Pyrrha had gotten a coat and scarf out of her room and then left while they were talking to Winter.
Winter took no notice of her.
Pyrrha waited till Winter had walked away and then slipped into Wally and Oscar's room, opening the bathroom and finding the door into her and Shine's room was unlocked.
Winter had not known that Pyrrha and Shine shared the room, not Shine and Wally, and hadn't thought to lock the other doors--or she considered it pointless since they were cooperative, but that seemed unlikely to Pyrrha.
"What are you two doing?" Pyrrha hissed, coming in.
Oscar rushed in right after her. "Wow, you guys could just leave?"
"Yes, but I don't intend to go out the doors of this room," Shine said loudly, just in case anyone was still listening.
"But you are planning something." Pyrrha lowered her voice. "Aren't you?"
"Your plan was way better," Oscar said. "I mean, it minimized the risk, and it would have let the people do more, which makes a lot of sense if we want to unite them... But Ironwood didn't want to listen."
"We threatened his authority," Shine said. "It was worth a shot, I suppose, but, as usual, we'll have to act around it."
"We can't just go out there and do whatever we want," Wally said. "Even if I want to, that'll get us on their list of people to arrest. I don't want to get tossed in jail again."
"Again?" Pyrrha said.
"Long story," Wally said. "But it was something kind of like this--my friends and my approach was way different, though."
[Sick of it--Skillet]
"I think I have a better idea," Shine said.
"Okay, let's hear it," Wally said.
"We've been acting as teammates this whole time," Shine said. "But perhaps it's time for acting like DJs... Our job does come with a few perks. And that means it's time to fill you two in on the rest of what we do."
"Really?" Pyrrha said.
"But quietly. I still don't trust this place," Shine said. She spoke very low.
"Wally and I aren't just from other worlds. We're actually part of a very small group of people, most of whom never meet each other--we just hear stories of each other. I call them Dimension Jumpers. Ozpin called it something else, World Walking... I like that term. It's a fitting description. Simply put, we walk through worlds and bring them help--answers...miracles...sometimes just support. I've been doing it for many years now. Wally just started officially but has done it a few times sort of by accident, only, as Oogway would say, 'there are no accidents.'"
"Love that movie," Wally said. "Even if it is from the future and technically I shouldn't have seen it."
[Kung Fu Panda for those who didn't know.]
"This is your job?" Pyrrha's eyes were huge.
"I got some of this from hearing you talk to Ozpin," Oscar said. "But I wasn't sure exactly why you were here."
"To help," Shine said. "Your world is in danger... Not every mission is because the world itself is in jeopardy. It can just be a person who needs help, and I never know beforehand which it really is. Only finishing the mission would really answer that question. But I have noticed over time that I tend to be sent to people who are at some turning point in their world's history--or their country's. Sometimes major changes. Once it was a kingdom's fate, once it was a whole world's way of doing things, once it was just the idea the villain can redeem themself...and the world did come into it. In Wally's world the world is in danger every other month, it feels like, so it was more interpersonal."
"But she also helped us save the world," Wally said. "It was cool. And we made a great team."
"Now he's my partner," Shine said. "This is our first mission together. And we were sent here... The reason we know all of you, it's because before some missions I get a sort of way to preview the world, so that we don't go in blind. A new world is extremely dangerous; everything works differently from what you are used to, except people never change. Suppose we came in and had no idea what Grimm were? Or where to go? Remnant is too dangerous a world for us to hope to survive in if we had come in blind."
"I guess that makes sense," Pyrrha said. "And honestly, this isn't that hard to believe after all I've seen you do. Why Remnant?"
"That's not for us to decide. God assigns these missions," Shine said. "But you obviously need it."
"Do we ever," Oscar agreed. "Actually it's nice to know that someone is looking out of us...even if I've never met Him."
"The issue is," Shine said, "I've never been sent anywhere there did not need to be a pretty big change in the way they were doing things... You can imagine only a very serious concern warrants a world intervention. Anything smaller would be left to you to do yourselves. But you've been going in circles for centuries--I'm not sure I've ever seen a place more obviously in need of our help. I'm surprised we were not here sooner, but Ozpin's little story has given me some idea of why. I can't go into it all right now, but the point is...with this job comes a certain amount of authority."
"Okay...like what?" Pyrrha asked.
