Here we are again, this chapter is going to be coming out a little late, but at least it's out. I am exhausted. And that is my fault. But at least I am still here! Volume 3 isn't going to write itself! Bear with me boys and girls, Papa Gen is going to do his best!

So me and CrowSkull over here accidentally had a little crisis with our villagers in our Minecraft world. We need more and more all the time. Of course, he asks me how we're going to get more.

I said, "BREED THEM!"

I mean, what did he expect me to say? The only other option is to kidnap- I-I mean, re-appropriate under new management. Though honestly, that may be more moral than just forcing them to breed until we get babies.

Beta: CrowSkull

The Blind Huntsman

Chapter 83

Volume 3, Episode 2

Mercury ran a hand through his thickly dyed black hair and let out a grunt as some of the ink came with it as he pulled that hand back and waved it in front of his face. Emerald slapped the hand and hissed at him to stop that because the more he did it the more likely his now black hair would not be black forever. She was also forced to dye her hair, and she changed up the style of it as well so that it wasn't so… symmetrical, as Mercury would say in the comfortable compounds of his mind. In contrast, Emerald decided to turn her hair blonde when she was given the choice. Oh, she desperately wanted to use a wig, but if he had to dye his hair he would be damned if Emerald didn't have to either.

Other than to annoy them both, this was done with a purpose. As much as he'd be amused to say that they'd done it just to try something different, it was a simple change of color that drastically altered the way people saw them on first and second glances. Now, he wasn't Mercury Black, ex-assassin, and one of the most wanted men in the world for how closely tied he was with Cinder, an international terrorist and the most wanted woman. He was just another face in the crowd, and the same went for Emerald Sustrai. They had to give themselves newer names as well just in case people asked for them, but that was far easier than it was biting the bullet in dying their hair. Mercury quite liked his silver hair. He liked to make jokes about him being the legendary silver-haired warrior. Of course, that joke earned the same kind of reactions as when he went in to assassinate a bookkeeper inside his own store.

It didn't go well, he meant.

"Well, we're here now," Mercury said as he looked through the crowd and toward the blustering grounds that was the Vytal Festival. "Welcome to the Vytal Festival my dear little Emily, may I, Marcus, show you around and hope for a good time?"

"Ugh," Emerald punched him in the shoulder so hard that his aura flared to protect his body. Despite the pain he felt, he laughed at her reaction. "Don't be an idiot, this isn't a date. This is a mission."

"And you certainly dressed the part," Mercury said as he eyed her up and down. Emerald, as much as she was prickly and admittedly a little bitchy at times and likely had about three different kinds of mental disorders at least was still a girl. When she noticed him ogling her up and down while she wore that stupid dress that they had bought from a place called the Wearhouse a few blocks down the road, her face flared up with red and her eyes narrowed down as she turned her more desirable parts away from him. Again, Mercury felt a laugh come along as she refused to look back at him. He was wearing a casual-business sort of outfit himself, or at least that was what he thought the style was as he wore a simple leather jacket with the front left open with a green t-shirt underneath, jeans, and black boots that fit over his robotic feet. He didn't think it was all that much, but he noticed the little glances he got from some of the ladies out there.

"Get that stupid look off your face," Emerald hissed as she grabbed him by the arm and yanked him along. "Remember what we're here for, please, I don't want to go through this with you again after so many times."

"Pfft, please. I am the easiest guy to work with," Mercury replied, making it seem as though he didn't spot the minor flare of jealously behind those red eyes when he turned to look at some of the other women. "Just ask Adam, he and I are best buds now."

"The fact that he threw you out of the room because you were drunk and tried to give him a 'Best friend hug' says otherwise…"

"Only my best friend would do that," Mercury said as he faked a sob and wiped away an imaginary tear from his eye. "Adam knows me best, bless his soul and mighty horns."

"Tch," Emerald put a hand over her mouth and sealed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. Heh, score one for the Merc-myster. "Where do you think the White Fang are operating within this place?" She whispered to him next, changing the subject.

"I don't know," Mercury blatantly lied. He didn't even feel bad about it. He was certain that she did the same to him plenty of times before. "Could be in one of these tents, maybe one of the diverse stands here has a secret little meeting place for the officers to meet up and make some plans or something like that."

"Hm, maybe," Emerald said, nodding once.

