[Opener is "Air Catcher"--21 pilots]

The next day, Winter called Cinder and Royal both to her office.

"A stroke of luck--that is, a blessing," she said. 

"Are you still hung up over that word?" Cinder thought it was dumb.

"Shut up," Winter said. She looked a little pale this morning.

"Are you all right, Commander?" Royal asked.

"Just little under the weather still," Winter said.

"Still?" Royal said. "How long have you been sick?"

"It's not important," Winter said. "I'm fine. Anyway, the news. I contacted Headmaster Theodore in Vacuo again. They have more ships than we do there now, thanks to all that trade with Vale they do. They just had one of their own pilots retire, and they don't have a replacement yet. He offered to loan it to us if you'd pick up his routes also."

"For Vacuo? That's a little out of our way," Royal said.

"It is," Winter said. "But the deliveries are less frequent there. You can use it till your ship is repaired--the replacement wiring is the most complicated, but the body was mostly intact, and that's the most expensive part for us to do. Still, it'll take weeks. I'd hate to lost all that time, and you'd hate to lose all that pay, I assume."

"I could survive without it, but I'd rather not have to," Royal said. "Maybe I'd make a little more flying for Vacuo. Though fuel..."

"They'll cover fuel while you're there. This is the best offer we have," Winter said. "Eventually they'll want the ship back and registered to their own fliers, but until they have one, they'd rather not have it just sit collecting dust, especially in the desert. Only you have to go today."

"Today?" Royal said.

"We have one flight going to Vacuo today, dropping off ice," Winter said.

Ice both in dust form and otherwise, was the most valuable commodity to deliver to Vacuo.

"But what about me?" Cinder was sick of her "vacation".

"I thought you'd want to go home," Winter said, politely enough. "We have deliveries from Vacuo to here, but if Captain Zapato wants to drop you off on the way, I'd allow that. It's not that far away."

"Technically it's out of my way but not that much," Royal said. "I don't mind the miles."

"I want to go as soon as possible," Cinder said.

"Our short hospitality been worn out?" Winter said.

"It's.... You know perfectly well I can't hang around here," Cinder said.

"It was a joke," Winter said. "A habit I'm unwillingly acquiring from my new extended family.... It's unprofessional. I apologize."

"A joke here and there never hurt no one's reputation, Lieutenant Schnee," Royal said.

"That had better have been a joke, Captain," Winter said.

He winked.

"You know--" Cinder leaped at her chance to get back at Royal for his big-mouthed comments about her. "--Zapato here is a fan of yours, Winter."

"Hey--" Royal began.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Cinder," Winter said.

"I'm quite serious--" Cinder imitated Winter's formal tone. "--Madame. You inspired him. Tell her about it." With a smug look at Royal.

"You're doing fine at it. Why don't you? Since apparently keeping things to yourself only goes one way," Royal said.

Cinder frowned at him.

Winter glanced from one of them to the other.

"I'm glad to see you're at least on speaking terms," she said. "I worried that Raven's assignment for you to be guarded would make for a rather stiff footing with Argus' staff."

"I'm only too glad to get rid of my unwanted bodyguard," Cinder insisted.

"I can't say anything about it. It's not congenial to talk about ladies like that," Royal said.

"Chivalry? What a novelty." Winter was sardonic. "Mr. Zapato, I admire your tact."

She rubbed her head a little. "I'll tell them to wait for you. Excuse me." She rushed out of the room.

"She shouldn't be on duty if she's that sick," Royal said.

Cinder glanced after Winter, and then suddenly she laughed--a stunned laugh, not a happy one. Cinder didn't know how to happy laugh.

"What?" Royal said.

"Oh, this would just be too much to believe." Cinder was talking to herself. "I'd better get out of here before it gets worse. Like rabbits."

"If you're implying what I think you are, then that's...weird to think about." Royal must not wanted to think about his boss in a certain domestic context. Took away from the cool factor maybe.

"I have to get out of this city," Cinder decided, if she didn't want to get involved in any more personal affairs with anyone she knew, and she'd better hurry.

