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Pyrrha groaned tiredly, her head rolling over to look out the window beside her bed lethargically. Her head was pounding, her throat was dry, and her back and chest ached where that woman had injected her. The room was smaller than others she'd seen at academies in Mistral, and private. A room only for her didn't make much sense. Why would she be given a special, private room for her own convalescence when she knew academies used more standard ones?

She started to sit up, forced to use her arms as a support, and felt a chill hit her chest. Looking down, she realized she was in a hospital gown. At least that much made sense, except this one was stark white. Not Mistral's usual teal or Vale's greenish one, but a stark white. The door opened a second later with a creak, and she instinctively covered her chest, if only due to the room's chill and her lack of a shirt or anything else.

A large man in a decorated uniform stepped into the room, Headmaster Ozpin on his tail, and Pyrrha instinctively straightened under his gaze. Ozpin spoke first, "Miss Nikos, I am glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was attacked, poisoned twice and left tied to a chair… sirs." She croaked, adding the last after a thought before her brain sluggishly woke up to something, "Where's Jaune? Is he okay? That… woman took him, did you get him back?"

The two looked at each other, Ozpin sadly and the other with a sort of grim acknowledgement. The other spoke, "That's why we're here, Nikos. My name is James Ironwood, and I'm the general in charge of the Atlesian defensive fleet over Vale right now. Ozpin and I are getting people together for a rescue operation."

"Why not send in your soldiers?" Pyrrha asked hotly, shaking her head and looking out the window as an Atlesian ship floated by in the early morning light. "Isn't this the kind of thing that your army is here for?"

"If James were to deploy his soldiers into the streets in search of Mister Arc, there would be mass panic. Along with a diversion of the soldiers that are meant to thwart what that would cause." Ozpin said as calmly as possible, leaning forward on his cane heavily, "However, he has multiple agents in the city looking for any sign of him. And I have Hunters in the city, in case they find anything, to follow him if nothing else."

"However, we know of a way that you can help Jaune. A way that you, and only you, can help him and all of us more than anyone or anything else." Ozpin took a long breath, sitting on the edge of her bed and resting a hand on her knee, "Do you want to help Jaune? No matter what may come of it?"

"Of course." She said instantly, looking at him with confusion, "You know that, I'd do anything in his service. We are lokhoi, battle brothers and sisters. He'd do anything to save me, and I he. The same goes for Nora or Ren."

"Even should it leave you dead?" James asked lowly, stepping to the foot of her bed, "Or even worse than?"

She looked between them for a long time, leaning back into her bed in sudden anxiety, "What… what is it that you want me to do? What could possibly hold such risks? I would die for my lokhoi if needed, but… what would be worse than that?"

"Becoming nothing. Losing everything that you are. The kind of thing where even your Semblance may be changed forever." Ozpin said honestly, shrugging when she grew more curious and concerned, "But first… how familiar are you with the Tales of the Maidens?"

"I was told them as a child…." She muttered, looking between the general and Ozpin several times, "What bearing do they have on Jaune? What could they do to help us save him?"

"Because in that story is our most potent weapon." James said almost reverently, nodding at her, "And soon, if you are willing to do what it takes to save your partner, you will be that weapon. A weapon to protect entire kingdoms- and your friends."

"A Maiden." Ozpin added quickly, squeezing her knee comfortingly, "Power unimaginable, once you master it."

She sat up straighter and without hesitation spoke, "Tell me what you need of me. What you need me to do. How do I become this… Maiden?"

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Junior was rather content right now. He was in good health, all his bills were paid up to next month and he still had extra, his informants were all well and reporting as usual, and even his club had been repaired and was once more populated by the young and excitement seeking. Melanie and Miltia were on the floor, dancing as much as they were patrolling for trouble makers and drug dealers. Greg was doing the rounds too, watching for overly aggressive guys he needed to chase out.

And the bar was quiet, which boded well for the town as a whole. A couple of regulars at the end were drinking and chatting idly, but aside from that it was empty. He sighed when he saw one of his boys walking towards him with a burner Scroll in his hand, and took it without comment for the goon. "J. Who is this?"

"Who else?" Roman said on the other end of the line, "Need you to get a message out, discreetly obviously. Paying top dollar for this one, I don't care if you have to call one of your more… upstanding friends, so to speak."

