*(Y/N) POV*

Well, if things were bad, now they are absolutely the worst. We somehow stopped the Grimm attacks in Mantle, however, a lot of people lost their lives in the chaos. Even worse, people of Mantle saw the video of what they assume to be Penny attacking civilians at the warehouse. They demand for Penny to be deactivated. Things are tense, to the point James banned temporary all public assemblies. Adding more fuel to the flame, Robyn has begun robbing Atlas military transports, stealing the supplies for Amity tower. Right now everyone is in James' office, going over the situation

Ironwood: "This is the worst case scenario!" he slams his fists on his desk "More people are dead, Penny's been framed, and somehow, Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council!"

Ryze: "How the hell does this fucker win?! Robyn was ahead by a mile!"

Clover: "What's worse is that Robyn has now hit two shipments for Amity today. It seems election night was the last push Robyn needed to go from hometown hero to full-on vigilante"

Winter: "I'm afraid the shipments aren't the only problem here" James sighs and begins pacing behind his desk

Ironwood: "It seems Robyn has emboldened our suppliers in Mantle. They're refusing to sell us provisions until the city is adequately repaired. With Robyn redistributing the goods her team has stolen, the Amity Project is completely stalled"

Ruby: "But we're so close. There has to be some way we can finish the tower"

Winter: "There is... declaring martial law" most of our group eyes widen, while I clench my fists

Nora: "You're not actually considering that, are you?"

Ironwood: "What's more important? Establishing communications and uniting the world? Or appeasing a few city blocks?" I step forth

(Y/N): "It's not that simple, James. It never was. You talk about time, but people down in the Mantle don't have it. Every single effing day for them is just a struggle to survive to the next day. Over and over again. And now, things become an absolute hell for them. Why don't you finally step up and help them?!" I stop in front of his desk

Ironwood: "We all have had to make sacrifices for the greater good, (Y/N). Mantle has had to shoulder much of the burden, yes, but-" I cut him off

(Y/N): "Shoulder? The problem is they're shouldering all of it! Every day, they have to shoulder more of it. And you just want to throw more soldiers and robots into the mix? That won't keep the peace, it would only make people of Mantle hate you and Atlas more. It would cause more chaos and despair, bringing more Grimm. They can't keep enduring all of these attacks, knowing that people up here in Atlas are safe and out of danger while they're not. You can't just force people to do something by declaring martial law. They have to do this willingly. Look at my team. I didn't force them to follow me, but they do. They choose to. Instead of a gun aimed at them, offer people of Mantle an open hand. Only after that you can start getting Mantle on your side, making things go smoothly again. Your goal is to unite the world, and you need to start by uniting Mantle and Atlas. It will be a huge boost, and example in getting the rest of the world to work together against Salem. You just need to take that first step, James"

James glares at me, before sitting down and resting his face in his hands. Ruby gets next to me

Ruby: "Please, General. Squeezing Mantle this way is exactly what Salem wants. To divide us. To make it easier for her to get what she wants" she takes my hand in hers and squeeze it "That's why Tyrian is here framing you"

Clover: "Right, the main reason we called you all up here" he uses his scroll to pull up a profile of Tyrian "You're sure this is the man you two saw?"

(Y/N): "Yeah, that's him. I'd recognize this ugly face anywhere. He attacked us in Anima. He said that Salem told him to capture both me and Ruby. Luckily Qrow showed up in time to even the playing field a bit. And then I activated my powers and nearly killed the man"

Winter: "Tyrian Callows. He was accused of murders all across Anima. A homicidal maniac. He was eventually captured and was being transported to Mistral to be tried for his crimes. However, the bastard escaped justice when his transport was attacked by Grimm. He disappeared after that and has not been seen since... Until recently"

Ryze: "Salem must've picked him up and now he is one of her lapdog"

(Y/n): "More like a slave. He called her goddess, guess that's the kind of admiration when someone saves you from life in prison"

Qrow: "If we ever had any doubts Atlas was Salem's next target, I think those are officially out the window now"

Ruby: "But, now that we know who really did it, can't we tell the people about it and clear Penny's name?"

Clover: "That a long-lost serial killer is loose in Mantle and the military has no idea where he is. That may make things worse before they get better"

Nora: "I am so sick of secrets! If we just told everyone about Amity, about Salem-"

Ironwood: "We CAN'T" we look at him "If we tell everyone about Amity now, we risk Salem's forces, who we know are here now, working to sabotage it. If we tell them about Salem now, we risk falling to the Grimm before we can reunite Remnant. We have to finish the tower"

(Y/N): "So, what do you suggest, James?"

Ironwood: "I want Robyn Hill in custody. We can offer her a deal if she gets Mantle to cooperate"

(Y/N): "I'm sure she is willing to cooperate with how things have been lately" I roll my eyes

Clover: "We'll figure something out"

Ironwood: "Anyone not assisting with Robyn needs to focus on Tyrian. I want to know who he's working with, where he's hiding, what he's planning, and how exactly that video of Penny got all over my kingdom" he walks by us and stops by the doors "Do I make myself clear?"

Winter and Clover: "Yes, sir"

Ren: "... Yes, sir" he says, stunning us.

We exit the office and when we get a nice distance away from Winter, Clover and James, I turn to Ren

(Y/N): "The fuck are you doing Ren?!"

Ren: "I..."

