Ironwood's ship was in a sorry state. Claw marks and dents riddled the gray hull, and many of its windows were shattered. Technicians swarmed around the craft to work on repairs. The autopilot had managed to land it on this crowded airfield, close to where Amity Coliseum rested. That structure's repairs were minor, but it hadn't been wise to keep it in the air.

Once Ironwood entered his office, he sat down, sighed, and relaxed his shoulders. The meeting with the Council had been irritating, but necessary to reassure them that the danger had passed.

Vale was clear of Grimm. In fact, its surroundings were so clear that the city might have reduced Grimm attacks for years to come. The negativity in the festival hadn't been minor after all, Grimm had rushed in from far and wide when it would have normally taken months or years to attract them to the city.

In addition, the White Fang had been arrested and locked away, although several members had escaped. Including the leader of the Vale branch, Adam Taurus.

That was what Ironwood had shared with the Council, but that wasn't all. In the chaos of the invasion, hours into the night, far more dangerous individuals had escaped. Kent's double, Cinder Fall, along with Torchwick and his assistant. The alarms had blared when the double had forced his way through the cells, but too many had been on at once for Ironwood to notice. The control panel was meant to be manned by dozens of individuals. Last night, Ironwood had operated it alone.

Even if he'd known, how could he have stopped Kent's double? After his strength and speed had returned, Ironwood would have stood no chance of defeating him. Rather than sacrificing himself, the defense of the city would have still taken priority.

That was why Ironwood had refrained from immediately informing Kent. His double was dangerous, but not to the extent that Kent could have been spared from the defense of Vale. Ironwood's ship hadn't even managed to track the double, and with his speed, he could have been anywhere on Remnant. He wasn't going to send Kent on a wild goose chase when he was needed here.

The general rubbed his eyes and pinched himself to stay awake. There was no time for rest, plenty of recovery work remained. Much of the population of Vale had been put in bunkers, and it was no easy task to dispense them back into the city. Especially when a good number of homes and businesses had been destroyed in the attack. Ironwood was still head of security, and he'd help any way he could.

Although after the malfunctioning drones, Vale's Council might not allow him to do so. Cinder had succeeded in planting negative sentiment towards Atlas. Already, there were reports of citizens protesting when Ironwood's men offered aid. Some of the incidents had even turned violent.

Ironwood returned to his work, using a radio to contact troops rather than his ship's capabilities. Until his technicians were certain that the systems had been purged of the virus, they would remain inactive. Which was another irritating difficulty to add to his workload, but a necessary one.

Hours later, after Ironwood's eyes started to strain from the screens and paperwork, he turned on the news. Listening to it would give his eyes a break, and he could also check the state of affairs in the city.

"As you can see from this leaked footage, we have the Dart to thank for eliminating the dragon that dominated the skies." Lisa Lavender announced. "It's not easy to see, but if you zoom in, you can see a figure land on the creature and direct it elsewhere. A shocking display, but a reassuring one nonetheless."

That footage hadn't been leaked. Ironwood had disseminated it intentionally from the multitude of security cameras from his ships. Of course, he'd cut out the parts showing Kent landing on his flagship or Beacon, but otherwise, none of the footage had been altered. Experts would easily be able to tell that it was genuine.

The Dart, a mysterious vigilante fighting crime. Ironwood had considered it a foolish endeavor, but the reputation Kent had built up with it could be useful. He was already popular with many in Vale, taking down the dragon would add to that rather than promote fear of someone who was capable of taking down such a monster singlehandedly.

"And to add to the story, many Atlesian soldiers are reporting that they saw the Dart in action. Their helmets' footage certainly back up their words, and it seems that the Dart now has more than a few fans in the Atlesian army."

Ironwood had played only a small hand in that. Yes, he'd encouraged a few of his soldiers to spread the word of their experience with the Dart, but far more were doing so on their own.

Propaganda was a powerful weapon. More effective in its own way than Ironwood's ships and missiles. Perhaps even more powerful than Kent himself.

Even though it had been Ironwood's goal, it was concerning how easily people rallied behind Kent's power. How so few questioned him. At least such trust was good for the city. Positive sentiments would protect the people from Grimm, an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, after all.

Besides, Ironwood might have been unfair in his assessment. There were almost certainly people who were apprehensive of the Dart, but media outlets wouldn't focus on that. Especially not after a massive Grimm incursion.

People wanted to believe, to hope that they were safe. That they'd be safe even if more Grimm, or even another dragon, came. That the Dart could swoop in and crush it.

