S4 E1
Cinder POV
(Evernight Castle, war room)
That fight with those brats has left me... Unable to fight for the moment, losing an arm and eye will do that. Humiliating is what that was! The eyes! That boy's power! My mission was a success for the most part, but that isn't making my return any more welcoming than it would otherwise, not that I can voice it right now. Tyrian is still insane, and annoying, Hazel is indifferent, and Watts is still as arrogant and condescending as ever. I snapped my fingers to catch Emerald's and Mercury's attention from the window and the Grimm spawning below us so they come to the table.
"Yes, yes, please keep your... Posse... In check." Watts said.
Mercury needed to be stopped from doing something stupid by Emerald.
"You hear that?" He asked. "Silence. I've half the mind to thank that little girl and boy that bested you." If looks could kill, he would be dead right now.
"If I were you, I'd hunt them down... Find them, and... Well, they took YOUR eye, didn't they?" Tyrian, the scorpion tailed Faunus said before he broke out into his psychotic laughing fit. Does he honestly think I wouldn't if I were able?
I tried to respond, but I couldn't. As Emerald leaned over to hear and speak in my place, Watts opened his mouth again.
"Pathetic. Why did you even-" The doors opened, silencing everyone, and demanding we stand at attention as Salem walked in and passed her seat, standing at the altar-like construct behind it.
"Watts." She addressed him. "Do you find such malignance necessary?" She asked before waving her hand down, allowing the rest of us to sit.
"I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure." He answered before taking his seat.
"Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower... And most importantly... Killed dear Ozpin." She listed, pleased. "So I'm curious. To what 'failures' are you referring?"
"Well... The girl with the silver eyes and the magic boy who can control Grimm."
"Yes." Hazel spoke up. "We've dealt with her kind before, though he is a new one. How is it two novices were able to best one of us?"
"My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless." Watts agreed.
"It is BECAUSE of the Maiden's power." Salem began to explain. "Make no mistake, Cinder. You hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness... Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment." Damnit! "Doctor Watts. You are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral."
"Very good."
"Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."
"Hehehe. Gladly." Doesn't take much to please him.
"And Hazel... Has Adam been found?"
"No... I believe he may have been bested at Beacon. Most likely by the boy."
"And he's supposed to be a 'novice'? No matter. Your next assignment is to ensure the loyalty of Sienna Khan. Adam secured the meeting before Beacon fell, I'll leave it to you."
"As you wish." He said, nodding his head. I needed Emerald to speak for me.
"Speak, child." Salem told Emerald as she stood back up.
"She wants to know... What about the girl and her friend?" Emerald said. Watts scoffed.
"What about them? Seems to me that this is Cinder's problem, not ours." He said. I slammed my hand on the table, of course he would say that! The bastard just smiled at my reaction.
"That's enough." Salem said, putting a stop to the problem before it became one. "Tyrian?"
"Yes, my lady?" He said, tilting his head.
"Spring can wait. Find the children that did this to Cinder." He started acting like a child, a disturbingly excited child. "And bring them to me." His excitement was immediately replaced with disappointment. "Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen... And Haven will be next." She said to all of us. As we all stood back up, Tyrian had oone thing to say to me.
"An eye for an eye..." And now he's laughing again. How I wish I could end that my way. "But who to capture first?" Will you shut up??!!
S4 E3
Cassiel POV
Ruby and Qrow have been gone for a while now. I'm still resting in Taiyang's home, and I still feel like shit. At least the company is pleasant. Slowly making my way down the stairs, using Lionheart as a makeshift cane, I saw Yang sitting on the couch. She had a defeated look on her face.
"Mind if I sit down?" I asked.
"Sure, go ahead." She sounds about as bad as she looks, not in the way you might be thinking. As I took a seat next to her, she turned on the news. She lingered on a channel talking about who was behind the attack. Officials confirmed Adam was present, but it would seem they couldn't find him. They better not find a fucking body. I wrapped an arm around Yang, causing her to tense up for a second.
"There's nothing left of him besides his weapon, I made sure of that. He can't hurt anyone, especially you and Blake ever again."
"I know..." She looked like she wanted to say something else, but the front door opened up.
"I'm home!" Taiyang announced, carrying in a few bags and boxes. Yang leaned back to see him.
"Hey dad." She greeted.
"Guess what came in today?" He said, excited.
"What?" Yang asked.
"I can't wait for you to try this." He said as he took everything into the kitchen, then came back with a long and thin white box. He set it on the table, it had the insignia for Atlas on top. "Well?"
"It's... For me?"
"For you and you only." He smiled. She opened it, a prosthetic arm, and looks brand new. "Brand new, state of the art Atlas tech." Yang just stared at it like she's trying to comprehend what's in front of her. "You know, I thought I was gonna have to pull some strings, call in a few favors. But you earned this one all on your own, kiddo."
"Huh?"
"Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this... For you. He wanted me to tell you that you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself."
