Chapter 20: Final Gambit Game

Blake Belladonna

Within a week it was clear the SDC was going nowhere. Their little show had cost the faunus students more heartache than Blake had ever experienced at the school. Though no one dared get physical, as Zawisza was quick to break up fights, it brought a sense of distrust matched by hateful glares. Their oppression choked the school, eyes all on them, manipulating the more ignorant portion of the student body into putting their frustrations on the more willful classmates. Despite that, the second thing made abundantly obvious was that the majority of the peers of Beacon had had enough. Everyone was looking for an opportunity to take the SDC guards that filled the halls and watched the students like hawks down a peg, none more so than the faunus, especially Sun. As it turned out, that person wasn't Sun, it wasn't Blake, or Velvet, or any of them.

The first person to start something was Ruby Rose.

It had begun small at first. Weiss' cousin made a passing remark about the younger Schnee's "poor judgement" skills and to her surprise, next time she walked into the cafeteria the door dropped a bucket of water on her head, one of the oldest pranks on record. With her super speed Ruby could set it up in front of everyone and it would just seem like a blast of wind with scattered petals. The students knew it was RWBY's leader, the teachers had to know as well, only one who didn't was a soaked SDC rep fuming. Still, no one told on her and Ruby walked free.

One thing lead to another and soon enough Sun wanted in on Ruby's tricks, the Gambit Games they were calling it, little protests here and there. If an SDC guard hassled a student too much, suddenly Sun and Ruby would start a food fight and in the commotion if that guard was to get knocked on his ass by a well placed baguette and covered in at least ten people's plates, well that was just the hazard of work dealing with rowdy teenagers.

Of course things grew even more from there, more people were asking about these games, and more people were getting involved. Yang, Nora, several faunus students, Blake herself of course couldn't resist a bit of revenge. Most surprisingly was Weiss, she joined immediately. At first it was to keep Ruby out of trouble, even though it was pretty obvious the redhead was starting it, but quickly Blake noticed her take an active role, whether it was using her glyphs to light hidden fireworks in the guards' dorm rooms from outside the building or freezing the floor of a hallway while guards ran after Sun who had stolen some dorm keys. All of RWBY was committed to these pranks that were becoming more and more like a real rebellion. It felt good, no great, for Blake to strike back again on the right side of things, especially as events became serious.

It was week two before they snuck little recorders into the rooms of the SDC officers, little crappy bugs Sun snuck out to "buy." They were almost absolutely stolen, but they worked and tied to Blake's old scroll. She could listen in on everything they were saying all day so long as she pretended it was some rock band no one would care to listen to. This bit of information helped with planning out their little gambits, when to back away if they were on to them, or informed them of much more damning things. All of which she transcribed and sent to Ozpin through a dummy message system. Most of it was just bitching about the hell they were giving the SDC personnel, but in its own way that was intensely satisfying.

"Hey Blake, how's, uh, the new band?" Ruby asked from her bed with an exaggerated wink. How Ruby was leading an underground prank network as large as theirs while being the most awkward liar, the faunus had no idea, but they hadn't been caught yet.

"It's boring so far, so hard to find a good new band," Blake replied as if it was the most true thing in the world. She was a much more successful liar, that was for damn sure.

"So wait, does that mean bad stuff or boring stuff? I'm not exactly with it on our whole code thing."

"Ruby, if it's important she'll tell us, just shush about it before you get everyone expelled," Weiss whispered angrily from her bottom bunk, herself studying over the dust application notes for today. After all they were still students, and this was still a school.

"Don't be so moody in the morning, babe," Ruby replied, flipping half her body below her bunk to get a quick kiss from Weiss. Blake watched as she got kissed by a pillow to the face instead.

"I don't care if you're cute. We. Do. Not. Do. Pet names. Got it?" Weiss roared.

