A few hours later, accordingly, Robyn found Cinder waiting outside the base.

Fiona was inside, waiting for Robyn.

"I hoped you packed your nighties, because this is not a round trip," Robyn said. "Good luck finding a ride home."

Cinder didn't bother to reply to that.

"So this is going to be the conversation level all night, isn't it?" Robyn tried again.

"Can we just go?" Cinder asked.

"Oh sure, Your Highness." Robyn tossed her hand.

No one asked her why someone else was with her; they were used to her picking up new hires.

Anyway, most of them knew Cinder left from the base often and didn't question it.

"Beats me how you go through here without people wanting to beat you up," Robyn said.

A presumptuous statement, the last part.

The flyer, Nancy Kettle, as it happened, didn't give Cinder a very nice look when she saw her, but she didn't argue.

Fiona took shotgun seat to avoid Cinder herself.

"So--" Robyn leaned on the hull of the ship while they were doing the check with the tower. "Mind if I ask, are you and Zapato going steady or anything? Or is he available?"

"What?" Cinder said hotly.

"I mean, he's pretty cute," Robyn said. "So just wondering."

"Aren't you a little old for him?" Cinder said easily the meanest thing she could have said--at least off the top of her head.

"I can't be that much older. Anyway why does that matter? Is that a no?" Robyn said.

"We're not together--why do people keep asking me that?!" Cinder snapped.

"I guess you just give off that vibe," Robyn said, then she scrutinized Cinder harder. "Unless you do like him."

"That's ridiculous. I'm not interested in that kind of thing," Cinder said.

"I've heard that one before," Robyn said. "Bull, I think. So other people have said it? Might be a sign."

"They're just trying to get on my nerves, like you are now."

"Maybe.... He does seem to follow you around though," Robyn said. "Sure he doesn't have a torch?"

"Yes," Cinder said.

"Really? Because that's him right now." Robyn nodded.

Cinder whirled around.

Royal hadn't actually been following her. He seemed to have just come out of one of the staff buildings--perhaps the training area, since he was carrying a gym bag.

He cast them a brief glance and nodded at Robyn before he recognized Cinder.

"Wait, this is where you were going?" he said, coming up. "What's going on?"

"I think she's escaping," Robyn said unhelpfully. "Well, shall we go?"

Nancy motioned at them impatiently.

"Hey, wait a second. Is this dangerous?" Royal asked.

"We have room for one more if you want to find out," Robyn said.

"What? I thought you said--" Cinder began.

"Oh, he's practically family. I'm sure Kettle won't mind."

Nancy shrugged. "Just get on or don't."

"Come on." Robyn yanked Royal on before he could say yes or no.

"But--" Cinder tried again.

"Too late," Robyn said, as the door shut.

"I wasn't really ready for this," Royal said. "I don't even have my gun."

"I don't think this is a fighting mission, is it?" Robyn asked Cinder. "Hey, who are we looking for anyway?"

"I never said I was looking for anyone. I wanted to pay someone a visit," Cinder said.

"Old flame?" Robyn joked.

"You're not funny," Cinder practically growled at her.

"I thought it was funny," Fiona said unhelpfully.

"You stay out of this!" Cinder said. "Robyn, what are you doing?"

"Are we on a first name basis now?" Robyn just wouldn't quit. "How cute. Hey, I'm doing you a favor. Now you can get a ride back."

"Raven is going to kill me for this," Royal said.

The plane took off.

"I pretty sure this is illegal..." Royal said, almost as an afterthought.

"Whoops," Robyn said, putting her hands up nonchalantly.

"Is this some kind of prank?" Royal asked her. "Because seriously, this is going to get me in big trouble tomorrow."

"Oh, did you have a flight?" Robyn asked.

"No, I'm supposed to be resting, but Raven will--"

"Oh, Raven needs to get that stick out of her rear end that they installed once she signed up for Atlas duty," Robyn scoffed.

Cinder folded her arms.

Nancy floored the plane's version of an accelerator, and they all nearly stumbled back.

"Easy on that!" Royal called.