The truth was that the White Fang wasn't operating on the festival grounds at all. It was too risky given how many huntsmen were present within the city at that time. They planned on doing something in there before in Cinder's original plan, but ever since Adam was permitted to make some changes he's been going wild on making sure that every man was being accounted for and stationed in specific key areas. Attacking the festival itself did nothing. The Grimm would see to that once they break through the walls after an explosion of negativity that would be caused after a certain key event. Amity was by far the better target, as well as vulnerable parts of the city. Emerald would soon figure that out herself. The tournament was beginning soon, after all.

He didn't just hide it from her just because of Cinder but because it really didn't matter if she knew it or not, and he was just on the side of the preference telling him not to tell her. Some would say that was the real reason, but meh, he didn't care for thinking that deeply on things. At the end of the day, he didn't care about a lot of things, contradicting himself least of all.

"Hey, I got an idea," Mercury said as he laid an arm over Emerald's shoulder. He turned them both so that they faced one of the many game stands. There was no line to it, but that is most likely because it was obviously a scam. He could literally see the strings that were attached to the cans that were stacked on top of a flimsy-looking wooden plank, and that gave him a grand idea. "Wanna play a game?"

"Mercury…" Emerald sighed, she looked like she was about to scold and berate him for even suggesting such a thing, but then she remembered that she already told him about that and he definitely ignored her. She gave up with a shake of her head and conceded. "I'll play one game if that makes you shut up and focus."

Mercury looked at her through the corner of his eyes as his smirk grew all the smugger. "Deal." He gently moved her forward and stood a little taller. The vendor at the stand noticed them coming their way and he rushed to meet them, shaking Mercury's hand before he could even extend it. The fact that he was a faunus told Mercury the true reason as to why he wasn't getting any service.

"Hello to you too, such a nice couple," The man commented. Emerald snorted and Mercury chuckled. They didn't put labels on what they were, but he supposed that with the way he draped an arm over her shoulders that they'd look like boyfriend and girlfriend. "Would you like to play the game? It's rather simple. Knock all the weighted cans off the wooden plank in two ball throws and you win any prize you see on the wall!"

Mercury scratched his chin as he looked at the said prize wall. Most of it was all stuffed animals while some of them were plastic and rubber toys, some of them even looked like chew toys for dogs and other kinds of pets. It was all really cheesy and while the thought of giving Emerald a stuffed animal and the following imagination of her sleeping with the stuffed animal made him have to stifle a chuckle. He wasn't there to just play the game, however. He was there to have some fun!

"I'll take a few shots at it, sure," Mercury winked at Emerald and a silent message was passed between the two of them. Emerald rolled her eyes before glancing into the vendor's, activating her semblance. Once it was done, she nodded back to Mercury.

"Win me a prize," She said with just as much excitement as a student about to take a test after they swore that they've studied enough for it.

"Sure thing, babe," Emerald rolled her eyes again after being called that, Mercury laughed and threw the first ball halfheartedly. A few of the cans fell but they were held up by strings. Some bounced back up like a person on a bungee cord would, but none of them landed back on the wooden plank. The other cans, namely the ones on the bottom, didn't budge at all. A look toward the vendor told him that the real scam was the cans at the bottom of the stack. They have spread farther apart than what was usual, and as the vendor said, they were weighted. Even if he hit one of them and knocked it down, the others would stay standing. It was impossible to win unless Mercury gave it his all and threw the ball so hard that it would destroy the wooden plank itself, but that was the boring way. Emerald had a semblance that wasn't only useful in battle, but it was also useful in committing crimes.

Mercury let out a "Whoops," as he limply flicked his wrist forward. The ball soared through the air for all the eleven inches that it was worth and thumped on the ground without so much as a bounce.

The vendor saw Mercury throw the ball so hard that it not only destroyed the wooden plank but also blasted through the wooden post that supported the tent. Throwing his facade to the wind, the vendor lunged for the support to save his tent and himself precious time fixing everything up and paying for damages. But when he went to catch the splintering wood, he touched empty space. Confused, he blinked his eyes several times. Seconds later, and the wood suddenly re-emerged out of thin air and as he turned back the couple that he reeled in was gone. The weighted cans were still on the plank, and both of the rubber balls the guy threw was on the ground. It left him so bewildered and wondering what just happened that he didn't realize that the largest teddy bear he had in stock was now missing.

Mercury laughed boisterously as he held a large teddy bear on his shoulder as Emerald walked beside him with a strained grin on her face as she resisted the urge to laugh alongside him. "Ha! You should have seen his face!"

