Author's Note:

and the cooldown off of the crazy. Tell me how I did with all the dialogue, like with Ironwood and Ozpin. I'm always nervous about that. Also; what do you think about the new character? I like her, she's cool.

As always, review and stuff.

When Penny looked to the television and saw Ruby being loaded into the back of an ambulance, she felt her heart sink into an ominous pit. What was wrong with her friend? She made sure to pay special attention to the report only long enough to see the name of the general hospital that she had been taken to before taking off quickly to find Ironwood. It was strange, but he seemed to have gotten more protective since the accident that she had apparently had. No one had told her what had really happened, but they assured her that it was nothing to worry about, so she believed them. Whatever it was had been enough to give Ironwood quite a scare, though. She hadn't been allowed out again since.

Speaking of Ironwood, she didn't know where he was. She checked in all of his usual spots and found nothing. When finally she asked one of the men who followed his orders, she got a weird look before being told that the man "doubted that Ironwood wanted to be disturbed". She knew that Ironwood would talk to her if she found him, and she felt a very strong pull to go to Ruby, but she wouldn't be able to simply walk there. After a little more prying, she got Ironwood's location out of the man, and set off towards it. It was, of course, his office.

When she gently wrapped her knuckles against the door, she heard voices from behind the door cut off suddenly. She cringed as she learned that she was interrupting something. That would certainly not put Ironwood in a good mood. Hopefully, however, she would be able to convince him to let her go. She didn't have many friends, so something happening to any of them was scary. Especially if it brought them to the hospital.

She waited a few more seconds outside of the door, nervously rubbing her hands together and shuffling her weight from one leg to the other. Eventually the door did open, and Ironwood stood behind it, an almost expectant look on his face. As soon as his eyes fell on Penny, his face softened, and he sighed, saying "Yes, Penny?"

She felt immediately like she shouldn't be disturbing him. He was doing something that was probably important, and needed not to be disturbed. It was too late now, though, and she had to make her request. Her voice quavered uneasily as she managed to force the words out. "Mr. Ironwood, may I go out today?" This question seemed to take him by surprise, and he raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, why? Where would you go?"

Penny nodded as if thanking him for not outright denying her, then said "Well, my best friend, Ruby, is in the hospital, and I wanted to go and see her! Please, I don't know what's wrong with her, and I feel like I need to check on her!"

Ironwood's face softened more when he heard this plea, and he looked over his shoulder at whatever meeting was going on back in the office before looking back at her face. He sighed, and said "Penny…" in an almost defeated voice. She put her hands together, hoping with all her might that he would say yes. There were a few intense seconds where Ironwood's expression changed one way, then another, before finally he nodded, saying "Fine, yes, yes, you may go. But you're going to be escorted the whole way." He drew another breath as if he was going to say something else, but Penny lunged forward, snagging him in a hug before he could do so. Air was forced momentarily out of his lungs as Penny cried "Thank you!"

Her arms were tight, but Ironwood pulled her off gently, and gave her a small pat on the head, almost touching her bow. "As I was saying, please don't try to get away from them again. If you do that, you'll lose all outside privileges again." Penny nodded, eyes gleaming radiantly up at him, the most innocent of expressions on her face. "Yes sir! I won't run away again!" She meant it, too. She just wanted to talk to Ruby again.

Mr. Ironwood made a gesture towards the hall she had come down, and said "Go on, they'll be waiting by the gates." That was her cue to turn and nearly sprint down the hall. Ironwood watched her go, a smile on her face. He didn't think he had ever been that happy for anything, but seeing Penny that way brought him all that much closer. He stepped back into his room, shutting the door behind him. He sent out a small message to Penny's handlers before sitting back down in front of the screen, hitting a button, and watching Ozpin's face reappear on the display. There was a knowing smirk on his face, quite contrasting what they had been talking about moments before, and at an annoyed sound from Ironwood, continued to explain how the world was in grave danger.

When Penny reached the gates, the two men who had used to accompany her everywhere, and in more recent months had been with her less and less, greeted her. She did the same, first the one with the blue colored shoulders beneath his armor, then the red one. She didn't think that she had ever seen their faces. It was strange now that she thought about it, but that was the way it had always been, so she was used to it.

They motioned for her to go first, and she did. The walk to the hospital was somewhat slow, given the fact that she had never gone to the hospital, and thus didn't know the route. She relied on her handlers to show her where to go, which she also didn't mind. She remembered when they had shown her around the city the first time. They hadn't shown her the hospital. She'd never thought that she would need to go.

It wasn't long before they were showing her through the doors, into the large atrium. Penny was unfamiliar with how hospitals really worked, but she was well acquainted with the systems that would organize a place like this. She walked up to the receptionist and asked "Excuse me, can you tell me what room Ruby Rose is in?"

The man behind the desk gave her an odd look, then started hitting a few buttons, saying "Certainly! If you'll just give me a moment, I'll tell you the room number…" his voice trailed off and started to make a clicking sound with his tongue for a few moments before nodding and saying "Yes, here it is. She's in room two twenty-three. That's on the second floor. And, before you go, can I have a name and reason for visit?" Penny responded without hesitation "Penny, and I want to visit my friend."

