Roses & Thorns – Volume 1 – Chapter 12

-Uncaring Strings-

"Do you want me to have them sent up?"

"No.." Ozpin watched the recording playing across the display on his desk for a few more seconds before answering, barely giving attention to his words as he saw the playback of Ruby Rose sliding in front of a flare in order to block the attack for her teammate. "Let us wait, and watch for their next move. Give them free reign, for the time being, but keep track of them." The video showed Blake Belladonna struggle to a standing position before charging back into the fray with reckless abandon, and subsequently get beat down by the man in the white suit. "I want to know if they pursue this lead they've discovered."

"You mean to let them go again?" There wasn't an accusatory tone in Memphis Slate's voice, but the Huntress did have an air of disbelief about her. With a hand set on a narrow hip, the woman's steely eyes found his and held his gaze for a moment. "What's your angle?"

Pausing the recording by pressing a finger against the holographic interface, Ozpin leaned back in his chair and straightened, regarding the other three occupants of the room with a raised eyebrow in response to their skepticism. "In a few short weeks, they have done what we have tried for years to do.. They have gotten one step ahead of the enemy. The fact that they have done this without knowing what it was they stumbled on to only doubles the accomplishment. But now.."

He beckoned toward the video, to reference the events that had taken place earlier that night. "Now the first pawn has been moved, and the clock begins to count down. Do we wait for a counterattack, or press the first advantage we've had in years?"

"Those are my nieces down there, Ozpin." It was his old friend, Qrow Branwen, who spoke up. The taller man was standing to the side with folded arms, and had settled a disapproving gaze upon him. "They aren't soldiers."

"I'm quite fond of them as well, Qrow. In truth, I've grown fond of both teams. But this is war, they became soldiers the moment they walked through the doors of my Academy. And we must risk our soldiers if we hope to win." Taking up his cane and standing, Ozpin set a firm hand on the sturdy oak of his desk as he spoke. "Our enemies will not hesitate to kill and sacrifice, and there is far too much at stake for us to falter now. We have already lost so much and gained so little, to stop now would do a disservice to those who have given their lives for this conflict."

Qrow stared at him for a few long seconds before acquiescing with a nod, the man swayed by the memories that his words had inspired, but there was another that held reservations. Glynda cleared her throat before speaking, drawing his attention. "Perhaps pressing the advantage is not the right move here.. We could lose them all if they continue on this course. Soldiers they may be, but they are still children. They are distracted, and fractured by the lies that have surfaced in the last few days."

"She's right." Slate offered an opinion to mix, shrugging as Ozpin slid his gaze over to her. "They are capable when alone, and extraordinary if they work together, but they're still kids." Sighing, the younger woman ran a hand through the mane of coal black hair. "If they move, Qrow and I should be ready to back them up. With us there, they could do this."

Ozpin tapped the end of his cane against the floor once as he listened, his mind deliberating the possibilities. For all that teams RWBY and CAIN had thrown a wrench into the works, they had clearly disrupted part of the enemy's plan. It was worth the risk to allow them to continue, for now. "Then it's settled. We watch, and we wait. With luck, they'll drive our enemy out into the open." Turning to face the blonde woman standing to his right, he adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Glynda, please recall all Beacon Hunters. If we are given the opportunity, I want to strike with our full force."

"It's a gamble to play so many cards at once, sir."

"It is." He wearily agreed with the woman, turning away from the gathered three and facing the clock face that served as a window. Outside, the quiet night life of Vale ran through it's usual motions beneath the shadow of Beacon Academy. "But if it pays off, we could end the war."

"Well, it doesn't look to be broken." Blake tried her best to not be rude by staring anywhere else but down the shirt of the well-endowed Dr. Sheppard, the older Faunus seemingly oblivious to her struggle as warm hands gently ran along the bridge of her nose. "I think your aura may have taken care of it before ya got back, but if there's any pain later come back, yeah?" She let her eyes slide up as the woman leaned back, watching the long tufted ears twitch for a moment before she nodded. "Good."

"So.. She's not hurt?" It was her partner, Yang, who spoke the question with a tone of genuine concern. The blonde girl stepped up beside the doctor and glanced between the two Faunus. They were in the infirmary, having been directed here by the strange man that had found them at the docks.