"Sorry, babe!" Ruby chuckled before getting pelted by two pillows, the bulk of her girlfriend's feathered arsenal. It was charming for Blake to watch them now that the drama had calmed down and their relationship became frankly old news as far as Beacon gossip concerned itself. The SDC might have given Ruby the stink eye here or there, but all in all, their relationship went back to the peaceful and admirable construct it was.

"You two are adorable," Blake mumbled from her corner, listening to the quiet shuffle of the recorded room.

"Shut up!" Weiss shouted, but the faunus ignored her. The doors were opening, footsteps, two pairs. That, or someone with a bad leg, no two, one stopped. Blake raised the volume to compete with her own noisy dorm. Made only worse when Yang swung her door open, smeared from head to toe in shaving cream.

"I'm home!" she shouted in victory, clearly up to something stupid.

"Look, I get your complaint," a voice on the recorder, male, likely one of the SDC guard captains, the one with the big axe from the sound of it, "Zawisza has been the head of security since Mr. Schnee was a child. If he says that the man has a plan, he has a plan, no need to worry." This was interesting, and despite Blake's predilections, more interesting than Yang soaked in shaving cream.

"What exactly happened to you?" Weiss asked, "and don't you dare step anywhere near me like that."

"Oh, you are just asking for a tackle!" Yang countered, stepping closer. It was so hard to focus on the actual spying. Blake almost completely ignored it till a near shriek pulled her attention back.

"They'll kill him!" Vera, Blake recognized the shrillness of her voice anywhere. "Tomorrow. Night. How many times do I have to say that? There is movement all over the city towards Winterstown, we stopped a train heading that way filled with White Fang weapons and ar—"

"Yang! You got it everywhere! You are freaking gross!" Weiss shouted, overpowering the conversation playing on the scroll. The two sisters were practically wrestling on top of her, her bed, and all of her stuff. Yang and Ruby were having a gaggle of laughter while Weiss was horrified.

"Relax Ice Queen, it's all shaving cream. Me and SSSN stole all of it out of the guard barracks and started playing baseball with Sun's staff. Jerks decided it would be funny, since I was the pitcher, to start knocking it back at me! Anyways—" Blake didn't care about SSSN or the shaving cream, that was small stuff, this was big. Blake snapped it to max volume.

"—stupid! He's by himself!" Vera was still talking, just as angry as before.

"Mr. Schnee has the android girl and the automated defenses, there is no cause for alarm." The other officer, he sounded automatic, obviously unused to thinking for himself, or questioning anything that surrounded him.

"The automated defense system is faulty, the White Fang hacked it years ago, remember? The statues? Mr. Schnee is defenseless while we wait twiddling our thumbs turning this fortress into an even bigger fortress!" What? Blake had thought about all the things she might find out spying on the SDC, little secret dealings with the mob maybe, plans of breaking RWBY apart really the most tragic thing she ever thought might be heard over these recordings. This was far worse. Her former brothers and sisters were going after the head of the SDC, to slaughter her friend's dad.

"Zawisza says he wants us protecting Weiss. If he has a plan, he has a plan." Or get slaughtered doing it. All this, and no one was going to do a thing. If this was true, there was going to be blood tomorrow night. Was Blake just suppose to pretend she didn't hear anything, hope her problems wiped each other out? What a fucked up way to even think.

"Both of you, shower. Now!" Weiss called to the deep chasm of Blake's mind, snapping her back to reality. All three of them were covered in cream and soaked, Weiss' ponytail completely ruined, face scorched red.

"Come on, Rubes, we better go clean up, your boo is getting feisty," Yang offered to her awkwardly apologetic little sister. Mostly it was just to get Weiss even more mad.

"As you command," Ruby mumbled, bouncing away to the shower with Yang, off to quickly wash up and switch to weekend PJs. That left an angry Weiss, and a still completely dumbstruck Blake, eyes wide and mouth agape, looking like an idiot. What was she suppose to do? How was she suppose to take this?