Kent probably could, and it was easy to see how vital an asset he was, but it was up to Ironwood and others like him to keep in mind how such power could be abused.

\\\\\

Coco's eyebrows shot up. "Wow, you got here quick."

"I got a ride from a friend," Clark lied. He'd arrived about fifteen minutes after ending their call, a difficult amount of time to wait.

Which is why he'd spent it going to where he'd dropped off Velvet and gotten some clues of where she might be. Nobody had been able to keep records of who went where when Grimm had attacked, but he'd written up a list of areas they might have lifted her to.

Although what had worried Clark was that he couldn't hear Velvet. Not her voice, her breathing, or her heartbeat.

Although that could be explained in a few ways. He wouldn't hear her voice if she was asleep, and medicine might change her bodily functions only slightly, but to the point he couldn't recognize it out of everyone in the city.

"You guys alright?" he asked. Fox and Yatsuhashi had bags under their eyes, and Coco wasn't looking too good either.

"We haven't slept since yesterday, Clark." Coco explained. "But we're not going to until we find Velvet."

Clark nodded. "Neither am I, but I have good news. On the way here, I managed to do some digging and find out where Velvet probably is." He handed out some slips of paper with addresses of where Bullheads had been sent to drop off injured. Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi each got one. "I think we should split up and check each of these places."

"Right, sounds good." Fox said.

"But didn't you say your scroll is broken?" asked Yatsuhashi. "How are we supposed to contact you if one of us finds her?"

Oh, right . . . "Coco, you can call the scroll I used earlier. They'll let me know." Clark decided. He'd have to keep an ear out in case Ms. Goodwitch called him. Literally that was, with her voice.

"Got it."

With no more details to iron out, they split up. Clark got to the nearest blind spot he could, and raced off to the first of three locations he'd check out himself. It might have been faster for him to check all six, but he doubted the team would have forgiven him if he went off to look for Velvet on his own.

He arrived at a bunker near a packed building where police officers organized people. Clark wasn't the only one looking for someone, these people had been separated from family and friends in the attack. In addition, those who'd lost homes were being put in homeless shelters, and it wasn't at all an organized affair.

Clark checked the building with X-ray vision and super-hearing. Velvet wasn't here, but this place might still hold a clue to where she was.

"Sorry, sorry, coming through." He pushed through the crowd. He didn't deserve special treatment, these people were desperate for loved ones as well, but he only needed a few seconds of an officer's time.

Eventually, Clark reached a stressed-looking officer with bloodshot eyes. "Excuse me, sir? Was a rabbit faunus here? If not, do you know where I can find those injured in the attack?"

"Didn't see her. Any injured in the area were sent over to the university hospital a few blocks down."

Clark nodded. "Thank you."

After stepping out of the building and making sure he wasn't seen, he flashed to the university. The hospital was filled to the brim, and it was probably the same in every other hospital in the city. Doctors and nurses flit about in the halls, where a few with less critical injuries sat.

The smell of blood and medicine was overpowering, but Clark withstood it and headed to the receptionist's desk. This time, he waited in line rather than push his way to the front. The line here was more orderly and not as crowded as it had been with the police, but Clark's patience still wore thin as he scanned the building with X-ray vision. Velvet wasn't here, but she might have passed through.

He still couldn't hear her.

That doesn't mean anything. Clark reminded himself, it might not even be accurate. There was a chance his super-hearing was picking her up, just that he couldn't home in on her.

KEEEEEE!

Clark frowned. A high-pitched squeal, and based on the tone, it was Ironwood's sound generator. Similar to the sonic grenades, but not loud enough to hurt. Clark ignored it, he was almost at the front. Ironwood could wait a few minutes, right?

KEEEEEEEEEE!

Damn it.

The sound grew louder, loud enough to actually induce pain. It wailed on while he made his way to the receptionist.

"I-I'm sorry, but was a rabbit faunus named Velvet Scarlatina here?"

Like much of Vale, lines of exhaustion crossed the woman's face. "No, but if she was injured, the nearest other hospital is Brightside."

Clark winced from the ringing. "I see, thank you." He ran out of the hospital, but at a pace that wouldn't be suspicious. Holding his ears shut, he went into an alley and sped out. Which gave him relief from the sound.

At a few points during his run, he slowed down to zero in on the source of the noise. An airfield, a crowded one with large Atlesian ships and even the Coliseum on its runways.

Ironwood stood outside of his flagship, in an isolated region under his ship's shadow. A convenient place for Clark to speed in and press the mute button.

