SAPR

by Scipio Smith

Speak Only Good Things (New)

Speak Only Good Things

Cinder sat on the other side of the two-way mirror, her hands, her painted nails — painted black, in what was perhaps a case of taking a point too far — resting lightly upon the metal table in front of her.

Her wrists and ankles were both bound. Team SAPR had advised the arresting officers that merely suppressing Cinder’s aura might not be sufficient, and so, both hands and legs were held in place with gravity-dust-infused restraints, too heavy for her to resist.

It was possible that she could use magic to escape from those restraints regardless, aura or no, except that she didn’t really seem to want to escape. Since losing the battle, she had … well, she had undoubtedly been disappointed at being taken alive, but she hadn’t tried to get out, to force the issue to a second fight, she hadn’t put them in a position where they simply had to kill her because nothing else would do to stop her rampages. She was quiet and still. She sat with her back straight, refusing to lean against the back of the chair, and although she rested her hands upon the table, she did nothing with them. She looked at the door, and said nothing, and did nothing, and did not move. She did not even turn her head.

It was … rather uncanny, to be perfectly frank. She seemed less like a person and more … more like a doll, a perfect, pretty, obedient little doll who sat in her appointed place in the tea party and smiled and said or did nothing untoward.

Except that Cinder was not smiling. Her mouth was tight and close, the corners of her lips turned slightly down. No, she was no smiling doll; for all her stillness, there was too much melancholy hanging about her like perfume, she was … she was a puppet whose puppeteer had left her unattended, and so she sat, and waited for someone to pick up her strings and bring her life again.

Is that all she ever was? Is that what we all feared so much? Salem’s puppet, who was nothing without a hand to pull her strings?

If that is all she was, then why were her strings pulled in that particular direction tonight?

That was something … with the heat of the moment passed, it was something that Pyrrha was somewhat puzzled by. Yes, there had been a chance that Cinder might triumph and kill Amber, but it had been a thin chance indeed, especially the brazen way in which Cinder had chosen to go about it, to announce her presence when Amber was so far away and they had so much time to summon Yang to spirit her off, so much time to plan their response.

Cinder had been indiscreet tonight, to say the least, and that … that made Pyrrha feel that it was rather unfair of her to think of Cinder as a mere puppet, a vessel for Salem’s will.

Cinder’s actions tonight had been the actions of a particular sort of warrior, one who had marinated for too long in certain Mistralian traditions, one who carried them to excess, to the point … the point, perhaps, of self-parody.

No, Cinder was not a puppet; she was … she was someone who knew how she wished to be seen and was willing to sublimate all other considerations towards that end.

In that, she might, perhaps, be found somewhat admirable. Certainly, it was easier to admire her after a night in which no one had died, in which no one — as far as Pyrrha knew — had suffered anything more than scrapes and bruises.

If only she had not sat so still, and so lifelessly.

But if she wishes to do so, then who am I to tell her otherwise? If silent stillness is the last consolation that remains to her, then I should leave her to the pleasure of it.

All other joys are ours tonight.

Why Cinder had done what she had done, what had driven her to it, that mattered less than the fact that she had done it, and all else that had flown from that.

They had won. They had beaten her. Truly defeated her, not a partial victory or a symbolic victory or a victory that renewed the spirit but offered no material change in their circumstances; they had beaten her. Cinder was locked away, and Salem’s tooth was pulled.

Amber was safe. They were all safe, and they could go forward into tomorrow’s tournament and the days to come in peace and serenity.

Whatever fresh challenges or new enemies might lie before them, that all lay ahead, in the future, perhaps the distant future. For now … Pyrrha remembered the night of her duel with Cinder, when it had seemed then that she might be able to bring an end to things. That had proven beyond her skill, but it had not proven beyond their combined skill and courage tonight.

They had won. The shadow, though it might lengthen and grow again, was lifted. Tonight, there was only joy, and all good things that belonged to them.

Let us speak only good things tonight and let no sorrow intrude upon our thoughts. For this is our hour. Tonight we have repaid at last the faith Professor Ozpin placed in us.

Though Pyrrha was a little out of love with Professor Ozpin now, compared to times past, nevertheless, the fact that they had now finally proved themselves worthy to have been chosen, for all that the act of choosing had been a little less of an honour than it might have once had seemed, it formed a piece of the mosaic of proud good cheer that swirled within her breast.

Tonight, we have proven ourselves worthy, beyond doubt, for all that the worth of Professor Ozpin is less than I once thought.

But think not of that. Not tonight. Speak only good things.

