Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Gus Gungus]

Pain was an old friend of hers, after all. Her body was rapidly returning to her regular size in the absence of the dust infusion. "You want me? Come get me!" The croc growled. No aura, no semblance, no weapons...and no chance of victory. But Tock dashed at Weiss all the same intending to smash her thick skull against the maiden's, not one to give up a fight quietly.

Seeing this exhausted, pain-gripped fighter drag herself to her feet and throw herself into one final ill-advised offensive, Weiss did something that probably struck Yang as the most un-Weiss Schnee thing she'd ever seen this incarnation do, be evil included.

She spun Myrtenaster around her palm, jammed it straight down into the the floor, waited for Tock to close the distance all the way, and sidestepped the headbutt elegantly to draw back her fist and slug the crocodile square in the nose to put her back down again.

And it was actually pretty good.

Then she froze her, because while the councilwoman had ensured she had enough training in that brutish style of fighting to defend herself should she ever have found herself deprived of better options she was fairly certain she didn't actually hit hard enough for that to work. Once that matter was over with, she shook out the fist with a dispassionate gaze down at the faunus before turning her attention back towards the other two, a faint downward pull to her lips as she scrutinized them both. Of course Yang wasn't going to listen. Of course she wasn't going back to her room. Weiss's harsh demand had been snapped with the cold, hard certainty that however this little sojourn had been for her, Yang had been growing more and more miserable with each passing second, and literally the only rational thing for her to do here was get the hell away from this place while she had a chance. The councilwoman couldn't even fault her for it. She was already doing what was necessary to sever any attachment. She expected her to be gone by the time she turned around. It wouldn't have been the first time a confidante (if you could even call Yang that) took a good, long look at Weiss and decided to walk in the other direction.

Her tone was firm and gentle and utterly sure, and the only sign that any of it might be put on was how the look flickered as she gave Ruby one last glance. But nonetheless, she gave Raven a small push towards the two still frozen and turned to walk away.

Oh.

Weiss looked conflicted as she watched Yang obey, wanting to say something but far too guarded in the presence of Raven and the still-open portal to do so. She turned her cool glare back to the huntress, resting a prim hand on her hip as she awaited her decision with icy neutrality.

Once she had, the portal was closed, and the paranoid councilwoman could truly say everyone inside her home was supposed to be there, she huffed out a terse sigh and let her gaze flicker briefly around the cellar.

She supposed that drink was off the table. Fishing around in the silky dressing gown she'd just thrashed them all in to retrieve her scroll, she thumbed a contact and brought the device to her ear as she brushed off thoughts of all the expensive vintages that had been aging down here for years and spoke with the firm, prompt demeanor of the Atlesian councilwoman.

"Doctor Merlot? Yes, I know it's late. Prepare two containment units and expect a transport. I've acquired some specimens you're going to find very interesting."

---

To their credit, the extraction team's response time had been impressive. She hadn't said as much to the scientist for politeness' sake; it really was ridiculously, unfathomably late. She literally had to leave the house in about an hour. Before she went about her preparations, though, she felt somewhat obligated to... it just felt a little...

About twenty minutes after the whole affair concluded there was a faint, polite knock on the door to the guest room. Assuming she didn't hear any shouting or the sound of something being thrown against the door, it opened just wide enough a moment later for Weiss to fit her head around and peer in, a bit of stilted hesitance blended with wariness in how she addressed the huntress.

"Yang? Are you... do you want to talk about what happened? It was certainly... a lot."

It may not have been as eloquent as her usual speech, but she at least managed to reestablish the diplomatic notes in her voice as she summed the night up.​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you two finally done? I've no intent to get in the way of the couple's fun"

"We're not-" "IT"S NOT LIKE THAT!"
​

The man was leaning against one of the alley walls when Tyrian gave his attention back to him, with his elbow against the brick and his hair tangled in his hand, a bemused smile back on his face. "So fearful of a name, no, not even that, your friend cowers at a title, and doesn't even know if its fact!" He chuckled and pushed off the wall, his hands clasped behind his prodigious back as he leaned forward slightly and started to walk towards Tyrian.

Tyrian walked towards him.

"I couldn't give less of a care about what your title is."

As if to put a fine point on it, Tyrian spit on the ground in between the two of them.

"You're dirt as far as I can tell."
​

"Yet no puppet is this, I'm a faunus for sure; a pig faunus on two feet, my words honest and pure! Of course, even if you think that about talons or pigs I'd lie, you've got more important problems-"

That caught Tyrian's attention and the anger that'd been so evident before returned with a fury.

"Grrrrr!!!"

Tyrian charged in...

Whatever this man's deal was. If he was a faunus or human or someone with a sick semblance, it didn't matter. He was getting a right thrashing.
​

Even for Tyrian, the next move came fast, and the man was suddenly in the air in to his left with a spinning kick straight for Tyrian's head and an absolutely gleeful smile and blood running down his legs from the violent motion they'd been subjected to

Tyrian raised his left arm and braced for the kick.

His aura shimmered as the kick collided with his forearm but he stood his ground.

"Grrrr...For a pig you sure talk a lot..." Tyrian sought to grab onto his leg. "Don't you know that animals like you..."

The faunus gave a good tug with the intention being to swing his opponent to the right and into the lampost that he'd been so gleefully hanging on before.

"SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD!"

Trifa watched the fight, more a spectator than anything. This...Nothing about this whole situation felt right.

Who was this man? What 'Talon' was he???​

 

[MyrtenRose]

The location on the other side of the portal that had just been there, it was a fairly big place. Fancy too, by Mantle standards. It couldn't hold a candle to the blue-white, thoroughly clean and clinical scientific bases up in Atlas, but this hideout of the Happy Huntresses was more than sufficient for their purposes. Raven snapped her fingers in the direction of some of the support crew, indicating Ruby and Winter. They nodded, swiftly but cautiously moving to grab hold of the pair of frozen statues and put them in close proximity to a heating unit to thaw them out. The others that Raven had thrown through, she could just make out the last of them being stretchered out into an adjoining room for medical care. Some of their injuries weren't really that severe, she was confident that Robyn and her huntresses would be just fine really soon.

But others weren't so lucky. Nora had taken one heck of a beating, and...

That was where Raven found herself next, looking down at the broken body of another version of herself as a doctor and a few nurses moved about around her. Weiss Schnee had incredible levels of support from all across the kingdom, it was true. But Robyn was no slouch in that department herself. The hometown hero of Mantle had the charm and compassion to recruit many to the cause once the resistance against the tyranny of Schnee and her pet general started. The kind of person that could inspire remarkable levels of loyalty in so many, that was Robyn. As much as she herself didn't much like public speaking, it was undeniable that Miss Hill had a natural affinity for inflaming the passions of countless others with her words.

Those serving as medical assistance with this hidden crew were a fine example of that.

Raven's gaze lingered on her counterpart for a bit longer before she turned away and stepped for where her twin brother was instead. As soon as she was there, one hand reached out to gently shake him awake, unless he was already.

"Qrow. We need to talk." The tone in her voice indicated it was not to be a pleasant chat.​

 

[MidwayLives]

The location on the other side of the portal that had just been there, it was a fairly big place. Fancy too, by Mantle standards. It couldn't hold a candle to the blue-white, thoroughly clean and clinical scientific bases up in Atlas, but this hideout of the Happy Huntresses was more than sufficient for their purposes. Raven snapped her fingers in the direction of some of the support crew, indicating Ruby and Winter. They nodded, swiftly but cautiously moving to grab hold of the pair of frozen statues and put them in close proximity to a heating unit to thaw them out. The others that Raven had thrown through, she could just make out the last of them being stretchered out into an adjoining room for medical care. Some of their injuries weren't really that severe, she was confident that Robyn and her huntresses would be just fine really soon.

But others weren't so lucky. Nora had taken one heck of a beating, and...

'It's not often until the reality of the situation hits you that you're aware of the costs of victory...'