"So me pointing a gun at him and telling him to never contact me again unless he gave Yang a new arm had nothing to do with this?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, you did what??!!" Both asked me at the same time.
"Come on, it's not the first time I pointed a weapon at him."
"Again, WHAT??!!" Taiyang shouted. Yang looked back at the arm, then looked away.
"I uh... I'm not feeling too great right now. Maybe later?" She said. Taiyang was disappointed, but respected it nonetheless.
"Well, alright." He said. Yang stood up and walked about halfway up the stairs before she stopped.
"Thanks, dad." After a few more seconds, she continued, up to her room I'm assuming. I closed the box and handed it to Taiyang.
"She'll try it on. You said it yourself, she won't let this stop her." I said as he took the box.
"I still hate seeing her like this." A saddened look on his face.
"Her flames will reignite, and burn brighter in the long run. She'll get better much sooner thanks to that new arm."
"I hope you're right..."
"I'm always right. Anyway..." I got off the couch myself. "I should probably get going."
"And where are you off to in your condition?" He asked, concerned I was being reckless.
"First I'm going to say goodbye to Yang. Then I'm heading to Menagerie."
"That's a long trip, sure you don't need help yourself?"
"I have a way there in a fraction of the time. I'll be fine." I reached the stairs. "Before I go, I think I'd like to see Summer Rose's grave."
"Mind if I ask why?" He asked, slowly.
"I remember hearing Yang talk about her before Beacon fell. Because of what Summer was forced to leave behind." I answered. "If she was anything like Ruby, I think we would have gotten along just fine. Of all the things she would regret, not being able to be around for your family would probably be what she would regret most, but she should be proud of what she left behind. Proud of you for keeping the family together, proud of her daughters for what they've become despite the tragedy. You've done the best anyone could ask for from someone in your position and then some, your daughters are proof of that." He looked down at the floor, tears falling down to the floor. His shoulders trembled a little before he wiped away the tears and looked back up at me.
"Thank you. I'll be outside waiting." He walked out the door, closing it behind him. I continued up the stairs to Yang's room, it was closed, so I knocked.
"Come in." She said. I entered and leaned against the wall, letting myself slide down until I was sitting.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'll be leaving shortly." She looked at me in surprise.
"So soon? You still don't look good enough for travel." I summoned Nightfall to open a portal.
"The trip is shorter than you would think." I closed it and dismissed Nightfall. "And you're worried about my condition? You're the one that suffered what would be permanent damage without that new arm."
"Can we not talk about that?"
"Let me just say a few things before I say goodbye to family for the unforeseeable future. You're going to make it through this, Yang. Had I been stronger, that monster wouldn't have hurt you and Blake. I don't think I can ever apologize enough for what happened. The least I could do was make your nights less terrifying."
"What do you mean by that? You weren't watching me sleep, were you?" About that...
"That was actually my first idea, but then another one presented itself. Let's just say that I'm suffering your nightmares for you." I answered.
"Uuhh... I'm gonna need more to go on than that..." She said slowly.
"It doesn't have to make sense to you. As the Cursebearer, I decided that your nightmares would become my curse. You've been sleeping soundly since the first time you woke up, screaming. That's because I made them my own." I explained without going into detail. She looked down at her arm, gripping it lightly.
"It's not your fault, what happened to either of us." She said, her eyes tearing up.
"Blake said the same thing, but that doesn't make me feel any less guilty." I struggled to stand back up, seeing this, she helped me get back on my feet before hugging me. I returned it before finishing what I was saying. "I can't help you in anyway that your father isn't already trying without making you feel worse, so let me keep doing this one thing for you? At least let me ensure your nights aren't filled with nightmares?" I asked, looking up at her, though I'm not sure I could even give them back. She looked at me for the longest time like she thought no matter how I put it, it still wouldn't sit right with her.
"Alright." She hugged me a little tighter. "Just ask me first before doing something like this again, okay?"
"That's not a promise I'm going to make, sorry." She let me go.
"It was worth a try. Be safe, alright?"
"Heh, define 'safe'?"
"*sigh* I guess that's the best I'll get out of you, huh? Well, I'll be seeing you."
"If you need me, I'll be just a call away, assuming I'm not preoccupied that is. Goodbye for now." I went to retrieve Adam's weapons that I wrapped in cloth a short time ago before going out front to meet with Taiyang so he could lead the way to Summer's grave. It was by a cliff not far from the home, close enough that a daily visit from loved ones could more than likely be squeezed into one's schedule, mourning or otherwise accepted it.
'Thus kindly I scatter? That sounds familiar.' Taiyang took a few steps back to give some space. I took a closer look at the emblem, I guess Ruby's carrying on her legacy in more ways than one.