We are triumphant, and may enjoy light hearts for a while at least.

The five of them — Pyrrha, Jaune, Sunset, Ruby, and Penny — were standing in a police station, the closest one to the sight of their battle and Cinder’s downfall. It was a grey, sterile-smelling place, where the lights were very bright, making the somewhat under-cleaned state of the room quite obvious. They stood outside of the interrogation room, watching Cinder as she sat so still, so unchanging in expression.

Meanwhile, the squadroom floor around and behind them was abuzz with activity, officers moving this way and that, doing this or that, Pyrrha wasn’t entirely sure. Several of them were making scroll calls, although who they were calling, she couldn’t have said either. Some of the police officers were plainclothes detectives, but there were a great many officers in forest green uniforms and body armour, their faces hidden behind masks and helmets, carrying submachine guns in their hands as they stood on guard or simply patrolled restlessly, fingers not far from the triggers of their guns.

They were there because of Cinder. Nobody had tried to interrogate her yet, but it would surely come soon.

At least, Pyrrha thought it would. Perhaps it wouldn’t. Perhaps the case against Cinder Fall was so open and shut that there was no need to ask her anything.

Would she answer any questions, if she was asked? On the evidence of her behaviour, it didn’t seem likely.

“Do you think we did the right thing?” Ruby asked, her voice soft so that it didn’t carry across the room, but only reached the five of them.

Penny looked down at her. “You mean stopping Cinder?”

“No!” Ruby said at once. “No, obviously that was the right thing.” She paused. “I mean … did we do the right thing handing Cinder over to the cops?”

“What other choice did we have?” asked Jaune.

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Ruby. “We could have—”

“Killed her?” Sunset asked. “You wanted to kill her in the street, in front of all those people?”

“She deserves it,” Ruby said.

“She saved our lives,” Pyrrha reminded her.

“That doesn’t cancel out the bad that she’s done,” Ruby pointed out.

“Maybe it doesn’t, but do you really want to be remembered for the rest of your career for that video of you gutting someone in the street in the sight of the whole crowd?” asked Sunset. “Is that what you want the legacy of Ruby Rose or Team Sapphire to be?”

Ruby was silent for a moment. “I guess … when you put it like that … no, not really. I wouldn’t mind doing it, but … no. No, I don’t want that to be what I’m remembered for. I don’t want it to be … everyone would just bring it up all the time, wouldn’t they?”

“I rather fear so,” Pyrrha murmured. “Nevertheless, if it were a choice between killing Cinder or letting her go … but I do not see that we have at all failed, or done anything disgraceful by our present course. Quite the opposite, in fact.” She smiled. “We’ve won. Cinder is beaten. So, please, let’s not regret. Let us speak only good things tonight.”

Ruby looked at her. “'Only good things'?”

“Why not?” asked Pyrrha. “What ill have we to speak of on this, our victory night?”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Ruby murmured. She smiled. “Our victory night. It does sound pretty cool, doesn’t it?”

“I think we deserve to sound pretty cool,” Penny declared. “Because we were pretty cool, weren’t we?”

“You, especially, were very cool, Penny,” Pyrrha told her. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Really?” Penny gasped. “But all I did was—”

“Break Cinder’s aura?” Pyrrha suggested.

“But you and Ruby had weakened it, and Jaune too, and you were the one holding her down—”

“And it was a team effort,” Jaune put in. “We did together what I think not even Pyrrha could have done by herself.” He smiled sheepishly at her. “No offence.”

Pyrrha chuckled. “Can there be offence in being right?”

Jaune shrugged. “Depends on how you say it, I guess.”

“You said it plainly and well enough,” Pyrrha assured him. “We won because we stood united, while Cinder stood alone. If any of us had stood alone, and she half a Maiden … but this is not the time to dwell upon such might-have-beens.”

Jaune grinned. “'Only good things.'”

“'Only good things,'” Pyrrha agreed.

“You all did very well,” Sunset murmured, taking a step closer to the one-way glass. “You all … you were superb, all of you, first rate in skill and courage.”

“But we couldn’t have done it without you, Sunset,” Penny told her. “Just because you didn’t—”

“Contribute much of anything?” Sunset tossed out the suggestion without turning her head.

“That’s not true!” Penny insisted, taking a step forward and reaching out to take Sunset’s hand. “It was you who made that shield so that we could all fight Cinder without anyone else getting hurt! Otherwise, there might have been stray bullets, or Cinder’s fire, or… who knows what might have happened and to who? Sunset, look at us!”