"I don't need your help, Z," Nancy called angrily. "Shut up."

"Honestly she is the grumpiest flyer we have," Royal muttered.

He sat down. "So what are we doing?"

"I'm just going back to work," Robyn said. "I can't explain what Lady Stealth is doing. She's a tough nut to crack. Maybe you'll have better luck than me."

"I doubt it," Royal muttered.

"So are you still blue about the Capital thing being less of a success than we hoped?" Robyn said. "At least we caught the guy. That's a good day in my book."

"It's more just how hopeless the entire situation seems to be getting," Royal said. "I suppose I should feel happy we got this far. Sometimes I'd trade for Cinder's single-minded focus."

Cinder gave him a sideways glance.

"I guess you're not much deterred no matter how unlikely success looks," Robyn said to her, amused. "I mean, that would make sense for you."

"I don't want to do this." Cinder had had it with her. "Throw your verbal barbs at someone else."

She walked to the back of the plane.

"Huh...that was uncharacteristically non-combative..." Robyn said.

"Maybe give it a rest, Miss Hill," Royal said. "It's been a long few days."

Robyn looked sympathetic. "Sorry about that. I've only been involved in part of this. It sounds absolutely exhausting. But you guys are doing better than you think."

Royal nodded, but he didn't look so convinced.

* * *

One long flight later--that made Cinder start to feel the effects of all the travel without enough sleep--they were arriving in Vacuo's outer landing strip.

Robyn told Fiona to just check in with the Huntresses (and now Huntsmen) chapter here, while she found out what it was Cinder wanted.

"But is late night really the best time to do this?" she asked.

"Actually, it'll be better this way. No time for him to prepare," Cinder said.

"Is this about Watts?" Royal had finally figured it out...or he'd suspected all along.

"This doesn't involve you," Cinder said.

"I think it does, if you think he's mixed up in all this," Royal said.

"Unless you're planning to punch him again, I think you'd better stay away from him," Cinder said.

"But you, the person with the restraining order, shouldn't?"

"Bro's got a point, Fall," Robyn said. "What if you have to use force? Who'd suspect him? And if you're going to take on Watts, I wouldn't mind getting rough too. I haven't forgotten about Mantle."

"One question: How could he be involved? We asked them already," Royal said.

"We asked them when we didn't know that much," Cinder said. "I should have thought of this before, but Watts is a weasel. He can lie well, too."

"So that's why you get along," Robyn said.

Cinder frowned at her.

"Hill, please," Royal said.

"I don't need you to help," Cinder said.

"Fine." Royal put his hands up. "Let her talk to you like that."

"Let me?" Robyn said. "Isn't that backwards?"

"Shut up, both of you," Cinder said. "I wish I could do this alone. If I didn't know Watts would never tell me the truth, I would have."

"Why even come then? Why not just ask me to do it alone?" Robyn asked.

"I know him well enough to know he'd get around you," Cinder said. "He did before."

"That's not fair. I never even talked to him outside of jail," Robyn said.

But bickering about it got them nowhere, and finally they simply headed to the lab building.

"Lucky you're with me," Robyn said. "I can get in there at any time. I know the staff. They'd never let you in at this hour."

She proved her point when the security did just that.

Though Cinder got some odd looks from them.

"They let them sleep here?" Royal said.

"Well, there are sleeping quarters along that way." Robyn pointed. "But yes, on the property.... I think it's insane too. But they're not treated like criminals. Victoria is up all hours of the night tinkering anyway. I think she's addicted to it. I don't keep tabs on them that much though."

Watts was not in bed, but actually in one of the lab rooms himself, also tinkering, and this was something an assistant was able to tell them.

"Here we are again," Royal muttered. "It's creepier at night."

Cinder didn't even knock on the door before she flung it open.

Watts was standing over a table, examining some gizmo, when he looked up in surprise. "I say, don't just barge in here--Cinder?!"

Cinder walked toward him purposefully, and he backed up, to her slight satisfaction.

"What are you doing here?" Watt's first thought was probably that she was here to kill him. Of course he didn't really think she'd not do it, even after all this time.

