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Mister and Missus Arc-Schnee - Chapter 3
🕑 Added 2025-05-04 15:21:04 +0000 UTCChapter 3 out of maybe 5. Hope you guys enjoy.
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Roman Torchwick considered himself a professional. A criminal mastermind, a master thief, a criminal virtuoso. Vale's most wanted for a reason. He had style, panache, and enough skill with his cane to make even trained Huntsmen think twice before crossing him (and made them regret when they did). You didn't grow up in the mean streets of Mistral without learning how
So how, exactly, had his evening devolved into... this?
The heist had started perfectly. Moonlight gleaming off the shipping containers at the Vale docks. The White Fang grunts - useless animals, the lot of them, but they had numbers and were scared enough of Cinder to follow orders - were actually managing to load Dust crates without dropping them for once. Neo was off handling another job, but he didn't need her for simple grunt work like this.
Roman took a long drag from his cigar, savoring the expensive blend. In an hour, they'd be gone with enough Dust to keep Cinder happy, and he'd be one step closer to whatever insane endgame the crazy fire witch was planning. Not that she bothered to tell him the details. Just "steal this" and "recruit them" and "don't fail me, Roman."
Women. Always so demanding.
"Well, well, well. Stealing from the Schnee Dust Company? I must say, that's rather offensive to me personally."
Roman spun around, cane at the ready, to find two teenagers standing at the edge of the docks. A short, prissy little thing in white with a rapier, and a tall, lanky blonde farmboy with a sword and shield that looked like hand-me-downs from the Great War.
Oh, for the love of-
"Kids," Roman said, forcing a smile as he tapped his cigar against the edge of his cane, "shouldn't you be in bed? It's past your curfew."
The white-haired girl stepped forward, and Roman recognized her immediately. Weiss Schnee. The Special Snowflake Princess herself. Co-CEO of the SDC after her daddy got arrested for tax fraud or embezzlement or whatever it was - hard to keep track of white-collar crimes when you specialized in the more direct variety. Honestly, at least he was honest about being a criminal. All that spreadsheet and bribing politicians sounded like far too much busywork.
"That's my Dust you're stealing," she said, chin raised with all the entitlement of someone born with a silver spoon lodged permanently up her ass, "And I'm not in the habit of letting petty criminals help themselves to my property."
Roman laughed. Genuinely laughed, "Sweetheart, shouldn't you be at a board meeting? Or a debutante ball? Playing Huntress is going to ruin your manicure." He glanced at the blonde farmboy, "And who's your date? He looks like he got his combat gear from a yard sale." The farmboy just smiled, and something about that smile made Roman's instincts twitch. It wasn't the smile of some scared kid. It was the smile of someone who knew something Roman didn't.
"I'm giving you one chance to surrender," Schnee said, drawing her ridiculous toothpick of a rapier, "Before this gets... messy."
"Yeah," the blonde added, drawing a surprisingly well-maintained sword, "We've got, like, three other apocalypses to prevent after this, so..."
Roman blinked. What did the farm boy just say? "Seriously?" the Schnee girl hissed, turning to her friend with narrowed eyes, "You just had to mention the apocalypses, didn't you? What happened to subtlety?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the blonde shot back, "I forgot I was talking to the queen of subtlety here. How's your new best friend Penny doing, by the way?"
The Schnee girl's face turned an interesting shade of crimson, "Shut up, Arc!"
Roman sighed dramatically, "Look, Ice Queen, I'm not in the mood to fight children tonight. Even rich ones playing dress-up with Daddy's money. Oh wait-" he grinned, "Daddy's in prison now, isn't he? So I guess you're just the pretty figurehead while the grown-ups run the company, hmm?"
He expected her to get flustered. To stamp her foot and pout. What he didn't expect was for her to move faster than his eyes could track, a blur of white that suddenly materialized two inches from his face, "First," she said, her voice colder than Atlas in winter, "I earned my position. Second, you talk too much." Roman barely managed to bring his cane up to block the rapier thrust aimed at his throat. The impact sent vibrations up his arm that made his teeth rattle. What the hell? He knew Aura was a force equalizer, but this was ridiculous. He'd taken hits from Huntsmen twice her weight without flinching.
"White Fang! Hey, you animals!" he shouted, backpedaling rapidly, "Earn your keep!"
A dozen Faunus terrorist charged forward, weapons raised. The farmboy stepped in front of Schnee - chivalrous idiot - and raised his shield, "You realize I can handle myself, right?" Schnee said, glaring at the blonde.
"Old habits," the boy replied with a shrug, "You going to summon the Knight, or should I handle these guys myself?"
"Oh, because you did such a good job handling those Beringels in Vacuo?"
"That was one time! And I had food poisoning!"
"From a hot dog you insisted was 'perfectly fine' despite sitting in the sun for three hours!"
Roman blinked, momentarily forgetting the imminent threat as he watched the two teenagers bicker like... well, like an old married couple. What the hell was going on?
His confusion was short-lived as the Schnee girl suddenly slammed her rapier into the ground, creating a massive glyph thatsummoned a giant, spectral knight twice as tall as the shipping containers. The glowing behemoth swung its sword in a wide arc, sending White Fang grunts flying like bowling pins. Roman grit his teeth. Damn Semblances.
"Show-off," the farmboy muttered, before charging directly at him. Roman fired his cane, the explosive round speeding toward the boy's face. The kid should have at least tried to dodge. Instead, he just tilted his shield slightly. The round bounced off at precisely the right angle to hit a White Fang grunt who was sneaking up on Schnee. The resulting explosion sent the Faunus flying into the harbor with a splash.
"Trying to be a gentleman, Arc?" Schnee called, not even looking back as her spectral knight flattened three more White Fang members, "But I suppose I should thank you."
"Lucky ricochet," the farmboy - Arc, apparently - replied, closing the distance to Roman with alarming speed. Roman swung his cane, aiming for the kid's head. The boy didn't even try to block. He just... wasn't there when the cane arrived, having shifted his weight by a fraction of an inch. The dodge was so effortless, so casual, that Roman felt a surge of genuine anger.
"Stand still, you little-" Roman's insult was cut short as the flat of Arc's blade slammed into his gut, driving the air from his lungs.
"Your footwork's gotten sloppy," Schnee commented, casually disarming two White Fang members without taking her eyes off Arc, "I'm surprised they even let you into Beacon this time around." This time around? What was that supposed to mean?
