SAPR

by Scipio Smith

Breaking Confidence (New)

Breaking Confidence

“What’s she going to speak to Professor Ozpin about?” Amber asked as Sunset walked away from them, out the dining hall and into the courtyard beyond.

Pyrrha was almost certain that she knew, although Sunset hadn’t told her so: she was going to tell Professor Ozpin that it was Cinder who had murdered Phoebe Kommenos.

That was Pyrrha’s thought, and she would be astonished if it were not Sunset’s thought as well; she had seen it in Sunset’s eyes, the knowledge, the certainty.

After all, whatever enemies Phoebe might have made in the arena, they were far less likely to have murdered her than the murderous stepsister whom she had … well, Pyrrha wasn’t entirely sure what Phoebe had done to Cinder, but Sunset had certainly implied that it was bad, perhaps even bad enough to drive Cinder to villainy, and Sunset, with her semblance, ought to know.

They both, it seemed, suspected Cinder, and once Professor Ozpin knew the truth about her, knew where she came from, then he would likely suspect her too, and then…

Well, Pyrrha was not sure about the what then, but the now was quite worrying enough. That Cinder had been able to get into Vale, although she was wanted, hunted, although her name and face had been distributed to every police precinct, although everyone knew that she was responsible for the Breach, an enemy of Vale, an enemy of mankind … yet still, she managed to reach into the heart of Vale and strike down Phoebe.

Phoebe.

Pyrrha … Pyrrha found herself … regretting Phoebe’s death. They had not been friends, and despite what she had pretended, despite what she had been forced almost by necessity to pretend in front of Lycus and the others, there had never been a true reconciliation between them. She had not liked Phoebe, not ever, and according to the ancient customs of Mistral, it might well be said that she had given Cinder cause and more to take her life, but all the same, Pyrrha found there was a regretful feeling in her heart. A sickly feeling, that felt as though it might overturn her stomach.

A life snuffed out, and a great Mistralian house too. Phoebe’s ancestors had fought on both sides of the Battle of Four Sovereigns, they had carried Soteria into battle for the House of Nikos on many occasions through many generations; an ancestor of hers had been the first over the wall during the storming of Thebes, another had been the first to land upon the shores of Kaledonia. The Kommenos family had been retainers of the House of Nikos when the Thracian lords had been kings of their own realm and rivals for the throne of Anima. Phoebe had come from a line as old as any in Mistral, older than most, and old in honour too; and now, that line was ended, with her life.

Cinder had not only killed a person, which would have been bad enough, but she had struck down a part of Mistral’s history, too.

She felt a hand upon her shoulder: Jaune’s hand. His face was solemn, not sad as Pyrrha felt, but solemn-looking in respect of the occasion nonetheless. He did not say anything; he neither asked if she was alright nor sought to make her feel better. But his hand was upon her shoulder, and that was not nothing to her.

Pyrrha thanked him with her gaze as she raised her right hand and placed it gently atop his.

“Pyrrha?” Amber asked. “Are you…?” Amber trailed off. “Did you know her?”

“She was their opponent in the fight yesterday,” Nora explained.

“And they’d fought each other before, in the arena in Mistral,” Ruby added.

“All the same, I’m a little surprised that you look so glum about it,” Arslan said. As the other Haven students began to drift back to their seats and tables, Arslan took the seat so recently vacated by Sunset. “Unless you really did make up before your duel.”

Pyrrha didn’t say that she had not, and surely, Arslan could not expect her to; instead, she said, “A woman is dead, and an old Mistralian family is ended; should I not regret these things?”

“'An old Mistralian family,'” Arslan repeated. “P— Pyrrha, I know that that is your world and all, but having had to sit through one term of the history of our old families already, I have to say, in the nicest possible way, if you people have inherited the virtue of your noble ancestors, then how do you explain Phoebe?”

“Arslan, she is dead,” Pyrrha replied, a touch of reproach entering her tone. “Might we not—?”

“Lie about her?”

“Show some respect,” Pyrrha corrected.

“No,” Arslan said bluntly. “I didn’t like her, and I’m not going to pretend that I did just because she’s not around anymore. Didn’t it stick in your throat having to say that?”

“It would have troubled me more if Lycus had continued to accuse me of the crime,” Pyrrha pointed out.

Arslan frowned. “Well, that’s a point, I suppose.”

“He seemed very upset,” Amber murmured.

“He was her teammate,” Ruby said.

Jaune shook his head. “No, it was more than that,” he said. “He loved her.”

Pyrrha looked at him. “Love? Loved Phoebe?”

“Are you sure about that?” Arslan asked.

Jaune nodded. “I’m sure. I’m positive.”

“I agree,” Dove added. “For what it’s worth, I think Jaune’s on the money. It’s the way that he sounded, right?”

“The … anguish in his voice, yeah,” Jaune agreed. “And the anger, too, the frustration. He didn’t sound or act like someone who’d just lost a friend, or at least, I don’t think he did. I think … I think there was more there.”

Dove nodded in agreement.

The corners of Yang’s mouth turned up a little. “Well, you two ought to know, I guess.”

Nora looked at Jaune, and then at Dove. “What do you think, Ren?” she asked.

Ren shrugged. “They could be right,” he said. “He was clearly attached to her, but some friendships can be very strong, and the emotions when those bonds shatter can be equally powerful.”

“Mmm, yeah, I guess,” Nora muttered.

Pyrrha’s brow furrowed beneath her circlet. “But … I’m not aware of Phoebe dating anyone, were you, Arslan?”

“No, but I wasn’t really looking to find out,” Arslan said.

“Neither was I, I suppose, but I would have expected to see something about it,” Pyrrha murmured. “And besides, Phoebe would never date a faunus.”