"Well, this will be a chance to meet Theo," Royal said as they walked out to the loading dock. "I've heard many interesting things about him. I remember what you told me yesterday."

"I didn't see that much of him, but the man carries grenades and every other weapon imaginable," Cinder said. "Don't piss him off."

"Is he that spiteful?"

"No... that would be the reason not to piss him off." Cinder found Theo kind of unsettled her.

"I hear his wife is a real stunner." Royal shouldn't have said that, but it was what all the guys in the break room would say if Theo and Vara came up--which they did because of the team members who were there. Neptune and Sun never got tired of bringing up Theo's crazy exploits.

"Her?" Cinder said in a tone that women use when they're insulted by the comparison--even if there wasn't one. "I suppose if you like that sun-baked look."

"I hear they're both really dangerous in a fight," Royal said, "and it was your own team who said that. Emerald and Mercury talk about them a lot. They sound great."

"Great?"

"Yeah, wild."

"If that's your idea of great." Cinder didn't notice that the fact that his seeming to enjoy setting her off might indicate that he did, in fact, like wild.

[Yeah, how has that not occurred to her by now? She's lost her touch in all this time.]

She was so glad to be able to go home, finally, she was being unusually cordial. After all, it was easy to be pleasant when you weren't going to have to be around someone very long.

[Scrap's logic from The Enchanted April.]

"Oh, hey, Cindy." Sun appeared from around a ship.

Cinder jumped.

"Why are you still here?" she asked.

"Grounded, remember?" Sun said. "But they're finally letting some people fly out today. I think it's nepotism personally."

"How is it nepotism?" Royal asked.

"Is this the ship?" Willow Schnee walked up behind Sun.

"I think so," Sun said. "I don't know, ask Roy."

"What fresh hell is this?" Cinder said rudely.

"Young lady, please." Willow really didn't have a very clear idea who Cinder was; she'd never been around when they spoke of her that much, and Weiss and Winter never told her much about it. 

She just knew she was the rude young woman who'd gone with them and never had a nice thing to say to anyone, and she treated her as such.

[If you're about to question this, remember she was drunk while the news was covering the Vytal Festival.]

Cinder had a vision if Miss Malachite when Willow said that.

"I'm going to Vacuo to help Weiss get ready for her wedding," Willow said. "I just don't trust those rough people not to overrule her, and besides, I hardly did anything for Winter's wedding, and I know Whitley will do things his own way. It's my one chance."

She must have been sober all this time if she cared at all, Cinder thought dully. Not that it mattered to her.

Wait...

"Weiss is getting married?" She'd missed it if the others had mentioned that.

"Dude, they got engaged, like, three days ago, right before you went missing," Sun said. "It was crazy how it happened."

"My babies are all growing up," Willow sighed.

"Congratulations for her then," Royal said.

"Don't... don't I know you from somewhere?" Willow frowned at him.

"I don't think so," Royal said vaguely.

Cinder was certain he was lying. He'd admitted to knowing Pyrrha from her conversation with the Schnees last night. Of course he knew them.

But she said nothing. She didn't want Willow to think she was familiar with this guy.

"Cinder, are you going too? Are you guys tight?" Sun ruined it for her.

"No!" Cinder snapped. "I'm getting a ride home. I've had enough of all of you and your insane need to be in danger 24/7."

"Fine talk coming from you," Sun said. "This is so weird. I'm going too. I haven't been home in a while, so I thought I'd take that chance, since we can't go to Mistral's capital anyway. Well, we could--you could drop us off on your way back."

"If you want to fly all that way, who am I to stop you?" Royal said.

"Cool, Blake will be psyched," Sun said. "Blake! Come on. Don't take forever. We'll be back soon."

Blake must have been talking to Yang and Ruby.

She came, lugging her duffel after her.

"Hey, Sun, some of us leave our best friends here when we go." Blake twitched her ears. "Oh, hi, Cinder..."

"Shh." Cinder looked around.

Royal checked his scroll.

"I guess this is it. Hey, Nancy."