Sunset turned her head. Her brow was furrowed, and her ears were drooping downwards ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, Penny.”

“You shouldn’t put yourself down just because you were preoccupied with keeping the shield up,” Penny said. “The shield was important. It was a team effort, and it was an effort by you as part of the team just as much as anyone else. It’s like Pyrrha said: you can’t be miserable tonight just because you didn’t get to do a load of flashy attacks.”

Sunset laughed slightly. “Well, when you say it like that, it makes me sound very silly indeed, doesn’t it?”

Penny stepped back, pulling Sunset back with her. “That’s because you are being silly,” she said.

“Alright, alright, don’t rub it in,” Sunset said, with laughter in her voice. She looked at Pyrrha. “Are you really ready to pronounce this a victory, and banish all … uncertainty? All—”

“All for tonight, but our accomplishment,” Pyrrha said. “Tell me, Sunset, why should we not? If I am being a fool, forgetful, or naïve, if there is some dark cloud that I have failed to notice or comprehend, then tell me true, for in truth, I see it not. This is not like Mountain Glenn, this is not like my duel with Cinder in the forest, this is no incomplete victory, this is no wounded triumph that we have snatched from the jaws of disaster, this … this is all silver, and an absent cloud, or so it seems to me. Cinder has not just been defeated, but locked away in that very room before us, and she seems … she seems to me defeated in the spirit as well as in the body. She will be locked away, for a little while at least, where she can do no harm to anyone, least of all to Amber. Amber is safe and sound and beyond harm, and she may come to Mistral with us, and thence to Atlas maybe with Ciel and the others; she may see the world, with us but without fear of who may dog her steps there, for who might have dogged those steps sits before us under lock and key. Salem still lurks, true, but she must wait 'til she can find some other Cinder to do her wickedness. What have I forgotten? What is there that stains our golden world?”

There was a moment of silence as her friends considered that.

“Emerald?” Ruby suggested.

“Emerald … is but a limb of Cinder,” Pyrrha declared. “She did Cinder’s bidding, served her in some offices, but absent Cinder’s bidding, her guiding mind, she cannot harm us. I am not sure that she would even want to. Cinder was everything, and Cinder … Cinder sits before us.”

“Your voice is full of conviction,” Sunset observed.

“I should hope so; I am convinced,” Pyrrha replied. “And full of the desire to convince you, that you might share in my joy of this.” She paused for a moment. “But I spoke truly when I say that if I am wrong, if I am mistaken, if I am forgetting something, then … tell me. Speak up, I beg, lest … well, I’ve probably already humiliated myself with that speech, but nevertheless, I would staunch the wound of my embarrassment, if it is that I am unaware of.”

“You’ve convinced me,” Jaune said, putting one arm around her, and pulling her close, so that their bodies were pressed against one another, side by side. “And it does feel … different, doesn’t it? Like Pyrrha said, it doesn’t feel like Mountain Glenn, or like that night in the forest; it … it doesn’t feel like there’s anything … I don’t know about the rest of you, but is anyone really thinking ‘oh, I wish that I’d been able to do this’ or ‘if only this had gone better’? Does anyone have any regrets about tonight, any at all?”

“Well … I have one,” Penny said tremulously.

“What is it, Penny?” asked Ruby.

“I’m a little disappointed that we, and Amber, didn’t get to have fun at the carnival without getting interrupted,” Penny pointed.

Pyrrha chuckled. “Yes, yes, I suppose that is a fair point, Penny, but—”

“But think how much more fun Amber will be able to have, now that she doesn’t have Cinder to worry about,” Ruby said.

“Right,” Penny agreed.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me,” Sunset said. “This … this is a win. This is a real, unmarred win.” She let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and sigh, rattling as it issued from her throat. “Huh. So that’s what that feels like.”

Pyrrha reached out, wrapping her free arm around Sunset’s shoulder and drawing her in, pulling her close on the other side of her from Jaune, even as Ruby and Penny joined in the embrace on Jaune’s side.

“It’s over,” she said. “As we thought that it might be on the night of the duel, it is over. We’ve done it.”

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” Ruby asked, prompting a round of soft laughter from the others.

“What will happen to Cinder now?” asked Penny.

Silence fell among them, everyone’s eyes once more turning to the one-way mirror and their fallen foe who sat so still within, and so utterly silent.

“She…” Jaune began, but then trailed. “She’ll be put on trial, I guess; that’s what usually happens with criminals, at least. And then, after that…”

“She’ll pay for what she’s done,” Ruby said, her voice firm and unyielding.

