Taking Control

Salem's domain...

Cinder is making arcing slash of fire moves and it is quickly followed by another. She stopped for a moment before making two more fiery arcs. The woman then make An irregular circle of flame bursts outward from the center, and she pants.

She is in a large, empty room. Behind her is a darkened arched hallway. On either side of the arch, the walls of the room have a low ledge the bear several burning white candles. Four Beowolves approach Cinder, moving in a semicircle formation. Cinder swings her left arm at them, sending another slash of fire. It cuts through the middle of all four Grimm and they disintegrate away.

Cinder pants again, still upright yet taking a breather. She does not get long, as heavy footsteps approach from her left. She gasps and looks in their direction. A Beringel leaps into the air, ready to deliver a blow to her with its fist. Cinder, however, pulls back her right arm and pushes a ball of flame right at it. It, too, disintegrates.

As its body disappears, Cinder falls to her knees, breathing heavily.

"Enough." Salem said, walking forward while Cinder continues to struggle for normal breathing. "I thought you were the girl who wanted power. Did you lie to me?"

Cinder winces on the force of Salem's question before looking upward. Turning to face Salem, Cinder clearly shakes her head negatively.

"Then stop holding back. If you wish to master your new powers, you must…" Salem said, and she is cut off by the sound of heavy doors opening.

On the opposite end of the stone hall, a sobbing Tyrian Callows enters. He falls to his knees once in the room, both hands flat on the floor and his head bowed.

"I'm sorry." Tyrian said, softly raising his hand to his chin. "She'll forgive me. Pleeeease." He bows again on the last word. "Forgive me…"

"Tyrian!" Salem said, standing before Tyrian.

Tyrian raises his body but remains sitting on his legs while Cinder rises from the stone floor behind Salem.

"Your task...were you successful?" Salem asked, holding out her arm imperially.

"N-no." Tyrian said, bowing his head.

Cinder's eye widens. Salem also looks surprised for a moment before narrowing her eyes and walking away. Cinder watches their leader for her further reaction without looking at Tyrian.

"But-but hope is not lost!" Tyrian said, begging and turning his body to remain facing Salem. "My tail, my stinger...I-I poisoned him, Qrow! He will not be a nuisance to you any longer, no...no longer! I've done that... have I done well? Have I pleased you?"

"The last eye is blinded...you disappoint me." Salem said, leaving the room.

Salem leaves. Tyrian falls forward, wailing. A Beowolf approaches, all focused on Tyrian's negative emotions. It ignores Cinder and leaps upon him. Tyrian sends it away with a single blow and it lands on its back. Still wailing, Tyrian opens his weapons and leaps atop the Beowolf. He slashes at it repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. His wails gradually turn into laughter as he vents his grief into the butchering of the Grimm. Cinder watches, horrified.

Patch...

Outside of her home on Patch, Yang Xiao Long spray paints her robotic arm and half of Ember Celica bright yellow. She goes into a tool shed and takes the tarp that had been covering her motorcycle, Bumblebee, off.

"I don't remember saying that you were ready." Taiyang Xiao Long said, leaning against the frame of the open shed door, arms crossed.

"Oh yeah? You're gonna try and stop me?" Yang asked, without turning around.

"No. I think I'm still too sore after our last fight. I just wanted a better goodbye than a letter. And, I also have a question for you." Taiyang said, chuckling, and his daughter turns around. "Where are you going?"

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"Well, despite asking him numerous times not to, I know that Qrow told you where your mother's been at these days." Taiyang said, moving into the shed. "I know how much you wanna see her. I've stopped you in the past, but I won't anymore. And we both read the note. We know your sister's headed to Mistral. And we know that Jared is with Ruby, keeping her safe. So, where are you going?"

Yang looks down at the tarp as Taiyang makes his point. She remains gazing down for another couple of beats before looking up at her father. Her eyes narrow in determination, her decision made.

Schnee mansion…

Weiss Schnee steps out of her bedroom, carrying a white suitcase and Myrtenaster. She looks around cautiously, her footsteps loudly resounding in the ornate hallway. She jumps and gasps when Klein Sieben appears right behind her. He puts his finger to his lips and shushes her before smiling.