“I didn’t say that they went out, or that she loved him,” Jaune pointed out. “I just said that he loved her.”

Yes, that was quite true; he hadn’t spoken of any reciprocity on Phoebe’s part, only of Lycus’ own feelings.

Did you know, Phoebe? If you had known, what would you have done?

If you had known that you could be happy, would you have turned away from your desire for fame and glory?

Obviously, it wasn’t a question that she could ever know the answer to; she would have needed, like Sunset, to be able to look into Phoebe’s soul to find the answer, and even if she had that power, it was too late to use it now.

“Rough on him if you’re right,” Cardin grunted. “She’s gone, and he has to live with it.”

“But he’ll get over it,” Penny said. “Won’t he? I mean, obviously, he won’t forget her, but … he’ll move on. He’ll move forward. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

“Yes,” Weiss said softly. “But just because you’re supposed to do something doesn’t mean that you will. Sometimes … sometimes, the hurts that people carry are too great, the wounds inflicted too deep, to be moved on from.”

“So … what then?” asked Penny.

Weiss sighed, as she clasped her hands together on the top of the table. “I can’t say,” she admitted. “I’m not sure that anyone can. It’s all … up to the person concerned. It all depends on them; on him, in this case. Depending on just how much she meant to him, what kind of person he is … none of us can really say where he’ll go from here.”

“All we can do is wish him well and hope that he has some good friends to support him,” Ruby added.

“Indeed,” Pyrrha murmured. “Indeed.”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes a moment and briefly prayed for the soul of Phoebe Kommenos, that her shade would find rest in whatever awaited the spirit after death.

Then she got to her feet. “Amber,” she said, “may I speak with you — and Dove, you too, I suppose — for a moment, outside the cafeteria?”

“Oh, of course, Pyrrha,” Amber said as she, too, rose to her feet, and Dove as well.

“Thank you,” Pyrrha said. “Excuse me,” she added to Jaune and Ruby, “I’ll be back soon.”

She walked out of the dining hall, with Amber and Dove following behind her, leading them not only outside but around the edge of the building towards the rear; the tourists hadn’t yet started to arrive for the second day of the tournament, but already, there were plenty of students about, moving in and out of the cafeteria and around the courtyard, getting their breakfast before the tourists did arrive, not to mention everyone setting up the fairground attractions. Even without the vast and heaving crowds that would shortly descend on Beacon, there were enough people able to make Pyrrha nervous of being overheard, and so she brought Amber and Dove around the rear of the dining hall, where there were no windows and hardly anyone actually went; it looked like a loading dock, with space to land an airship, with wheeled cages to transport goods back and forth and with some stacked tubs of industrial-quality fat that Pyrrha would very much rather not think about. And so, lest they be disturbed by any of the kitchen staff instead of the students, they moved on yet further, passing the loading dock and finding an unobtrusive spot beyond, where she could see no one and it appeared that nobody could see them either.

“A slightly less cosy part of Beacon,” Dove observed.

“But quiet,” Pyrrha replied.

“Yes,” Amber murmured. “Yes, it does look very quiet.” She paused for a moment, looking around. “What is it, Pyrrha?” she asked. “What did you want to talk to us about?”

“I…” Pyrrha trailed off, because it was somewhat … well, no, it wasn’t difficult — it was very straightforward really — but at the same time … she didn’t want to alarm Amber; that was the heart and the truth of it. She didn’t want to frighten her, after all that she’d been through already. She deserved better.

But in this world, we do not always get what we deserve, do we?

So, since I cannot give Amber what she deserves, I should at least give her the truth.

“Phoebe, the dead girl, the … murdered girl found in Vale,” she said. “I believe, and Sunset believes it too — that’s why she has gone to speak with Professor Ozpin — that Phoebe was murdered by…” — she drew in a deep breath — “Cinder.”

A gasp tumbled out of Amber’s mouth. Her eyes widened as she staggered a few steps backwards. “Cinder?” she repeated, her voice a high-pitched whisper. “Cinder, no, that … that’s not possible, that … it can’t be!”

“We may be mistaken,” Pyrrha said. “But I do not think it likely.”

“Why not?” Dove asked. “Why would Cinder want to kill an Atlas student? Who was this Phoebe person to her?”

“I would…” Pyrrha hesitated a moment. She did not really want to say; it would, after all, be a breach of confidence to someone who had, whatever her faults, saved Pyrrha’s life on two occasions — once in the Mountain Glenn tunnel, when her strength had begun to falter, and again when she had forced Merlot to disable the self-destruct mechanism. Although they were enemies, it did not sit entirely right with Pyrrha’s conscience. “I would ask that you trust me on this; there is cause to believe it. Cinder has cause, and I — we — know of no one else of whom we can say the same.”

“But I … but she…” Amber began.

“Amber?” Pyrrha asked, not really understanding what she was trying to say.

“Amber,” Dove murmured, putting his arms around her, his hands upon her arms just beneath the shoulders.

Amber shook her head. “She, Cinder, she’s here?”

“She is in Vale, or was, if our suspicions are correct,” Pyrrha said. “But Vale is not Beacon, and while I must confess it is concerning that she could come there, nevertheless, Vale is not Beacon. Please, do not be too afraid. I tell you this because it is true, and because you deserve and because perhaps you should be on your guard, but I beg you, do not be too afraid.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “Professor Ozpin may have some additional thoughts on how to protect you once Sunset tells him all of this, but until then … I will ask Yang to keep you company during Sunset and I’s match this morning; she is strong and valiant. Perhaps Ruby also would not mind giving the fight a miss and stay with Amber instead? “And then Sunset and I will return swiftly. Perhaps … I hesitate to confine you, but in the circumstances, perhaps it would be best if you stayed in our dorm room today, out of sight.”

