33

Chapter 33: A Daughter's Remorse

"This sucks."

Ruby pouted as she stared at her leg, wrapped in a cocoon of cloth and metal.

Amazingly, her whole team had made it to the airfield with no issues, the Bullhead pilot asking a surprisingly low amount of questions when Yang carried Ruby into the aircraft. It had been a tense ride back to Beacon, each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts for the time being. The only bit of conversation had been Blake asking Weiss about the information she'd acquired.

A quick run through the nigh-empty grounds, and Team RWBY had busted through the infirmary doors, into a long room filled with beds on either side. To their surprise, Sun and Neptune were there waiting for them, sitting next to a bed that contained a comatose Penny.

The on-duty nurse had given them all a stern look, looking rather irritated at everyone. Regardless, the woman had wasted no time analyzing Ruby's injury, encasing her leg in a brace once she identified the extent of the break. Then she demanded Ruby spend the night in the infirmary, placing her on an empty bed and propping her leg up on a pair of pillows.

Weiss sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know, Ruby, but it won't be so bad."

"Three days!" Ruby shouted, throwing her arms up over her head. "I'm gonna be stuck like this for three days! How is that not bad?"

"Could be worse, Sis." Yang leaned against the wall by the bed, a crooked smile on her lips. "Last time I broke my arm, it took me two weeks to heal. And, hey, at least you ain't the only one who broke something." As proof, she raised her right hand, showing off the small cast wrapping around her pinky and ring fingers. The nurse had made a point to look them all over after Ruby, and had been annoyed to find that Yang had managed to fracture the bones in her knuckles. No amount of assurance from the blonde that she was fine could stop the nurse from slapping a brace over Yang's busted hand.

Ruby huffed at her, crossing her arms. "Yours will be healed by tomorrow. I'm just stuck like this."

"Hey, Yang's right, Ruby," Sun said from across the room, sitting backward in a borrowed chair next to Penny's bed. He crossed his arms over the chair's back, smirking. "It could be way worse. You could be like the non-Hunters, no Semblance, nor aura-healing, and be limping around for two months." Neptune nodded in agreement, standing next to his friend.

Ruby's eyes widened as she swallowed thickly. She let out a groan, letting her head fall back on her pillow. "Still sucks," she muttered, pouting up at the ceiling.

Weiss breathed a laugh. "I don't know, Ruby. It might be good for you to slow down for once."

Ruby responded by sticking out her tongue at the heiress, making Weiss roll her eyes.

Blake chuckled at her Mates' banter, sitting on the opposite side of the bed, mindful of Ruby's broken leg right next to her.

The room fell silent, and as the seconds ticked on, tension started to build. While the nurse was fixing Ruby's leg, Sun had relayed a bit of terrifying news:

Professor Ozpin was on his way down to see Penny.

Blake's eyes drifted to the bed across from Ruby's. Penny's dull grey eyes stared back at her, cold and lifeless. The girl was put on her stomach, metal wires running out from her back down to the foot of her bed, where her swords lay in a heap. Her jetpack was still in place, giving a clear view that she wasn't wearing the contraption, it was physically attached to her.

Upon seeing the state Penny was in, Ruby and Weiss knew that there was no chance of hiding her robotic nature from their team. They'd reluctantly told the group about how they'd met Penny at the CCT, and how everything snowballed from there.

As Blake looked at the deactivated android, she felt conflicted. Part of her didn't know what to make of the situation. A synthetic lifeform, one that seemed completely human in every way; the very idea was frightening. Alien.

But that part of Blake's mind shut down once she remembered everything Penny had done. She'd helped herself and Ruby fight that night at the docks. She'd saved Yang from becoming a smear on Vale's streets. She'd saved Weiss from being lasered into oblivion.

Whatever confusion Blake had over the situation, one thing was certain: Penny had saved her Mates, putting herself in harm's way to protect them. To Blake, that meant she deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Yang had had a similar thought, merely staring at Penny wide-eyed for a few moments, before shrugging. It was weird, -beyond weird-, but after everything that had happened that day, a laser-shooting robot girl was just one more bit of crazy to add to the list.

Surprisingly, Sun and Neptune had barely reacted to the information at all. Considering that they had been the ones to carry Penny all the way back to Beacon, they'd gotten a pretty good idea of what Penny was even before the nurse confirmed it for them. They'd come to a simple agreement: ask Penny about it when she woke up, and just go from there.

But first, they all had to deal with the same problem. What were they going to tell Professor Ozpin? Not just about Penny, but about why she was with RWBY to begin with? How did Ruby break her leg? How were Sun and Neptune involved?

Sun and Neptune were fretting about that, but for the other members of Team RWBY… something much stranger, more extraordinary was on their minds.

Between the four of them, a myriad of emotions formed within the Link, pooling around them in a way that made it nearly impossible to tell which feeling came from which girl. Confusion, Worry, Awe, Curiosity, Excitement, Nervousness, Fear; the four Mates could only sit in silence, thinking over the impossibility of their fight with Torchwick.