Shine sat back against the sides of her bed.
"If we wanted to, we'd have the right to demand anything of you all. DJs are the rulers of the world, even our own, by right...but our God tells us to let all things happen in the right time--to work with the inhabitants of a world we live in, not to to force our authority on them, but to use it to serve. One day we will be appointed as rulers, but there's a lot of on-the-job training you need before you're ready for that, so we start at the bottom: We enter worlds as vagabonds, modeled after the way our Lord first demonstrated the way to rule to us, His servants, though for years ago now, in my time. I don't know what it would be here. Every world has its own time."
"Wow..." Oscar's eyes were huge.
"So because we do not establish ourselves like kings, we have fewer options," Shine said, "or more--it depends on how you look at it. I don't like to lead with fear, but I am always aware that I obey your law because I choose to do so. He made it quite clear that all the earth belongs to us, just as it does to Him, and that we are not compelled by rights to serve it, but we are asked to as examples of His will...and we are not worthy of this title if we will not do this. So while we do not have to listen to Ironwood or anyone else here by compulsion of our own laws...we do it to show that there is humility with our God.... That being said, there is a time to exercise our authority and realize that you can't always listen to people who have no idea why you are here or what you need to be doing. Our job is to help you kids save this planet to the best of our abilities, while that is your goal, and to do what we do for you at the same time... More on that later. So I want to involve you in this decision... I wish Qrow would have cooperated also, but I believe it's better to do without one person than to let one person throw everything else out the window."
"I agree," Oscar said. "And while this is a lot to take in, we do have a crisis ongoing, so I think we can wait to get your other answers. Is there a way to alleviate this situation?"
"Directly, I don't this so," Shine said. "We'd have to rebel against Ironwood, and that is not our job. It might be necessary, but until you feel ready to make that call, we will do nothing to stop him... However, it is pertinent that we have a back-up plan in case this fails...and I always like to have a plan B anyway. We can give you options you wouldn't have otherwise. I can go anywhere in this world that I've seen. That is one of my gifts. Wally no doubt will receive it also, but he's not used to it. Takes a while to get that good control. But he can cross land and sea in mere minutes, even less if he's especially fast. I know most of the people you've met in this world. I also know what side they are on. If you can use this, Oscar or Pyrrha, then we are at your service."
"That sounds so cool," Wally said. "But yeah, saving people is what we do, so what do you kids want to do?"
"You're leaving it to us?" Pyrrha said. "I'm sorry, I've never been much of a strategist... I want to help, but I haven't been here... Oscar?"
Oscar was rubbing his chin, which was pretty adorable on him.
"You can get to any of our allies?" he clarified.
Shine nodded.
Oscar thought. "We don't have those towers up...and it might be sabotaged anyway, at the rate we're going...but if we could let at least some of them know what's going on, they could be ready if we do need help... And...didn't you say you knew who the Spring Maiden was?"
Shine nodded.
"You do?" Pyrrha's eyes widened.
"But we won't tell you," Shine said. "Because it's not our secret to tell."
"Why not?" Oscar asked.
"Because, Oscar, if someone in your team already knows, then, per our rules of interference, I try not to blow the secrets of the people I'm supposed to be helping, however little I like it," Shine said.
"Wait...someone on our team knows?" Oscar said. "Is it Ozpin?"
"I won't tell you," Shine said. "If you consider it worthwhile to dig up, you'll have to do it yourself."
Pyrrha sighed. "I understand why, but does this have to be so complicated...?"
"However, we could go to the Maiden ourselves," Shine said. "That would be allowed. And if she were to come back with us, then it would be her decision and not ours to show herself. We can compromise."
"Another Maiden would be helpful," Oscar said. "Especially with the Relic being loose like this. But what about the White Fang members who helped us in Haven also? There's a lot of them. Maybe some of them would be willing to help us here? Atlas wouldn't let them in...but you could bring them, couldn't you?"
"That would be a risky move," Shine said. "Think carefully about doing it. They would be regarded as illegal trespassers."
"Okay...maybe we'll leave that for a back-up idea if this goes south," Oscar said. "I think at that point it wouldn't matter anymore...but you could let them know...I mean, if we have to leave Atlas at any point... But Salem...she...is targeting Atlas?"