"Let's go." Klein said, whispering.

The two move quickly across the carpet, their footsteps muffled. Side by side, they go down the staircase and clickety-clack their way across the entrance hall. They are moving down another hallway when Klein's Scroll buzzes. They both look at it with squinty eyes.

"Whitley! I...um...yes, of course. I'll be just a moment." Klein said, clicking his Scroll off and tucks it away, before whispering to Weiss. "Head to the first floor library. I'll meet you there."

They separate, going in opposite directions. Weiss is soon creeping outside her father's study door when she hears a glass crash followed by the rising voice of James Ironwood. She crouches behind a cushioned chair against the wall.

"You need to control yourself!" Ironwood said, angrily.

"You're talking to me about control? Do you even hear what you're saying?" Jacques asked.

"I am basing everything on my reports from your daughter."

"A daughter you stole!" Jacques said, as Weiss moves closer to the door to listen.

"Oh, we are not getting into that again." Ironwood said.

"Oh, yes, we have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy!"

"Jacques!" Ironwood said.

Jacques is seated at his desk in his study while Ironwood has both hands on it, leaning over him from the other side.

"Winter is one of my best." Ironwood said, sighing heavily. "If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral then I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them."

Weiss is listening outside.

"You've never trusted anyone other than yourself!" Jacques said.

"And for good reason!" Ironwood said, shouting.

Weiss covers her mouth with her hand as she gasps at the sound of Ironwood slamming his fist onto the desk.

"If Oz had just listened to me from the start…" Ironwood said.

"You need to get a grip." Jacques said.

"That's exactly what I'm doing. Our people need protection. By this time next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders. No one in; no one out. Without the council's permission." Ironwood said.

"You mean, without your permission?"

"And if that becomes the case, I would think you'd want to be on my good side." Ironwood said, walking away from the desk, leaving Jacques to sigh and fold his hands.

Outside the door, Weiss hears him coming and uses Myrtenaster to cast a black Glyph onto the handle.

When Ironwood tries to leave, the handle turns but the door will not open, despite him shaking it, "It's locked."

"What are you talking about?" Jacques asked, and Ironwood steps back and slams into the door, shoulder first.

It does not budge. Weiss turns and makes her way down the hall across the carpet while a couple more bangs come from the door.

Weiss reaches the library, but it is empty, "Klein! Klein, where are you?"

A hidden door in the corner opens, revealing Klein.

"Keep your voice down, I told you I'd be here." Klein said, red-eyed with an accent.

Weiss rushes over, dropping both sword and suitcase in order to hug Klein with both arms.

Klein returns the hug and his eyes turn back to normal, "Are you sure Mistral is safe?"

"No, but it's where I'll find Winter." Weiss said, stepping back and clasping her hands formally in front of her.

"I suppose she'd be the only family you have left after tonight." Klein said, speaking with eyes that have turned light brown.

"I'll always have you." Weiss said, putting her hand on Klein's shoulder.

"You most certainly will." Klein said.

A loud bang from further in the house makes them both look. It is clear that Ironwood has gotten finally out of Jacques' study.

"Klein?! Klein, get down here this instant!" Jacques said, angrily.

Klein's shoulders slump, "Go, now."

Weiss grabs her things and goes through the secret passage in the corner of the library.

Weiss pauses to turn and look at the butler one more time, "Thank you, Klein."

He nods and shuts the door.

Menagerie...

It is daytime and birds tweet in the trees around the balcony outside Ghira Belladonna's study. Inside, a shirtless Sun Wukong lies on the couch, his head propped on the arm and his hands folded over his abdomen. Sun has a bloodied bandage on the left shoulder of his body where Ilia's Weapon had struck him, as Sun blinks awake.

Sun raises his head with a groan, "Blake?"

Blake Belladonna is sitting on a chair across from the couch, her body facing him. Her head is bowed and her hands are folded in her lap.

"This...is why, Sun. This is why I left them all behind." Blake said.

"What are you...wait, where am I?" Sun asked, sitting up.

Blake gets up and walks over to the couch as Sun looks around in confusion, "I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me."

"Blake…" Sun said.