Unable to take the quiet anymore, Yang let out a resigned sigh. "So… anyone got a clue about what the hell happened out there?"

Everyone turned towards her, Sun and Neptune looking on in confusion. Blake's ears folded back slightly in worry. "I don't know, Yang. That… that was incredible."

"More like 'impossible'." Weiss muttered, crossing her arms as she frowned at nothing.

Yang chuckled nervously. "Apparently not, Snowflake. I…" She shook her head, grinning in disbelief. "I used Ruby's Semblance."

The following silence was deafening. Yes, the other members had witnessed Yang's sudden burst of super-speed, but somehow, hearing Yang say it aloud made it much more real.

"But… you couldn't have," Weiss denied weakly, a lost look in her eyes. "You have a completely different Semblance from Ruby. Semblances don't just change."

"Well, I did something." Yang let out a frustrated sigh, running her good hand through her hair. "I mean… you all saw the rose petals, right?"

Weis faltered, looking down at her hands. "Y-yes… but we don't know for sure if they really were the same as Ruby's-"

"They were," Ruby said softly, cutting Weiss off. All eyes turned to her, everyone noting the thoughtful look on her face. She hesitated under the attention, but she explained. "I grabbed a few of them when they hit the ground." She lifted her arm, a red haze forming around it as she moved it in front of her. As her arm blurred over the short distance, a few red rose petals trailed behind it. Ruby snatched them out of the air, holding them in her palm. She ran her thumb over them, feeling the texture. "They felt exactly like mine. Just… they were yellow."

Weiss looked at the petal in Ruby's palm, eyes filled with uncertainty. She let out a sigh, looking between Ruby and Yang helplessly. Her emotions were clear: Confusion. Denial. Wonder. Awe. She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But it doesn't make sense! How could Yang just suddenly use Ruby's Semblance like that? It goes against everything I've learned. Yang using superspeed would be like… like…"

"Me, using glyphs?"

Weiss stiffened at Blake's soft question. She lowered her hand, meeting Blake's uncertain gaze as the Faunus' ears pinned back. She held Blake's eyes for a moment, then her shoulders slumped in defeat. She closed her eyes again, hanging her head. "Yes," she reluctantly admitted. "Exactly like that."

Silence fell once again, each girl retreating into her own thoughts.

Across the room, Neptune leaned over Sun's shoulder, cupping his hand over his mouth. "You feel like we missed something?" he whispered, eyes still on the group of girls.

Sun just nodded, resigning himself to being out of the loop. "Uh-huh." He rested his chin on his arms, watching the conversation in the hopes he could figure out just what the hell they were talking about.

Before the silence could turn awkward, Weiss took a loud, deep breath, standing up from the bed. "Okay," she said, whirling around to face her team. "Let's just… figure out exactly what happened, Blake." She turned her attention to the cat Faunus, who looked back up at her in question. "When you-" Weiss took another breath, as if steeling herself. "-made that glyph… do you remember what you were thinking?"

Blake's brow furrowed in thought as she thought back to that moment, watching the Paladin's missiles streak towards her and Ruby. "I didn't really have time to think. I just wanted to keep Ruby safe." She glanced towards the sniper, who beamed back. Blake returned the smile, before turning back to Weiss. 'I hoped that I could… somehow block the missiles."

"That's it?" Weiss asked, eyebrow arching in disbelief. "You just… hoped?"

Blake shrugged. "I guess…" Then she blinked, remembering. "Well, I did feel something."

"Feel?" Weiss asked. "Like, with the Link?"

Blake considered that. "Not… exactly. My vision tinted white, and my instincts told me block. Then… I felt cold." Weiss blinked in surprise, and Blake explained. "I felt this spot of cold in my neck… my Mark. Then, it expanded, down my neck and to my arms." She frowned, feeling frustrated at herself. "I don't remember anything past that. I closed my eyes, I… felt the explosion. And when I looked up…"

"Purple glyph," Yang finished, crossing her arms as she leaned heavily against the wall.

Blake nodded, having no other words to explain. She looked at Yang expectantly. "What about you, Yang? What do you remember?"

Yang met her amber gaze evenly, then let out a deep breath. "Geez, I don't know. It happened in, like, a second. I saw that I wasn't going to reach you guys in time and, the next thing I know, I'm right in front of you and Ruby, the mech's trashed, and my hand feels like I tried to punch a mountain."

"Did you feel anything?" Ruby asked, looking up at her sister with starry eyes. As weird as it was that she'd seen Yang use her Semblance, part of her was bouncing off the walls with excitement. She loved her super speed, and the idea that she might be able to share it with someone… "Blake said she felt cold. Did my Semblance make you feel anything?"