Amber was silent. She clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head, as though it was her turn to pray for guidance or protection or both.

Pyrrha watched her but did not press her for a reply.

Dove, too, was silent, his arms still upon her, watching her; there was concern etched upon his face, but he said nothing.

Amber was silent a moment longer, and then another. Her lips moved, but no sound emerged.

What are you thinking? What do you feel? How fearful is your heart?

“No,” she said as she opened her eyes and looked up, looking Pyrrha in the eyes. “No, I … I am afraid,” she admitted, her whole body trembling. “But I don’t want to … I don’t want to be caged again. I don’t want to be shut away; I don’t want to shut myself away.”

“You do not want to let the fear rule you,” Pyrrha said softly. She smiled. “That is very brave and very admirable.”

Amber glanced away from Pyrrha towards Dove. “I don’t want to be shut in a cage.”

Pyrrha reached out and took Amber’s hands in hers. “Then we will see you well-protected,” she promised.

“And,” Dove began, his voice uncertain, “if Ozpin—”

“Sunset will not allow him to put you in a cage, I hope,” Pyrrha said. “I shall not, but I hope that will not be necessary. Sunset has more regard for Professor Ozpin than some of us now have, but nevertheless, in his presence, she will fight for you, I have no doubt.”

---

Sunset walked across the courtyard. It was still too early in the morning for visitors, but there were a fair few students heading the other way to her, towards the cafeteria and towards their breakfast.

Sunset paid them very little mind. They were a blur to her, vague shapes in uniforms or combat gear, moving past her like mist or shadow, insubstantial. Her mind was on other things. Her mind was a maelstrom. Her mind leapt from thought to thought like a flea on the back of a dog.

Cinder was in Vale. Cinder had, at least, been to Vale, although she might not be there now. Cinder had killed Phoebe Kommenos. Cinder had been to Vale. Phoebe was dead. Cinder had killed her. Phoebe was dead.

Sunset felt no pity for Phoebe Kommenos. She had been … knowing what she knew, it was hard not to think that Phoebe had gotten what she deserved, although possibly others kinder than Sunset — Pyrrha or Ruby — might scold her for an attitude like that. But they had not felt Cinder’s soul and heart as Sunset had; they hadn’t felt the fear of Phoebe that Cinder, that Ashley, had felt; they hadn’t felt the pain of what Phoebe had done to Ashley, the humiliation. They might know what Phoebe had done to Cinder, but only in the vaguest terms since Sunset had couched them in the vaguest terms. They didn’t know … they hadn’t felt the way that Cinder had felt.

Having felt it, Sunset could understand why Cinder had wanted her revenge, wanted it so badly that she had been willing to take it even though it had grown cold indeed.

Had wanted it so badly that she had been willing to give away her presence in Vale.

Of course, and this is very much a good thing from our perspective, she doesn’t know that there’s anything worth concealing her presence for; she doesn’t know about Amber, thank goodness.

Also, thank goodness we didn’t go down to the carnival last night; if Cinder had spotted Amber down there … it hardly bears thinking about.

How much of this really bears thinking about?

For Celestia’s sake, Cinder, couldn’t you have let us enjoy the tournament in peace without having to worry about all this stuff?

Really, you have only yourself to blame for the fact that I’m about to tell Professor Ozpin your secret. If you didn’t want it to come out, you shouldn’t have put me in a corner like this.

Sunset’s ears dropped into the midst of her flaming hair.

Not that you’ll understand.

Forgive me.

“Sunset? Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset stopped, pulled up by the voice of Mal Sapphire of Team PSTL; the Atlesian huntress stood beneath the statue of the huntsman and huntress that dominated the Beacon courtyard, hood down but the shadow of the statue obscuring her face a little nonetheless. She was waving one hand to attract Sunset’s attention, although it hadn’t worked out terribly well up until now.

Sunset shook her head as she made her way, a little curious, over to the statue and to Mal Sapphire. “Sorry,” she said softly, “my head was … somewhere else.”

“It’s fine,” Mal said quickly. “I’m feeling a little bit like that myself, ever since they told us…”

“Yeah,” Sunset muttered. “Yeah, I can imagine.” She paused for a moment, thrusting her hands into her pockets as she looked around. “Where are your teammates?”

“Thorn is with Lycus,” Mal explained. “Although I’m not entirely sure where that is right now. In Atlas, when Lycus … when it all gets too much for him, he goes up onto the roof; Atlas is just one big tower, you see, so from the roof, you can see all the way out across the city and beyond. It’s a beautiful view, even if it is a long way up. Lycus likes to take the stairs because he says that just the climb helps with his mood, never mind the view. There isn’t really anything like that here.”

“The view from the cliffs isn’t bad,” Sunset suggested, “provided you don’t mind trees.”

“That … well … maybe,” Mal murmured. “Thanks for the idea.”

Sunset took a step back, looking down at the black base of the statue. There was no sign of Sky’s picture, or of the flowers that had been left for him.

“After the Breach, there was a little memorial here to the student that died,” she said. “I’d suggest something similar, but with all of the tourists, I’m not sure that it would be allowed.”

“That’s fine,” Mal said. “When we get back to Atlas, Lycus can put her picture up on These Are My Jewels if he wants to, and maybe her … maybe there’ll be something for her in Mistral. I know that she had a lot of family history there.”

“Yes, so I understand,” Sunset murmured. “It was a storied line.”

Mal nodded. “That … we don’t really have those in Atlas; the old noble families were either purged before the war, or they died in the war, or they faded into irrelevance pretty quickly afterwards with everything that was changing. The closest thing we have is the Schnee family, and that’s only three generations old.”