"I did, Mercury."

"It went from all smug and snarky one second to panicked in the next! Haha, that shit was priceless," He said as he wiped a joyful tear out of his eye. "Man, that was fun."

"It's fun stealing a stuffed animal from a poor, old, faunus man?"

"Hey, you stole a sandwich from me when I was hungry. That is way worse than anything I've ever done."

"Idiot…" Emerald shook her head and let out a chuckle. Mercury smiled even wider at the sound of it. It didn't last long, however. Emerald wasn't the type to allow herself such pleasantries of life. She killed that grin on her face and her red eyes narrowed forward. The remnants of the joy that she had felt moments ago were still there on her face, but as she let the stress of what they were doing with Cinder take hold once again, it quickly started to fade away.

As did most of his joy, unfortunately. He still let himself smile, but as Emerald's demeanor got more serious, his did as well. They stopped to get something to eat and sat on one of the benches within the festival itself. Mercury sat the large teddy bear at his feet in between him and Emerald as he ate a simple chicken wrap while Emerald drank from a plastic cup of lemonade.

"I'll send Roman and Adam the details about what we've seen," Mercury said as he scrolled through the pictures of the festival that he took on his scroll. It displayed a list of several locations of which to potentially set up a defense or a foothold within the festival itself. Just in case they needed to set up shop in there after the attack commences they wanted to have several potential locations of which to send the weaker members of the White Fang to apprehend and hold for them. It would act as a rendezvous point for them to evacuate the city from. That was the entire purpose of the 'mission' as Emerald called it.

It really wasn't much of a mission in reality. They hadn't really had much to do other than hang around the ones who were making the real plans. Emerald and Mercury were Cinder's muscle back when it was just the three of them while she acted as the mastermind, but now she was still the mastermind while there were others like Roman, Neo, and Adam that were all intelligent and powerful in their own right. Mercury and Emerald though… He'd be the first to admit that he wasn't the smartest guy in the world and Emerald although smart, was actually quite weak in comparison to some of Beacon's toughest students. She was skilled, sure, but not skilled enough to take care of herself if she was alone. He felt as though the two of them were old plans that became obsolete as time advanced and they were left behind. They were most useful back in Mistral when they were the only ones that Cinder trusted with her true plans, but after she lost an arm and half her face, that changed.

"Thank you," Emerald seemed pleased that he took something seriously for once. "I guess that's it then…" She added as she took some more sips from her beverage. "I don't think we have any other assignments right now. Though I've seen you talking with Roman and them a lot, I'm guessing that they have been making use of you."

"Sorta-kinda," Mercury shrugged his shoulders. "They tell me to go rough a few people up to pull some favors, collect some debt, sell a thing here and there. Nothing that's too stressful. You could come with if you want, you know. Cinder hasn't been showing herself recently and I am willing to put money down that she hasn't been thinking about you too much."

Emerald sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She felt dejected, clearly from the way she spun the cup in her hands and stared down into the crystal clear lemonade. "I don't know what to think… I know she is busy and everything but I feel like she doesn't care anymore."

Where did she get that idea? Mercury didn't say out loud. "Em," He gave her a warning look. "Cinder doesn't care about anything that isn't her own desire for power. You know that."

"It wasn't always like that." Emerald defended her master. "She was cunning, intelligent, and she knew her way around a conversation. Now, it is all threats and demands, and she throws that power around whenever someone questions her. I swear, ever since that blind child hurt her she changed!" She exclaimed, crushing the cup and throwing it away in her anger. "It just frustrates me to no end. Are we not good enough for her anymore?"

"You really love her, huh?" Mercury said with a sad grin as he looked down at the crumbs that remained of his food.

"E-eh?" Emerald blushed out of embarrassment. "I-I mean, yeah, I guess I do. She took me off the streets, gave me food, trained me, and taught me how to live again. Even if I am just a tool to her, I'll always be loyal to her for what she did for me."

"Even if she kills everyone in the city?" Mercury asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Even then," Emerald replied without hesitation.

"And what if she decided to change her ways, apologize to everyone, and start an orphanage for lost kitties?"

"Then I'd be her general manager." Emerald looked at him strangely. "Why are you asking me questions that you already know the answer to? That's not like you, Mercury."

"Why indeed…" Mercury sighed through his nose and shook his head. "Sorry, I guess I was feeling a little existential just now. Or maybe I just wish I had someone that loyal to me no matter what I did."