Nancy apparently was the pilot of this craft. She'd just come into the hanger, putting on her helmet.

"Roy." She nodded. "I have to lug your tail? Too good to fly yourself now?"

"I get the VIP treatment after being abducted," Royal said lightly.

"Isn't that a kick? Are you the rest of the luggage?" Nancy eyed them.

She seemed kind of like a stuck up Atlas snob to Sun and Blake, but Willow nodded politely to her.

"Oh, Mrs. Schnee?" Nancy blinked. "Sorry. I was just having fun with ya."

"It's quite all right. Carry on as usual. I just want to sit down." Willow picked up her bag that she'd probably never had to carry for herself before while traveling.

"To those of you who don't know her," Royal said, which would be everyone, "this is Nancy Kettle. She's actually Potts' cousin. You remember him? Flew some of you out to the Sea of Souls. He brags about it a lot."

"Only interesting thing he ever did, really," Nancy said. "And his head is as big as his namesake over it. Welcome aboard the Silver Spoon." She gestured to the ship. "All aboard. We're losing daylight."

"Are all of you like this?" Cinder asked Royal, while boarding.

"Like what? Chipper?" Royal asked.

"Full of yourselves," Cinder replied.

"I wouldn't know. I'm as humble as they come," Royal replied airily.

"Blake, this is the same guy I was telling you about," Sun said, as they sat in the passenger seats.

"I know, Sun. Who else could it be?" Blake pointed out. "It's nice to meet you officially." She nodded at Royal. "And thank you for helping Oscar and... uh... our other friends out."

"Just doing my job, Miss Belladonna." Royal knew who she was of course. "I've heard a lot about you. Emerald had good things to say. Helping with her project to save orphans, right?"

"I'm trying. I'm afraid the Faunus haven't been as into it as I hoped." Blake said this warily because Atlesians were known for not liking Faunus so much and Royal was one.

"It's a shame my tutor isn't around still," Royal said. "He'd have loved it for sure."

"Was he a Faunus?" Sun asked.

"Oh, yeah, he was. He... Gee, what was it?..." Royal rubbed his head. "It's been so long... I think he was a bear. Maybe it was a wolverine..."

[You all just pictured Wolverine from X-men being a tutor, didn't you?]

"Your family employed Faunus?" Blake should not have sounded so surprised about that.

"Yeah... so?" Royal said oddly.

"Trust me--" Cinder was folding her arms. "--that's the least of the things that would ever bother this guy."

"Sweet," Sun said. "Hey, Cinder, you made a friend."

"I didn't," Cinder said.

"I'm paid to do this," Royal explained. "But not after today. I guess we'll see, then. Hey, since we have a long flight, can I ask you guys some questions?"

"Oh, sure. What?" Sun asked.

* * *

Hours later, Cinder wished she'd brought ear plugs for the hundredth time.

Willow, on the other hand, was quite diverted by hearing about all the things she hadn't been there for.

Sun loved talking about it, and Blake filled in when she felt the urge.

Finally, Vacuo was in sight.

Unfortunately, just as they got close, they saw a wall of sand coming over the desert towards them.

"Nance, tell me we're going to beat that?" Royal pressed the intercom.

"We might just make the landing. Everyone, strap in," Nancy said.

"Oh, crud, crap timing," Sun said.

"But these ships fly in sandstorms, right?" Willow said.

"Your best bet is to fly above it," Royal said. "But we're so close to landing, might be more fuel efficient to just land. We could run out otherwise, if it lasts long. I mean, they don't last that long, right?"

"They can last all day, but mostly it's less than an hour," Sun shrugged.

"We have enough fuel for maybe that long, but that last stretch of mountains really takes it out of our tank," Nancy said.

"We need more places to land on the way to this spot," Royal mused. "Should put that in the ideas folder the technicians made at Argus."

"Great, it'll take about 5 years to even get a blueprint," Cinder said sarcastically.

"That is bureaucracy for you," Royal sighed.

"Guys, that sand is getting a little close." Blake was looking out. "Are you sure we shouldn't just put down now?"