"Few bruises. Other than that, ya should be fine."

One of the sky blue eyes closed in a wink in her direction, causing Blake to don a tiny smile that lasted a brief moment before pain exploded on the side of her face. Unaware that a blow had been incoming, she barely caught herself on the side of the bed as a gasp escaped her lips. "Yang!" Ruby's voice reached her ears, and she swung her gaze back to her partner, finding the brawler glaring at her.

"That was for putting my sister in danger!" Eyes that were usually a hue of brilliant lilac color had now become pools of a vibrant and angry red, alerting Blake to the fact that she was lucky Yang had only slapped her. Without much more warning than she had received for the slap, the blonde surged forward and wrapped toned arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. For a split second, she was worried that the stronger girl was going to try and suffocate her, until she felt a palm gently run down her back. "And that's for coming back.."

Pulling back, the blonde smiled as if the stark contrast between the two actions was somehow normal circumstance. It left Blake in a state of confusion, as if she had been thrown into a whirlwind and then tossed out just as quickly. To the side, Ruby wore a wide grin that let on none of the concern that the younger girl had showed just a few seconds earlier, but the fourth member of their team remained unamused.

"Just like that?" Blake's eyes snapped to the person she had been avoiding since they had all stepped into the Bullhead that had arrived from Beacon, the heiress' pale blue eyes narrowed into a glare in Yang's direction. "A slap and she's forgiven?" Those cold orbs finally found her, and whatever measure of comfort or hope that had returned on coming back to the Academy immediately melted away. "Not only did you lie to us, you put yourself and Ruby into danger! You avoided us for three days, forcing all of us to come looking for you, where we were put into further danger! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

The fury evident in Weiss' voice was frightening, as the heiress had displayed a sense of control even when Blake had fought with her teammate over the issue of the White Fang. It was now that she realized some bridges might have been burned forever, and she struggled to meet the icy gaze again after she looked away, knowing that the girl was correct on all accusations. She had lied, she had forced a battle where there could have been none. For some reason, the charge that cut the deepest was that she had placed Ruby into direct danger, recalling a memory of the girl fearlessly stepping in to protect her.

Weiss was right. She had been exactly what the heiress had feared the moment Blake had revealed herself as a Faunus and former member of the White Fang: A threat to the team and their friends. Even more damning, she had placed a girl she had come to care deeply for into harm's way. Clamping down on her hopeless thoughts before they forced her into a state of mind where all she could think of was fleeing, her ears focused again on the immediate surroundings, hearing the quiet ushering of the Schnee heiress towards the door by one of the other team's members.

Glancing up for a moment, she found that Claire had taken Weiss under a comforting arm, the slender shoulders of the white haired girl shaking as if she were sobbing as they exited the infirmary together. A stunned silence followed their departure, and Blake failed do more than return her eyes to the floor. Speaking downwards, she directed her next question towards the doctor that now stood at the next bed. "Is Amber going to be alright?"

Dawn didn't seem perturbed by their infighting, or the shouting, the older Faunus mumbling something about 'children' before speaking up. "Should be right as rain in an hour or so, once her aura has come back fully. Seems she expended it all very quickly, but I didn't find any wounds." Blake looked up as the doctor stuffed hands into the pockets of a white lab coat, the lynx ears atop the woman's head tilting to the side. "Best worry about yourself, yeah? That girl doesn't seem like the forgiving type." A brief, sad smile was sent her way before Dr. Sheppard moved out into the main aisle of the room. "Stick 'round long as you like, girls, just don't make too much noise. G'night."

"Night!" Chipper as ever, it was Yang who responded to the woman, before turning her gaze upon a certain fox Faunus who had been uncharacteristically silent since they had returned. "You know what? We should probably shuffle off to bed as well, 'cause I'm beat." Moving over and draping an arm across Iris' shoulder, she felt the shorter girl tense but accept the intrusion once she was identified. The reaction only served to feed her growing curiosity as she gave a short wave in the direction of her two remaining teammates. "Better see you back in our room, Blake."

"You will." Her younger sister was the one that responded, the dyed bangs being brushed back by a hand as Ruby gave her a more serious look than the tone of the girl's voice would have implied. "Good night Yang, good night Iris."