The general's breath hitched, and he tensed for a moment before realizing who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

As if that wasn't enough to clue Clark in that Ironwood didn't like his super-speed, the man frowned.

"I'd prefer that you don't handle Atlesian military equipment like that without permission."

"Sorry sir." Clark said, although there wasn't a hint of apology in his voice. He crossed his arms. "But the ringing in my ears isn't exactly comfortable, and it would have only gotten worse the closer I got. I have other priorities besides treating your equipment properly."

Ironwood's eyes narrowed. "You're upset." He noted.

"Yes, I am. I was looking for my friend before you interrupted me. Is there a reason why?"

"Several. First, your double escaped last night."

"What?! How?"

"He ripped his cell apart, forced his way into his allies', and flew them out. It seems that your crystal wasn't as effective in detaining him as you thought."

Clark's hand hovered over his pocket. The crystal hadn't worked? But it had said-

His hand clenched into a fist. Since when had Jor-El or Kryptonian technology been reliable? If it wasn't infecting his dreams or taking over his mind, it either exploded in his storm cellar or teleported a friend to the Arctic without telling him and gave them frostbite. Why had he trusted it at all?

"Did he leave behind any clues to where he went?" asked Clark.

"He was quick, but my ship recorded him heading to the east. Although you'd know best that he could be anywhere by now."

Clark nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for warning me, but why are you only telling me this now?"

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I didn't realize that he'd escaped until long after he'd already done so. If you recall, I was rather busy during the invasion."

Right, it had been pretty noisy and chaotic on the ship during the attack. Even he would have had trouble picking out those alarms unless he'd given them his full attention. The general hadn't even had that option, he'd been giving out orders the whole time.

Although if Clark had been paying attention, he could have noticed the return of the phantom's unique heartbeat as his durability returned. He should have watched out for that instead of rushing off into the city.

"I understand, sir. You said you had other reasons for calling me?"

"Yes, I've also taken actions that will affect your Dart persona." Ironwood said. He explained how he'd distributed footage of Clark killing the dragon and flashing through Grimm, and that his popularity was growing thanks to his heroic actions.

Heroic? Maybe they seemed that way from the outside, but Clark remembered it differently. Running and jumping around in an attempt to do whatever he could to help.

"I'd recommend that you reveal your identity soon." Ironwood said. "The goodwill is useful and will help keep the Grimm at bay."

"Y-yeah, right." Going public, Ozpin had asked him about that before the festival, and Clark still wasn't sure what he should do.

The general paused at Clark's hesitance, but thankfully didn't mention it. "Lastly, there's . . . a more personal matter I'd like to ask of you."

"What is it?"

Ironwood's expression shifted, and the exhaustion that he'd held back revealed itself. "Will you retrieve Penny's body for me?"

Clark's eyes widened? What?

The general continued, the loss in his voice clear. "She was . . . more than just a robot, and I can't spare my men to search for her. I understand if you'd rather not, but if her body is near where you and your double fought, there may be clues as to where he went."

"Y-you don't need to convince me, I'll go."

"Thank you." The relief on the general's face was palpable. "You said that you were looking for a friend, what's her name? I'll have my men alert me directly if they find her."

"Her name's Velvet Scarlatina, but is it really okay?" It was tempting to keep his mouth shut, but there were those with needs and injuries far worse than Velvet's. "You said you couldn't spare your men . . ."

Ironwood shook his head. "They have other duties, but an alert won't be a burden."

The reassurance erased Clark's guilt. "Thank you. I'll be going now, if you need me, make sure to turn the volume up," he said. Then, he raced away, too fast for any eye to follow, and made his way to the east.

In seconds, he was back where he and the phantom had fought. The devastation from their battle was clear. Rubble piled up on the mountainside from when they'd slammed each other into it. Trees, both those that were upright and those blown aside, and sections of the ground were scorched from blasts of heat vision. The crater that had formed after the phantom had rammed Clark into the ground was almost like a scar in the earth.

Clark could even see drops of his own dried blood, and scraps of burnt or torn clothing.

But what took up his focus was Penny, laying in the dirt in two almost equal halves. No blood, no sickening smell of decomposing gases, just wires and machinery inside.

That didn't make it easier for Clark. Her body hadn't possessed the same beauty to him that other living creatures had, she hadn't had a brain with neurons to spark for thoughts, she hadn't had a heart that beat with melodies expressing her emotions. Even so, Penny had been a person, a bright girl and a great friend. She hadn't been able to experience the world like anyone else, but she'd still laughed and smiled.