Emerald didn't know what to say to that. She was the last person who would be able to provide words that could cheer a person up. So instead, she leaned in closer to him and pressed her body against his, letting her head fall onto his shoulder. It was the only kind of support she knew how to give, purely physical, and little else. "I'm loyal to you…" She said quietly, and a bit awkwardly.

Mercury chuckled softly as he let his cheek press onto the top of Emerald's head. Sure, she was loyal to him somewhat. That was bound to happen after all the things that they had done together. The people they've hurt, killed, and stolen from was a strange way of getting close to someone. It meant that they knew that they could trust the other not to leave them behind. When Cinder first started becoming a real monster, they only had each other to rely on. In a really fucked up sort of way, that was just how they got so close.

But at the end of the day, Mercury knew that it was still not enough. Emerald wouldn't admit it, but she didn't have to. If it came down to deciding between him and Cinder, she'd choose Cinder every single time. Without fail.

"Let's go," Mercury said as he stood up slowly, giving Emerald time to move lest she falls. "We're done here, I'm sick of hearing all these kids scream and laugh, it's annoying."

"Yeah, me too," Emerald said as she followed him as he began to walk away. She stuck close to him, knowing that something was going through his mind. Maybe tonight they'd share a bed again just to release some stress. It seemed like they both had a lot of it that they needed to get rid of.

The fact that the teddy bear Mercury had stolen earlier was left behind at the bench alone wasn't even a thought that occurred in her mind.

"Sis…" Yang called for her sister as she gently knocked on her dorm room door a few times. "C'mon, sis, you can't keep yourself locked in there forever. Just let me in, please, I just want to talk to you."

Again, no response. She thought about forcing herself in there, but she knew that would only make the problem worse. When her sister was like this - and it was very rare that she was - the worst thing you could do was force yourself onto her and prying. Usually, she wouldn't have let her sister get this down in the first place, but ever since Kai left for that sudden training mission it was just a constant downhill spiral. Especially with the tournament drawing near in just a few short days. She still didn't know if her sister's team could participate in it without Kai, or if or when Kai was going to come back. They said before that they were definitely going to partake in it and it was a rousing exciting prospect of the idea that Kai and Pyrrha were going to have around two on the stage. Whatever this training mission was, Yang hoped that he'd get done with it quickly. She started to miss the guy herself, even with as prickly as he has become lately, he was still one of her best friends.

With a sigh, she stepped away from her sister's room as she got no kind of response from her or any of her teammates. She stuck her hands in her pockets and decided to leave them alone just as they apparently wanted so damn badly. She thought about seeing how Marron and Malienna were doing, but they were visited by Uncle Qrow earlier. She didn't want to barge in on that, so she decided to just wander the halls. Her teammates were still in class and she didn't care what kind of glare she would get from Ren and Weiss for it. She was not listening to Professor Port rant about something irrelevant for hours while this was happening. Now that she was already about twenty minutes late for class, there was just no point in going back. She wasn't as fortunate as her sisters' team as they got a few days off so they could process something. Whatever that was, she didn't know! No one was talking to her and it was frustrating not knowing what was going on.

She barely realized that she was outside on the grass kicking a rock across the yard when she zoned back into reality. This was definitely not what she thought Beacon would be like. Heck, she never expected that she'd see a dead body torn apart by Grimm until at least after she graduated or maybe even during a training mission. It may have been an issue that she was regarding it so plainly now, but she came from a family of huntsmen and huntresses. She supposed it just ran in the blood.

Or that it was her blood running through her veins that helped her through tough situations like this. Raven… Yang remembered not being able to stop crying as she told her teammates about what happened. All it took was one conversation, and she started to question everything Uncle Qrow and Dad had been telling her. Raven, despite definitely a bitch to her own special degree, has a reason. She didn't know what said the reason was, but she knew that there was at least one reason why she left her when she was just a baby. It made her look at her biological mother in a different way. What if she was forced to leave her? What if this went a lot deeper than she thought? What if Dad and Uncle Qrow were wrong about her? What if, what if, what if. Those hypotheticals kept bothering her to no end. The main one that continued to irritate her was the 'what if' Raven wasn't a major bitch with no heart and had a reason, a good reason, to leave her and Dad weeks after she was born.