"Hey Ruby." She perked up at the sound of her name, sliding her gaze away from her departing sister to the boy who stood over the bed next to the one Blake was sitting on. Nyx Pinion touched his twin's shoulder gently before looking up at her. "Let her know I'll be in the dorm when she wakes up, will you?"

"No problem, Nyx. Thank you again for the save." The boy flashed a winning grin in her direction, his hand lingering on his sister's shoulder before he gave a nod and turned away. Ruby watched him follow the rest of her friends, the small smile on her lips one of gratitude for the way he had rushed in to protect her and Blake. At the thought of her teammate, she looked back to find those beautiful golden orbs locked onto her with a desperate look in their depths. "What's wrong?"

"Let go of me!" Claire released her grasp on the smaller girl's shoulder as the heiress shoved open the dorm room door, having steered Weiss here as the girl had silently let tears that had been held in for far too long out. Following after a moment, she turned and closed the door with a quiet click, her hand lingering on the door knob as she considered the implications of team RWBY's argument. "How could she just carry on as if she did nothing wrong, as if we'd just welcome her back with open arms?! She's a terrorist, she admitted as much before she ran out!"

Turning in surprise to find the heiress to the most powerful company in the world venting to her, of all people, Claire felt her eyes widen as the girl wiped the few tears that remained away and stamped a foot. "And then she just charges in-" Waving a wild gesture, Weiss turned away from her and began pacing. "-risking her and Ruby's lives without so much as a backwards glance! She didn't even apologize! Just silence, always silence, as her actions throw the consequences onto the rest of us!"

Weiss whirled on her in a fury, glaring in a manner that Claire guessed wasn't directed at her. "Even you are self-aware enough to know when an apology is needed!"

"Oh, thanks." Tilting her head as she spoke in a dry tone, she watched as the girl realized that what had been meant as a compliment was just as easily insulting, and the heiress was quiet for a few moments.

"I'm sorry.." Blinking as her smile was swept away, Claire stared as the girl before her stopped moving, facing away from her and speaking quietly. "For what I said before, out on the training fields. You were right that I was pushing myself too hard, but I couldn't listen." As Weiss turned back to face her, she made a conscious effort to close her mouth, in order to not scare off this new side of the heiress that had surfaced. "I know I'm a bitch sometimes, I do.. It just, takes time for me to come around."

"Don't, uh, don't sweat it." Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked away from the girl as she spoke. The strange swing from anger to issuing an apology had set her off-kilter, but she did her best to encourage this new take on things. "But wouldn't it be better if you repaired things with Blake? No matter what she's done in the past, I think she deserves a chance, at least." Even before she had finished speaking, she could see the way that Weiss was beginning to refuse the suggestion, and she cut off the heiress off. "Look, you know what the White Fang is, what they've done. But did you ever stop to consider what the SDC has done to Faunus all over the world?"

"What.." Weiss bit her lip as she struggled to contain the part of her that wanted to lash out against the question that had been asked, instead settling for folding her arms and glaring at the taller girl as she took a deep breath a continued in a more even tone. "What do you mean?"

She watched as the other thought for a moment, the wolf-girl clearly collecting her thoughts before continuing. "I mean.. You've seen the worst that my race can offer. For years, you've watched as family and friends have been killed by the White Fang from the shadows. You've been hunted from the moment you first drew breath, and you've known it, too." It could have just been her own perception, but to Weiss it sounded like Claire had rehearsed this speech. "But now you have to think from what the world has looked like through Blake's eyes."

The wolf ears atop the other girl's head twitched in irritation, accentuating the way that Claire paused and waited for a rebuttal that Weiss did not deliver. She leaned her head forward slightly, indicating for the girl to continue, wanting to hear what the other had to say. "Blake sees the Faunus that line the gutters in the slums.. The ones that fight over scraps of food and beg for what money strangers will spare them. She sees the members of our race that have been beaten, tortured, and left mutilated by the actions of Humans."

Weiss gulped as the fearsome wolf-girl with wild hair stepped toward her, a larger and rougher hand taking up one of her own in its grasp. Her limb was guided past Claire's side, and then softly pressed against the back of the Faunus' shirt. "This is what people like your father can do to people like me." Before she could withdraw and demand an explanation for what the other was doing, she felt it. A deep trench dug into the skin that was harder than the surrounding tissue.

