Chapter 24

Just as Weiss was about to begin practicing with fire, Blake appeared from the shadows, greeting them as warmly as possible from such an aspect, before whisking Ruby away to practice her essence manipulation. Left alone, Pyrrha elected to drill her own preferred element, electricity. Though commonly manifesting in lightning and shock magic, electricity had a variety of uses, acting as a base for many kinds of spellcasting. Everything from simple transfiguration to complex rituals relied on channeling electricity, and it flowed through Pyrrha like a river. It made her day-to-day casting easier, but her favored use was polarity manipulation, which she demonstrated by lifting a series of solid metallic orbs from her pack.

Weiss had only seen Pyrrha practice on a few occasions, each of them equally mesmerizing. Her arms flowed like water, gently guiding the orbs about in a dance-like routine, punctuated by several sharper movements as she transitioned between acts. Pyrrha had explained it was an old Mistrali routine, created by Chi practitioners who had considered polarity to be the governing force in life, representing balance and harmony, equal pull, equal push. Weiss was not sure if she cared for the implications of such a belief, but the routine itself offered a glimpse of a fascinating culture, and in truth, it made her envious. Pyrrha looked so calm, so serene, eyes closed, face blank, the very picture of perfection in Weiss' eyes. She envied Pyrrha's focus, when she could hardly focus on four objects with her kinesis, let alone a dozen iron balls.

"Hey." Yang's voice shook Weiss from her admiration, along with a warm hand on her shoulder. "Sizing up your next target?" She snarked.

Weiss scoffed, laying her own hand upon Yang's, turning to peck her on the cheek. "Hardly. It's healthy to admire your peers."

"Mmm, I'd do more than admire her…" Yang drawled.

"Oh?" Weiss huffed. "And here you are accusing me of planning ahead."

"Wouldn't it be exciting, inviting her into our bed?" Yang suggested. "She's so innocent, I bet she's barely been kissed before."

"You presume much of me Yang." Weiss said.

"Am I wrong?" Yang challenged. Weiss merely rolled her eyes, refusing to respond either way. Instead she held her hand aloft, took a deep breath, focused on the sensation Yang had inspired within her, and tapped into the essence of flame. "Hey that's pretty good." Yang admired as a moderately sized ball of flame appeared in Weiss' hand.

Weiss grinned, pulling away to cup her hands beneath the summoned light. "It's not as large as last night." Weiss observed.

Yang snickered. "That's because your connection is still fledgling. Give it time and practice, like anything else." Weiss hummed, passing the flame between her hands, gaining a feel for the element, leaving it in her left, taking aim at one of the battered wooden dummies and hurling it at the target...which promptly exploded. "Oops." Yang snorted.

"Was that intentional?" Pyrrha's worried voice called.

Weiss turned with a tight smile to see the orbs scattered about, the explosion having broken her friend's concentration. "Sorry Pyrrha, I'm new to this element." Pyrrha merely nodded, gesturing the orbs into the air and resuming routine. Looking to Ruby and Blake saw the former offering a thumbs up, the latter shook with suppressed laughter. Weiss huffed.

"Well hey, look at the bright side." Yang giggled. "Cinder's not gonna' survive one of those." She observed, walking over to the singed and smoking crater.

"If we can find her." Weiss sighed. "Otherwise I could burn the forest down for all the good it would be." She conjured another ball of flame.

"We'll find her, eventually...I think we need to try something new though." Yang soothed, kicking at what remained of the dummy post. "Ren and Nora were tracking Cinder via scent and rumors, but that isn't working out anymore. The Templars are making a ruckus that anyone could avoid, and I wasn't exactly subtle either. We need to bait her out somehow."

"The only thing that comes to mind is transport." Weiss shrugged. "With the Templars guarding the port she'll be looking for other avenues of escape...unless she can teleport…" She trailed off, staring into the conjured flames.

Yang shook her head, looking back. "Nah, Ren says they few times they chased her she never teleported. It's always mist, which has limited duration."

Weiss hummed, walking to meet her partner in a warm embrace. "I can't imagine Cinder just walking up to a boat we leave on the beach. It's too convenient." She murmured, laying her cheek against Yang's collar, allowing her eyes to flutter as she savored the temperature.

"Well, she's been hiding for over a week now." Yang noted. "She's gotta' be getting hungry."