The man nodded, typing more on his console and saying "Sorry, but it's a new policy. I don't really understand it, but whatever." He finished typing and looked back to Penny. "Anyways, you're good to go! I hope you enjoy your visit!"

Penny nodded, and started to walk towards the elevator. As she did this, she noticed that her handlers were now quite a distance behind her. They were getting closer to get in the elevator with her, but they were giving her more space than they usually did when they were out with her. She wondered if Ironwood had told them to do that.

The doors to the elevator closed, and one of the men hit the button to the second floor of the building. The metal box started to slide up the shaft, and quickly came to a stop, the doors opening again.

Ruby's gaze was transfixed on the screen in front of her. At some point she had stopped trying to both watch the visuals and read the subtitles and simply focused on the visuals. They were strangely entrancing once she did this. It was only the bright flash of a light next to the TV that told her something was going on. When she looked over at the door, she could see Penny's face, smiling and waving at her. A smile came across Ruby's face too, and she waved back. She would've gotten up to greet her as well, but her balance was all out of whack from the injuries to her ear. She had already tried standing up, and pulling herself back into the bed from the floor was a difficult thing to do.

She motioned for Penny to come in, and she did so. Ruby also noticed two large men by her sides, but they stayed outside the room. She recognized them from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place it. She shrugged it off, though, as Penny walked in and her mouth started to move. Ruby was able to tell what the first few words were, but Penny spoke too fast to keep up.

She interrupted her ginger friend by holding up a hand and making a sound with her throat that she wasn't exactly sure how she made, and figured that she would blush if she were to hear it, but her being deafened spared her from that. She then immediately reached for the pad of paper that Yang had been using to communicate. The first few pages were covered with idle doodles she had made of modifications she could make for Crescent Rose, but there were still plenty of pages behind that. She scribbled out a message quickly, then held it up for Penny to read. "Can't hear. Write notes. Close the door."

Penny's eyes flicked across the line, then she gave Ruby a somewhat horrified look. Ruby nodded towards the door, and Penny walked over to it, leaning her head out to say a few words to the men before leaning back in and closing the door. Once it was securely latched, Penny walked back over to Ruby's bedside and sat in a chair next to her.

The worry in Penny's eyes was obvious, but Ruby was worried too. The last time she had seen Penny, she had been airlifted away after a visit with Naze. Whatever had happened in that room, she didn't know, but whatever it was weighed heavy on her mind. She knew that Naze hadn't done anything purposefully, but if there was something simpler that could set it off, she didn't want to go anywhere near it. She started to write down "Are you alright? How are you?"

Penny read the message, started to speak, then recalled that Ruby couldn't hear her. Instead, she looked around for something to convey her message. Ruby handed her the pen and pad she had been using, and was somewhat shocked by the extreme speed that Penny wrote at. Her handwriting was also essentially flawless. Her handwriting next to Ruby's made her feel slightly self-conscious.

When Penny handed the pad back, Ruby read, mouthing the words "I am fine. Why would I not be alright? What about you? What happened? I saw you on the news, but I didn't watch the whole report." Ruby took a deep breath and tried to focus herself. Communication like this to anyone was rather difficult, and it was going to be even more so with Penny. She didn't let that deter her, though, and accepted the pad and pen back. "I saw you being flown away in a Bullhead with Ironwood. Was that serious?"

She didn't address what had happened to her yet, but that would take a rather lot of explaining that she didn't want to do yet. She still had to figure out some of what had happened for herself. A worried look came over Penny's face when she read the message, and she wrote "You saw that?" Instead of taking the pad to write again, Ruby opted for the quicker route and nodded.

Penny wrote "What was I doing?" and passed the pad to Ruby, who stared at the white paper, thinking. She could just outright say that she had been asking about death, but Yang had said that Penny couldn't really handle the information. She didn't want to lie to her friend, but if telling her the truth was going to physically hurt her, she couldn't do that either. In the end, she made a tough call, and wrote "I don't know."

As dramatic as this seemed to Ruby, Penny seemed to shrug it off without a second thought. She simply took the pad, nodding, and wrote "What happened to you?" Ruby heaved another great sigh, happy to move on from the boulder that seemed to be left in her stomach. If describing the madness of earlier would help, she would do it.

Ironwood folded his arms and sat back in his chair. "You don't really trust him, do you? I mean, I recognize that we don't have much in the way of options, but surely-" Ozpin cut him off, talking over him in an annoyed tone. "James, you saw firsthand what his people are capable of, and the kind of thing that we will be up against. Even if it is just a tail-camera on an airship, the killing of hundreds by monsters spilling out of a sudden hole in the air cannot be ignored. You yourself said that you doubted that we have the means to defend ourselves."

