than anything.

Carneilan had taken over as THE figure of authority that she and the other Ace Ops looked up to and followed. Whatever personal faults the man may have had didn't matter. So long as he did his job, she'd do hers withotu question. When he'd informed her that Weiss had requested a member of the Ace Ops stand guard at her Manor and she'd been chosen out of the group, she felt honored.

What she hadn't expected was to end up being basically a glorified babysitter. Not that the prisoner was an invalid or someone who needed constant care but making food for her, watching over her as she walked around, etc. Avoiding talking to her was the only way Harriet kept any sanity at all. Besides, she didn't want to get to 'know' her. This chick was from some other world and Harriet didn't need to be answering any questions she may have had. She just needed to do her job as best as she could.

Instead, every step of the way she'd been berated. Insulted. Criticized.

All by a councilwoman who Harriet couldn't help but feel had been looking down her nose at her all this time.

Harriet's entire frame trembled.

But it wasn't because of fear, far from it.

She was absolutely furious.

'I thought the Ace Ops were made up of professionals. Not fools who apparently can't follow simple instructions.' 'I ask you to do one thing and you can't even do that! Why are you here again, hm? Please, do go on and remind me!'

She was tired of this spoiled bitch treating her like she was a nuisance. Maybe a bleeding heart like Marrow would have put up with this abuse but not Harriet.

"Shut up...."

Harriet grit her teeth.

"shutupshutupshutup..."
​

"No, don't bother. Just leave. If anything happens to her before morning I'm holding you personally accountable."

"SHUT UP!!!!!"

Harriet stamped her foot, electricity tracing off her person as a result of her semblance.

"Every word out of your mouth since I was stationed here has been 'do this' 'ugh, that' 'stop and do this' The girl who's supposed to be a PRISONER has had it easier than me and she was down a goddamn arm! 'Oh make sure Yang has this' 'Do this for her' like I'm her nanny or something! I came here because I was worried about what the hell might have happened here. Maybe you'd gotten lost in the sauce again..."Harriet hissed out her feelings about Weiss's habit for drinking clear. She didn't know how the General put up with dealing with her on a regular basis. She just couldn't wrap her head around it. "Mark me up, whine about me to the General! ANYTHING is better than sitting here listening to another dribble of haughty bitchiness straight from the mouth of Weiss Schnee! If you wanna sit down here and bullshit, fine by me! I'll take YOUR damn dog and go right back the way I came! Sit down here in the goddamn dark!"

Only problem with that rant was that Harriet couldn't find the way back. She couldn't see jack for shit down here.

Still, it'd felt damn good to get that off her chest.

"...I can't get out of here. Maybe tone down the negotiations and turn a light on or I'm gonna wreck whoever you're talking to because they've got me and this dog trapped down here in this GODDAMN cellar!!" Harriet started to move closer to where she'd heard Weiss's voice.

She had no doubt in her mind that she was gonna get a reaming out over this. The General would likely reiterate how important it was that they avoid having conflicts of interest between the council members and the military. Better they all try to stay on the same page.

If she got out of here.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

The voice didn't speak up again for the duration of the tirade, didn't interrupt, disparage or try to cut her off. In the stifling darkness it was hard to tell if the words were even being registered, if they were even doing anything besides reverberating around the confines of whatever bizarre space she found herself in; until about halfway through, when a tiny, flickering pair of lights appeared deeper in the veil of darkness. The seemed to go brighter and brighter the more of her frustrations she poured into the rant, the cold air in the room growing more and more potent, and by the time she was finished it was bright enough to illuminate Weiss's face as she drew nearer.

She did not look impressed. Nor did it look like 'marking her up' or 'whining' were anywhere near her agenda.

"Harriet... you're extremely fired."

And yes, she could do that.

That was also as much breath as she gave her, because it was apparent even at a distance that the councilwoman had more pressing concerns. She was completely snared up in something, black tendrils that snaked around her every limb and appendage below the neck to the point that more of them were visible than the woman's own snowy gown and skin, and it was difficult to pick her out from the surrounding shadow. It was all the more disconcerting when Harriet realized the tendrils were moving, slithering and coiling tighter whenever Weiss tried to shift so much as an inch herself, and the heads of more than a few of them appeared to be latched on to the heiress's body like leeches, pumping and pulsing as her aura around those points flickered weakly. Her eyes were shut and her features were sealed in intense focus, but as well as she was managing it it was clear that she was in severe, continuous pain; she didn't look well, her cheeks hollow, forehead perspiring and skin a sickly pale.

So it didn't exactly fill Harriet with confidence that, as she drew nearer, she found the resistance from whatever was snagging the underside of her boot becoming stronger, harder to pull away from. Her steps were growing shorter, the closer she got to the tiny lights and heiress the less ground she found herself covering. About halfway to the scene Zwei started to growl, then to whine. Only when she was just about within reach did the situation take an abrupt turn.

"...ℍ𝔸𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒!"



The laughter that assailed her ears was less laughter and more the wailed, shrieking cackle of something that wasn't meant to be. It came from one direction only at first, but swiftly grew into a rapturous choir that came from the ceiling, the floor, the walls, even Weiss as the creatures teething on her detached momentarily to angle back towards Harriet, revealing toothed maws that chattered and rumbled as they joined in on the laughter themselves.

The twin glowing lights also whipped towards her, and their intensity and flare dimmed enough to reveal the pupils in the middle that denoted them as eyes all along.

"EEEEEEheeheee, too much! Guess you don't have as much authority as you thought, huh Weissy?! She didn't even listen-to-youuuuuu~ and I can't wait to tell eeeeevery-bodyyyyyy!~"

The chirpy singsong didn't seem like it belonged in the figure's mouth, though it was hard to put a finger on why; more disturbing was the way it also chattered forth from the mouth of the leeches, each and every one of them laser-focused on Harriet now. Save for her eyes and the way her movements charted the darkness like it was her own, like she was a shark swimming through water, there wasn't anything to distinguish her from an innocent, excitable young woman in a hood... until she saw it. Around the eyes and around the cheekbones, throbbing and squirming under the layer of skin as if they had minds of their own. Inky black veins of grimm.

It was also around this moment that she became aware she couldn't lift her feet anymore. Tendrils like the ones constricting Weiss had emerged from the 'floor' and coiled around the ex-Ace Op's boots, more still snaking up around her ankles and legs as an urgent whine started to build in Zwei's throat. The first time one of the tendrils brushed against bare skin it stopped, hovered for a moment like a cobra about to strike, then did; it didn't breach her aura when it darted in, but rather opened its maw and latched onto it with teeth much like the ones Harriet had glimpsed plaguing Weiss earlier. The pain was like a hot knife sticking into her, yet simultaneously something that ran a deeper shade of spiritual than anything that could be inflicted on flesh or blood; it gave Harriet a vague impression of the sheer overwhelming agony Weiss must have been in for the duration of her dressing down, considering how many of the horrors were gorging themselves on her.

Still, she held her composure. No matter how deep the furrow in her brow was, how pained the tremble in her lips as she somehow gasped out another complete sentence. "...Stop... She can't see the exit..."

"B-b-but the poow widdle wabbit can't see de exit." There was an air of mocking sympathy in the way she imitated Weiss's lower lip wobble, gently curling the politician's hair around one finger. "True, buuuuuuuut I don't care. Dismissing your entire security team to give us some alone time was a nice gesture 'n all, boo, but now that this one's here I think I'd rather just eat her. Time to accept that you just don't have control over the situation anymore!" She finished in another happy chirp. To her credit, the heiress's breath was deep, steady and collected.

Then she exploded, pale blue fire roaring from the corners of her eyes as the temperature in the room dropped and strange winds started to howl. "IF YOU TOUCH ONE HAIR ON MY DOG'S COAT I WILL-"

There was a sickening spak as Maria flicked her wrist and something black and viscous covered the heiress's eyes, extinguishing the flame with a sizzle akin to a candle being snuffed. Maria's giggle was breathless as she rolled her own eyes in fond exasperation. "Ohmigosh, honey, no you won't. I keep telling you that flashy maiden stuff just makes me feel warm and tingly inside now I'm not all confused from waking up! All magic is either light-"

Her eyes flared.

"-or dark-"

Her veins wriggled.

"-and I'm the only thing in the entire world that's made of both! You silly maidens aren't as special as me. You're just sliced up little cutlets of daddy's ex! My daddy says I'm the most special girl that ever was, the only one of my kind, and that means I can gobble up whatever kind of magic I ᴡᴀɴᴛ!"

That last word seemed to take on a life of its own, erupting from her lips in a dark, feral screech that told a tale of legendary anger and vile intent all on its own, brimming just below the surface of this ostensibly sugary young woman. By now Harriet was ensnared to about the same degree Weiss was, Zwei having long abandoned her to run off yapping into the darkness, with Maria gliding through said darkness to stand before her instead; what she glimpsed there peeking out from under the hood in the darkness for that brief instant was abominable and inhuman. Its sclera had gone blood-red, tinting the shade of silver light still radiating from them, and a mask-like protrusion of bone appeared to have grown out of her face to cover it, the flesh beneath black and gummy like tar, and its jaw was opening further and further in a way no humanoid's jaw should as the red light within beckoned-

Spoiler

She suddenly smacked herself, forcing it back down.

"Bad, Reaper! You wait until I say!"

"ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴏʀꜱᴇʟꜱ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ"

"Duh! Obviously I already knew about those dudes creepin' over there, I was gonna get to them in a minute! Now they know that!"

Weiss couldn't see with the shadow covering her eyes, but that didn't make her any less quick on the uptake as she hissed and whirled her head in that direction, restrained as it was. "Yang, LEAVE! You can't possibly-"

The tar expanded to cover her entire face, whatever she'd been planning to say reduced to general suffocation noises. Maria's voice took its place, a sharp, pitched gasp that betrayed her excitement in every way imaginable. "Yang?! No waaaaaaay!"

---

However long the trio had been there, however much of that they had seen, the way they were beset was very sudden. All three found themselves alone, Qrow and Raven yanked off by something curling around their legs and sequestered to their own corners of total darkness.

Yang, meanwhile, found herself with her arm linked chummily, being led over to the grisly scene like it was something Maria couldn't wait to show off. "You have no idea how much I've been dying to meet you! The Yang Xiao Long around these parts is sorta just a one-note punk. Seriously, NO ONE likes her. I mean heck, even I'm more of a sister to Ruby than she is! Not that that's such a bad thing. My wonderful little Maskie's gonna be just like me someday!~"

She giggled and primped, bouncing her shoulder-length curls of hair.

"But YOU! Full disclosure, I've actually been living around you guys for a while now. Watching you. Trying to figure out just what this lady-" She thumbed to a very much still airless Weiss like she was chopped liver. "-thinks her game is. This house is so big, isn't it great? I wish I could live here FOREVER! But daddy asked me to check on things here, so I really have to go home soon!!!!"

The fragmented, hollowed-out shell of the Grimm Reaper didn't seem any more capable of controlling the varying turns her stream of consciousness took or general chatterbox nature any more than a child would, but managed to return to the point this time.

"Anyway, you!!!!!!!! You even made friends with a stony-heart ice queen like this one?! That is so cooooooollllllll! How can I get humans to like me that way???? All my friends are Grimm!"

She pouted, sullen and dissatisfied. About a dozen of the leeches clinging to Weiss and Harriet pulled away to look at her questioningly, prompting a frenzied flailing of her hands.

"N-no no, I like you guys! It just gets a little boring always talking about devastation and carnage and stuff!"

They held the eerie stare a moment longer, but eventually swiveled away to resume feeding as Maria sighed in relief.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Oooooohhhh, hey, you're riiiiiight, so let's just all go back to ATTACKING EACH OTHER! LET'S START FLINGING AROUND STUPID VAGUELY DEFINED MAGICAL POWERS AT ONE ANOTHER 'CAUSE THAT MAKES SENSE, RAVEN, THAT MAKES SOOOOO MUCH FREAKIN' SENSE!"