"True, unless she's been subsisting on animals...but animal blood is not desirable, nor is it as nutritious." Weiss agreed.

"So we use a human to bait her out." Yang suggested.

Weiss thought for a moment. "Agreed...Velvet would volunteer, but I don't want to place her in danger, and I know she's not a virgin...Pyrrha could work, but I've told Cinder too much. She's a Huntress, even if Cinder could defeat her, she wouldn't want to incite more panic. She's smarter than that...but…" Weiss suddenly became aware of a familiar floral scent upon the wind, and breathed in. "Ruby." She stated, opening her eyes and turning toward the source. Crimson essence flowed from the summon, gradually forming into the shape of a spear, which slowly solidified in her hands. Blake praised her, much to Ruby's joy, as she began twirling the newly formed weapon.

"Well, Ruby is a virgin...but I don't know if it counts." Yang mused.

"It does, she's smells beautiful Yang, and her blood...I think if Cinder caught her scent it would draw her like a fly." Weiss declared.

"If she catches her scent." Yang cautioned. "We still don't know where to look for Cinder. We can't just send Ruby into the forest with a basket and hope she bumps into the big bad...bat?" Yang stumbled on the comparison.

Weiss chuckled. "I have an idea for that too...but first we need a team meeting."

"Ooh, making it official are we?" Yang asked.

"What better way to raise morale?" Weiss smirked. "Ruby can even be our mascot."

Ruby jumped at the plan. Weiss had expected as much, Ruby adored Weiss, and under any other circumstances she would feel guilty taking advantage of that, but Ruby was no shrinking violet. She had demonstrated her capability against Weiss twice. It was Pyrrha she worried for, Ruby was her summon after all, and asking to place Ruby in danger after being so adamant about her protection would seem hypocritical. Indeed, when Pyrrha did not respond at first, Weiss grew worried, but in the end, Pyrrha only had one condition - they had to involve Glynda, every step of the way.

"So your response when I fear for your safety is to place another in danger." Glynda groused as she entered the living room, Blake in tow.

"Ruby is more than capable of defending herself, and will have Blake's assistance." Weiss defended, seated in an armchair close to the fire, the visage of Yang's upper body lounging within.

"If you manage to locate Cinder, if you manage to curry favor with the spriggans." Glynda cautioned. "It is nearing winter, their influence is weakened. They will be more reclusive and temperamental, and the Templars are not helping."

"Ruby has an affinity with nature." Weiss noted. "Perhaps they will see her as a form of kin. Nora and Ren were raised by their kind. Between the three I'm sure we can garner some assistance."

Glynda sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Pyrrha, what is your view of the situation?" She reached out.

Pyrrha sat on the couch, Ruby cuddled into her side. She had a weary look of resignation on her face as she spoke. "I trust in Ruby's capabilities, I trust in Blake's protection, and I trust that Weiss' plan may work. Misgivings aside, the longer we allow Cinder to roam free, the greater chance of her escape. It is our duty to exhaust all possible strategies in order to prevent that, lest she kill again." Her expression seemed to grow more confident as she spoke. At least she seemed genuine.

"Very well." Glynda acknowledged, taking a deep breath. "Ruby, seeing as you will be the focus of this plan, you should be the one to ask Nora and Ren. In the meantime, Weiss, we need to fashion a nullification collar to contain Cinder's power, and Pyrrha, you must visit Port. He will have suitable restraints." She pointed a finger at Ruby. "Do not inform the Templars of this. Not James, not even Winter. We do not want them interfering. They will only mess it up."

"James?" Ruby asked.

"General Ironwood, Ruby." Weiss explained.

"Oh...you don't like him very much." Ruby observed.

"That's an understatement." Blake snorted.

"Quiet you." Glynda shot back. Blake rolled her eyes, shrinking into her cat form and padding over to lay by Yang. "James has demonstrated on several occasions that his judgement is questionable, each time costing innocent beings their lives. His heavy handed, clumsy tactics are a danger to all of us, and his presence on this island violates its purpose."

Ruby quirked her head at that. "What purpose?"