"Says the girl who can't even hit a Boarbatusk without tripping over her own feet," Arc shot back, blocking Roman's retaliatory swing and countering with a shield bash that sent Roman staggering.
"That was one time! And it was because you distracted me with that ridiculous dance you were doing!"
"It wasn't a dance, it was a legitimate combat technique!"
"The only technique involved was making yourself look like an idiot!"
Roman, having regained his footing, stared at the bickering teenagers in complete bewilderment. They were demolishing his operation - his beautiful, perfect heist - while arguing like they'd known each other for decades. The Schnee girl's summon was methodically crushing White Fang militants. The farmboy was casually blocking and dodging Roman's every attack like he could read Roman's mind. And they just. Wouldn't. Shut. Up.
"-never should have let you plan our honeymoon!" Schnee was saying as she created a series of glyphs that launched three White Fang members into the air.
"Oh, here we go again with the honeymoon!" Arc rolled his eyes, ducking under Roman's swing and retaliating with a kick that connected solidly with Roman's knee, "I said I was sorry about the Grimm attack! How was I supposed to know there was a nest of King Taijitus under the resort?"
Honeymoon? These kids were like, what, seventeen? Brothers, those Atlesians married young, didn't they? Roman's brain was starting to hurt, and not just from the repeated impacts of farmboy's shield against his head, "WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP AND JUST FIGHT?!" Roman finally screamed, his composure cracking like cheap glass, "FOR THE LOVE OF- JUST STOP BICKERING AND FOCUS ON THE BATTLE!"
Both teenagers paused, turning to look at him with identical expressions of surprise, as if they'd forgotten he was there even as they were trampling him underfoot, "He's right, you know," Arc said after a moment, lowering his shield slightly, "We're being unprofessional."
"I suppose," Schnee said with a sniff, "We should focus on apprehending the criminal element."
"Thank you!" Roman exclaimed. Finally they could have some-
The farmboy's shield slammed into his face with enough force to make him see stars. As he staggered backward, he saw the Schnee girl creating what looked like a giant, spectral fist above his head, "This doesn't mean I forgive you for the honeymoon!" was the last thing Roman heard before the fist came crashing down.
When Roman regained consciousness, he was trussed up like a Seasonal Festival turkey, his hands and feet bound with what felt like ice. Around him, the White Fang members were in similar states of restraint and unconsciousness. Or dead. The Dust shipment sat untouched.
And the two teenagers were still arguing.
"-could have timed that better if you hadn't been grandstanding with your shield," Schnee was saying, examining her nails as if checking for chips in the polish.
"Me? Grandstanding? That's rich coming from Miss 'I Need to Summon a Giant Knight for Five Grunts'! Did you forget how to swing a sword, Ice Queen? When was the last time you ever used Time Dilation? Could've used that in that Deathstalker hunt in Anima!"
"It was efficient! And don't you dare bring up my time dilation! You know I'm sensitive about that!"
"It was excessive! Just like our wedding cake!"
"Don't you DARE bring up the cake again, Jaune Arc! I will freeze you solid and feed you to a Nevermore!"
Roman let his head thump back against the concrete. Maybe jail wouldn't be so bad. At least it would be quiet.
In the distance, he heard police sirens approaching. Neo was going to be so disappointed in him. Cinder was going to be furious. But somehow, the thing that bothered him most was that he'd been defeated by two children who couldn't even stop fighting each other long enough to fight him properly.
Professional pride. It was a curse sometimes.
As the police cars pulled up to the docks, Roman closed his eyes and hoped that whatever cell they put him in had good soundproofing. He'd had enough of teenage drama for one night.
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Adam Taurus was not a patient man. Particularly not when it came to incompetence, and especially not when that incompetence came from humans. Roman Torchwick's arrest weeks ago had set their timeline back significantly. The flamboyant criminal had one job - acquire Dust - and he'd managed to fail spectacularly at the hands of two Beacon students. One of whom was a Schnee.
The irony wasn't lost on Adam.
He stalked through the abandoned subway tunnels beneath Mountain Glenn, Wilt and Blush strapped securely to his hip. The darkness posed no issue for his faunus eyes, which swept methodically over the train cars lined up and ready. Each one loaded with stolen Dust, bombs, and the means to breach Vale's defenses. When the time came, they would punch a hole straight through to the city center, allowing the Grimm lurking in the ruins above to pour in and feast on human fear.
It wasn't supposed to happen yet, of course. But Adam was nothing if not thorough. Every detail had to be perfect, "The final coupling mechanisms are in place," Bane said, his massive lieutenant's chainsaw resting casually against his shoulder as he approached. The man's imposing size made even the spacious tunnels feel cramped, his Grimm mask more elaborate than those of the regular foot soldiers, "We'll be ready to move on your command when the time comes."
Adam nodded, satisfaction mingling with irritation. The plan was sound, but he couldn't help thinking they could have been weeks ahead of schedule if not for Torchwick's failure, "And the explosives?"
"Primed and ready. Each car is rigged to detach and detonate on impact."
"Good." Adam had no fond feelings for Cinder Fall or her scheme, but their goals aligned for now. If working with a human meant bringing Vale to its knees - meant making the Schnees and their ilk feel true fear - then he would tolerate the arrangement. Whether they stayed 'allies' after her plans came to fruition remained to be seen, though he had his doubts.
Cinder had "suggested" that Torchwick's partner, that diminutive assassin with the parasol, join him after Roman's arrest. Adam had refused outright. After Torchwick's "leadership" had led to the arrests and deaths of their Brothers and Sisters, the remaining White Fang couldn't stomach the idea of another human in their midst. And neither could he. This was an alliance of convenience, nothing more. It had been a mistake to let a human assume command for even the small group he'd been given.
"We should check the forward cars again," Adam said, turning toward the front of the train, "Make sure the Paladins are secured properly for transport." Bane followed silently, his heavy footfalls echoing through the tunnel. They had just reached the lead car when Adam's instincts flared. He froze, hand moving to Wilt's hilt, "Someone's here," he said quietly, the words barely loud enough for Bane to hear.
As if on cue, two figures emerged from the shadows ahead, stepping into the dim light cast by the tunnel's sparse emergency fixtures. Adam's lip curled into a snarl beneath his mask as he recognized the smaller figure. White hair, pale skin, and that unmistakable air of superiority that all Schnees carried like a second Semblance.