"Oooooohhh, yeah, you're riiiiiight, because putting Yang in a position where she couldn't proceed with this foolish idea of hers and thus allow us escape as soon as possible, that would have been UTTERLY NONSENSICAL! This is so much better!" She snapped back as they went along. And when they got there...​

uh! Obviously I already knew about those dudes creepin' over there, I was gonna get to them in a minute! Now they know that!"

Weiss couldn't see with the shadow covering her eyes, but that didn't make her any less quick on the uptake as she hissed and whirled her head in that direction, restrained as it was. "Yang, LEAVE! You can't possibly-"

The tar expanded to cover her entire face, whatever she'd been planning to say reduced to general suffocation noises. Maria's voice took its place, a sharp, pitched gasp that betrayed her excitement in every way imaginable. "Yang?! No waaaaaaay!"

"Oh hell." Raven uttered once she heard that voice, recognizing it nigh immediately and sounding completely candid and just as unsurprised. She wasn't going to outright say 'I told you so' to any of her family members in the room but...somebody better pick up that phone because I damn well called it. Such a boneheaded decision for Yang to make, for him to buckle and concede to...though that latter did apply to herself as well after their annoying insistence. Ugh. Still, she didn't have to worry about dwelling on that for long.​

However long the trio had been there, however much of that they had seen, the way they were beset was very sudden. All three found themselves alone, Qrow and Raven yanked off by something curling around their legs and sequestered to their own corners of total darkness.

To her credit, she didn't yell as she was dragged off by a painfully familiar thing, fading into the darkness as she got separated from the others. She took it in stride, or as much as she could, and instead sliced out with Omen to sever the infernal things wrapping around her legs. All to get back onto her feet and into a better stance. "You again. It's way too soon. I was personally hoping to see you again...never, ideally." Raven muttered, gripping her sword tightly with one hand and the other sparking up with a fire in her palm to illuminate this void to some degree.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

The voice didn't speak up again for the duration of the tirade, didn't interrupt, disparage or try to cut her off. In the stifling darkness it was hard to tell if the words were even being registered, if they were even doing anything besides reverberating around the confines of whatever bizarre space she found herself in; until about halfway through, when a tiny, flickering pair of lights appeared deeper in the veil of darkness. The seemed to go brighter and brighter the more of her frustrations she poured into the rant, the cold air in the room growing more and more potent, and by the time she was finished it was bright enough to illuminate Weiss's face as she drew nearer.

She did not look impressed. Nor did it look like 'marking her up' or 'whining' were anywhere near her agenda.

"Harriet... you're extremely fired."

And yes, she could do that.

That was also as much breath as she gave her, because it was apparent even at a distance that the councilwoman had more pressing concerns. She was completely snared up in something, black tendrils that snaked around her every limb and appendage below the neck to the point that more of them were visible than the woman's own snowy gown and skin, and it was difficult to pick her out from the surrounding shadow. It was all the more disconcerting when Harriet realized the tendrils were moving, slithering and coiling tighter whenever Weiss tried to shift so much as an inch herself, and the heads of more than a few of them appeared to be latched on to the heiress's body like leeches, pumping and pulsing as her aura around those points flickered weakly. Her eyes were shut and her features were sealed in intense focus, but as well as she was managing it it was clear that she was in severe, continuous pain; she didn't look well, her cheeks hollow, forehead perspiring and skin a sickly pale.

So it didn't exactly fill Harriet with confidence that, as she drew nearer, she found the resistance from whatever was snagging the underside of her boot becoming stronger, harder to pull away from. Her steps were growing shorter, the closer she got to the tiny lights and heiress the less ground she found herself covering. About halfway to the scene Zwei started to growl, then to whine. Only when she was just about within reach did the situation take an abrupt turn.

"...ℍ𝔸𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕙𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒𝕒!"



The laughter that assailed her ears was less laughter and more the wailed, shrieking cackle of something that wasn't meant to be. It came from one direction only at first, but swiftly grew into a rapturous choir that came from the ceiling, the floor, the walls, even Weiss as the creatures teething on her detached momentarily to angle back towards Harriet, revealing toothed maws that chattered and rumbled as they joined in on the laughter themselves.

The twin glowing lights also whipped towards her, and their intensity and flare dimmed enough to reveal the pupils in the middle that denoted them as eyes all along.

"EEEEEEheeheee, too much! Guess you don't have as much authority as you thought, huh Weissy?! She didn't even listen-to-youuuuuu~ and I can't wait to tell eeeeevery-bodyyyyyy!~"

The chirpy singsong didn't seem like it belonged in the figure's mouth, though it was hard to put a finger on why; more disturbing was the way it also chattered forth from the mouth of the leeches, each and every one of them laser-focused on Harriet now. Save for her eyes and the way her movements charted the darkness like it was her own, like she was a shark swimming through water, there wasn't anything to distinguish her from an innocent, excitable young woman in a hood... until she saw it. Around the eyes and around the cheekbones, throbbing and squirming under the layer of skin as if they had minds of their own. Inky black veins of grimm.

It was also around this moment that she became aware she couldn't lift her feet anymore. Tendrils like the ones constricting Weiss had emerged from the 'floor' and coiled around the ex-Ace Op's boots, more still snaking up around her ankles and legs as an urgent whine started to build in Zwei's throat. The first time one of the tendrils brushed against bare skin it stopped, hovered for a moment like a cobra about to strike, then did; it didn't breach her aura when it darted in, but rather opened its maw and latched onto it with teeth much like the ones Harriet had glimpsed plaguing Weiss earlier. The pain was like a hot knife sticking into her, yet simultaneously something that ran a deeper shade of spiritual than anything that could be inflicted on flesh or blood; it gave Harriet a vague impression of the sheer overwhelming agony Weiss must have been in for the duration of her dressing down, considering how many of the horrors were gorging themselves on her.

Still, she held her composure. No matter how deep the furrow in her brow was, how pained the tremble in her lips as she somehow gasped out another complete sentence. "...Stop... She can't see the exit..."

"B-b-but the poow widdle wabbit can't see de exit." There was an air of mocking sympathy in the way she imitated Weiss's lower lip wobble, gently curling the politician's hair around one finger. "True, buuuuuuuut I don't care. Dismissing your entire security team to give us some alone time was a nice gesture 'n all, boo, but now that this one's here I think I'd rather just eat her. Time to accept that you just don't have control over the situation anymore!" She finished in another happy chirp. To her credit, the heiress's breath was deep, steady and collected.

Then she exploded, pale blue fire roaring from the corners of her eyes as the temperature in the room dropped and strange winds started to howl. "IF YOU TOUCH ONE HAIR ON MY DOG'S COAT I WILL-"

There was a sickening spak as Maria flicked her wrist and something black and viscous covered the heiress's eyes, extinguishing the flame with a sizzle akin to a candle being snuffed. Maria's giggle was breathless as she rolled her own eyes in fond exasperation. "Ohmigosh, honey, no you won't. I keep telling you that flashy maiden stuff just makes me feel warm and tingly inside now I'm not all confused from waking up! All magic is either light-"

Her eyes flared.

"-or dark-"

Her veins wriggled.

"-and I'm the only thing in the entire world that's made of both! You silly maidens aren't as special as me. You're just sliced up little cutlets of daddy's ex! My daddy says I'm the most special girl that ever was, the only one of my kind, and that means I can gobble up whatever kind of magic I ᴡᴀɴᴛ!"

That last word seemed to take on a life of its own, erupting from her lips in a dark, feral screech that told a tale of legendary anger and vile intent all on its own, brimming just below the surface of this ostensibly sugary young woman. By now Harriet was ensnared to about the same degree Weiss was, Zwei having long abandoned her to run off yapping into the darkness, with Maria gliding through said darkness to stand before her instead; what she glimpsed there peeking out from under the hood in the darkness for that brief instant was abominable and inhuman. Its sclera had gone blood-red, tinting the shade of silver light still radiating from them, and a mask-like protrusion of bone appeared to have grown out of her face to cover it, the flesh beneath black and gummy like tar, and its jaw was opening further and further in a way no humanoid's jaw should as the red light within beckoned-

Spoiler

She suddenly smacked herself, forcing it back down.

"Bad, Reaper! You wait until I say!"


​

Yang had been crouched by the entrance of the cellar, insofar as she knew right alongside the other two as they listened in. She honestly had no idea what she was getting into down here; just that Qrow seemed pretty confident betting against the combo of Weiss Schnee plus winter maiden which, if Yang let herself put her ego aside for at least a few seconds of objective contemplation, was an honestly busted-ass pairing of abilities and willpower as far as she was concerned; if her Weiss was the winter maiden, she'd be advocating for them to just go knock on Salem's door and let the girl work. So when she went on this heroic charge, she knew that whatever they'd been running into had to be nasty. She just also thought Weiss would still be fighting, like she always was, even this one.

This was, uh... not what she expected.

She'd been chewing her lip, her hand gripped on the side of the cellar door and tightening as she took it all in. She... didn't even know how to approach this. Weiss was already out of commission, it sounded like bunnycop hadn't even gotten a word in edgewise, and as much as Yang wanted to just crash in and start beating face, the... whatever the hell this was already had two hostages.

"...So what do you guys know about-"

"ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴏʀꜱᴇʟꜱ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ"

"Duh! Obviously I already knew about those dudes creepin' over there, I was gonna get to them in a minute! Now they know that!"

Weiss couldn't see with the shadow covering her eyes, but that didn't make her any less quick on the uptake as she hissed and whirled her head in that direction, restrained as it was. "Yang, LEAVE! You can't possibly-"

The tar expanded to cover her entire face, whatever she'd been planning to say reduced to general suffocation noises. Maria's voice took its place, a sharp, pitched gasp that betrayed her excitement in every way imaginable. "Yang?! No waaaaaaay!"

Ah crap.

She immediately stood up and flexed her hand into a fist-

However long the trio had been there, however much of that they had seen, the way they were beset was very sudden. All three found themselves alone, Qrow and Raven yanked off by something curling around their legs and sequestered to their own corners of total darkness.

Yang, meanwhile, found herself with her arm linked chummily, being led over to the grisly scene like it was something Maria couldn't wait to show off. "You have no idea how much I've been dying to meet you! The Yang Xiao Long around these parts is sorta just a one-note punk. Seriously, NO ONE likes her. I mean heck, even I'm more of a sister to Ruby than she is! Not that that's such a bad thing. My wonderful little Maskie's gonna be just like me someday!~"

She giggled and primped, bouncing her shoulder-length curls of hair.

"But YOU! Full disclosure, I've actually been living around you guys for a while now. Watching you. Trying to figure out just what this lady-" She thumbed to a very much still airless Weiss like she was chopped liver. "-thinks her game is. This house is so big, isn't it great? I wish I could live here FOREVER! But daddy asked me to check on things here, so I really have to go home soon!!!!"

The fragmented, hollowed-out shell of the Grimm Reaper didn't seem any more capable of controlling the varying turns her stream of consciousness took or general chatterbox nature any more than a child would, but managed to return to the point this time.

"Anyway, you!!!!!!!! You even made friends with a stony-heart ice queen like this one?! That is so cooooooollllllll! How can I get humans to like me that way???? All my friends are Grimm!"

She pouted, sullen and dissatisfied. About a dozen of the leeches clinging to Weiss and Harriet pulled away to look at her questioningly, prompting a frenzied flailing of her hands.

"N-no no, I like you guys! It just gets a little boring always talking about devastation and carnage and stuff!"

They held the eerie stare a moment longer, but eventually swiveled away to resume feeding as Maria sighed in relief.

"-Aaaaaand were walkin! Sure! Why not?"