Sunset began, “You mean—”

“She’ll hang,” Ruby said.

Pyrrha was a little surprised that they still hanged people in Vale. Yes, in Mistral, it was the most common method of execution — the last person to be crucified had been so put to death during the Great War — but she would almost have expected Vale to have had some more modern practice. If indeed they put people to death at all.

“Perhaps Cinder would have preferred a death in—”

“Dead is dead,” Sunset said. “No matter how it happens, the end result is still the same.”

“But the manner of it—” began Pyrrha.

“Doesn’t matter much compared to the result,” Sunset muttered.

“Cinder chose this,” Ruby said. “She chose this life.”

“Not at first she didn’t,” Sunset replied softly.

“You pity her,” Pyrrha murmured.

Sunset was silent for a moment. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I think I do pity her. I always have, ever since that night. I pity her and … is there not something in her to be pitied?”

“From what you have said, it seems so,” Pyrrha admitted. “And yet … Ruby is right: she chose this road, she cannot complain where it leads. Nor do I think that she would want to.” She paused. “And, once she is … it seems likely that the … you know, will be reunited in Amber.”

“Yes,” Sunset acknowledged. “Yes, Amber … Amber triumphs from this, even more than we do. The shadow is banished from her completely.”

“Maybe not completely,” Jaune pointed out. “They know who she is now.”

“But for now, she’s free,” Penny said. “And so are we.”

“Yes,” Pyrrha agreed. “Yes, Penny, so are we.”

Their attention was all arrested by the sound of snapping feet upon the grey linoleum floor of the police station.

They turned to see Professor Ozpin walking into the room, accompanied by Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood and greeted by salutes from the uniformed police officers.

He did not return their salutes, but he did nod affably to the officers and murmured a few words to them as he passed by.

He, and General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch, made their way towards Pyrrha and the others. It seemed to Pyrrha that there was a spring in Professor Ozpin's step that she had not seen before; he walked with an uncharacteristic bounce, and his cane, too, bounced somewhat as he held it by his side, rising up and down as he walked like a ship borne upon strong waves.

A smile played across his features, and Pyrrha would even go so far as to say that he seemed a younger man, the lines on his face less pronounced, the slump of his shoulders vanished.

"Professor," Pyrrha said, a touch of surprise entering her voice. "Professor Goodwitch, General Ironwood."

"Miss Nikos," Professor Ozpin said warmly as he came to a halt close by, looking down upon them all. "Miss Shimmer, Miss Rose, Mister Arc; Miss Polendina," he added, after a moment's pause. "You have — you all have, and ever shall possess — my thanks."

"And our congratulations," Professor Goodwitch added, pushing her spectacles back up her nose with the fingers of one hand. "As I have already been forced to admit to James, your plan worked better than I would have expected, and you have won a great victory in consequence."

"Well done," General Ironwood agreed. "I understand you got the final shot, Penny."

"Yes, sir, I did," Penny replied. "But only because Pyrrha was holding Cinder in place — in spite of Cinder trying to burn her — so that I could hit her. It was a team effort, by all of us."

"The greatest victories often are," Professor Ozpin declared. "There are valid reasons why the Vytal Tournament is structured as it is, but there are times I think the man who established it erred by not allowing teams of four to compete all the way to the final battle, that the message of cooperation not be diluted by the celebration of individual prowess."

"We kept the lesson well enough in mind, Professor," Sunset pointed out.

Professor Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, Miss Shimmer, that … that can hardly be disputed, can it?" He paused and began to blink rapidly behind his spectacles. "You have my thanks," he said once more. "On my own behalf, and on behalf of Amber, also. You have lifted a shadow from her and a burden off my shoulders. Thank you. You have done very well."

Sunset bowed her head. "Thank you, Professor; you are most generous with your words."

"It is over then, Professor?" asked Penny. "It really is finished?"

"Barring an escape," General Ironwood muttered. "Do you think they can keep her contained?"

"She doesn't seem to want to go anywhere, sir," Jaune pointed out.

Professor Ozpin, General Ironwood, and Professor Goodwitch turned their attention to the one-way mirror, and statue-like Cinder on the other side, frozen in the interrogation room.

They gazed at her as though she were a recalcitrant creature in a zoo, and they, the paying customers, were desirous for her to roar, or flick out her long tongue, or show her fangs, or do whatever it was that that particular animal was supposed to do to delight and awe the crowd. Cinder stubbornly refused to do any of it, until eventually, it began to sink into them that she had not done and would not do it.