Grey's eyes wandered over Nora...
​

That was where Raven found herself next, looking down at the broken body of another version of herself as a doctor and a few nurses moved about around her.

...And Raven.

'...And the costs of losing.'

Grey waved off any nurses or doctors who may have wanted to take a look at him.

He was no medical expert but he hadn't survived this long by being unable to care for himself when it counted.

Let the others more deserving of medical attention get what they needed.

'Need time to sit. To think and how to move forward.'

~~~

Grey made his way off to the portion of the hideout that he'd been using as a mini-office. Was a step up from the small apartment he'd been working in before all of this kicked off. Going back home for too long with all of this going on wasn't too safe at the best of times. Least of all when he and his comrades had barely survived a fight with Schnee herself. A portion of his mask had been torn away and the rest still had ice melting off it. If it hadn't been for the remants of his aura, he was sure pulling the mask off would have pulled a little bit of skin with it too. Activating 'Ghostly Whispers' trails of the fog ebbed out to grab some of the stray fabric that Grey used to repair his costumes when they got damaged. Pulling some of the fabric over to him, he went to work making an impromptu sling for his injured arm.

He didn't hate anyone in this building.

Far from it as a matter of fact.

But nobody was perfect, that wasn't an opinion, it was just life. That happened to include him.

It just made him feel more comfortable when he had time to just sit and pull off his mask. To look in the mirror and not see that pale specter grimacing back at him.

The mask was pulled over his head and dropped off to the side. His hair was messy and unkempt and a gash that he hadn't noticed before had finally seemed to stop bleeding.

"Hm. Must have gotten it during one of the umpteenth times we were slammed into the wall.'

He was tired. Very much so. Would probably have been a healthier idea to sleep before reviewing the footage he'd gotten.

Looking at a mirror hanging on the wall, he frowned.

"Just as ugly as I've always been."
​

 

[Gus Gungus]

More pressingly awaiting those retreating to the other side of the portal than the bunker itself was the business end of a scattershot revolver, absurdly large with hammer thumbed all the way back and six barrels that each emitted faint dust shimmers of varying strains as they hovered over everyone tumbling through the portal with laser precision. The gloved hand gripping it was steady as the calm after a storm, lined up perfectly with one of a set of prosthetic eyes that, together with a low-brimmed leather stetson and collar buttoned up more than halfway over their face, completely concealed the features of the individual within. The eyes may have been artificial, but they were calibrated properly and sharp in how they tracked each and every face to emerge from the swirling gateway, the only criteria for whether the figure in question let them pass or not a simple one: whether they knew the face or they didn't. If they did, it got to pass.

If they didn't, it wasn't gonna be a face for much longer. And if all six barrels' payload hit their mark, there wasn't an aura this side of Remnant that was gonna do a damned thing to stop it.

The other face the gunslinger was looking out for was the one they knew better than any other here, and when they locked eyes the voice that came from beneath the fabric was gruff, a medium-pitched drawl with a hint of an accent that was modulated by something that couldn't just have been a raised collar.

"Objective?"

"Failed."

The figure let out a heavy, echoing sigh as they twirled the massive revolver around their hand until it slotted neatly back into its hip holster. "Reckon that'd be business as usual, then."

It had been a long and difficult guerilla war these past two months, an uphill battle from the start with more setbacks than a certain former general could count. Yet their casualties hadn't been too heavy, with Carnelian and a good portion of the military busy securing their corrupt government's influence on other frontiers, and there had been victories, too, small advances made here and there as each and every man and woman gathered in their safehouses littered throughout the city and in the tundras beyond fought to expose the truth behind what was happening in Atlas. The Happy Huntresses, the best Salem could spare from Vale, his own loyalists who defected from the military to follow his lead instead; even a battalion of former White Fang troops dispatched to the north by Eve Taurus before Haven. One of his or otherwise, every last one of them held his respect. It was a testament to the fortitude and indomitable will of one James Ironwood that he had made it through the portal on his own two feet, brushing off the medical team's attempts to administer a hypothermia test using the same practical efficiency with which he brushed off their attempts to help him walk as he nodded to Cobalt when the gunslinger fell in line with his purposeful stride.

Even with his pragmatic outlook on life, he wasn't viewing this as a complete failure. He didn't know a great deal about the Yang Xiao Long of the other Remnant personally, but Qrow and Raven had both vouched for her character wholeheartedly, and she seemed to have... some sort of a plan. Depending how one read the events that unfolded in that cellar, how many layers deep they were willing to go with it, it was almost difficult to tell who was playing who. He'd known Weiss Schnee long enough to understand the loneliness that ached in her heart, no matter what she'd clipped and trimmed away from herself through the years to try and eliminate that pain; Free of the sentiment her uncle and mothers bore her, he was able to look at the Xiao Long girl's potential as an asset. An ally welcome in Atlas was nothing to scoff at, never mind the Schnee manor grounds.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking. He honestly couldn't tell anymore. Either way, it wasn't good news he was carrying to the communications room as he went to write some letters.

"Qrow. We need to talk." The tone in her voice indicated it was not to be a pleasant chat.

"...You can call yourself a cab, right... zzz..."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

About twenty minutes after the whole affair concluded there was a faint, polite knock on the door to the guest room. Assuming she didn't hear any shouting or the sound of something being thrown against the door, it opened just wide enough a moment later for Weiss to fit her head around and peer in, a bit of stilted hesitance blended with wariness in how she addressed the huntress.

"Yang? Are you... do you want to talk about what happened? It was certainly... a lot."

It may not have been as eloquent as her usual speech, but she at least managed to reestablish the diplomatic notes in her voice as she summed the night up.

Ilia had been in Atlas for some time now, but despite having personally similar goals along the lines of Ironwood, Robyn and the rest of their resistance...she had purposefully kept herself apart. She felt she had to. If she worked with them openly...the other Ilia's semblance would be a detriment to their cause. Someone who could spy at any moment, and with her unable to do a thing about it? Either any plans or mission briefings would be witnessed in their entirety or Ilia would be so cut off from the circle of trust that she'd feel hamstrung. Damn near useless. Snake had made it clear that the Shadow Fang was against Weiss too despite the shaky alliance, but...Ilia wouldn't have put it past Sienna to use anything the other Ilia saw and heard to her advantage. To use the perceived traitor as a tool to weaken both sides in Solitas before she made any overt moves. No, going it alone was the best option for everybody as far as the chameleon was concerned.

Speaking of which, with the manor largely empty thanks to Schnee having dismissed the security crew earlier, the expert infiltrator found the job of sneaking into it so much easier. It was practically a cakewalk. Even so, she had kept her guard up as she quietly moved around within the large expanses of the mansion. She had, for a moment, glanced in between the doorway to the cellar, with all the loud and chaotic madness that came from down there, but the small faunus had wisely decided to steer clear of that whole mess.

Instead she remained hidden, waiting for a better chance. She believed that chance was now. Right when Weiss was seemingly vulnerable, concerned with her maybe prisoner maybe roommate(?), that was when she made her move for some...personal payback, after that failed move on Weiss's ship. Ilia dropped onto the floor from above, completely and impressively dead silent. No sooner than "a lot" had escaped Weiss's mouth did Ilia's weapon extend out, aiming to wrap around the woman and zap her until the electric shocks were too much for her to bear and she hopefully dropped unconscious.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...You can call yourself a cab, right... zzz..."

She jabbed him harder.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Instead she remained hidden, waiting for a better chance. She believed that chance was now. Right when Weiss was seemingly vulnerable, concerned with her maybe prisoner maybe roommate(?), that was when she made her move for some...personal payback, after that failed move on Weiss's ship. Ilia dropped onto the floor from above, completely and impressively dead silent. No sooner than "a lot" had escaped Weiss's mouth did Ilia's weapon extend out, aiming to wrap around the woman and zap her until the electric shocks were too much for her to bear and she hopefully dropped unconscious.