That was all Yang managed to say at first as she suddenly found herself being led down into the cellar, an anxious grin on her face as her brain worked a mile a minute. She liked to think her aura was pretty tuned. She wasn't as good as Blake or Rhubarb when it came to sensing a hit before it came, but she was pretty darn good at keeping tabs on someone in a brawl even when her eyes couldn't do the watching. It came with the territory of having the shadow clone jutsu master and 'literally just a big ass cloud of speedy flower petals on a whim' as sparring partners, but one minute she'd been ready to throw hands with something below and the next that thing was already next to her and just, like, so excited to be here!

She listened all the way through Maria's babbling, genuinely filing it away and doing her best at processing the various heavy hits that just kept coming in that overly casual tone, but at the same time her eyes were flickering across the room to take everything she could in. This was bad. Uncle and mom were already snagged, and if Weiss couldn't bust out she doubted they could. More to the point, however....

As Maria neared the end of her little spiel, Yang's brow slowly furrowed with a curious frown. "...Not to... ignore everything you just said, we'll get back to that but...you sound... familiar?" she ventured as she turned to stare at Maria's mask "....Waiiiit a minute."

Everyone else watching heard it; that tone of recognition, but there was no way even Yang Xiao Long was this dumb, even about this. Blake, Ruby, Weiss, giving them the benefit of the doubt and then some was almost to be expected. But with everything going on, there was no way she'd-

"Ooooh my gosh, Maria?!"

She snatched one of Maria's hands in her own to lift up as she gasped, her eyes filled with shocked delight. "You don't have to make friends with me you dork, we already are friends! Wow, you're so young here, how wild is that?! and you still have your eyes! Its so cool to finally meet the other you! Hey, hey-" she started to say as she grinned in amusement and let go of Maria's hand to nudge her in the side with her elbow. "You and Pietro, you still almost a thing here? Don't act like you aren't if you are, if anyone's chemistry is hoppin timelines it'd be you two."

 

[MidwayLives]

And yes, she could do that.

"FINE! I was planning on quitting anyway! You stuck up, rude, selfish-"

Harriet's rant was cut off as she finally got a look at what exactly happened to Schnee. Her anger temporarily subsiding in favor of disgust. Rude as she might have been, Harriet didn't wanna see her bound up like some nightmare fetishist's dream come true. "I'm gonna get you down from there-"
​

The laughter that assailed her ears was less laughter and more the wailed, shrieking cackle of something that wasn't meant to be. It came from one direction only at first, but swiftly grew into a rapturous choir that came from the ceiling, the floor, the walls, even Weiss as the creatures teething on her detached momentarily to angle back towards Harriet, revealing toothed maws that chattered and rumbled as they joined in on the laughter themselves.

The twin glowing lights also whipped towards her, and their intensity and flare dimmed enough to reveal the pupils in the middle that denoted them as eyes all along.

"YOU! You're the one behind this! You jsut made the biggest mistake of your life!"

Harriet's semblance flared and she let out a savage scream as she struggled in vain against the floor itself it seemed.

"I"M GOING TO END YOU!!!!"
​

t was also around this moment that she became aware she couldn't lift her feet anymore. Tendrils like the ones constricting Weiss had emerged from the 'floor' and coiled around the ex-Ace Op's boots, more still snaking up around her ankles and legs as an urgent whine started to build in Zwei's throat. The first time one of the tendrils brushed against bare skin it stopped, hovered for a moment like a cobra about to strike, then did; it didn't breach her aura when it darted in, but rather opened its maw and latched onto it with teeth much like the ones Harriet had glimpsed plaguing Weiss earlier. The pain was like a hot knife sticking into her, yet simultaneously something that ran a deeper shade of spiritual than anything that could be inflicted on flesh or blood; it gave Harriet a vague impression of the sheer overwhelming agony Weiss must have been in for the duration of her dressing down, considering how many of the horrors were gorging themselves on her.

Still, she held her composure. No matter how deep the furrow in her brow was, how pained the tremble in her lips as she somehow gasped out another complete sentence. "...Stop... She can't see the exit..."

"B-b-but the poow widdle wabbit can't see de exit." There was an air of mocking sympathy in the way she imitated Weiss's lower lip wobble, gently curling the politician's hair around one finger. "True, buuuuuuuut I don't care. Dismissing your entire security team to give us some alone time was a nice gesture 'n all, boo, but now that this one's here I think I'd rather just eat her. Time to accept that you just don't have control over the situation anymore!" She finished in another happy chirp. To her credit, the heiress's breath was deep, steady and collected.

Harriet did what she was told.

For the most part anyway. Bureaucrats like Schnee just pissed her off. No matter how hard she may have tried to hide it.

This was a deadly situation and Harriet simply couldn't just turn tail and run.

So even as the pain wracked her body, her eyes were fixed in a hateful glare, unbreaking even as she wanted to call out and scream.

Her body was overwhelmed by the creatures that attacked it but as minuscule as it may have been, she tried to struggle all the same.

Monster or no, no damn thing in the night would break Harriet Bree's spirit.

​

 

[MidwayLives]

Apparently Cinder settled on smile awkwardly and hope for the best. "Yo." She threw up a shaky peace sign.

Neo looked nothing if not disgusted by the attempt at a peaceful greeting.

That damn face of hers really pissed Neo off.

It brought back bad memories like....

If it hadn't been for those damn Maiden powers, Neo would have killed the bitch right then and there. Would it have felt good in the long run? Probably not. But in the short term: hell yeah!

On the other hand, seeing this face and the eyepatch did remind Neo of something else...

Hahaha, okay okay, that was pretty great.

If they were going to be working together, Neo supposed she'd just have to suck up whatever feelings she may have had and stow them for now.

That didn't mean she was going to like one minute of it though.

After rolling her eyes, Neo held onto Roman's hat and did a graceful bow towards Cinder and company.

For the time being Neopolitian and all the skills she brought to the figurative table would be at their disposal.

....For now.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

As Maria neared the end of her little spiel, Yang's brow slowly furrowed with a curious frown. "...Not to... ignore everything you just said, we'll get back to that but...you sound... familiar?" she ventured as she turned to stare at Maria's mask "....Waiiiit a minute."

Everyone else watching heard it; that tone of recognition, but there was no way even Yang Xiao Long was this dumb, even about this. Blake, Ruby, Weiss, giving them the benefit of the doubt and then some was almost to be expected. But with everything going on, there was no way she'd-

"Ooooh my gosh, Maria?!"

She snatched one of Maria's hands in her own to lift up as she gasped, her eyes filled with shocked delight. "You don't have to make friends with me you dork, we already are friends! Wow, you're so young here, how wild is that?! and you still have your eyes! Its so cool to finally meet the other you! Hey, hey-" she said as she grinned in a amusement to let go of Maria's hand and nudge her in the side with her elbow. "You and Pietro, you still almost a thing here? Don't act like you aren't if you are, if anyone's chemistry is hoppin timelines it'd be you two."

Yang wasn't completely sure, but even with her lungs starved and desperately trying to draw breath that wouldn't come she thought she heard a small muffled 'ugh' from Weiss's direction.

"Cripple say wuuuuuuuuuuuuut?"

Maria's bone mask receded into her face as she stared at Yang with what would've been a comically stupefied look if the existence wearing it hadn't been such a horrifying one, or if the visual of watching bone sink into flesh that seemed more akin to Grimm goop than anything actually biological wasn't genuinely disturbing. Quick to reform around it, and confirm her theory, were the bright-eyed and innocent features of Maria during her adventurous years, a shine in her eyes of entirely non-magical origin as her mouth fell open.

"...Um... you mean you actually wanna be friends with me? You're not gonna get mad or scared?"

She looked genuinely puzzled, eyes drifting upwards in intense thought as she tapped her chin and relinked Yang's elbow again.

"...Gee I dunno, lady, I mean you are nice and all but this is usually just a thing I do with people before I... You know... eat 'em. Plus, you're kiiiiiiiinda already standing in my..."

Her eyes locked with Yang's again as they slowly narrowed, and the huntress could actually see the decision being made across the monstrosity's face that she didn't have to share everything with the other girl right away just because they were totally best friends forever now.

"...neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnd."

She smirked to herself like she thought she just pulled something pretty sneaky herself. Wow, who would've thought! Her first fully human, non Grimm-aligned friend!

"Pietro, huh?" She giggled lightly into her hand, before suddenly her expression got a little more wacky and she leaned forward with abrupt gusto despite the hunch spontaneously manifesting in her shoulders, leer Yang directly in the eye. "Sounds pretty CUTE! He is, right?!"

Her voice had completely changed, too, taking on an aged quality that honestly sounded more or less exactly like the Maria Yang was familiar with. With their arms linked and her random spinal hunch it suddenly felt like she was walking an old lady across the street or something. Said old lady cracked a lopsided grin, sighing wistfully as she reminisced.

"Ahhhhh. Lemme tell ya, I've known more than a few Pietros in my t-"

To her credit, she didn't yell as she was dragged off by a painfully familiar thing, fading into the darkness as she got separated from the others. She took it in stride, or as much as she could, and instead sliced out with Omen to sever the infernal things wrapping around her legs. All to get back onto her feet and into a better stance. "You again. It's way too soon. I was personally hoping to see you again...never, ideally." Raven muttered, gripping her sword tightly with one hand and the other sparking up with a fire in her palm to illuminate this void to some degree.

"-ꜱᴋʀᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇ!"

The elderly disposition vanished, replaced by a face that Yang would probably remember for the rest of her life quite honestly even with as quickly as it whipped away from her to stare off towards a completely random corner of the darkness at an angle that should've had every bone in her neck snap. Instead the motion was completely, eerily silent, and the only crunch Yang heard was a quiet and distant one before the reaper whipped her attention back towards her pleasantly.

"That nipped a bit. So what were you saying? Ooh, also, that's only gonna keep getting tighter sweetie."

She added that last part to Harriet with a wince.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Yang wasn't completely sure, but even with her lungs starved and desperately trying to draw breath that wouldn't come she thought she heard a small muffled 'ugh' from Weiss's direction.

"Cripple say wuuuuuuuuuuuuut?"

Maria's bone mask receded into her face as she stared at Yang with what would've been a comically stupefied look if the existence wearing it hadn't been such a horrifying one, or if the visual of watching bone sink into flesh that seemed more akin to Grimm goop than anything actually biological wasn't genuinely disturbing. Quick to reform around it, and confirm her theory, were the bright-eyed and innocent features of Maria during her adventurous years, a shine in her eyes of entirely non-magical origin as her mouth fell open.

"...Um... you mean you actually wanna be friends with me? You're not gonna get mad or scared?"

She looked genuinely puzzled, eyes drifting upwards in intense thought as she tapped her chin and relinked Yang's elbow again.

"...Gee I dunno, lady, I mean you are nice and all but this is usually just a thing I do with people before I... You know... eat 'em. Plus, you're kiiiiiiiinda already standing in my..."

Her eyes locked with Yang's again as they slowly narrowed, and the huntress could actually see the decision being made across the monstrosity's face that she didn't have to share everything with the other girl right away just because they were totally best friends forever now.

"...neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnd."

She smirked to herself like she thought she just pulled something pretty sneaky herself. Wow, who would've thought! Her first fully human, non Grimm-aligned friend!

"Pietro, huh?" She giggled lightly into her hand, before suddenly her expression got a little more wacky and she leaned forward with abrupt gusto despite the hunch spontaneously manifesting in her shoulders, leer Yang directly in the eye. "Sounds pretty CUTE! He is, right?!"

Her voice had completely changed, too, taking on an aged quality that honestly sounded more or less exactly like the Maria Yang was familiar with. With their arms linked and her random spinal hunch it suddenly felt like she was walking an old lady across the street or something. Said old lady cracked a lopsided grin, sighing wistfully as she reminisced.

"Ahhhhh. Lemme tell ya, I've known more than a few Pietros in my t-"



"-ꜱᴋʀᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇᴇ!"