Yang saw the look in Ruby's eye, and sighed in exasperation. "Okay, let me think." She thought back to the fight, to the moment she realized that she wasn't going to reach her Mate and her sister in time. The desperation, the fear, how all her energy seemed to disappear at once, the pain buzzing in her legs…

Yang's eyes widened.

"Yeah… yeah, I do remember something." Her teammates listened intently, filled with curiosity and wonder. "I realized I wasn't going to make it, and then I felt this… tingling feeling in my legs."

"Tingling?" Wess asked, tilting her head slightly.

Yang nodded. "Yeah. It was weird. I suddenly felt like I'd run a marathon. My lungs were burning and my legs felt like pins and needles."

Weiss suddenly stiffened. That… sounded very familiar. In fact, she'd had that same feeling earlier that day.

No… no, there's no way. "Yang… did your Mark tingle a little as well?"

Yang blinked at Weiss, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Actually… yeah. It started in my neck, and then it shot-"

"-down your spine?" Weiss asked, biting her bottom lip. "To your legs?"

Yang's eyes narrowed further. "Yeah… exactly like that. How did you know that's how it felt?"

Weiss swallowed down the lump in her throat, her shoulders fighting with nervous energy. "That depends. After the tingling feeling went to your legs, did things seem different to you? Like the world around you… changed color?"

Yang's eyes went wide. "Y-yeah. Everything went yellow." She uncrossed her arms starting at Weiss in shock. "Weiss, how do you know that?"

Weiss met her eyes, glancing at Blake and Ruby, before looking down at the ground. "Because… I think I did the same thing earlier today."

Ruby's eyes widened, looking between her partner and her sister. Weiss used my Semblance too?! Blake and Yang had similar thoughts, staring at the heiress in complete bafflement.

"Weiss…" Ruby breathed. "When did-"

Click!

All conversation came to a dead stop as the infirmary door swung open.

"Aww, right when things were getting interesting…" Sun mumbled. A sharp elbow-jab from Neptune silenced him, and every teen in the room felt cold dread when they saw who had just entered.

"Well, it would seem I'm late to the party," Professor Ozpin quipped, the corner of his lip lifting slightly at their shocked looks as he walked into the room, his cane clicking lightly on the linoleum floor. "I would say 'good evening', but it seems you all might disagree."

A bit confused by his words, Blake took a quick glance around the room. She had to hold back a grimace as she noticed the state her team was in. With everything going through her mind, appearances had escaped her attention. Now she wished she'd noticed sooner.

Even aside from Yang and Ruby's injuries, Team RWBY looked like they'd crashed head first through a building. Their once clean and pristine outfits were riddled with cuts and small tears, brown stains and smudges gathered around their arms and backs. Even Sun and Neptune hadn't escaped unscathed, their clothes covered in gravel and dirt.

Weiss was the first to really react, cheeks tinting in embarrassment as she crossed her arms, trying to hide a large rip across her jacket, showing off a tiny sliver of pale skin across her stomach. "S-sir, I promise we can explain why we look-!"

Ozpin cut her off with a raised hand, smiling patiently. "And I look forward to hearing that explanation… tomorrow."

There was a brief moment of silence, surprised looks being the only response to his statement. Blake decided to be brave and asked. "Tomorrow, sir?"

Ozpin merely nodded. "You all appear to have gone through quite an ordeal. I suggest you all have a good night's rest, and first thing tomorrow, you can all explain, in detail, exactly how it is you all encountered a stolen military prototype, and decided to fight it all by yourselves down a three-mile stretch of highway."

Everyone ducked their heads as Ozpin finished speaking. He didn't raise his voice, nor did his smile falter, but the look in his eyes said it all: Ozpin wasn't happy with them.

Ozpin's smile widened slightly at their reactions. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," the group chorused in resignation.

Ozpin nodded at them, satisfied with their answer. "Very good. Now, then." He then turned towards Sun and Neptune, his smile fading to a grim line. The Haven students flinched under the sudden attention, only to realize that the professor was actually looking past them. Ozpin took a few steps toward the bed behind them, looking down at the silent android. "What I would like answered right now is: how exactly do you know this girl?"

With that single sentence, the tension in the room increased tenfold. There was something about the way Ozpin was looking at Penny, the slight dip in his tone, that made each teen shiver slightly.

"She's our friend," Ruby finally said.

Ozpin turned to face Ruby, raised a single brow at her. "Is she?"

Ruby nodded, smiling slightly. "Yep! We met her last month and she helped us with… some things." She trailed off quickly, realizing that, as far as they knew, Ozpin didn't know about the battle down at the docks.

The corner of Ozpin's lip quirked at her sudden fumbling. He hummed slightly, looking back down at Penny. "I see. Then, if you would, Miss Rose, what is your opinion of Penny?"

Ruby blinked at the question. "Um… she's nice? Always wanting to help, very friendly. I'm happy I met her."