"Call it a hunch, Arthur." Cinder smiled the way she would have in the past, with the desired effect of him flinching. "I think you've been holding out on us."

"Whatever do you mean?" Watts asked warily.

Cinder held up her scroll and flashed some images--she had a whole folder of them by now.

"All this," she said. "Do you know what I started to think? Someone is making cheap knock offs of Victoria's devices. Someone who had access to the originals...or blueprints of them. Someone who'd know her well enough to know how they work. We couldn't figure out who it could be, anyone in the black market--and then it hit me. Who do I know who's not only free but already had connections in the black market ages before I even knew about Salem? And who's a close personal friend of Victoria's...? It couldn't be you, could it, Arthur?"

Robyn gasped, actually astonished for once by Cinder's mental prowess--and this was the first time she'd ever felt that.

Royal gaped.

The best part? Watts froze.

But then he smiled, fakely. "My dear Cinder, how could you think to accuse me of that? We're all reformed, aren't we?"

"You know, I thought it was a mistake when Shine let you live." Cinder didn't even hesitate. "I never really thought you changed."

"Coming from you, dear?"

"Call me that one more time. See what happens," Cinder warned him dangerously.

"What will you do to me without injuring yourself?" Arthur said.

"They found me already. What do I have to lose?" Cinder said. "I know someone who has a vendetta against me is working with them too.... I just wonder."

"Okay, for the record, I would never trust people like that to actually get the job done even if I was to hire them." Watts was insulted.

Robyn stepped up to him.

"Listen, weasel," she said, "Cinder just said something that makes the most sense of any theory we've had so far. Now, either you can cough up the truth, or I can make you. Do you know about this?"

Watts glared at her. "I really think your Semblance is unfair. A person ought to be able to tell a decent lie in self preservation."

"That didn't convince me," Royal said.

"I'll call for help. You're all accosting me in my private office!" Watts said.

"Do that," Robyn said. "I'd love for Theo to hear this too."

Cinder was almost impressed that Robyn knew to say that at once, but then, she must be used to people like Watts.

It worked. He blanched.

"Out with it," Robyn said. "Did you make those replicas?"

"How could I do that without anyone knowing it?" Watts evaded.

Robyn gripped his wrist. "You tell me," she said.

Watts scowled.

"Is him not denying it proof he's guilty?" Royal asked.

"That or he doesn't want us to know who really is," Cinder said.

"Thought so." Royal frowned.

"What is he even doing here? Is he your servant now?" Watts said. "How do you get these people to follow you, Cinder? It's just unbelievable."

"Stop stalling, Arthur." Cinder ignored the jab.

"All right, yes!" Arthur said, angrily. "I might have made some simplified versions. A while ago. How was I to know whether you'd all really succeed in stopping Salem? Or the other dangers. Or what would happen to us all even if you did. Any time I might run out of good will or usefulness here in Vacuo. I knew I needed a backup. There was a high demand in the black market for weapons. They're mostly harmless, aren't they? Tory wouldn't even mind. How do you think she paid for all those things to begin with?"

"Watts, you snake!" Robyn almost slugged him, but she'd have had to let go to do that. "How could you do something so stupid?!"

"Are you still doing it?" Cinder asked.

"No, not recently. They couldn't pay for more," Watts said. "Are you satisfied?"

"Not the word," Cinder said, "but unsurprised.... How many did you make?"

"Myself? Maybe 50," Watts said.

"50?!" Robyn almost shrieked.

"The rest must be their own copies--crude ones, no doubt," Watts said. "Plenty of distrust since I left Atlas' forces, you know. I can't blame them."

"It can't be easy to make those," Cinder said. "The Aura drain, that's something you knew about more. You expect us to believe that amateurs could make those?"

"With the right materials..." Watts said.

"I'm guessing not ones that are so easy to get," Robyn said. "Gee, I wonder if you supply that too.... Watts, you're going back to prison for this."

"How droll," Watts said. "It took you long enough to figure it out, really. That it didn't occur to you sooner is astonishing."