"Never thought I'd be speaking to a headstone." I kept my voice low in case Taiyang doesn't like something I say. "Then again, I never thought anything in the past several months would happen, what's one more surprise? If the dead really do watch over the living, then I'm sure you know what just happened to Beacon? What happened to your daughters and the team? For what it's worth to the dead, I'm sorry I couldn't do more for them. Despite that though, Ruby is off doing her own thing, probably the same thing you would have done, and Yang is on her way to recovery."
"You were in Ozpin's circle, weren't you? I imagine he tries to recruit silver eyed warriors whenever possible? I doubt you were just killed, rather, you willingly paid the price so others could continue the fight? To go against impossible odds, knowing you would fail, but it was your resolve that I hope made some kind of impact on this war? If I know Ruby, she's probably about to get involved herself, but she has Qrow watching over her I'm sure. The rest of the team is probably going to follow, as much as I'd prefer they stay out of it. As for my standpoint now? Revenge. If you were anything like Ruby, then that's one more thing worth avenging. I swear, your sacrifice will not have been in vain. I'll end Salem, and put an end to this so they don't have to. That is a promise I intend to keep." I summoned Nightfall and opened a portal.
"I guess this is goodbye for now." Taiyang said as he walked towards me.
"It is. I'm sure you or at least your daughters and the rest of the team will see me again though." I responded.
"Take care, alright?" He said as I walked through the portal.
The first thing I noticed was the time of day. It was around 4 or 5 pm when I left Taiyang's home, the sun hadn't gone down enough to be considered setting, now it is. Probably 2 or 3 hours ahead. The next thing I noticed was that I was on a boat and we were far enough out that land couldn't be seen, and I was near the top of the boat. I summoned Nightfall as wingblades to get a better view, maybe find Blake above deck. She was on the right side of the boat, leaning towards the railing. I landed a good distance away as to not startle her and give myself room to land. As I started making my way towards her, I had an idea. I reached for my scroll and called her. It took her a few seconds to pick up.
"Cassiel? Is everything okay?"
"Still in pain, but otherwise I'm fine. You?"
"Waiting for the ship to land in Menagerie, I forgot how long the trip felt from Menagerie to Vale. Are you on your way?"
"If you'll look to your right, you'll see I'm already here." I hung up and made my way towards her as she turned to me, smiling lightly.
(I couldn't really find a better one, ignore Sun's presence, he is not here)
"How did you get here?" Did I forget to show her the other portals I can use?
"Portals, they will never not be bullshit." I removed my mask and looked her up and down, I think I like the new look, though something was missing. "I see you're not wearing the bow. You decide you don't need it anymore, or just for Menagerie?"
"I'm done hiding what I am." She answered. I looked at my mask.
"Maybe one day, I'll do away with the mask for good." I looked back at her. "How's the wound?" She pulled the lower left section of her (would you say that's a shirt or a jacket?) up and showed me where Adam stabbed her. There wasn't even a scar, I'm guessing Curaga fixed that.
"It feels fine, there's not even a scar. Is Yang doing any better?"
"She'll be back at it soon. According to her father, Ironwood had his personal scientists build her the best prosthetic arm they could, and it came in today. That, and I made sure she wouldn't have nightmares again, especially of that night." I moved closer to and hugged her. "It's nice seeing you, the new look as well." Her ears perked up as she blushed a little.
"Thank you..." She reciprocated the hug, I heard her purring again. Yeah, this is fucking adorable. Unfortunately, that moment was killed when a Grimm rose out of the water.
Upon seeing this, I did the most reasonable thing anyone would do in my position. After Blake and I moved away from each other, I summoned Nightfall as a bow and started shooting it.
"Fuck! Off! You! Asshole! Fucking! Die! Damnit!" I shouted as I fired each arrow. It kept evading everything. Blake used her Semblance and weapon to get up close to it as it was in the air. Once she landed back on the ship, it tried to dive into the ship, but the captain steered it to the right just before it could hit the ship. It looped around and over the ship, then back under when it started getting shot by cannons. Once it came back up, it's fins folded back and it sprouted wings.
"Why is that a thing? Why does a fucking sea dragon that's already near the top of the food chain need wings?" I asked no one in disbelief. "Fuck it!" I tried a shotlock, using Light on Nightfall should be fine. After a few seconds, over 2 dozen arrows were fired at once, each arrow chasing the dragon even underwater. It tried to shoot us with lightning, but every arrow tore right through it's entire body and it dropped back into the water. Blake jumped down to me, she looked concerned when she saw how heavily I was breathing.
"Are you alright?" She asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and back.
"I'll be-*huff* I'll be fine- whoa!" I fell forward onto my knees.
"Cassiel!" She screamed I think.
"I feel dizzy... Shotlocks... Bad idea!!!"
"Come on, let's get you below deck and into a bed!" She said as she helped me stand back up and pulled my arm over her shoulder.
"That... Would be... Nice..." That might have slowed down my recovery, at least it's not causing immense pain or misfiring. Maybe I can use regular magic again? No, I'm not risking it right now.