Ozpin nodded. "And that opinion still holds true? Even knowing her… nature?"

Ruby tilted her head a bit, unsure what Ozpin meant. Then she saw him glance towards the foot of Penny's bed, at the pile of swords and wires resting at Penny's feet. Ruby's eyes widened in realization. "You mean… that she's a robot?" she asked hesitantly.

Ozpin nodded again. "Yes."

A deep frown formed on Ruby's face, confusion in her silver eyes. "What does that matter?"

Now it was Ozpin's eyes that widened, if only slightly. He stared at Ruby for a few seconds, his expression rather blank. His eyes slowly drifted away from Ruby and over the other students in the room. Yang wore a frown just like Ruby's, though there was an almost challenging glint in her eye. Weiss just looked worried, eyes darting between Ruby and Ozpin, likely afraid that her partner had crossed some line. Blake simply met his gaze, though her flicking ear betrayed her nerves.

One thing was clear, though: none of the members of Team RWBY seemed to disagree with their leader's words.

Ozpin then turned his attention to the two Haven students, who each flinched when he met their eyes. "What of you two? What's your opinion of this girl?"

Sun and Neptune glanced at each other, unsure how to answer. Neptune shrugged at Sun, leaving the question to him. They turned back to the Headmaster, Sun sitting up a little straighter in his chair. "We only really met her tonight. She seems okay. Saved our butts a couple times."

Ozpin's eyebrow raised again, and Neptune resisted the urge to smack the back of his friend's head. Trying to salvage his partner's informal statement, Neptune said, "She seemed a little shy when we first met, but she was very friendly once we introduced ourselves."

Ozpin hummed to himself. He looked over the room at large, noting the nervous and determined looks he was receiving. He looked back down at Penny, at her blank eyes. He noticed a strand of orange hair that had fallen across her face. Brow furrowed slightly, he bent down, running a hand across Penny's forehead, tucking the hair back behind her ear. Her skin felt warm, exactly like a normal girl's.

The Headmaster looked into Penny's grey eyes for a moment, as if searching for something. He apparently found whatever it was, nodding slightly to himself before standing up straight.

"Again," he said aloud, almost to himself. "Something to discuss tomorrow. In the meantime." He turned back to the teens, his usual smile back in place. "It's getting late, and I'm sure you all could use some rest. Miss Rose, I understand you will be spending the night here?"

Ruby crossed her arms, grumbling to herself. "That's what the nurse said…"

Ozpin just smiled. "Well then, perhaps your team could bring you a meal before visiting hours end. As for you two," Ozpin fixed Sun and Neptune with a look that froze their veins. "Can I expect to see both of you in my office by ten tomorrow, alongside Team RWBY?"

Sun swallowed, wondering how Beacon's headmaster could be nothing like his own, yet somehow be even scarier. "Yes, sir. We'll be there bright and early."

Ozpin nodded in acceptance. "Very good. Now, Miss Belladonna…"

Blake's ears shot straight up at her being addressed. She wilted under the Headmaster's gaze. "Y-yes, sir?"

The smile on Ozpin's face grew slightly, his eyes a bit brighter than before. "There is a small issue that has been brought to my attention, regarding yourself. If you'd please accompany me to my office, I'm sure we could clear everything up."

Blake's ears pinned back, a look of dread on her face. W-what? What does that mean? Does… A thought struck her, sending a cold chill down her spine. Did he maybe just find out that I was in the White Fang?

She felt a warm hand land on her arm, cutting through her panicked thoughts.

Ruby sat up in her bed, wincing slightly as her leg jolted in protest. She ran her hand up and down Blake's forearm, hoping to soothe the Faunus' worry. She looked up at the headmaster in concern. "Sir, is Blake in some kind of trouble?"

Ozpin merely chuckled. "Not at all. Just a minor discrepancy on her student record I'd like to get cleared up. Once we're finished, I'll send her back to your dorm room."

Blake's worry turned to confusion, wondering what he meant. Ozpin then met her eyes, before looking pointedly at the top of her head. His eyebrow rose again.

Blake blushed in embarrassment, her cat ears twitching slightly. Right. The school records still have me listed as a human. Why didn't I think of that?

She shot Ruby a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Ruby. I'll see you all soon." Without a second thought, she leaned over and pecked Ruby on the cheek.

Ruby was startled for a moment, before a broad grin spread over her face. "O-okay."

Blake stood up from the bed, missing Weiss' eyes bugging out as they darted from her Mates to Ozpin. For his part, the headmaster's only reaction was his brow raising just a hair higher.

"See ya later, Blake," Yang said with a grin, though her gaze did stray to Ozpin, a wary glint in her eyes.

Blake nodded to her, smiling, when she felt a sudden burst of Worry, Want, Indecision, coming from beside her. She saw Weiss looking at her, biting her lip as her eyes darted between herself, Ruby, and then Professor Ozpin.