He was right. He had said those words, and he was wishing that he had bit his tongue now. "But why should we trust Naze? There is no indication that he is any better!" Ozpin gave his old friend a small shake of the head, saying "He may not be the most personable of individuals, but he is trying. Neither of us can deny that, and neither of us can deny that we haven't been the most receptive hosts. If you really want to see if he's trustworthy, now seems like an excellent place to start. If you're right, and he isn't trust worth, we'll die. But if we don't trust him, I've no room for doubt that we'll die."

Ironwood sighed again. That was an easy thing to say, but to practice it was another story. "Oz, do you really think that getting the people to trust him will be as easy as saying that they are helping us? It's never that easy. You know that." Ozpin nodded, then said "Indeed I do, but I also know that you are a military man, James. You know that we can't fight something that we are so outgunned against and have so little knowledge about. You've spent your life protecting people, why stop now?"

Ironwood felt his old friend's words cut deep, but also something else. If he really believed in Naze this much, how could he continue to outright distrust him? To do that would be to distrust Ozpin, and that was something he simply could not bring himself to do. "Fine. We'll give it a chance. You've managed to convince me, but how do you plan to convince anyone else that Naze won't simply stab us in the back?"

Ozpin paused for a brief moment, thinking, then said with the ghost of a wry smile "That'll be the hard part, won't it? Well, we both have schools, so I've got an idea that could use that. Naze said that he was planning to spread some knowledge around, correct? What better place to do that than a school? A symbol of trust, and a demonstration of his good intent."

Ironwood mulled the idea over in his mind. It did seem good, but one issue could be that no one would show up. If that were to happen, the whole effort would be wasted. But, then again, he was offering to teach magic. Somehow there wasn't much doubt in his mind that low attendance would be a problem. "Alright, that covers some of the general population, but what about leaders? You know that they'll be much harder to win over."

Ozpin leaned forward on his desk, face growing closer to his desk as he did so. "Yes, I am quite aware. I should hope that their very nations being at risk would give some degree of urgency to it all, but if it doesn't, perhaps that reflects more on the leaders than on our efforts." Ironwood smirked. He could certainly think of a few politicians who might stand in their way. "Will Naze be helping in this regard, or is it solely our responsibly to prepare the world for his help?"

Ozpin shook his head and said "No, no, of course not. Why would he even hope for this to work if he were putting no effort in? He will lend his assistance."

Ironwood replied to this by saying "You never know. Stranger things have happened. Many of which are fairly recent." Ozpin nodded. There was certainly no arguing with that. The two continued to talk about what might be able to be done, then agreed to continue doing so independently as they resumed their normal day. Both found that the two things were ill-suited to residing in the same day.

Amber approached the desk of the hospital, feeling eyes on her from almost every direction. The pearly white robes of her new faith might have been a little over the top, but they certainly did their job. She was naturally graceful, so with the robe's front closed, she almost seemed to glide across the floor.

She was naturally withdrawn, so the feeling of so many eyes on her was disconcerting to say the least, but she also felt something else. She had never been very confident, but the light that she now felt inside her seemed to grant her a kind of peace that she never knew existed. She was nervous about so many eyes upon her, but at the same time, she was confident that she would do nothing to upset them. It was all a very new experience, and she still had to get used to it.

As she approached the desk, she spoke to the man behind it, her voice quiet, almost barely audible. She had always been soft-spoken, and that was a habit that she doubted the Light would be able to break. It wasn't bad, though, so she didn't need to break it. As she read off the small list of names, the man nodded and started to look up their room numbers. As he did so, he told a few jokes, making her laugh. She had never used to laugh, either. Not in public, anyways. She had only felt comfortable in her own home, isolated from everyone. Now she felt comfortable everywhere.

It was around a month ago that she had joined the Order of the Holy Light, and she had never looked back. While she was a part of the Order, she wasn't a Paladin. She had done her best to train and become one, but it had all been for nothing. She recalled the crushing despair she had felt when Solace had told her that she was unfit for being a Paladin. She had tried so hard, trained with every fiber of her being to become one, then was told that she couldn't become one. If she was totally honest with herself, something that the Light made easier, that was probably the worst moment of her life. She'd never really considered suicide before, but after that…

Solace had been quick to tell her that there were other paths, and that he believed her to be fit for another one. The way of the Priest was the one for her. She would learn the hymns and prayers of their tomes and history by heart. She was off to a good start, too. Almost every waking hour now was spent with her nose buried in a book. She had used to spend her time watching TV or on her scroll, and now she barely ever used those things.

The man gave her the room numbers, and she wrote them down next to the names on her list. She thanked the man, and had just started to turn away when he called out "Hey, uh…" she looked back to him, finding him running his fingers through his hair and shuffling his weight from one leg to the other. "Are you, uh, doing anything this Friday?"

Amber almost let her jaw drop. She had never been asked out before. She had always thought that she wasn't attractive enough to have any real attention focused on her, but now she even felt beautiful. She remembered when she had let her hair get bedraggled and oily, dimming its natural blond shine. Now the hair that brushed against her shoulders reflected light in what she had been told was a shimmering display, outdone only by the brightness of her smile. But she couldn't accept. She was taken completely by her studies now, she had no time for that. She flashed a smile at him and gave a small, nervous giggle. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm busy."