"It seems you are correct, Mister Arc," Professor Ozpin murmured. "Although that could be a trick of some sort. Nevertheless, I would rather worry about Miss Fall's escape than worry about what she might do at liberty. Is it over, Miss Polendina? I feel confident in saying that something is over, even if that something is not necessarily 'it.'"

"In that case, Professor," Pyrrha murmured, "perhaps — at some point, even if not here — we might talk about Amber's future and whether she—"

"You are correct, Miss Nikos; now is not the time or place," Professor Ozpin said. "Apart from anything else, Amber herself should probably be present for the discussion, no?"

Pyrrha let out a sheepish laugh. "Yes, Professor, she should."

“Where is Amber now, Professor?” asked Sunset.

“She is back at Beacon,” Professor Goodwitch said. “Safe.”

“To say that she is safe now is almost a matter of course,” Professor Ozpin said. “Team Rosepetal is with her, but I almost think that we may dispense with a guard at this point; what further need has Amber of protection?”

“We don’t know,” Professor Goodwitch said. “But that doesn’t mean the need doesn’t exist.”

“You seem like you’re in a very good mood, Professor,” Ruby pointed out.

“Yes, Miss Rose, I daresay that I am,” Professor Ozpin replied with a lightness in his voice. “You must forgive me, all of you, but such good news, and so uncomplicated in its goodness, comes so rarely that I find that when it comes, I am inclined to savour it.”

“Just don’t make yourself ill by savouring too much,” remarked Professor Goodwitch.

“Professor, General,” Penny said, glancing around to make sure that all the police officers and suchlike were out of earshot. “A lot of people were filming our fight against Cinder, and she … well, she was using … you know. How are you, or we, going to explain that? Isn’t it supposed to be a secret?”

“Dust,” Pyrrha said at once. “Is there anything that Cinder did that cannot be explained by the use of copious quantities of dust?”

“How about the burning eye thing?” Sunset suggested.

“Well … in Mistral, there are dancers who paint their faces — and sometimes, I believe, more than their faces — with fire dust when they perform,” Pyrrha explained. “They wear it like makeup, only applied with considerably more gusto and less subtlety in at least some cases.”

“That doesn’t sound very safe,” Penny said.

“No, indeed, it isn’t safe,” Pyrrha agreed. “A stray spark could ignite it.”

Penny began, “Then why—?”

“I’m guessing that’s the point,” Ruby interjected.

Penny blinked. “What’s the point?”

“The fact that they can pull it off without setting themselves on fire shows how good they are,” Sunset said. “How they can literally dance on the edge of the fire and not burn. It’s meant to awe the crowd with their prowess.”

“Quite,” Pyrrha agreed. “Or so they wish for it to be seen, at any rate. But my point is: who is to say that Cinder was not inspired to wear fire dust like eyeshadow? After all, I daresay that if I were wearing dust instead of my eyeshadow, patterned as it is, it might make a burning wing effect if it were ignited.” She paused. “I would rather not put it to the test.”

“Can I ask how you know about this?” Sunset asked. “It doesn’t seem like your scene, somehow.”

“I have never been to the sort of club where they perform,” Pyrrha confirmed, “but some dancers of that sort were part of the entertainment before the matches began in the last Regional Tournament in which I competed. It was … quite mesmerising to watch, I must admit; at times, it seemed as though they were competing to see how close they could get to the flames while still coming away unscathed.”

“It must cost a lot of money to be able to just wear dust like makeup like that,” Ruby said.

“Is it that different to me putting dust in my jacket?” asked Sunset. “I use that up and have to replace it, the same as they do.”

“Yeah, but you don’t wash your jacket every morning and have to replace the dust,” Ruby replied.

“Maybe that’s part of the point too,” Jaune said. “That they can afford so much dust that they can waste it that way.” He frowned. “Although, if the whole point of that is that it’s dangerous, and that if the dust catches fire, then that’s not good, then wouldn’t people expect it to hurt if Cinder set her eyeshadow on fire like that?”

“It would depend entirely on how much dust,” General Ironwood interjected, reminding them of the presence of the adults. “While I would strongly discourage any student of mine who wished to use dust to set their own body on fire, with a sufficiently light-touch application of it and aura that was in no danger of breaking, it could be done.”

“Although I’m not sure Cinder would like everyone thinking that she was inspired by a dancer,” Sunset murmured.

“Forgive me if I’m not swayed by that argument, Miss Shimmer,” Professor Ozpin said dryly. “Yes, dust use is our best hope of covering up … what should be kept concealed. Fortunately, Miss Fall has been involved in the theft of a very large amount of dust.”