“I know,” Sunset said. “I am … I lived in Atlas before I came to Beacon.”

“Oh,” Mal said. “Right. I didn’t know that. Sorry, I didn’t mean to tell you what dust is. Anyway, the point is … well, I suppose that I don’t know what it’s like in Mistral the way you know what it’s like in Atlas; maybe the other old families will honour her in some way … or maybe they’ll forget, since her family doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t know if she did anything for her family. But whatever, the real point is that Lycus can honour her back in Atlas, I suppose.”

Sunset noted that she hadn’t said anything about either her or Thorn honouring Phoebe, but she didn’t comment upon the fact. She didn’t want to get into that; in fact, she didn’t really want to be here at all; she wasn’t sure why she was here. She didn’t know — and wasn’t in much of a mood to speculate — as to why Mal had flagged her down the way she had. What did she want?

“I’m not,” Mal began, but then stopped, pausing. “It’s considered bad form to speak ill of the dead, and I wouldn’t want to say anything that would be frowned on in etiquette class. But, or should I say nevertheless … I’m sorry about what happened in the dining hall back there; it was … rude and uncalled for, and it doesn’t reflect opinions among the entire team, much less amongst the Atlas students generally. If you’re worried that this is going to precipitate some sort of hostility—”

“I wasn’t,” Sunset said, “I, we, have enough friends amongst the Atlas students that I wouldn’t expect that.”

“Right, yes, of course,” Mal said. “Rosepetal, Tsunami, Blake Belladonna … although I’m a bit surprised that the rest of Rosepetal have forgiven you for tempting one of their teammates away from Atlas.”

“We didn’t tempt Penny anywhere; she chose to come to Beacon,” Sunset said, a touch of terseness creeping into her voice.

“Right, sure,” Mal said quickly, raising both hands in a pacific gesture. “I’m sorry, I … I’m really not very good at this. I … I’m sorry. I meant no offence, I promise. Please accept my apology.”

Does she think that I’m going to hit her or something if I don’t accept it? Sunset wondered, before she remembered who Mal’s team leader was. She didn’t know how Phoebe had treated her teammates — Lycus certainly seemed to be broken up about her death, so she must have treated him okay — but, well, the chimera didn’t change its stripes, did it?

“It’s fine,” Sunset said. “Don’t worry about it.” She paused for a moment. “You’ll excuse me, but I was on my way—”

“Yes, sorry,” Mal apologised again. “I just wanted to say … I suppose I’ve said it, but I’m sorry about the way that Lycus confronted your teammates. We don’t think that she did it, and I don’t think that he does either. I … I have no idea what happened, but it seems so strange to think of a student from one of the academies committing a murder.”

“I agree,” Sunset said, which was easy when she knew — or at the very least strongly suspected — who had done it. “It doesn’t matter. I think that Pyrrha was able to defuse the situation with her words; if anything stuck, I would be surprised — or I might not be so forgiving, I must admit. But nobody … I don’t think anybody will take it seriously, and … if anything deserves to be forgiven, it's somebody in the throes of grief. I hope…” Now, it was Sunset’s turn to trail off, searching for the right words. Searching, moreover, for words which, if they conveyed no truth or profundity, at least appeared to be more than the regurgitation of shallow cliche. “It, um … it’s hard to know what to say that doesn’t sound banal, stale, and said too often, devoid of real sentiment or sympathy. To be honest, I’m not sure that I ought to wish for it to stop hurting him.”

“No?” Mal asked.

“No,” Sunset agreed. “I think … it ought to hurt, when you lose someone close to you. If it doesn’t, if it ever stops hurting, isn’t that a sign that you’ve forgotten them?”

“Or that you’ve moved on from it,” Mal suggested.

“How is that any different, other than that it’s phrased in such a way as to suggest a positive?” Sunset asked, and as she asked it, she could not help thinking about Cinder’s diatribe upon the subject on the night after the dance.

“I will not move. Not one step.”

“I … you can’t grieve forever,” Mal said. “You’ll destroy yourself. I think that Phoebe … it doesn’t matter.”

“Pyrrha’s thoughts are with Lycus, no doubt,” Sunset declared. “You can tell him that. It might be better than telling him what I just said.”

“Y-yes,” Mal murmured. “But I’m glad … there are no hard feelings. Now I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said quietly. “I hope … Lycus isn’t the only one who has my sympathy.”

Mal didn’t say anything, but she nodded.

Sunset nodded back at her and resumed her journey towards the tower.

With so many of the students headed towards the cafeteria, the way to the tower itself was not so crowded, although there were more Atlesian combat robots in the vicinity of the tower than elsewhere, and the guards upon the tower itself. Still, neither human nor robotic guards hindered Sunset in her progress, and she walked through the doors into the green-lit lobby of the tower itself.

It occurred to Sunset that perhaps she ought to have called ahead, if only to make sure that Professor Ozpin was both in his office and not busy. But the only times when Professor Ozpin didn't seem to be in his office appeared to be either when he was making announcements to the student body or popping up behind you like some sort of ninja to dispense sage wisdom — Sunset checked behind her to make sure she hadn't missed him — so she was reasonably confident that he would be at the top of the tower.

And if he wasn't, the elevator probably wouldn't let her go up that far.

As for whether he was busy, well, if he was, then he could always tell Sunset to go and she would go, and come back later.

So Sunset summoned an elevator and stepped into the first one available.

She used her scroll to confirm her identity and pushed the button to take her all the way up to Professor Ozpin's office on the very top of the tower.

The lift did not reject her request, but rather began to grind upwards, throbbing and thrumming as it carried Sunset slowly up and up.

Sunset breathed in and out.

