She never paid her hair any kind of special attention; other than keeping it tied up to stay out of the way and cutting it when that became too much trouble, she’d never seen much of a point. There were far more important things to be concerned with.

Cinder raised her hand, stopping herself just before touching her hair.

Rather than her usual ponytails, her hair wasn’t bound up, apparently much longer than she realized, the dark ends reaching just past her shoulders. Even let free it would’ve been more of a mess than anything else, but that wasn’t the case at the moment, most of it fully straightened out with the ends curled, part of it laying over her left shoulder.

Her left eye was almost entirely hidden behind her swept bangs.

“I’m telling you, we should’ve gone all in with that name and dyed your hair. Really get into the whole ulterior ego thing.” Emerald said from her apartment’s kitchen, readying her revolvers and other supplies on the counters. “But I guess green wouldn’t really go with that outfit.”

Like her hair, her outfit wasn’t a part of her usual.

A dark fully zipped up vest with an undershirt beneath. Simple gloves.  Pants with pouches strapped to her belt and thighs. Combat boots. All of it was pitch black with no clear design across the tough but comfortable fabric unless someone got closer enough to examine it.

“It wouldn’t.” Cinder agreed, raising her other hand and securing the final piece of the outfit around her face. A simple black face mask around her eyes. This whole get up wouldn’t stop anyone who actually knew her and was paying attention from recognizing her, but it was different enough from her usual that most wouldn’t connect the dots.

Stepping away from the mirror, she joined Emerald over at the counters, picking up her dark bow, quiver, and dust crystal.

“Think Talon’s ready?”

“This whole thing was his idea.” Cinder said as she finished gathering everything she needed, the counters soon cleared as Emerald did the same. They hadn’t seen much of him, even for training, since they got back from Argus.

“What was he trying to do in Argus in the first place?” Cinder asked. She hadn’t planned on asking about it at all in the first place, but if it was behind his whole reason for being in Mistral at all she should at least try to figure out whether or not he’s wrapped it up.

“Ah, that’s, uh, you should probably ask him yourself?” Emerald answered uncertainly. “It’s kind of his business, but I think he’d tell you. I mean he told me and the two of you have known each other longer.” She added as she walked past heading towards the apartment’s exit. “Ready to go?”

As much as she liked to talk at least she wouldn’t run around sprouting off other people’s private business. Or Talon’s at least.

Cinder joined her at the door, locking up behind them as Emerald knocked on Talon’s door. By the time she finished up and joined her, the door opened, Talon actually on the other side rather than his semblance being used.

A dark red cloak covered almost all of his body, stopping at his ankles. And, rather than his actual helmet, a version of it that only covered his eyes was in place, the thin slits allowing him to see without actually revealing what laid beneath, the rest of his face in plain view.  Typically his hair was one long flowing mess that trailed out from his mask or neater ponytails when he wore those shades.

Right now it was a cross between both, the ponytail his hair was styled into a bit of a mess with a gathering of wild bangs free to frame his face.

It took her a moment, after her own once over of him was done, for Cinder to realize that his face, and probably eyes, were fixed on her.

“What?” She questioned, crossing her arms.

“Nothing just…” He trailed off for a moment before smiling slightly. “You look good in that.”

Cinder grunted looking away, suddenly far more aware than she’d liked to be of her clothes. She gotten used to Emerald and all the off handed compliments she had no problems throwing out, still finding it odd but not bothered by them. This was only the second time Talon said something like that and like the first, it wasn’t so easy to brush off.

She hated it. A few simple words shouldn’t be able to bother her so much.

“Man, you two got me feeling like I should’ve bought something special just for this.” Emerald complained. She decided to just use her usual equipment, no plans to really hide her identity other than pulling up her hood and face mask. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Talon said, stepping out to join them in the hall.

“You’re fighting without a weapon?” Cinder asked, the thing distinctly missing from anywhere on him. At least its handle should’ve been poking out of that cloak.

“I’ve got one.” The cloak shifted aside, a slim black rectangular shape held in his left hand. A slight push of his thumb revealed the whole thing to be a sheathed sword, the base of a blade revealed. “Figured I’d use something a little simpler. Give everyone else a chance.”