The elderly disposition vanished, replaced by a face that Yang would probably remember for the rest of her life quite honestly even with as quickly as it whipped away from her to stare off towards a completely random corner of the darkness at an angle that should've had every bone in her neck snap. Instead the motion was completely, eerily silent, and the only crunch Yang heard was a quiet and distant one before the reaper whipped her attention back towards her pleasantly.

"That nipped a bit. So what were you saying? Ooh, also, that's only gonna keep getting tighter sweetie."

She added that last part to Harriet with a wince.​

"...Yea!" She finally said in response, after a few seconds of staring blankly into the dark in the direction of the crunch. She was all smiles as her gaze swung back to Maria's, a wry grin on her face she didn't so much wave everything around them as wiggle her arm without unhooking it. "I mean, if I'm being honest I'm not exactly vibing with all this, but just because you're not the Maria I know doesn't mean you're not still Maria, y'know? You even sounded just like the one I knew a few seconds ago, Haha! how wacky!"

She turned and started ambling back towards the Cellar's exit, her own tone drifting towards a stream of consciousness babble as she continued. "And oh yea, definitely cute, he's like, a total silver fox. eight outta ten on the dad bod scale, and suuper smart and funny. He literally built his own daughter and put some of is own soul inside her. Whoa, now that I think about it, that's a lot like what it sounds like what Ozzy did to you, isn't it? Great mind's n'all I guess." she continued, connecting a few dots on her own with some impressive deductive reasoning combined with the mental trauma of seeing a face Do That Thing.

"But hey, before I pass you his number, I gotta say something." She stopped their stroll to unhook their arms so she could firmly grasp Maria's shoulder, a soft smile on her face.

"Thank you. I was so worried that Ruby didn't have anyone here after meeting that other me, that she was all alone in whatever big creepy castle Ozpin calls home. I'm glad that's not the case; that whatever world Ruby ends up in, she's got a big sister on her side."

The words were startlingly sincere, pulled out of a piece of Yang's heart that had been untouched by all the emotional ravaging she'd taken over the years. A pure and clean note of warmth that she held close to her soul whenever she needed a reminder of who she was and what she fought for. It something every good huntress needed, honestly. A part of yourself that only ever called up the best part of you. It was one of the basics they taught at Beacon.

It made it really hard to sneak up on grimm if they picked all that negative energy of how much you wanted them dead.

She was honestly flying by the seat of her pants here. She wasn't even sure this was where it landed after Zwei dropped it down the steps, it was too dark for such absolutes. There was even a chance Maria knew where it was and exactly what she was doing, if she saw so easy in this nasty gloom, and even if she didn't, like hell could Yang be sure it was gonna hurt her as much as it was gonna hurt Yang. And worst of all... Weiss was gonna be so, so mad at her even if it did work.

Oh well. Even if Yang absolutely didn't want her dead or tortured by whatever the hell was wearing Maria's old skin like a flesh suit, she probably deserved a tweak on the nose or six for the kidnapping and all. And this was the best Yang could come up with given that she was unarmed, down an arm, and punching way over her league.

So if it all worked out, and she read the bounces right, she stomped on myrtenaster's hilt with all her might to try and ignite all the dust in it at once.

And if that did go as planned, she wasn't in the cellar anymore; she was a floor up, in a spare room, halfway embedded in the ceiling as she coughed up plaster and a few chips of wood flooring.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Yang also didn't really connect the dots that this was a wine cellar and what that kind of an explosion might do to that much alcohol but it was fine

 

[Indolent]

Neo being a murder glutton

"I...I..." Cinder struggled to accept that, even as much as she had missed Hazel. Her attempts of minutes ago to try and figure out if they had any plans had been less genuine attempts to team up and lowkey more to give herself a plan before she left them behind. So convinced was she that her greater power also came with the greater responsibility here, not to mention how much she didn't want to see Hazel or Gretchen or any of them continue to get hurt that...that she hadn't been looking at it that way. That pushing them out as she took on the weight of the whole world by herself, with zero regard for how that might kill her...she hadn't given any real thought about her own death would hurt them if it did go that way. It was hard to listen to that, to accept the logic...because she truly couldn't argue against the fact that she'd insist as Hazel said, were somebody else sitting in her position.

That she would making the friends make you stronger argument herself, were the situation reversed. It was difficult to give voice to her guilt in the wake of that...as well as...



"............................................" Her gaze lowered to the floor of the car in the wake of that understandably frustrated and angry reply, as well as Hazel's silent agreement. She didn't manage to bring herself to say any words as the other huntress exited the escape car. It was almost a minute later that she managed to whisper an apology. She'd been lucky enough to be the recipient of these powers, but that didn't make her an authority on the matter despite her guilt. She was no leader. Yes, she was free to make her own choices, but so were they. By the time she lifted her head back up to look at Hazel, she'd seemingly accepted that. Her mouth was opening to ask him to ignore what the teenage maiden had just said so they could go on, figure it out together.

The words never came though, her eyes narrowing something as she looked through the front windshield.

It was around this time, as their car ride away from Argus and that whole messy show back there had come to an abrupt stop far off from the coastal city, that they could see a dot on the horizon getting bigger and bigger as it flew closer and closer to them. Gradually that dot got became more distinct as an airship, and not just any airship. It was Mistralian in design but it stood out in stark contrast to the typical ones used by their government and police forces. Even at this distance they could see it was dark green, and the nearer it got the jagged sharp lines painted across a portion of the front became more recognizable as sharpened teeth. The Tock vibes were strong.

"Wait a sec..." Cinder suddenly remarked once she realized that sense of familiarity with the huntress they'd met at the bar. She leaned over and rolled down one of the back windows, thrusting a hand out and shooting a ball of fire straight up into the air as a sort of flare.

The pilot of the ship seemed to get the message as the ship's course adjusted to head straight for them. When it was close enough, it swirled in to come for a stop nearby. After a few moments, as might have been predicted, Tock herself popped into view, the croc eyeing their ride with an amused look. "How's it goin'?" The faunus remarked with a grin. "Headin' somewhere specific? Thought ya guys were supposed to be headin' for Atlas. That's the other way, y'know. We're on our way there, at least."

"We?" Cinder questioned from the backseat.

"Uh-huh." Tock answered with a nod, thumbing over her shoulder to the side at something further inside the ship. "See, I've run in certain circles in the past. At times when Salem's in need of information. Info she suspects the underworld might have. So I went to one of the local bosses in Mistral to see if maybe she'd have details on the Atlesian blockade that's closing their kingdom off, or maybe ask her to divulge any discreet 'trade routes' that could get into the kingdom despite all that. Nobody gets past security like seasoned criminals, yeah? Figured it was worth a shot to see if she would play ball and share before I tried to follow after Ray and the others. 'Cept I didn't find that. Found these two instead."​

Whatever the words would have been, Cinder could take solace in knowing that Hazel would have been by her side regardless. The same, in spite of the outburst, could be said for Gretchen. As tense and emotional that confrontation had been in its brevity, it was a direly needed one that served to clarify matters for them. So were it not for the timely appearance of the immortal crocodile, the next step on their now-collective agenda would have been to exact a method of reaching Atlas since the events of Argus spelled a death knell of any plan there.

The faunus's appearance elicited mild surprised from the larger Rainart still trapped within the diminutive vehicle, his anxiety at the fact supremely disguised by his focusing on Tock's words with interest, a slow and calculated nod of the head speaking volumes to it. It was trivial summoning the first time Team WTCH and MTEN along with their chaperones had met Tock in the underbelly of Mistral, and how she was so quick to illuminate them on her methods and style. So in a way, the mild surprise stemmed only from her appearance as if the God of Light had overseen their plight, laughed himself silly at their daunting odds, and just ever so angled Tock's path to intersect with theirs.

"We were supposed to be but there's a blockade plus... General Carnelian is in Argus. You can imagine the situation we found ourselves in." Hazel's words rumbled from inside.

As for the passengers Tocks mentioned having along, the first that made her appearance coerced a spontaneous reaction from Hazel, the body of the car peeling apart as if it were a can of sardines with the teenager striding forth from the wreck with malefic energy. It would have shifted to intent were it not for the fact that it was Tock who stood before them with her in tow, speaking to the set of circumstances there. Add in that his eminent concern was Cinder's safety and it was why he took up her flank, casting a shadow over Neo as he absolutely just stared at her, remembering Beacon. Remembering the word he got regarding Neo at Haven.

"....." Great I haven't even said a single freaking word to Neo upon reuniting after that bad night in the camp and already she's giving me some serious stinkeye oh god I can't win here what do, someone help, Salem take the wheel, I--wait. Cinder squinted, taking a deeper look and studying the woman more thoroughly. It isn't my Neo. Of course it isn't! Why would she have been found there anyway, huntress in training to criminal would be one really really really bad jump in career options not to mention totally wrong, like why would she even...oh god did team MTE--...team MEN break up for good too? Please no. Don't let it be that. Can't ask that directly though, no tact with that. Argh...what to do what to do???

Apparently Cinder settled on smile awkwardly and hope for the best. "Yo." She threw up a shaky peace sign.​

Cinder found an assuring force in the form of a stoat clambering to her shoulder, contentedly perched there complete with a yawn and a slow blink of his peepers as he joined Hazel as his one plus in staring, eyes fast affixed throughout the bowing and all. It probably wasn't going to be enough considering the next that emerged from Tock's ship was yet another familiar face.



Apprehension was plain in her features, a hand idly clasping the framing of the ship's hatch as she looked over the miserable gathering of a maiden and her two accomplices. The parallel could have been drawn were she not trying to ignore it. She ate the mounting anxiety and descended towards them, hands pressed against the small of her back as she attempted to strike a placating and friendly demeanor in one, knowing fully well that they definitely had the understanding of whom was who and the prevalent role reversals. Emerald reasonably had her trepidations about it all, especially considering the raging Hazel was knew of likely translated to a similar Hazel here and oh boy was he emoting similar energy at the moment.

But the one who acted surprisingly on impulse was the tinier Rainart, leveraging her crossbow for Emerald over Neo for some reason, as she erupted from the brush after she'd stalked off into the woods in anger earlier.

"I realize it's Miss Tock but given the circumstances, I don't find myself so trusting of those clearly from the other world just yet. Especially Neo there but I'm more concerned about this one."

"... Heeeeeh?" Emerald squawked, befuddled by the bizarre direction this had taken, before recouping her composure nearly within the same instant she'd lost it, "Hey, you should know we're why your friends of Team... MEN? How horrible is that, what is wrong with you. Haven't gotten messed with since Mistral turned into a Mad Max paradise for everyone coming north from Kushinashi--"

"Like I give a crap."

"Okaaaaay. Well."

Cinder felt the impromptu jabbing of one shoulder, opposite from where Brosel rested, and as she turned to see red eyes staring back, Emerald would have indicated towards Gretchen aiming her weapon at absolutely nothing.

"Yeah, this is completely awkward for me too but y'know, we don't have time for this."

 

[MyrtenRose]

After rolling her eyes, Neo held onto Roman's hat and did a graceful bow towards Cinder and company.

For the time being Neopolitian and all the skills she brought to the figurative table would be at their disposal.

....For now.

Oooooooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, well. This Neo was unlikely to ever be a good friend with her, in any sense of the word friend, but so long as she was willing to work with(or so it seemed from that bow), then that was good enough for Cinder. She broke off the awkward stare in favor of literally anyone else.​

"We were supposed to be but there's a blockade plus... General Carnelian is in Argus. You can imagine the situation we found ourselves in." Hazel's words rumbled from inside.

"Oh yeah, no worries there!" Tock replied with a confident grin. "I mean, yeah, I sure wouldn't like the odds of my ship gettin' past all that on its own..." The croc stepped over closer. "...But--"​

But the one who acted surprisingly on impulse was the tinier Rainart, leveraging her crossbow for Emerald over Neo for some reason, as she erupted from the brush after she'd stalked off into the woods in anger earlier.