Weiss Schnee. The newest co-CEO - co-tyrant - of the company that had ground his people beneath their heel for generations. She stood with perfect posture, one hand resting casually on the rapier at her hip, looking spectacularly unimpressed to find the leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang in an abandoned tunnel. Beside her stood a tall, blond human male with a sword and shield. Adam dismissed him with barely a glance. Just another Huntsman-in-training playing at heroics.
The Schnee's eyes - cold and blue as glacier ice - met his mask, "Adam Taurus, I presume?" she said, her voice carrying the cultured inflection of someone raised in Atlas high society, "Beacon's a little lax on their security, don't you think? How did THIS slip past them?"
The blond human snorted, "You're seriously going to critique the school's security? Right now?"
"It's a valid point, don't pretend you don't agree." she retorted, not looking at him, "If Ozpin had sent a team when the tracks were first discovered, we might have caught them still setting up."
Adam gave them no warning. No speech. No chance to surrender. He simply attacked. His sword cleared its sheath in a flash of crimson, the blade singing through the air as he launched himself at the Schnee. She would die first. Quickly, if she was lucky. Slowly, if he was lucky.
The Schnee didn't even flinch. With a casual flick of her wrist, a glyph materialized beneath her feet, propelling her sideways as Adam's blade sliced through empty air. Before he could adjust, a wall of ice erupted from the ground, forcing him to leap backward, "Wow, not even a monologue?" the blond human called out, already engaged with Bane, whose massive chainsaw was whirring to life, "That's refreshing! Most bad guys love to talk before they try to kill us."
"He's not the type," the Schnee replied, summoning a series of glyphs that surrounded Adam like a cage, "Blake mentioned he was more of the 'strike first, spout manifesto later' variety."
Adam's blood boiled at the casual mention of Blake's name, "You dare speak of her?" he snarled, slashing through one of the glyphs only to find two more appearing in its place, "After your family enslaved our kind for generations?"
The Schnee rolled her eyes - rolled her eyes - at him, "Dramatic, aren't we? For your information, I've implemented more faunus labor reforms in three years than the Vale Council has in three decades. But I suppose it's easier to paint all humans with the same brush than acknowledge progress, isn't it?" She sighed, dodging his attacks with contemptous ease, "From what I've heard, you had - have, sorry - a black and white view of the world. Faunus up top, Humans at the bottom, all Schnees evil."
Adam channeled his rage into his next strike, charging his blade with the energy he'd absorbed from the glyph. The red highlights in his mask glowed ominously as he prepared to unleash his Semblance-
Only to find himself surrounded by not one, but three spectral knights, their massive swords poised to strike from different angles, "Looking for a fair fight?" the Schnee asked, her tone almost bored, "Sorry to disappoint. I don't believe in fighting fair against terrorists."
Adam was forced to abort his attack, using his Semblance's energy to deflect the simultaneous strikes from the summoned knights. As he did, a fourth summon - this one a Boarbatusk - slammed into his side, sending him skidding across the tunnel floor.
"You know what I find fascinating?" the Schnee said, creating yet another glyph that accelerated her movement to blinding speed. Even his enhanced senses could barely keep up, "You claim to fight for faunus equality, yet here you are, planning to flood Vale with Grimm." She appeared behind him, rapier striking at his exposed back. Adam barely twisted in time to block, "The same Vale where thousands of faunus live and work. Amazing consistency there."
"You know nothing of our struggle!" Adam sbarke, frustration mounting as he found himself constantly on the defensive. Every attack he blocked seemed to spawn three more from different directions, whittling away at his Aura, barely giving him a chance to absorb energy for his Semblance.
"Oh, I know plenty," the Schnee replied, dancing - literally dancing - around his increasingly desperate attacks, "I know you're so obsessed with punishing humans that you don't care how many faunus die in the process. How very noble of you."
Across the tunnel, the blond human was making short work of Bane and the White Fang soldiers who had rushed to assist. Adam had seen Bane tear through trained Huntsmen with that chainsaw, yet the blond was matching him strength for strength, his shield deflecting the massive weapon while his sword found every gap in Bane's defense, "You're literally feeding your own people to the Grimm," the blonde called out, driving his shield into Bane's chest with enough force to dent the tunnel wall when the lieutenant crashed into it, "Did you even think this plan through? Or were you too busy polishing that edgy mask?"
"Don't waste your breath, Jaune," the Schnee said, summoning yet another creature - an Ursa this time - to pursue Adam as he attempted to gain some distance, "He's not exactly known for his critical thinking skills. Just ask Blake." She summoned more glyphs around him, "You know, given how much he hates my family, I'm surprised we didn't meet before."
"Oh, here we go again," the human - Jaune, she called him - groaned, disarming another White Fang member with insulting ease, "Of course you have to make Blake's trauma all about you."
"I'm not making it about me!" the Schnee snapped, her attention briefly shifting from Adam, "I'm just pointing out that for someone who despises my family, he certainly didn't make an effort to hunt a Schnee down! It's inconsistent!"
"Classic Weiss Schnee," Jaune said, rolling his eyes as he casually blocked a strike from Bane that should have cleaved him in two, "Always has to make herself the center of Remnant."
"I am not getting advice about being self-centered from a guy who cheated on me with our best friend!"
"Oh, here we go again with this!" The blonde threw Bane like a ragdoll, "Nothing happened! I think I'd know if Ruby was trying to get in my pants!"
"You'd know? What, you're a relationship expert now? That's rich coming from the man who thought bringing flowers to Pyrrha after she'd been crushing on him for a year was 'just being friendly'!"
"That was DIFFERENT and you know it!"
Adam stared in disbelief. They were... arguing? In the middle of combat? And still somehow managing to thoroughly trounce him and his men? The indignity of it burned almost as much as the growing collection of cuts, bruises, and ice burns decorating his body, "If you're finished with your domestic squabble," Adam snarled, gathering what energy he could for one final, desperate attack, "Perhaps you'd like to focus on the battle at hand!"
The Schnee turned back to him, looking almost surprised, as if she'd forgotten he was there, "Oh, we are focused," she said, her rapier glowing with Dust energy, "Trust me, if we weren't, you'd have been dead five minutes ago."
"We're multitaskers," Jaune added cheerfully, standing over the unconscious forms of Bane and three other White Fang members. His Aura was barely depleted, the white glow still strong around his frame, "Years of practice arguing while fighting."