The man's face fell, and the hope seemed to fade from his eyes. Most people wouldn't mind this too much, but Amber couldn't stand the sight of someone losing hope. It was just painful. The smile fell from her face, and she stepped towards him a little, putting an arm out towards him and resting it gently on his shoulder. "Don't give up. You'll find someone, eventually. I wish I could accept, but prior engagements make it impossible." A surprised, almost awestruck expression came across his face, and she saw the hope return to his eyes. "You really think so?"

Amber nodded her graceful head, and said "I do. Don't give up." The man nodded, and Amber smiled again and said "Good. Now, I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I wish you luck." He nodded, and Amber turned back to continue towards the elevator, her confidence significantly boosted.

When she found her way to the second floor and to the room nearest the elevator, she peered into the small window at the bed. There was a boy there, fairly young with blonde hair almost the same color as hers. Cotton stuffed in his ears seemed to suggest that he had been treated already. She knew she would have to visit eventually, but didn't want to face the awkward prospect of him waking up while she was in his room. That would be a rather odd occurrence. Instead she chose another of the rooms at random, and peeked in its window. The girl from earlier, whose arm Amber had mended, was in the bed, another girl who looked about her age sitting next to her. They looked like they were passing notes back and forth, both with large smiles on their faces.

Not wanting to interrupt their merrymaking, she took a step back, about to turn away, but stopped. Maybe that meant that they would be the best to do first. They were in good spirits, and would probably be receptive. Hesitantly, Amber tapped her knuckles on the door.

The girl who Amber had healed, Ruby, if she recalled correctly, didn't respond, but the one next to her looked over curiously. Ruby followed her friend's gaze, and when she saw Amber, she motioned for her friend to open the door. She did so, and Amber walked in, thinking of what to say. Ruby started to write something down, and the ginger girl who had opened the door said "Hello, my name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Amber smiled and said "Hello Penny. My name is Amber, I met Ruby before. I was hoping that maybe I could come in and help her?" Penny looked her up and down, obviously puzzled by the pearly white robes that she wore, then said "Yes, of course! She can't hear anything though, so you have to write notes down."

Amber nodded. "I assumed as much." She stepped towards Ruby, about to take a hold of the pad, then hesitated. She was a slow writer, and didn't want to hold this process up. Instead she turned to Penny and said "Actually, do you think you could dictate for me? I don't think I could go as smoothly as you." Penny nodded and said "Sure!" and grabbed the paper, ready to write. Amber waited for her to get ready, then looked to Ruby. The girl looked between Amber and Penny a few times with a confused look before Amber started to talk, and the sound of Penny writing behind her filled the air.

"Hello, Ruby. Do you remember me?" Ruby looked again behind her to Penny, who held up the paper. She nodded, and Amber continued. "Then you also remember how I healed your arm, correct?" Again Ruby nodded, and Amber gave her as endearing a smile as she could manage. "You wouldn't mind if I were to do that again, would you? I think I could fix your ears, if you let me."

Penny continued to scribble for a few seconds before holding the paper up, and Ruby read it. As soon as she finished, she gave Amber an enthusiastic nod. Amber gave a sigh of relief and took a small step forward, saying "Very good, thank you. Now, if you could sit on the side of your bed please…" Ruby slid out from under the covers, and her hospital gown looked like it would barely contain any heat at all. It was no wonder that she was beneath the blankets.

Amber put a hand out towards her slowly, hands as steady and graceful as ever. She opened herself wide, allowing the light inside of her to flow out freely. Her hands started to glow, and she began reciting the ancient chant, speaking in the tongue that she had spent so much time practicing. Words of flowing poise and elegance came from her mouth, and she heard Penny briefly attempt to transcribe the words, but gave up quickly. Amber's fingers slowly pulled the cotton out of her ears, and then rested her palms gently against the sides of her head. She focused the light inside of her on the words, and she could feel Ruby start to move. She tightened her grip slightly, holding Ruby's head still, and continued to chant. It was much easier now without the pressure the battle had put on her. She completed the end of the psalm, and opened her eyes. She hadn't realized she had closed them, but she didn't mind too much. She also found herself leaning in close to Ruby, whose eyes were also closed. The light slowly faded from Amber's hands, turning back inward, and she felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her. Helping others was something that she had never had the option to do either.

She stepped back, and Ruby's eyes opened as well. The cotton was still in Amber's hands, so she placed it softly on a table near the door, and returned to Ruby's side. "How are you feeling? Is it alright?" Ruby flinched when she first heard Amber's voice, then nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I can hear. How did you do that? It was awesome! Do you think I could learn that stuff?"

