Punished

Oscar's room…

Oscar Pine sits on his bed in his room, reading a book by the light of a lantern.

"Oscar, supper's almost ready!" Oscar's aunt said, yelling from another room.

"What're we having?" Oscar asked.

"Doesn't matter! You're eating it!"

"I never agreed to these terms!" Oscar said, jokingly.

"It's part of the 'living under my roof' contract! Read the fine print, then come wash up!"

Oscar closes his book and stands up. He is walking toward the door when a voice resounds, causing him to pause.

"We have to leave." Ozpin said, his voice disembodied.

Oscar continues forward.

"Oscar. Oscar!" Ozpin said.

Oscar is about to grasp the door handle, but holds back, "I've decided you're not real, so you might as well give up."

"I understand how you're feeling. I went through the same panic and confusion." Ozpin said.

Oscar turns around and looks at an open book on the floor. He bends down and shuts it, talking aloud as he puts it and the one next to it away on a shelf, "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real."

Oscar stands up and his reflection is visible in the window.

"I can assure you, you are perfectly sane." Ozpin said.

"I'm talking to a voice in my head." Oscar said.

"I didn't say you were normal. I said you were sane." Ozpin said, as Oscar starts to leave his room again. "There's quite a significant difference between…"

"Shut up! You think this is funny? It's not."

"We are in complete agreement on that matter, I promise you. Believe me, I wish this weren't the case. But as I've told you, our Aura, our souls are combined."

Oscar looks up at the ceiling without really focusing on anything but clearly showing his disgust, "I'm done listening to you."

"Have you ever been to Haven?"

"I told you I'm not going, and I told you I'm done listening." Oscar said.

"Do you think you could describe the headmaster's office?" Ozpin asked.

"No. Why would I know that? I've never seen…"

"Try. Right now."

"It's probably...it's…" Oscar said, and his eyes widen and his face slackens. The visual pans around his head in a circle as he continues to speak. "It's autumn-colored...with a large mahogany desk. There's a small table with chairs in a corner for guests, with a tea set that...I...I gave him." The pan stops when Oscar refers to himself in the first person. He puts his hand to his head, disconcerted.

"Why did I say that? Why did I know that? Why did I say that?" Oscar asked, as he becomes increasingly bothered and he starts backing up, dropping his hand.

"Because I helped build that school, and the tea set was a gift to the man running it now." Ozpin said, while Oscar sits on his bed and holds his head, groaning. "If you don't believe me, you can look it up. If I recall, your aunt has several books on Mistral downstairs. I'm certain you could find a picture in one of them."

Oscar is straightening up and lowering his hands, "That...that's right, I must've seen it in a picture."

Oscar lets out a sigh.

"Oscar…" Ozpin said.

Oscar stands upright, tightening his fists at his sides and shouts, "Stop talking to me!"

"I have a grave responsibility to uphold. We both do."

"I never agreed to anything." Oscar said, falling to his knees.

"No, you didn't. And neither did I, at first. But you do have an opportunity." Ozpin said.

"For what?"

"Greatness, hopefully. Greatness in knowing that, when the world needed help, you were the one to reach out your hand. It won't come without hardship, without sacrifice, but I know you don't want to live the rest of your life working as a farmhand in Mistral."

Oscar has his hands on his head again, eyes wide, "So you just decided to read my thoughts?"

"I...well. They're our thoughts, now." Ozpin said.

"Get out of my head!" Oscar said, groaning.

"Oscar! Supper time! I better see clean hands!" Oscar's aunt said, angrily.

Oscar looks toward the door, but remains silently on the floor.

Weiss' room...

Weiss Schnee sits on her bed in her room with her head bowed and her hands folded in her lap. Jacques Schnee paces in front of her.

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." Jacques said, and he suddenly stops, then turns and points at Weiss. "Do you have any idea what your stunt cost us?"

"I…" Weiss said.

"And don't think I'm just talking about Lien here! Our reputation! Our... our…" Jacques said, cutting Weiss off.

Jacques sighs angrily and holds his head, unable to come up with the words to finish expressing the gravity of her mistake.

Weiss waits for a moment before speaking, "I want to leave."

"I beg your pardon?" Jacques asked.

"I said I want to leave. I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!" Weiss said, angrily.

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want! This isn't about you. This is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"

"I have done nothing but fight to uphold the honor of my family name, a name that you married into!" Weiss said, standing up from the bed.

Jacques slaps Weiss hard on her left cheek, sending her head to the side as she gasps in reaction. She puts her hand on her cheek and turns to face her father, looking at him a little incredulously as she lowers her hand. He looks right back at her, unrepentant.

