Back then, Egrer didn't yet realize that he had jumped out of one monster's maw only to immediately jump into another's. And if he had to choose between the prospect of ending up in the Headmaster's office and moral suffering in the company of Joker and Yang, the latter would probably have been better.
"There's absolutely nothing to worry about," he repeated like a mantra, pacing back and forth across the small elevator car. "There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about at all."
"Yes, nothing at all," Weiss hissed in irritation. "Stop playing that broken record; I no longer have the strength to listen to your panicked wailing."
'Panicked wailing? Panicked wailing?! PANICKED WAILING?!'
Egrer stopped and looked at her with the wild eyes of a cornered animal. He swayed slightly from side to side, and his mouth, purely out of inertia, repeated a couple of times, "Nothing to worry about at all, nothing to worry about..."
In short, with his entire demeanor, Egrer wanted to show her that he was the embodiment of calm. Could it be any other way?
"They're not panicked!" he yelled absolutely calmly. "There are no grounds for panic! I am calm and composed, can't you see?!"
"Oh, I can certainly see!"
While the two of them bickered, Ruby quietly pressed every single button in the elevator. Weiss only noticed it when the doors opened on the floor with the CCTS consoles.
"Ruby, what did you do?!"
"It did it by itself, it wasn't me." Anyone could have recognized such a blatant lie. The doors opened before them again, but they led nowhere near the Headmaster's office. "Looks like we're gonna be a little late..."
Weiss threw her hands up and started pacing back and forth, likening herself to Egrer. He even had to press himself against the wall; there wasn't much space to begin with.
"This is no longer funny! Am I the only one here who has retained her sanity? What are you two idiots so afraid of? The Headmaster doesn't bite."
"You sure?"
"Positive," Weiss hissed through gritted teeth. "But if you two don't calm down this very second, I will bite you!"
Ruby and Egrer immediately shut up in fright. But a second later, the exact same thought popped into their heads: 'Nah, she'd be too disgusted', after which they started panicking again. Weiss didn't dare carry out her threat and simply closed her eyes and ears, imagining herself alone on a tropical island.
The ride to the top floor of the tower stretched into a whole minute instead of the usual ten seconds. But he wished this moment would never come at all. That time would simply freeze and they'd be forever locked in this two-by-two-meter box. But it wasn't meant to be.
The elevator doors opened once again, and this time they had actually arrived at their destination. Near the window, with his back to them, stood a thoughtful Ozpin, discussing something with Miss Goodwitch and General Ironwood.
General Ironwood!
Ruby and Egrer frantically started jabbing the button for the first floor. As long as they weren't noticed, they could totally still escape! The General was the absolute last person they wanted to see; they hadn't even been warned there'd be anyone else here besides the Headmaster.
Weiss stuck her leg out and stopped the doors from closing. With her entire demeanor, she made it clear that one more stunt like that and they'd get a beating from her.
"Apologies for the delay. Someone just happened to press every button in the elevator."
"It wasn't me," Egrer immediately assured.
"Me neither," Ruby chimed in.
"So, that just leaves Weiss," they concluded, pointing accusing fingers in her direction.
The General, the Headmaster, and Goodwitch exchanged glances. Weiss, meanwhile, tried her hardest to pretend she had come here alone and was seeing those two for the first time in her life.
"How are you feeling?" Ozpin asked, taking a sip of coffee.
"Good," came the unison reply.
"Splendid. Before we begin, the General would like to tell you something."
Ironwood squared his shoulders and straightened his back, though it seemed impossible to be any straighter. He looked as if he was preparing to either issue a reprimand or award a medal; it was impossible to tell from his perpetually gloomy expression. Taking a step forward, the General towered over them like a mighty cliff, making Ruby and Egrer back up until their backs hit the elevator doors, which had closed at the most inopportune moment.
"Last night, you acted exactly as Huntsmen should," Ironwood rumbled. "You recognized a threat, took action, and did everything possible to neutralize it. Well done."
Egrer breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew... I thought you were suspecting us of some bad stuff again, which we are absolutely, positively not involved in. Talk about a weight off my shoulders."