"Aaiiiiiiiiiii!"

Ironwood's soul probably would've departed his shiny metal body and ascended to the heavens on the spot if he knew this, but of all people, after all those impressive victories strung together one after another, the reaper, Winter, Ruby, Ironwood himself, Grey, the Happy Huntresses, Nora, Tock... Weiss Schnee was ambushed and tazed out by the one person she'd pissed off who she honestly just completely forgot about.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Aaiiiiiiiiiii!"

Ironwood's soul probably would've departed his shiny metal body and ascended to the heavens on the spot if he knew this, but of all people, after all those impressive victories strung together one after another, the reaper, Winter, Ruby, Ironwood himself, Grey, the Happy Huntresses, Nora, Tock... Weiss Schnee was ambushed and tazed out by the one person she'd pissed off who she honestly just completely forgot about.​

"..."

Despite her fierce hope that the strike would work 100% as intended...when it did, it seemed suspiciously too easy. Weiss Schnee, the one who even when drunk had completely toyed with Ilia back on her ship? The one who had just been in the thick of all that nonsense in the cellar and came out the other side on top? That Weiss Schnee, going down that soon? The chameleon faunus was even more on edge, hurried and wary glances shot down either side of the hallway for any sign of reinforcements springing into sudden action. She let a few seconds pass as she waited and when none seemed to come, her still suspicious stare leveled back towards the councilwoman on the floor.

It felt like she was being Punk'd. Ilia took a few cautious steps over to Weiss and gently nudged Weiss's face with her boot a couple times to determine if she was truly out cold and not simply pretending. The lack of any response told her it was the former...and it was with a shrug that Ilia hunkered down and flipped Weiss so she was lying on her front, face pressed against the cold ground. The faunus reached for her own back where a pair of handcuffs were waiting for use.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

---

To their credit, the extraction team's response time had been impressive. She hadn't said as much to the scientist for politeness' sake; it really was ridiculously, unfathomably late. She literally had to leave the house in about an hour. Before she went about her preparations, though, she felt somewhat obligated to... it just felt a little...

About twenty minutes after the whole affair concluded there was a faint, polite knock on the door to the guest room. Assuming she didn't hear any shouting or the sound of something being thrown against the door, it opened just wide enough a moment later for Weiss to fit her head around and peer in, a bit of stilted hesitance blended with wariness in how she addressed the huntress.

"Yang? Are you... do you want to talk about what happened? It was certainly... a lot."

It may not have been as eloquent as her usual speech, but she at least managed to reestablish the diplomatic notes in her voice as she summed the night up.

Yang was right back to where she started tonight; laying in bed on her back and half asleep. Getting dragged out of bed at two am and going through the mental turmoil of the last hour didn't exactly leave her a bundle of energy, though there wasn't any real risk of her passing out. There were too many thoughts buzzing through her head. The time between her leaving the cellar and Weiss asking the question hadn't dulled her resolve in her choice, but it had given her time to parse her own thoughts and figure out just why she'd done it, what spawned the instinctive, gut feeling that this was the right play.

It was like she told herself earlier; she worked with words just as often as she did her fists, and the more she thought about it, the more positive she was that the former was the better tool at her disposal. Part of it was just seeing Weiss in action; While the resistance obviously would've done like, way better in that fight if Yang was fully armed and raring to go, she could begrudgingly admit that two more fists shooting two more bullets wouldn't have made the decisive difference in the end.

More importantly though, Yang wasn't raring to go. As draining as this experience had been, she'd been watching Weiss just as much as the heiress had been watching her, and at the end of the day, after the basement of horrors and even after watching that fight, she'd realized something; she didn't want to punch Weiss in the face. Not even in a general, world crossing sense; she didn't wanna punch this Weiss in the face. Maybe it was because she hadn't seen the worst of what Weiss had done like others in the resistance had. And it was probably impossible to completely cut out the sentiment tied up in her being the double of Yang's best friend. But after everything she'd seen, after everything Weiss had told her and what Yang had done her best to parse as truth and fiction, and what Yang herself had seen in this version of Remant and the next, the more sure she was that fighting Weiss head on wasn't gonna give anyone what they wanted in the end.

She could do this. No one else had to get hurt because of her.

This was probably going to be one of the most important conversation of her life. She'd spent the time on her walk and waiting for Weiss carefully going over her words, tossing the whole script so that she could talk from the heart, but focusing her resolve on the goal those words had maintained.

When Weiss' voice broke the silence, Yang took a deep breath, not yet opening her eyes.

"...Honestly? No. I'm not ok. But-"

"Aaiiiiiiiiiii!"

Ironwood's soul probably would've departed his shiny metal body and ascended to the heavens on the spot if he knew this, but of all people, after all those impressive victories strung together one after another, the reaper, Winter, Ruby, Ironwood himself, Grey, the Happy Huntresses, Nora, Tock... Weiss Schnee was ambushed and tazed out by the one person she'd pissed off who she honestly just completely forgot about.​

"..."

Despite her fierce hope that the strike would work 100% as intended...when it did, it seemed suspiciously too easy. Weiss Schnee, the one who even when drunk had completely toyed with Ilia back on her ship? The one who had just been in the thick of all that nonsense in the cellar and came out the other side on top? That Weiss Schnee, going down that soon? The chameleon faunus was even more on edge, hurried and wary glances shot down either side of the hallway for any sign of reinforcements springing into sudden action. She let a few seconds pass as she waited and when none seemed to come, her still suspicious stare leveled back towards the councilwoman on the floor.

It felt like she was being Punk'd. Ilia took a few cautious steps over to Weiss and gently nudged Weiss's face with her boot a couple times to determine if she was truly out cold and not simply pretending. The lack of any response told her it was the former...and it was with a shrug that Ilia hunkered down and flipped Weiss so she was lying on her front, face pressed against the cold ground. The faunus reached for her own back where a pair of handcuffs were waiting for use.​

"-Weiss?!"

Yang swung her legs to side of the bed and stared at the scene in front of her before she took a deep, long sigh, planting her face in her hand.

"...if there's anyone else who's gonna pull some crazy stuff tonight then they better coME OUT RIGHT NOW AND IN FACT I BET YOU'RE RIGHT OVER THERE, BLAKE!!"

She whirled to her feet and jabbed her finger at some shadowy corner of the room, the words spoken with such unshakable confidence and deep seated power that, hundreds of miles away, Blake narrowed her eyes and gently reached for the sheathe of her weapon on her airship ride, her aura hovering with the faint sense of danger.

When no yellow eyes flickered in the dark, Yang's shoulders deflated and she huffed and turned to face Ilia with a wry frown.

"...Hey Ilia. Its uh, nice to see you. Glad you made it out of Mistral okay. Before this goes any farther though do you uh... have a plan?" She asked as she jerked her finger towards the window "The security's back outside, and you can't change Weiss' colors. In fact, I'm guessing its like... triple out there what it was before all this. And if Weiss wakes up, aura shackles aren't gonna keep her from turning you into a faunusicle. Which she will definitely do."

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...Hey Ilia. Its uh, nice to see you. Glad you made it out of Mistral okay. Before this goes any farther though do you uh... have a plan?" She asked as she jerked her finger towards the window "The security's back outside, and you can't change Weiss' colors. In fact, I'm guessing its like... triple out there what it was before all this. And if Weiss wakes up, aura shackles aren't gonna keep her from turning you into a faunusicle. Which she will definitely do."

As Ilia stood back up, her eyes shifted to look over at Yang as the faunus seemed to ignore Yang's question entirely in favor of opening her mouth and asking her own. "What is this?" She waved a hand from Weiss over to Yang and back. The way Weiss had been talking to her, the pretty luxurious accommodations and the way she just called out Weiss's name. "Are you a prisoner? A roommate? A guest paying rent? What is going on here?" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized Yang. "You do know that this isn't like...your Weiss, right?" Okay, several questions, not just a single one.