When Jacques begins speaking again, his voice suddenly sounds calm yet intimidating, "This behavior of yours is incredibly disappointing. You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is. You think running off like your sister is going to make the Schnee name stronger? You're wrong. Siding with her only divides us."

"I'm not siding with anyone. I'm doing what I feel is right, and that does not include wasting my time up here…" Weiss said, as Jacques walks away, rolling his eyes as his daughter finishes her rant. "...with these clueless people in Atlas. The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to leave. It's mine, and I'll do it as a Huntress."

Jacques stops and slowly turns to face her again. As he speaks, he moves to stand in front of his daughter, peering down upon her, "No...you won't. You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future."

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents. But from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you." Jacques said, and with that, he turns once more and walks away.

"You can't just keep me from leaving!"

Again, he stops and turns to look at her.

"I can, and the staff here will make sure of it." Jacques said.

"So now I'm just your prisoner?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"You are my daughter. You're a child, and children are grounded when they misbehave." Jacques said, walking away, and this time, he continues walking even while his daughter speaks.

"This is only going to make things worse, Father. People will ask questions! They'll want to know why the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is suddenly nowhere to be found!" Weiss said.

Her father stops in front of the door and faces her.

"Which is why you are no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Jacques said.

Weiss takes a step back, stunned, "Excuse me?"

"Clearly, the trauma you endured at the fall of Beacon was too much for you. Which is why you've generously revoked your claim to the company and its earnings and passed it on to your brother Whitley." Jacques said, as Weiss stares at him, breathing heavily as she digests the news. "It's time to wake up and face reality."

Jacques turns and leaves. Through the open door, we see Whitley waiting and clearly having been eavesdropping. Jacques turns to the left without acknowledging his son.

Schnee mansion...

Weiss takes a moment to deal with her emotions and then steps out into the hall with her fists clenched, calling out to her brother who is moving down the hallway in the opposite direction his father had gone, "Whitley?!"

"Yes, sister?" Whitley asked, turning around with a small smile.

"Did you know about this?" Weiss asked, walking up to her brother and crossing her arms.

"About what?"

"You never liked Winter. You never liked me. But you've been nothing but supportive since the moment I came back."

"If being kind to my big sister is some sort of crime, then I suppose I'm guilty." Whitley said.

Weiss' eyes widen with realization, "You wanted this to happen."

"It's foolish not to do as Father asks." Whitley said, and as he speaks, he leans forward, his feigned innocent smile changing into a threatening and angry expression.

Weiss stares with a look of hurt and betrayal, "I can't believe you."

"Don't worry, Weiss. The Schnee family name is in good hands." Whitley said, turning and he walked away, Weiss staring after him.

Weiss' bedroom...

Weiss returns to her room, collapses face down across her bed and cries. Two airships fly past the window. A second or two later Weiss lifts her head and tightens her fist, a determined look in her eyes.

She walks to the window and pulls the curtains shut. She moves her bed over several feet, pushes a desk and kicks aside a low glass bench at the foot of her bed. A wide shot shows the furniture askew. A cushioned stool is on its side on the floor, and a long white box marked with the Schnee snowflake symbol rests on her vanity. She approaches the box and opens it to reveal Myrtenaster and Dust vials inside. She lifts her weapon and poses with the blade held vertically in front of her face.

Oniyuri...

Tyrian Callows pulls his tail back. Qrow turns around, swinging his weapon and holding at the ready by his side, "As I live and breathe, Qrow Branwen. A true Huntsman has entered the fray!"

Ruby gets up and sets Crescent Rose on its end, with Jared getting up and he picked up his dual swords.

Qrow glances back at Ruby and Jared.

"I don't know, this guy's weird." Ruby said, looking at Qrow.

"More than weird, he's a scorpion Faunus." Jared said, holding his swords. "They're known to have bad eyesight. Scorpions, that is."

"Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece and her bestest friend alone." Qrow said, facing Tyrian again.

Tyrian chortles, "Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby asked.

"Salem." Qrow said.

"Who?"

"I'm sorry, but who's Salem?" Jared asked. "I did meet you guys after the incident with Cardin Winchester, long ago. And before…"

"Yeah…" Ruby said, placing her hand on top of Jared's.

"Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian asked, assuming a crouching position.

"Took the words right out of…" Qrow said.

Tyrian rushes Qrow before he can finish voicing the thought and the two fight. A roof gets damaged and Tyrian uses the bullet capability in the gloves of his wrist blades. Ren, Nora, and Jared join in, but Tyrian easily gets them away. He moves to chase them, but Qrow intervenes.