"What are you looking at?" Weiss asked, noticing Blake silently staring from the corner. The shower switched on from the bathroom, a calm drizzle that matched the silence in Blake's chest.

"The White Fang are going to kill your dad tomorrow night," Blake responded reflexively and plainly, Weiss almost immediately taking it as sarcasm. She very quickly realized it wasn't funny at all. Quicker then realized it wasn't ever meant to be.

"What?!" Weiss understandably shrieked. Body trembled slightly, eyes wide and mouth glued shut waiting for confirmation. Blake couldn't tell if it was fury or fear that made Weiss shake, but it was something intense.

"Weiss, in the room, the SDC security leaders, they're talking about how the White Fang are preparing to attack your dad tomorrow night. They say no one's there. Only the automated defenses," Blake tried to clarify without much context for the specifics. She did not know what counted for automated defenses in the Schnee compound, but Weiss would, a shake of her head evidence that she did.

"Those are still faulty, it's why we have the Schnee order in such large numbers! What are you thinking, did you mishear it?!" Weiss shouted now, the way a dog barks at anything that upset the norm. Blake knew it wasn't personal, but the shouting always put her on edge. Girl needed to learn how to hold her temper or the faunus was going to have to settle this in a duel. Whatever, Blake reminded herself, it's not the time for that, people are dying.

"Look, a bunch of faunus kids with no hope are about to get slaughtered, maybe even your dad. That's a pretty clear message for me to hear. Do you really think I'd suggest something like this if I wasn't one hundred percent sure? I'm the calm one, remember?" Blake snapped back, both of them mirrored opposites, arms crossed with dirty glares. What on earth possessed Blake to have her best friend, baring Yang as something different entirely, be such a brat.

"No fighting." Blake and Weiss had been so tense neither of them heard the water shut off, or the steps. Ruby was still wet, barely dressed, still sliding on a shirt when she approached them. "We're a team, please stop fighting. I need to know exactly what's going on. Sounds big?" There was a side to Ruby, cheerful and sweet as she was, when her gray eyes went sharp, and all that naiveté and youthful energy went to something important, that she became a leader, one that Blake could follow, even if Ruby needed some guidance at times. Not to mention she was right, Blake and Weiss were about to fight over something that had nothing to do with why their emotions were running so hot.

"Ruby, I don't even know where to start! Blake overheard people on the radio, my father's all by himself in Castle White, the White Fang is going to try and kill him tomorrow night!" Weiss sounded panicked, which was normal, in spite of all the terrible things he had done to team RWBY. Still, this was big, and even if the asshole deserved it, the White Fang had to be stopped, and stopped without being massacred. If they were anything like the runts they fought in the forest, all that were left of the White Fang were old leaders and kids too young to know what they hell they were doing.

"We have to do something. They said Mr. Schnee had a plan, that could mean a lot more deaths and hate towards my people!" Blake pleaded, knowing Ruby had no reason to want to help the old man.

"Not just the faunus, my father as well. Even if he has a plan, there is no way he'll make it out! Look, I have never gotten along with him, I can barely stand him, but we can't just let him die! He's my father. I can't do nothing." People were always cursed with love for their parents, Blake couldn't stand anyone hurting her mom. Weiss could somehow feel that way for him, her emotions ringing loud and clear. He didn't deserve such a loving daughter.

"Yep," Ruby replied, nodding in agreement, presumably with someone.

"'Yep' what? We doing this? We saving that asshole now?" Yang countered from behind them all, drying her hair out. With all the shouting, her and anyone paying any attention in the halls had to be on the same page as them.

"Yeah, we are," Ruby answered with her silver eyes still sharp as knives, "Blake, you go talk to Velvet, we might need some help from the second years if we're going to escape. Weiss, as much as it's kinda gross, talk to Neptune about getting SSSN involved, even if it's just having Sun steal us a car or something,"

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Ruby," Weiss cut in, rolling her eyes in irritation, causing Ruby to pout a little in return.