Shine put a hand to her chin. "The strangest thing is, I remember hearing something about Vacuo, not Atlas. I forget exactly what was said, but I got the impression that Salem was fairly certain that they could get the Sword under Vacuo. The Sword of Destruction. To me, it signals that they must have an idea where the Maiden is already. Or..."
"Or she's working for them?" Pyrrha said nervously. "Like Cinder.... But how would Ozpin not know that?"
"How could he not know Leo was working for her?" Shine asked. "Ozpin is trash at spotting betrayal, for someone who is so afraid of it."
Ozpin winced inside Oscar's mind.
"So, we have a back-up plan, in case we spread ourselves too thin in Atlas," Oscar said. "I mean...at least we could start uniting the kingdoms...then if we get the tower up, everyone can communicate. I see it as a win-win. They'll know to expect it this way. And we can get an idea of if they can even help beforehand. You two could be like our spies...but for friends, instead of enemies."
"It seems safer," Pyrrha said. "But anything could attack you. Are you sure you want to go?"
"To prove our credibility, we might need some help," Shine said. "The two of you are our best shot at that. But still, using you like that, I don't want to do it just because it would make us look good. However...no one will believe a couple of strangers without ID if we don't have some proof...so I'm afraid that comes into it."
"No, no, I agree," Pyrrha said. "Any way I can help... We're not doing anything, after all. We're just trying to make allies. How could I refuse to do that?"
"Anything I can do, just let me know," Oscar said.
"Then I have a list of people we could help." Shine pulled a notebook out of her bag. "I've prayed about this while we've been waiting for things to pick up here, who we should trust and what not. I want to reach out to Gira, Blake's father. He's a sensible man. Wise. There's Glynda, who really should be filled in...but if we go to Beacon, we're going to need to help them deal with those Grimm. That's going to be a whole mission in of itself. But Salem will not be expecting us to go back there... There is that sleeping Wyvern... If Wally and I were to kill that thing, the Grimm would stop flocking to Beacon. Then they might be able to help us. But doing something like that, we would need to be asked. It's a bit outside our jurisdiction... Glynda herself ought to be the one to ask--she is in charge of the situation--but as Ozpin and Oscar both, you could possibly send us to help her."
"Oh, I get it," Oscar said. "It's like that game Jaune likes, with the kingdoms... I have to see the pieces..."
He put his hands together. "In that case, I would like you to go help Glynda deal with the Grimm against Beacon. But don't do anything too dangerous."
"Very well," Shine said.
"And could you check in on Gira and let him know what's going on and ask if the White Fang would be willing to be on standby in case we need help? I mean, there are a lot of Faunus in Mantle." Oscar was warming up to this.
Pyrrha smiled.
"Yes, sir." Wally saluted.
"And then--" Shine held up her list. "--there is Raven Branwen."
Silence.
"But she...betrayed us," Oscar said.
"She was scared," Shine said. "But if you want to heal Remnant...you will have to include everyone, not just people you like. If we could convince her to actually help us, would you consider it?"
Oscar knew what Qrow would think of this...but he wasn't sure he wanted to listen to Qrow after all that had happened.
"If you can get her to at least...consider it for real," he said, "I guess I'd talk to her, but only if she came alone... The others... If she's still working with Salem..."
"I can't say much, but I can say she is not working with Salem," Shine said. "If it helps."
"Then I guess I could try to work it out," Oscar said. "I guess... Do you think she knew about Salem? I mean...more than Qrow did?"
"You think that's why she left?" Pyrrha asked.
"You two are smarter than the rest of your team put together, I think, sometimes," Shine muttered.
"Isn't that why she left for real?" Wally said. "I only saw, like, one part with her in it. I don't remember much."
"Raven learned the truth about Salem," Shine said. "I suspect, probably the same way you did. There were only two questions left on--"
"The Lamp!" Oscar finished. "Of course...that has to be it!" [Beat that theory, people. I dare you.]
"But how did she get it?" Oscar frowned. "I know she was hiding the Spring Maiden, but with Leo's help... I thought she was only working with him for a short time."
"She's not stupid," Shine said. "Who knows...? But the point is, you should consider that she knew for a long time that Salem was un-killable. The way all of you feel after hearing that? Imagine that for years.... And Qrow never believed her when she told him, I take it, since he kept helping Ozpin."