(Y/N): "No I. No and. Capiche? I told you, get your head out of your ass. If you turn into Clover and the Ace Ops, I will break you in half"

Nora: "I though you're friends with them and the General, (Y/N)"

(Y/N): "I'm not sure anymore. As soon as I heard 'martial law' my image about them changed to worse. And if Ren really wants to be like them... then I'm sure you deserve better, Nora" I walk away

*Ryze POV*

Me, Yang, Blake and Mako are in one of the Atlas transports moving through the Mantle. I report to Clover

Ryze: "We'll be hitting 51st St shortly. Nothing so far"

Clover: "Thanks for the assist on this one, you four. Now, we may all split from between different trucks, but we need to be ready to act as one in case Robyn's team takes the bait. If your truck is hit, pursue immediately. Everyone else will move in as fast as possible. Going radio silent. Over" comms go off

Yang: "Guys... Do you think we should've told Ironwood about Salem? Before all of this happened and so much was at stake for Amity and Mantle?"

Blake: "Sounds like you do"

Yang: "Ryze? Mako?"

Ryze: "Yang, I love you, but..."

Mako: "We had a team meeting after what happened in the morning. Us four decided that General is not trustworthy anymore" this shocked the girls

Ryze: "Yeah, that. We discuss all the for and against, but considering his past actions, including the time when he didn't believe you after what happened with your match against Mercury in the Vytal Festival. He overreacts and thinks that he's the only one with the right choices to make and that everyone else needs to fall in line without any complaints. I don't know about you, girls, but us four are not exactly sure that General is gonna react well if he hears about Salem"

Yang: "I trust Ruby and (Y/N). But I think he deserves to know what he's stepping into. We all did" we stay silent "You guys... don't agree?"

Blake: "Look at what's happening to Mantle. The embargo, the military presence, the restrictions on assembly. He's a bit prone to overreacting"

Mako: "It's still an understatement"

Yang: "I know, but it's not like he had a lot of good options to choose from"

Blake: "I'm not sure there are many good options left for any of us at this point. Keeping secrets? Taking lives? It makes me wonder how far we're gonna have to go to keep doing the right thing" she looks at me

Ryze: "If you ask if I feel guilty for killing Adam, I don't"

Yang: "Ryze..."

Ryze: "Look, I know you guys aren't big on killing, and I respect that. But the world is not surrounded by flowers and rainbows. You have to look at the reality of our situation. We're against a powerful and ancient being that kills people because she simply can. Me, Mako, everyone in Team CRMS had to kill someone at some point. I killed back in Vacuo, Mako in order to survive in the slums of Vale, (Y/N) killed bandits during his travels around Anima and Sam... Sam, killed because he had to. Our mother made him do it, to this day he feels guilty. Except for his, our victims deserved it, unlike Salem and Adam's. We killed the worst of the worst, rapists, bandits, murderers, terrorists and the list goes off. You must've thought when you first meet us, that we are just a bunch of normal teenagers, but no. The truth is so much different and it's not so pretty. Same as the world we live in. It's not so simple and I guess it never was. Some of us tried to ignore that, but now we can't"

Mako: "We're sorry we hid the truth, but you must understand, it's just painful to speak about it. Us four shared these stories only because it was not so different in all our cases" Blake takes his hand in hers

Blake: "I..." she looks at Yang sorrowfully and later back at Mako "We understand. And we won't argue, because it wouldn't change anything. But... I wanna make sure that next time we can try and do the right thing without having to go that far. Just like now. Ambushing a Huntress who's just trying to help isn't an option I'm thrilled about choosing"

Mako: "You're not the only one, Kitty"

Yang: "...Then maybe we shouldn't"

Ryze: "Hmm, what's on your mind, Goldie?"

*(Y/N) POV*

Me, Ruby, Weiss and Sam are with grandma, mom and Pietro as he examines Penny, who is standing asleep in a large scanner

Ruby: "How's she doing?"

Mom: "I don't want to bring bad news, Ruby, but she has some sort of trauma. She's mostly confused and scared after what happened"

Pietro: "But we'll have her recorder visual data shortly. That should prove her innocence, but... the damage has already been done" he watches the video showing Penny attacking civilians as I turn back to still sleeping Penny "The things people are saying about her... If Penny hadn't been there, Robyn Hill would be-" he starts coughing roughly and mom pats him on his back

Mom: "Don't overdo yourself, Pietro. Everyone knows that if not for Penny, Robyn would be killed"

(Y/N): "She was not their target in the first place, mom. Salem works from the shadows and uses her goons to do the dirty work for her. To get us to fight among ourselves. To weaken us. To divide us. That has always been her goal"

Ruby: "(Y/N) is right. I think Penny was exactly where they wanted her... Just like at the Vytal Festival"

Pietro: "And just like the Vytal Festival, someone is using our own technology against us. This doctored footage of Penny came from all of her work around Mantle, stolen straight from our surveillance network"

Maria: "Ugh, hacking, technology. Why can't people just do things like in the old days and fight to the death?"

Mom: "Not everything can be dealt with brute force, mom"

Pietro: "Well, if we're dealing with the same enemy from Beacon; hacking into Mantle's system would be simple. The system we've got running in Atlas is upgraded, more secure. But the one down in Mantle... I'm afraid it's not the same"

Weiss: "How would someone gain access to those systems?"