A second or two passed before she added. "Good to see you too. Sort of." This wasn't exactly the best spot for a reunion.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

As Ilia stood back up, her eyes shifted to look over at Yang as the faunus seemed to ignore Yang's question entirely in favor of opening her mouth and asking her own. "What is this?" She waved a hand from Weiss over to Yang and back. The way Weiss had been talking to her, the pretty luxurious accommodations and the way she just called out Weiss's name. "Are you a prisoner? A roommate? A guest paying rent? What is going on here?" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized Yang. "You do know that this isn't like...your Weiss, right?" Okay, several questions, not just a single one.

A second or two passed before she added. "Good to see you too. Sort of." This wasn't exactly the best spot for a reunion.​

"I like to think myself as the hostage of honor" She drawled back as she planted her hand on her hip. "But seriously, what's the deal here? We just playing it by ear or is there a plan?"

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I like to think myself as the hostage of honor" She drawled back as she planted her hand on her hip. "But seriously, what's the deal here? We just playing it by ear or is there a plan?"

"...We? I wasn't aware you were part of this." Ilia pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "But...uh...yeah..." She rubbed at the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Didn't think that far ahead. As much as I hoped to capture her without much struggle, I feared...honestly even expected that she would put up much more of a struggle than she did. So yes, playing it by ear." ​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Tyrian raised his left arm and braced for the kick.

His aura shimmered as the kick collided with his forearm but he stood his ground.

"Grrrr...For a pig you sure talk a lot..." Tyrian sought to grab onto his leg. "Don't you know that animals like you..."

The faunus gave a good tug with the intention being to swing his opponent to the right and into the lampost that he'd been so gleefully hanging on before.

"SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD!"

Trifa watched the fight, more a spectator than anything. This...Nothing about this whole situation felt right.

Who was this man? What 'Talon' was he???

The man whipped through the air for the pole, only to contort himself out of its path while he snatched the the post with both hands to spin around and turn the momentum right back the other way into a roll that looked to be in preparation for slipping under Tyrian's guard for a strike, only for him to suddenly bounce up and over like a spring with a backflip of a kick for Tyrian's chin as he scoffed.

"Seen and not heard? that's human rhetoric! You must be completely infected, your head must sick"

He didn't come back down like he should have, his hand snatching the side of a windowsill to halt his momentum and spin him further upwards before he pushed off the side of the building with his feet and came flying back downwards with haymaker of a punch

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...We? I wasn't aware you were part of this." Ilia pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "But...uh...yeah..." She rubbed at the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Didn't think that far ahead. As much as I hoped to capture her without much struggle, I feared...honestly even expected that she would put up much more of a struggle than she did. So yes, playing it by ear." ​

"Right. Gotcha." Yang said with a nod as she moved to cross her arms but looked immensely awkward doing it for obvious reasons, stance weirdly firm for the conversation's tone.

shoot.

Despite looking like a hug with a voice to match, Yang knew Ilia was dangerous, but she didn't think she was 'bust Weiss' best security solo' dangerous. And even if she did, the result would just...

Double triple dog shoot.

"I'm kind of a part of it whether I wanna be or not, y'know? So I'm playin it by ear too." She looked down at her hand and flexed it a few times, her tone drifting towards uncertain. "I... know we don't actually know each other that well, but we're on the same side, right? if I told you that Blake trusted me, would that be enough for you to trust me?" she asked as she looked up at the ceiling. "Because otherwise you're definitely about to hate me. And one of Blake's friend's hating me would suck."

That line of thought was the only warning Ilia got before Yang's fist slammed into her gut full force, sending straight into the wall as Yang quick stepped forward immediately after the swing to try and plant her foot in a straight kick to put Ilia all the way through that wall.

Regardless of whether any of that happened, Yang's foot was gonna end up caving that wall in, and it wasn't exactly quiet.

"Run."

 

[MidwayLives]

The man whipped through the air for the pole, only to contort himself out of its path while he snatched the the post with both hands to spin around and turn the momentum right back the other way into a roll that looked to be in preparation for slipping under Tyrian's guard for a strike, only for him to suddenly bounce up and over like a spring with a backflip of a kick for Tyrian's chin as he scoffed.

This guy...

Tyrian ate the kick to the chin and was thrown back landing in a puddle much like Trifa had.

Was really starting to PISS HIM OFF!!!
​

"Seen and not heard? that's human rhetoric! You must be completely infected, your head must sick"

"Why don't you rehabilitate me, huh?"

Tyrian's tail lashed out to wrap around the man's arm and stop it before it connected with Tyrian.

"And knock off the rhyming!!"

Tyrian threw a punch straight into the bastard's gut. Maybe knocking the wind out of him would shut his mouth for a bit.
​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I'm kind of a part of it whether I wanna be or not, y'know? So I'm playin it by ear too." She looked down at her hand and flexed it a few times, her tone drifting towards uncertain. "I... know we don't actually know each other that well, but we're on the same side, right? if I told you that Blake trusted me, would that be enough for you to trust me?" she asked as she looked up at the ceiling. "Because otherwise you're definitely about to hate me. And one of Blake's friend's hating me would suck."

"...Where are you going with this?"​

That line of thought was the only warning Ilia got before Yang's fist slammed into her gut full force, sending straight into the wall as Yang quick stepped forward immediately after the swing to try and plant her foot in a straight kick to put Ilia all the way through that wall.

Regardless of whether any of that happened, Yang's foot was gonna end up caving that wall in, and it wasn't exactly quiet.

"Run."

Oh. That was where.

Ilia jumped back to her feet pretty quickly after that one two combo put her through the wall and left her temporarily sprawled onto the floor beyond said wall. The immediate look on her face right then wasn't exactly the most welcoming or pleasant of looks.

Yet no counterattack came, the chameleon only standing there and expression gradually softening with every moment that passed and Yang's final word sunk in more and more. A frown emerged as her eyes flickered around, clearly weighing her options. Ultimately though, she didn't want to fight Yang, and doing so would probably just ensure she got caught. The frown deepened but every inch of her darkened a second later as she rushed off.

Jury was out on whether she actually hated Yang right then.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

This guy...

Tyrian ate the kick to the chin and was thrown back landing in a puddle much like Trifa had.

Was really starting to PISS HIM OFF!!!


"Why don't you rehabilitate me, huh?"

Tyrian's tail lashed out to wrap around the man's arm and stop it before it connected with Tyrian.

"And knock off the rhyming!!"

Tyrian threw a punch straight into the bastard's gut. Maybe knocking the wind out of him would shut his mouth for a bit.
​

The breath did leave him, but it was sucked in with a cackle as he pulled himself up with a bend of his arm and looped his legs around Tyrian's own arm and wrenched backwards, intent on using his prodigious weight to send the faunus flipping over his back and into the nearby wall.

"I'll certainly try, but you may be too far gonSTOP EVoh dear, it sOH GODS PLis finally wERYTHING HURTS WHup!"

The man's face suddenly seemed to be at war with itself, flipping back and forth between terrified and bemused, but otherwise his motions were as fluid as they'd been in the entire fight as he leaped up immediately after to toss to try and bring an elbow down atop tyrian.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...Where are you going with this?"



Oh. That was where.

Ilia jumped back to her feet pretty quickly after that one two combo put her through the wall and left her temporarily sprawled onto the floor beyond said wall. The immediate look on her face right then wasn't exactly the most welcoming or pleasant of looks.

Yet no counterattack came, the chameleon only standing there and expression gradually softening with every moment that passed and Yang's final word sunk in more and more. A frown emerged as her eyes flickered around, clearly weighing her options. Ultimately though, she didn't want to fight Yang, and doing so would probably just ensure she got caught. The frown deepened but every inch of her darkened a second later as she rushed off.