The girl's enthusiasm was something that Amber had not quite been expecting. She was, however, flattered. She had looked up to the Hunters when she was a child, but never met their standards. Her body was too frail, her aura not strong enough, her family lacking the finance to send her to combat school, the list of things that stopped her went on and on. But hearing Ruby, one merely training to become a Huntress, compliment what she was now was of huge importance. She gave a pearly smile but shook her head, sad to deny her. "No, I'm afraid not. At least, so long as you aspire to be a Huntress. You would have to join the Order of the Holy Light, and dedicate yourself fully to it. I'm sorry."

Ruby's demeanor seemed to drop slightly, but she didn't let that affect her too much. She perked immediately back up, then said curiously "Are you just here for me, or are you going to heal the others?" Amber replied by saying "Actually, I was going to ask you about that. I know your friends are injured, but do you know who needs the most help? I don't know exactly how many of those I have left in me."

It was true that each one wore her down more and more, but she knew that she had at least a few left, and she would try her best to finish healing all of them. Ruby thought for a moment before saying "I think that Pyrrha was the one that had it the worst. She has a concussion, I heard. She would probably be the best to heal first."

Amber thanked her, then looked down at her list to see what room Pyrrha was in. She wanted to get the healing done as fast as possible, and return to her studies. "Well, I hope to see you again soon, Ruby. It was nice meeting you, Penny." She gave a small wave to the two before walking out the door, letting it close behind her. The next room was Pyrrha Nikos. From what she knew of the girl, she was an excellent warrior. She recalled seeing the name in the news a few years ago for winning some tournament, as well as her face on some cereal boxes. She was the kind of person that she had used to wish to be. And now she was going to heal her injuries.

An eagerness carried her step now, and she came to the room, peering in the window. Pyrrha was sitting on the side of her bed, toes brushing the ground, and eyes straight forward as if she was focusing very hard. Amber stalled knocking, wanting to see what the girl was doing. Slowly, the stark red-head lifted her weight in her arms on the side of the mattress, and lowered herself onto her bare feet.

Her legs wobbled beneath her, and it was clear that she wasn't fit to be walking. There was something noble in the effort, though. The knocks on the door made Pyrrha's head turn up towards the window and as soon as they did, she started to keel to one side. Amber acted as quickly as she could, throwing the door open and rushing inside. Her robes fluttered behind her, and she lunged out to save the girl from falling.

Too late, however, and Pyrrha's shoulder collided with the ground in a solid thud, but Pyrrha's face didn't seem to change. She still had a shocked, surprised look about her. Amber knelt down next to her, and said in a worried voice "Are you alright?"

An adhesive bandage was plastered to her forehead, and her movements were sluggish.. Amber worked a hand under Pyrrha's shoulder and tried lifting with all her strength, saying in a strained voice "Come on! Get up!" Pyrrha remained as limp as a ragdoll, and Amber changed her words to "Please get up!"

Whether she could hear it or not, that seemed to spur her into action more, and she started to align her limbs in a way that would allow for her to place herself back on her feet. Amber helped where she could, steadying the girl and pulling her up to her feet. She was far heavier than she looked, and Amber could feel from her arm that it was all muscle. It reminded her of Solace.

When she was finally able to place the girl on the side of her bed, she was looking around lazily, never focusing on a single thing. By now, Amber had realized that Pyrrha was probably on painkillers of some sort. It didn't surprise her, but she was slightly disappointed. She might've hoped that she would get to speak with Pyrrha, fully conscious. An idea occurred to her however, and she wondered if she could purge the drugs from her system. It was a separate prayer, but she was sure that she could do it. First, though, she would have to heal the injuries.

She spoke in a soft voice, like she always did, saying "So, Pyrrha, I can heal your wounds, if you let me." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at her and fixed her with a stony gaze for a minute before Amber remembered that she could not hear anything. She felt her cheeks blush from the mistake, but knew that no harm had really been done. Not wanting to upset Pyrrha, she gently pushed her down flat on the bed, and started to recite the chant. Her hands glowed again, and again she called upon the light inside of herself. Pyrrha's wounds mended just like Ruby's, but she was still groggy from the drugs.

Amber removed her book from her side now, and cracked it open to find the blessing of cleansing. It was a few page turns before she had located it, and called upon her own light again. The words were unfamiliar to her, and she botched a few pronunciations, but she was able to get through it without much real trouble. When she was done, Pyrrha blinked rapidly a few times, then sat up, rubbing her head. "I… who…"

She couldn't find the words, but Amber understood her disorientation. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said "Don't worry, you're alright now. I'm Amber, the girl from yesterday. I healed your friend Ruby."

Pyrrha nodded, rubbing an eye. "Yes, I remember you, but what are you doing here? I mean…" her voice trailed off, and she inspected a few places on her lower torso with her fingers before looking back to Amber, baffled. "You did this?" Amber nodded, and Pyrrha started to agitate. "I… thank you, but are the rest of my friends alright? What happened? I remember fighting, and then…"

Amber put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, and looked her dead in the face. "Please, you need to calm down. I'll tell you everything, if you like, but not until you get a hold of yourself." Pyrrha bit her lip, but nodded and turned her gaze ahead of her. She was worried, but she understood the importance of remaining calm. She remained that way for what felt like a long time, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths until she felt the panic in her mind start to subside. "Alright, I think I'm ready."