"I think we have time," Sun said.

For a few minutes there was silence.

Willow folded her hands.

Then they began to descend.

The sand storm picked up speed, it seems like...or, no, the ship had slowed down so they saw how fast it really was.

Nancy descended carefully, but the sand hit them just as she'd almost touched down.

She was close enough to land anyway, but the ship rattled, and sand flew in the turbines because she couldn't shut them. She pushed the button and they folded up, as the ships had this feature to prevent sand from ruining their equipment.

"Drat, that'll have to be cleaned before I can leave," she muttered.

"Well, I guess we're stuck on this plane for a while," Royal said. "Anyone bring a harmonica?"

No one thought that was funny.

"I have a playlist." Sun held up his scroll. "Blake, do you think I should call mine 'Sunny Toons'?"

"No," Blake said, cringing.

"What about 'Sunny Beats'?"

"No."

"'Sunbop'?"

"That sounds like a surfer movie," Royal said.

"It does, right?" Sun said. "Too bad there's no surfing here. You know, I've never been surfing, Neptune is too afraid of water; he wouldn't go for it."

"You could always go without him," Cinder said flatly.

"You could go somewhere with anyone," Sun shot back. "It's no fun being alone."

"For a guy without a family, you seem very relationship oriented," Willow said. "That's good. Some people don't appreciate what we have."

She still was wont to speak of her husband with some bitterness even after all this time.

Cinder wondered silently if Jacques Schnee had ever tried to contact his family in 3 years. Probably to ask for money.

The sandstorm went on longer than expected.

"You know, this could knock out the music and protection against Grimm," Sun said, with concern. "For a few minutes it's not a big deal, but they hover just outside the city."

"They do?" Willow said with concern.

"Don't you guys watch the news about Vacuo?" Sun asked. "It's a phenomenon they keep mentioning. The Grimm stay right on the line of the city and oasis, and people can walk right up to them, and they don't cross it. But as soon as you do, they pounce. Someone died doing that."

"That's horrible." Blake covered her mouth.

"It's horrible that they would do something that dumb when everyone heard about that Apathy plague," Royal said. "Which I now know, was intentional. Beats all how stupid people can be."

"It does," Sun agreed. "That's the crap part. The Grimm aren't really backing off so much as they're lying in wait. The only safe way to leave Vacuo now is by plane. They really need some way to push them back. That's another reason we shouldn't have landed outside the limits of the city and stuff."

"So no one can leave without a plane?" Cinder didn't like this.

"Well, some teams of huntsmen can, I heard from my old friends," Sun said. "But no one else. Not many people would try, though. It's too hot."

He frowned at the outside. 

"I'm getting kind of sick of this. I bet the Grimm are just waiting to pounce."

"You said they won't cross the line." Cinder folded her arms.

"While the music is playing," Sun said.

Silence while that sunk in.

"Why is music important?" Nancy joined them, as she had nothing else to do. "And the scanner didn't pick up any Grimm...not that it would in this sand."

"That is it!" Sun declared.

"Sun?" Blake said, as he jumped up and sprang to the door.

"What are you doing?" Nancy asked.

"Something," Sun said.

"You pop that hatch, monkey boy, and I'll kill you," Nancy cried.

"Hey!" Blake's ears went back. "Don't call him that."

"Don't you call each other names like that?" Cinder asked grumpily.

"But that's us, not someone else," Blake said.

"Doesn't matter." Sun hit the manual switch to open the hatch.

Nancy uttered some words that made Willow wince.

Sand blew in their eyes and ears and mouths all at once.

They tried to cover their faces.

Sun, more used to this, hopped out and onto the top of the ship.

"What is he going to do? Fly?" Nancy asked.

Blake coughed. "I don't know..."

Sun looked around.

"Hey!" he called. "Stop it!"

Nothing happened.

"I said to stop this." Sun held out his staff, and his Aura glowed. "Dang you."

The sand in front of him seemed to slow a little.

"Did he say something?" Royal asked.