Jury was out on whether she actually hated Yang right then.​

Yang winced a bit at the look, but she kept up her fist and bounced gently back and forth on her toes, seemingly fully intent on keeping it up if Ilia didn't buy what Yang was selling. Thankfully it didn't come to that, and she lowered her arm as Ilia dashed off. Her boxer's bounce continued a few seconds afterwards, deathly quiet as she strained her ears to make sure this wasn't just the prelude to a sneak attack, but when nothing was apparent she finally stopped and planted her hand on her knee with a exasperated huff.

She glanced over at Weiss and winced again. "....So, how likely do you think it'll be that your security dudes think I had nothing to do with this?" she mused aloud

*unconscious noises*

"Yea, me neither" she answered the silence with a sigh. She moved to scoop Weiss up under her arm and as gently as one could when moving a whole person with one hand tossed her onto the bed before she ambled over to the chair to slump into it. Maybe they had standing rules not to shoot people who were sitting down.

 

[MidwayLives]

The breath did leave him, but it was sucked in with a cackle as he pulled himself up with a bend of his arm and looped his legs around Tyrian's own arm and wrenched backwards, intent on using his prodigious weight to send the faunus flipping over his back and into the nearby wall.

Tyrian's response was indecipherable amidst the storm of curses that left his lips.
​

"I'll certainly try, but you may be too far gonSTOP EVoh dear, it sOH GODS PLis finally wERYTHING HURTS WHup!"

That sealed it for the both of them.

This was some kind of possession semblance. The man they'd harassed earlier was no more than a pawn caught up in this mess between faunus.

Maybe it was the anger coursing through his veins but the scorpion had little sympathy.

One of his gauntlets slid open and the barrels extended outwards.

"Tyrian, don't!"
​

The man's face suddenly seemed to be at war with itself, flipping back and forth between terrified and bemused, but otherwise his motions were as fluid as they'd been in the entire fight as he leaped up immediately after to toss to try and bring an elbow down atop tyrian.

Tyrian's eyes were cold and full of uncompromising hate.

He'd given whoever was behind this a chance to let the human go and they didn't take it.

So, it wasn't on him if he decided to put this human out of his misery.

What would have otherwise been a headshot instead ended up with both Tyrian and the man coated in webbing. Tyrian for his part was left stuck to the wall of the nearest building.

"TRmfmmm??!? TRMMMM!M!M!M!!!!!"

Once Tyrian had been properly secured, Trifa wrapped up the poor puppet with her webbing and swung him down onto his ass.

Drawing her knife she cut the strands of silk from her hands and tied the ends together.

"Talon or not..."

Trifa reached down to pull her mask back on.

"Bringing innocent civilians into this is unforgivable." ​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"My hero."

The voice that came from the bed almost the second Yang sat down was very, very sour, less a stone's throw and more the flight of a comet away from the worried, apprehensive tone she had knocked on the room's door with. Apparently the heiress hadn't been quite as unconscious as she was letting on for the entirety of that. She was certainly still out of her senses when Yang picked her up, but judging by how quickly she recovered once she hit the bed there was no telling how long she'd been listening, pretending to be out cold; if one were to judge the councilwoman's intestinal fortitude based off her petite stature or prissy mannerisms, there was no way in hell she should've been conscious for another ten or so minutes at least.

But Yang knew those things were only the tip of the iceberg that was Weiss Schnee, so it probably wasn't too big a surprise to her that when she turned back around Weiss had already scooched herself over to sit awkwardly against the headboard with her hands cuffed, legs curled at the knees in a manner that still seemed quite sophisticated despite it all. She gave a deep, dissatisfied sigh at the inelegance of the situation, the gaze she leveled Yang with as skeptical as it was cautioning the girl to not breathe a word of whatever dumb nonsense her brain was probably already formulating at Weiss's expense.

That... had been embarrassing. But at least it hadn't been unprovoked.

"I'd ask you to get these things off me, but what's the point? Someone else will just be along to try and hurt me before long. Might as well give them a sporting chance."

*CRASH*

Three armed women in suits and sunglasses suddenly kicked in the room's door, all yelling over each other incomprehensibly and waving their sidearms' laser pointers in so many directions it was dizzying. "MISS SCHNEE, WE JUST ARRIVED AND HEARD A-"

"It's fine."

"...It's... fine?" The central bodyguard parroted, all three slowly lowering their weapons as they stared at Yang. Then over at Weiss. Handcuffed on the bed. The councilwoman appeared completely oblivious and more than a little irritated as to why all three were adopting those horrified, slow-dawning looks of comprehension as they drew their own conclusions rather than just getting out, and her tone carried an edge of impatience when she had to reiterate.

"Yes, fine! OBVIOUSLY nothing is amiss here!"

All three members of the Atlesian secret service were white as sheets, in equal parts mortified and contrite as they bowed their heads so rapidly they were in danger of whiplash. "OF COURSE, MISS SCHNEE! OUR MOST SINCERE APOLOGIES FOR DISTURBING YOUR PRIVACY, MISS SCHNEE!"

So hasty were all three to get out that they practically scrambled over one another to do so, making sure to shut the door all the way with a much softer slam than they had entered with. The whole display just left Weiss mystified, vocalizing her displeasure in the form of a terse, frustrated huff.

"Why is everyone I had guarding my manor tonight being so weird? You just can't get the staff these days."​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Tock's first instinct when she returned to the hazy fringes of consciousness was that it was bright.

Uncomfortably bright. Even with her eyes closed, the fluorescent white forced its way through her eyelids and slowly roused her back to her senses. She had no way of knowing exactly how long she'd been unconscious, the groggy, heavy sensation in her skull cluing her in that whatever length it was had been prolonged via the use of sedatives. There was something else in the way her head was swimming, too; her eyes were more sensitive, her faunus ears processing every sound they registered in a sharpened, distorted way. It all combined to induce a feeling of intense discomfort, a sensation that only worsened when she opened her eyes.

"Ah! Welcome back among the land of the living."

The voice that greeted her brightly should have sounded pompous, self-congratulatory and smug. To Tock's ears it was all those things, but it also sounded demonic, a jarringly unpleasant feedback screech ringing somewhere deep inside her ear canal.

The room she was in was completely empty save for her and one another, its enclosed walls the source of the white glare. She was restrained, strapped in to an elaborate Atlesian containment pod that suspended her vertically, spreadeagle with arms and legs held within interlocking metal clasps. The man standing before her was clearly a scientist of some sort, though the question of whether she know of him and his reputation through Salem or the minor infamy his name boasted was a question only she could answer as he stroked his white beard with cybernetic digits.

"Perhaps you know me. Perhaps not. I'm told you hold great personal significance to dear headmistress Salem of Vale, a woman I've... disagreed with on plenty an occasion. But she is a very long way away from here, my dear, and ultimately of little importance to either of us now. One of a great many things that no longer bear importance to you, I'm afraid." He chuckled.

She couldn't help but flinch at the overwhelming brightness that assaulted her sight once her yellow eyes opened up. She brushed that aside however. Or as best as she could with how sluggish and disoriented she felt, strapped to this damn Atlesian containment pod, the sort of clinical scientific crap Tock had long since grown to associate with Atlas. Her focus wasn't on any of that, though, and instead was on the man who'd spoken. He was old, that much was clear. His voice was filled with the other thing she'd grown accustomed to expecting from Atlas types over her long life. That smug attitude, the condescension, the disgusting levels of self-congratulation.

Yet there was more. That voice...it sounded inherently inhuman. Whether that was more due to how the man preferred the company of Grimm or the groggy feeling spreading across her body, she couldn't say. But it unnerved the hell out of her either way. As she grew more used to the light, the man become more and more clear and distinct, a far cry from the hazy shape just shortly before. "...Merlot." She breathed out, revealing that she did indeed know who was before her.

He nodded, seeming pleased. "I hope you won't hold it against me if I tell you that of the two specimens lady Schnee graced me with a short time ago, you are by far the one of lesser significance to my work. Your ability to resurrect is miraculous, but no more than that. A miracle. There is absolutely nothing about your biology to distinguish you from any other faunus of your kind, save for the, aheh..."