"Don't come closer!" Qrow said.

"Got it." Jared said, nodding his head. "Your Semblance does bring bad luck."

Qrow and Tyrian continue to fight.

"Fine!" Ruby said, taking Crescent Rose to the top of a building and waits for an opening to shoot Tyrian.

However, both he and Qrow move too fast for her to get a clear shot.

Tyrian manages to uses his tail to disarm Qrow. This slows things down enough for Ruby to repeatedly shoot at him from the roof, but Tyrian just deflects each with his tail.

"Your aim is totally off." Jared said, as Qrow switches to punching Tyrian in face. "You could do better, Ruby!"

With a final kick, Qrow is successful enough to beat Tyrian down and casually move to retrieve his weapon from where it embedded in a wall.

"Wow." Jaune said. "He's taking him out good."

Tyrian waits until Qrow has his back turned before striking, but Qrow merely leaps on top of his own weapon and activates its scythe mode. The two continue to battle, their fight taking them to a roof top. They appear evenly matched until Tyrian descends into the building and uses his tail to drag Qrow down, too.

"Okay, I'm not losing the bad luck charm." Jared said, as he and Ruby decided to no longer stay back. "Come on, Ruby."

Just as Ruby and Jared reach the building, Qrow comes out through a wall, his body and his weapon bouncing. The weapon lands with its blade in the ground, and Qrow perches atop it. Red flickers of damaged Aura move over his body twice.

"Oh no…" Ruby said, as Tyrian comes out of the floating dust and grime inside the building, purple flickers moving across his body. "Come on, let's save him."

As Qrow and Tyrian begin to strike again, Ruby and Jared jump in between and deflects Tyrian's blades with Crescent Rose and the nanotechnology weapons.

"You're not gonna get away with this." Jared said, trying to not hit Ruby. "You're not getting Ruby Rose!"

"Ruby!" Jaune said, as Ren holds him back from moving forward. "Jared!"

"Do you wish to be taken?" Tyrian asked, looking at Ruby.

"No! But Jared and I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!" Ruby said.

Qrow, Ruby, and Jared move in to attack Tyrian and the four clash. His eyes purple again, Tyrian almost gets her with his stinger, but Qrow blocks it.

"Ruby! Jared! What did I say?! Get back!" Qrow said, angrily.

"This is my fight, too!" Ruby said, as she attacks Tyrian while he's still locked blade-to-blade with Qrow, but his legs arch away from the swing of Crescent Rose.

"No, it's not that. It's…" Qrow said.

Ruby attacks again, and Tyrian moves to her. He flips and sends her back with a two-footed kick. She slides closer to the building and gains her ground, but the wooden beams near the roof have been shaken up too much and a heavy one breaks and descends upon her. Qrow slices it in half so it falls in pieces to either side of Ruby without touching her.

Jared then sliced the rest of the wood that was above Ruby into tiny pieces, he then placed his swords back into its holsters, "There you go Ruby."

"Thanks." Ruby said, as she smiles at Qrow and Jared in gratitude and affection, and her uncle raises his head from his stance to look at her, only to gasp in pain as he is immediately cut in the abdomen by Tyrian's stinger. "No!"

Tyrian chuckles while everyone but Ruby takes a beat from the unexpectedness of it. She, however, immediately cuts off the stinger from the rest of Tyrian's tail. It bounces, spurting purple liquid, to the ground. Tyrian reels back and cries out from the pain. Standing, he whirls to face Ruby, infuriated, "You bitch!"

He takes a step or two forward but is off balance. Nora, Ren and Jaune all move to block his path to Ruby, Qrow, and Jared.

Tyrian takes a few awkward steps, not engaging.

"She'll forgive you." Tyrian said, talking to himself before running away.

Qrow, who had still been upright with his weapon at the ready, collapses to one knee and clutches at the wound, panting heavily.

"Uncle Qrow! Are you okay?" Ruby asked, rushing to Qrow's side.

"I'll be fine. He just grazed me." Qrow said, putting his shaking hand away to show the blood on it. The other three arrive at his side.

"At least you can heal yourself overtime." Jared said, looking down at Qrow. "I should have stopped it, but your Semblance…"

"I know."

"Who was that guy?" Nora asked.

"How did you get here?" Ren asked.

"Why are people after Ruby?" Jaune asked.

"Uncle Qrow? What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"What's your favorite fairy tale?" Qrow asked, breathing heavily and clutching his abdomen again.

"Here, I don't know." Jared said, as Qrow groans. "I'm sorry. I really am."