"I think he said to stop it." Blake was the only one who could possibly hear over the din.

"Stop what?" Nancy said. "I'm shutting that hatch before my ship is totally ruined."

"No, don't leave him outside--!" Blake began trying to block her.

But before Nancy even got to the door, the wind sounds just stopped suddenly as if it had been cut off at the end.

The sand floated to the ground like dry dust, and the sun reappeared just a minute later as the clouds settled.

The heat also returned full force, but no one noticed that.

"Well, that happened faster than I thought," Nancy said. "In fact it was almost unnatural..." She frowned.

"Did he just..." Cinder glanced at Blake. "...stop the storm?"

"I.... Maybe?" Blake said strangely. "Mr. West did that once, ages ago. I didn't think we could do that."

Sun swung back in by his tail easily and landed jauntily.

"I showed him--it--whatever," he said proudly. "Teach them to mess with my kingdom."

"Sun? What did you just do?" Blake asked.

"Well, I took authority over that storm, just like they taught us," Sun said.

"They taught us that?" Blake said.

"It's called subtext, Blake. Learn by example," Sun said airily. "That was one of the coolest things I've ever done--I mean, not me, but me kind of through it, right?"

"Oh, sure, that's grammar." Cinder was spooked. "Since when could you do freaky things like that?"

"Since right now, okay?" Sun said.

"Who are you people?" Nancy seemed spooked.

"Just doing my job," Sun said.

"Sun--" Blake tugged his arm. "--I don't think you could just do that if there wasn't reason for it. I think there might be trouble out there. We should go."

"Oh, shoot, you're right." Sun lifted his pole again. "Let's go check the perimeter. I love saying things like that."

He and Blake sprang out of the plane.

The others exchanged looks.

"I did bring my gun," Royal said. "I guess we should help."

"I can't." Cinder could only imagine what would happen if someone saw her.

"I wouldn't stay here if there was trouble, but your decision, I guess," Royal said at once, stepping off the plane.

"He might be right. We're too far from the regular landing pad," Willow said. "They might find us."

"They? Grimm? Who?" Nancy sputtered.

"I'm going to get under cover then." Cinder jumped out of the plane.

In fact, Blake was on the money. Grimm were already in the streets of Vacuo by the time any of them reached the part that even had streets.

People who'd not seen Grimm this close in ages were running for cover.

A bunch of smaller Death Stalkers were trying to nab some hapless kids of various ages who'd been hanging out around the shops.

Larger, bug-like Grimm that looked like beetles knocked over barrels and booths, picking up things and tossing them out of the way. [They'd be like scarabs, otherwise known as dung beetles. They can carry an impressive amount of...stuff, for their weight.]

"I've not seen those before." Willow peered at them.

"They usually live farther out," a huntsman who was chasing after them said, "but they're trouble. What are you civilians doing out here? Get under something more solid."

"Civilians?" Cinder muttered. "If he only knew."

"Miss, I'm not sure now is the  time for you to reveal your identity," Willow cautioned her in a low voice. "If you are not going to fight, you'd better take cover with Miss Kettle."

Nancy was already bee-lining it for a house that looked a little more solid.

Apparently not all pilots in the Argus force were inclined to fight the Grimm. What a pansy.

Cinder found herself thinking that at least Royal had a spine. Who did Argus allow to join their military these days?

She thought Willow would take cover also, but to her surprise, Willow picked up a spear that had been thrown out of some stall and jammed it into the eye of a small Stalker.

The creature turned to smoke.

At least these ones didn't seem like weird hybrids of spirit and beast. They were still solid. It would be simple to fight them.

A summoned scorpion came out of the ground and grew to be larger than the others. It charged one of the beetles and pushed it backwards, trying to get its underbelly exposed.

"Wow." Cinder hated to show she was impressed, but...

"I haven't been on the field in decades," Willow strained. "But you never forget a few things. I suppose my daughters can't have all the fun. Don't tell Winter about this, though."

"I never tell Winter anything," Cinder said.

"I should call Weiss, actually. I'm sure she's close." Willow took out her scroll.