Cinder slapped him, to his surprise. He reeled back.

Cinder rubbed her hand.

"You fool," she said. "Don't you understand that if they get their way, it's going to hurt you also? Do you ever think ahead?"

"Cinder, you are not the woman I want to hear that from," Watts said. "What have I ever done but look out for my own interest? I'm not murdering anyone. What they do with the stuff is their business."

"I've heard that excuse before," Robyn said. "So you think you have no fault in this?"

"I don't think you'll have much success convincing me here," Watts said calmly. "They won't care that I did it. Plenty of people here deal in illegal items. No one cares."

"What are they after, Arthur?" Cinder ignored that part.

"Do you think I'm privy to that, Cinder?" Watts rubbed his mustache.

"They're drawing Mind Grimm, you SOB," Robyn said. "You know, the things that take over your soul--those monsters!"

"I suppose that was the unpleasant side effect," Watts said.

"Side effect?" Robyn said.

But the comment told Cinder more.

"You knew." She narrowed her eyes. "They told you.... I bet they had questions. It started small, didn't it? The radar things summoned the Grimm--maybe they were just normal ones...but then they began to mutate, and those ones began showing up. They didn't know what they were...but Kanap did, and you did too. You had those works.... They knew how to use them all. How would they just know that? Only we knew that. Oscar wrote about them, but he didn't tell anyone how they function aside from the warning signs to look for. But only one person besides Salem knew how to get Grimm to do her bidding, and you're her best friend. Is she in on it too?"

"Victoria would not knowingly be in on anything that jeopardized her son's safety," Watts said. "You know that."

"But you would," Cinder pressed. "They knew too much about those things in too short a time. What did you send them, a handbook?"

"A few questions here and there doesn't seem like the end of the world," Watts said.

"What?" Royal almost exploded. "How could you be such a--" He used some very unrefined words that would have horrified his elite family.

"How could you be such a fool is the better question," Cinder said. "At some point, doesn't the thought 'this is probably a bad thing to mess with' cross your mind?"

"Did it cross ours?" Watts said. "Grimm never bothered me much. Perhaps you are oversensitive because you used to have one attached to you, but why should that stop me? Weak willed people might give in to them, but that's their weakness. Not mine."

"I should check you for the Fastus," Cinder said.

But despite his words, she didn't think there were any here, not directly. Not the kind she could have just slain in that manner.

"You know, I've heard that you're acting as the Grimm patrol now," Watts said. "One has to appreciate your levels of hypocrisy. But always whatever hand held the treats for you. Are you pretending that you're better than me?"

"She doesn't have to pretend!" Royal said warmly. "Do you think we're buying this? You slimeball. Don't try to turn this back on us. How did we not see it was you before?"

"I don't think I've done anything wrong." Watts was probably lying about that.... Robyn's Aura seemed to flicker, but it was indecisive. "Anyway, it's no more than anyone else in my position would do."

"You'd better give us something we can use to stop them," Robyn said. "I know they've wanted Kanap to work on a way to stop those devices.... I bet you know one."

"A counter signal?" Watts said. "It's possible, theoretically. She's working on it, but it could take a while to perfect it, and do you have that long? Even if I don't supply them anymore, it's too late."

Cinder frowned. "You would never make those without a failsafe that keeps them from working on you. I know you too well."

Watts' expression finally shifted to more uneasy.

"Do you know anything about them attacking Argus?" Robyn asked, pressing.

"Argus? They would never attack Argus," Watts said.

"One of them said they were planning to scope out somewhere using an orphan," Cinder said. "Argus has that shelter."

"Oh, that thing Emerald started. What a quaint idea. Waste of time if you ask me.... I suppose they could do that, but it could only be to weaken your defenses. No sane person would take out their main supplier, even indirectly."

"Unless they're no longer sane," Robyn said. "The Mind Grimm might have chipped away at their reason."

"I would not know about that," Watts said.

"What do you know?" Cinder pressed.

"A lot of things you don't, but probably not what you want to hear," Watts said.