Oscar shook his head. "I do understand why she'd resent us, then, but to turn on us like that?"
"Well, things are not always what they seem, Oscar. Perhaps you should listen to her first before you pass judgment," Shine said crisply.
Oscar winced. "Yeah, yeah...you're right... That's fair."
"I suppose there has to be more to it. People don't just betray their family after years without some kind of reason," Pyrrha insisted. "Something probably must have happened, I think. I mean, I don't think she was that callous, or Qrow would have suspected before, right?"
"Astute. She didn't used to be," Shine said. "But I can't fill you in more than this. You'd have to ask her. However, given what I know, I think I might get further than Qrow did... Even if I fail it'd be smart to keep up with the Bandits after the way she sold you out. So we have permission?"
"I'd be shocked if you got her to listen," Oscar said. "But I do like the idea of staying on top of things... I guess Ozpin used to use Qrow for that, but that won't work here...but shouldn't you be careful? Raven is dangerous."
"We can handle her," Shine said. "Now, on the other hand, you two are our students, and there are things I want you to do while we're gone."
"What?" Pyrrha said.
"Watch the others," Shine said. "You should do what you think is right. Help them or don't, but keep an eye out. Salem will certainly strike again, but she has to have sent spies, because she guessed Ozpin would come here and bring the Lamp with him. It's out and open. She will be anxious to get the Relic for herself... I for one am not sure why taking it out of the vault was ever the best idea, but it's done now and you can't undo it. Oscar, you had better stay in Atlas for now, and don't talk to anyone you don't know. Pyrrha, if you go out, be careful. Salem's spies are here ,and if she finds out you're alive, she'll be furious. I'd feel better if you stayed inside, but I know you cannot do that the rest of your life...but don't take the kinds of risks you took at Beacon without a very, very good reason to think it's necessary."
Pyrrha nodded slowly.
"And pray," Shine said. "Always pray. If we have faith, anything can happen. Faith is powerful."
"If your God was to help," Pyrrha said, "I have little doubt we could win this fight... The others don't want Him to...but would He, just for us?"
"For the sake of even 10 people, God may spare a whole city," Shine said. "So why not ask? If you were His own, it would be even better, but even a small amount of faith can do a lot."
"How could we be His own?? We're not from your world," Oscar said.
"What?" Shine laughed. "You shouldn't have to be from any one world, Oscar. He is the God of every world, all reality. Not like those posers... Come on, please. I thought we made that clear, did we not?"
"I mean, I looked at your book, but I didn't really understand it..." Oscar said.
"I should have explained that to you more directly," Shine said. "Sorry, we've been trying to keep up with the team, but that's a waste of our energy. We should be focusing our energy on you... Remind me to do that once we get back from this mission...but for now, you can ask if you want. You only need to believe and tell Him that you want to serve Him...and that you want Him to save you. He knows your true intentions and will respond as such."
"It's that simple?" Pyrrha said. "And He would help us the way He helps you?"
"You're alive, Pyrrha... What do you think?" Shine replied.
"Yeah, duh. You kids are weird." Wally was eating a snack while they were talking. "This is for everybody. We're just super cool because we're on a mission, but at home, we're just like you, and it's for us too."
Pyrrha laughed. "That such a...humble way to put it," she said wryly. "Well, if I'd known it was that easy, I would have already..."
"Yeah, me too," Oscar said. "I mean...it's like the only chance we got... The other gods aren't going to help us..and you already have been. Why would I turn it down...? If we got it directly, that would be better."
"In that case, I pray both of you will receive the same power that we have to do these things in His name," Shine said, sitting up straighter. "And that you will know the truth and it will make you free. If you want that, just say so."
"I do," Pyrrha said.
"Me too," Oscar said.
Shine's eyes flashed gold.
"I wish I got a cool power like that," Wally said.
"It's happening again, isn't it?" Shine put a hand to her eyes. "I can't tell. I wonder why that is... Maybe I just don't need to?"
"Maybe--" Pyrrha began but then stopped abruptly.
She looked around. Her Aura had started to glow...very brightly, brighter than usual.
"What's happening?" she asked.
Oscar looked down, and he was gleaming too...and a new feeling broke over him. Like energy had just surged into his innermost being. Rather like when Ozpin moved--but stronger...and it felt different, both less strange and more strange than Ozpin at the same time.