Mom: "Only a few people have clearance. James, the council, our cybersecurity and surveillance team leaders, me, and maybe a few people who who oversee important systems like sewers or the heating grid"

(Y/N): "We can count you out, mom, as well as James and the council. Surveillance and cybersecurity too, that leads" I turn to Weiss " The heating grid. Weiss, doesn't Jacques' company have a partnership with it?"

Weiss: "It does, which has me concerned. I can't say for certain, but something isn't right"

Sam: "None of this is right, Snowflake"

Ruby: "Dr. Polendina, Dr. (L/-"

Mom: "Mom"

Ruby: "Huh?"

Mom: "You and (Y/N) are engaged, you can call me mom now" Ruby blushes but goes with the request

Ruby: "O-okay. Well, mom, how are you two doing with all of this?"

Pietro: "Well, if Maria and Elizabeth weren't here to help me out these past few weeks, I might have collapsed by now. Getting the communications tower into the sky seems nearly impossible on its own, but now... to think of what people want to do to my precious daughter" he coughs roughly again after getting tears in his eyes as his bottom lip wobbles

Ruby: "Well, even if the worst did happen, you could always reactivate her again. So maybe try not to worry so much about it" Pietro stares at us with a sad look and mom looks away

Sam: "There's something else, isn't there doctors?"

Mom: "There is a reason why Penny is the only one of her kind. I should tell them, Pietro, or you want to?"

Pietro: "I will, Elly, don't worry" he walks over to his desk to pick up a picture showing a younger version of himself along with mom and a few other scientist "When General Ironwood challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleague pursued more obvious choices. I was one of the few who believed in looking... inward for inspiration. Not long after, Elizabeth decided to help me out with my project"

Ruby: "You wanted a protector with a soul"

(Y/N): "And not just another machine..." I look at mom "If you took a part in building Penny... does that mean she is like a sister to me?"

Mom: "Well, in a matter of fact, yes"

Pietro: "You can always ask her later, (Y/N). I'm sure she would appreciate an older brother like you, especially after what happened. Getting back to the topic. When General Ironwood saw her, he did too. Much to our surprise, the Penny Project was chosen over all the other proposals"

Sam: "I don't know why you would be surprised"

Weiss: "I do too. You created an artificial Aura. Something other scientists couldn't thought of"

Pietro: "Well, not quite" he shows us his aura... including all of the missing pieces of it, shocking us

Ruby: "You... gave her part of yours?"

Pietro: "Yes. And each time I rebuild her, it takes a little more. If the people of Mantle get their wish and she's destroyed... I'm afraid I won't be able to bring her back" Mom and grandma put their hands on his shoulder, as a tear falls out of his eye

Mom: "I can always sacrifice some of mine Pietro. I know Penny is your daughter... but in a matter, she is mine too" she smiles at him and gives him a tissue. Pietro blows his nose

Pietro: "Thank you so much Elly" he puts the picture back on his desk

Ruby: "We'll find whoever's responsible for this. I promise"

(Y/N): "No one is screwing with my family, biological or not" We went to exit, but before I do I turn to mom "Mom, I suggest you stay with Pietro. I... I don't trust James anymore, and if something happens, I know you would be safe there. The same goes to you, grandma"

Mom: "You think..." I nod "O-okay. I will only get Mittens and Lampo here. Pietro, would it be a pro-"

Pietro: "It ain't a problem, Elly. You and Maria are welcome to stay in the pharmacy"

Maria: "'The same goes to you'. Aren't you too young to tell me what to do?"

Mom: "Mom, (Y/N) is right. Good luck, son" I nod and leave the room

Ruby: "So, what now?"

(Y/N): "We wait, there is nothing else to do"

*3rd POV*

Back in the Mantle, Ryze notices one of Robyn's Huntresses stopping their transport

Ryze: "Alright everyone, we don't want to fight them"

Mako: "Hands in the air, don't even thing about grabbing our weapons"

Soon the door opens, and Robyn looks at them shocked as they hold their hands in the air

Yang: "Robyn-"

Robyn: "Scramble! Split up and regroup at the hideout!"

Ryze: "Here we go..."

They follow her as she gets past some passing cars, seeing her duck down an alley. Ryze grabs Mako, jumps up and uses his semblance to propel the two of them forth while Yang and Blake look up at the fire escape of one building. Blake uses her chain scythe to swing around into the alley. Robin looks back, seeing Ryze flying after her with Mako in tow, who fires his pistol off. Robyn engages her weapon, making a shield to block the bullets

Ryze: "Mako hold on. Mach 2!"

Ryze speeds up towards Robyn, but she jumps along the building walls to evade the attack. However, Blake comes in and throws her chain scythe at her. Robyn flips in the air and aims her crossbow, firing a few arrows at Blake. Blake rolls out of the way as she takes out her blades

Blake: "Robyn, please, we just want to-"

However, Robyn attacks with the blades of her crossbow, forcing Blake on the defensive when Robyn makes a few spinning swings followed by a downward swing of her blade

Blake jumps back, and Yang comes in to smash her fists onto Robyn. Robyn jumps back and blocks a few shots from Yang with her shield. Ryze comes in from behind, twirling in the air with his blades out. Robyn blocks one strike and ducks under a third. Blake comes in and makes a swing at Robyn's legs, but the vigilante jumps up into the air and fires off more arrows at Ryze. Mako runs in front of him, turning his body into steel before blocking said arrows, before firing his pistols, destroying more of the incoming projectiles. He then shots at Robyn, but she rolls under them. She than has to jump back, when Yang and Blake make a pincer attack at her. Robyn deflects a strike from Blake, followed by a back-kick to Yang. However, Ryze flies past her, with Mako in tow, who turns his fists into the steel. He punches Robyn in the stomach, sending her flying back towards a larger section of the alleyway. The four fighters face off against her