"Can I beat him up now?" Robyn asked.

Cinder put a hand to her eyes. "This cannot be another dead end."

"Isn't it awful?" Watts said, slyly. "Realizing that no matter how hard you try, you'll still never be able to compete with the real brains of the world. Face it, Cinder, you were never that special. You were just what I said, a bloody migraine with a decent idea now and then that you'll never manage to really make a plan out of, because you can't."

Cinder pulled her hand away from her eyes long enough to look at Watts like he was a cockroach, then she clenched her fist and stepped back.

"Are you just giving up that easily?" Robyn was incredulous. "What? Because he insulted you? You must be used to that."

"Don't get me started on you, Hill," Watts said. "You would never even have got this far."

"Maybe that would bother me if I cared about your opinion." Robyn frowned. "Zapato, want to chime in here?"

"I don't know him that well." Royal sounded tight. "I know him enough to know he'll only taunt us the more he thinks we're susceptible to it. The guy doesn't have a heart. He's missing that part of his anatomy. He cares about nothing and no one more than himself."

"One thing perhaps," Cinder said, in such a low tone for her that it was almost gentle compared to her usual irritated one, "and only one: credit. The only thing he's ever risked anything for. He's a sociopath with a point to prove."

"Coming from you, the chief sociopath with something to prove?" Watts said.

"I won't stop you if you hit him again," Robyn offered.

Cinder bit her lip, then she said, "That's what he wants, to get to me."

Watts finally looked surprised again.

It took all Cinder's faint self control to do it, but she didn't fly into a rage. "It's useless anyway." She forced her anger down her throat, and her tone became calmer. "It's not as if you can reason with someone who is beyond the reach of morals or an appeal to common sense. If that was going to work, why would you do something like this at all?"

"Are you daring to suggest that I lack common sense more than you do?" Watts said.

Cinder, now that she'd forced down her burst of anger, suddenly felt different. 

Losing her hesitation for the moment, she looked Watts right in the eye. "I said it before, Arthur--you're a fool. You've fallen right into the same trap as before. Some people came begging for your help and stroked your ego, and you did it, didn't you? Did you need to feel powerful again after Vacuo put you into a desk job? Still not getting enough recognition for it, were you? Victoria outshines you; they give her credit for success. So you sold out the kingdoms again. You didn't learn anything from Salem, did you?"

"How dare you say that to me?" Watts said. "And what are you doing? Do you actually claim to be more noble?"

Robyn noted oddly that he sounded strangely indecisive about that.

Royal, more attentive than Robyn was, began to suspect that Watts might, deep down, be afraid that Cinder had, in fact, come to surpass him.

Of course, if he looked down on her as much as Cinder had suggested in the past, it would kill him if she outgrew him.

"Better just let him go," Cinder said to Robyn, quite coolly. "Even if he told us the truth, he doesn't know what they're planning, because he didn't care to find out. I should have known this was a waste of my time. He's a rat, same as before. He thinks he deserves credit for being smarter than other people, but he can't use that intelligence for anything remotely useful, like Polendina or Kanap could, so he rides their coattails."

That last remark did the trick.

"You wench!" Watts boiled over. "It is because people look to them. They don't give anyone else a chance."

Cinder felt completely in control now, and she made her tone as mocking and condescending as she used to with him when she was annoying him the most.

"Facts speak for themselves, Arthur," she said, with a note of false pity just for the added touch. "Maybe if no one has asked for your original work in all this time, it's simply because they know it's not the best. You can blame it all on the others stealing your glory, but talent speaks for itself, doesn't it? If you haven't proven yourself in all this time, you have nothing to give. Just cheap copies."

Watts took a savage step in her direction, though he never could have hoped to beat her in a real fight, so the aggression was pointless.

And Royal and Robyn both moved warningly, but he came no further.

"What do you know about value? You stole all yours anyway," he said.

But Cinder was past that bothering her, at least from him.

"Well, I'm not the one selling myself to pirates and bandits like some whore," she said, knowing the vulgarity would grind him more than the implication would. "I've gotten closer to finding out their plans than you have, and you actually have had contact from them. That's really pretty sad if you ask me."