Her eyes opened, and Amber was still standing across from her, waiting patiently. Her golden hair fell slightly over her shoulders as she nodded, then began to speak. "You were knocked unconscious by Nora, as was the rest of your team. The only one left awake was Yang, but she was unable to stop Nora from reaching Ren. I'm sorry, but…" Pyrrha's eyes closed again, and her head came forward into her hands as her breathing started to quicken. Amber hardly felt like continuing, but had to. "…but there's nothing you can do, at least now."

She could see tears starting to flow, smashed as soon as they exited the eye by Pyrrha's palms. It hurt to see such a strong person broken, even if she didn't know anything about them personally. "Please, don't cry. You tried your best! It was a valiant effort!"

Pyrrha didn't stop crying. Her hands pushed harder against her eyes, and her feet came to her chest, away from the floor, and she started to curl up on her bed. Amber felt the sadness start to seep in to her as well. Tolerance for sadness was never her strong suit, and merely seeing someone sad was enough to start her feeling very bad. It was even worse when she sympathized with their grief.

Her eyes started to tear up, and she cursed to herself as she started to cry as well. There was something that she could do, though. Hope was strong in her, and she could brighten the light of other's with it. Before her body started to shake too much for her to speak, she held out a hand in front of her. A light, different from the kind she used before, started to glow in her palm. It was soft and warm, like a candle flame, and as soon as she saw it, her feelings started to lift. This blessing was not something that required words. It was a manifestation of hope itself. Since joining the Order of the Holy Light, she had felt more hope than she ever had before. It was easy to let shine through, even though she felt sad.

Pyrrha's fingers cracked apart, and the light entered her eyes. Instantly her sobbing slowed before stopping altogether, and her hands fell away from her face. Amber could tell that it was working, and that Pyrrha was starting to mend herself emotionally as well. Dealing with Nora all that time, being the way she was, must've been awful. Now, with her getting away with Ren, it must've seemed that she had entirely failed her friend.

The small glow continued to comfort her, and Amber gently whispered reassurances to her. They sat that way for a long time before Amber closed her fingers reluctantly, and stepped back from Pyrrha. The glow dissipated, and Pyrrha looked back up at Amber's face. "What was that?"

Amber smiled, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes and shrugging her shoulders. "It was… just a little something I learned to do in the Order. Anyways, I'm healing all of your friends, and I was wondering if you have any idea of who I should go to first. I've already healed Ms. Rose, and now you, so…" her voice trailed off as the question hung in the air. It was a difficult one to answer, she knew, but she felt that it would be better than selecting one at random. Pyrrha bit her lip for a moment before giving Amber a hesitant look and saying "Have you… seen Jaune at all? How is he?"

Amber looked down at her list, not sure which one Jaune was. After realizing that he was the boy she had seen, she said in a comforting voice "Yes, I've seen him. He appeared fine, other than the ear injury you all had. I should tend to him first, then?" Pyrrha was obviously hesitant to give an answer, but nodded her head slowly. "Yes, if you would, it would make me much more comfortable. I don't want to say that I value him above any of the others, but…" She looked down and her voice trailed off, but Amber understood. She nodded and said "I'll tend to him, don't worry. You should rest now, you look tired." It wasn't exactly true, she looked fine, but it would be better for everyone if she simply took a load off.

Pyrrha agreed, nodding her head and laying back on the bed, pulling the covers back over herself. Amber walked back to the door and exited back out into the hall, saying farewell over she shoulder. Pyrrha returned it as the door closed. Amber didn't need to look at her list to find Jaune Arc's room. She didn't need to knock on his door, he was still asleep when she got there. She opened the door slowly, careful to not make any noise that she could avoid making. A few cautious steps towards the sleeping boy, and she was standing over him. He looked like he was in a very deep sleep, and she doubted that he would wake up even if she were chanting over him as he slept.

With slow motions, she removed the cotton from his ears like she had the others. The white, soft material was stained with a sickly color of yellow, combined with a few streaks of red here and there. She started the chant, ancient words bringing her light to life. Her palms rested against his ears the same way, and just as the others had been, he was healed.

Amber decided not to wake him. It would be a difficult thing to explain how he had been fixed without demonstrating, and she wanted to conserve her strength. She was starting to feel the strain that these miracles brought on her body.

She exited the room quickly, pulling her list to see who was left. Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee. The name Schnee felt familiar, and it wasn't long before she had matched it with the brand logo on everything that she bought. Schnee Dust Corporation, or something like that. She'd never paid a great deal of attention.

She didn't know who the other person was. She thought she remembered her from the fight, but she wasn't sure. In the end, she had no good way which to do first, and simply picked the nearest one, Weiss Schnee. When she looked in the window, she found essentially what she had expected. The girl was lying in her bed, impressively large and off-center ponytail to the side next to her. She knocked on the door before remembering that she was deaf, and simply opened it.