Now, she never would again. Clark lifted a hand to close her eyes and set her up against a tree. He'd bring her back to Ironwood, but like the general had said, there might be clues here about where the phantom had gone.

The phantom wasn't here, obviously. Clark had checked, and nobody else was nearby for miles. Looking around with X-ray vision had also confirmed it and given him some insight on the lead room the phantom had used to trap Clark.

He flashed up to the cave containing it. He couldn't see inside the room, except for the holes the phantom had added, but there was something off. No kryptonite radiation peeked from inside the walls.

Clark rapped a fist against the cave wall and broke off a chunk roughly the size of his fist. Then, he flung it at the room hard enough for a crack! to signal that it went supersonic. It punctured the lead wall, no kryptonite there either.

He walked forward to investigate. There had been kryptonite there before, he'd felt it. Clark doubted that the phantom would have removed all of it with enough care that micro-vision couldn't even find traces of the removal.

Clark slowly peeled back the walls, ready to flash away at even a hint of kryptonite. The metal keened at the force deforming it before Clark quickly pulled the rest away. He did the same for the entire chamber to reveal its interiors.

He didn't know what to make of them. There were circuits and long metal tubes in the walls. They were made of lead too, but with nested metal coatings inside made of different metals, smooth and well-polished. Almost familiar in a way.

Was it really kryptonite in the walls? Clark wondered. The radiation had certainly felt the same, but it hadn't weakened Clark to the same degree it usually did. The phantom had said the radiation was weaker too . . .

The phantom had possessed actual kryptonite though, Clark had seen it in his fist. There was a space in the wall that would have fit it, where almost all of the tubes came from.

The realization hit Clark. No wonder the tubes were familiar, he'd seen the same thing before! In X-ray telescopes, the optical tubes reflected X-rays by glancing it off walls, but focusing kryptonite radiation like a telescope with this system would have been difficult. So . . . the phantom had spread it out instead?

The effect had been lessened, but the method had other advantages. The kryptonite was concealed in the lead walls, and while there might have been hope for Clark to evade a single piece and blast it with heat vision, he didn't have that option when the kryptonite radiation came from all around him. Especially not if the phantom was inside with him.

Obviously, Clark wasn't stupid enough to waltz inside a lead room like this, but if the phantom used another hostage? Forced him in some other way? He was going to need a way to fight even with kryptonite radiation surrounding him.

Clark left the room and burned it down with heat vision. He wasn't going to let the phantom come back here and salvage parts.

He flashed down to Penny and tried to carry her as respectfully as he could. He wasn't going to just pile both halves on top of each other, so he made some makeshift twine out of some tree fibers nearby and tied the pieces together.

It was easy to carry her in his arms, but the weight in his heart was less easily shouldered.

When he returned to Vale, he found a hiding spot for Penny and approached Ironwood's ship. Speeding inside wasn't an option, especially not while holding her in his arms. Fortunately, the general had notified the guards that Clark would arrive, and one of them gave Clark a body bag.

He went back to load Penny inside. Then, he walked back up to the ship and was directed to Ironwood's office.

"Kent." The general put away a radio he'd been speaking into. "Good work, private. Leave us."

The soldier left. Once he did, the general addressed Clark again. "Is that her?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You can set her down on the floor."

Clark nodded and gently lowered her, and the general walked out from behind his desk and approached. He knelt down and unzipped the bag.

For a few seconds, the general didn't move a muscle. His heartrate and breathing were . . . not calm. Slow, but full of emotion. He clearly mourned for Penny, and his hand came up to trace the scorch marks.

"He used his eyes to do this?" Ironwood asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"He did."

The general's hand pulled back. "Did she fight well?"

"If it weren't for her, the phantom would have easily beaten me." Clark said. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I should have done better, tried harder to protect her, fought smarte-

The general raised a hand to cut him off. "Thank you. It is good to know that Penny's death wasn't in vain, but you shouldn't blame yourself." He got to his feet and got a lead case from behind his desk. "I don't wish that on you. I've suffered many failures of my own, and only the chance to learn and do better the next time has allowed me to bear it." He met Clark's eyes and held up the case. "These are more sonic grenades. Use them well when you confront your enemy again."

Clark accepted the case. "I will, sir."

"Good. Glynda told me that your scroll is broken, but until you replace it, she and Qrow can still contact me. Know that if you need any other weaponry for your double, ask and I will provide them."