It was a gorge that had been carved through the flesh, one of the many scars she had once spotted on the girl's back when she had walked into the dorm of team CAIN unannounced. Released from Claire's grasp, her fingers softly pressed against the fabric of the shirt to explore the skin that lay beneath the garment of their own volition. Trailing through the ravine that lie immortalized on the Faunus' body, her digits eventually rose to reveal the raised portion of another sign of disfigurement that crossed through the first she had touched.

This was a ridge, a puckered section of skin that sliced through the canyon and tore across the girl's back in a ragged formation, a startling indication of how barbaric the original wound must have been. Without truly realizing it, Weiss had taken the initiative, and the only thing that kept her from continuing to unveil the horror that lie beneath the light cloth was the way Claire had reacted. The wolfish ears were pulled flat against the Faunus' hair, and dark brown eyes had averted their gaze.

It was a shock to see this side of Claire, anger and confidence replaced so quickly by anxiety and shame. Weiss withdrew her hand quickly, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she struggled to find the words to express sympathy, or perhaps an apology for her own actions. She wasn't given much of a chance, as the Faunus stepped back and resumed talking. "But you have to see that world through her eyes to understand why she would join a group like the White Fang. To many.. It looks like the only way to fight back, to gain some measure of standing in a world dominated and ruled by Humans." Still holding the tattered jacket, the wolf-girl gave a dejected shrug. "It isn't right, but it's the way it is."

"Why didn't you join?" She could see the way her question surprised the Faunus, as Claire's ears turned more forward, as if they were intent on listening as closely as possible. "The thought has clearly crossed your mind.. You hate my family, why not join the White Fang?"

"I didn't want to be the sort of person to seek revenge. But I was lucky, I had someone to guide me down a different path." It was a simple answer, one that caused her to tilt her head due to its cryptic nature. "..Well, at least they tried to."

"You said.." Weiss did her best to approach the subject as carefully as possible, but after a few moments of silence and thought she could not identify a better way than barging through the topic like a simpleton. "You said someone like my father did that-" She gestured toward the girl, and more importantly, the scarring evident upon the Faunus' back. "-to you.. Can I ask-"

"Not tonight, Weiss." Claire's voice was quiet as she refused the request, finally finding the courage to meet the gaze of the smaller girl. The heiress' eyes were not as cold as they were before, filled now with the warmth of compassion as they regarded her. But even they could not still the fear that thrummed within each beat of her heart, the kind of terror that came with revealing one of the most vulnerable parts of ones self. "Just.. Focus on patching things up with Blake."

"Weiss is right." The words were spoken softly, as if the truth they bore was a horrific one as Ruby stared into the auric depths of her teammate's eyes. She had asked what it was that was bothering the other girl, and had gotten the answer she expected, and more. "I ran into that fight without a second glance back, never once thinking that I might not win, or wondering what would happen if I lost you." There came a moment of silence as both of them seemed to realize what Blake as said, but she chose not to pursue that topic as the Faunus looked away. "I really am the monster she sees."

"Hey." The simple interruption brought those gorgeous eyes back her way, and Ruby raised a hand to softly touch the older girl's cheek, smiling warmly as she saw the tears that were beginning to well. "Weiss doesn't think you're a monster. She was angry at both of us, because she cares for both of us. You know Weiss.. The moment she doesn't care to yell is the moment she's given up on someone." Blake made a noise caught between a chuckle and a suppressed sob, but she didn't let it stop her as she grinned like a fool at cat-girl. "And I followed you into that fight willingly. I'd do it again."

Her older teammate only glanced in another direction, her optimistic outlook failing to improve the other's attitude. That failure caused her grin to slip away, and she let her hand trail down the cheek until it rested on the nape of the Faunus' neck. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing, Ruby."

"Doesn't matter if it's a good thing." Blake refused to look over at the younger girl, focusing entirely on not acknowledging the hand that was pressed lightly against the scarf that covered her neck. The light tone that her teammate employed manipulated her emotions far too easily as the other brunette skittered into view again, Ruby apparently refusing to let her look away. "It's what I wanted."