"Still gross," Ruby mumbled with a sigh, still not completely mature, "Yang talk to SNNA, I know you're friends with their leader. I'm going to see what JNPR can do. When you bring everyone meet up in JNPR's dorm," Ruby grinned, a confident little smile with bright eyes gleaming, "Team RWBY, it's time to save the world again!" she finished with a confident fist pump into the air.

"Hell yeah!" Yang shouted, joining her arm with her sister.

"I was wondering when we could use our incognito combat clothes again," Blake joked meekly, adding her fist to the rest of the group.

"I mean, yes, but do we have to do the the stupid fist thing? We look like idiots," Weiss protested.

"Oh just shut up and do it!" Yang countered.

"Fine," Weiss acquiesced, "I'll do the stupid fist thing." There she was again, Ruby bringing the whole group together to do something totally stupid and dangerous. Blake was proud of her new family. Together they would save her old family, even if it meant knocking some sense into them once and for all.

"Team RWBY, onward to victory!"

"I know many of you are wondering why I've gathered you all here today," Ruby began her speech, the JNPR room overheated with the number of bodies packed into the space. The only thing that kept it at a bearable temperature was the fact Ruby had all the lights turned off besides a low candle that illuminated the hidden faces of this cabal of dissidents. Everything all hush hush and secretive as usual.

"Actually, Blake explained everything on the way, so Coco and myself have the jist," Velvet answered in her calm accented monotone she always spoke in. She and her team leader had come as representatives of CFVY, the only upperclassmen they could wrangle into this stupid idea. To Blake's surprise Velvet was the first to agree, the two absent members decided Coco would pick for them. Now they just had to convince the only girl in the world that would wear sunglasses in a dark room to join them.

"Sorry Ruby, didn't mean to break the whole spy master schtick you got here," Blake offered as soon as she saw the look of disappointment on their leader's face, the red of her hair drooping over her displeased silver eyes.

"It's okay, Blake, thanks for grabbing CVFY, or half of them." She was a gracious loser at least.

"Shouldn't we, you know wait for everyone?" Jaune commented from his bed, sitting with the rest of JNPR in silence. Blake wondered if Ruby had bothered to explain anything besides the guest list for whatever they had planned. They all seemed aloof, which wasn't surprising. Still JNPR was there whenever they needed them, and who didn't need Pyrrha when a fight was brewing.

"I mean, no one from SNNA is coming, but they said they would start a fight with CRDL, keep them out of our hair tomorrow, but nothing else. They're on a tightrope with what happened with Azura," Yang offered, explaining why she had come back alone, tucked away in a dark corner of the pointlessly dark room. It was good to have their help with anything after the hellstorm that opened up on that team, hard having a faunus leader. Sun had the upside of feeling grossly indifferent about the attention of others.

"Wait, starting a fight with CRDL? And we don't even get to do the fighting part!?" Nora lamented, loudly, likely thinking this was just another one of their gambit games.

"I mean, Cardin's a bully, but why now?" Pyrrha asked, picking up on the severity of the meeting. Her emerald eyes scanning the available members of RWBY for some reaction. Ruby was oddly contained, though Blake knew she had to be at least somewhat giddy while the rest of them were worried.

"Alright, so we have—" A knock interrupted Ruby, and Blake took the reigns, shushing everyone as she looked out the peep hole. They had to be careful after all, Vera was always finding herself stalking the team, Weiss in particular. Outside it was their own Schnee waiting, dragging Sun and Neptune with her.

"Just Weiss and SSSN," Blake mumbled to the hushed crowd, snapping open the locked door, the sunlight pouring in from the hallway into the room, reminding everyone it was midday and the candle was really unnecessary.

"I hear you ordered team SSSN's finest detectives," Sun announced stepping inside and sliding himself onto the bed opposite of the one JNPR was collectively sitting on.