Adam didn't understand. These were students - children - yet they fought with the coordination and skill of veteran Huntsmen. And the Schnee's summoning ability... he'd never heard of a Schnee manifesting that power so young. Even the combat footage of Winter Schnee paled in comparison,
"You should have come alone, Adam," the Schnee said, raising her rapier as glyphs formed in a ring around him, "Blake always said you were at your most dangerous when isolated. Charging your Semblance with every hit you took until you could release it all at once."
"That's why we brought friends," Jaune added, gesturing to the summoned creatures still circling Adam, "Can't charge your Semblance if you can't land a solid hit, right?"
Adam's rage reached its peak. How dare they speak so casually about his abilities? About Blake? As if they knew anything about either? He would not be mocked by humans - especially not by a Schnee. With a roar of fury, he charged, Wilt's blade glowing with what little energy he'd managed to store.
The Schnee sighed, almost disappointed, "Predictable." A massive glyph formed directly in his path, "Jaune, would you mind?"
"Nah. I still owe him for what he did to Yang. Or what he would have done to Yang. Time travel makes grammar complicated."
What in the hell were they-
Adam's thoughts were cut short as the blond human's shield slammed into him from behind, propelling him directly into the Schnee's waiting glyph. The world exploded into white as lightning Dust coursed through his body, overloading his nervous system and sending him crashing to the ground, his Aura shattered.
As consciousness faded, Adam Taurus - feared leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang, the Scourge of Atlas, the sworn enemy of the Schnee family - was forced to endure the final indignity of hearing his conquerors resume their bickering.
"We should have come sooner," the Schnee was saying, her voice already fading as consciousness slowly began to slip away, "If you hadn't insisted on that ridiculous stakeout in Forever Fall-"
"Oh, so now it's my fault that you wanted to make absolutely sure before acting? I remember someone saying 'we need concrete evidence before we can approach Ozpin'..."
"That was before I knew you'd fall asleep during your watch!"
"I did NOT fall asleep! I was conserving energy!"
"By SNORING?"
Adam's last conscious thought was that perhaps death would have been preferable to this humiliation. At least then he wouldn't have to listen to these two argue like an old married couple while they dismantled everything he'd worked for.
He got his wish. Just as they were discussing a "disastrous honeymoon in Vacuo" and Schnee screamed about "signing the divorce papers again this time around", the blonde human gestured to him. The last thing Adam saw was Schnee walking towards him before she raised her rapier, the tip aimed straight at his head. Then she thrust down and everything went black.
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Cinder Fall was not accustomed to things going wrong. Her plans were meticulous, her contingencies had contingencies, and she'd spent years orchestrating Salem's machinations with a precision that bordered on artistry. But lately, annoyance had become her constant companion.
She glanced at her scroll again, tapping a manicured nail against its darkened screen. Adam still wasn't answering her calls, which she couldn't say surprised her. After Roman's spectacular failure at the docks, the Faunus extremist had been even more of a sullen little terrorist than usual, barely deigning to acknowledge her instructions during their last meeting. Still, so long as he performed his role when the time came, he could be as pouty as he wanted. She only needed him for the White Fang's numbers and to move the train when the signal came. After that? Well...she didn't really need him and his pack of pathetic zealots anymore.
Cinder leaned back on her bed with a sigh, right leg crossed elegantly over her left. The Haven Academy uniform was hardly her most glamorous costume, but needs must. Her golden eyes swept across the modest dorm room that served as their temporary headquarters, her gaze calculating.
First, they needed to find precisely where Ozpin was keeping the Fall Maiden's body. Then, they would trigger the train crash from Mountain Glenn, combined with the sabotage they had planned for the Vytal Tournament. The ensuing chaos would keep Ozpin and his sycophants distracted enough that they'd never see the real attack coming until it was too late. Killing Ozpin himself was secondary. Her mistress made it clear that the Maiden powers were what mattered, not his (temporary) demise.
But for now, they had to wait. Patience, after all, was one of her more cultivated virtues.
Cinder's eyes moved to the rest of her "team." Emerald sat nearby at the desk, pretending to study while casting furtive glances her way. The mint-haired thief had that same expression she always wore when watching Cinder: a pathetic look of fawning adoration mixed with desperate need for approval. The girl was useful, her illusion Semblance invaluable, but maintaining the facade of the doting mother figure (or was it sister? Emerald seemed to see her as both simultaneously) could be grating. Still, she knew the value of having someone with Emerald's talents slavishly loyal. A few well-placed compliments were cheap currency for that kind of devotion.
Her gaze flickered to Mercury, who lay sprawled on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling with affected boredom. The gray-haired assassin was perhaps the most difficult to read. Unlike Emerald, she had no real leverage over him. He'd joined because violence was all he knew, and she offered that in abundance. But technically, nothing prevented him from simply walking away if he chose. That unpredictability made him both valuable and annoying. She had Emerald keeping an eye on him for a reason.
And finally, there was Neo. Or Mint Cream, as she appeared in her current disguise. The disguised little gremlin had been downright sullen since Roman's arrest. She'd attempted to orchestrate a breakout immediately, forcing Cinder to forbid the action with a not-so-subtle reminder of what disobedience would cost. The last thing they needed was to draw even more attention to themselves. Roman Torchwick, notorious thief, working with terrorists had already put the city on edge. If he escaped now, the heightened security would only complicate their plans further. No, they needed Vale calm and complacent. For now.
"I'm turning in," Cinder announced, stretching her arms languidly above her head, a motion calculated to draw Emerald's hungry gaze. Let the girl starve for affection; it made her easier to control, "We'll discuss our next move in the morning."
Emerald nodded eagerly, of course, while Mercury grunted without bothering to look her way. Neo simply stared, her disguised eyes unreadable, before returning her attention to her parasol. Insolent little creature. Once Roman outlived his usefulness, perhaps Neo would have an unfortunate accident as well, "Do you need anything before you sleep?" Emerald asked eagerly, "A glass of water? An extra blanket?"
"I'm fine," Cinder replied, letting a hint of warmth color her voice, "But thank you, dear." Emerald practically glowed at the endearment. So pathetically predictable.
Cinder settled back against her pillows, arranging her body in a pose of casual elegance even in sleep. One never knew when one might be observed, after all. She closed her eyes, letting her mind drift to the power that would soon be hers. The half of the Fall Maiden's abilities she'd already stolen thrummed beneath her skin, a constant reminder of the greater prize awaiting her. Adam could throw his little tantrum as long as he answered when the time came. For now, she would get her beauty sleep.