The movement attracted her attention, and she raised an eyebrow at Amber. She was sure that she looked strange, but everyone else she'd talked to probably think the same thing, and they'd said nothing. Amber took a few flowing steps towards the patient, but stopped as she drew back on the bed. She was obviously suspicious, and tried briefly to speak, but could tell it was slurred and incomprehensible from Amber's look, so she simply stopped. Amber held up her hands and took a few more steps closer, mouthing the words "I'm here to help you" in as exaderated a fashion as she could. This allowed her much closer, and she reached for the cotton in Weiss's ears.

A worried look came across Weiss's face, but she didn't pull away again. In the same way that she had the other's, Amber pulled the cotton from her ears, careful not to cause any pain, then called her own light forward. Weiss's eyes, much like the others, followed the golden glow with a mixture of awe and confusion. Palms again touched ears, and after a few twitches of the head, Weiss looked up at Amber in complete shock. "You… how did you…?" It was clear that she didn't quite know what to ask, so Amber started to answer her questions before she posed them.

"I'm a Priestess with the Order of the Holy Light. Mending injured brothers and sisters is my duty, among other things. Do you feel alright? Is it comfortable?" Weiss shook her head in a moment of disbelief, then said "Yes! It feels like I was never injured at all!" She then winced, and a hand went to her shoulder. "Well, almost like that." Amber raised an eyebrow, saying "What else is wrong?" in a concerned voice.

Weiss shook her head and said "I don't remember it, but apparently I was hit by shrapnel. One piece caught me in the shoulder, and one here." She indicated her lower left gut. "They kind of hurt, but it's no big deal. They pulled the metal out and did what they could for the cuts, and told me that it wouldn't be much of a problem." Amber nodded. Pyrrha had had a few similar injuries. She put her hands towards Weiss and said "May I?" In a hesitant voice. Weiss nodded, and scooted closer to her beneath the covers.

Amber put one hand on Weiss's shoulder, and the other on the spot she had indicated on her belly. The light shone brightly, and the flesh underneath the hospital gown knit back together as she recited the hymn.

When she finished, she could feel the toll on her body starting to weigh more heavily. A few beads of sweat started to roll down her forehead, and she swayed uncertainly. Weiss took note of this, asking "Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?"

Amber put a hand to her head and shook it, saying "No, no, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Perhaps the extra miracle on Pyrrha wasn't such a good idea. Amber figured that it would be best to move on to the last person, Blake, but she couldn't just leave without saying anything. She was about to ask if Weiss was feeling good about the mission they had undertaken, when another, less likely to upset question came into her mind. "Didn't they give you painkillers?

Weiss nodded, saying "Yes." Then seemed to instantly correct herself. "Well, they offered. I turned them down. I don't just want to sit here drugged. That doesn't sound like a fun time." Her tone was somewhat harsh, but Amber suspected that it was a result of habit, not anything that she herself had done. She bid farewell, saying "Well, I had best see to Ms. Belladonna now. If you'll excuse me." And turned towards the door. Weiss said "Thank you, goodbye!" as she left.

The final door was close by. When Amber walked in, she took notice of the cat ears on top of the black hair. Or, at least, ear and a half. One looked like it had been partially torn off, and barely stood above the black strands. She hadn't known that the girl was a Faunus. She didn't have anything against the Faunus, of course, she simply was caught slightly off-guard. The ears had probably been hidden beneath the bow that she had been wearing. It was sad that she was driven to such measures, but understandable. There was no shortage of people who hated the Faunus. Her nose was buried in the pages of a book, eyes flicking from one side of a page to another quickly.

Amber opened the door, and Blake looked up. Her eyes seemed to linger on the white robes for a few seconds before going to her face and almost seeming to ask a wordless question. Amber took a few steps forward, mouthing the words "May I help you?"

Blake tilted her head slightly, puzzled, then nodded. Amber smiled gratefully, then cleared the rest of the distance between them. She slowly started sliding her hands towards Blake's ears. As she started the familiar chant, and the light started to shine from her hands again, she wondered if she could repair the damage to the cat ear. She doubted it. The damage looked extensive, and appeared to have happened some time ago, and Amber didn't know if she had the strength for another miracle.

Blake's eyes stayed open the whole time, and she almost looked panicked near the end of the chant. Amber understood. The sounds of skin melding back together were surely somewhat frightening. Before the chant had ended, Amber moved her hands to the top of Blake's head, pushing the ears down slightly. It was obvious that she didn't like this, but she let Amber continue. Amber didn't know if the ears could actually hear anything normally, but if they could, she could mend them too before the chant ended. She had fixed the hearing in her human ears, and if her cat ears could hear anything, she had fixed them too. She had not, however, managed to repair the ripped ear.