"Shut up! Do you think I like being alone? Every day...every day I think about them! Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jared...they were my friends! I loved them like I never thought I could love anybody. And I hope they hate me for leaving." Blake said, angrily.

"You don't mean that." Sun said, raising himself up to reach out to Blake.

"Yes, I do!" Blake said, as she is forceful enough with her voice that Sun pulls back.

"Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can't." Blake said, holding her hand to her head, as she is sitting down. "You saw Ilia last night and she's not even the worst! No. No more. They're better off without me. I made my choices and I'll deal with the consequences because they belong to me."

"You think you're being selfless, but you're not. Yeah, that chameleon friend of yours got me pretty good. But I'd do it all again if it meant protecting you." Sun said, and Blake turns to face him, surprised. "And I can promise Yang would say the same. Especially Jared, he has protected you, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang so many times. As the four of you traveled with him and the Doctor, seeing all of time and space in a big blue box."

Blake turns away, looking down.

"You can make your own choices, sure. But you don't get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it's because we want to. So stop pushing us out! It hurts more than anything the bad guys could ever do to us." Sun said, sitting up fully, with effort.

Sun looks at the floor and Blake, who had turned to face him, turns away again, "But, if it makes you feel any better, the next time I go up against Lizard Girl, it won't be for you...it'll be to get even."

He attempts to point to his wound with his left thumb, but he can not complete the motion and it aggravates his injury. Sun winces in pain and

Blake laughs, "My hero."

The door behind Blake, the same one that Sun crashed through the night before, crashes down again. This time it is Kali Belladonna embarrassing herself through eavesdropping too closely. Behind her, Ghira looks down at his wife on the ground with his hand on his hip. Kali pops upward again.

"Oh! Oh dear, would you look at that, he's awake! Thank goodness!" Kali said, in an affected tone.

"Kali, please." Ghira said, covering his face with his hand.

"Mom!" Blake said, angrily.

"Hey, Mrs. B!" Sun said, happily.

"What are you doing?!" Blake exclaimed, walking over to her mother.

"Well, sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the two of you." Kali said.

"Huh?" Blake asked, and a Scroll is set down on the coffee table.

It shows a master folder labeled W. F. with six subfolders inside. The subfolders are labeled: Assignment, E.L., P.R., E.W., S. F., Untitled.

"I'm afraid you were right to be suspicious." Ghira said.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang, and stage a full-scale attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again."

"Not if we destroy the White Fang once and for all." Sun said.

"No." Blake said, standing up, full of decision. "We're not going to destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back."

Kuroyuri...

Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie run through the abandoned Kuroyuri.

"Not again, not again…" Ren said.

They come to a stop after passing under an arch leading to the center of town. Ren is panting, but Nora is hardly winded. Ren lifts his head and his worried eyes change to ones smiling in relief.

In front of them, Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, and Jared Shay face the other way, but abruptly turn, Jaune putting his hand on his weapon. Qrow is propped up against the tree.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I thought you guys were taking another route." Jared said, looking at Ren and Nora. "Away from here, Flower Power."

"Did you hear that noise? What was that?!" Jaune exclaimed.

Ren's eyes grow wide and he falls to his knees, clearly alarmed, "No…"

"Ren! What is it?!" Ruby exclaimed, as the sound of plodding footsteps can be heard coming closer.

"That's a loud Grimm." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "This is as scary as a Cyber Controller."

"Wait, you guys hear that?" Jaune asked.

"No…" Ren said, in weak protest.

"Ren?" Nora asked.

The footsteps come to a stop. A bone horse head breathes loudly, exhaling black smoke. Within the bones are glowing red lights and around it is the black flesh of a Grimm.

Ren lifts his head.

"Nuckelavee." Jared said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "This is bad, Little Red. Really, really bad."

Weapons can be seen, stuck into an offscreen body that has bones sticking out perpendicular to its spine. Slowly, a torso raises, revealing a horned, humanoid Grimm. The horns and front part of the face are bone while the mouth is merely thin strips of Grimm flesh stretching across an opening. The mouth, the bones, and the eyes all glow red. The Nuckelavee twitches its head and roars.