"Huh, that's new," Shine said.
"Yeah, what the heck was that?" Wally asked.
The glow faded almost as soon as it had started, and they seemed the same as before.
"Was that...us?" Pyrrha asked. "Did we activate our Auras by accident? Or was it...something else?"
"Is that how it works?" Shine held out her hand. "You just think it?"
Suddenly her whole body lit up also with the brightest Aura Pyrrha had ever seen, even more than Jaune's.
"Whoa..." Oscar stared. "Is that normal?"
"You have more than I've ever seen." Pyrrha gaped. "That shouldn't even be possible..."
"How did you do that? Just snapping your fingers?" Wally snapped his. For some reason that worked--he lit up also... His was reddish-gold while Shine's was more whitish-gold, but it was just as bright.
"What's going on?" Oscar said. "Why did we all glow?"
The DJs' lights faded also.
"I guess that's how we do it," Shine said. "Maybe now we'll have the same shield you do... Handy, in case we get in a real fight. I think you two just got some kind of life boost or something there. Who knows...? Look, if we're going to visit all three of these places, before something goes wrong here, we'll have to hurry. You two stay in touch with each other, all right? And the others. And if you need us--"
She took out some loose leafs of paper and handed it to them. "--write a name on this and think of it going to us, and it should. It's sort of like a side-effect of our powers--summoning objects is easy. I use this to keep in touch with my friends in other worlds. Objects can't be hurt the same way by teleporting as people can, so it takes far less energy. Saves us popping back and forth everywhere."
"Wow..." Pyrrha said. "All right." She put it in her belt.
Oscar put some in his jacket pocket.
Shine hugged them, then she and Wally vanished into a portal.
* * *
Pyrrha decided to go along with taking supplies to Amity Tower, because she was following Shine's advice about staying away from where the spies could find her.
Meanwhile, Ironwood took Oscar down to the vault where the Staff of Creation was, to see if he could jog some memories from Ozpin.
Oscar wondered what he would do if he knew that Ozpin could have been jogged already, had he asked the two people he'd just locked in their rooms.
The whole side plan they had made him nervous. If Shine and Wally got into any trouble and didn't come back, would it be on him? Were they invincible? He didn't think they'd say so.
He tried to focus instead on what Ironwood was saying--something about being afraid because they were only human... Dang it, his attention had wavered.
Shaking himself, he remarked thoughtfully, "Keeping our humanity, it's what makes us different from her."
With has back to him, Ironwood walked closer to the door and mused out loud.
"Sometimes I worry that's her greatest advantage. Without humanity, does she still feel fear? Does she ever hesitate?"
Oscar thought to himself that, based on the Lamp's visions, the answer was yes. At least slightly...but he wasn't allowed to tell Ironwood this... He regretted yet again that they had not discussed this more at length before making this call.
Ironwood was still talking. "When Salem hit Beacon, even with all my ships, all of my soldiers, I was no match for her. I've never felt so helpless...the way she told me she was there."
He recalled the black chess piece image he'd seen. [Creepy.]
Oscar winced in the background. This...didn't sound good.
He tried to speak wisely. "It's okay to be afraid. You just can't let that fear control you."
Ironwood looked somber. "I am not going to end up like Lionheart... Do you believe in me?"
[No! Not after that!]
Oscar walked past him, thinking. "I do believe in you, but not only you. I think the best thing you could do is sit down and talk with the people you are most afraid to."
Ironwood chuckled dryly. "Now you are starting to sound like him." [Is he though?]
They got in the elevator and went back to the school level. But Winter and Penny were waiting for them there.
Winter eyed Oscar like she wondered if he'd said anything to the DJs while she was gone, but she only handed Ironwood an envelope.
"Winter, what is it?" Ironwood took it and then frowned.
"What's going on?" Oscar didn't like their expressions.
"It looks like you're getting your wish," Ironwood said. "We've all been invited to a victory party at the Schnee family residence."
Uh oh, Oscar thought.
* * *
Of course it would not be till the next day, but while Oscar was waiting for the others to come back, Pyrrha found out that Yang and Blake had been assigned to ride in a dust and material truck going to Amity Tower, and it was also a trap for Robyn.
She had returned to Mantle with Marrow when he said the truck had stopped.