Her dreamless rest was abruptly interrupted hours later by the sound of the door opening. Cinder's eyes shot open, instantly alert...except her body refused to respond. Her arms, legs, even down to her fingers and toes. All completely numb and immobile. On top of that, the room seemed to be spinning wildly around her, as if she were trapped in a crashing Bullhead. All she could move were her eyes, which darted around in panic, taking in the sight of her equally incapacitated teammates and the two figures stepping into their room.
Weiss Schnee, the spoiled Atlas heiress who had interfered with Roman's operation, stood in the doorway, a smug smile playing on her lips. Beside her, the tall blonde boy from Team RJWP (an utterly forgettable team that shouldn't have been on her radar at all) surveyed the room with a grim expression that seemed oddly out of place on his youthful face.
"See?" Schnee said, gesturing toward Cinder's paralyzed form with an elegant flick of her wrist, "I told you the paralytic would work. You owe me fifty lien."
The blonde - Jaune, if she recalled correctly from Ruby Rose (a Silver-Eyed Warrior) screaming his name - shook his head, "You're still kind of crazy for suggesting we poison the entire exchange student dorm's water supply just to get to four people."
"It wasn't the entire supply," Schnee replied, rolling her eyes, "Just their room. And it's only temporary paralysis. The kitchen staff will just assume it was mild food poisoning."
"Tell that to the poor maintenance guy who's going to find a dozen paralyzed Haven students when he checks the plumbing issue I reported."
"Details," Schnee waved dismissively, "Look, I'm not exactly happy that they were caught up in it, but by the time most of them wake up tomorrow, the poison will have passed. The ones who don't will chalk it up to sleep paralysis. I'll give a generous donation to Haven - after Lionheart is removed, of course - as compensation. The important thing is that it worked. Look at them. Complete neuromuscular inhibition, just as I predicted."
Cinder tried to make sense of what was happening. Poison? These...children had poisoned them? How was that possible? And more importantly, how did they know to target her team specifically? How did they know about that coward Lionheart? Her mind raced, trying to identify where security had been breached. Had Torchwick talked? Had Adam been compromised?
With a mental growl of effort, Cinder attempted to tap into the partial power of the Fall Maiden she possessed. She felt the familiar warmth building behind her eyes, the beginning of flames licking at her fingertips-
Only for everything to go abruptly dark as the blonde's boot connected with her face with shocking force. Her concentration shattered, the nascent flames sputtering out as her head snapped back and she fell from the bed onto the carpeted floor, "This is for Pyrrha," the boy said, his voice suddenly cold and hard, utterly unlike the awkward student she'd occasionally observed in the dining hall, "And for Penny, and Beacon, and every other life you destroyed."
Cinder's vision swam, confusion mingling with the pain blossoming across her face. Pyrrha? Penny? What was he talking about? Who were these people to her? And what did he mean by "destroyed"? She hadn't done anything...yet. She caught a glimpse of Emerald's wide, terrified eyes across the room, the thief struggling uselessly against her paralysis. Mercury's face was locked in a snarl of impotent rage. Neo's disguise had partially slipped, one eye pink, one brown, her features flickering between identities as her concentration faltered.
"You know," Schnee said conversationally, examining Cinder with the clinical detachment one might show a particularly uninteresting bug, "I always wondered what would have happened if we'd managed to stop you before the Fall. Before you killed that poor Amber woman and stole the rest of the Maiden's powers." Amber? How did this girl know about Amber? About the Maiden powers? It wasn't possible. This information was restricted to Salem's inner circle and Ozpin's most trusted lieutenants. Not a couple of teenagers
"Turns out," the blonde - Jaune- continued, "Stopping you is pretty easy when we know exactly who you are and what you're planning." He raised his boot again, positioning it directly above Cinder's face, "Much easier than trying to kill you after you've become a full Maiden."
"Though considerably less satisfying than watching you get frozen on top of a tower," Schnee added, her voice suddenly brittle with an emotion Cinder couldn't identify, "But I suppose we'll have to settle for imprisonment and executon this time. Probably safer that way."
Cinder's mind reeled. Tower? Freeze? These students were speaking as if events that hadn't yet occurred were firmly in the past. As if they knew her plans, knew about Salem, knew everything. It wasn't possible. It made no sense.
The last thing Cinder Fall saw before consciousness left her was the blonde's boot descending toward her face, and the brief, satisfied smirk on Weiss Schnee's face as she said, "This time, we're rewriting the story. And you don't get to be the winner anymore."
Then everything went black.
[line break]
Ozpin had lived through many things in his nigh-eternal war against Salem. He'd lived in a time where magic had been as common as the sky above, when the gods themselves walked the earth. A time of fairy tales and myth that had long since faded into legend. He had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, survived catastrophes that had reshaped the very world, and carried the crushing weight of mistakes that had cost countless lives.
And yet, he had to admit, even he found himself surprised by the situation he was facing now. Him, Glynda, Qrow, and James. Men and women who had decades of experience and knowledge that would bring most people to their knees, and yet they all found themselves flat-footed.
Sitting in front of them was Weiss Schnee and Jaune Arc with a captured transfer student named Cinder Fall lying unconscious in front of his desk. Ms. Fall, who they claimed had been the one to attack Amber and put her in that critical state. The other members of Ms. Fall's team were there too, all unconscious with Aura dampening collars around their necks. He recognized one of the 'transfer students' as Neo Politan, Roman Torchwick's partner in crime, which led credence to the idea that they weren't just innocent transfer students.
"Let me see if I understand this correctly," Ozpin said, keeping his voice calm despite the storm of questions raging in his mind. He took a slow sip from his mug, using the familiar gesture to center himself, "You're claiming that these Haven students are actually agents of Salem, sent to infiltrate the Vytal Festival and acquire the Fall Maiden's powers."
"Yes," Ms. Schnee replied, her posture perfect even after what must have been an exhausting confrontation, "Cinder Fall is the one who attacked Amber. She has a Grimm parasite in her arm that she used to steal half of the Fall Maiden's power. You can check for yourself."
James stepped forward, his mechanical hand flexing instinctively, "And you expect us to believe that you discovered this... how, exactly?" Ozpin's first instinct was caution, and James' even moreso. And yet, these two knew FAR too much for it to be a bluff. They knew about his wretched 'immortality', the attack on Amber, Amber's location, and claimed that Leonardo was a traitor. Either they had the worst information leak he'd ever had in his immortal life or...
"Simple," Ms. Schnee said, her voice steady, "We're from the future."
Qrow, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up with a bark of laughter, "Yeah, sure, and I'm the King of Atlas."