“You say that like you’re going to be win.” Emerald retorted, smirking. “I might just be the one to win.”

“At least you have confidence on your side.”

“I don’t like the way you said that.”

Cinder followed the two towards the elevator, the flowery symbol, a rose, on the back of the cloak drawing her eye, his shifting hair keeping most of it hidden.

He hadn’t mentioned it but was he going to be hiding his identity too? That never looked like a concern of his, that giant sword of his almost always giving him away to anyone who knew of it.

She’d find out once they got to the tournament.

What really mattered was asking him about where he was headed after all this.

XOXO

The Mistral Regional Tournament.

The kingdom wide event that it was, drawing attention even from those beyond it, the whole thing was held on one of the city’s upper levels. A part of a platform dedicated to all sorts of sporting events by the looks of it, many buildings and arenas centered around them spread across the one platform, the massive dome the regional tournament would be taking place in was visible from anywhere on the platform.

But they wouldn’t be fighting over in that for the first day.

“I’m surprised you decided to sign up.” I said over all the other noise, looking away from the distant dome and back to my right side. Mercury, arms crossed, quietly shrugged. “Don’t forget what I said. Even if we do end up fighting, this whole thing has rules.”

“I heard you the first time.” Mercury said, actually showing his annoyance, however faint it was, for something that didn’t directly involve his father.

The way he approached fighting, I doubted he’d find any enjoyment in this or could learn anything from the other participants, but who knows. Maybe actually fighting with such low stakes might be a good thing for him; he’d be finding out real quickly how much he outclassed a vast majority of those around us.

And there were a lot of people around us.

Easily numbering over a hundred, all who had signed up for the tournament over the last week had been told to meet up as a collection of simple but giant box shaped buildings not far from the dome the actual tournament would be taking place. There were plenty of groups like ours and lone people all around, weapons on them and preparations for the fights ahead underway.

All of us were waiting to draw lots that determined which one of the four buildings we went into.

A long day of preliminaries; by the end of it those who actually had the strength and potential to participate in the main tournament would be revealed. It was kind of necessary with just how many hopefuls this kind of event drew from all over the kingdom.

“Its going to be a bummer if any of us don’t make it to tomorrow.” Emerald said, drawing my attention to my other side. “I definitely don’t want to fight you today.”

“What happened to all that confidence?”

“Oh, I’m still going for the win. I’m just-“ She looked around, every direction blocked by somebody with how short she was compared to me. “-reassessing how much work it’s going to take.”

I held back a chuckle, looking to Cinder.

That whole black get up was still a little jarring. In the show, Cinder had worn something like it exactly once to sneak around before it was never seen again. Between the mask, the hair blocking one of her eyes, and the clothes she really looked a bit more like what I had been expecting before we crossed paths.

Seeing her had actually caught me by surprise but I guess it shouldn’t. It’s not like anything I did would’ve changed her taste in clothes or looks.

Still weird though.

“Good luck.” I said to her when she picked up on my look, Cinder silently nodding, put off by the number of people around us.

It didn’t take long before I set off ahead of the group, sent towards the first building. There was nothing special about the place. Just one large spacious room held up by scattered pillars, and filled to the brim with square shaped stages to act as arenas.

My fights were even simpler.

Without ever moving a step from the stages my drawn number was called onto, with Glynda’s semblance I had my weapon force opponents right out of the arena, few able to keep up with its movements, and none able to fend it off.

It felt like I was bullying a bunch of kids, but before an hour had even passed and the actual competitors for the actual tournament were chosen, I had countless eyes on me from across the room. No doubt the same went for those watching the preliminaries, the entire thing broadcasted to build hype.

I was going to be the main stand out of this entire thing.

XOXO

There would be a massive faunus protest on the main day of the tournament.

Since we got back to Argus, Qrow and I had been looking around for information on anything that was already and would be going on. Among everything we both gathered, it didn’t take much for both of us to agree that that was the thing to watch out for. If Tyrian wanted to cause widespread chaos that would have effects all across Remnant, stirring up the already volatile keg that was racial tensions would get the job done. As a faunus himself, he was uniquely able to go about it without standing out.