She finished, nearly breathless, and her hands dropped away from Blake's head and limply to her side. She was breathing heavily now, and the light blinked out quickly. Amber wanted to speak with her, but her brain wouldn't work fast enough to carry on a conversation. Blake said "Thank you! Who-" she was cut off somewhat rudely when Amber simply turned and started to walk out. She wanted to stay, but if she stayed any longer, she was probably going to faint.

The door closed behind her, and she started to walk towards the elevator. Her eyelids drooped and her feet were sluggish. She had never cast so many miracles in so short a time. She was muttering quietly to herself, reciting a few chants for practice,

Suddenly, something that felt very similar to a wall collided with Amber's front, sending her sprawling on the ground. She let out a startled yelp when she hit the floor, and looked up at what she had run into. Yang looked down at her, a surprised look on her face. "Oh, hey you!" She obviously recognized Amber, but didn't know her name. It made sense, they hadn't been introduced. Yang stretched out a hand towards her, but amber hesitated in taking it.

Solace had said that the undead were twisted, distorted shadows of what they had been in life, and that that was why Holy power harmed them so much. He had warned about the numerous ways that they could trick and deceive the living, and how they could maul a person's very soul. What she saw when she looked at Yang's smile, however, was not a horrendous monster. She saw a teenage girl, a little paler than they usually were, perhaps, but there was no killer intent or malicious drive. She saw an honest urge to help.

She took Yang's hand, and was pulled to her feet. Yang quickly started to brush some dust off her back, saying as she did so "Oh, geez, sorry. I didn't see you, and…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes saw for a brief moment the holy book beneath Amber's robes as she readjusted the cloth. Her voice didn't stay down for long, though, as she said "Oh, you're a Paladin, right?"

Amber shook her head, and said in a voice that was bordering on a whisper "Priest, actually." Yang didn't quite catch this, leaning forward and saying "What?" Amber didn't want to risk making her mad, but raising her voice seemed to be unavoidable. Even with the confidence the Light had given her, interaction like this with something Solace had told her was so evil was difficult. She spoke again, forcing more air through her tightened throat, and making her voice feel like she was almost shouting. In a voice now about a normal speaking level, she said "I'm a Priest, not a Paladin."

She was worried that she came off as rude, but if Yang was offended, she showed no sign of it. Instead, an apologetic look came across her face, and she said "Oh, sorry. I didn't know, I just figured with the robes and the book that, you know, Paladin. So what brings you here?"

Amber didn't know if it was a good idea to tell what she had been doing. Certainly, she would think that her friends being healed would make Yang happy, but she didn't want to take any risks. "I've been… helping some patients with their recovery." She was never a good liar, but that wasn't necessarily a lie. If she could keep giving answers like that, maybe she could get away.

Yang smiled again. "Cool! Anyone I know?" The sinking feeling in her chest surely showed on her face, but she didn't act on it. Her mind whirled for a few seconds, trying to come up with something she could say to get out of the situation, but nothing came. What did you tell a dead teenager?

"Yes, actually. I've been healing your friends." Light seemed to fill her insides, giving her a level of confidence that she wasn't used to at all. "Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby. I've fixed what I could, but I'm afraid that I need to go home now." The truth felt good to speak. She was somewhat taken aback though, by her own forwardness. She was still afraid that Yang might do something, though.

It took the undead a few seconds to process what she had said, but when she did, Amber feared briefly for her life. Yang moved towards her with inhuman speed, arms coming apart and reaching out. With all of the force of a speeding truck, Yang collided with Amber, hoisting the girl off the ground in the biggest hug she'd ever received. She thought she could feel a few of her ribs band a bit further then they were supposed to, and her vision started to swim. She started to struggle against Yang's grip, and was set back down on the ground.

Her fatigue was worse than she thought, though, and her legs gave out beneath her. If Yang's reactions were just a little slower, she would have kissed the ground again. Yang held her by an arm now, supporting her weight and apologizing profusely. Amber would've reacted, but there was a dull, low tone in her ears that wouldn't go away. She waited until Yang was done speaking, then nodded and thanked her, not sure exactly what she was responding to. Then, legs still wobbling beneath her, she walked back towards the elevator. She could practically feel the soft embrace of her bed already, she just had to make it back home.

When she got in the elevator, she pressed the button to return to the lower floor, then leaned against a wall for support. She had to compose herself, at least as long as it took her to get back home. If people saw a Priest of the Holy Light in such a state, it would send a poor message regarding the rest of the Order. As difficult as it would be to keep her grace the whole way, she had to do it. As the doors of the elevator slid open, she took a deep breath and arched her back carefully to appear that she was still fully able to keep her poise.

The urge arose to pull her hood up, but she resisted. She didn't need to do that, not yet, at least. It would make her appear unapproachable, and that was the opposite of what she wanted to do. When she finally reached her home, she didn't shower, didn't eat, and didn't really do anything to take care of herself. She was simply too tired. She made a mental note to refrain from producing that many miracles in the future, and send Solace a quick message to let him know that she had completed her task, and was going to sleep. It wasn't a minute after that before she slumped over, snoring softly.