There was a moment of silence, before Ruby asked, “What happens now, Professor? I mean, I know that Cinder is going to go on trial, and then she’ll be found guilty and executed, but right now? Like now, now, what happens now?”

Professor Ozpin smiled slightly. “I am not entirely sure, Miss Rose. I should probably suggest that I be the one to interrogate Miss Fall, rather than an officer from Vale’s gallant police department. There are questions that need answering, and I fear that a police officer will not know to ask them.”

Like how Cinder, or Salem, knew that Amber was the Fall Maiden, Pyrrha guessed, but did not ask for confirmation.

“In fact,” Professor Ozpin went on. “I daresay that I should go and do that now, before anyone decides to finally—”

“Is she here? Is she here?” Councillor Emerald demanded as he strode into the squadroom, followed by the two Valish officers whom they had met at the reception in the Mayoral Palace not too long ago, General Blackthorn and Colonel Skybeak, and two files of Valish infantry. The soldiers — there were eight of them in total — were distinguishable from the police by the red cockades they wore on the left-hand sides of their helmets, as well as by the golden epaulettes they wore upon their shoulders. The police, uniformed and plainclothes alike, made way for them as they trooped inside, following their officers and the First Councillor of Vale.

The First Councillor himself outstripped them all, striding ahead of his general, his colonel, and his military escort — Pyrrha wondered why he felt the need of one — as he caught sight of Professor Ozpin and all the rest and headed towards them with the speed of a Bullhead outpacing a lumbering skyliner.

“Is it true?” he demanded, his voice trembling. “Is she here?”

“Good evening, Mister Councillor,” Professor Ozpin said pleasantly. “Or perhaps it should be good night, if that did not have connotations of—”

“Get on with it, man!” snapped Councillor Emerald. “Is Cinder Fall here?”

Professor Ozpin nodded. “Miss Fall has been taken into custody, that is correct, thanks to the efforts of these brave young huntsmen and huntresses you see before you.”

Councillor Emerald turned his gaze upon them. Well, no, actually, it was Sunset, and Sunset alone, upon whom he turned his eyes. He stared at her, so much so that Sunset detached herself from Pyrrha’s embrace and stepped to one side, bowing her head, her ears drooping into her hair, her tail going slack and still … what did she have to be ashamed of? Why should she feel embarrassment before the First Councillor? She had played her part in a great victory; surely, she was not still plagued by the feeling that she had not done enough, when without her, the fight would not be possible?

Speak only good things tonight, Sunset, Pyrrha urged mentally as she reached out for Sunset’s nearest hand.

“Yes,” Councillor Emerald said softly. “Yes, I had heard that.” He held out his own hand towards Sunset. “Congratulations, Miss Shimmer; you have done Vale a great service.”

Sunset looked up, and swiftly too, her head snapped up so suddenly it was a wonder that she didn’t give herself whiplash. “Councillor?”

“I said 'congratulations,'” Councillor Emerald repeated. “Well done. Very well done, I must say.”

Sunset hesitated for a moment. “Mister Councillor, First Councillor, I—”

“Have brought to justice the criminal responsible for all of the misfortunes of this year,” Councillor Emerald declared. “Thanks to you—”

“To us,” Sunset interrupted him. “Forgive me, Councillor, but if you really mean your praise, then the victory belongs not to me but to us all.”

Councillor Emerald gave a firm nod of his head as he turned his attention upon them. “Yes. Yes, I have no doubt that it does. Miss Nikos, I daresay that when this gets out, your reputation amongst the Mistralians will be burnished even brighter, if that is possible. Miss Rose and … Miss Polendina, isn’t it? Miss Penny Polendina, who will be transferring to Beacon next year.”

Penny nodded vigorously, a smile upon her face. “That’s right, Mister Councillor! I’m surprised you remember me.”

“You made quite the impression, Miss Polendina,” Councillor Emerald replied. “And, while I can’t speak for your teachers, I would say that you are off to a very good start in your Beacon career.”

Penny’s smile widened. “Really? Thank you, Mister Councillor!”

Councillor Emerald returned his attention to Sunset. “Will you shake my hand, Miss Shimmer? It would be very rude of you not to.”

Sunset looked down at his hand as though it might bite. “I … you do me an honour I am not sure I deserve, First Councillor.”

"Whatever has been done in the past," Councillor Emerald said. "Whatever mistakes or follies there have been, nevertheless…" He fell silent for a moment, and in that moment, Pyrrha thought his hand might drop to his side, but it did not. He kept it raised, proffered out towards Sunset. "Nevertheless, this is a moment for praise and celebration. A fugitive captured, and all without a single serious injury, which I understand was your doing, Miss Shimmer?"