"O-oh, thanks."

"You're welcome, but the offer is only because of the danger your double represents." Ironwood's expression relaxed slightly. "However, my assistance regarding your friend is a sign of gratitude. Unfortunately, none of my soldiers have gotten back to me about her."

"That's alright, I appreciate the gesture."

"Incident with civilians in sector E, requesting assistance." The radio squawked.

"I suppose I should get back to work." The general said. "Thank you for bringing Penny back . . . Clark."

He nodded in response. "I'm grateful your help too, sir."

Then, once he'd exited the ship and found a secluded spot. Clark raced off to resume his search for Velvet.

\\\\\

Clark sped to the address Ms. Goodwitch had passed to him. Apparently, Coco had been the one to find Velvet, and she'd asked for Clark to meet at a police station near the location he'd given her. Once he arrived, he slowed down and walked up the steps. However, before he entered, his hearing hinted at what he was about to walk into.

Coco balled up in one of the seats and wiping tears from her face. Fox and Yatsuhashi stood by, their heads hung low and faces set in stone.

Clark rushed forward, his expression full of concern. "Guys? What's wrong?"

Yatsuhashi answered. "Velvet, she . . ." His lips pinched together, and he looked aside.

"Velvet's dead." Coco said.

"What?" Clark looked to her teammates for confirmation. "A-are you sure?"

Fox nodded. "We checked, they have her body."

Her body? "But-but how . . ." How could it be possible? He'd brought Velvet to the doctors, she should have been safe with them.

"Her Bullhead was attacked by Grimm." Yatsuhashi answered. "It crashed without any survivors."

Crashed? Clark staggered back and his back hit the wall. I-it shouldn't have been shocking, there must have been dozens of aircraft downed during the attack. Yet it seemed so . . . so random. Clark had done everything he could to keep her safe and help defend the city, it couldn't have been from something like that.

No, no he hadn't done everything he could. He'd been unsettled by the attack, he should have been more organized, more focused. He could have listened for any trouble that approached her ship or kept an eye out.

All the mistakes he'd made ran through his mind. Hesitating before committing himself to killing the Grimm. The seconds he'd wasted when dealing with Cinder and the dragon. Getting in the way of the soldiers.

No, it went even further than that. He'd fallen for the phantom's trap, he'd let Penny die and allowed Velvet to get hurt in the first place. How stupid was he?! How could he have-

"Clark. Clark!"

Coco's voice cut through his thoughts. He shook his head and turned to her. With her sunglasses out of the way, her brown eyes were easily visible. As were the streaks of dried tears down her cheeks.

"Th-the news is really hitting you hard, huh?" Her lips formed a rueful smile, the expression so clearly a dam barely holding back another torrent of tears. "God, I'm so stupid. Of course it would. It'll be okay, we're here for each other."

They were. Fox and Yatsuhashi stepped forward as a show of their solidarity.

Clark turned away. How could he face them? This was his fault. The phantom had only kidnapped Velvet because he'd wanted a hostage. If it weren't for Clark, shewould have been with here with her team. Alive. Safe.

"Where's her body?" Clark asked.

"Huh? Why do you want to know?"

"I need to see it."

"Trust me, you don't." Fox placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know it doesn't seem . . . real without seeing it for yourself, but that'll only make things worse."

Clark looked to the rest of the team, they obviously agreed with Fox. Fine, Clark would find her some other way.

He twisted away from Fox's hand and approached a police officer. "Excuse me, sir? The deceased from the attack, I've heard my friend is among them. A rab-"

"Clark!" Coco's heels clicked against the ground as she walked up behind him. "Stop it. You don't want to see her."

"Well maybe I have other friends that I want to identify." Clark said, and that gave her pause. He turned his attention to the police officer. "Sir?"

Coco scowled at him. "Damn it, Clark. I can tell you're lying."

The policeman answered anyway and pointed. "They're being kept a in the white building a few doors down, tell them who you're looking for once you arrive."

"Thank you." Clark walked out and headed out.

On the way, Yatsuhashi grabbed his arm. "Clark, please."

Clark glanced at the hand gripping him and pulled away with a fraction of his true strength. Even so, Yatsuhashi stumbled and his eyes widened.

"Seriously?! Clark, stop!" Coco and her two teammates ran in front of Clark and blocked his path. Her tone softened. "You don't need to do this. Come on, we're friends, we can go back to Beacon and . . . and talk."