"Hello, Professor, there's something that I've been sitting on for a bit that I've decided to finally tell you about."

I had good reasons for keeping it a secret.

Although I'm not sure Professor Ozpin will consider 'Cinder asked me not to spread her secrets around, and I promised I wouldn't' as a good reason.

It's not as though it would have really helped to have known the truth about her childhood, would it? It doesn't change who she is or what she's up to now.

Well, I suppose it did change what she was up to in Vale last night.

How was I to know that she was going to be in Vale last night?

Perhaps I should have known that she'd go after Phoebe.

I didn't think that she would be able to reenter Vale so easily.

We all thought that she was done. Now, Cinder has reminded us that it is not so.

Was that part of the point of this, Cinder? I know that you did it for your revenge, because of what she did to you, but at the same time, did you seek to remind us that you're still there and that your fangs are sharp? Or was it a mistake on your part to rouse us from our complacency?

If it had been part of a plan on Cinder's part, it was difficult to see what she gained by it, although of course, that was not to say that Cinder didn't gain anything by it, just that Sunset wasn't smart enough to work out what it was.

What, if anything, do you gain by a death? By this death?

"I gain my comfort, Sunset; I gain my peace, I gain my vengeance, I gain the sweet satisfaction of a nightmare banished. In this, I kill not only foe but fear itself." Sunset could hear Cinder's voice in her head, every word overemphasised and lingered upon in that theatrical manner than she had.

"Yes, Cinder, but how does that help you on your path to victory?"

In Sunset's head, Cinder laughed at that. "How does it help? Sunset, this is the Vytal Festival! In Mistral, it is a holiday, and nobody works towards their higher goal upon a holiday. You must allow a girl a little fun as this great celebration reaches its conclusion."

I hope that's all it is, Cinder.

The lift slowed to a halt, and the door opened with a soft beeping sound; Sunset stepped out into Professor Ozpin's office, her footsteps quiet compared with the grinding of the gears above.

Professor Ozpin was present, and he was alone, standing with his back to Sunset and the elevator, looking out of the immense windows at the world spread out beneath him. Sunset wondered if he could see the preparations in the fairgrounds for the second day of the tournament, or if his perch was too lofty to see so low.

Professor Ozpin looked over his shoulder. "Miss Shimmer," he said in a tone of mild surprise.

Sunset took a few steps forward. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Professor."

"Not at all, Miss Shimmer, not at all; I was merely observing the state of affairs," Professor Ozpin said as he turned around and walked back to his desk. "It occasionally does me good, I find, to look out and remind myself of what we are fighting to protect. Not, of course, that I do much fighting these days." He smiled, but only slightly and very briefly too. "What can I do for you, Miss Shimmer?" he asked as he sat down.

Sunset approached, until she was perhaps half a dozen paces away from the desk, the shadows of the gears above passing over her face. She clasped her hands together behind her back as though she were an Atlesian soldier and it was General Ironwood who sat before her. "You … are you aware that an Atlesian student died last night, Professor?"

Professor Ozpin nodded solemnly. "I am, Miss Shimmer; a very sad business. My thoughts are with her surviving teammates, of course."

"Of course, Professor," Sunset murmured. "Professor … Professor, I think that this was Cinder's work."

Professor Ozpin went very still, as if a cockatrice had ridden up in the elevator alongside Sunset and petrified him. He stared at her, unblinking, his grey eyes inscrutable, but his very stillness did not suggest that he was taking the news particularly well.

"Cinder Fall," he murmured.

"Yes, Professor," Sunset said, the words sounding heavy as they dropped out of her mouth.

Professor Ozpin continued to stare at her; it might have been Sunset's imagination, but she could have sworn that she saw the lines on his face deepening. "She returned to Vale?" he asked. His mouth opened, and Sunset heard the beginning of a 'wh' sound, or thought she did, but Professor Ozpin did not finish the word, let alone the thought, before he changed tack, "Miss Shimmer…" Again, he trailed off, falling silent.

He turned his chair around, putting his back to her, looking once more out of his window as an Atlesian airship glided by, temporarily obscuring most of the view of the immense Mistralian battleship floating above the city.

Sunset said nothing. She waited, patiently, for the professor to speak; even her tail was utterly still.

"Must move more swiftly. I should have…" Professor Ozpin murmured, speaking more to himself than to Sunset. He raised his voice, "Miss Shimmer, where is Amber now?"

"I left her in the dining hall, Professor," Sunset said, "with Pyrrha and the others."

"Have them bring her here, at once," Professor Ozpin said. "And if possible, have Miss Xiao Long join us also."

"Uh, yes, Professor," Sunset said. "At once." She turned away — not that there was much point, with him already having turned away from her — and fished her scroll out of her jacket pocket, opening it up and selecting Pyrrha's name out of her address book.

It did not take long at all for Pyrrha's face — with sky beyond it; she had obviously gone outside — to appear on the screen of Pyrrha's scroll. "Sunset," she said, "How did—?”

"Hey, Pyrrha," Sunset said, cutting her off. "Amber's with you, right?"

Pyrrha nodded. "And Dove, too."

"Good," Sunset said. "I need you to keep hold of them and bring them, Ruby, Jaune, and Yang up to Professor Ozpin's office."

"Yang?"

"Yes, and Yang, too," Sunset said.

"Right away?"

"Right away, yes."

Pyrrha frowned, but nodded. "Very well; we'll be there shortly."

"I'll see you then," Sunset said, before hanging up on her.

"Mister Bronzewing too?" Professor Ozpin asked.

Sunset turned around, to see that Professor Ozpin had done likewise and now looked at her from over his desk.

Sunset folded her scroll and put it away. "Yes, Professor," she said. "I take it that's not a problem."