Robyn: "If Ironwood wants me, he'll have to send more than a couple of kids"

Yang: "He is. Stopping the trucks alerted the Ace Ops. We don't have long before they arrive, so please listen to us. You need to know the truth"

Robyn: "You're stalling-"

Ryze: "Amity Coliseum, the supplies; they're all for a new communications tower that will be built on top of Amity"

Robyn: "That doesn't make any sense"

Yang: "With communications back up, we can unite the other kingdoms-"

Robyn: "I know what the tower means, Fisticuffs" she steps out of the shadow, extending her hand to the four of them "One of you, take my hand" Ryze looks back at the rest of his group as they all nod. He then turns to Robyn and grabs her hand. Both arms starts glowing white from Robyn's semblance

Ryze: "So, what now?"

Robyn: "Tell me again what is Ironwood building out in the tundra?"

Ryze: "Ironwood is trying to build a new communications tower. He may be an idiot, but he's trying to help all of Remnant, not just Atlas" their arms glows green before he let go

Robyn: "You're telling the truth" Ryze get's back to the group, before looking at his hand

Yang: "Handy semblance" she smirks and Ryze chuckle

Ryze: "I could use it to check who ate my sandwich last week. Hehe"

Robyn: "Why keep that a secret, though?"

Mako: "Because he's paranoid and doesn't know who to trust besides his machines. Atlas is not the enemy here. It's the people who are really killing civilians in Mantle and framing Atlas for the job. If those people learn about the tower, they'll do whatever it takes to destroy it, and then we'll never be able to unite Remnant again"

Robyn: "But, who's 'they'? Who's really behind all of this?" then, Harriet comes over the comms

Harriet: "Yang, Blake, Ryze, Michael, where are you?"

Yang: "We can't tell you that part yet"

Robyn: "Bullsh-" Yang takes a few steps toward Robyn

Yang: "Look, we are trusting you, so trust us when we say that Amity Tower needs to stay a secret until it's done. We just need a little more time"

They hear soldiers' voices echoing in the distance

Soldiers: "This way, come on, over here. We saw them over this way"

Blake: "Run, we'll throw them off"

Blake, Yang, Ryze and Mako run away. After a moment, Robyn backs away into the shadows

Robyn: "I won't stop until I know the whole truth"

Robyn runs off too

*(Y/N) POV*

Me and Ruby sit in Team RWBY dorm, doing our usually couple stuff, that's, she lies on my chest as I either read, play games or play with her hair

Ruby: "Cookie... are you okay?" I look down at her "I mean, after what happened with Penny"

(Y/N): "I'm not. If anything, I'm just as worried as Pietro and mom or even more"

Ruby: "Well... if she really is like your sister... that means Penny is my sister now too" I chuckle

(Y/N): "And my mom is your mom. Heh, I hope everything will soon get back on the right track and we can finally plan our wedding"

Ruby: "Yeah"

(Y/N): "Petals?"

Ruby: "Huh?"

(Y/N): "You did the pregnancy test, right?" she blushes but nods "And?"

Ruby: "I'm not pregnant... As much as I'd love for us to settle down, we can't. Not until Salem is defeated" Just then our scrolls beeps and Ruby takes out hers "It's from General. We're all invited to dinner at Jacques Schnee's manor... where General will defend his seat on the council" we share a worried look

(Y/N): "*sigh* Ruby, call the girls, I will call the boys. We'll meet here soon"

*timeskip*

After gathering everyone in girls room, we discuss as to what to do next

Sam: "Leave it to Jackass to pull something like this" he stands behind Weiss, as she holds the invitation for the party

Ruby: "On the news, he said that he just wanted to break bread and hash things out"

(Y/N): "No. He tries to get the General kicked off the council. Or at least end his Dust embargo, so Jackass can make money again. This man makes my stomach turn"

Blake: "But, wasn't the idea to get Ironwood to talk with these people?"

Mako: "Yeah, but Ironwood wanted to do this on his terms. And now he has to do it on Jacques'. It'll be like walking on a minefield blindfolded. Nothing good will come out of this"

Ryze: "Exactly. Jacques wants to be the one in control and that's pretty much what he is getting. We all know we can't trust him, right?"

Weiss: "I still can't believe that he won the election. And then this? There's just something wrong with all of this. I just don't know what"

Yang: "You really think your dad might have something to do with Salem?" We all turn to Weiss

Weiss: "I think my father would do whatever it takes to win. No matter how many lives it ruins in the process; just as long as he gets what he wants"

Ruby: "Then we should do the same"

Weiss: "Meaning?"