"Yes, First Councillor," Sunset said softly. "Yes, it was."

Councillor Emerald nodded. "Take my hand, Miss Shimmer. You have earned it."

Sunset swallowed, and the look on her face still seemed far from overjoyed, but her ears at least pricked up a little as she took the hand that was offered her. "Thank you, First Councillor. I would be honoured."

The two gave a firm handshake, before Councillor Emerald let his hand fall to his side once more.

"This night," he declared, "is a night of accomplishment. A night for nightmares to be put to bed and mistakes to be put behind us. This is a victory won not by Atlesian guns but by our own Beacon students, into whose training Vale has invested so much."

Pyrrha could not help but wonder if he was practising his remarks for a subsequent press conference.

"Cinder Fall will be tried with the utmost despatch, found guilty, put to death and a line will be drawn between all the sordid business of this year. It is over now, and all done." Councillor Emerald turned to Professor Ozpin. "Where is she?"

Professor Ozpin gestured to the one-way mirror. "Just in here, Mister Councillor."

Councillor Emerald approached the glass, and as the others had before him, he gazed in at Cinder where she sat, as still as death, on the other side.

"Her?" Councillor Emerald said. "This is she? This is the person who brought down Novo, who terrified Vale, who has cast her shadow over this whole city for a year?"

"She has been more active than this in the past, Your Excellency," Pyrrha pointed out gently.

Councillor Emerald snorted. "No excellencies here, Miss Nikos; you're not in Mistral now. Has she said anything?"

"Not yet, Mister Councillor," Professor Ozpin said. "I was about to request a closed interrogation, undertaken by myself."

Councillor Emerald frowned. "'Closed'? You mean no recordings, no video?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you up to something, Ozpin?"

"I have the legal right, Mister Councillor,” Professor Ozpin said mildly. “As I’m sure you are aware, being a former lawyer yourself, huntsmen—”

“Huntsmen have the right to interrogate suspected terrorists and organised criminals without details of said interrogation being recorded in any way; however, any accounts of such interrogations, such as the huntsman in question relaying what was said to him, are inadmissible in court, being counted as hearsay,” Councillor Emerald replied. “Yes, Ozpin, I am aware. I am also aware that that rule exists in the interests of life: in circumstances where every minute may count to prevent loss of life, it was felt that giving suspects the ability to speak freely without fear that they would incriminate themselves would encourage them to confess the whereabouts of any bombs, hostages, co-conspirators, or the like. But where is the risk to life that justifies such actions now?”

“Miss Fall may not have planted a bomb which we must race to locate, Mister Councillor,” Professor Ozpin said, “but she has obtained access to information that I, for one, believed to be a closely guarded secret. She has already attacked an … associate of mine, involved in dangerous undercover work with various unsavoury groups. I should like to know how Miss Fall learned their identity and whether any other associates of mine are similarly at risk.”

“And so you don’t trust the police to keep confidential information to themselves?” General Blackthorn demanded. “You don’t trust us?”

“Come on, Blacky, it’s not about trust,” Colonel Sky Beak said. “We keep information close to our chest; it’s about things not getting out further than they need to.”

“It’s ‘General’ or ‘sir’ to you, Colonel,” General Blackthorn said coldly.

Colonel Sky Beak cleared his throat. “Yes, sir, my apologies, but nevertheless—”

“As the leader and defenders of Vale, I would insist that we have the right to know everything that Professor Ozpin does,” General Blackthorn said. “Except that I’m not sure that a mere headmaster has any secrets worth discovering.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Councillor Emerald muttered. “Much as I might have wished otherwise at times.”

“First Councillor,” General Blackthorn went on, ignoring the interruption, “this is a waste of time; let’s collect the girl and be on our way.”

“'Collect'?” Professor Goodwitch repeated. “Collect Miss Fall?”

“Yes,” Councillor Emerald answered. “General Blackthorn has suggested, and I am inclined to agree, that Cinder Fall should be taken into military custody. She can be kept more secure by the defence forces than by the police.”

Professor Ozpin’s eyebrows rose. “That is … somewhat irregular.”

“No more irregular than keeping Roman Torchwick aboard an Atlesian man-o'-war,” Colonel Sky Beak pointed out.

Professor Ozpin managed a slight chuckle. “An excellent point, Colonel. Nevertheless, I find that I am a little surprised by this.”