He could have barreled right through her, or flashed around them in less than a millisecond. Instead, he stood still, and his eyes turned to the building.

His vision peered through the walls and honed in on Velvet. She . . . she looked surprisingly peaceful. If he focused only on her face, he could almost fool himself into thinking she was only sleeping.

Clark closed his eyes. No, it wasn't even close. Her skin was cold, he could tell with a glance when looking into the infrared. She was dead, gone.

Her voice, laughter, heartbeat. Those sounds were as unique to Clark as her face, and he'd never hear them again. He'd never see her light up in a smile, or turn away in embarrassment with flushed cheeks.

He'd never be able to fulfill his promise. To explain everything and tear down all secrets between them in what would have been the first step in their deepening relationship.

Clark clenched his fist. "Okay, you're right. I won't go in there."

The team relaxed. "Good," Coco said. "I was worried there for a second, you looked like you were going to just barge right through us."

"I wouldn't do that." He replied in an even voice. "I . . . have to go."

Coco gave him a suspicious look. "Where?"

"Just . . . somewhere else." He said. Without any more explanation, he turned around and walked into an alley.

"Hey, wai-

The sound of her voice distorted once he raced away, although only after he was sure he was out of sight. Clark didn't even know where he planned to go. Just . . . anywhere, away from here.

He ended up in the wilderness outside the city. He'd gone north, judging by the Sun and the time of day.

Immediately after he came to a stop, the crystal in his pocket pulsed. Curiously, he took it out, and when he saw it, he felt a spontaneous urge to both laugh and cry.

The crack in the crystal had spread and covered the entire device, it was shattered.

Broken.

\\\\\

"So . . . how long did it take you the last time?" Qrow leaned back against Ironwood's ship and looked at what was basically a giant amplifier. Although it was designed for Clark's ears only.

"A couple minutes." Ironwood answered. "Although he seemed to be preoccupied during the afternoon. Sound takes about five seconds to travel one mile, and he might not even recognize the tone if he's running somewhere. You need to be pati-"

Clark flickered into existence and smacked the off button. Damn. Sometimes Qrow forgot just how crazy fast he was.

"You needed me?" he asked.

"Yeah." Qrow paused once he saw Clark's expression. "You okay? What's with the long face?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Was Clark's reply. Which was total bull, he looked like he'd taken Ironwood's crash course on how to look grim and surly.

"Does this discussion require my presence?" Ironwood asked.

"Nope."

"Then I have work to do." The general pressed a few buttons on the sound generator and the on/off button retracted. Then, he reentered his ship.

"What's this about?" asked Clark.

"The Dart. Remember what we talked about? Jimmy's done a great job building you up, if you're gonna go public, now's the time."

"I'm not going public."

"Huh?"

Clark repeated himself.

"Um, you want to tell me why?"

"No."

Okay, wow. What was up with him? Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Hold on a second, you are Clark, right?"

He sighed. "Yes, it's me."

"Can you prove it?"

"It's nighttime right now, but I can tell you that the last codeword Ozpin sent me was Neverending."

Qrow rubbed his chin. "Uh-huh, what about the crystal?"

Clark crossed his arms and glared at him. "Qrow, I'm not in the mood. You know it's me, if you don't start getting to your point, I'm leaving."

"Okay, okay, don't leave. I was just trying to lighten things up." Seriously, Clark would have normally at least joked or played along for a little bit. "It's about my niece, after she saw you as the Dart, she's been badgering me with questions." And as if that weren't enough, Yang was digging for more info on Raven too. "Ruby wants to meet you, although if you're not going public . . ."

"I'll still meet with her. When would be a good time?"

"I think a few days from now will do. There's more though, Ozpin and me . . . we were planning to give you the full picture on Cinder after the festival. Ruby and her friends are involved too, so they'll be listening in. Thing is, even if you're not going public, I think they should at least know about you."

"No."

Qrow growled. "Come on, Clark. One of Ruby's friends already knows. What's the big deal?"

"That was a mistake, I was rushed."

"Okay, fine, but we're going to need your help fighting Cinder and her allies like your phantom. There's a . . . reason why they want Ruby and attacked Beacon. Her friends will help protect her. They'll need your help too, and I can't exactly have you holding back to keep your secret."

For a few seconds, Clark was as silent as the grave. "I understand. If they're trustworthy, I'll consider it."

The huntsman shook his head. That was probably the best he was going to get out of Clark right now.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, that's it. Make sure to get a new scroll though, it's annoying to come all the way out here to call you."

"I will." And Clark vanished.