For once, Blake didn't need to guess at what Weiss was worrying about. She leaned across the bed, putting her hand over Weiss'. The heiress stiffened in surprise, then gave a soft smile when she realized what Blake was doing. Blake smiled back, giving Weiss' hand a small squeeze.

Giving her attention back to Ozpin, Blake nodded. "Ready when you are, sir."

Ozpin merely nodded, smiling kindly. "Very well then. I'll see you tomorrow, Team RWBY, gentlemen." Nodding to each group, he started walking away, back towards the doors, Blake trailing behind him.

As the student-teacher pair disappeared out the doors, Sun stood up from his chair, patting the dust and dirt from his pant's legs. "Well, if he ain't gonna chew us out tonight, I think that's our cue to head out." He flashed the remaining girls his usual grin. Throwing up a hand in a lazy wave, Sun headed for the door. "See y'all tomorrow at court!"

As the girls called out a goodbye, Neptune rolled his eyes at his partner's antics, following them out. "See you later." Before the door shut fully, though, he poked his head back in, looking a little nervous. "Oh, um, Weiss?"

Weiss perked up, surprised at being addressed. "Yes?"

Neptune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, uh… I just wanted to say…" He trailed off when he noticed Yang giving him a hard look, certain that for a brief moment, her eyes had blazed red. Sweat running down his forehead, he shouted, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable!" Then he ran out of the room like a Beowolf was after him.

Weiss blinked at the infirmary door, which Neptune had slammed shut in his mad dash away. "What was that about?"

Yang followed her gaze. "No idea," she said, smirking slightly.

Ruby looked between the two, feeling about as lost as Weiss looked. Her eyes stopped on Weiss, drifting down to the heiress' hands. She held up her own, a curious look on her face as she flexed it, the earlier conversation playing back in her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl. Yang and Weiss jumped at the sound, then looked down at Ruby, Weiss raising an unimpressed eyebrow, while Yang just smirked knowingly. The sniper smiled back sheepishly, her cheeks tinting as her stomach let loose another grumble.

"So… Ozpin said something about dinner?"

Blake couldn't help but fidget as she followed Professor Ozpin down the hall. While she respected the man as a Hunter and a teacher, ever since her interview with him all those months back, she'd always had a feeling of unease whenever he was around. The fact that he'd made her for a Faunus, possibly even a White Fang member, within minutes of meeting her always made her wonder just how much her headmaster saw around him.

Ozpin gave her no mind, leading Blake to the elevators. Rather than hit the up button, he waved his scroll in front of a small lens beside the doors. A small chime sounded, and the elevator doors opened. Blake followed him inside, and the doors slid shut without him hitting a button, the elevator slowly rising.

Awkward silence fell. At least, it was awkward for Blake. Ozpin just grinned, humming along with a little tune coming from the elevator speakers.

Blake resigned herself to the silence, focusing instead on what she and her Mates were going to say tomorrow. Try as she might come up with a way around their movements that evening, she kept coming up blank. Ozpin's comment had made it clear he knew they had fought the Paladin. If it had just been the four of them, maybe they could pass it off as just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but with having roped in Sun and Neptune, and later Penny, the chances of Ozpin believing that were slim.

The terrifying part was, Blake had already thought of the obvious answer: tell the truth. Tell him about the White Fang, her involvement, her need for fixing what she and Adam started. How she and her teammates had gone out to find information on their one lead, and gotten more than they'd bargained for in the form of a madman with a mech.

But she couldn't do that. If she told him that, there'd be questions, ones she was sure she didn't want to answer. So, no, they needed to come up with a plan, with something to-

"An eventful night, I take it?"

Blake was jolted from her thoughts by Ozpin's voice, and jumped when she found the headmaster looking down at her, eyes bright behind his spectacles. "Um… I beg your pardon… sir?"

Ozpin gave her a wry grin. "Just seeing if you were still with me, Miss Belladonna. I was afraid you may have dozed off for a moment."

Blake's ears tilted back, embarrassed. "Sorry, sir. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment."

Ozpin nodded knowingly, facing the elevator doors. "Oh, I can relate. I've been having my fair share of headaches as of late. The world seems bound and determined to complicate itself."

Blake hummed in agreement, not really having a comment for that.

Strangely, Ozpin's grin widened a little as he continued. "Still, enough good happens now and again to balance things out. In fact, that's partly why I asked you here."

Blake blinked at that, a little lost by Ozpin's random comment. "Sir?"

Ozpin glanced at her as the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal his brightly lit office. "I must apologize, Miss Belladonna, but I must admit to bringing you here under false pretenses."

As if a lightning bolt had shot up her spine, Blake stiffened, her ears pinning back in shock. Every worst-case scenario flashed through her mind, dread pooling in her stomach. Had the White Fang made some kind of move? Were she and her Mates already in some kind of trouble? Had- Blake swallowed hard as a chilling thought hit her. Have they found out my connection to Adam?