"No," Professor Ozpin said softly. "No, I suppose it's for the best. She would … hate me, else." He paused, but not for long, seconds at most. "I take it that you have no objections to General Ironwood joining us in this meeting, Miss Shimmer? I think that he should hear this."

Sunset's arms fell down to her sides. "No, Professor," she said. "I understand why this would concern him."

Professor Ozpin tapped the transparent surface of his desk, bringing up a holographic interface over which his fingers moved nimbly.

A holographic screen appeared, divided into three, with the faces of not only General Ironwood but also of Professor Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen.

"Jimmy, Glynda," Qrow said. "Something up, Oz? We normally have these meetings in person?"

Professor Ozpin tapped a button on his interface, and the three images flickered for a moment.

"Miss Shimmer," Professor Goodwitch murmured; obviously, Professor Ozpin had reversed the direction in which the three were looking, so that they faced her instead of him.

"Professor," Sunset murmured.

"Miss Shimmer has come to me with…" Professor Ozpin trailed off as he walked around the desk to stand, not exactly beside her but at least in her vicinity, in view of General Ironwood, Professor Goodwitch, and Qrow. "Perhaps you had better tell them, Miss Shimmer."

"Yes, Professor," Sunset said. She took a deep breath and focussed her attention on General Ironwood. "General, I believe that your student, Phoebe Kommenos, who was found dead this morning, I think … Cinder is responsible."

"Cinder?" Qrow repeated. "She's in Vale?"

"If Miss Shimmer is correct," Professor Ozpin said.

"Why?" General Ironwood asked. "Why would Salem be interested in an Atlas student?"

"It wasn't for Salem, sir," Sunset said. "It was for Cinder herself. Phoebe Kommenos is, was…" — she swallowed, for her throat was dry — "Cinder's stepsister."

There was a moment of silence.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Shimmer?" Professor Goodwitch asked.

"You didn't know about this, Jim?" Qrow asked.

"I didn't know that Kommenos had a stepsister," General Ironwood said. "I didn't know that she had a stepfather; applying for Atlas, she told me that her father was dead and her mother had raised her and her sister alone. Miss Shimmer, how do you know this?"

"I…" Sunset raised her hand, opening and closing it in front of her face. "My semblance is … empathy, or touch telepathy, or more accurately, it's a bit of both. I touch people with my bare hand, and I can see their memories, feel what they are feeling — in fact, the default of it is that their emotions guide which of their memories I see. On the night that Cinder was revealed as an agent of Salem, I fought with her, and I touched her arm. My semblance activated, and I saw her memories of her past: Cinder's father married Lady Kommenos after his own wife died, and after he died too, Cinder was left in her stepmother's care. It…" Sunset hesitated. There were things that Professor Ozpin — and the others, she supposed — needed to know, but surely, they didn't need to know all the details. They didn't need to know what Cinder had gone through to turn Ashley Little-Glassman into Cinder Fall. "It didn't go too well for her. They were cruel. Phoebe was especially cruel."

"A bully," Professor Goodwitch murmured.

"Worse than a bully, Professor," Sunset said softly.

Professor Goodwitch looked at her, green eyes unblinking behind her spectacles. "I see," she said quietly, in a tone that made it hard to say if she truly saw or not.

"And you believe that Cinder murdered Miss Kommenos out of revenge for this … childhood mistreatment," Professor Ozpin said.

"I do, Professor," Sunset said. "She … Cinder killed her mother and her other stepsister; she set the fire that burned down the house with them inside. It seems … logical that she would want to kill Phoebe as well."

"Makes sense to me," Qrow muttered. "Honestly, it's far from the worst thing that she's done."

"Qrow," General Ironwood growled.

"Don't give me that, James," Qrow replied. "Not all of us were lucky enough to have dads who sprayed water on the roof with a hosepipe so you could fall asleep on the night of your big exam. I used to fall asleep dreaming about cutting my old man's throat while he slept because of the way he treated us."

"And did you?" asked General Ironwood.

"No, I cut it off in battle; he was leading a raid on some podunk village, and I happened to be nearby," Qrow said. "But it was still a good day. This Cinder girl has done some real evil: what she did to Amber, attacking Vale. That, I'll condemn. But sometimes, the monsters in your family give you as little choice as the grimm out there, and I won't condemn anyone for doing what they have to, no matter what kind of person they turn out to be afterwards."

"For justice?" asked General Ironwood.

"For peace," Qrow corrected him. "For a little … closure, I guess."

"That's as may be," General Ironwood said, before he fixed Sunset with a baleful gaze, "but that doesn't change the fact that you knew about this, you've known for months, and you didn't say anything!"

"Yes, sir."

"Why did you keep silent, Miss Shimmer?" asked Professor Ozpin calmly.

"Because," Sunset swallowed again, "because Cinder asked me to, Professor. She wasn't thrilled about my knowing the truth about her past; she didn't want anyone else knowing it either."

"So you kept it entirely to yourself?" asked Professor Goodwitch.

"I … told my teammates before Cinder called with the message inviting us to Mountain Glenn," Sunset admitted. "She wasn't particularly happy that they knew, particularly not that Pyrrha knew, and she was very insistent that I not tell anyone else. She told me that she had a right to the privacy of her past, and I agreed with her."

"The privacy of her past has gotten one of my students killed," General Ironwood growled. "If any of what you say is true; that isn't the Kommenos that I knew."

"You can't have it both ways," Qrow said. "Either Sunset here kept the truth from you, which might have gotten the girl killed but also means that she sounds like she had it coming, or it isn't true, in which case—"

"The fact that Cinder Fall believed it still means that there was a target on Kommenos' back," General Ironwood said. "If I had known, I would have—"

"What would you have done, James?" asked Professor Ozpin. "Spirited her away to Atlas for safekeeping? Set a guard upon her?"