"Ruby.." Unwittingly, she leaned into the hand, and let a plea seep into her voice as she failed to tear her gaze away from the wide silver eyes that peered down at her. Blake and known what Ruby coming after her after she had fled from the dorm had meant, and she was now sure of the younger girl's feelings. Shared affections between them had led to this point, where she sat helpless before the cheerful watch of the girl she had come to appreciate beyond a mere teammate or friend.

Her warning went unheeded as the brunette stepped closer, between the space where both of her legs hung off the edge of the bed. "Yes, Blake?" She wanted to growl at the way the younger student feigned innocence, at the way Ruby asked the question as if there could be any doubt to the girl's intentions as the distance separating them shortened further, but the sound came out closer to a whimper. No matter what her brain said would be a rational reaction, she was too exhausted to fight the part of her that now yearned for this.

Ruby stopped a few inches from the Faunus, the pads of the scythe-wielder's fingers softly caressing the skin that lay between a scarf and a shirt. She wanted to don a victorious grin at the circumstance, at all the confirmation she would ever need on the question of how her teammate felt, but she couldn't follow through. Not yet, at least. She needed to be sure that if she opened this door, it could remain open. There wasn't any room for more pain at this point.

As her thoughts raced to ponder such things, nervousness and anxiety only grew until she couldn't have closed the gap even if she wanted to. Staring at the beautiful girl she had very effectively lit a fire under wasn't helping, as she saw the way that Blake was looking at her. The golden orbs were filled with a predatory and possessive aspect, two shining beacons that the Faunus desired her in a way that she was still truly inexperienced in, and that only amplified the self-doubt gnawing at her confidence. "B-But first, you have to talk to Weiss."

It completely deflated the mood, and Ruby felt her lungs resume working as the pressure seemed to relax throughout the entire room. Black bangs tumbled across a forehead as her teammate's head tilted to the side, and those amber pools lost their attractive light and instead took on a look of confusion. "You need to apologize to her, and I need to know you're going to stick around. After you figure that out.." She backed away from the cat-girl, flashing a coy smile. "Well then come find me, Blake."

"So.. What's up?" Iris spoke softly as they stopped at the fountain in the courtyard of Beacon Academy, glancing over at the girl who had looped arms together with her and steered them both towards this spot. Yang had been quiet, far too quiet for the normally brash and flamboyant brawler, and it had started to worry her. It didn't help that the blonde had taken them to the spot where she had revealed the worst parts of her past to the other, and that realization filled her with a certain sense of dread. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You." The taller girl rounded on her, lilac eyes bright and intense as they bore down on her. "Me. Us."

Raising an eyebrow as she turned, Iris bit back a snarky comment, appreciating the gravity of the current situation. "How do you mean?"

"You said maybe two or three words on the way back here." A shrug came from the sturdy shoulders, jostling the brown jacket the blonde wore. "It isn't like you, is all."

"Oh.. Uh, I'm sorry." Iris felt her cheeks color with shame as she realized how silent she had been since seeing the cockpit of the fallen Bullhead, and her reaction brought a more curious expression from her companion. "It's just.. Amber killed one of the White Fang we were fighting. I didn't say anything at the time because it made me sick, but I saw the chakram buried into his chest."

"I.." Yang seemed to consider the words for a moment before looking back at her, head cocked to the side. "We were fighting them, Iris. They would have killed us if we hadn't fought back."

"I know! I really do." She turned away from the blonde, throwing her hands up into the air in a gesture of futility. "I know what we are here to become. Hunters kill Grimm, that's all people choose to look at when they talk about them. But we know the truth, we all know that someday it won't be a monster we aim our weapon at, and that it won't be until an aura fails that the fight goes on." Trailing off, Iris took a second to collect her emotions. "And then I saw the blood and the bones, and it all.. It all became real for me. Someday, I'm going to kill someone."

Clenching her hands, she released the tension on her muscles slowly, exposing the pale skin of her palms an inch at a time. Her mind attempted to summon up an image of them covered in the sanguine lifeblood of a Human or another Faunus, but all that came to her thoughts was a memory of deep black staining the skin after she killed the Death Stalker. Then a darker skinned hand closed about her wrist, pulling her about until she faced the other girl once again. "Will you be able to do it?"