"Safe haven from the world at large, protection from persecution, from the Templar Order." Glynda explained. "Patch was founded by Valean refugees after the Great War. Many veterans made their peace here, from all lands, and for centuries this island has provided that peace, repelling attempts to absorb it, rejecting organized authorities, and here we are with Templars, Templars, who propagate the greatest oligarchy in the history of Remnant, camping on our soil, it's tantamount to an invasion. Of all the bloody stupid decisions Winter could make-"

"Winter did what she thought was best Glynda!" Weiss defended. "Ironwood saved my life-"

"Because you were human, because you were an innocent, human girl, and even now his leniency stems from his knowing you as human." Glynda shot back. "He tolerates the supernatural world, views all who are not pure as lesser beings. He seems reasonable, until something stands in his way, and gods help you if his target is behind others of lesser nature." Her voice warbled, and she turned away, breathing heavily. The entire room stood in shocked silence. Blake flitted over to Glynda in a blink of shadow, her human form wrapping its arms around Glynda's arm. They exchanged a few whispers and Glynda shook her head. "No Templars. Go do your parts. Weiss...I will be with you in a moment." With that she left the room, leaving the others to stew in silence.

Ruby finally spoke up. "Mr. Ironwood doesn't seem to mind me…"

Pyrrha and Ruby set out not long after, Glynda's outburst fresh in their minds. It was rare for the Master Witch to show so much emotion for anything, let alone vitriol, but it seemed she had a delicate history with General Ironwood. Pyrrha explained that she had expressed distaste for Templars and their practices in the past, each time with the same bitterness, but never General Ironwood by name. She speculated that they had hurt Glynda, or someone she cared for, but had no desire to pry. Glynda's past was colorful, but vague, and there had to be a good reason for that.

Ruby parted ways with Pyrrha as they passed Port's forge, continuing onward to the Templar camp. The sky was at its brightest grey when she arrived, and Penny met her not long after. "Ruby!" The automaton called, jogging over to bundle Ruby into a tight hug.

"Hey Penny, how are you?" Ruby squeezed out. Penny dropped her with a giggle.

"I am splendid Ruby." Penny cheered. "More children approached me today. They were very kind, one of them gave me a muffin…" A twinge of a frown flickered across her face, before passing. "I gave it to Miss Schnee. She told me it was very nice."

"Muffins are nice...I'm sorry Penny, but I'm here for a reason today." Ruby refocused. "I need to talk to Nora and Ren."

"That is no problem." Penny declared. "The Huntsmen are bathing in a nearby lake. Would you like me to take you to them?"

"Penny...I need you to keep a secret…" Ruby lowered her voice. "We don't want the Templars to know."

Penny's brow furrowed. "Why not Ruby?" She whispered.

"We have a plan, but it needs to stay small, and the Templars will make a lot of noise, and we can't have that." Ruby explained. "It'll put me in danger, but I trust you Penny. You can keep me safe, please?"

Penny twitched. "You...you trust me?" She asked, her voice small.

Ruby smiled and nodded. "With my life."

That brought a smile to Penny's face. She rose to full height and snapped a salute. "You can count on me Ruby, I won't lead you astray!" She chirped confidently.

Ruby giggled. "I know I can, so let's go!"

After a five minute hike into the forest, splashing and joyful exclamations became evident, and as they broke through the trees Ruby caught first sight of their destination and the individuals within. Ren and Nora were wrestling in the shallows of the water, Nora's giggling and squealing carrying through the clearing as she pinned Ren down, the quieter of the two chuckling to himself as he barely kept his head above the water. Nora stretched languidly, moaning with pleasure as she moved her hips. Then her gaze snapped towards the newcomers.

"Heya' guys!" Nora called, waving cheerfully. "Wanna' join us? The water's fine!" She laughed again, leaning down to kiss Ren, who indulged her for the time being.

"Isn't it too cold for you?" Ruby wondered. The cold did not bother her, but everyone else was already rugging up.

Nora broke the kiss to answer. "Nah, we wolves have a lot of body heat. It's actually nice and cool now. When it starts snowing it'll be a bit much though."

"Nora, we shouldn't do this with company." Ren advised.

"But Renny, Ruby doesn't mind, and Penny probably finds it interesting." Nora protested. "Don't you Penny?"

"Oh, I uh…" Penny stammered, looking away. "It is interesting, yes. You are far more...curved than I am."

"Aw, you're still cute though." Nora jumped up, baring a rather wild thatch of red hair down below as Ren grunted. "What do you look like under there anyway? Anatomically correct I hope?" Nora giggled.