"You're Qrow Branwen," Mr. Arc said, his tone far more casual than his partner's, "You turn into an actual crow. Not just a bird Faunus, an actual crow. Your Semblance turns luck to shit. Your sister Raven left you and your team to go back to a bandit tribe. You drink because you think your Semblance hurts everyone around you. Oh, and you're Ruby and Yang's uncle, but that's public knowledge."
"Enough," Ozpin raised a hand, cutting the young man off. His mind was racing. These students knew things they absolutely should not know. Things that were impossible for them to know unless...
"Time travel," Glynda said flatly, voicing the absurdity aloud, "You can't possibly expect us to believe-"
"I don't care if you believe it or not," Ms. Schnee interrupted, her ice-blue eyes unflinching. She met Glynda's gaze with the look of someone who refused to bow or bend, "What matters is that we have information that can prevent thousands of deaths and the fall of Beacon Academy."
"If what you're saying is true," Ironwood said, his military mind clearly running through scenarios, "Then you should be able to provide details that would be impossible for you to know otherwise."
"The vault beneath Beacon contains an Aura transfer machine," Ms. Schnee said without hesitation, "It was designed to transfer the Maiden powers in an emergency situation. Amber is currently in a life support pod down there, breathing but unresponsive, with half her power stolen. And her time is running out."
Mr. Arc nodded, "You've got the Relic of Choice hidden down there too. Behind a door that can only be opened by the Fall Maiden." He gestured to the cane in Ozpin's hand, "That thing doesn't just help you walk. It's way more important than that. Thing's got enough juice to wreck Beacon." His grip on the cane tightened, "We also know that every time you die, you reincarnate into someone closest to you in personality. And we know you hate it." Mr. Arc looked at him with a profound sense of pity.
Ozpin felt a chill run down his spine. The casual way these students - these children - spoke of his most closely guarded secrets was deeply unsettling. More unsettling still was the implication that somehow, in this future they claimed to come from, these secrets had become known, "Leonardo," he said softly, "You mentioned Leonardo Lionheart."
Ms. Schnee's expression darkened, "He's working with Salem. Has been for some time. Fear got to him. He's been feeding her information about Huntsmen, about the Maidens, about your operations. Once the CCT went down in our timeline, he used it as a chance to decimate Anima's Huntsmen. The only reason Cinder and her cronies managed to file themselves as transfer students is because he forged their documentation. It's either he's a traitor or he's blisteringly incompetent. And we know for a fact that it's the former."
Qrow cursed under his breath. Ironwood's face hardened into a mask of cold fury. Glynda simply closed her eyes, the pain of betrayal evident in the tight line of her mouth, "Leo wouldn't..." Ozpin began, but the certainty in Ms. Schnee's eyes made the words die in his throat.
The notion - time travel - seemed preposterous...and then he remembered his own situation. An immortal soul forced to unwillingly steal bodies locked in an eternal war with the woman he once loved, "I suppose you don't mind if we ask how exactly you two went back in time?" Glynda asked, voice still laced with skepticism.
"We don't know." Ms. Schnee shrugged, somehow managing to make the gesture look elegant, "We'd just finished signing the divorce papers when we were attacked by a nascent version of the Neo White Fang. Because even after saving the world, terrorists still exist." She rubbed her temples.
"Divorce? Do you mean you two were-"
"We're not here to talk about that." Ms. Schnee's lips pursed.
"Yeah, what she said." Mr. Arc nodded
"Perhaps," Ozpin said carefully, "We should hear them out."
"Oz, you can't seriously-" Qrow started.
"I've seen enough impossible things in my lifetime to know better than to dismiss something simply because it seems implausible," Ozpin cut him off, then turned to James, "James, I understand your skepticism, but I think we should at least listen to what they have to say."
James looked like he wanted to argue, but instead gave a curt nod, "For now.".
"Oh, thank the Brothers," Mr. Arc sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Like, I get it, time travel sounds crazy, but after everything we've seen, is it really that much of a stretch?"
Weiss elbowed him sharply, "Focus, Jaune."
"Right, sorry," he straightened up, "Look, the point is, we can save Amber. We can stop Cinder, prevent the Fall of Beacon, save Pyrrha and Penny and all the others who died. We can change everything."
"The Aura transfer machine," Ms. Schnee said, her tone businesslike, "It can be used to transfer the half of the Fall Maiden's power that Cinder stole back to its original owner. That would heal Amber and keep the Relic safe. And save a woman who's done nothing to deserve her horrid fate."
Ozpin steepled his fingers, studying the two students - if they could still be called that - before him. There was something in their eyes. A weariness. A hardness. The eyes of people who had seen war, who had lost too much. Not the eyes of first-year students at a combat academy.
"If what you're saying is true," he said slowly, "Then we have much to discuss."
"You have no idea," Mr. Arc laughed humorlessly.
Ms. Schnee nodded, her expression grave, "We've already dealt with Roman Torchwick and Adam Taurus, the latter permanently." She said that with the ease of an experienced Huntress, "The White Fang operation in Mountain Glenn has been neutralized. That leaves Cinder's team," She gestured to the unconscious captives, "And preparing for what comes next."
"And what, exactly, comes next?" Glynda asked, her voice sharp.
Ms. Schnee and Mr. Arc exchanged a look - a look loaded with history and shared pain that Ozpin couldn't begin to decipher, "That," Ms. Schnee said, turning back to face them, "Is a much longer conversation."
Ozpin nodded, taking another sip from his mug as he contemplated the extraordinary tale unfolding before him. In all his many lifetimes, he had never encountered anything quite like this. Yet something in him - perhaps the countless years of experience, perhaps simple intuition - told him that these two were telling the truth. And if they were... if they truly had come back to prevent a catastrophe... then perhaps, for the first time in centuries, he dared to feel something dangerously close to hope.
He sat silently as Ms. Schnee and Mr. Arc continued their extraordinary briefing, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. The familiar weight of his cane rested against his desk, a constant reminder of the burden he carried - a burden that somehow felt both heavier and lighter with each revelation these unusual students shared. The clock mechanisms above his office ticked endlessly, marking the passage of time. Time that, according to these two, they had already lived through once before.
"There's something else we need to address," Ms. Schnee said, her tone crisp and businesslike. Her posture remained perfect despite the time they'd been speaking, not a single white hair out of place. So different from the somewhat prideful but (seemingly) spoiled and naive young woman he'd admitted to Beacon mere months ago, "Raven Branwen is the Spring Maiden."