The question was anything but simple, and yet the answer was so readily available that it frightened Iris, as she allowed herself to look into the pale purple coloring of Yang's eyes. "That's the problem.. I won't have a problem doing it." Gulping as she saw the concern cross the other girl's expression, she continued. "For so long I've thought about finding the man that took my parents from me.. I-I think I'm broken."

A sad smile pulled the corners of Yang's lips upwards, and the Faunus she held only stared as she softly cupped a cheek in the palm of her free hand. There wasn't much in the way of words that could fix what was occupying the thoughts of the fox-girl, but she resolved to try her best. "I think we're all a little broken, and that I'll be here for you. Flaws and all." The effect was immediate, in the way the beautiful features that had been on the verge of crying relaxed and allowed a tiny version of a smile to find their way to them. It was that moment of calm that allowed her to try and take the subject away from such heavy matters. "But you should know that I don't share. So if I'm yours, you had better be mine."

Letting out a shaky laugh, Iris took a moment to let her smile grow into one more genuine as she leaned her head back to stare up at the taller girl. There was only a few inches of difference between them, but it seemed so much larger when they stood toe to toe. Reaching up, she wrapped both arms around the stocky shoulders of her companion, certain that if she was going to place her trust in anyone, Yang was a wise choice. "I may have gotten around back at Impetus, Xiao Long, but don't you dare assume that I would ever share."

Baring her teeth in a playful growl, Iris felt her tail begin to sway as the lingering thoughts were banished away by the sheer force of happiness being with Yang brought her. Strong arms ducked under her own and wrapped about her rear, and she felt the tension in the corded muscles as she was lifted from the ground and brought to straddle the larger girl. Their lips met in the middle of the motion as the brawler's hands were transferred to her thighs, holding her lithe frame with little effort as they kissed beneath the glow of Remnant's shattered moon.

Amber's eyes slid open slowly, her battered consciousness aware that it had been a while since she was last awake, but a strange exhaustion clung to every fiber of her being. She felt as if she hadn't slept in days, and each of those days had been filled with the intense training regimen that Nyx had designed in order to better compliment each other's fighting styles. Then came the memory, the remembrance of the utter destruction she had wrought on the poor Faunus that had been trapped inside the Bullhead's cockpit.

She could feel the serrated edge of Fos cutting through her chest as it spun, sundering open her ribcage and tearing chunks of the organs contained within. She could feel the sense of fear that welled up and replaced every other emotion, and then a split second of regret before nothingness. The sheer absence of emotion that she was forced to feel for the first time in her life threw her awareness into the realm of reality, and it was then she heard the chilling scream emanating from her own lips, and she felt the hands that were latched onto her shoulders, shaking her.

Amber bolted upright, straight into the embrace of the waiting doctor, and she found herself pressed against a warm body as the last of her air was expended. The scream fizzled out into a whimper, and her fingers dug into the back of the Faunus she held on to. A soft, kind voice sounded out near her ear, speaking in a familiar accent that identified the owner. "Come on, love, tell me what's wrong."

"I killed him.." The words came unbidden, and gave her no relief as she felt the agony in her chest continue to claw at her insides. Those words were spoken with a tone of disbelief, and no small measure of horror, as her semblance forced her to replay the event as if it were still happening. "Tore him apart."

Dawn Sheppard held the tiny girl as delicately as possible, all too aware of the implications that came with the student's admission. It was a crisis that had befallen many young Hunters she had treated through the years, but with this particular girl's unique abilities. Abruptly, the small frame stopped fighting against her, and instead sunk into her arms with a lingering sob. "He was so angry.."

Pulling back, she caught the girl's crimson eyes in her own gaze, and spoke softly. "Hey, do ya know where you are, love?"

Amber answered in a slow, pondering tone as the pain began to fade away, and she was allowed to feel the emotions of the Faunus woman in front of her. "Y-yes. Infirmary. Dr. Sheppard." The simplistic, one word answers were remnants of how she used to speak to others. A habit she had dropped around the time she had gotten serious about attending an Academy, it came forward as her own feelings overpowered those she could sense through the connection of her aura to the doctor's.

It was freeing, to feel on her own accord for the first time, and a thought pinged that it was a shame that it had to be guilt. Under the careful ministrations of a gentle hand rubbing up and down her back, she managed to find some of the calm she was more used to, and became more aware of the compassion that thrummed within Dr. Sheppard instead. "Better?"