She tried to remember, far, far in the past. She tried to regain those memories of when she was a baby. It didn't work, obviously. But Dad always told her that Raven held her three times in those weeks prior to her departure. Once when she was born, once when she was feeding her, and that last time before she left… It was actually the same day, now that she thought about it. Raven held her as a baby before she left. Abandoning her.

Why? If she was so heartless and bitchy and irredeemable, why would she bother to show her any kind of affection before leaving her behind for the rest of her life? She doubted that it was in the plan to return, much less interact with her. But the fact of the matter is that she did.

She still felt her hand atop her head, stroking her hair as she looked down at her sadly with those same red eyes that Uncle Qrow had, only much more vibrant. She also remembered wanting more of that, more of that motherly affection that she has been robbed of ever since she left and Summer - her true mother - passed away mysteriously on a mission. It made her feel a little pathetic, yearning it from a woman like her who left her when she was too young to even remember her face. But she just couldn't help it, she figured.

"You look pathetic," A voice that wasn't her mind said, causing her to perk up and look around for the person it really came from. Her eyes locked on to a figure in the shadow of a tree who leaned against it, her light blue eyes looking into hers as she sized her up.

Yang recognized her from Mistral. The older girl that snuck them some drinks so they could party and get drunk for the first time, she never forgot her name when she figured out who exactly she was.

"Vernal," Yang said, surprised to see her so suddenly. "What are you doing here?"

"My ride home dropped me off here and basically told me to fuck off for a while," Vernal said in a growl. "So I'm just hanging around here now, and I just decided to sit against this tree because I was bored." Knowing Vernal from before, Yang didn't doubt that to be the truth.

"Aren't you the" Yang looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Spring Maiden? Shouldn't you be somewhere safer than this?" She wouldn't have known all of this if Kai hadn't sat her and Ruby down to talk about it, along with the nature of Ruby's eyes. It came with the deal of letting them know what happened and who Cinder was. As far as she knew, there were four of them, and Vernal was one of them.

"Tell me, kid, what place is safer than Beacon fucking Academy?"

"Touchè…" Yang sighed and she walked closer to her. "Say… you train a lot with Kai, right?"

"I kick his ass every once in a while, yeah," Vernal snorted. "What of it?"

"Do you know what he's doing? Where he is? He's been on some special training mission and no one knows where he is and the teachers won't tell us anything." Yang said, looking at Vernal expectantly.

"And how the fuck should I know? I just train with the kid, I'm not his best friend or whatever." Vernal sneered, smirking when Yang narrowed her eyes at her. "You'd be better off asking Raven, she's the one who spends the most time with him."

"You see, I'd do that if she actually came to talk to me," Yang growled as she crossed her arms. After what happened last time, she wanted another chance to talk to her. A much longer, and more informative chance. She needed to know what happened, the truth, everything.

"Well, you're expecting a bit much from me if you think I can convince her of that," Vernal laughed.

"Yeah, you're right," Yang said, smiling smugly as she crossed her arms. "I don't know what I expected from a coward who only shows up to pick off some easy targets and gets taken down in a single hit."

Vernal's smirk died very quickly.

"You little bitch, I'd like to see you try and tank a fucking rocket to the back without expecting it!" Vernal exclaimed as she stepped up to her and planted her finger into her collarbone. Yang smiled up at her, unintimidated and smiling even more smugly.

"Actually, I could. My semblance sort of revolves around that, you see. It'd just make me stronger, where you just went down like a little bitch crying for help."

"Oh, you have no idea who you're talking to kid," Vernal's eyes flamed blue as she glared down at her. "You might be Raven's daughter but that won't save me from kicking your ass all over the yard here. Actually," She grabbed Yang by the collar of her shirt and dragged her up closer to her face. "I'm in the mood to kick your ass now, you better be ready to see just how much that semblance of yours can absorb, because I'm definitely ready to test it out."

Good. Yang didn't say it, but she really needed to let loose some steam that has been festering up after recent events. She started by spitting up at Vernal's face, which then ultimately led to her being smashed through a tree and thrown across the field.

When she pushed herself back up to one knee, she coughed and hacked up dirt as she recovered from the stun. That was a lot harder than she expected to be hit and thrown and-

Her eyes locked on to a strand of golden-blonde hair as it flew down in front of her now red eyes.

"Oh, you fucked up now," Yang said as she threw herself back up to her feet and smashed her bare fists together. She didn't have Ember Celica with her, but she didn't need it to kick some ass! "Maiden or no, I'm going to kick your ass Vernal!"