"I realize it's Miss Tock but given the circumstances, I don't find myself so trusting of those clearly from the other world just yet. Especially Neo there but I'm more concerned about this one."

"... Heeeeeh?" Emerald squawked, befuddled by the bizarre direction this had taken, before recouping her composure nearly within the same instant she'd lost it, "Hey, you should know we're why your friends of Team... MEN? How horrible is that, what is wrong with you. Haven't gotten messed with since Mistral turned into a Mad Max paradise for everyone coming north from Kushinashi--"

"Like I give a crap."

"Okaaaaay. Well."

"Whoa whoa hey, curb the hostility! Or distrust, guess distrust is a better word. Yeah okay, maybe you don't have much reason to trust 'em but chill out about it. They've been on my ship for some time and didn't try to start any shit. Plus, y'know, that one there-" Tock indicated Emerald. "-apparently helped Ray and her otherworldly twin out of a jam from what I heard. Reckon that's enough to give 'em a chance, but what the hell do I know? We only kinda need one or both of 'em, that's all. Just that little detail. Absolutely not crucial, no waaaay." The sarcasm was strong in this one. "Oh, and, just Tock's cool. Don't 'ave to be so formal." ​

Cinder felt the impromptu jabbing of one shoulder, opposite from where Brosel rested, and as she turned to see red eyes staring back, Emerald would have indicated towards Gretchen aiming her weapon at absolutely nothing.

"Yeah, this is completely awkward for me too but y'know, we don't have time for this."

The teenager looked away from where she was giving Brosel the lightest of scratches and over towards Emerald. "Yeah. You're right on that, other Em. Er, Emerald." She hurriedly corrected, not sure if this one would be comfortable with the nickname usage. "Well then, Tock--"

"So, as I was sayin' before I got interrupted!" Tock cut in, seemingly not caring as she herself interrupted the fall maiden. Cinder's shoulders slumped a little but after a second she just shrugged. It was whatever. "Y'know, I read the files of all ya students that came my way." Her gaze shifted from Emerald to Neo and back a few times in quick succession. "With that in mind, assumin' that you two have the same semblances as your younger selves here...do either of ya figure ya can work that power on that?" Tock thumbed over her shoulder towards her ship. "I dunno, maybe disguise it as an Atlas ship? Or as a cloud, maybe? If we go slow enough to pose as one...or maybe just make it outright invisible? Can either of ya do any of that? Or well, do anything beyond those that could get us in easier?"​

 

[MidwayLives]

With that in mind, assumin' that you two have the same semblances as your younger selves here...do either of ya figure ya can work that power on that?" Tock thumbed over her shoulder towards her ship. "I dunno, maybe disguise it as an Atlas ship? Or as a cloud, maybe? If we go slow enough to pose as one...or maybe just make it outright invisible? Can either of ya do any of that? Or well, do anything beyond those that could get us in easier?"

Neo didn't know about fully invisible but the former part brought a grin to her face.

Holding up a hand, Neo stepped forward and focused.

"....................."

It took a great deal of concentration. Something she needed to hold on for as long as she could but with a bit of time?

Tock's airship was 'rocking' a new look entirely, that being of one of Atlas's ships.

Anything else she'd have to leave up to Emerald.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"...Yea!" She finally said in response, after a few seconds of staring blankly into the dark in the direction of the crunch. She was all smiles as her gaze swung back to Maria's, a wry grin on her face she didn't so much wave everything around them as wiggle her arm without unhooking it. "I mean, if I'm being honest I'm not exactly vibing with all this, but just because you're not the Maria I know doesn't mean you're not still Maria, y'know? You even sounded just like the one I knew a few seconds ago, Haha! how wacky!"

"...Yea!" Came her lively echo, the cloaked demon apparently fully enthused at the way this seemed to be going but having absolutely no idea what to do or say to someone who actually wanted to be her friend. It almost called to memory images of Ruby when she was young, nervous and more socially awkward.

She turned and started ambling back towards the Cellar's exit, her own tone drifting towards a stream of consciousness babble as she continued. "And oh yea, definitely cute, he's like, a total silver fox. eight outta ten on the dad bod scale, and suuper smart and funny. He literally built his own daughter and put some of is own soul inside her. Whoa, now that I think about it, that's a lot like what it sounds like what Ozzy did to you, isn't it? Great mind's n'all I guess." she continued, connecting a few dots on her own with some impressive deductive reasoning combined with the mental trauma of seeing a face Do That Thing.

"...........Yea!!" She repeated just as enthusiastically, though with a bit of perturbed hesitance as she started dragging behind Yang's pull with more resistance than the huntress wanted but less than she was probably dreading. "Hey, where are we going?"

Yang soon discovered the first snag in her plan, which was that besides the light emitted by Maria's eyes themselves she couldn't see anything down here. She knew she should've been able to see the entrance they came through, but her experience was identical to Harriet's in that she just didn't. In fact, from the vague outlines she could see this didn't even look like any kind of a wine cellar; occasionally she caught a vague outline of something that looked like it could've been a shelf or cask, but the material coating it didn't look to be wood or anything else born of construction work. It was just... black.

And slithery.

It made the whole thing an even bigger feat of guesswork. She thought this might've been the spot, but...

"But hey, before I pass you his number, I gotta say something." She stopped their stroll to unhook their arms so she could firmly grasp Maria's shoulder, a soft smile on her face.

"Yah huh?" She asked skeptically, Yang having broken from their seemingly aimless walk routine just in the nick of time to nip what was going to be a very scrutinizing, predatory, and downright terrifying stare from her new buddy in the bud as a certain inkling started to dawn on her.

It was during her subsequent words that the blonde felt Myrtenaster's ornate hilt gently roll up against her heel, followed by the muted pitter-patter of something tiny and four legged getting the hell out of there like its life depended on it. It was honestly a miracle Maria didn't notice considering what her semblance was, if this husk of a creature could even still access it, but frankly she appeared so engrossed in Yang's eyes and words that not much else was registering.

"Thank you. I was so worried that Ruby didn't have anyone here after meeting that other me, that she was all alone in whatever big creepy castle Ozpin calls home. I'm glad that's not the case; that whatever world Ruby ends up in, she's got a big sister on her side."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

There was a soft flump as Yang found herself way, way closer to this creature than she wanted even in the depths of her commitment to this charade, Maria leaning up against her with wide eyes, one foot popped and a hand on the huntress's collar as she squeaked out excitedly. "Forget Pietro, do YOU wanna go out with me????????"

The sigh she gave was dreamy, features doe-eyed and soft. She could've stayed in this moment fooooooreeeeeveeeeerrrrrrrr-

She was honestly flying by the seat of her pants here. She wasn't even sure this was where it landed after Zwei dropped it down the steps, it was too dark for such absolutes. There was even a chance Maria knew where it was and exactly what she was doing, if she saw so easy in this nasty gloom, and even if she didn't, like hell could Yang be sure it was gonna hurt her as much as it was gonna hurt Yang. And worst of all... Weiss was gonna be so, so mad at her even if it did work.

Oh well. Even if Yang absolutely didn't want her dead or tortured by whatever the hell was wearing Maria's old skin like a flesh suit, she probably deserved a tweak on the nose or six for the kidnapping and all. And this was the best Yang could come up with given that she was unarmed, down an arm, and punching way over her league.

So if it all worked out, and she read the bounces right, she stomped on myrtenaster's hilt with all her might to try and ignite all the dust in it at once.

And if that did go as planned, she wasn't in the cellar anymore; she was a floor up, in a spare room, halfway embedded in the ceiling as she coughed up plaster and a few chips of wood flooring.

"-Hah?"

In function, Myrtenaster was essentially the same pristine, elegant weapon of mass destruction Yang knew and admired from a respectful distance no matter how many times she asked Weiss if she could touch it. This Weiss actually had let her touch it, and from that brief handling alone she could tell it had started off more or less the same but passed through the hands of numerous top-end weapon technicians throughout the years that separated this Weiss from the other. Its hilt was a bit bulkier, vials slightly denser and chamber sporting eight slots instead of six, all calibrated properly for balance provided its wielder could compensate with a little more strength to wield it.

At least one of those enhancements had apparently been made with the intent of rendering it less likely to blow up in her hand or on her hip, because when Yang drove her heel into the weapon with all her considerable strength all it emitted was a metallic, kind of pathetic sounding DINK.

Maria stared downward at it for a full beat before it clicked what was actually happening, and her reaction was very reasonable all things considered.

"...NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! YOU WERE TRICKING MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE????????? F-FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT US GOING OUT, I WAS TRICKING YOU BACK!" She shrilled like some kind of cartoon character as she sprang back a full meter away from Yang, jabbing a finger at her accusatorily. Her flaring eyes just about illuminated that she was beet red.

"Of course she was tricking you, I was telling you that the entire time and you just ignored me! It was super obvious!"

"I THOUGHT we might get LAID, grandma!"

She huffed, crossing her arms with a petulant glower.

"Whatever, mustard head, you're not even that hot and I hope you got a GOOD LAUGH 'cause this little prank just became the last act of your entire life. BYEEEEEEEEE! NICE KNOWING YOU, NOT REALLY THOOOOO!~"



Two things happened at the same time. The first was that Yang caught movement in her peripheral, a deeper shade of black than all the rest that snaked down from the ceiling and hovered just over her head, parting its mouth to reveal rows and rows of ridged teeth and a maw big enough to engulf her entire head in one bite.

The second was that a sudden gust of wind ripped Myrtenaster out from under her heel, the force enough to knock her legs out from under her unless she really planted her feet. The rapier soared off into the darkness, almost elegant in the way it rode the currents as if the winds were beckoning it to a specific destination. It was too dark for Yang to make out said destination, and Maria was sulking way too much to even pay attention; But a red vial sizzled red in the black a moment later, and any doubts as to where it may have ended up were dispelled as an absolutely massive glyph appeared under their feet, big enough to pierce through the veil of darkness and encircle the entire cellar.

Yang also didn't really connect the dots that this was a wine cellar and what that kind of an explosion might do to that much alcohol but it was fine

It went something like this.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

From the perspective of all the living, breathing, untainted humans in the room, for the next few seconds literally everything was fire. Their eyes were fire. Their ears were fire. Even they might have been fire. It really was hard to tell.

Then their vision began to adjust to the abrupt shift from pitch black to searing orange, and the explosion ringing in their ears gradually faded into the horrible ear-grinding screech of multiple voices ringing out in discordant agony, all at once. Maria was flailing a few feet away from Yang, the cloak enveloping her thoroughly ignited in flames as the dark substance that had been coating the cellar's every surface receded to flow back into her in wisps; at least, what little of it hadn't been scorched away already.

An explosion of that magnitude guaranteed at least a severe aura depletion, but the rest of the room's occupants miraculously found themselves unharmed. 'Miraculously', at least, until they noticed the glyph patterns gently twirling above and below them, and any attempt to step outside their circumference was impeded by translucent energy barriers not unlike the kind Atlas's military used for defense.

"So that's where it ended up. Good dog."

It wasn't entirely clear whether she was speaking to Yang, Zwei, or even both. What was evident was that there was absolutely nothing about Weiss's current bearing that was in any way denoting of a playful mood. She was standing in the same place she'd been suspended mere moments ago, a glare of cold, unyielding defiance affixed on her tormentor that felt piercing even to those in the room it wasn't directed at. Myrtenaster was planted firmly in the center of a glyph at her feet, the cyan slot representing hardlight engaged in a continuous burn, and the moment she took her hand off its hilt to brush off her shoulders and fix her nightgown the forcefields surrounding the others fell.

"I'm not in the habit of entertaining guests after a certain hour, but it appears tonight I have several. I do wish you'd called ahead. Would the rest of you mind terribly if I dealt with the most disruptive one first?"