The question caused her to glance away from the woman with the lynx ears, unsure if she could answer it honestly. In the end, she chose the simplest route. Forcing herself to a sense of normalcy, Amber turned her gaze back to the doctor and gave a nod. "Better. Have to find Nyx."

Dr. Sheppard eyed her with a skeptical look, but in response she gave only a stoic nod. In the depths of her most unpleasant memory, Amber had recalled something more important than the consequences of her actions. "All truth? I have no idea how to treat ya for this..But I'm hoping your brother can help. I'd like ya to come back in an hour or so, yeah?"

"An hour, then." The woman pulled away from her, and she slid off the side of the bed, shoving all that had befallen her to the back of her mind. It helped to concentrate on the emotions of the Faunus, allowing her focus on something other than the sickening memory that lay in wait. "Thank you, doctor."

Weiss tried her best to remain calm as the dorm room door opened, but so many emotions surged to the surface as the portal revealed the forms of her two teammates. On the left was the shorter of the pair, a young brunette who styled her hair with red highlights, and seemed to delight in being a pain. On the right was the object of Weiss' ire for the last few days, a Faunus who had lied to the entire team, to their friends. An enemy that had been right under her nose.

Anger began to win the fight until a hand touched gently upon her shoulder, reminding her of the wolf-girl that stood at her side, and the objective of this meeting. She was here to mend fences, to admit faults, and to move past the horrible revelations that a girl she had considered a friend was once one of the terrorists that threatened her family. "Weiss-"

"You're a Faunus." She spoke the fact in a flat tone, staring across the distance into two golden eyes as Ruby closed the door behind them. Blake did not answer her outright, instead reaching up to untie the bow that sat amidst the strands of black hair. When the ribbon fell away, it was revealed that two cat ears covered in velvety fur stood atop the girl's head. After she had studied them for a sufficient amount of time, she snapped her gaze back down to glare at the other. "You lied to me. You lied to Ruby. You lied to Yang."

It tore at her emotions that those animal ears atop Blake's head could look so sad by laying flat against the girl's head. It made her teammate look so dejected, so unhappy with the situation. "I'm sorry, Weiss. But you have to understand.." The Faunus stepped forward, a good sign that the other was not about to run again. "What I am is not acceptable to people. I have-"

"Stop." She let out a quiet sigh, shaking her head as she held up a hand. "I get it. It took some time, and it took a lot of talking, and a lot of thinking. But I get it. I know why you hide what you are, especially from me. I accept that." Weiss glanced toward the girl that stood at her side, and saw the way that Claire actively avoided her gaze. After a pause, she turned back to face Blake, affixing the cat-girl with a scowl. "What I will not accept is what you've done. You endangered all of our friends by attacking those thieves at the docks, most of all my partner. You could have been killed because of your own stupidity!"

"..And I'm sorry."

Blake blinked a few times before her mind allowed her to take another action, tilting her head at the heiress that stood a few feet away. She wasn't quite sure she had heard that right. "..What?"

"I. Am. Sorry." This time she was sure. Weiss Schnee had just apologized to her, and that fact alone was enough to convince her that she must have been dreaming. "I can't fix what my family has done, but I can say that I will do my best going forward to change my ways. It's my fault that you were driven away from us, from your team, and fell into that situation to begin with."

"But." The heiress put an emphasis on the last letter of the word, arresting Blake's gaze. She felt the cat ears flinch at the silence that followed that single, damning word, and a new dose of fear flooded through her system. "There can't be any more lies. And we need to deal with our issues together, as a team, and as friends." Pale blue eyes flitted away from her and to the wolf-girl nearby their conversation, a development as surprising as the rest of this strange exchange. "We have to trust each other, especially if we go back into a battle like that."

"I.. Of course, Weiss." She took another step forward, eager to put this behind them, but still knowing there was one thing left unaddressed. "About the White Fang, and your family.." Blake could see clearly the way the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company became uncomfortable, as if the girl was awaiting the worst possible news. "You have to know this, that I took no part in the murders. And that I'm.. I'm just sorry. I know it's a poor start, but I hope you'll accept that I'm trying."

Weiss took a moment to look past the cat-girl towards Ruby, then turn and regard Claire with a raised eyebrow before returning her gaze to Blake. With a nod, she did her best not to let the relief she felt show in her voice or on her face. "Apology accepted."