"That's expensive as hell, you know that." He said gruffly, turning away from the bar to prevent any accidental overhearing, "Who you need me to contact for you, and what do you need me to say?"

"Anyone in the Atlesian army high enough to get a message to that old dick in charge, or anyone at Beacon who can get it to the other old dick in charge. Tell him that I have his little... gem in Glenn. I don't know, change that to whatever kind of yellow gem you can think of, he'll get it" Roman said cryptically, chuckling after a second, "Hey, that rhymed."

"Wait a tick, Roman.…" Junior interrupted, looking out at the floor of his club as though he'd find the man there, waiting to laugh at him. He saw nothing. "You want me to contact the Dust damn Atlesian military, Roman? Are you insane?"

"In fairness, I want you to have someone else do it. Or go to Beacon." He heard the man sigh, the act sending static, "Look, I have the Lien for it, so just do it, alright?"

"Fine, Roman." Junior sighed, shaking his head, "I'll see what I can do." He ended the call before Roman could answer, smashing the Scroll on the counter in anger.

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Jaune's room was nice enough, about the same size as his one in Asnel. And along with the bed it had a small table in the middle. The floor was made of smoothed stone, like the walls and ceiling, and was cold to the touch if he took off his boots. Currently he was sitting on the bed, back against the wall, while the voices and feelings of all those around him assaulted his senses.

Jaune sighed when the door finally opened and Cinder stepped inside, carrying a tray of food with a red bottle on it. She paused when the door slammed shut behind her, smiling pleasantly at him, "Hello, Jaune. I felt you might be hungry, so I brought some food and wine. Assuming you drink, of course?"

"I'm, uh, not old enough to drink yet." He said quietly, watching her step further into the room and lay the tray down. She was wearing the same red dress from the other day, but she lacked the heels and instead wore soft-looking sandals, "So I, um, well I don't, I guess?"

"Jaune, you're currently at the center of a base, owned by terrorists, and in a room with someone who has killed or ordered the deaths of enough people to be called a mass murderer." She chuckled quietly, standing and cocking her hip with a hand resting on it, "I don't think the legal age of alcohol consumption should be the most important thing to you as of now." "Not that Ozpin would let anyone punish you for it, even if you were in Beacon…. Too valuable to his needs." "I also thought you might appreciate some company, given that I doubt the White Fang is very… friendly to you."

"I already said no to… sleeping with people as a payment to joining you, "He grumbled, standing up and walking to the table to pluck a piece of bread off it and gnawing on it hungrily, "That did include you."

She laughed brightly this time, shaking her head at him while she sat in the chair, "Jaune, if I were trying to sleep with you, I wouldn't have brought you soup. And besides, I have made the offer that I think will make you choose my side. I am… I am simply here to make it an easier choice, I suppose." "You think us evil, and this is why you oppose us." "I aim to disprove that belief." "Though if sleeping with you helps that.…"

"Would you stop... doing that? Thinking and talking, it makes my head hurt." She nodded, smiling at him and grabbing the two glasses off the table, setting one in front of him, "And… stop with the sex stuff, okay? It's annoying."

She inclined her head slightly, watching him pick up the bowl and start eating the thick soup for a moment, "I do apologize for that. I did not realize that it offended you." She picked up the bottle, pouring herself a full glass and filling his as well, "It is there if you want it. Something that can be said of the world, now." "If you wish to take it, of course."

Jaune stared at the glass for a second before taking another bite of bread, "You came here to try and convince me that you weren't evil, right? Or do you need me drunk to do that?"

"No, of course I don't require that." She took a sip from her glass, holding it in her hand and shaking it slightly to make the liquid splash back and forth, "Let me ask you something, Jaune. Why is it that, with the ability to control all of the Grimm even at a great distance, my mistress does not simply destroy one Kingdom after another? Why not overwhelm them in a sheer wall of flesh and fur?"

"I… never thought about it, really." Jaune said quietly, pushing the soup around in his bowl and avoiding looking at Cinder, "I just assumed she couldn't, because the militaries and Hunters would prevent them getting past their walls, and the natural barriers would add more problems."