Before she could lose herself to panic, Ozpin held up a hand, speaking in a strong, clear tone. "Calm yourself, Miss Belladonna. I promise you that you are in no trouble. I merely wanted to address this with you away from prying eyes and ears."

It took a moment for Blake's heart to start beating again, a strained wheeze passing her lips as she sucked in a startled breath. Relief flooded through her, her ears relaxing just a little. As her panic left her, though, confusion took its place, as she wondered what it was Ozpin wanted to discuss.

Ozpin led Blake out of the elevator, and the Faunus took a moment to take in the amazing view from outside Ozpin's window. From this high above campus, both the countryside and the city of Vale seemed to stretch on forever. With her night vision, Blake could make out every tree in the emerald forest, the lights of Vale's skyline shining like a brilliant light show. It was breathtaking.

A mere step into the room, Ozpin started explaining. "You see, Miss Belladonna, just before I went down to the infirmary, I received a video call from… a rather spectacular individual. One who I didn't think I'd ever have the pleasure of conversing with."

Blake looked at the headmaster queerly as she followed him to his desk, unsure where he was going with this.

Ozpin went on. "We spoke for a little while, exchanging pleasantries, before she explained to me her reason for calling."

Blake tilted her head slightly in thought. Clearly, whoever this person was must have something to do with her. Why else would Ozpin bother mentioning it?

"It would seem that she has been trying to reach Beacon Academy for some time now, but between the distance and a storm rolling through the area, her signal didn't reach here until today."

Ozpin rounded his desk, Blake stopping in front of it. "Okay…" Blake said warily, trying to follow along. "What did this person want?"

At that, Ozpin broke out into another wry grin. "That would perhaps best be explained by the person herself." To Blake's shock, rather than sit down in his large office chair, Ozpin took a step behind it, swiveling it to the side with an expectant look on his face.

It took Blake a moment to realize what Ozpin was getting at, her ears shooting straight up when she did. She looked between the Headmaster and the chair with wide eyes, a look of disbelief on her face. "S-sir?" she stuttered out.

Ozpin continued to smile, looking more amused as time went on. "A bit unorthodox, I'll admit. But, for tonight, I'll make an exception." He patted the chair's backrest. "Come now, I promise this will all make sense in a moment."

Blake just stared at the man, her mind going blank out of confusion. There were many things she had thought about the Headmaster doing in regards to her, from confronting her about the White Fang, to him handing her Hunter's license after surviving all four years at the Academy.

Being told to sit in his chair, at the Headmaster's desk, was not one of them.

After an awkward few seconds, Blake robotically made her way around the desk. She made to sit down, casting Ozpin a worried glance, as if asking if this was really okay. From the look on his face, Blake wouldn't have put it past the headmaster to roll his eyes at her, instead giving an encouraging nod. Blake slowly sank into the leather chair, as if afraid it would explode.

As Ozpin spun the chair to face her forward, Blake got the very surreal sight of the Headmaster's office from his point of view. On the desk were several computer screens, all of them glowing a calming light blue, each one showing a screensaver of the Beacon emblem, spinning slowly in the center of the screen, save one. On the centermost screen, among the clutter-free desktop, was the familiar symbol for a video call, a simple message below it asking if she wanted to reconnect the call.

Leaning over her shoulder, Ozpin reached for the keyboard. "I believe we've kept her waiting long enough." Before Blake could protest (she had so many questions, not the least of which being, who is on the other end of this call?), Ozpin hit a key, and a window filled up the screen, showing a woman's face.

Blake stopped breathing.

Jet black hair, cut into a short bob. Amber eyes, filled with warmth and care. Two sleek cat ears, just like hers, a few golden piercings dotting around their edges. Skin just a shade darker than her own, kissed by the tropical sun.

Every thought in Blake's head abandoned her, leaving just a feeling that she'd suddenly become ten years old again.

"Mom?"

The moment the video call opened, Kali Belladonna let out a gasp of shock, followed by a joy-filled smile. "Blake!" The older Faunus let out a deep breath, as if releasing all the tension in her body. "Oh, baby girl, it's so good to see you."

Before Blake could form a coherent thought, Ozpin lightly cleared his throat. "I believe that is my cue to leave." He placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, Blake turning stiffly to face him. He smiled down at her. 'If you need me for anything, I'll be in the next room over." As he turned to walk away, the smile left his face. "I have a call of my own to attend to," he muttered to himself, his eyes gaining a hard glint as he left the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

Blake blinked dumbly at the closed door, unable to process a word of what he said.

"Blake?" Kali called from the computer, worry in her voice. "Are you alright?"

Hearing her mother's voice jolted Blake from he stupor. She faced the screen, her heartbeat increasing when she saw her own amber eyes reflected back at her. "I… yes, I… um…" Blake floundered for a response. When none came, she just blurted out the first thing to come to mind. "W-why are you calling here?"