The room went still. Qrow pushed himself off the wall, his expression darkening. Ozpin observed the way his right hand instinctively twitched toward his flask before curling into a fist instead. Even after all these years, the mention of his sister still provoked such a visceral reaction, "Bullshit," Qrow said flatly, his voice raspy with tension, "The Spring Maiden's - "
"Dead?" Ms. Schnee arched a perfect eyebrow, cutting him off with practiced efficiency, "Yes, she is. Because your sister murdered her about a decade ago and took her powers. She's been using those abilities to ravage the Anima countryside ever since. We can't leave that kind of power in her hands, both for practical and moral reasons."
Ozpin took a slow breath, absorbing this new information with the practiced calm of someone who had received world-shattering news countless times before. If it was true (and he was finding it increasingly difficult to doubt their claims), this represented a catastrophic failure for his information network. How had Raven managed to acquire such power without their knowledge? And worse, how had she concealed it for so long while apparently using it openly?
Glynda stepped forward, her riding crop tapping against her palm in that unconscious gesture she made when processing difficult information. The slight furrow between her brows betrayed her concern far more than her controlled voice, "What exactly are you suggesting?"
"Simple enough," Mr. Arc shrugged, leaning back in his chair with a casualness that belied the gravity of his words. He slouched slightly, one arm draped over the back of his seat. Where Ms. Schnee was all precision and formality, he carried himself with the relaxed confidence of a veteran Huntsman who had seen too much to stand on ceremony, "Either we catch or kill her."
Qrow's expression transformed, a complex mixture of emotions flashing across his weathered features. Anger, denial, and beneath it all, a flicker of pain that he couldn't quite mask. His shoulders tensed, and Ozpin noted the white-knuckled grip he now had on the edge of his cape. Not out of love for his sister, Ozpin knew - their relationship had fractured beyond repair years ago when he abandoned Taiyang and their daughter - but from that stubborn sense of familial loyalty that had always complicated the man's feelings toward his sister.
He'd witnessed this conflict play out in Qrow countless times over the years. The man despised what his sister had become, and yet could never quite bring himself to abandon the hope that somewhere inside the ruthless bandit leader remained the fierce, loyal teammate - the sister - he'd once known. It was a hope Ozpin understood all too well. After all, hadn't he spent millennia nurturing the same desperate belief about Salem? That some part of that adventuerous young woman remained under the hatred and corruption?
Ms. Schnee continued, either not noticing or deliberately ignoring Qrow's reaction, "Her tribe of bandits moves around Anima, but tracking her with the SDC's resources shouldn't be impossible. That and finding strange weather patterns because Raven Branwen, for all her claims to intelligence, can't help but show off her stolen power." There was a coldness to her tone when she spoke of Raven. The dispassionate assessment of someone discussing a target rather than a person. James had used that same tone countless times.
"We'll need to plan this through," Mr. Arc said, sitting up straighter, his blue eyes suddenly sharp with tactical focus, "Even if we glass her camp, she could use her Semblance to escape. So we need to put Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow into reinforced cells that can keep her contained. So if she tries to run, she'll just end up trapping herself. General Ironwood has facilities like that." He nodded toward James, who remained stone-faced, though Ozpin could see the slight tightening around his eyes that indicated he was already mentally reviewing available resources.
"We could use some additional help as well," Ms. Schned said, "General Ironwood, is Marrow Amin already part of the Ace-Ops and unlocked his Semblance?"
"Marrow Amin? No. He's a Specialist like Winter, but not part of the the Ace-Ops." The reminder of her sister made the young(?) woman's eyes soften marginally, "But yes, he has unlocked his Semblance. Freeze, he calls it. It allows him to-"
"Paralyze opponents, even entire groups. Yes, I've been on the receiving end of it." James' brows furrowed at that, which Ms. Schnee caught, "We all made poor choices in our 'past', General. I'm hoping it won't come to that. Anyway, Marrow's Semblance will be very helpful if he helps us. We'll still need to put Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow in the cells, but perhaps with his Stay, we can keep her from escaping altogether. It would simplify things."
"After we beat her, we can either put her through the Aura transfer machine or kill her while putting the next host in front of her to force her on who to think about last," Mr. Arc finished.
The clinical detachment with which they discussed murder was chilling. These were children - at least in body - speaking of assassination with the easy pragmatism of hardened operatives. What horrors had they endured to reach this point? Ozpin felt a deep sadness well up inside him, another failure to add to his countless regrets. In their original timeline, he had clearly failed to protect these students from becoming as callous about life and death as he himself had been forced to become.
"That's my sister you're talking about," Qrow finally spoke up, his voice low and dangerous. His crimson eyes narrowed, a muscle working in his jaw as he fought to maintain his composure. Despite everything Raven had done, everything she had become, Ozpin could see that part of Qrow still held onto the memory of the fierce young woman who had once had his back in countless battles. Blood was thicker than water, after all.
Ms. Schnee fixed him with an unimpressed stare, her cold eyes unwavering, "Your sister has spent the past two decades raiding and slaving her way across Anima. The blood on her hands numbers in the thousands. By any and all metrics, she's a mass murdering monster." Her voice was cold and sharp enough to cut, "Are you really going to defend her?"
Qrow winced, unable to muster a counterargument to what they all knew was true. His shoulders sagged slightly, and Ozpin watched as his hand finally moved to his flask, drawing it out with practiced ease. The gesture spoke volumes; this was a pain he couldn't face sober. Qrow took a long swig, his throat working as he swallowed, before tucking the flask away without meeting anyone's eyes. Ozpin couldn't judge him for it.
"The fact that you haven't dealt with Raven before this is fucked," Mr. Arc said bluntly, looking between Ozpin and Qrow with undisguised judgment in his gaze. The crude language seemed deliberately chosen to provoke, to cut through the careful diplomacy that typically characterized these meetings, "You trained her to be a Huntress and she used those skills to murder innocent people. Settlements just like mine. Yeah, Salem was more important, but did you really not have the time at all? You had twent years. Was every second of that spent on Salem?"
Each word landed like a physical blow. Ozpin felt the truth of the accusation keenly. How many times had he chosen to focus exclusively on Salem, allowing other evils to flourish unchecked? How many Maidens had been lost, how many lives ruined, because he had convinced himself and others that there was only one threat truly worth addressing?