The Grimm had identified her as a threat now and came towards her.

"Maybe not the time to make calls." Cinder should have been running, but the sight of giant bugs ravaging the marketplace kind of mesmerized her in the way you might stare at a cockroach nest in your kitchen.

[Ew.]

"I've got it." Willow began to dial.

"Hello?" Weiss answered. "This isn't the best time, Mother. I'm kind of in the middle of a fight."

"I am too, Weiss, and I was hoping you would be available. The marketplace is--"

Willow got no further. One of the scorpions suddenly struck and took the scroll out of her hand.

"Grimm aren't supposed to be smart enough to do that," she said blankly.

"Get back!" Cinder cried.

Willow jumped back using a glyph before it could skewer her, but her scroll slid across the sand, and the scarab ran over it.

That didn't break it--scrolls were tougher than briefcases--but it was almost covered in sand.

"Mother?" Weiss feared the worst, since she heard the yelling. "Mother?!"

"I'm okay!" Willow called. "Can you hear me?"

But over the dust, it didn't seem she could.

Cinder backed up.

The Grimm were cutting off her escape route now. She'd waited too long.

No, no, she could not fight here! Too many witnesses!

It might be all right if she had a weapon that wasn't glass. She could be anyone without her signature weapon, but she didn't carry any other.... This was beginning to look like an oversight on her part.

She scanned the area for one she could use instead.

"We should run." Willow made a speed glyph then.

They ran.

They caught up to more of the civilians running for it.

Some kids were banging on the door of a tavern--an establishment even Cinder wouldn't have set foot in unless she had to. There was rough, and there was no standard at all.

But it was more solidly built.

"Let us in!" one girl was screaming. "Please!"

"We've got enough people in here without some frightened kids drawing the Grimm," the voice of either the owner or whoever had gotten there first answered from inside. "Keep running."

"It's too late to run," a boy said angrily. "Let us in or we'll break the door down."

"Then we're all dead anyway," came the unmoved reply. "But go ahead, waste your time. The Grimm will understand."

"What a brute." Willow heard this. "But they say money talks." She rushed over to the door.

"Could you make room for a few more people for, say, 1,000 lien?" she asked.

"You have a thousand lien?" someone scoffed.

"Look at her, she's pretty well off," said one of the kids. "She might have 2,000 lien in her pocket."

"Normally I'd try to see that for myself, if we weren't about to get eaten!" said another one.

"1,000 lien per person," the voice from inside said.

There were at least 6 kids just on the doorstep, and there were more not far away who might run out of space soon enough.

"That's a lot..." Willow would have been able to pay 10 times that much before the fall of Atlas, but now that kind of money would be a lot for her, though she might be able to afford it.

"Tick tock, lady. Risking our lives isn't cheap."

"Fine, I'll pay it, after you let us in and the Grimm are gone," Willow said. "And if you don't harm any of us."

She had a worse opinion of Vacuo than Winter did.

"Oh, aren't we posh?" The door opened.

The kids scrambled into the opening. It barely was wide enough for them.

A few more who saw them came racing back that way.

Cinder didn't care to spend 1,000 lien getting inside that place. She could outrun the Grimm, she thought.

She kept going.

The junior Stalkers were pretty fast, but they were far less strong than the scarab things were.

The scarabs tossed more objects around.

One landed not that far from Cinder, and she winced.

Some of the street rats turned back and ran up the same street as her, but slower.

Suddenly, there was a cry of surprise. One of the girls had tripped over a loose stone in the road and probably twisted an ankle.

Of course street kids didn't know how to activate their Aura usually.

"Sue!" One of the boys turned back. Her brother possibly. 

"I can't!" Sue tried to get up. "Help!"

Of course, she realized too late that was idiotic.

The Stalker slowly turned toward her menacingly, claws out.

The boy froze, and well he might be uncertain what to do here. He didn't have any weapon other than a knife, and that was like a toothpick to a Stalker like this.