"Hah!" Vernal laughed as she hovered above the ground across from her. Blue eyes flaming and her arms crossed. "If you last more than a minute I'd be surprised! Kai always did say you were one of the best sparring partners, let's see if he wasn't just being polite!"

Yang's smirk took a competitive edge as she felt her power sore. Vernal's did as well. They wouldn't be able to fight for long since the teachers were bound to be on their way already, but fuck.

It felt good to finally release some pent up anger!

Sienna flinched as her cell door whirled open, giving her a blast of light that had her faunus eyes reeling. Going from almost complete darkness to full blast on brightness always gave her a headache. But she quickly adjusted to it. Though she was still tied up and unable to move comfortably, at least she wasn't in pitch-black darkness and she finally had someone to talk to again.

Ozpin set a chair on the floor and sat, leaning on his cane as he leaned forward and offered Sienna a greeting nod. She nodded back, leaning back and making herself more comfortable as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Have you made a decision?" Ozpin asked as his glasses glinted on the bridge of his nose.

"Have you?" Sienna snapped back, doing her best at looking intimidating and failing miserably. Ozpin simply stared back, not even budging an inch. It made Sienna scowl. Damn him and his practiced poker face. Though she doubted he felt intimidated at all. They both knew that even if untied, she'd lose in a battle against him. He was the headmaster of Beacon for a reason, and it wasn't just because he was strong. Any man who can stand up against her, Adam, and Cinder all at the same time and win was not a man that Sienna was willing to test more than once. "You're the one who started speaking to me again after our first conversation. I was expecting myself to be locked away for the rest of my life."

"There isn't any need for such exaggerated and protracted punishments," Ozpin said with a sigh. "Some men and women deserve such things, but others who genuinely think what they were doing was right are just soldiers on the other side. The world sees the White Fang as a terroristic organization, while most faunus see them as revolutionaries trying to solve an age-long pandemic of racism and unfair treatment against their kind,"

"And you?" Sienna scoffed. "What do you think? Am I a monster or a revolutionary?"

"The term 'Monster' can easily be thrown about so easily. The Grimm are the only true monsters in this world, for they are beasts with no desire other than to cause pain, even at the cost of their own lives in some cases. They're only purpose for existing is to kill." Ozpin explained. "People call other people monsters for the validation that they are the ones in the right. While in some cases they are of course right, in others it is just a word to brand one person or a group of people as more evil than they really are. When it comes to you, however… You are a woman who wanted to make a change for her people and was willing to do anything in order to do it. That in itself is enough to garner at least some respect from me. Although I do not respect all the decisions that you have made, I do for the things you intend. Or at this point, intended."

"If the world were filled with more men like you, perhaps there wouldn't have been a need for a White Fang in the first place," Sienna said.

Ozpin scoffed. "Trust me. If the world were filled with people like me, there may have not been a world to live in for long."

"Perhaps," Sienna allowed. "But there are reasons why the White Fang have turned into what the masses call monsters nowadays. Reasons that took Adam and me some time to process. When Cinder and Hazel called Adam and me to a room I feared that they decided it was time to kill us. Little did I know I would have preferred that to be a slave to the Queen of the Grimm herself."

"Ah," Ozpin actually looked surprised for a fraction of a moment. "So you know about that. That makes things easier, in all honesty. So, it wasn't just Cinder and Hazel taking control was it?"

"Of course not," Sienna growled. "I wish it were just them. I had one conversation with that witch-" Oh, she had no idea how right she was calling Salem that, "-and it left me more afraid than I ever felt before. From that point on, the White Fang was no longer revolutionaries. We were mercenaries doing the bidding of a truly evil Queen." She looked down as she hissed out a curse. "I'm almost glad that you captured me if it means getting me away from her clutches."

"That isn't enough, however," Ozpin remarked. "Your men, women, and child you feel are all counting on you in some way or another. Being locked up for the rest of your life will never give you the chance to help and lead them again. Have you heard that Adam Taurus has officially taken over the White Fang in your absence?"

"Hmph, I'd expect no less of him," Sienna replied. "He may be young but he was always destined to take over after my rule was over. Which it is now. I am proud of my student."

"Hm," Ozpin stared into her eyes. "That tangent has gone on long enough, Sienna. Tell me, have you thought of my offer?"

"It really isn't much of an offer if the only other choice I have is being locked away forever." Sienna scoffed, although she certainly seemed very nervous at the idea. "I was aware that Cinder was just half of her full potential… the thought of her achieving that full strength is a terrifying thought."