Merlot gestured vaguely to his own teeth. "...bling. But enough pleasantries! I promised the councilwoman that I would make something of you, and deliver I shall. The circuitry has all been properly attached; your neocortex is at its most pliable. So let us begin."

He held up his hand, or more specifically the controller it grasped, and flicked a switch at something behind Tock without ever breaking his wry, genial smile. The button press had an immediate reaction, as the unnaturally white walls filling her vision revealed themselves to be not walls, but screens. A litany of pictures flashed across them, images of Weiss Schnee in all her radiant glory throughout various public appearances of her from over the years dating back to when she was a mere teenager; campaigning, performing songs, participating in charity events.

"Who is this?"

She didn't even attempt to break free from these restraints, knowing full well how vain it would be to try. The things he was talking about, the cryptic weirdness...it left her too taken aback to even snap back at the jabs at her self-worth. "Circuitry...? What the hell are you talkin' bout--"

Tock cut herself off as she looked around once the walls were proven to not be walls at all, but instead Atlas technological screens, numerous images of Weiss projected out among them. There was a brief period of silence as Tock glanced between them all with slightly widened eyes until her gaze returned to Merlot. "Someone that needs to be stopped." Tock answered with a bold smirk, despite the fact that she was restrained like this. "Just like you."

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The flare of intense agony that arced through Tock's brain and had her every cognitive function seize up was like nothing imaginable. Every synaptic nerve in her brain flared at once, the sound echoing around the confines of her skull almost akin to the wrong answer buzzer on a quiz show, and the pain was reminiscent of what she'd felt when she underwent her dust withdrawal symptoms before if it were entirely localized to the precious governing organ in Tock's head, the one that defined everything she was.

It sent her vision swimming like she was just regaining consciousness again, and when she managed to pick her gaze back up it was to the same smug disposition and calmly assured smile. The screens had reverted to white, but with another click of the remote every one of those megasized Weiss photos flickered back into view.

"Who is this?"

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

The earsplitting shout of agony filled the whole room with ease as Tock thrashed about in the restraints as much as she possibly could. The pain was overwhelming, and Tock couldn't even manage to hold a coherent thought together the entire time she felt it. It hurt just as bad as the effects of the dust jammed within herself had, if not worse, since it was all centered in just her head. The part that controlled everything else. A head that felt like it had just been scrambled up in a blender, leaving her feeling shaken beyond belief. Everything was foggy again.

Her breaths were slow and haggard, eyes blinking like a million times as her sight tried to readjust again. When they did, Tock's smirk had long since vanished, though it was not the same for the smug Merlot. Still, after he repeated that question...

"W-Weiss Schnee...a tyran--tyrant in the...making..." She quietly hissed.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The doctor's outward presentation was that of a disapproving father as he wearily clucked his tongue. "Dear, dear. You misunderstand. I have no interest in hearing about what it is you believe her to be. I am asking a question with a plain, objective answer, one I wish to hear you speak and speak no further. Now, shall we have one final stab at it together?"

CLICK

The button pressed. The images reappeared.

"Who is this?"

After the second round of pain, she desperately wished she could move her limbs, reach up to clutch at her head as it felt like it was being torn apart inch by bloody inch. But she couldn't. It wasn't even remotely in the realm of possibility. When the pain stopped, when the screaming ended, when her thrashing about ceased...her reply came out in an even quieter whisper.

"...Weiss Schnee..."

The good doctor clapped his hands together, delighted. "Wonderful! Yes, this is indeed our noble city council member Weiss Schnee. You owe her a great deal, don't you?"

Even with the agony and her inability to do anything about the situation, it was a sentence so ludicrous it no doubt would've drawn little more than a scoff from the faunus no matter the dire straits she found herself in. And yet somehow... the disorientation, the pain, the odd, garbled distortion to Merlot's voice... the words didn't seem so implausible, did they? Weiss Schnee was a humanitarian. Weiss Schnee was a philanthropist. What reason could she possibly have had to ever want to harm somebody like Weiss Schnee?

CLICK

His cybernetic digits tapped against the remote once more. The blown-up photos of Weiss were gone, and in their place were multiple images of a figure that Tock bore a far greater familiarity towards.

"Now then. What is this?"

There was a strange look in her eyes as she let those words settle upon her, one of the few things she could do from this position. Perhaps it was the pain warping her perception, or the general disorientation, or just the way he was talking...or maybe it was a combination of all that and more, but what he'd said didn't sound as disagreeable as the Tock who'd been punching the hell out of her would have found it. There was no snort of derision, no bitter laugh, no snapping out in refusal at the ridiculousness of that bullshit. There was a brief frown as she tried to think, to clear her head and bring up what she knew about Weiss Schnee.

It didn't come.

Not even by the time the screens conjured up a different but far more familiar face. "Salem. The...the headmistress of Beacon." The answer was immediate, if strained.

"...Incorrect."

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The pain flooded her receptors again, and the ringing in her ear started to rise to a chaotic screech as it mingled with the insatiable buzzing from within her own skull. When the man spoke again, there was an element of such conviction, such a passion to each and every emphatic word he delivered, that it was clear the words came from his very soul.

"She is no true 'headmistress', no curator of our youth's prosperity and growth. She is a manipulator. She is a parasite who has endured long past her given lifetime, influencing and manipulating human history to her own wicked ends. The very trajectory of our evolution has been stunted, warped, and defiled by her will and whims, as she grooms our children and sends them out to die time and time again in a war that is HER war, not humanity's war, not our war, but her ancient, petulant lover's quarrel. 'Headmistress'? A headmistress's purpose is to nurture, to sow. Salem only reaps. She is the enemy of progress. She is the enemy of life itself."

All pictures of Salem vanished save one as every trace of light in the room faded to an impenetrable, malignant black; Merlot's cybernetic eye whirred red in the darkness. In that blackness, something started to appear, spreading and growing over Beacon's benevolent headmistress like a cancer. Her hair and skin faded ash-white; black veins throbbed as they set in around the edges of her face. What the image was distorting into was something ancient. Something horrifying. Something truly unstoppable and unknowable, an entity beyond humanity's comprehension who had had its way with them at every single corner of their development throughout history, nudging and directing events as it pleased. Tock's brain was screaming each and every one of those things at her like they were survival instincts.

It was not, however, Ozpin.

"I ask again. What is she?"

Her voice was too weak to howl fully with the sudden overflowing feeling of pain spiking in her skull, but a sound did echo out from her regardless. The sharp metal screech of her sharpened teeth grinding against each other as she got tortured for the third time in a far too short period. For a third time she thrashed about wildly but despite that, once it was all said and done...as he spoke, went on that rant...there was something in those eyes that indicated some part of her was hanging onto every word. Not that there was much else to reach out, to take into herself in this isolated hell. When he was finished with his little speech and asked once more, the response was louder than her whisper but more shaky.

"She's...she's a parasite." She droned back, voice sounding less like the spirited croc that she was and more an emotionless parrot simply repeating what she'd heard. "The enemy that we all face, the one that must be destr--NO!" Tock suddenly blurted out in a pained gasp, something inside her trying to refuse everything her brain was telling her right now. Her head shook as much as it could, straining to avoid staring at that singular picture of Salem as it twisted up into something utterly inhuman, monstrous in visage as it looked over with a face straight out of somebody's nightmare. "What the hell are ya doin' to me, you damn smug jackass? KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF!! SALEM'S NOT LIKE THAT. She saved ME! She..." There was a grimace that emerged onto her face as Tock felt abruptly silent, warring inside her own head.

A battle she was sorely inexperienced with.