Kali's ears dipped slightly, a frown marring her features. "Well, hello to you, too," she said, her tone carrying more confused curiosity than actual hurt.

Blake flinched at her mother's words, berating herself. Her first conversation with her mother in forever, and that was the first thing she said? "I-I'm sorry!" Blake said, a bit louder than she'd intended, making Kali lean away from the screen a little. She winced again, forcing herself to be quieter. "Sorry, I didn't mean… I just wasn't expecting to talk to you…" she murmured, before hastily finishing, "... so soon."

All sense of curiosity had left Kali's face, leaving only motherly concern. "So soon? Sweetheart, your father and I haven't heard from you in almost a year. We were starting to worry that something had happened to you."

Blake had to fight not to flinch again, but she couldn't stop her ears from folding down. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Things have been a bit… complicated over here."

Kali's worried look let up slightly, her lips curving upwards into a small, almost sly smile. "I'll bet."

Blake's mind blanked on what to say next, the blood rushing in her ears being very distracting. Taking a deep, hopefully-calming breath, she willed her heartbeat to slow. "Can… Can we start again?" she asked softly. Praying that she could speak without stuttering, Blake tried to put on a smile of her own. "Hi, mom."

Kali's smile widened. "Hello, sweetheart. Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, I am," Blake answered instantly.

The second the words were out of her mouth, she realized… she really was. The realization was so surprising, Blake actually had to stop for a moment and make sure what she said was true. Her smile slowly became more genuine. "Actually… I'm doing pretty good right now. I mean… things are a little… hectic right now, but… I'm happy."

Kali nodded, humming lightly in approval. "That's good to hear. Any particular reason why?"

Blake blinked. "Um…"

The smiling faces of three girls leapt to the front of her mind, each framed with white, blonde, and red-tipped black hair, respectfully.

Blake felt heat rise to her face. She was still processing that she was actually speaking to her mother. That conversation could wait for later, if at all. "Things, um… things have just been going well." Not a complete lie, Blake thought to herself. Before the White Fang rallies and stolen war mechs had gotten involved, the previous week had been her best one at Beacon yet.

From the subtle narrowing of Kali's eyes, however, it seemed her mother was expecting a different answer. "Are you sure?" she asked. To Blake's shock, the corner of Kali's smile tipped a little higher, becoming a knowing grin. "Nothing… major happened lately, that might have put you in such a good mood?"

Blake had all of a second to wonder what her mother meant by that, when she saw Kali's golden eyes dart to her neck, her smile growing ever larger.

Blake's hand slapped over her Mark, hard enough to send a stinging pain up and down her neck. She was dimly aware that she couldn't feel her bow anymore, but couldn't dwell on it due to her mind seizing up in pure panic.

"I-I-I…" Blake babbled, her face ablaze as she tried to remember how to talk. This was something she had no idea how to handle. She had spent a little time over the last week thinking on how she would explain being Mated to her parents, but those were far off fantasies, in a world where Adam was defeated and the White Fang had returned to their former glory. She didn't really consider it something to worry about.

Now, as she failed to speak a coherent word, she wished she had.

Thankfully, her babbling was cut off when Kali let out a small giggle. "Blake, relax. I'm not angry. That's why I've been trying to reach Beacon; I wanted to congratulate you."

Blake stopped, her mouth still partway open in surprise. She had a brief feeling of relief at her mother's words, before her mind latched onto something. "Congratulate…?" she murmured to herself in confusion. A ball of cold dread formed in her stomach as a thought hit her. "Wait, Mom, did… did you already know I was Mated?"

Kali's ears perked up at that, a bemused look crossing her face. She let out a small chuckle. "Of course I knew, sweetheart. Why wouldn't I?"

Blake's eyes widened in disbelief. "H-how? Did someone tell you?" Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they didn't make sense. Ozpin had said she'd been trying to reach Beacon all week, and that was-

Blake swallowed.

...when I first gave them the initial Marks. Her mother had known since then? How had her mother known since then?!

Her widened eyes were reflected by her mother's, the older Faunus leaning back in bafflement. "Tell me? Blake, no one had to tell me, I just…" She trailed off, a look of realization slowly overtaking her features, her ears pinning back in distress as she saw the growing look of confusion on her daughter's face. When she spoke, her voice was faint. "You… you really don't know?"

Letting her hand fall from her neck, Blake's ears folded back in worry. "Know… what?"

Kali sucked in a sharp breath, as if Blake's words had been a physical blow. "But… how could you not know?" Her voice rose as her distress grew with each word. "It's one of the most basic parts of…" Her pupils shrank as a thought hit her, looking at Blake with dread. "Blake… who taught you about how Mating worked?"

Blake stiffened, before looking off to the side. Her mother didn't know it, but Blake knew that was a loaded question, one that would likely lead to more unpleasant ones. Rubbing the back of her neck nervously, Blake admitted, "No one really taught me. I just kind of… pieced things together myself after a while."