"Giant Nevermores could fly over the walls protecting Vale with Creeps on their backs, and Hydras, Sea Dragons and Aqua Drakes could assault the port." She dismissed easily, waving a hand as though to toss the argument away, "That's without considering the Elder Grimm she could send into battle, like the Greater Drakes. She doesn't want to annihilate the entirety of the Kingdoms. So, if she wants to win a war, and wants to preserve the kingdoms, what could she want?"

"Conquest…."

"Exactly." Cinder said, clasping her fingers into a tent under her chin, "She wants to rule, and you can't rule the dead. So if you agreed to help us, then I'm sure you'd be able to save lives." "Or you could fight us, and watch people die in vain." Jaune thought for a long time, spinning the spoon in his soup idly, and Cinder decided to add in, "She will win, Jaune. I would suggest you choose the side that has the least amount of deaths, as that appears to be your priority."

"I need to think." He said quietly, and Cinder smiled before downing the rest of her wine and standing to leave.

Once she was gone, Jaune took a long drink of his own and refilled it while his mind raced with thoughts.

Behind him on the bed, the pillow laying on the mattress flipped over quietly, without catching the blonde's attention.

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Outside the door, Cinder smiled to herself and began to make her way to her room, eager to report what she already felt was a success to her mistress. Soon enough they'd have the next step in her plan prepared, and she'd be able to sway Jaune fully to their side.

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Pyrrha had almost never been injured before, outside of minor sprains and breaks in training. Those had healed usually overnight, so she'd been spared much of the negatives to the injuries aside from lost time. Now, though? As Ren wheeled her through Beacon's halls, her hands folded in her lap and eyes downcast as the people they past whispered. The 'Invincible Girl' Pyrrha Nikos, beaten by a little girl?

The needle, poison, and trick involved somewhere in there seemed to elude them entirely.

But that was, frankly, the last thing on her mind. First and foremost was what Headmaster Ozpin and the Atlesian General had told her. They'd both insisted she call them by their first names, given what she'd agreed to, but even now she couldn't bring herself to do it. It just seemed… unearned, she supposed.

Ren saw her staring at the floor and looked over his shoulder at Nora, who gave him a sad look and nodded at her. Sighing, Ren laid a hand on her shoulder, "You'll be fine, Pyrrha. And they'll get him back, you know that."

"Yeah!" Nora added brightly, bouncing in front of them and waving her hands in the air as she detailed the very intricate plan involving thirty seven Atlas warships, five Huntsmen, and a carrot that would save Jaune. She turned when her story was over, and Pyrrha tried to force a smile for her sake. By Nora's expression though, she could tell it was less than what she had hoped for, "Come on, Pyrrha… you know he'll be fine. You have to, right?"

"I hope so very much, Nora." Pyrrha said honestly, smiling still and forcing herself to relax slightly. "I just… have a lot on my mind. That is all. I promise, I am fine."

"I should hope so." Ren said quietly, patting her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "Now, we have a meeting to get to." He said, wheeling her to a stop in front of the elevator and looking down, "Assuming you are ready, of course?"

"Yeah, we can just say we got lost or… something." Nora shrugged when Pyrrha turned and raised an eyebrow at her, "What? I don't do the nitty gritty ideas. That's Ren and Jaune's job. I just hit things. With my hammer. Until they die. Sometimes repeatedly, and with a lot of explosives."

"Nora.…"

Pyrrha chuckled and sighed, sad and amused at the same time, before she reached up to press the elevator's call button, "Let us just get this over with, alright? Once it is done, we will… know more, I suppose, about what to do."

The ride was short, and rather quiet, and when they reached the end she was mildly surprised by how many people were in the office. Nine not counting her team, or what was left of it, and none she knew aside from the teachers and Qrow. He was sitting backwards in a chair by the elevator, Ozpin sat at his desk as always with a mug in hand and Glynda at his side. General James Ironwood was on his other side, presenting a solid front. Between Yang and Ruby, a blonde man was sitting and looking quite irritated, arms crossed while the girls leaned against him and smiled. The other two members of the team sat on opposite sides, and Pyrrha sensed some tension there.

The remainder of JNPR took a spot next to RWBY and the unnamed man, Ozpin nodding to her in particular. She smiled meekly back, and he stood, "Ladies and gentleman, I would like to start by thanking you for coming to this meeting on such short notice. As you all know, Beacon Academy was attacked on the night of the annual dance. Two Atlesian soldiers were killed, and their grenades used as improvised explosives placed under the balconies of the ballroom."