"I could find out their plans if I wanted," Watts said. "I know how to contact them."

Robyn looked at Royal from behind Watts' back and gaped.

Sure, she could have made him tell them that, but that he just said it outright without her doing it stunned her.

"They wouldn't tell you a d--- thing. You think they trust you?" Cinder kept the mocking tone up artfully. She was used to it. "They played you for a fool. I bet they'll even kill you once you stop being useful. Isn't that just the way with these people? Well, we won't stand in their way. I don't think anyone will pity you. Can't you see the headlines now? Crooked scientist killed over illegal arms deal."

This wasn't even an unfair point; it had happened to others like Watts.

He winced a little.

"I would know if I was interested," he said.

"I don't believe you." Cinder straightened haughtily. "And I think you don't have the spine."

"Do you think this kind of psychology will work on me?" Watts said. "I know what you're doing, Cinder."

"Do you?" Cinder said. "Because I'm not lying, Arthur. Don't you know me well enough by now to know that? You are a weasel. Call it a trick, call it me just recognizing the truth about you after all this time, not that I didn't already know. You know why I almost killed you in Atlas? It wasn't just because I lied to you--it's because you didn't have the gall to really think around my plan. You pretend you're so much smarter than me, but did you have a way around the situation? No, you needed my help. I outsmarted you because you're a weakling and you have no grit. Which is why you can't do this, and I can."

The last was a bit of bravado on her part. She didn't really think she could do this, but she knew to twist the knife.

It was working. The last part was pushing Watts over the edge, even if he knew she was trying to get to him.

But he didn't actually think Cinder was clever enough to really play him into doing anything, just that she was being infuriating on purpose.

"Are you daring me to try to stop this?" he asked.

"No, I don't want your help," Cinder said. "I think it's more safe to just let them take you in over this. Me turning you in has a certain cruel irony to it that I think is pretty entertaining."

"Oh, you think I can't talk my way out of this one?" Watts said. "I'll just offer to help them find these people. I'm too valuable for them to lock up. I can turn this around. You haven't won."

"They would never trust you to do that," Cinder said. "And I don't think you could anyway. Those criminals will not out themselves to the person who lives right under the nose of Rhodes himself."

"You might be surprised how resourceful I can be," Watts said.

"Don't make me laugh. You couldn't get around Ironwood without help," Cinder said. "Took me one little chess piece to make him fall apart."

"Only because he thought it was me, not you," Watts argued.

"Or I just have better people skills than you," Cinder replied.

"They will never value your skills above mine. Brains always win over other talent in the end," Watts said.

"If you say so, Arthur." Cinder gave him a sly smile as a finishing touch. "We'll see if that's how Rhodes feels."

Robyn had her scroll out already. "I'm calling him, whether he likes it or not," she said.

Watts turned to her.

"Well, do it then, but it won't work," he said, rubbing his mustache.

Cinder just left the room.

"Is there a problem?" one of the lab assistants asked her.

"Call security," Cinder said. "We have a gift for Theodore."

They blinked at her, but in Vacuo, if someone said to call security, you did it.

Robyn thought Watts might try to escape even so, but he didn't, just like in Atlas when he'd let himself get captured on purpose. He seemed to feel his chances were better if he cooperated.

The guards took him into custody, and once Theo heard the three sentences of explanation she gave him, he ordered the huntsmen nearest them to come take Watts in...and Victoria too, as he wasn't sure she wasn't involved.

This took very little time since they were so close to the school, and not even 20 minutes later Robyn and Royal both left the lab so they could meet up with Theo.

"I can't believe what I just saw," Robyn said as soon as she didn't think Watts or the guard could hear her. "Was I hallucinating or did Cinder just trick Watts into cooperating?"

"Wasn't it great?" Royal was starry-eyed. "I've never seen her do that, but it worked perfectly. That is, if he does it."

"I don't know if he will, but if he doesn't, then he's proving her right about him," Robyn said. "It's like he can't stand to lose to her. I wonder why."