Merlot's smile was less smug and more fond as he noted the look of confliction ruling over the crocodile's face, a deeply gratified sigh pushed out through his nostrils. "Divine, my dear. Simply divine. A most promising first round of the process."

Then he raised the control again.

"Let's take it from the top, shall we?"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Hrm. I don't see what all the hullabaloo is about." Gwen commented matter-of-factly, replaying the recordings of that whole cellar fight for the umpteenth time. Though, calling that a fight was being extremely generous to one of the parties involved. Nearly a dozen people and barely any of them even came close to landing a single blow. Only one came anywhere near being able to call that a fight, and even then it didn't last very long. These were supposed to be the best the resistance had to offer? A bunch of ineffectual rebels that blew over like dominoes in an engagement with one singular foe? That was incredibly disappointing. Weiss was a remarkably gifted combatant, sure, but those numbers? Downright embarrassing show on their part. Then again...

Gwen glanced to the gauntlet on her wrist, where another holographic screen was being projected above it. A screen displaying one of the Ace Ops flailing about trying to catch a dang dog. Key word being trying. Not to mention that explosive emotional display of whining. That was, quite frankly, disgusting. Emotion like that had no place on the battlefield. There was enough embarrassment to go around, it seemed. "How about you, Jennings? Do you see what all the fuss is about?" The Special Operative questioned, shooting a glance over her shoulder at her companion.

"Negative, master Helios." An electronic voice droned on as an AK-130 war-droid stepped up. It stood out amongst its kind though. Not just for the turquoise glow it emanated instead of the red one, but also for the fact that it was dressed to the nines, even though it was a robot. Black jacket, pristine white dress shirt, trousers. No shoes, obviously, but a neat little bowtie rounded off the ensemble. "They appear criminally uncoordinated. They had the opportunity to strike at Miss Schnee while she was physically unable of fighting back, but squandered it in favor of mocking the councilwoman. A colossal error in judgment."

"Quite right, Jennings!" Gwen beamed, proud of her long-time companion. "This is why I keep you around." The pair of them had been practically inseparable for years now. And despite what she'd just said, she kept him around for much more than that. She owed him that much. Ever since the day he saved her. Her mind briefly flashed back to the time. A cabin on the lake. Her mom and dad and brother just lying there, uncaring about anything. Apathetic about everything. Those long, spindly, unnatural arms. She, herself, sitting there farther away from them with an equally blank look on her face as they...they...

People liked to criticize the droid soldiers the Atlas military used in great numbers as weak. Useless. Fodder for Grimm. But they just didn't understand. Truly didn't comprehend the advantage of troops they could churn out in droves. An emotionless strike force. Apathy was a foreign concept to them. It was for that reason, and that reason only, that she had not died with her family. An AK detachment saved her just in time. They obliterated the grimm that had slaughtered her family. No emotion, just logic and masterful precision. That had truly been a life-changing day. Her family died. She discovered her semblance from the intense turmoil plaguing her. And in doing so, gifted the AK-130 who would henceforth come to be known as Jennings a much greater degree of sentience than any of his brethren. She'd lost and gained a family all in one tragic day. The story of a girl and her terminator. Gwen shook her head, banishing the dark and conflicted memories back into the abyss, returning her focus to the matter at hand.

"Silly, troublesome little birdy." She remarked, eyes locked on Robyn Hill as the recording showed her briefly tapping her knuckles on Weiss's forehead instead of making any attempt to incapacitate Schnee. "Talking when you should have been attacking. Tsk tsk. No wonder you moved down to Mantle. You simply could not cut it in Atlas." Gwen blinked and the recording fast forwarded in response, the Special Operative taking in all the combat maneuvers and moves utilized in that show with a keen and curious eye. "Jennings! Log this into combat data folder 471, subsection 9."

"Affirmative."

"Excellent." She tapped her gauntlet, the screen displaying the recordings vanishing from sight. There was another matter of interest. The cameras, those in a specific area of the manor, they had been disabled. All of them. None of what had transpired there had been recorded. Not Ilia's attack, not Weiss succumbing to the zap, not her supposed prisoner coming to her defense. Perhaps that was for the best. Still though, a sense of curiosity about what the cameras missed, it did tickle her in the back of her mind. After a handful of contemplative seconds, she folded her hands behind her back and exited the security room with purpose. "Come along, Jennings!"

"Right away, Master Helios."

The soldier had such a bounce to her step that she was practically skipping through the halls of the large manor. Surely Weiss or the prisoner could enlighten her about the circumstances that the cameras were unable to capture. So many targets already on the list. Robyn, her gang of fools, the others. Yet perhaps still more! Failure on their part or not, this attack on the councilwoman's home just couldn't go unpunished. She hoped the higher ups would put her on that assignment personally.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Tyrian's response was indecipherable amidst the storm of curses that left his lips.


That sealed it for the both of them.

This was some kind of possession semblance. The man they'd harassed earlier was no more than a pawn caught up in this mess between faunus.

Maybe it was the anger coursing through his veins but the scorpion had little sympathy.

One of his gauntlets slid open and the barrels extended outwards.

"Tyrian, don't!"


Tyrian's eyes were cold and full of uncompromising hate.

He'd given whoever was behind this a chance to let the human go and they didn't take it.

So, it wasn't on him if he decided to put this human out of his misery.

What would have otherwise been a headshot instead ended up with both Tyrian and the man coated in webbing. Tyrian for his part was left stuck to the wall of the nearest building.

"TRmfmmm??!? TRMMMM!M!M!M!!!!!"

Once Tyrian had been properly secured, Trifa wrapped up the poor puppet with her webbing and swung him down onto his ass.

Drawing her knife she cut the strands of silk from her hands and tied the ends together.

"Talon or not..."

Trifa reached down to pull her mask back on.

"Bringing innocent civilians into this is unforgivable." ​

"Innocent civilian?! What 'innocent civilian' knows where the shadow fang travel? This man is a menace, greed his only chapel, who sells out faunus and man alikeNo no please GrrahrghAAAHH-" There was a sharp sound of fracturing bone that filled the air as muscles flexed far harder than they ever should, and the man howled in primal anguish that his body did not heed "He's the lowest of the low, even for humans, and franklySTOOOOOOOOdeserves his fat head on a pike!"

There was one last crack, and the binding around his arms snapped free. The cost was unbearably high for the action for anyone who gave a damn what happened to their body; bits of bone were sticking out along his forearm, and his right arm hung useless and limp, but it was clear that whoever was steering didn't mind the payment in the slightest as he gave Trifa a light grin and a shrug with his working shoulder.

"Yet it seems that's your thing, if I'm to believepleasewhat words you two sing, revengeplease ohgodohgod please please plefor the worst of the lot. Even if the sword was our foe, to her I'd not let you go, the only thing you deserve-"

The man suddenly went slack with a faint glow behind him, a gasp of pain so consuming that his eyes started to roll back into his head as he began to pass out and slump backwards. If anyone else had been standing there, what happened next would've been almost completely unavoidable, but Trifa's semblance was screaming in the back of her head to duck, and assuming she listened, a bright blue beam of energy tore straight through the mans chest in an explosion of burnt flesh and vaporized blood and rain to pierce the air where her head had been half a second before.

"-Is to be shot."



The man slumped to the ground as another stood up behind him, a sleek, long, gleaming black rifle in their hands. their robes were archaic, a dark purple color loose in the sleeves that hung from their elbows over a black and red set of clothes underneath and the jut of a short blade's hilt could also be seen peeking out of the robes. Their physique was hard to make out underneath their clothing, but they held the rifle with casual grace despite its size. An elegant tousle of white hair tickled their shoulders, only just now being dampened from the rain. That was all of their head that the could see; the rest was hidden behind a white mask with red and black accents that depicted a smiling fox. Its eyes seemed shut, yet its gaze was unmistakably boring into Trifa's own despite how both their eyes were covered, and its head tilted to the side. Three white tails slowly twisted in the rain behind them , almost hypnotic as they circled each other in a rhythmic pattern, keeping time to a tune unknown.