"Video recovered from the helmets of the two soldiers shows that the first didn't even take note when the man he was speaking with had his throat cut beside him. He in fact keeps talking to him as though he's there, until we see him fall." The General said quietly, a thin veneer barely hiding the anger everyone - even Pyrrha - could tell was there. "Unfortunately, the assailant made sure to keep the helmets facing the ground after that, so we could not identify them. Further, the weapon recovered at the scene was a plain kitchen knife, so no leads can be gleaned from there."

"Finally, even worse, is that this was a diversion." Professor Goodwitch said with a small sigh, stepping forward and pressing a button on the desk. A panel on the wall pulled in and slid back, showing a viewscreen. On the viewscreen, a picture of Jaune boarding a Bullhead with a woman next to him was shown, "Jaune Arc was either kidnapped or extracted by friends of his, though we lean to the former of these options due to the… events leading up to the night in question."

"What do you mean?" The stranger asked, raising a hand as though asking a teacher's permission to speak, the arm covered in tattoos and small scars. "If he went with the kinds of people I think you mean, he's probably with them, isn't he?"

"No." Ozpin said simply, standing and leaning on the desk heavily to look at the man, "He was forced to go with them. They assaulted, poisoned and carved a message into Miss Nikos' flesh to send him a message on his Scroll. Combined with the bombing they used as a mere distraction.…"

"Jaune would have gone with them, to stop it. If they threatened that, or to hurt Pyrrha more-"

"They did." Pyrrha interrupted Ruby, smiling at her apologetically before continuing, "She said something like that she would keep cutting at me until he went with them. Or that she'd poison him too. They… I think they wanted it to look like he was cooperating with them freely."

"He did seem to be hugging the girl awful close in our footage of him." Qrow said quietly, shrugging and crossing his arms, tapping a finger on his bicep, "I suppose she could have had a knife to his side, or a needle since that's what little Miss Invincible had get her."

"A needle." Pyrrha growled, glaring at him lightly. He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed, "She had several. Used two to keep me down, and threatened him with another. How interesting that you weren't there to protect him."

"I was busy." He defended flaccidly, shrugging at the girl, "Besides, that's why I was training him."

"Fat lot of good that did him. Now he's been-"

"Enough!" The blonde man said, standing and slamming a fist into the table, "Oz, you called in your favor for this. I'll ignore you putting my daughters at risk so long as you just get to the part where you say what you want from me."

Ozpin seemed to think for a long time, likely debating defending himself, before sighing and retaking his seat, "I want you and Qrow to rake this city until Nicholas Arc and Raven arrive, then add them to your group." He raised a hand when both the man and Yang opened their mouths, eager to speak, "I understand both your needs to speak with her, but a man's life lies on the line. I trust that you will put personal matters away until after this is over, Taiyang and Yang?"

Taiyang glared at the man for several long seconds, his jaw working hard enough that a vessel popped out on his neck, before he sighed and straightened, "Fine, but I swear to Oum that if any of my family gets hurt…." Ozpin nodded and the man turned, patting Ruby's head as he walked towards the elevator.

"Yang?" He asked quietly, looking to her with raised eyebrows and a neutral expression, "Can I trust you as a Huntress?" The fact that he'd have to treat her as a child if he couldn't went unsaid. She simply nodded mutely, and he smiled warmly, "Good. I want RWBY combing through the forests around Beacon and Vale for any sign of Jaune, or any sort of hidden bases."

"Atlesian forces are also combing the area, and will support you if you need it." The General added, tossing four small disks onto the table, "Keep these with you, you can use them to get a direct line of communication to Specialist Schnee onboard my flagship. Extraction, reinforcements, Paladins, or a bombardment are all available to you if you feel the need."

"JNPR will stay at Beacon, as a sort of rapid response unit. Team CFVY is on their way back from a mission, and will stand to as well when they arrive. This will also allow Miss Nikos to recover from her wounds in the meantime. Mister Lie and Miss Valkyrie, you will run patrols acting as students. Report anything untoward. Even something as simple as a missing student." Pyrrha frowned at the Headmistress' words, knowing what she meant.

She'd undergo the 'operation' while the others were away or working, and they'd help her recover. She didn't mind the deception, and understood its reasons. She nodded to say she understood and Ren grabbed her wheelchair so they could leave when Ozpin spoke, "Mister Lie, please leave her here. We wish to speak with her regarding last night. Verify a few things."