"We normally don't take small time jobs like this, but we figure work is slow, we can save the world some before getting back to the real action," Neptune fake gloated, taking a seat by his best friend. They were silly, but sweet in their own way Blake supposed, and more than that, talented. From muscle to stealth, team SSSN wasn't the best team at anything, but always managed to stay high up in just about everything. A good addition to the team.

"We will have to make do with the duo here, rest of SSSN are in suspension all weekend. Sage and Scarlet took the fall for that little game of shave cream baseball. Not the brightest idea, clearly." Well half a good addition, the best parts at least. This ragtag team would have to do, hopefully Ruby had a plan, after all, she was the leader.

"So, I bet you're all wondering why I've gathered you here today—"

"Ruby, with all due respect, just get it over with," Coco butt in.

"Fine!" Ruby shouted with a shake of her head, "None of you appreciate the funner things in life."

"You mean the finer things, babe," Weiss slipped out, making Yang do a full cackle.

"Ha! You said it!" Ruby announced, her girlfriend turning cooked red.

"You've been saying it all day, not my fault! Sociological pressure! Just tell us your stupid plan!" Weiss stood, so embarrassed, SSSN sat in laughter, JNPR looked on confused, and Coco was about to pop a casket waiting. Perfect.

"The White Fang Remnants are about to attack Castle White, Weiss' house, trying to assassinate her dad. We have to swing in there, beat everyone up, save the old man, save all the people involved so they can live on in jail or whatever, and go home heroes. Sound good? Sounds good!" Yang finally let out in one big exhausted ramble. To her credit, that was about it. All the how's were still pretty much completely up in the air. From the utterly confused expressions of team JNPR, they certainly didn't have any ideas.

"Yes, basically. That's the initial plan!" Ruby added, very little Blake might add. It cleared up nothing for JNPR and certainly didn't leave Coco appeased.

"Umm, Ruby, miss I have a question?" Sun asked with a raised hand.

"Yes Sun? I might have an answer."

"How are we going to get to Castle White? Bumblebee is a bit small for like the fourteen of us." Not to mention there was no way in hell it would make it on time, much less would Yang dare let a single one of them put on that many miles.

"We need to get to Castle White by tomorrow night, so I was thinking we need to hijack a train." Oh boy, lets not. "I mean, no one knows how to drive a train, but there is one from here to Castle White. I think it's a freight train mostly. We would need an escape too, someone to help us break out of Beacon!"

"I can fly you out?" All eyes shot onto Velvet, including her teammate's, "I mean, I am licensed to fly the airships... my mom was a pilot... please stop staring at me." The young faunus was just full of surprises today, that's for sure.

"Do you have an airship?" Ren asked, another shocking entry into this little cavalcade of unlikely heroes. Had Ruby's winning attitude really swayed them all into action? How powerful was that kid's optimistic demeanour.

"But we can steal one of Zaweezy's!" Sun announced, animately mispronouncing their school's warden's name. A pastime of his for the last week it seemed. If it pissed Zawisza off, her was sure good at hiding it just like everything else.

"Sun, I like the attitude! It wouldn't be stealing either, Weiss's dad owns them, so Weiss owns them!" Ruby commented in an attempt to alleviate any guilt from their mad plan. Flawed logic, but Blake was hardly going to cry over a missing airship in the Schnee household arsenal. It was certainly better than stealing a train.

"Ruby, that's not how that works," Weiss complained.

"Sure it does! Now how do we prematurely inherit the airship?" Ruby considered. It was a hard question, all the keys were kept in a lockbox in the SDC improvised office here. Even if they broke in, they would need the password to get the right key from Zawisza himself. This was the biggest hole in the current save the world plan.

"I mean, we could always just ask for the key, then nab it and run?" Sun offered, over simplifying things.

"Sounds a little against the rules. If we can pull it off Ozpin will know," Jaune awkwardly noted politely.

"Yeah, and we'll get expelled. Ruby, explain how I'm going to keep CFVY from getting screwed by your plan?" Coco asked less politely. It was a concern though, not for Blake, people she used to know would die if she didn't intervene, but this was a hard task for the uninvolved.