"Maybe they ran into some Huntresses," he said.
"Do you...feel right about this?" Pyrrha asked him slowly. "I know she's a thief, but she also feels desperate to help Mantle. And maybe this could have been avoided... The other plan wasn't a bad one."
"Orders are orders, Nikos," Marrow said. "I know you've been MIA for a while, but I hope you haven't forgotten what we do here as huntsmen and Atlesians, even if you were from Argus."
"I got asked to be in the Atlas military," Pyrrha said, "but I...didn't think the lifestyle suited me quite."
She looked down. "All my life people always kept their distance from me, because I was so talented...and they were afraid to challenge me. I'm grateful to be blessed with such abilities, but it comes at a cost. I thought if I chose the military lifestyle, I would forever be making the choice to be above everyone else, not just by talent, but by the way I had to live my life, period."
Marrow glanced at her. "But you could also maybe have made more friends at your level in the military."
Pyrrha smiled faintly. "I guess I wanted to take my chances outside it, see if it could happen without that... Thanks to Jaune, it did. I'm loyal to my friends...and my country...but I think...sometimes you have to make choices, even so. You do what you feel is right. There may not always be someone there to tell you what to do. What would you do, now? If you knew that you did not have anyone over you to give you orders, and you had to only decide for yourself?"
Marrow looked at her uncomfortably. "I think it's better not to speculate with useless questions. I'm concentrating on doing my job, and you should be too."
"I...I'm sorry." Pyrrha didn't want to get him in trouble. "I suppose...I was just thinking out loud. Of course I understand. It's just been a long time since I had to follow orders. I suppose I forget how much loyalty and trust goes into it."
"You better remember, kid." Marrow didn't seem to say this to be mean, unlike Harriet always spoke to them, Pyrrha thought to herself grimly. "You don't want to end up branded as an insurgent agent, like Robyn."
"But is she so wrong? Forgive me, but I would think as a Faunus, you would...sympathize with the feeling that things are not always fair to everyone," Pyrrha said.
Marrow's tail drooped. "Well, yeah, but I should do something about that through legal methods."
"I suppose that is true," Pyrrha said. "I just don't know if the law covers every single scenario that comes up...and we're fighting an enemy who there are no real laws to fight with. Don't you think perhaps we'll have to think a little differently?"
"For now this seems to be working," Marrow said. He lowered his voice. "You might have a slight point there, but for now, this is what we can do. Maybe if we get the tower up we can think about unconventional methods to handle this stuff. But I don't make the calls. I haven't earned that right, and neither have you, rookie."
Pyrrha didn't argue further.
But when they got to the spot where the truck had stopped, Yang and Blake said that Robyn had gotten away.
Pyrrha, who knew them better than Marrow, thought they looked strange when they said it.
Getting back in the truck with them, since Marrow told her to take a break for walking and get warmed up, she said, "You guys...didn't talk to Robyn, did you?"
They looked at each other, then at her warily.
"Why would you think that?" Yang asked.
"Because I'm not stupid." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "And if I wasn't sure before, I am now.... Yang, that was going against the General's direct orders."
"We just talked for a minute or two." Blake lowered her voice. "It wasn't bad. We just told her about why we're building Amity."
"You told her about Salem?" Pyrrha hissed.
"No, no, we kept that part secret," Blake said. "We just asked her to trust us, that's all. We thought if she knew that much, it'd be all right."
Pyrrha bit her lip to keep from blurting out her thoughts on this.
But what were they thinking? If Robyn spilled the beans on this, it would be bound to come back to them. Who else would Ironwood suspect but the person who'd expressed sympathy for her? Or...Shine and Wally, who she knew hadn't blown any secrets at all, but would they not be at the top of his list because of their lack of credentials?
But she tried to understand their logic.
"You thought it would help?" she said.
"Yeah. Look, we just don't 100% agree with arresting her," Yang said.
"But...why didn't you just tell the General that and ask to be put on a different duty?" Pyrrha said.
"We didn't think he'd understand," Blake said, "and then we couldn't have warned her."
Even Shine had said Robyn should be arrested, if not for the same reasons... Was this the wisest thing to do?"
Pyrrha knew they wouldn't like it if she argued, and she wasn't sure what to say...but it bothered her.
[Hmm...]