Despite the sarcasm, her tone was hard, lacking in the prim niceties or practiced eloquence the heiress was accustomed to feigning. It compensated for that with how utterly indomitable it was in its coldness, the glacier beneath the tip of the iceberg that was Weiss in her usual state when she hadn't been attacked, belittled and essentially tortured. The sheer willpower condensed into that scowl was terrifying enough when you weren't the recipient; for Maria it must've been unimaginable.

What it didn't do was deter her.

"killyouKILLYOUKILLYOUKILLYOU, ɪ'ʟʟ ᴋɪʟʟ ʏᴏᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜ-"

She and her flapping, regenerating cloak got about two seconds into their nightmarish charge for the councilwoman before she dispassionately checked her nails on one hand while leaning back on Myrtenaster with the other, and the silver-eyed horror splatted against the side of the barrier that sprang up from glyphs above and below her like a bug in a jar. Her screech was furious, her movements frenzied as she began to throw and batter herself against the field in ways that were completely inhuman.

"IT'S STRONG, BUT YOU THINK I WON'T-?!"

Another glyph appeared around the first, which was promptly encircled by another, then another, and all of them projected similar barriers that shimmered over one another in layers.

"Hush now, darling. You're not that frightening in the light, and seeing as the gesture would be wasted on you I can't think of a reason to make this sporting."

Maria stared at this development, one or two doleful blinks given to express her dismay before she turned her head back to Weiss with a petulant whine.

"...Let me oooooouuuuuuuuuttttt! That's mean! You can't just-"

Weiss held up a hand, closing her eyes.

"I am so tired of people saying those words to me. 'I can't'. Has anyone even considered the possibility that maybe I can?"

Maria looked confused, and more importantly like she hated this. "If I say yes will you let me go?!"

She just sighed. "Look. You're Ozpin's reconnaissance, correct?"

The reaper nodded. "I'll tell him you've been good! I promise I will! It's not like I care that much, hehe.~"

Weiss gave a short nod in turn, opening her eyes. "I see. And he can't, I don't know, see the world through your eyes or anything similarly absurd?"

She shook her head eagerly in reply. "That's why I really really do have to get home bef-"

"Good, so take this down."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"...YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Myrtenaster's fire dust vial flared the same burning red that triggered this rapid turnaround, and the glyph under Maria erupted into a swirling tower of flame. It was potent, insatiable, and entirely contained within the barrier as Maria flung herself against it desperately with her shriek; only the figure they saw wasn't the same Maria.

It was a little girl, one that banged against the barrier with Maria's hair and eyes as she wailed and cried desperately like the little girl she appeared to be. "PLEASE STOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO US AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

The panicking little girl was completely submerged by flame as it erupted from the glyph once more, a grisly sight reflected in cool blue eyes that never wavered from their glacial temperature even as the inferno raged before them. She didn't even blink, and if one scanned those eyes they were even liable to find traces of dark satisfaction glimmering in there as she watched those childlike limbs flail.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"This is for every word of nonsense I've had to sit here and endure for the last ten minutes while you indulged yourself. Whatever gave you the idea that negating my magic would negate me? I only just received those gifts, you wretched beast. It's insulting that you overlooked the ones I've worked my entire life to master. Not wield; master. So before you die, care to be enlightened?" Her tone was stern yet composed, pointing out one of Myrtenaster's glowing vials as though administering a lecture. "The pain you're feeling is derived from a strain of fire dust mined in a volcano off the coast of Vacuo. It's the most potent of its kind in the entire world."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"Kkkkkkkkk-k-k-k-k-k-"

She pointed to another. "The reason you can't escape is the copious amounts of hardlight I keep in here. It's a bit excessive, considering it's the rarest kind, but I like to be-"

"Kkkkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllll heeeeeeerrrrrrrrr ʀᴇᴀᴘᴇʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀʀ-"

The demon Harriet had glimpsed earlier suddenly flung itself up against the barrier's first layer with enough force to shatter through it and collide with the second, her wail rising to a high-pitched screech blended with an unholy moan from the deep as the grisly reaper finally emerged in full. It reared back and-

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"No."

She put a hand on her hip, lip curling in faint disapproval at the entity she just saw engulfed in flame. "And to think you actually had the nerve to refer to yourself as special. You?" She scoffed, the very thought ludicrous. "Don't make me laugh! You're just a Grimm! Oh I'm sorry, pardon me; you're a Grimm living in the hollowed out shell of something that used to be human. What exactly DOES that make you? A scavenger? No, that's not quite right. I think the more appropriate term would be parasite."

Her eyes finally sharpened with tangible disdain, but it still only served to sharpen the cold, clinical precision Weiss was dissecting the creature with rather than betray any emotion as she looked on with a derisive sniff. The screaming still hadn't stopped.

"A parasite has been living in my home. A parasite thought it could get the better of me. Would you like to know why that was never going to happen?"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"Because you stood here bragging for ten minutes about gifts that were given to you. How your 'daddy' made you strong. Well this may come as a surprise to you, dear, but so did mine; Except I was given no gifts. He was the first person who ever told me I can't, and far from the last. I had to fight tooth and nail my entire life to become everything I am today. Every boundary had to be shattered, every expectation surpassed, and nothing was ever enough. In my world? It's been perfection or weakness since day one."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"I chose perfection. And that's why your kind will never win. You lack the capacity to grow and achieve, to strive for something better. I am the living embodiment of those qualities, while your father stands as nothing more than a symbol of stagnation and dependency, clinging on to his archaic little ways and magics from an age the rest of us have long since left behind."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"And I can't fathom a more sorry race than you, his creatures of Grimm. I mean, you literally have zero value! You live, kill indiscriminately, and feed off the negative side of humanity's weakest aspect. You are truly pathetic, the one and only pointless existence, and I can fix the rest of the world... but not you. You all have to go."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

"So that's what's going to happen. You can tell me I'm underestimating you all I like, or overestimating myself. That's not what's happening. I'm simply aware that to date I'm the only one who's ever had a serious chance of doing this; Perhaps the only one who ever will. That makes it my duty. The last boundary. The final expectation. When I do this, and I will, I'll finally be able to say Weiss Schnee was enough. And believe it."

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

She paused, fingers ghosting Myrtenaster's hilt as she peered into the dissippating smoke. All glyphs were dispelled, and she snatched the blade up to check her dust reserves and exhale through the nose.

"It's called a soul, dear. It's what we have and you lack that all but guarantees our ability to endure your blight of a species. Frankly, it's what I just killed you with. And you won't find one stronger than mine."

For a few seconds, silence. It wasn't unreasonable to assume whatever was inside the glyphs had died a long time ago, burned away until neither human nor Grimm remained. Only ash.

"...Hak... Hakk... Heh heh..."

What was left of Maria after the smoke cleared couldn't truly lay claim to being anything more than that. It was a blackened, charred husk, its condensed frame so hunched and gnarled it wasn't difficult to imagine it as having once belonged to an old woman. That it was still capable of cognitive thought was a miracle, never mind conscious and capable of speech. Ash chipped and fell away from its lips when it tried to move them.

"Think I, hnehhh, think I still got a soul that's good in here somewhere. Wonder where I left that pesky thing... hehehehe..." It tried to lift its head with its deathly weak cackle, but more and more scorched ashes were falling out in clumps. "...Nothin'? Crickets? Where are all you girls...?"

It quit kidding itself and let its gaze steadily droop again a moment later.

"You really killed the rest, huh? Just me left now... so quiet up here..."

"If what you said about your soul is true, then I'm sorry to hear it." Weiss offered commisseratingly, voice no less unwavering but at least a little softer in delivery as she approached Maria in a stride of resolve.

"...No, I'm sorry... cuz I can see your problem now... heh heh heh heh..."

She slowly raised a crooked, blackened finger to point at her, one that crumbled away almost as soon as she extended it.

"...You're the one that's missing somethi-"

FWIIIIIISH

"Thank you for being the most enlightened lump of charcoal to ever point its finger and gurgle at me." Weiss retorted with an impassive roll of the eyes, turning away from the recently rendered ice sculpture to finally address the other three in the room with no apparent desire to discuss anything else that just happened.

Or rather, address Yang, being that her mother and uncle were both limp and breathing shallowly after their thankfully-brief encounters with the Grimm Reaper.

"So. This is the saddest escape attempt I've ever seen."​

 

[Indolent]

"Whoa whoa hey, curb the hostility! Or distrust, guess distrust is a better word. Yeah okay, maybe you don't have much reason to trust 'em but chill out about it. They've been on my ship for some time and didn't try to start any shit. Plus, y'know, that one there-" Tock indicated Emerald. "-apparently helped Ray and her otherworldly twin out of a jam from what I heard. Reckon that's enough to give 'em a chance, but what the hell do I know? We only kinda need one or both of 'em, that's all. Just that little detail. Absolutely not crucial, no waaaay." The sarcasm was strong in this one. "Oh, and, just Tock's cool. Don't 'ave to be so formal."

"Also, we-- Neo and I-- helped when the General Carnelian assaulted you guys in Tock's place." Emerald murmured, her red eyes striking the thousand yards stare for nary one seconds as she had an image vividly emblazoned within her mind's eye.

Spoiler

Then she frowned and scoffed, rolling the shoulders as the thought was brushed aside akin to the proverbial duck's back. It was so easy to hold a grudge towards someone who absolutely battered her like the man had, to daydream of disproportionate retribution to be meted at out her pleasure. It was the essence of pettiness when it came right down to it. But the thing of it was that Emerald also recognized when a task was just beyond her means. It was why she had been content to prowl the lower levels where the dregs called home, familiar territory as it was, robbing those even remotely able to ward off the common thief completely blind. Why she was more than pleased to work with Cinder, making her plans go off smoothly towards a grander goal. It was of a different league than attempting to abscond with something of value from a nobleman's palace-- like say, the Schnee's manor-- on her lonesome. Confidence was the ballpark in knowing what it was you could and could do, overconfidence was reaching beyond your limits.

To strike back at an esteemed member of the Atlesian military was tantamount to a cardboard coffin in the pauper's fields.

But as peopled loved to say, nay, throw the platitudes around, it was always good to dream big and reach for the skies. Well, the latter was quite literally achievable in this case.

"You say that but if you wanted the direct route into Atlas, Neo's semblance is better than mine. If you follow the 'trading' routes I've given, it's still nice having her in our pocket in case they've decided to play fast and loose with their patrols. I'm better for it when it comes to being extra convincing or playing the red herring."

Or, y'know, just terrorizing someone into a gibbering mess. That was always fun.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa, hey, don't you use your semblance on me!"

"Oh, she noticed." Emerald drawled, ducking under an annoyed, halfhearted swipe from the miffed Gretchen, prompting the timely intercession by Hazel who prompted the cessation of hostilities on her part with a hand as he stared at the comparatively diminutive thief. Before he could even speak, "It is so freaking weird that even here, you're emitting big dad energy."

It was enough to strike him silent in his confusion.

The teenager looked away from where she was giving Brosel the lightest of scratches and over towards Emerald. "Yeah. You're right on that, other Em. Er, Emerald." She hurriedly corrected, not sure if this one would be comfortable with the nickname usage. "Well then, Tock--"

"So, as I was sayin' before I got interrupted!" Tock cut in, seemingly not caring as she herself interrupted the fall maiden. Cinder's shoulders slumped a little but after a second she just shrugged. It was whatever. "Y'know, I read the files of all ya students that came my way." Her gaze shifted from Emerald to Neo and back a few times in quick succession. "With that in mind, assumin' that you two have the same semblances as your younger selves here...do either of ya figure ya can work that power on that?" Tock thumbed over her shoulder towards her ship. "I dunno, maybe disguise it as an Atlas ship? Or as a cloud, maybe? If we go slow enough to pose as one...or maybe just make it outright invisible? Can either of ya do any of that? Or well, do anything beyond those that could get us in easier?"