"Indeed," Ozpin said. "I don't know if even I can best her as I am now. Perhaps if I were in a younger, stronger body, I may be able to defeat a full-powered Maiden. But my magic is dwindling as it is now, and I have sacrificed much of it to create the Maidens in the first place. You know the details, I expect. I carved up my power into five parts. One for each of the four maidens and the last fifth for myself. Technically, that should make me equal to them at the very least. But you'd be surprised at how out of practice I truly am…"

"That's what you get for neglecting your training and relying solely on skill." Sienna snarked. "Skill will get you far but if you don't have the strength to back it up than someone who is stronger and skilled at the same time will garner the upper hand. I suppose that is why you'd rather have a fall maiden still alive and active rather than one stuck in a test tube."

"Amber may recover in time," Ozpin began.

Sienna cut him off. "Don't give me that bullshit, Ozpin. I saw Amber's state in that tube. She was barely clinging to life and I am willing to bet any chance of my freedom that she will not be getting better anytime soon. If anything, she is getting worse by the second. Hmph, perhaps that is why you are so desperate."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Ozpin said with an added sigh. "I'd rather have you take on half the power of the fall maiden than run the risk of Cinder gaining the full power. I can't make any of my students the maiden, as that is not only immoral but it would gain the ire of a very important ally of mine. Believe me, Sienna, you were the last resort choice. I was very close to making Winter Schnee the fall maiden, but as it were, her destiny lies elsewhere."

"You don't need to keep trying to convince me," Sienna said. "I'm thirty-two, which is just below the age requirement to become a maiden. Otherwise, I will remain locked away from the world forever, never to see the light of day again." Her yellow eyes flashed with a certain energy. "And now that I have the chance to make Cinder's life all the more difficult, I will be happy to become your fall maiden."

"Even under my conditions?" Ozpin said as he slipped out a mechanical belt. "Because once these conditions are applied, they cannot be taken off."

"I wouldn't trust me either." Sienna laughed. "Strap a tracking device to me all you want, strap a bomb to me if that makes you feel better. I just want to be able to make Cinder miserable, and the image of her anger when she sees me as the other half of the maiden she has been hunting down for years will be worth all the trouble she's put me through."

"I see…" Ozpin reached into his pocket and took out a scroll. With a single push, Sienna's binds snapped off. Sienna moaned as she felt her blood rush back into her limbs, returning her the feeling that she has been missing for so long. For the first time in nearly a month, she was able to reach her arms above her head and stretch her body. The action itself was borderline orgasmic. "Then I will attach this condition immediately, and will inform the rest of my allies of our decision."

"Do what you must," Sienna said with a pleased sigh as she held her arms out to her sides. Allowing Ozpin to get close and lift up her shirt so that her striped belly was visible. So that the machine connected directly to her body. Sienna winced as she felt the metal bite into her skin and mold to her shape. She knew at that point that if she ever wanted to take it off by force, the skin would be coming with it. It was a little heavy as well, but as Ozpin clicked the two ends together, locking it, she knew she could get used to it.

"Tomorrow morning, you will become the Fall Maiden," Ozpin said as he gestured her to sit back down. She complied. "I am sure the warnings can go unsaid, but if you ever make me regret this decision even more than I already am, I will throw you to the wolves. You will be hunted for the rest of your life. And if you are lucky, I will be the first to find you."

"I understand," Sienna said as she offered the headmaster a mock salute. "I'll be on my best behavior. Though, there is one concern of mine. The boy. He will not like this."

"Allow me to handle that," Ozpin reassured her. "He will not pose a threat to you. Of that, I promise. He will be informed of this decision so it will not be a surprise. You only worry about yourself and take into consideration the choices you will have in the near future. Think about them. Make sure that none of them will get you into any trouble. Maybe then, this partnership of ours can turn into a true alliance."

"We'll see, Ozpin," Sienna said. "I am willing to trade one master for another if you are the one I serve next. But I will not be your slave."

"Hm," Ozpin hummed as he allowed the cell door to begin closing again. "Good. I'd trust you even less if you said otherwise."

And that is the chapter. Thank CrowSkull for telling me to write more or else this would have been about 2k less words than originally planned! I feel satisfied with this chapter, and I can't wait to see some of your reactions to it.

You are welcome buddy. -CrowSkull

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