Cinder figured this wasn't her problem. She should just keep going. The Grimm would no doubt slow down if they had a victim to focus on, and she could get away.

She turned.

Then she stopped.

She might not have much compassion for people, but this seemed like one of those times it was pretty clear that it was a cold-blooded choice to just walk away.

Life was easier when she was cold-blooded.

With a look upward as if this was the worst inconvenience ever, Cinder sighed and turned around.

Well...no one else was really looking, right?

She formed a bow.

[It occurs to me that I have no idea how she shoots from a glass bow without a string. Must be Remnant magic.]

She formed a larger arrow than usual and fired it right through the Stalker's face.

It turned to smoke only a few feet from the kids.

They hadn't even noticed Cinder and turned to give her strange looks.

Cinder was smirking because, of course, the Grimm had gone down so easily, but then she caught them looking and tried to turn away. If they got a good look at her, who knew? Street urchins remember faces.

"Hey, lady!" the boy called. "We need help."

"I just helped you." Cinder glanced over her shoulder. "Help yourselves."

"That's not fair. Sue can't walk. If you just walk away, that's the same as not helping us to begin with," the boy said.

Great, another junior lawyer.

"That sounds like a you problem," Cinder replied.

"B---h!" The kid was ungrateful.

"Timmy, that's not going to make her help," Sue said. "I can crawl or something." She struggled to do so. "We have to get inside."

Cinder was not one to care about street kids, but she thought it was fun to hunt Grimm.

"I'm going to clear this street," she said flatly. "You have till then to get yourselves to a better spot, then I'm gone, whether you're here or not."

She notched another arrow.

"Aren't you just a guardian angel?" the boy said sarcastically. "Come on, Sue." He took her arm and began to half carry, half drag her across the sand.

"Little brat," Cinder muttered. "No manners at all. These are my sort of people, really."

She would have done the same as him not that long ago. Felt weird to be on the receiving end of that kind of salty attitude from a desperate person.

Did she used to sound that uncultured?

Surely not. She had natural class.

[Not the word I would use.]

She killed more Stalkers with ease, but Scarabs were more of an issue; they didn't go down with arrows.

She'd have to be close to kill them, and she didn't care to let them get within stabbing distance of her. She vaulted to the top of one house using a pole and started running, hopping from roof to roof.

Finally she saw Blake and Sun, they were doing the same thing.

Then Sun made a bunch of clones and leapt to the ground, surrounding one of the beetles.

The clones grabbed at its legs. Sun struggled to keep them in formation while they held it in place.

"Now!" he said.

Blake sprang, using her Gambol Shroud to swing and slice around the beetle's shell in a few circles, a move she'd once used on a mech.

Their teamwork wasn't too bad, Cinder had to admit, always a connoisseur of fighting patterns.  And they'd gotten stronger with time; their hits were more effective, and Sun was holding those clones longer than he used to be able to.

The beetle shell cracked and fell off, which was disgusting to see.

It was angry and jabbed one of its 6 legs out and struck at Blake.

Its legs had long, black spikes on them, much stronger than a real beetle's would have been, naturally.

But Blake was not there. Instead a clone of hers froze it in ice and pinned it in place.

Blake sliced under its now immobilized leg and stabbed its underside. It vanished into smoke.

"That was awesome!" Sun high-fived her. 

"One down, about half a dozen to go," Blake panted. "I don't think we can't take these all by ourselves."

"No, but maybe we can lead them away till we get closer to Shade," Sun said. "They're getting close to us."

They saw Cinder suddenly.

"Oh... do you think we should...?" Blake asked.

"Ask her to help?" Sun said. "She could."

"But she's not really supposed to."

"Against humans. She can fight Grimm, and hey, it's on our witness that we asked her to."

"But still, exposing her, here of all places, with the people in this kingdom."

"They can't hate her more than Atlas. Technically she never did much to them," Sun said. "And right now, we need fighters more than we need to worry about that. She's leaving later anyway. I say we rope her in."

Blake sighed and waved Cinder over.

Cinder had a feeling she'd regret responding, but she couldn't just walk away either.