Ruby: "Well, no one knows your dad better than you, and out of everyone going tonight, I'd say you're the only one who could snoop around the house and not be questioned. If Jacques Schnee is up to something, I think we should know what it is"

(Y/N): "The rest of us can keep him and the staff distracted in the meanwhile. Whether or not he's in cahoots with Salem, any kind of dirt we can find on him will help us. Besides..." I pull out the flash drive "We still have this flash drive Sam got for us a while back. We can use it as our trump card, that's if...?" I look at Mako

Mako: "If it gets him behind the bars for life, then I'm in" I nod

(Y/N): "We will use it later, if Weiss doesn't find anything. Like Qrow said, we will save our cards until we get a better hand"

Ruby:" Alright, then that's what we'll do. We give Weiss the time she needs to figure out what Jacques Schnee is up to and make sure no one notices"

Sam: "She won't go alone" Weiss looks at him "Snowflake, I know you're more than capable of handing your father... but I refuse to let you go alone around that hell after I get you out of it. I just... I don't like the idea of you being by yourself there" Weiss smiles

Weiss: "Thanks, Sam"

*timeskip*

The time for the party has come. Me, my team and Oscar exits one car, Girls and Team JNR exits second, Ace Ops exits third and James, Penny and Winter exits from the forth. We all walk up to the front door. Weiss takes a deep breath to prepare herself, with Sam holding her hand gently to help

Ryze: "Think we should smile for the media?"

(Y/N): "We're not here to pose, but to find out what Jacques did to win" I noticed Mako clenching his fists "Michael, calm down. I promised you something, didn't I?" Mako breathes in and out

Mako: "Yeah"

We approach the door and James rings the bell. A moment later, Whitley opens it

Whitley: "Hello, everyone"

(Y/N): "Fuck... I forgot how annoying his voice is..."

Weiss: "Where's Klein?"

Whitley: "What an interesting way to say 'Hello, dear brother, how have you been?'" he crosses his arms and continues to address Weiss "I'm afraid you won't find him here. He was let go. I can't imagine why" he smirks, and upon realizing what he meant, Weiss gasps and looks guilty. I step next to her

(Y/N): "And I see you're still a little shitstain, Whitley" he looks at me

Whitley: "Oh, it's you. I was wondering where you went for over nine years. That's unfortunate to see. All those years outside must've made a barbarian out of you. And to think we were suppose to be brothers-in-law" I growl before smirking

(Y/N): "Well, at least I could do a better job as the heir to SDC than you, shrimp. Besides, Weiss is taken and so am I, while all you can count on is to plead your father to set you up with some hags for Schnee money" I smirk again, and Ryze starts laughing. Whitley meanwhile growls "As for Klein, don't you worry. My mother was more than happy to get him a job in our mansion. And I must say, his cooking is the best"

Weiss: "Wait?! Aunt Elly took Klein?" I nod

(Y/N): "And she pays him more than your father ever did. When I and Ruby visited my place, mom told him to take a day off. Something I never saw Jacques did" I turn back to Whitley "Now, will you let us in, or you don't know manners too?" Whitley turns to James

Whitley: "General, exactly how large do you think our dining room table is?"

Ironwood: "I happen to know it's enormous. But most of my guests will be on standby in case the council requests additional eye witnesses. Until then I'm sure they'll be happily celebrating your father's victory"

Ryze: "Suuure" Yang lightly punches his shoulder

Whitley forces a sarcastic grin with a smug chuckle, then rolls his eyes as he turns to lead us into the foyer. He stops in the middle of the room, turns to us and points to his right

Whitley: ""For those of you joining us in the dining room, please follow me" he escorts James, lover, Penny, and Winter into the dining room"

Clover: "Wish us luck"

Qrow: "Heh, they already have you, don't they?" he jokes, making Clover grunt in amusement before walking off

Ryze: "Anyone else feel weird in a fancy place like that?"

Mako: "Yup"

(Y/N): "You can get used to this, although I don't like it too" Just then, a Faunus waiter comes by with a tray of wine glasses and offers it to Qrow

Waiter: "Would you like a beverage, sir?"

Qrow: "U-um, no, no thanks" he refuses, making me somehow proud of him and turns to us "You guys hang around here. I'll stick to patrolling the grounds" he walks away

The Ace Ops watch the Faunus waiter go, looking displeased with the scene, especially Marrow

Marrow: "Took the words right out of my mouth. I'll come with you" then Harriet turns to us

Harriet: "Right, well, don't wander off. Don't break anything. And be ready in case Ironwood calls for you"

Ryze: "Geez, you are not our mother. We will be fine, Harriet"

Harriet and the rest of her group walks off

Ryze: "We're not gonna listen to her, are we?"

(Y/N): "Nope. Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into. So remember, do wander off, definitely break some things, and everything else. I'll be in the dining room" I smirk as I walk off

Ruby: "Just don't get in too much trouble, Cookie. Love you" I chuckle

(Y/N): "I won't. Don't worry, Petals. Love you too"

*Sam POV*

Weiss: "We'll be in touch" me and her walk towards the stairs. Just before we can walk on it, Whitley shows up and stands in our way

Whitley: "Dear sister, I was hoping we could use this chance to catch up" he frowns when he notices me "Pardon me, but I'd like to speak to my dear sister in private, thank you. You may be excused"

Sam: "I don't work for you shrimp, unlike everyone else in your life"

Whitley: "I am the SDC heir, in case you've forgotten"

Sam: "And? I am the heir to REVOCS and people don't see me running around, announcing it to everyone. It's just an empty title. You don't scare me, little boy" Whitley takes a moment to calm himself, before addressing Weiss

Whitley: "Weiss, is this the kind of company you keep. Ruffians that don't know how to respect their superiors?"