"Perhaps both," General Ironwood replied. "Did it not occur to you that you might be putting Kommenos in danger by keeping Cinder's confidence?"

"General, I would put money on Phoebe having put Pyrrha in danger by spreading rumours about her that goaded her into challenging Cinder to a duel to the death," Sunset said. "All I did … Cinder had been chased out of Beacon; first, she was at Mountain Glenn, and then … I didn't think that she could get back into Vale. I didn't think that their paths would ever cross again. I knew that Cinder had motive, but I didn't expect her to ever get the opportunity."

"What's done is done," Professor Ozpin said. "Recriminations cannot bring Miss Kommenos back. James, it is pointless to cast blame in this. None of us expected that Cinder Fall would be able to reenter Vale."

"If she did," Professor Goodwitch replied. "Miss Shimmer offers a compelling motive, but no proof."

"True, Glynda, but I suggest that we proceed on the assumption that Miss Shimmer is correct, if only for Amber's safety," Professor Ozpin said.

"What's the plan, Oz?" Qrow asked. "Tell the cops who are already supposed to be looking for Cinder? How did she even get past the gate?"

"We don't know the semblances of her confederates," Professor Goodwitch said. "Or Cinder's own semblance. Perhaps one or more of them has some ability that allows them to infiltrate past Vale's defences."

"Something happened when my team caught up with them," General Ironwood said. "According to Captain Ebi's report, one minute, they had Cinder's team on the ropes, the next … he describes it like a madness coming over them."

"Great, somebody has a semblance that can mess with your head," Qrow growled. "Those are the worst kind." He paused for a moment. "Maybe the second worst."

"I do not wish to risk the police prying into our secrets by having them question Miss Shimmer," Professor Ozpin said, "but I will politely request that they redouble their vigilance for Cinder Fall, for whatever good that may do. In the meantime, James, I would be grateful if you could have your units begin searching Vale, beginning with the area around the crime scene. It is possible, at least, that Cinder may have gone to ground nearby; your people may have better luck in a second round."

General Ironwood nodded. "I'll get them on it right away."

"I could take a look around, too," Qrow offered. "I might hear something Jimmy's Atlesian special operatives drown out with their boots crashing around."

"No, Qrow, I have something else I need you to do," Professor Ozpin.

At just that moment, the elevator pinged. The door opened, and out stepped Pyrrha, Amber, Dove, Ruby, Jaune, and Yang.

"Professor," Pyrrha said, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I apologise if we kept you waiting."

"Not at all, Miss Nikos; you're all just in time," Professor Ozpin said, venturing a slight smile. "Please, come in, Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, Mister Arc, Mister Bronzewing. Amber."

"Ozpin," Amber said softly, so softly that Sunset couldn't discern a tone in her voice.

"Professor Goodwitch," Yang said. "Uncle Qrow?"

"Hey, kids," Qrow said. "Oz, what's Yang doing here?"

"Oh, thanks a lot, Uncle Qrow!" Yang said, bristling visibly. A red tint entered her eyes as she planted both hands upon her hips.

Qrow sighed. "I didn't mean … I'm sorry, kiddo, I just—"

"If we may continue," Professor Ozpin said. Nevertheless, despite having said that he paused for a moment. "It has been brought to our attention that, last night, Cinder Fall may have entered into the city of Vale and taken the life of one of General Ironwood's students. While we had always considered the possibility that Vale might be unsafe, and my requirements that Amber should be accompanied by at least all four members of Team Sapphire in the city reflected that, nevertheless, the events of last night have brought home to the precariousness of our position. Therefore, I have decided to accelerate our plans. Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, as soon as the Vytal Tournament is over, I would like you to take Amber … and Mister Bronzewing to Patch, to your home, to stay with you and your father until I can find a more permanent residence for Amber. Qrow, I want you to go with them also."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Oz?" Qrow asked.

"There is no one that I trust more, Qrow," Professor Ozpin replied, calmly but firmly at the same time.

Qrow was silent for a moment. "Okay," he grunted. "If you're sure."

"Patch," Amber murmured. "Where is Patch? What's it like?"

"It's an island just off the coast of Vale, a little to the west of here," Ruby explained. "It's kind of small, and kind of quiet, especially at our house because it's … a little bit out of the way."

"It's a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere," Yang said.

"But it's really nice and cosy," Ruby insisted. "It's comfortable, and Dad has a great garden that he takes really good care of, with sunflowers and roses and all kinds of flowers, and then, like Yang said, there are woods all around with badgers and foxes and rabbits, and cliffs with … with a really great view of the sea."

"That … that does sound lovely," Amber agreed. She smiled a little. "It almost sounds like the sort of place I might like to stay forever."

"That won't be possible, I'm afraid," Professor Ozpin said. "Secluded as it is, there is always a chance that our enemies might seek to look for you at Tai's house. This is a stopgap measure, nothing more."

"Yes," Amber said. "Yes, of course it is. I see."

"But we'll have some fun while you're with us," Yang assured her. "Make some memories that you'll never forget. Hey, does this mean that I'm part of the club now? Can I come to all your secret meetings?"

"This isn't a game, Yang," Qrow said.

"No, it's not a game; it's the biggest thing in the world, and you kept me on the outside of it while letting Ruby stroll through the door," Yang said, all levity dropping from her tone.

Qrow didn't meet his niece's eyes.

Professor Goodwitch said, "You have a right to your frustration, Miss Xiao Long, but you are correct; from this moment, you are, as you say, in the club. Where I always thought you belonged."

That last sentence was accompanied by a brief glare in Qrow’s direction.