Mr. Arc shook his head, his expression hardening, "Either way, we're going to fix this. Raven's going down, and if you don't want to help, fine, but this is happening either way."
Qrow's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, his internal conflict written plainly across his face for anyone who knew how to read it. Loyalty to the mission warring with loyalty to blood. Principles against family ties. The rational knowledge of what Raven had become against the irrational hope of what she might still be. Ozpin had seen this battle play out in the man's eyes countless times before, but never with such raw intensity.
Ozpin considered their words carefully. He had always tried to believe the best of people, to offer second chances - a philosophy born from his own desperate need for redemption. But perhaps, in Raven's case, that philosophy had led to inaction where action was needed. How many innocents had suffered because he'd held out hope for a woman who had clearly chosen her path? How many times had he allowed sentiment to cloud judgment?
The heavy silence that followed was broken only by the eternal ticking of the clock gears turning above them, a mechanical heartbeat counting down the moments of yet another lifetime in his endless existence, "What of Ms. Fall's team?" Glynda asked at last, "What should be done with them?"
Jaune and Weiss shared a look - one of those loaded glances that spoke volumes about their shared history. Ozpin had seen such looks before, between partners who had fought back-to-back for years, between lovers who knew each other's thoughts without words, between people who had witnessed horrors together that no one else could understand. It was jarring to see such communication between students who, by all appearances, should barely know each other.
"You can either imprison or execute them," Ms. Schnee said matter-of-factly, as if discussing nothing more consequential than dining options, "It doesn't really matter. They're all murderers who planned to commit genocide on Vale." Her voice softened slightly, a barely perceptible change that Ozpin might have missed if he hadn't been studying her so carefully, "Emerald helped us once she found out Salem's plans to destroy Remnant, but then she left us in Vacuo, so neither of us feel too sympathetic. Given that we captured Cinder early, Emerald wouldn't have the catalyst to question her loyalty."
The clinical detachment in her voice was all to too familiar. These two spoke of life and death with the callousness of war veterans, not students. He'd seen it in dozens of Huntsmen across the generations.
Ms. Schnee and Mr. Arc stood up, brushing off their uniforms in a synchronized motion that spoke of years of familiarity. They moved in tandem, anticipating each other's movements with an ease that belied their apparent youth, "We can talk about the rest tomorrow," Mr. Arc said, stifling a yawn, "It's been a long day, capturing terrorists and all." The casual way he referenced their extraordinary accomplishments - as if subduing Salem's agents was nothing more remarkable than completing a homework assignment - only underscored how profoundly different these "students" were from their peers.
Ozpin set his empty mug down on his desk, the soft clink of ceramic against glass momentarily drawing everyone's attention. One question burned in his mind - had plagued him through countless lifetimes, through endless cycles of hope and despair, through the rise and fall of civilizations, "Before you go," he said, unable to keep a slight tremor from his voice, "I must ask: in your time, was Salem defeated?"
The question hung in the air, pregnant with the weight of millennia of struggle, of countless sacrifices, of lives spent in what had often seemed a hopeless cause. Glynda and James went perfectly still, while Qrow's attention snapped fully to the two students, his personal turmoil temporarily forgotten in the face of this all-consuming question.
The two shared another of those meaningful looks before Ms. Schnee nodded, "Yes," she said simply, the word falling like a stone into still water, "She was. Sealed in stone forever with Ruby's Silver Eyes."
The atmosphere in the room shifted palpably. A mix of disbelief and, for the first time in centuries, genuine hope. Glynda's hand rose unconsciously to her mouth, emerald eyes widening behind her glasses. James stood straighter, his military bearing almost faltering in his shock, the fist of his mechanical hand opening and closing as if trying to physically grasp this new reality. Qrow's eyes widened, his perpetual cynicism momentarily giving way to wonder, the flask in his hand forgotten.
Ozpin felt something stir within him; something he had almost forgotten how to feel. Not the cautious, qualified hope that had sustained him through his many lives, but something deeper, more primal. The visceral relief of a drowning man breaking the surface, gulping air after an eternity underwater. The liberation of a prisoner seeing sunlight after decades in darkness. The end - an actual, achievable end - to his eternal punishment.
"The cost was still too much," Ms. Schnee continued, her voice softening with regret. A shadow passed across her young face, too deep and profound for someone her age, "Millions dead and the people needing to pick up the pieces afterwards." She looked directly at Ozpin, and in that moment, he saw a reflection of his own ancient weariness in her too-young eyes, "We're hoping to reach a happier ending this time."
Ozpin nodded, unable to find words adequate to respond to such a revelation. After thousands of years, countless lives, and immeasurable suffering, to hear that his eternal conflict with Salem could end - had ended, in some future timeline - was almost too much to comprehend. He had long since abandoned hope of living to see Salem's defeat. His goal had merely been to advance the cause incrementally, to leave the world marginally better prepared for each successive incarnation of himself.
The idea that he might actually witness the end of this ancient conflict, might live to see peace restored to a world long haunted by her shadow... it was overwhelming.
As the two students left his office, Ozpin turned to the window, gazing out at Beacon's grounds bathed in moonlight while Qrow and Glynda dealt with the team of spies. The school stood peaceful and intact, students sleeping safely in their beds, unaware of the dangers that had nearly befallen them. Dangers now potentially averted by the extraordinary intervention of two time travelers. Time travelers... the words almost made him laugh. Pure fantasy even to someone who'd seen and done things no man should have.
For the first time in more lifetimes than he could count, Ozpin allowed himself to genuinely believe that perhaps, this time, things might be different. That perhaps, the cycle of destruction and rebirth that had defined his existence might finally come to an end. And all it had taken was two bickering students with knowledge they shouldn't possess and an outlandish story about time travel.
The universe, it seemed, still had surprises even for someone who had lived as long as he had.
[line break]
Done. For people hoping for Emerald/Neo/Raven to be redeemed, you're going to be disappointed. Jaune and Weiss have no patience for mass murderers and psychopaths. Their job is to stop the deaths of their friends and innocent people, not play kid gloves with bad guys.
Comments
Manuel amores morales
I love how Weiss and Jaune don't beat around the bush and finish things, it must have been humiliating for Adam to die like that, now I'm waiting for the reaction of others to what Jaune and Weiss are doing, how does Blake react when she hears that they killed Adam?
BA
Love this chapter for cleaning them all up easy. Jaune and Weiss make a good team together and don't fuck around after all their losses. Personally, I see Salem's end involving more of the Ever After stuff but being frozen is viable too.