"Well, you wouldn't have broken any school rules, it is a weekend after all. We'll only cause the SDC problems, problems which I will take on the blame. I'm sure my father will be grateful, and if not, I promise no charges will be pushed. I'll be the only one punished," Weiss promised, only partially pleading with her to help anyways. It wasn't the most convincing thought, but she wasn't lying. Blake knew Weiss would take the brunt of the blame no matter what.

"I think we should do it, Coco," Velvet cut in, her small monotone voice powerful, at least to Coco who seemed too attached to it, "the White Fang has controlled the faunus image for years. I've faced so much ridicule for it. For once we can do something positive. We save the head of the SDC, a bunch of faunus and humans together. That'll send a message. I understand if you don't want to be a part of this, but Ruby, I'm in. I'll fly you there." Blake felt a rush of pride knowing they were of the same people. She was right, it was time to take back the image, and make that old bastard owe them one he couldn't ignore.

"Oh Velv," Coco mumbled, eyes softening from behind her glasses, "You know we always will protect our bun. I'm in. CFVY's in. Together." Blake smiled, so did all of team RWBY and what was here of SSSN. Jaune sighed and turned to his own.

"Well? Guys, what do you think?"

"We never get to have adventures like this!" Nora argued, resulting in a measured sigh from Ren. He was forever trapped with her.

"Jaune, I trust your judgement," Pyrrha answered, causing the young leader of their team to chuckle.

"Well, I don't, but hey, Ruby's never steered me wrong… so far," he joked with a bashful smile. "JNPR is in, if a little confused still."

"We still need to figure out how to steal the keys," Weiss reminded, killing the mood with a touch of realism.

"No we don't," Ruby countered with a smile, "We have our plan from Sun, we just take them and run." Blake wanted to argue against it, but Ruby's gray eyes were bright, she was onto something, she had a plan.

"But won't the SDC stop us then?" Ren asked the obvious question.

"Not if they're distracted!" Ruby pulled out her Beacon map, by the light of the candle brightening up the many separate arms of the fortress like institution. "If we have a distraction, two actually. SNNA having a fight with CRDL on the way from dueling to mess, and CFVY starting a food fight between the junior and freshmen classes, the SDC security will for the most part rush to deal with it. A few will be scattered around, but all alone. Zawisza one of them." Ruby pointed her finger across the way from the mess all the way into the back dorms where Zawisza's office was, where he would be. "I'll get him to take out the keys, make up something, I don't know, soon as he does, I steal them and run. Run faster than anyone has ever seen." Her finger shifted to the airship hangers that sat outside of campus, a good jog away, but hardly impossible for her. In fact it would be a rather simple task with her semblance.

"I can go with you, incase something happens I can distract him in a fight. If you leave him in the dust, I'll just pretend to do nothing like usual," Ren offered, positioning himself as a perfect failsafe incase Ruby missed the grab or something to that effect. The two in mention shared a nod, a short term team made.

"What about the airship?" Velvet asked, her head already in her position as pilot.

"The rest of RWBY and JNPR will secure the hanger, knock out the guards, and please be gentle, we don't wanna get in a lot of trouble. I'll send you a picture of the ID on the key and hopefully you can pick out the ship?" Ruby was on a roll, this was actually shaping up.

"Should be easy," Velvet agreed.

"What about us?" Sun asked excitedly, the red girl's giddiness was suddenly affecting everyone. This was looking to be a blast by any measure.

"Yang, don't hate me, but the two of you are going to ride around on Bumblebee and intercept anyone that might try and get in the middle of all this," Ruby offered as quickly as she could, barely finishing as a heavy foot slammed down, easily alerting the first floor something was definitely amiss.

"No, you are not, not, not letting them ride Bumblebee!" It was her baby, she would die protecting her baby. This might be the biggest wrench of all.