“Just because something is new doesn’t mean that it’s a bad idea, Ozpin,” Councillor Emerald said. “Even a conservative like myself has to admit that once in a while. Without wishing to disparage the police, the Valish Defence Forces are better equipped and can more easily deal with Miss Fall if she should attempt to escape.”

Will it matter that much, if she does decide to escape? “You will be very careful, won’t you, General Blackthorn?” Pyrrha said. “Just because you have more guns than the police doesn’t mean that you should underestimate her.”

“This isn’t Mistral, Miss Nikos,” General Blackthorn replied. “I don’t need advice from a little girl, whatever her name is.”

Pyrrha bowed her head. “Of course, General, I—”

“I’m sure that Pyrrha has fought more battles than you have!” Penny declared. “What have you ever done that gives you the right to be so mean?”

“Penny!” Pyrrha gasped.

“What?” Penny asked, looking at her. “Don’t friends stick up for one another?”

“Yes,” Sunset said, a smile playing across her face. “Yes, they do, Penny.”

General Blackthorn’s face reddened, and a sort of rumbling sound, like the koax koax of a frog, began to issue from out of his throat.

“Don’t make a fuss, Blackthorn,” Councillor Emerald said. “You deserved that for your rudeness, tonight when these ‘little girls’ have brought the bogeyman to book.”

“First Councillor—”

“You will get your prisoner,” Councillor Emerald informed him. “And as it happens, I think that taking good care of her so that she does not escape before she is hanged is a very good idea. You will get your prisoner, but first, Professor Ozpin will get his interrogation. The law allows it, and as much as I would like to pry out some of his secrets, I see no need to pry into the identities of confidential informants and the like. Question her, Ozpin; we will wait here.”

“Thank you, Mister Councillor,” Professor Ozpin said, bowing his head. “I believe there should be a dark room somewhere in the precinct where we may speak unobserved.” He turned to Pyrrha, and to Sunset. “Miss Nikos, Miss Shimmer, will you please bring Miss Fall for questioning?”

Comments

[Voltaje]

Cinder could tell what she now knows, but that will disrupt the timeline, unless the attacks happens now that is, so Cinder nay not say everything, though still telling will hurt tempest, and they are not in battle, so let's see what comes next.

[AngelicTitan]

Wow, Councillor Emerald actually complimented Sunset and didn’t make a fuss over it? It seems that Sunset taking care of her mess and capturing Cinder with no casualty may have changed a little how he views Sunny. I am excited to see how the interrogation will go and see how Ozpin will react if Cinder mention her suspiciousness of Amber being an accomplice of Salem.
The interrogation will be pretty intense and I wonder how Amber will react to Cinder’s fate, and how Ironwood will respond to the fact Tempest is a Salem goon. How will things unravel from here? Volume 3 is much more interesting this time around!

Also I found interesting how the Rewrite ended up having six chapters completely deleted this time around, lmao.

[Stet709]

Well... Aspen Emerald is being rather... amiable and cooperative. I wonder if Sunset helping capture Cinder redeems her in his eyes?

[Mastermind4892]

Well spoken, Penny!

I had noticed Sunset’s role in the battle, very symbolic. While all the others defeated Findsr, it was Sunset alone that ensured the danger was contained, that the threat did not escape, and that no innocents were lost. She deserves this honor and rightful gratitude, especially after the Breach. Today, it can even be said that she did her duty as a huntress more than the others!

In order to reassure our allies Emerald and even Blackthorn, the results of the interrogation can easily be passed off with a bit of the truth. Such as Dr. Watts. No one can deny that Ozpin and Ironwood want to hunt down an Atlesian insideman and likely supplier.

I am very much looking forward to Ozpin of all people conversing with Cinder, and with Sunset no less.

[Kiue Jin]

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In fairness, there is nothing a politician loves more then a non-controversial win. Cinder being captured without civilian injuries or causalities is a huge win, even more so since it was a Beacon team that did it. Vale needed a chance to prove it could stand on its own two feet rather then lean heavily on Atlas and Sunset helped give it to him. This could also be his private way of letting Sunset know that he has forgiven her from her small part in the Breach.

Sure, he was angry with her when he learned about it, but after the wake up call that his grudge might have gotten innocent people killed in dealing with Sunset it's possible that he's reconsidered things since then. Turned his ire instead towards the one that forced Sunset's hand.

When the news gets out that Cinder has been caught, I feel like Gilda is going to have a long moment where she's trying to work out how she can give evidence against Cinder to make sure she hangs without being arrested as a member of the White Fang.