"She needs to rest." He said simply, hands still on the wheelchair and Nora at his back as the others filed out, Ruby stopping hesitantly in the doorway to look at them worriedly.

"It's alright." She said, smiling up at him, "Go ahead, and save me some dinner as well, would you kindly?" He hesitated only a moment before releasing the chair and following the others into the elevator, the doors sliding closed quietly. Sighing, Pyrrha looked at him, "What did you need, Headmaster?"

"We only wished to speak with you, make sure you are well." Goodwitch said quietly, walking around the table to smile at her warmly, "You have had a lot to consider in such a short while. And even more has happened than you have considered, I am sure. We're worried about your mental wellbeing, the poison used on you has been known to affect the mind."

"What she means is that the procedure to transfer the Maiden's power may fail if you aren't mentally prepared." James said dryly, his face softening slightly after a moment, "It failing could hurt you greatly, and we wouldn't risk that lightly. Maiden or not."

"I'm alright as can be. I shall be better once I have Jaune safely in my line of sight." She smiled thinly, almost sadly, "Seems a fact that whenever he and I part, he finds some world of trouble."

"That would seem to be true." Qrow added quietly, nodding his head. He sighed when she glared at him balefully and pushed off the wall, "Gonna head into the city then, see what I can dig up."

Ozpin nodded, watching the man leave through the same elevator as the others had used, before returning his gaze to Pyrrha, "Well then, Miss Nikos… are you ready to get this underway? You need to be ready, after all, when we discover Jaune's location."

She simply nodded.

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Jaune sighed when the door opened again, sitting against the wall across from it and watching Roman and Neo step in, shutting the door behind them. "Sorry it's late, kid, had to wait a while and do some work before we could come see you." "And it was easier to avoid Cinder after she went to sleep." He took a look at the now half-empty bottle on the table and sighed, looking at him, "You sober enough to plan things, or should we wait on that?"

"Can't get drunk." He said, shrugging, "At least I don't think I can. Half a bottle and I feel the same."

Neo plopped into a chair, checking the label, ""Not able to nullify Aura. More for taste, and a very slight buzz if you drink enough." She typed a message and tried to hand him her Scroll and he waved her off, making her pout.

"Look, kid, I made a call, and the message should get to someone useful in a day or two. Maybe three, if he has troubles getting through." He shrugged, grabbing the chair Cinder had sat in and turning it to face him, "Gonna have Neo stick with you until we know more, though. Someone asks, you're sleeping together." "If you actually force that, though, I may kill you myself."

"Hey, psychic, remember?" Jaune said offendedly, sighing slightly, "Besides, there's nothing she has that I want." A spoon bounced off his chest, the young woman pouting at him angrily, and he tried to find a reason to care, "With what you did? I don't even want to pretend to be sleeping with you."

"Anyways," Roman interrupted dryly, looking between the two, "She'll keep you safe as she can until we know more. And when your little friends come and get you, she'll play the traitor and leave with you." "Back to Beacon, where she'll be safe enough for now." "I can keep in touch with her so she knows what's going on, so you and yours can keep up with us."

"So you'll be the spy?" Jaune asked, looking him up and down when he nodded, and nodding in return. "All right then. Just let me know what and when, and I'll do my best."

"That was easier than I had expected." Roman said, leaning back and looking surprised, "I figured you'd be a hell of a lot more hesitant to follow my directions." "Or take Neo with you even if you were convinced eventually."

"I'm psychic. I can feel your honesty and hear your thoughts." He shrugged, leaning against the wall and letting his head rock back to stare at the ceiling, "Cinder could hide the important bits there, and I don't know how, but I… sense your affection for Neo, and your honesty in wanting her safe. I feel it, if that makes sense."

"It does. Kind of." He stood up again, patting Neo on the head, "You don't have to sleep together in the intimate sense, but if Cinder shows up and you two aren't in the same bed…."

Jaune sighed, standing and looking at her, "Fine. But you try anything and our deal will go down the drain. Understand?" She nodded, and Jaune turned to Roman, "Good luck."

"Normally, I'd make a quip about not needing it." He started, sighing and straightening his hat, "But right now? I need all the Dust damned luck I can get my hand on."

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