"Yang, I'm sorry, its the only bike we have, and I need you there at the ship. I can't do this without you, sis, I need you," Ruby let her voice get slow, her sincerity shine through, so sweet and so gentle. Either the redhead was a master manipulator and no one knew it, or this girl had some serious secret powers. Yang, tensed up, glared, and then looked down defeated.

"Sun, you can ride her, but one scratch and I will rip your tail off with my bare hands. Understood?"

"No problems, ma'am, I'll treat it like my own body!" Sun declared, pounding his own chest for emphasis.

"You better pray you treat it better than that, kid!" Yang shouted, earning a giggle or so.

"So with all that in mind, once I show up with keys in hand, RWBY, Velvet, Pyrrha and Jaune will all board. Nora, Sun and Neptune, and by that time hopefully Ren, will remain to buy us some time before the SDC follow us, not too much time, 'cause really we might need them, but some," Ruby finalized, with a sure smile.

"And if things don't go as planned and we're all about to get swarmed?" Coco questioned, the most realistic of everyone present in this little shadow meeting. Ruby took it well, kept that smile and shrugged.

"We leave without Pyrrha and Jaune, hope the two of them help you give us some time, and we just go. We got to do it, so we will. Last shot, guys. Anyone want out?"

No one said a word.

"Let's do it then. Our final gambit game, huh? Let's go save a bunch of jerks, but they need saving anyways, and free our school in the process!" Ruby shouted, throwing her fist up in the air, a repeat of earlier. Just as before, Blake raised her own. She would follow their leader forever, that was for sure.

"Really, we're doing this again?"

"Yes, Weiss, again!"

"You are so embarrassing! Why do I date you?"

It was another hour or so before the meeting really ended, perfect times and positions made on the map and their scrolls all synchronized. First to leave were SSSN, with the keys to Bumblebee. Yang nearly cried. Second was Coco, off to give instructions to the bulk of CFVY, Velvet remained a little after to discuss the ships and how to get the key unlocked, that part still being mostly winged. JNPR and RWBY alone devolved a little into just hanging out in their room. Finally interrupted by the constant calls by Vera on their scrolls asking where they were.

Eventually they had to give up and depart for the night, knowing tomorrow was going to be a rather big and rather long day. "Bye bye Ruby and friends!" Nora called as they all stepped out into the hall, and annoyed Vera already arguing with Weiss there. Yang was worn out and completely ignored the SDC office, opening their broken door and tossing herself on her bed. Blake and Ruby alone, the faunus took the moment to clear something up, just between them, in a whisper.

"I know Mr. Schnee has given you more problems than I can imagine, but thanks for this, for giving me a chance to save my old friends, even if I'll just be tossing them in jail," she had always hoped not to be involved with their fall, but if it meant letting them not go to slaughter, she was thrilled for the chance. Ruby took in the words, but after a moment shook her head.

"It's not just for them. Mr. Schnee doesn't like me, he's hurt me in a lot of ways, but he's still a person, we're supposed to save them, it's our job. He's Weiss' dad, too, and I got to say, as someone with a missing parent, I won't ever give up on a happy ending for everyone. No matter what, we have to try, right?" Ruby was such a childish girl sometimes, but, Blake considered hearing those words. It wasn't that she hadn't experienced pain and the dark like Blake had. More perhaps, that after seeing it all, she would never give in to it, even in the slightest. Maybe being naive was just her way of fighting back. Just a passing thought as a cynic looked at the sun.

****Here we are! heading into the end game, the final three chapters of MV! I really regret Vera being made before I knew about Winter, I would have loved to knock one OC off the list into cannon characters to act as minor villains. Really anyone that can fill in the rolls are great, but unfortunately there aren't many named White Fang or SDC personnel.

I want to thank Lazykatze of course for editing, she recently updated layers of Ice with a chapter that made me melt, so go read it! Also again SNNA an OC team appears as background extras, thanks to you know who for letting me use them to make the school feel bigger and more connected!