There was just something... bizarre about this entire situation, this interaction specifically. Emerald knew that intrinsically that this wasn't the Cinder Fall she knew and that in of itself was enough to trigger a visceral dissonance that was both repulsive in how kind and good this incarnation was yet still endearing enough to interact with if only because of the innocence she so readily displayed.

For one thing, the Cinder she knew would have expressed disgust at the weasel that took to this Cinder, killing it without a second thought amid demonstrating her clear distaste for them. That thought alone was almost enough to prompt a reevaluation of her relationship with that Cinder were it that she was with scruples pertaining to the same action she might have undertaken herself. The aforementioned weasel definitely noted the side-eye glances he was receiving from the thief amid her ruminations, which only made him convey his feelings in kind. Think of it as if a stoat was able to emote Robert De Niro vibes.

"Yeah, no, I don't do with the cute nicknames. Not that yours are cute. Nope." Even though Mercury definitely used that nickname for her.

She pointedly glanced away, regarding Tock instead.

"Yeah, Neo can but it's a big one, I think I can mark a point on our route when she should throw it up so she's not straining herself meanwhile."

 

[MyrtenRose]

Or rather, address Yang, being that her mother and uncle were both limp and breathing shallowly after their thankfully-brief encounters with the Grimm Reaper.

By all rights, what had left her in such a sorry condition, sprawled out unconscious on the floor like this...it should have killed her. In all that darkness, she hadn't been able to even see what assaulted her. The flame that had been sparking to life in her hand had been snuffed out as easily as one would a candle. Though she didn't see what horrible monstrosity came at her, she had felt it. Something massive in that void, there was a bite of such tremendous force that made it seem that like whatever it was, was laughing at the very idea of aura. That defense amounted to almost nothing in the wake of that attack. Her aura, the maiden power, all her power and skill and belief in strength...it just didn't count for much in this situation.

Were she still conscious, Raven would have been instantly aware of the pain. Of the total numbness, the lack of any feeling in her legs no matter how much she tried to move them. But she wasn't. That crunch, the painful sound of her back breaking under the weight of that attack...it left the prideful former bandit leader in a miserably pitiful state. Lying there in that way, she looked far more like a novice fresh out of the academy than someone hardened and experienced.​

 

[MidwayLives]

Harriet lay flat on her back staring up at the ceiling.

Her entire body hurt, to it's core if that were possible. That creature, whatever it was, had shown that it was.

That stuff didn't matter though. What did was coming to the reality of the situation. Schnee had come out again on top as always and seemingly vanquished the creature.

But that didn't change Harriet's situation. She hadn't just been fired from her station at Weiss's manor but in the Ace Ops in general.

Truth be told, in the midst of her boiling over of anger directed at Schnee was still true even to this point. Harriet's feelings had been true and that had never been in doubt.

Looking over Fast Knuckles, she felt herself sniffle.

She'd been completely useless and her bottom lip began to tremble. Training to serve Atlas had been her whole life, without it, who was she really??? Just a bland face among the crowd. Nothing for her to stand out among the numerous denizens trying to live their meager lives. Harriet was a woman who hated to admit that her anger made more problems than it solved but this just broke her heart. Where would she even go after this? Back home and do what? She couldn't even think of a life outside of the military! It was all she'd studied for, what she prepped for, what she'd honed her semblance for!

"Schnee!!!"

Harriet called out and the bunny was right by Weiss's side on her hands and knees, tears streaming down her face. "I-I'M SO SORRY!!!! I-I DIDN"T MEAN WHAT I SAID!!!! PLEASE DON"T FIRE ME!!! THE ACE OPs....ATLAS...IT"S ALL I HAAAAAAAAVE! I'll DO ANYTHING!!!"

She hated everything about this.

Everything.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Harriet lay flat on her back staring up at the ceiling.

Her entire body hurt, to it's core if that were possible. That creature, whatever it was, had shown that it was.

That stuff didn't matter though. What did was coming to the reality of the situation. Schnee had come out again on top as always and seemingly vanquished the creature.

But that didn't change Harriet's situation. She hadn't just been fired from her station at Weiss's manor but in the Ace Ops in general.

Truth be told, in the midst of her boiling over of anger directed at Schnee was still true even to this point. Harriet's feelings had been true and that had never been in doubt.

Looking over Fast Knuckles, she felt herself sniffle.

She'd been completely useless and her bottom lip began to tremble. Training to serve Atlas had been her whole life, without it, who was she really??? Just a bland face among the crowd. Nothing for her to stand out among the numerous denizens trying to live their meager lives. Harriet was a woman who hated to admit that her anger made more problems than it solved but this just broke her heart. Where would she even go after this? Back home and do what? She couldn't even think of a life outside of the military! It was all she'd studied for, what she prepped for, what she'd honed her semblance for!

"Schnee!!!"

Harriet called out and the bunny was right by Weiss's side on her hands and knees, tears streaming down her face. "I-I'M SO SORRY!!!! I-I DIDN"T MEAN WHAT I SAID!!!! PLEASE DON"T FIRE ME!!! THE ACE OPs....ATLAS...IT"S ALL I HAAAAAAAAVE! I'll DO ANYTHING!!!"

She hated everything about this.

Everything.​

Weiss's face was more expressive and animated during those few seconds than the entirety of her confrontation with Maria, shifting from vaguely gratified to bemused to just plain weirded out and back to a steady dose of bemused again as her mouth opened and closed a few times, not really sure what the most efficient way of approaching someone this emotional was. If nothing else, it served as a fine demonstration of the different sides the councilwoman could show to her enemies and... whatever this person was supposed to be. Had she been given a fake operative as some kind of joke?

"...What??? Get ahold of yourself, woman! And get away from me! Obviously I'm dealing with more important things right now!"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Neo didn't know about fully invisible but the former part brought a grin to her face.

Holding up a hand, Neo stepped forward and focused.

"....................."

It took a great deal of concentration. Something she needed to hold on for as long as she could but with a bit of time?

Tock's airship was 'rocking' a new look entirely, that being of one of Atlas's ships.

Anything else she'd have to leave up to Emerald.​

"You say that but if you wanted the direct route into Atlas, Neo's semblance is better than mine. If you follow the 'trading' routes I've given, it's still nice having her in our pocket in case they've decided to play fast and loose with their patrols. I'm better for it when it comes to being extra convincing or playing the red herring."

"Uh-huh." Tock nodded, satisfied with that as she glanced to the others. "Told ya, these two here, they're handy! Even though yeah I'm pretty sure I saw that one-" The faunus jerked her head over to Neo. "-fightin' against us back at Haven. So, shaky alliance it may be, but if there's anythin' you can count on about criminals and lowlives, it is for 'em to always be lookin' out for number one. To be pursuin' their own self-interest above all else. So! As long as our interests and theirs align, pretty confident we don't gotta worry about 'em." Though that did not mean she was going to take her eyes off either of them.​

"Oh, she noticed." Emerald drawled, ducking under an annoyed, halfhearted swipe from the miffed Gretchen, prompting the timely intercession by Hazel who prompted the cessation of hostilities on her part with a hand as he stared at the comparatively diminutive thief. Before he could even speak, "It is so freaking weird that even here, you're emitting big dad energy."

"..........Wait." She blinked a couple times, looking rapidly back and forth between Emerald and Hazel as she connected the dots. "Ohmygod...are you saying...is Hazel a dad where you're from??" Cinder gasped. It was not one born of worry, though, just surprise. And in the next moment a smile popped onto her face at the thought of that. She was so overcome with the pleasant feeling she felt radiating throughout every inch of herself that any fragments remaining of her more gloomy mood from the more solemn talk, they completely evaporated. In addition, her excitement at that drowned out her awareness of Emerald's weak denial of her nicknames which were apparently cute.

"You have to tell me more! What are their names? What are they like?? Does Hazel rock a dad stache??? No wait, what is he like as a dad????" Cinder's mouth ran a mile a minute. If Hazel was a dad there, than surely it would be fated to eventually be so here. "Who is his girlfriend????? Or boyfriend, no judgments! Is he married--"

"Okay, kiddo, calm down. Pretty sure we got way more important stuff to be doin'. C'mon now." Tock interjected, getting the teenage maiden to pout and grumble in response. Damn adult, harshing on her mellow when she was getting precious few chances for it in recent times.​

She pointedly glanced away, regarding Tock instead.

"Yeah, Neo can but it's a big one, I think I can mark a point on our route when she should throw it up so she's not straining herself meanwhile."

"Great. Let's go then." The croc immediately turned, striding back for her ship to get this journey moving again.​

 

[MidwayLives]

Harriet sniffled and rose to her feet and moved to leave

~~And walked straight out of the RP~~​

 

[MidwayLives]

but if there's anythin' you can count on about criminals and lowlives,

Lowlives???

Criminal sure but first off

Rude.
​

, it is for 'em to always be lookin' out for number one. To be pursuin' their own self-interest above all else

Neo frowned and turned her head away at that.

Sure, she wanted revenge on this world's version of that blonde bimbo. Same as her own counterpart.

....But she wasn't just doing this for herself.

Too bad nobody would hear her say who else she was fighting for.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Harriet sniffled and rose to her feet and moved to leave

~~And walked straight out of the RP~~​

"...What did you do to her, Yang??? She was one of Ironwood's best a few months ago!"​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...Yea!" Came her lively echo, the cloaked demon apparently fully enthused at the way this seemed to be going but having absolutely no idea what to do or say to someone who actually wanted to be her friend. It almost called to memory images of Ruby when she was young, nervous and more socially awkward.

"...........Yea!!" She repeated just as enthusiastically, though with a bit of perturbed hesitance as she started dragging behind Yang's pull with more resistance than the huntress wanted but less than she was probably dreading. "Hey, where are we going?"

Yang soon discovered the first snag in her plan, which was that besides the light emitted by Maria's eyes themselves she couldn't see anything down here. She knew she should've been able to see the entrance they came through, but her experience was identical to Harriet's in that she just didn't. In fact, from the vague outlines she could see this didn't even look like any kind of a wine cellar; occasionally she caught a vague outline of something that looked like it could've been a shelf or cask, but the material coating it didn't look to be wood or anything else born of construction work. It was just... black.

And slithery.

It made the whole thing an even bigger feat of guesswork. She thought this might've been the spot, but...

"Yah huh?" She asked skeptically, Yang having broken from their seemingly aimless walk routine just in the nick of time to nip what was going to be a very scrutinizing, predatory, and downright terrifying stare from her new buddy in the bud as a certain inkling started to dawn on her.

It was during her subsequent words that the blonde felt Myrtenaster's ornate hilt gently roll up against her heel, followed by the muted pitter-patter of something tiny and four legged getting the hell out of there like its life depended on it. It was honestly a miracle Maria didn't notice considering what her semblance was, if this husk of a creature could even still access it, but frankly she appeared so engrossed in Yang's eyes and words that not much else was registering.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

There was a soft flump as Yang found herself way, way closer to this creature than she wanted even in the depths of her commitment to this charade, Maria leaning up against her with wide eyes, one foot popped and a hand on the huntress's collar as she squeaked out excitedly. "Forget Pietro, do YOU wanna go out with me????????"

The sigh she gave was dreamy, features doe-eyed and soft. She could've stayed in this moment fooooooreeeeeveeeeerrrrrrrr-

There was a genuine, tiny spark of guilt inside Yang for pulling this on someone so obviously broken in two hundred ways inside, but it was also the easiest spark of guilt she ever quashed

"Thank you for being the most enlightened lump of charcoal to ever point its finger and gurgle at me." Weiss retorted with an impassive roll of the eyes, turning away from the recently rendered ice sculpture to finally address the other three in the room with no apparent desire to discuss anything else that just happened.

Or rather, address Yang, being that her mother and uncle were both limp and breathing shallowly after their thankfully-brief encounters with the Grimm Reaper.