Weiss: "He does respect his superiors, Whitley. You're just not one of them"

Sam: "So scram, before I make you"

*Ryze POV*

We watch the scene between them and starts worry for both Weiss and Sam

Oscar: "This might be a problem"

Ryze: "They can't do anything with this shrimp, so, let's start breaking stuff"

*(Y/N) POV*

I get near the doors just in time to hear Robyn

Robyn: "Councilwoman Hill would've had a nice ring to it" I enter the room, as everyone looks at me

(Y/N): "Oh, I'm sorry I'm late for the party. Thing were getting rather boring" Jacques clears his throat before addressing me

Jacques: "Excuse me, (Y/N), but this is a private meeting concerning the state of the kingdom of Atlas. It does not involve you"

Councilwoman Camilla: "(Y/N)? You're back?" I nod and turn back to Jacques

(Y/N): "It does involve me. If I remember correctly, my mother is working day and night for the future of both Atlas" I look at Ironwood "And Mantle" I look at Robyn "I'm here to represent her"

Jacques: "It's nonsense!"

Councilman Sleet: "(Y/N), do you have the permission from Elizabeth?" I nod and show him my scroll with it "Very well"

Jacques: "He can't be here"

Councilwoman Camilla: "Atlas Council Law, Article 83, Point 36, Subsection D. 'If a member of Atlas' council or any of its advisors can't be present during the meeting, they can arrange a representative with written permission' Elizabeth is Research and Development advisor, thus (Y/N) can be here"

(Y/N): "Thank you, and sorry I interrupted. Please, continue" I took a seat next to Penny "How are you feeling, sis?"

Penny: "Sis?"

(Y/N): "My mom and Pietro made you, you are like my step sister" this makes Penny all excited before hugging me

Penny: "I'm so happy, brother (Y/N). We will do a lot of sibling's stuff later" I chuckle

(Y/N): "Yeah, after this meeting, Carrot Top" I mess her hair as she nods, and James smiles at us before turning back to Jacques

Ironwood: "What is it you would like to discuss?"

Jacques: "I'd like to discuss what's on all of our minds. To address the concerns of our kingdom. I believe we have much to discuss"

Ironwood: "Indeed. I was hoping we could-"

Jacques: "Are we safe with her here?" he addresses a worried Penny "I do recall some confusion regarding her involvement in that horrific massacre" I put my hand on Penny's shoulder before turning to Jacques

(Y/N): "How about you get off my sister, huh? If you need eyewitnesses, I was there, and it wasn't Penny responsible for that event. If I were you, I would be more afraid of me than her"

Jacques: "Is that a threat?"

(Y/N): "No, a warning to keep you in check, Jacques. Remember, the noose is waiting"

Ironwood: "Back on topic, the official report stated that the footage was doctored. Penny is under my control"

*Ironwood POV*

'I need to keep things calm here, otherwise (Y/N) will kill Jacques... no matter how tempting that may sound'

*(Y/N) POV*

Jacques: "Which is concerning, James"

Ironwood: "Concerning how?"

Jacques: "Let's talk about exactly what it is that you control"

*3rd POV*

Back with the others, Whitley continues to prevent Weiss and Sam from searching around the manor to find some dirt on her father

Yang: "Okay, this kid is really starting to annoy me"

Blake: "We need to do something"

Jaune thinks for a while, while Ren stares ahead in boredom, Nora bounces in place, Mako eats snacks and Ryze whistles with his hands in his pockets

Jaune: "What was that earlier about breaking things?"

Ryze: "Finally, I was waiting for it!"

Mako: "Let's do this"

A short while later, Nora walks around the foyer, piling all of the wait staff's hors d'oeuvres onto her tray. Mako meanwhile inspects a very pricey painting, while Ryze whistles standing near an ancient vase. Jaune sneaks around to get into position

Weiss: "Well, Whitley, I'm sure the company is lucky to have you, but if you'll excuse us" she and Sam tries to walk away, only for Whitley to stand in their way

Whitley: "And where exactly are you going, dear sister?"

Nora walks across the foyer, swaying and turning as she goes. Her tray has a tower of hors d'oeuvres topped with a bowl of stew. Jaune gives Nora an enthusiastic thumbs up

Nora: "Careful, messy food comin' through!"

Whitley: "Of course once I'm old enough to drive, the company has promised me my own parking space"

Ryze meanwhile swings his hip, breaking the vase

Ryze: "Opisie!"

Whitley: "Did you know how expensive that vase was?! *ekhm* I hope you will pay for that, sir?"

Ryze: "I'm very, very sorry. I sure will. How about we drink for our agreement?"

Whitley: "Of course. Butler!"

Butler: "Care for a drink?"

Ryze: "Thank you, Duckworth" he winks at Weiss and Sam

Random woman: "Don't mind if I do too!"

Nora and Ren pass each other behind Weiss and Sam, intentionally bumping shoulders with one another as they do so. With a grin, Nora begins spinning around dramatically

Nora: "Oh no, look out!"

Random woman: "I'm going to go get some hors d'oeuvres"

The woman turns and begins walking in the direction of Whitley, Weiss and Sam. Right as Nora throws her tray into the air and falls backward. The food flies through the air, and Ryze makes sure it lands on Whitley, using his semblance discretely to aim it at him. He smirks, Ren smiles, Mako tries not to laugh at what will happen next and Jaune celebrates prematurely

Jaune: "Yeah!"