"...Hrm. The scene's been ruined. You're quicker than expected, little spider. Eight nimble little legs packed into two. I'll have to try harder, if I'm meant to hunt you."

The voice was as melodious and charming as it was entirely inhuman, an alien undertone to the words that didn't seem quite human, faunus, or even grimm. The rifle folded in on itself from the bottom as the handle shifted into a hilt, and a blade of hardlight dust the same color as the beam that had nearly put a hole in her skull formed along the edge of what was swiftly becoming a one-sided sword, the rain hissing as it burned to steam wherever it fell along the blade. It twirled a few times in their hand with a dancer's sense of style before it was levelled at the spider faunus.

...they sighed and just as swiftly spun it back down, the edge flickering out of existence as they turned to walk away.

"But alas, the mood has been ruined. I didn't even come here to fight. Take your friend and run along, and you may yet live till night. But know this, Callows;" Their mask turned to regard them, and the melody of their words turned darker as they continued.

"Be it friend it as friend or foe, the sword still belongs to the fang to this day. Continue on this path, and you I will slay."

 

[MidwayLives]

"Innocent civilian?! What 'innocent civilian' knows where the shadow fang travel? This man is a menace, greed his only chapel, who sells out faunus and man alikeNo no please GrrahrghAAAHH-"

"That doesn't give you the right to do what you want!"

Trifa's grip on her knife grew tighter.

Her steadily growing anger starting to dominate the fear of the foe standing before her.
​

"He's the lowest of the low, even for humans, and franklySTOOOOOOOOdeserves his fat head on a pike!"

"That's not your choice! Nobody died and made you God!"

Given what was about to happen, perhaps died wasn't the best choice of word.
​

There was one last crack, and the binding around his arms snapped free. The cost was unbearably high for the action for anyone who gave a damn what happened to their body; bits of bone were sticking out along his forearm, and his right arm hung useless and limp, but it was clear that whoever was steering didn't mind the payment in the slightest as he gave Trifa a light grin and a shrug with his working shoulder.

"Yet it seems that's your thing, if I'm to believepleasewhat words you two sing, revengeplease ohgodohgod please please plefor the worst of the lot. Even if the sword was our foe, to her I'd not let you go, the only thing you deserve-"

Trifa had seen her fair share of revolting injuries.

Hell, she'd even blown a man's brains out once. It was why she was so unwilling to let Tyrian unknowingly follow in her footsteps.

But this was absolutely horrific. A macrbe display of power over someone who could do nothing to stop it.

"Stop it!! STOP IT!!!"
​

The man suddenly went slack with a faint glow behind him, a gasp of pain so consuming that his eyes started to roll back into his head as he began to pass out and slump backwards. If anyone else had been standing there, what happened next would've been almost completely unavoidable, but Trifa's semblance was screaming in the back of her head to duck, and assuming she listened, a bright blue beam of energy tore straight through the mans chest in an explosion of burnt flesh and vaporized blood and rain to pierce the air where her head had been half a second before.

"-Is to be shot."

Thanks to how aura worked, everyone tended to get a little warning of danger.

Trifa's semblance-Natural Alarm-was all that and more.

Her entire body tingled and when that happened? It typically meant one thing.

Shit was about to go south real quick.

Ducking down, Trifa watched in growing horror as the man's chest cavity was absolutely eviscerated. Whatever had once been housed in there was obliterated.
​

The man slumped to the ground as another stood up behind him, a sleek, long, gleaming black rifle in their hands. their robes were archaic, a dark purple color loose in the sleeves that hung from their elbows over a black and red set of clothes underneath and the jut of a short blade's hilt could also be seen peeking out of the robes. Their physique was hard to make out underneath their clothing, but they held the rifle with casual grace despite its size. An elegant tousle of white hair tickled their shoulders, only just now being dampened from the rain. That was all of their head that the could see; the rest was hidden behind a white mask with red and black accents that depicted a smiling fox. Its eyes seemed shut, yet its gaze was unmistakably boring into Trifa's own despite how both their eyes were covered, and its head tilted to the side. Three white tails slowly twisted in the rain behind them , almost hypnotic as they circled each other in a rhythmic pattern, keeping time to a tune unknown.

"...Hrm. The scene's been ruined. You're quicker than expected, little spider. Eight nimble little legs packed into two. I'll have to try harder, if I'm meant to hunt you."

Trifa had never had the misfortune to encounter any members of the Fang before this.

The sheer lengths that they were clearly willing to go though. It left her panting and a cold sweat overtook her, thankfully hidden away from sight by her costume.

'These people....They...They don't care. If it's an enemy in their eyes they'll kill it in whatever way possible...'

Trifa balled her hands up and gestured to the man's corpse.

"How...? How can you act as if you're any better than the humans you claim to be against?! You killed that man without a second thought! You forced him to fight while you hid like a coward! it's not justice, it's cruelty!!"

Ichabod and those above him like Carneilan had done terrible things. There was no bullshitting around it.

"Two wrongs don't make a right! You can't just kill and claim it's justified because of what others have done!"
​

The voice was as melodious and charming as it was entirely inhuman, an alien undertone to the words that didn't seem quite human, faunus, or even grimm. The rifle folded in on itself from the bottom as the handle shifted into a hilt, and a blade of hardlight dust the same color as the beam that had nearly put a hole in her skull formed along the edge of what was swiftly becoming a one-sided sword, the rain hissing as it burned to steam wherever it fell along the blade. It twirled a few times in their hand with a dancer's sense of style before it was levelled at the spider faunus.

Trifa readied herself for what would probably be the fight of her life.

She wasn't like Tyrian or really like most people in this world from the looks of it.

She didn't name her weapon, she just didn't see a point to it.

It was just a tool to defend yourself with at the end of the day. Attaching anymore meaning to it than that was just creepy.

But if she had to give it one in this very moment?

It'd be Hope: Hope that it'd let her get out of here alive with Tyrian.

Speaking of whom...

"RRRRRAAAAGHHHH!!! MMMRMFMMM!M!M!!!!!"

Tyrian roared and screeched as he struggled against Trifa's webbing. He knew her to be a great fighter. He'd even been proud to call her a rival back in the day but if this warrior could have landed blows on him while using that human as a meat puppet, he didn't want to think about how effective they were when they weren't hiding behind anybody. He fired one of his weapons to tear a hole in the webbing to free his right hand. Gripping onto the thicker strands of the silk, Tyrian started pulling and cutting. First thing to get free was his mouth.

"TRIFA!!!"
​

...they sighed and just as swiftly spun it back down, the edge flickering out of existence as they turned to walk away.

Trifa didn't let it show but when Fox turned to leave?

She was so relieved she almost fell onto her knees.

She started towards Tyrian and quickly began cutting him free.

"I'm sorry, Tyrian. I...i just didn't want you to...Have to.."

She looked over her shoulder at the man's body.

Tyrian said nothing.

He knew the truth.

The fellow faunus he'd used as a bullet sponge during his fight with Qrow. He'd already taken another's life and he didn't so much as regret it as he didn't think about it at all. It was something that happened and that's all there was to it.

But he couldn't tell Trifa that. He could never do that.
​

"But alas, the mood has been ruined. I didn't even come here to fight. Take your friend and run along, and you may yet live till night. But know this, Callows;" Their mask turned to regard them, and the melody of their words turned darker as they continued.

Hopping down from the wall once Trifa had cut him free, he sounded out whatever apologies his spider friend had.

He focused only on what Fox had to say.

He didn't get mad or scream.

He just stood and listened.
​

"Be it friend it as friend or foe, the sword still belongs to the fang to this day. Continue on this path, and you I will slay."

The first half of that sentence had come as a surprise.

'Guess for all your talk, you ended up running back to the same people you'd cut down and fought alongside us...'

It didn't change anything though. At least not in Tyrian's mind.

'Tyrian, what are we going to do?'

Tyrian stepped forward but stopped before he got too close to Fox.

"You said I've till night to call off this crusade of mine?"

Tyrian smiled.

"Then I suppose I'll see you later, Fox."

Trifa's fear had picked up once again. So, they were really doing this. Her worst fears had come to pass. They were going to have to fight the Shadow Fang itself in order to get to their goal.

'We're just two kids and you've gone and declared war on one of the biggest factions out there. I...Hope it was worth it, Tyrian.'​