The White Fang, while not the ones putting it together, would be among those involved to protect their people.

One bad move, say a scorpion faunus attacking any law enforcement keeping an eye on things, and a peaceful protest could turn into something else entirely. I wouldn’t be surprised if he played a main role in worsening things for faunus to the point of so many of them willing to go along with Adam.

Qrow and headmaster Lionheart, who as far I could tell after another visit, still wasn’t compromised, would have to focus on that while I focused on drawing him out.

“Look, they’re showing recordings of the preliminaries.” Emerald called from my couch, sitting up from where she’d been laying. Cinder turned in her stool while I closed the fridge behind me as I stepped up beside the kitchen island, setting down slices of some old brownies I had in there.

Sure enough, the news was reporting on many of the matches. Even if it was only for a few seconds and her face was covered, Emerald was plenty excited when one of her matches showed up. Cinder wasn’t all that concerned when hers showed up, but when she was pointed out as one of the few stands out her faint smirk was wiped away before it could actually form.

Some of Mercury’s showed up too, he also dubbed a favorite to win, but he’d split off from us right after we got something to eat.

“-And our favorite to win this year, a masked fighter only going by Talon.” The news reporter said as strung together footage of my very short fights, if they could even be called that, my sheathed blade forcing every opponent out of the small arenas before they could do much. “We don’t know much about this young man other than he was entered by a local huntsman but its clear from these short matches that his semblance, whatever it may be, is not to be underestimated.”

“Of course they’re showing your stupid face.” Emerald complained, lying back down across the couch. Though she did throw a thumbs up over the edge.

That was my side of things already falling into place.

“What are you planning to do once the tournament is over?” Cinder suddenly asked, looking away from the TV and up to me.

“Not sure.” I said shrugging before taking a bite out of the cold brownie I held. “Depends on how certain things work out.”

“You’re talking about whatever brought you to Mistral in the first place.”

“Emerald mentioned something to you?” I questioned, looking towards said girl who coincidentally turned the TV’s volume up.

“Nothing specific.”

I wasn’t too worried about it but good to know Emerald wasn’t going to go around sharing stuff I told her even with Cinder.  With how much time the two spent together at this point, no serious arguing popping up, they were obviously friends.

“Yeah.” I said, taking a seat on one of the stools, an empty one between us. “I might be heading out to Atlas. Can’t really say for sure yet.”

If Tyrian slipped away, at this point it might just be better to wait for Qrow to head back to Vale and take the relic beneath Haven for myself. Walking around with that would be damn sure to draw all of Salem’s people to me no matter where I went if they caught word of me walking around with it. While waiting for them to pursue I could try dealing with Watts, or at the very least, the access he had into Atlas’ systems.

“Atlas?” A deep frown took shape on Cinder’s face.

She hated the place. The look in her eyes, the intensity of it actually aimed at something specific for once, said as much. I hadn’t been 100% sure but I’m pretty sure that hotel she was forced to work in was somewhere there after a reaction like that.

Her gripe with the place aside I knew why she was asking all this.

“You’re free to come with but I’m going to give you the same warning I gave Emerald.” I said, fully turning to face her. “I’m looking to kill some dangerous people. It’s not something I plan on getting any of you involved in but if you travel with me, eventually you’ll end up with a target on your back.”

That didn’t bother her at all, Cinder still more preoccupied by the mention of Atlas than the actual details of my business. The mere mention of the place was leaving her frozen by hesitation.

“Just thought you should know beforehand.” I said, looking away from her and finishing up the rest of my brownie.

I’d still prefer it if Emerald just cut her losses.

Cinder? That wasn’t so simple.

XOXO

(A/N: Still shooting for one more this week but we'll see how it goes.

Either way, looking forward to fully diving into upcoming stuff, not to mention good old Atlas if that really is where things goes. A good bit of stuff to get done there, the Schnees chief among them. Hopefully Winter finally makes here reappearance.)