"So. This is the saddest escape attempt I've ever seen."

Yang's hand was on her matching knee as she slowly caught her breath, her eyes still caught in the same slightly wide eyed stare where Maria had been standing a minute ago and Myrtenaster did not do what she wanted it to. Yang had crunched more than her fair share of monsters, but anything that dropped her uncle and mom that fast was something that'd put a few drops of an uncomfortably unfamiliar flavor of fear in her gut. There were already a half dozen reason she'd been afraid that wasn't going to work, so everything else going right and something she just didn't even think of to going wrong shook her. And that was before Weiss blew up.

She gave a flustered snort as Weiss finally directed her voice towards her, and her stump wobbled in as much of a gesture towards the rest of the room as she could manage without standing up straight and losing her arm support.

"Seriously, Weiss? Why would I have gone this way if I was trying to escape and not, I dunno, maybe make sure Ozpin's genderbent mini-me didn't eat your eyeballs? Like, I'm glad it didn't happen, and if Zwei's a better ninja than I gave him credit for then maybe you didn't need my help, but a little bit of thanks towards me and-"

Her words froze as she looked across Qrow and towards Raven. Backs weren't supposed to do that.

"Weiss, drop these things, now. Please."

whatever argumentative sass had been slipping into her tone had shriveled up in favor of taut concern as she stared at Raven with a grim frown. This... this wasn't right. This was her stupid idea, if anyone should've gotten hurt because of it-

 

[Gus Gungus]

Yang's hand was on her matching knee as she slowly caught her breath, her eyes still caught in the same slightly wide eyed stare where Maria had been standing a minute ago and Myrtenaster did not do what she wanted it to. Yang had crunched more than her fair share of monsters, but anything that dropped her uncle and mom that fast was something that'd put a few drops of an uncomfortably unfamiliar flavor of fear in her gut. There were already a half dozen reason she'd been afraid that wasn't going to work, so everything else going right and something she just didn't even think of to going wrong shook her. And that was before Weiss blew up.

She gave a flustered snort as Weiss finally directed her voice towards her, and her stump wobbled in as much of a gesture towards the rest of the room as she could manage without standing up straight and losing her arm support.

"Seriously, Weiss? Why would I have gone this way if I was trying to escape and not, I dunno, maybe make sure Ozpin's genderbent mini-me didn't eat your eyeballs? Like, I'm glad it didn't happen, and if Zwei's a better ninja than I gave him credit for then maybe you didn't need my help, but a little bit of thanks towards me and-"

Her words froze as she looked across Qrow and towards Raven. Backs weren't supposed to do that.

"Weiss, drop these things, now. Please."

whatever argumentative sass had been slipping into her tone had shriveled up in favor of taut concern as she stared at Raven with a grim frown. This... this wasn't right. This was her stupid idea, if anyone should've gotten hurt because of it-

Weiss had been studying Yang with a guarded squint and tense frown in the moments before she spoke, the grip she clutched Myrtenaster with not entirely relaxed just yet as her mind prepared her for the huntress to pop their burgeoning little bubble of faux friendship with the tide of frustration and resentment that had no doubt been bubbling up against her these past weeks. She wasn't an idiot. Quaint as all this was, she knew it couldn't be anything more than that.

So when Yang instead spoke to her using those words, in that tone, Weiss's suspicious nature being so categorically thwarted had her features soften as she flashed a small, sincere smile.

"Well, that's very kind of you. But I would prefer if you didn't put yourself in harm's way. If nothing else, it's nice to see you finally learning enough to know I had that matter well in hand."

Yep. A situation she'd been in complete control of from start to finish. No threats to her continued wellbeing or safety to be found here, on this day or any other, and as a politician and business owner who happened to take swordplay lessons the aura siphoning plus oxygen deprivation most certainly hadn't been the most intense experiences she'd ever had in either pain or proximity to death.

In truth, though, even if she lacked that sort of experience stimuli had never been much more difficult for her to manage than feelings were, regardless of the scale. Learning to blot out fear and pain had been the start of all this, something that simply became a necessity to survive during her formative years. Where some might feel terrified, helpless or afraid in those types of situations, Weiss generally just started thinking faster until she hit on the natural way out of them; It was the way she lived her life, and it hadn't led her astray up to this point.

The shift in Yang's pleasant demeanor had her own dampen a bit, however, and she dispelled the glyphs after a second with a faint cock of the head, snuffing out the flames ravaging the room with the same hand motion. She would've admitted herself that reading the room emotionally wasn't always one of her strongest suits, though, at least in this context, and as she marched over to peer around Yang's shoulder for a better look her teasing inflection didn't subside.

"Oh, don't pout. I've been assured they have excellent doctors in military prison."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

The shift in Yang's pleasant demeanor had her own dampen a bit, however, and she dispelled the glyphs after a second with a faint cock of the head, snuffing out the flames ravaging the room with the same hand motion. She would've admitted herself that reading the room emotionally wasn't always one of her strongest suits, though, at least in this context, and as she marched over to peer around Yang's shoulder for a better look her teasing inflection didn't subside.

"Oh, don't pout. I've-"​

"Shut up"

If her tone came out harsher than it had a few seconds ago, it was because Yang didn't want that sentence anywhere near finished. Not in that tone, not with that start. Not if she wanted to get through the next ten seconds without socking Weiss in the teeth.

As soon as the barrier came down Yang all but sprinted to Raven and skidded into a kneeling position at her side. She gently checked her pulse, and let out a shaky breath to see that it was still there. She didn't see any other major wounds, no gaping holes or pools of blood, just... utterly limp legs and a back bent at an inhuman angle. Her mom's back was broken. The woman who abandoned her twice over, almost got Weiss killed with her backstabbing, and despite it all was absolutely still her mom was... Yang shook her head with a look of vexed horror, her voice quiet and raw as she grasped at her hair hard enough that she would've punched anyone else doing it.

"...You... you idiot. The one time you're not a coward and this happens. What the hell mom? W-where was all that big talk about being a survivor this time?"

Except she knew what happened. She happened. This was her fault.

 

[Gus Gungus]

"Shut up"

If her tone came out harsher than it had a few seconds ago, it was because Yang didn't want that sentence anywhere near finished. Not in that tone, not with that start. Not if she wanted to get through the next ten seconds without socking Weiss in the teeth.

As soon as the barrier came down Yang all but sprinted to Raven and skidded into a kneeling position at her side. She gently checked her pulse, and let out a shaky breath to see that it was still there. She didn't see any other major wounds, no gaping holes or pools of blood, just... utterly limp legs and a back bent at an inhuman angle. Her mom's back was broken. The woman who abandoned her twice over, almost got Weiss killed with her backstabbing, and despite it all was absolutely still her mom was... Yang shook her head with a look of vexed horror, her voice quiet and raw as she grasped at her hair hard enough that she would've punched anyone else doing it.

"...You... you idiot. The one time you're not a coward and this happens. What the hell mom? W-where was all that big talk about being a survivor this time?"

Except she knew what happened. She happened. This was her fault.

Weiss blinked dully as the smile slowly faded, utterly taken aback for as prepared as she'd been for such an outburst literally just a few moments ago. The only way past Weiss Schnee's guard was if she lowered it, and when Yang resumed their playful competitive tone like things were still normal and she wasn't planning on going anywhere she'd done exactly that. So why...

For as many people as she'd charmed, partnered, and networked with throughout the years, the councilwoman could never truly recall a time when she'd had friends. Not really. It seemed odd to her that most people considered it one of life's basic necessities. Her father had encouraged her to mingle with other young socialites he approved of, of course, but she found herself repulsed by the lot of them, inherently allergic to the flagrant shallowness and insincerity that infested the circles she was born into. With other factors taking their toll, it hadn't been long before she stopped showing up to those social gatherings altogether, and the only safe place became her room. Alone. The years passed, but with the course her life took the story never changed. Her world was one built and paid for by men like her father, after all, and for a young woman like her to be taken seriously she had to adapt. And adapt she did.

But she never adapted to the idea of having friends. It wasn't for lack of trying; she could acknowledge the human pack mentality and longing for intimacy without compromising her worldview. The intricacies of it quite simply seemed to elude her. She admittedly did keep high standards, finding most people she came into contact with lacking in one area or another, but even when she did find herself enjoying somebody's company it always... it just never worked out. People found her arrogant, or sly, or simply cold, and communications always ended up fading at some point or another. Initially it frustrated her, became another problem for her to tackle headfirst with her usual drive, but nothing ever took; eventually she grudgingly accepted that perhaps it was simply a facet of life that wasn't for her.

She could endear herself to someone, yes. Establish her authority over them, most definitely. Those were the emotions she knew how to prey on, the puppet strings she found so easily manipulable. This? Comforting someone, being vulnerable with them, actually registering their emotions and responding to them in an appropriate way? Feeling an actual desire to connect but not knowing how?

She may as well have been on an alien planet.

Maybe it was that unfamiliar territory that did it. Maybe it was the cold water to the face off the words after she'd let herself feel at ease around Yang again, directly following a triumphant moment in which she'd felt her most confident and powerful. Maybe it was simply the ordeal of what she'd been through in the last half an hour or so. But something flickered into her expression before she could catch it, the kind of wave that Yang hadn't once seen break across the heiress's face during their entire month and a half together.

She reached out hesitantly, uncertain of what to do or say. "Yang, I wasn't... I only meant-"

That one moment of uncertainty, the singular instance in which Weiss Schnee let the icy barrier representing all the paranoia, cynicism and general mistrust she bore humanity as a whole crack, was all it took.

"STAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yang knew the voice that suddenly barked all the way across the span of the cellar, though at this point it probably felt like a lifetime since she'd heard it last. A look around to confirm did exactly that, as framed in the doorway was someone she knew to be an all around pretty good boy guy. She'd seen him around the manor grounds once or twice, but only at a distance; One finger was trained on Weiss, his eyes affixed to the same spot with a focused glare that left little room to argue.

And as for Weiss?

She stayed.

He didn't dare so much as blink, but without taking his eyes or finger away slowly raised his other hand to his ear. "Retrieval team, you're in the clear. Reeeeaaaally hope this was worth blowing my super deep cover for, guys."



There was a layer of dark, twisted irony to what the communication prompted, given who Yang was kneeling beside and the condition she was in. The room was suddenly awash with a crimson glow as a swirling portal opened just behind Weiss, and the first two of many to emerge did.

A familiar, perhaps even reassuring tandem, if not exactly the way she knew them. Ironwood's grey-flecked beard was a far cry from the five o'clock shadow she'd last seen it as on the prison ship, now matching the rugged survivalist look she'd last seen the general rocking in another Atlas of another world, while Winter's ordinarily immaculate bun hairstyle was worn down, even a bit scruffy. Gone were the pair's noble blue-and-white military uniforms, replaced by brown and tan-colored dusters and fatigues that seemed more at home among another faction, for reasons that would soon become apparent. Both moved to where they could be best utilized like clockwork, Winter immediately moving to stand guard between Weiss and the injured, a fierce frostiness to her eyes that probably would've triggered a blizzard the moment they met her sister's had the latter's face not still been transfixed in that look of mournful uncertainty. She blinked as she registered it, but concealed the look behind a mask of soldierly focus as she drew both her cutlasses and kept her eyes on the maiden.

Ironwood, meanwhile, strode to Qrow's side, dropping to one knee a short distance from Yang and checking his pulse in turn even as he looked her and Raven over.

"Are you alright? Don't try to move her. Medics are on the way."

He touched his earpiece to relay the appropriate command, barely finished doing so when Marrow spoke up again with a faintly nervous quaver to his voice.

"We should hurry this along. I actually... don't think I can hold her... much longer, heh..."

Ironwood didn't lower his fingers, and the second order he issued was far graver and more simplistic. He'd seen what the so-called 'politician' could do firsthand, and it was nothing to be underestimated.

"Send in everyone."​