"Professor?" Jaune said, raising his hand a little. "If … if it's so urgent to get Amber away, and I guess I can see why you want to, why wait until the tournament is over? Why not send Amber to patch right now?"

"Because Miss Xiao Long is still due to fight in the tournament, and even Miss Rose's absence would be noted if she were to suddenly disappear while her team was still in contention," Professor Ozpin explained. "Even if they were to leave unseen, their vanishing might be noticed and, on being noticed, might invite questions that could point to Patch. It will be better to take advantage of general dispersal at the end of the tournament, as students from all the academies return home to their own kingdoms to prepare for the new academic year at their own schools. Amidst everyone else going home, Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long doing so will not be noted."

"So … until then," Sunset began, then hesitated because once she had asked the question she wouldn't be able to ignore the answers that she — or Amber, more importantly — didn't like. "Until then … are there to be any changes to Amber's … arrangements?"

Amber went very still, her eyes flickering between Sunset and Professor Ozpin.

No one spoke as the gears of the clock ground on above them.

Professor Ozpin held out his hands in front of him, looking as though he wished he had his cane so that he would have something to hold or lean on. "What do you think, Miss Shimmer?" he asked. "Or any of you?"

"I think … that Cinder, having had her revenge, has little reason to remain in Vale or to return again, not knowing that Amber is awake," Sunset said. "And I think, Professor, that if Amber is to be spirited away so soon, then it would be a shame if … if she couldn't make the most of her last couple of days with us. Amber wanted to go down to the carnival tonight; I don't know if she still does, recent events might have changed her mind."

"I … I don't…" Amber trailed off. Dove took her hand, and Pyrrha placed a hand of hers upon her shoulder. "I suppose … I suppose I am afraid," Amber went on. "But I don't … I don't want to let my fear … I don't want it to keep me prisoner, the way that…" She didn't finish, but the conclusion was obvious, and so was the way that Professor Ozpin flinched from the unspoken accusation. "If I do have to go back into a dark box soon, I want to live in the light as much as I can before that."

"It's a large crowd," Professor Goodwitch warned. "A lot of noise, a lot of people."

"It won't just be the four of us, Professor," Sunset said quickly. "Team Rosepetal will join us too, and Blake, and Yang too, I hope."

"Fine by me," Yang said. "Just happy to be included."

"That's nine people, since Twilight doesn't really count and shouldn't be counted," Sunset went on. "We can arrange a comprehensive plan for Amber's protection; we've done it before for her first trip into Vale."

"The circumstances will be more challenging this time," Professor Ozpin warned.

"Yes, Professor, I'm sure, but I'm also sure that we can adapt to that," Sunset declared. "Please, Professor, I … I understand your concerns, but I ask that you … do not let Amber's last days here be nothing but grey misery of anticipating her impending departure. As Amber says, let the light shine a little longer."

Professor Ozpin did not offer an immediate response. Eventually, after some little time marked by the incessant sounds of the clock above had passed, he said, "You will provide me with your plan for Amber's protection; I will approve it, or Amber will remain here at Beacon."

"Yes, Professor," Sunset said. "Of course."

Professor Ozpin nodded. "Very well then," he said quietly. "I … it was never my wish to make you unhappy Amber, only to keep you safe."

"And the magic," Amber whispered.

Professor Ozpin closed his eyes. "Yes," he admitted. "And the magic." He opened his eyes again. "I shall look forward to seeing your plan, Miss Shimmer, but for now, I think that you and Miss Nikos should prepare for your match, the opening bout of the day."

Sunset chuckled. "Yes, Professor, I suppose we better had."

Professor Ozpin almost smiled. "I know I probably shouldn't say this, especially in front of General Ironwood, but: best of luck, to both of you."

Comments

[Mastermind4892]

Pyrrha is absolutely right; it is a shame that a great House of Mistral has is now extinct. But in this, they have no one to blame but themselves. House Kommenos sold out their country, and then the last of their name gleefully abuses Cinder. And how does Phoebe, the last of her family and house, make her family proud? She abuses innocent faunus whenever she can't get her way, slanders noble warriors who protect the innocent with accusations of treason, has the gall to speak honeyed words to those she slanders for the likes, and lures hordes of Grimm to slaughter students so she can loot a trinket her house long surrendered claim to.

House Kommenos was the architect of their own destruction. And it's because of Phoebe's own actions that their fall is now complete.

And Cinder? You declare war on Remnant, proclaim yourself its nemesis, murder and terrorize innocent people, and so much else all for your ego. You don't get to do that and pull a Surprised Pikachu Face when the people take issue and fight back. That's not betrayal. It's the nature of the very war you invited.

[Kiue Jin]

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Truth be told, I don't think we're ever been told as to 'why' the member of House Kommenos that sided with Vale over Mistral did so. Sure they might have just been a power hungry bastard who believed Vale had the better offer, but there are also valid moral and personal reasons for siding with a different nation from the get go... which from what little we've seen, is what they did. They openly joined the Valish King from the outset of the war, rather then betraying Mistral partway through.

Personally, I like to think that the reason they sided with Vale was because of the Faunus. Either they outright loved a Faunus or simply had a moral compass that said that Faunus were people who deserved freedom and rights, but either way Mistral wasn't going to offer such things but Vale was. Just for the cruel humor that their decedents would double down on hating faunus due to his fighting for their rights.

[Voltaje]

Ozpin should have though of sending amber to equestria, having the conections, he could have had her there by the next day, but oh well, this decision was a bad one.

[Raul]

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Fuck I didn’t even think of that

[Luviere]

"What would you have done, James?" asked Professor Ozpin. "Spirited her away to Atlas for safekeeping? Set a guard upon her?"

Aaaa, the Spirited away reference