Whitley: "Cheers, Mr. Matoi. At least one of my sister's friend have some class"

Just as the food was about to land on Whitley, that random woman walked between it and Whitley. Food covers the woman and starts crying, mostly because of her dress being ruined. She begins hopping up and down in distress. Ryze meanwhile gets out of the way. Women spill her wine onto Whitley, who reflexively puts his arms up to protect his face. The wine covers his hair and the front of his shirt, and he holds his arms out and looks at the stain, eyes wide. Jaune, Ren and Nora smile, Mako explodes in laughter and Ryze 'tries' to help Whitley.

Ryze: "Oh man, I would wash it up before it dries" he offers him a towel

Whitley: "If you excuse me"

Whitley wipes some of the wine from his face and walks away. Weiss and Sam watch him leave. Weiss then looks over her shoulder at her friends. Across the room, Ruby is laughing, and Yang and Blake are smirking

Ryze: "Go you two. We taught this little shit something"

Weiss and Sam nods before finally ascending the stairs

*(Y/N) POV*

The conversation continues, and not in a good way

Councilman Sleet: "The fact remains, James, that you have operated with a fair amount of autonomy for the past few years. But what we need now is for you to work with us"

Councilwoman Camilla: "General, it's obvious that none of the other kingdoms intend to declare war on Atlas. We had nothing to do with the incident at Haven, and we have proof that the drones at Beacon weren't acting under our orders. At this point, the closure of Atlas borders are only serving to hurt our relations with the rest of the world"

Robyn: "The rest of the world? It's hurting us! The people of Atlas and Mantle are suffering and they want to know why"

(Y/N): "I know you're worried, ladies and gentleman. I'm sorry in advance, but non of you knows what is happening out there. Not the Altas' council, not you, Robyn, and your Happy Huntresses and for sure not you, Jacques and not your company. I however know much more than I wish to. I was a student when Beacon fell. I saw my friends get injured and I watched my friends die. I've been through hell and back. But ever since I swore to protect innocent people like all Huntsman and Huntress do. I was there at the battle of Haven, protecting it from the White Fang. General Ironwood saw first hand what happened in Beacon and..." I look at James "Unlike you, he has actually been trying to help not just our kingdom, but all of Remnant. Has he made mistakes? Yes, as everybody does. But his intentions were always right. Until now, he did nothing to make me lose my trust in him. And you should trust him too"

Jacques: "Of course you trust him (Y/N). He is the one signing your mother's paychec-"

Councilman Sleet: "Jacques, please" he turns to me "(Y/N), you may trust the General, but the council is not so sure. Put yourself in our position. How do we know we can trust him?"

Jacques: "Has his forces uncovered any new evidence as to who is slaughtering innocent civilians in Mantle?"

Clover: "That investigation is ongoing, and the information regarding it is classified"

Jacques: "I'm afraid of the ever-growing list of classified information you seem to be keeping. I asked our fellow councilman here to shed some light on your Amity Coliseum project and they know just about as much as I do"

Ironwood: "The Amity project will help with all of the issues you have presented. But, you must understand the importance of discretion in this regard"

Jacques: "Are you saying you don't trust us?" Winter suddenly slams her fist onto the table and stands up

Winter: "You can't just buy trust like everything else, you have to earn it" Jacques just smirks

Jacques: "I couldn't have said it better myself" Winter gasps in realization

'Ice Cube, why? You just helped him'

Jacques: "General, if I may be blunt, you have spent what little trust this council had left in you. The hacker who turned Atlas drones against us was never captured, whoever's been murdering your critics is still at large. How are we supposed to give you our trust when you've given us nothing as of late?"

Winter: "That's not-"

Ironwood: "Winter. That's enough"

Winter: "Excuse me" she leaves as I and Penny watch her go

(Y/N): "We should follow her, sis" she nods and we follow Winter

Penny: "Are you okay?"

Winter: "I'll be fine. I just let my emotions get the better of me"

Penny: "What do you mean?"

Winter: "You wouldn't understand" Penny looks down sadly at her hands while I frown

(Y/N): "Wrong words, Ice Cube" Winter seems to realize her mistake

Winter: "Oh, no, that's not what I mean. This place holds a lot of... painful memories for me specifically. I thought I was in control, but you heard me"

(Y/N): "You spoke your mind. I would do that too. And let me tell you, it's takes strength to do that"

Winter: "You don't get it (Y/N). I should've just stayed in line, not make things worse for the General" Penny turns to Winter

Penny: "Maybe you're right... I don't understand" she walks away while I sigh

(Y/N): "We may be adults now, Winter, but you're still an idiot like you were when we were little" Winter sighs

Winter: "I already know that I screwed up in there"

(Y/N): "I'm not talking about what you did. I'm talking about my sister. Tell me one thing. Has Penny ever been allowed to do her own thing? Make her own choices?"