Kali looked like she'd been slapped. "What? I know your father and I didn't get to explain much before you left, but I assumed… I thought for sure someone would have told you the details, at least before you left for Beacon. Didn't Adam-"

Blake flinched hard at her former friend's name, which her mother didn't miss.

"-or one of the older members… Blake?" Kali called in concern, watching as her daughter ducked her head, almost in shame. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

The only reason Blake didn't shout a panicked lie was because of how hard she was biting her lip. She berated herself for the slip-up, but she couldn't help it. The way Kali said Adam's name, like he was a friend, a mentor, someone to trust… just the thought made her stomach churn.

Don't ask, Blake thought desperately, hoping beyond hope that her mother would just let it drop. Please don't ask. Please.

"...Blake?" Kali's voice came through the screen hesitantly, as if she was afraid of what her daughter might say. "Did something happen between you and Adam?"

Blake's shoulders hunched, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't tell her mother about Adam or the White Fang, not right now. Not when she and her team had barely started looking into them. If her parents found out about what she'd done, while the White Fang was still in the twisted state Adam had made it… if they hated her…

Blake felt an overwhelming urge to just turn off the computer, to leave the conversation.

To run away.

Blake balled her hands into fists, her dull nails digging into her palms.

No. No, I said I was done with running, she thought with conviction, which died almost immediately. ...but what do I say? If I tell her about the White Fang… How I ruined all Dad's work, I don't… I can't…

Calm.

Blake's eyes shot open, a warm feeling washing over her, quickly followed by icy cold and an electric tingle.

Worry. Fright. Concern. Calm. Comfort.

Blake took a deep breath, letting her Mates' emotions wrap around her. She wondered what her team thought was happening to her. She felt no panic from any of them, so they probably didn't think she was in danger, but her distress had been enough to worry them.

She sent back a quick feeling of thankfulness. If nothing else, they'd kept her from going into a full blown panic attack. Her mind a little clearer, Blake thought desperately on how to answer her mother, to convince her that everything was fine. If she could make her believe there was nothing wrong, it would buy Blake time to… to…

To what? Blake thought in despair, feeling like her insides were twisting into a knot. Defeat Adam? Take down the entire White Fang, change them all back to how things used to be? That's so far away, I… I don't even know if I can do it.

She felt something inside her crack at the thought. She looked up at the screen, seeing her mother looking back, lost and concerned.

I don't want to lie to her.

As the words crossed her mind, Blake's heart skipped a beat.

Lying wasn't new to her. She'd lied many times in the White Fang. She'd lied to her headmaster, to the entire student body. She'd lied to her team, those she'd considered her most precious people, for months, letting them think she was something she wasn't.

But now… with those warm amber eyes staring at her, so worried, almost helpless; the thought of lying to her mother, especially over something so important, seemed impossible. Something shattered inside her just thinking about it.

Blake took a moment, steeling herself. The more she thought about telling her mother, the more the idea burned inside her, begging her to do it. But something stopped her: before she did this… completely upended her mother's world… she needed to know something. To hear her mother say something, just once.

With a pleading look in her eyes, Blake asked,

"Mom? You love me, right?"

Kali was taken aback, her ears standing up in shock. "What? Blake, what kind of question is that? Of course I love you."

But Blake just pursed her lips, looking even more distressed. "Even… even if I did something bad?"

Kali blinked, her face going slack as Blake's words sank in. "Blake…?"

Blake swallowed down the lump in her throat, taking a shuddering breath. "Like, really bad? L-like… 'I might have ruined everything' bad?" Much as she tried to hold them back, tears started to trail down Blake's face. "Would you still love me then?"

Kali stared into Blake's tear-filled eyes, her mouth having dropped partway open in shock. Then she snapped it shut, her eyes gaining a hard edge to them. "Blake, you are my daughter. You are my entire world." She put a hand over her heart, her eyes softening. "It doesn't matter what you did or what you may do. I'll always love you, no matter what."

Blake was breathing deeply at this point, looking at her mother with hope in her eyes. She swallowed again, looking down. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and let it out slowly. She pursed her lips, like simply speaking had become painful. She slowly looked up, forcing herself to meet her mother's eyes. "I did something bad, Mom."

Kali just nodded again. "I'm listening, Blake," she said, in a tone that promised nothing but support.

Blake hesitated, eyes darting away for a moment. "It's… kind of a long story."

Kali gave a patient smile. "I have time."

Blake stared at her for a moment, before looking down with a nod. She took a deep breath, and began. "I guess… It all started two years ago, at this protest near the SDC Vale headquarters…"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: And thus, I officially tell the canon timeline to take a hike.

Next Chapter: More Mother/Daughter time with the Belladonna's, Some RWBY cuddle time, and we check in on our favorite criminal duo.