Stepping off of the transport with a sigh, Roman Torchwick watched as the hanger doors to the base slid closed. Neo had taken the Bullhead back to the place they had departed, a military depot located deep within the forest of Forever Fall abandoned from a war fought centuries ago. Completely secure from Grimm, and a place where no one with access to the records would ever think to check for them. Nevertheless, the recent attention of Beacon Academy had been enough to spook the leader of their makeshift band of ne'er do wells, and the evacuation was well under way.

"You're late, Torchwick." The master thief growled as he passed by two Faunus women that shared a laugh at his expense, rounding on the two with a glare. It was the wolf with the Grimm mask eyepatch that spoke to him, her blood red eye narrowed for a moment as it searched. "And empty handed?"

"He's a human." The other Faunus spoke up, drawing his gaze to the dual-colored features of the shorter woman with cat ears. An orange eye closed in a wink in his direction, and he only snarled in response. "Did we really expect anything better?"

"Listen here you fucking mutt-"

"Now, now, Roman." The alluring tone caused him to freeze as he saw the burning eyes appear and the scantily clad woman walk through the door that had just slid open. Those pools of liquid fire scanned the area, finding only his two, empty Bullheads. Cinder Fall then regarded him with a mocking glare, and clicked her tongue in a chastising manner. "You're quickly becoming expendable, my friend."

A boot shuffle was all that warned him to stick out his arm, catching his much smaller associate as Neo took a step toward the fiery woman, a fierce expression of anger played out across his friend's face as two pink eyes glared in Cinder's direction. After he was certain that there wouldn't be a move from the woman that was half his size, he turned his gaze back to his employer with a charismatic grin. "If you must know, I was stopped from grabbing the cargo by a group of students from our favorite Academy. Among them was someone I think you'll appreciate seeing again."

"Neo, scroll please." Holding out his hand, Roman felt the device pressed into his palm in the space of a single breath, and pulled the ends further apart in order to construct a larger screen. Tapping his index finger against its display a couple of times, he brought up the video that had been taken by the aircraft piloted by his friend, and turned the scroll so that Cinder could get a good look. "I think you'll recognize the one standing in the center."

A girl in a red cape spun a gigantic scythe around in a full circle as if it were made of paper, slamming the tip of its blade into the ground. He saw the way the crimson eyes widened and a mischievous look crossed beautiful features, followed immediately by a sadistic grin. "Her name is Ruby, if such things interest you." Playing it off as if she had to beg for more information, he closed the scroll and tossed it back to Neo, pulling up a cigar in it's place. He didn't want to keep his unstable employer waiting long, and lit the roll of tobacco with his lighter quicker than he normally would. Taking a long draw from his vice, he blew out the smoke to the side before speaking up again. "Ruby Rose."

The sheer delight that crept into Cinder's expression was reason enough for him to be proud of the dramatic pause, but it was also frightening just how much the thought of violence animated this woman. He had worked with and for her for years, and still things came to surface that unsettled even his relaxed tastes. "Ruan, dear." The woman in the red dress beckoned for the wolf Faunus clad in the black cape that bore the markings of an alpha Beowulf, and the animal moved quickly, stepping up side to side.

Roman mused over how the White Fang assassin towered over his boss, but chose not to voice such thoughts when he saw the way both women looked at him. In an instant, he could be chopped liver, but he was sure the target of their anger was someone else entirely, for the moment. "Yes, Cinder?"

"Bring me the heart of Ruby Rose."

If the delight that his employer had taken in learning the name of the scythe-wielder was unsettling, the glee that spread over Ruan's face was downright scary, as the Faunus looked over at him with a broad grin. "..Gladly."

Author's Note: Dunno if anyone noticed, but I changed the chapter titles for Chapter Five and Six.. Having Part 1s and such just looked bad. You know, I get a lot of reviews on my fics that say 'I didn't think I'd like this, but I do!'.. I'm not sure what that means about my stories but I'll certainly take it. Thank you for giving me a chance! I'd also like to thank everyone who has followed or favorited, and especially those who have reviewed. You are all awesome and it totally makes my day to see that someone is interested in my story. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! 'Til next time! -Fox