Winter: "Well, like me, she works for Ironwood. We report to him"

(Y/N): "So, no. I'm not surprised. When she came to Vale, she finally got a taste of freedom... something she never had here. You think why didn't I choose Atlas Academy? Because I was afraid. Afraid I will end up like her... or you. I'm not a lapdog to follow orders. When I saw her in Vale, I didn't believe James actually allowed her. And let me tell you, the taste of freedom made her make some brave choices. Like saving Ruby from a truck resulting in Ruby discovering Penny is a robot. She later told her the truth

Winter: "She what? She was ordered not to speak with anyone while in Vale"

(Y/N): "That's my point. She can't do anything without permission. She's not a machine. She is a person, at least to me. More importantly, she is a sister to me, a sibling, something I never had. I may have discovered this yesterday, but I don't care. She deserves to walk her own path, regardless of whether or not you or James agree with it. She wanted to stay in Beacon, with us, her friends. In where she could taste a real freedom, allowing her to speak her mind and follow her heart. No logic or programming. Just her heart. Her soul. I thought that after everything I saw what your father could do, back when we were little or now, would make you understand this. That's why you're still an idiot, because you don't know how to make your own choices'' I turn around "Now, excuse me, I have a council meeting to attend and a sister to cheer up after how you treated her" I leave Winter to think over my words

*Sam POV*

Me and Weiss finally make it to her father's study without anyone noticing, except for a servant or two who stay out of our way. Once we're inside, we close the door

???: "Hello darling" we hear and look back to see an older woman standing by the desk

Weiss: "Hello... Mother"

Sam: "So, this is your mother"

Weiss' Mom: ""I'm sorry I couldn't come down for the party. I'm afraid I'm not feeling well" she walks around the desk and places a wine bottle on it, along with a filled glass

Weiss: "Um, it's okay Mom. It's fine" Weiss' mom looks at me

Weiss' Mom: "And who, may I ask, is this?" she gestures to me

Weiss: "This is Samuel Kiryuin. My boyfriend" Weiss' mom raises an eyebrow

Weiss' Mom: "Kiryuin? Are you perhaps Raya Kiryuin's son?"

Sam: "I'm, Mrs. Schnee. It's a pleasure to meet you" I bow

Weiss' Mom: "Willow Schnee. Please, don't bow, boy. I have known Raya for a long time. As well as Isaac"

Sam: "I see"

Willow: "So you didn't become involved with my daughter for her name, did you?"

Weiss: "Mom!"

Sam: "Quite the opposite, Mrs. Schnee. As you may know, I have my own name and money. I don't need them from Weiss. I love her for her" I take Weiss' hand in mine "Although I don't agree with a mother of three drinking herself until she gets wasted"

Weiss: "Sam!"

Willow: "I see you're not afraid to speak your mind, even in this house"

Sam: "That's what I learned from my team leader, ma'am"

Willow: "And who may it be?"

Sam: "(Y/N) (L/N)" Willow gets shocked for a while, before composing herself

Willow: "(Y/N)... he is back in Atlas?"

Sam: "He is"

Weiss: "Mom, I need to look for something in Father's computer" me and her walk to the desk

Willow: "Why?"

Weiss: "Because I think he's done something. Something really wrong"

Willow: "I thought we'd just assumed that at this point"

Weiss: "Yes, well some of us are trying to do something about it"

Willow looks displeased at that remark and grabs the bottle to drink it, but before she could I grab and smash it onto the floor

Sam: "You want to drink yourself to death, go ahead. But not in front of your daughter. I will not allow this. I care about Weiss and I want her to be happy. Mrs. Schnee, please, you are the only mother she's ever know. Don't make the same mistake my mother did" Willow glances from me to Weiss, who looks away in sadness. Willow then concedes

Willow: "He started locking his computer. Apparently. Someone broke in and managed to get into it, though he doesn't know what they did" she picks up her scroll "But, your father still has blind spots" she shows us a live image of us in the office. Weiss gets surprised and looks up into a corner

Weiss: "You... hid a camera in here?"

Sam: "Well, (Y/N) would beat my ass for not noticing it"

Willow: "I put a camera in every room of this house. For our safety. In case I ever needed to..."

Sam: "Then you knew. You knew I was here to help Weiss escape" Willow nods "Why didn't you alert security, or your husband?"

Willow: "Because I believed that Weiss needed someone to be there for her... Someone that could actually help her. And that person just couldn't be me" she looks to Weiss "You haven't come back to stay, have you?"

Weiss: "No" Willow shows a bitter smile as a tear falls down her face

Willow: "Good" she wipes the tear away before handing Weiss her scroll and taking her wine glass "A man came by. I'm afraid your father may be involved in something more dangerous than he realizes" Me and Weiss look at the scroll, showing a Image of Jacques with a man with a mustache "No matter what happens, Weiss, please don't forget about your brother"

Sam: "Why should she? If I remember correctly she stabbed a knife into Weiss' back when I was here. He wants nothing to do with his sister"

Willow: "Maybe he's like that because he was left here alone. With us... Mr. Kiryuin, please... take care of my daughter. And tell (Y/N) aunt Willow says hello... You and Weiss have my blessings, that's the least I can do for both of you now" she leaves the office as me and Weiss blush, before calming down

Weiss looks up at the picture of her father when he was younger, and then we look at the scroll

Sam: "Now then, what do we have here?" We play the video

A/N And here we end things in this chapter. As you know from my board, I had some... technical issues, but everything is good now. Well, to sum things up, Penny is now like a sister for (Y/N). Robyn knows what Ironwood is planning. (Y/N) is slowly stopping trusting James, but still acts like he does. Ryze meanwhile broke an ancient vase and Sam got Willow's blessings to marry Weiss. A big revelation is soon to happen, wonder if (Y/N) will kill Jacques? We will see, in the next chapter of Continuing the Legacy! Until then, feel free to comment and vote. Stay safe!

Punkie out!

RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth

OCs belongs to me

(Y/N) belongs to you