Penny slumped. "No, no I'm afraid not. I am shapely, but non-functional...I am not affection ready." She sadly murmured. Ruby laid a hand on her shoulder in comfort, but with some splashing and thudding, Nora jogged up before them, wrapping Penny in a hug.

"Don't let that get you down, affection is more than just baby makin'." Nora declared. "Anyone can love, and you've got a very pretty face for kissing." She drew Penny into a kiss, shocking the automaton, who squeaked and jerked, but did not pull away, her enameled lips parting beneath Nora's gentle flesh, as they hyperactive werewolf treated her as intimately as she would Ren.

Ruby caught Ren's unsurprised, resigned expression as he lay still in the water, before he too pushed himself up, wading to the water's edge. She had never seen a naked male in person before. Were they normally that large? She wondered.

"There, see, how do ya' feel?" Nora asked softly as she pulled away.

Penny made a choked sound, made extra strange by the flanging of her voice, she shuddered. "I...I don't know...I...I need to...I need to sit down." She stammered, letting go of Ruby's hand and wandering off.

Ruby looked from her friend to Nora, who wore a sad smile. "Poor girl, she really needs affection...you should kiss her more Ruby." Nora suggested.

Ruby frowned. "I think you scared her Nora." She worried.

"Nah, she's just a little shocked and confused." Nora theorized. "I don't think it's ever occurred to her that love doesn't end with the body. You think Ren and I stop booping when we go wolf? We can level a forest if we wanna'." She chuckled, then sat down. "She needs hugs every day, and a smooch every now and then, until she learns to love herself again."

"I didn't know you knew her that well." Ruby wondered.

"She told me, yesterday, after she came back from spending time with you." Nora explained. "She asked if we could be friends. She really is beautiful, nuts and bolts and all, that poor, poor girl." Nora lamented. "But that'll take time. Maybe now she'll have some more questions. Speakin' of which, whatchya' up to?"

"We need your help with a plan." Ruby started. "The Templars are too loud, and you're having trouble tracking, so we're going to use me as bait to draw Cinder into a trap, but we need to know where to look for her, and we think the spriggans can help."

Nora slumped at that, arms wrapping around her legs. "We thought so too." She murmured. Ren approached, clad in a pair of pants. He held out a towel to Nora, who sighed, accepting it and drying herself. "Wherever we go, we ask the spriggans to help, but here...they didn't want to talk to me, they didn't answer my call...a-and that's their right. They aren't slaves to us, we trespass on their land, cut down their trees. Sometimes the spriggans of a territory just don't want anything to do with people...and Patch is so much smaller than most places, the proximity has probably made them very angry for a long time."

"But you didn't do anything wrong." Ruby countered. "Why wouldn't they talk to you?"

"I don't know Ruby...I don't know...but I don't want to make them upset." Nora frowned. "They deserve to live in peace, and it's nearing winter. They'll be tired and weakened. We shouldn't bother them." She bowed her head.

Ren sighed, sitting down and pulling her close. "What is the issue now?" He asked softly.

"Ruby wants to talk to the spriggans, to try and find Cinder, but I told her they wouldn't speak to me." Nora replied.

"But they should, shouldn't they?" Ruby pressed. "They protect the forest, and Cinder's hiding there, and the Templars are probably hurting it, shouldn't that bother them?"

"It should, but spriggans are stubborn." Ren responded. "They don't care for humans at all Ruby. We have a kinship with them, but not all choose to recognize it."

"Well...how can I find them?" Ruby asked. "I need to try. I can make a deal with them, do something in return for their help, even if they just tell me to go away I need to try!"

"It's not difficult, for us at least." Ren noted. "We know their tongue, we can call them again."

"They won't respond Ren." Nora whimpered. "They don't want me."

"Nora, they just don't know you." Ren encouraged. "They are not cruel. Perhaps they were just wary. We should try again."

"But what if they don't…" Nora barely whispered into his neck.

"They will." Ren insisted. "No one can resist your heart Nora." He soothed, cupping her head, guiding her gaze upward. "Let us try again. We cannot lose faith in our family." Nora sniffled, and nodded. Ren kissed at her tears, once on each cheek, before meeting her lips, slowly, lovingly, calming his saddened mate with affection.

Nora shuddered a breath. "Alright, okay, I'll try again."