"Maybe because she's come farther than he has," Royal said. "If he doesn't show her up on this, he'd have to admit that it's more than just intelligence that defines someone, it's character, and he doesn't have that."

"You are a little star struck there, Lover Boy," Robyn said. "I wouldn't rate Cinder Fall's character that highly." [She's been talking to most of the fandom.]

"Robyn, open your eyes." Royal didn't even acknowledge the jab. "Who's actually helping you right now? Who's risking their life over this? Can't you let go of your bias over the past long enough to ask yourself what the cold, hard facts are?"

Robyn paused and stopped short. Then she shook her head kind of wryly. "You know...you're right. What is wrong with me? I'm acting like the same people I've always had a problem with. The ones who always treat people like me like we were rubbish just because we were from the lower class where all the criminals were. And treated me like all I could ever be was a criminal.... Granted, I did steal, but I thought I could do more than just break the law. But here I am treating someone else the same way based on their past. I really am a hypocrite."

"Well, don't be too hard on yourself," Royal said. "You're only one of many people who don't seem to see the endless two-sidedness of making one person out to be the problem."

"Okay, no need to kick me while I'm down," Robyn said. "I'm sorry, all right...? But one question, sincerely...why aren't you like that? You're Atlas, or you were. Wouldn't it be as easy for you to bypass fairness and just lump her in with Watts? It's not just because she's a woman, is it?"

"No," Royal said. "When I met Cinder, I knew who she was right away, and it did surprise me, but I knew she'd disappeared. Everyone knew that. I knew there had to be more to it too, and from what I'd seen from Emerald and Mercury, I figured it had to be complicated. I was skeptical that she'd be the same as them, though. Everyone knew she was the ringleader. The other Atlesians on the mission expected to find a terrorist in hiding, but she wasn't looking for a fight. She defended Emerald and Mercury, and she didn't even really like them at the time, and she defended us, Atlesians, from the Grimm. You can say it's because she hates the Grimm more than us at this point, and you'd probably be right, but I thought anyone who just wanted to escape would have walked away. I knew that people had to be wrong about Cinder Fall. Whatever else she was in the past, she's not the same now."

"Wow," Robyn said. "I was going to make fun of you, but, genuinely, that's pretty cool. I actually can see why that would challenge the perception of her people have.... I didn't know that, I didn't know anything about it except that she showed up again because those creeps had a revenge vendetta about her. I only ever see her be a jerk to even the few friends she has, and for all I knew, she'd always been that way. But you're right, risking exposure for them doesn't fit the narrative. Maybe there is more to her than I thought. She sure hides it under a lot of mean-spirited remarks and anger though."

"Makes it more fun that way to figure it out,"Royal said.

"You are still kind of a weirdo, you know that?" Robyn said. "That's not cute, all right? Women like that are seriously unbalanced."

"But who really is actually balanced?" Royal asked. "Don't we all have issues? Would you call yourself normal?"

"I'd call myself more normal than someone like her, but I guess you do have a point." Robyn shrugged. "Are you saying you get satisfaction out of seeing something other people don't see?"

"Well, it makes me feel smug, but I always think that if you look for it hard enough, there is something to her that's surprising. It's hard to describe it, but call it a sense."

"Well, I guess anyone who can get that kind of following has some kind of charisma," Robyn said. "I'm told I do too. But not like that. If you're right about her, then I hope it works out in the end.... I just wouldn't get my hopes up too high. Even if you think highly of someone other people don't, remember that the way someone sees themselves affects how they'll treat everyone else. She's not trying to be a saint, she's only trying to get by. As long as she stays that way, the result will probably not change that much. Take it from someone who's had to fight tooth and nail to try to make changes, and even then it didn't work that well. If you don't give it your A-game and believe in yourself enough to get there, then you just won't."

Royal didn't seem convinced, and Robyn didn't want to push the issue, but she wondered how long Cinder would pretend not to notice what was going on--and what she might do if she stopped.

[I wonder that also. Only one way to find out.]