"Thank you," Weiss replied with a smile, as if she did this sort of thing every day.
Ruby just modestly scratched the back of her head.
"We are already aware of everything that transpired," Ozpin took the floor again. "An unknown female incapacitated the soldiers and infiltrated the communications room, but perhaps you'd like to share your personal observations? Did she seem familiar to you?"
Weiss and Egrer looked at Ruby, as she was the main protagonist of that battle. She was the one who had contact with the criminal the longest, and she was the one who spotted the suspicious figure she decided to tail. So who else but Ruby would know the most?
"She wore a mask. And she didn't say anything. And... um... she seemed to fight using glass, her weapon could change shape. Also... I think her clothes caught fire before her weapon changed... well, not exactly caught fire, she just started glowing and kind of smoldering."
"A Dust mage?" Glynda Goodwitch clarified.
"Not necessarily," the General said. "Weaving Dust into clothing is an ancient technique available to any gifted individual. Ruby, would you be able to recognize her if you saw how she fights? Glynda could start setting up matches for the visiting students in her classes."
"Probably..."
"James, are you suspecting the students?!" Only with Miss Goodwitch's remark did it dawn on the rest what exactly the General had just said.
While Egrer already knew that outsiders had infiltrated Beacon under the guise of tournament participants, for Weiss and Ruby this came as a real shock. But he had to put on a surprised face too for the sake of cover.
"I do, Glynda, and you know why." The General shot a sideways glance at the trio of teenagers, clearly unwilling to go into details in front of them.
Miss Goodwitch furrowed her brows and lowered her gaze to the floor. After a couple of seconds of thought, she replied:
"Fine, you've convinced me." She turned to her students. "From now on, I will ask you to be much more attentive in my classes. I repeat - much more attentive."
"Understood," Ruby answered with utmost seriousness. The others simply nodded.
Ozpin walked over to his desk and placed his coffee mug on it with a quiet thud. With a tired sigh, he sat down in his chair and looked at each of them over his tiny glasses. This gaze involuntarily gave them goosebumps. It was immediately clear - the Headmaster was now more serious than ever.
"Anything else? Any minor detail could prove useful."
"Ah!" Ruby remembered. "We managed to pull her mask off, but, well, we didn't get a chance to see anything..."
"Where is it?"
Weiss and Ruby looked at Egrer, as it had been handed to him after the fight. He barely held back an irritated sigh; he really liked the idea of sneaking a dog into Beacon. But there was nothing he could do. Egrer pulled the mask out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.
"I'll send it in for forensics," the General said. "There's bound to be dandruff or hair left on it, and we can work from there."
"Excuse me, sir," Egrer spoke up. "And how long will that take? Just curious when you'll be able to figure out who broke into the tower."
"A day for the analysis should be enough. But before that, we have to wait for experienced investigators from Atlas to arrive, which is another twenty-four hours."
Ozpin nodded.
"The tournament is starting soon, so under that pretext, we can arrange a medical examination for all its participants. I will tell the doctors to collect a couple of hairs from everyone, and then your professionals will find the culprit."
The problem with the Puppeteer had been resolved in the most unexpected way. Egrer had feared that the information he had wouldn't be enough to give the Headmaster ironclad guarantees that She was the criminal, but if they found the culprit themselves, they'd hardly go easy on her. The Puppeteer slipped up Herself when She let Her mask get taken off, so She wouldn't have any grounds to blame Roman and Neo for everything. In theory...
It was precisely for their safety that Egrer had kept quiet all this time, but now there wasn't much point to it. In just a few days, She'd be caught even without his involvement. But how could he justify his specific knowledge? How would he answer the question "How do you know this?" It was unlikely the Headmaster and the General would turn a blind eye to his contacts with Torchwick and Neo, or his night raids on White Fang bases.
And even if he told them about the Paladins in the terrorists' hands and their base outside the walls where they were taking them, wouldn't they start a witch hunt? Ironwood didn't strike him as a patient man. Therefore, it was better to keep everything a secret. Things wouldn't get any worse anyway.
Now, if Egrer knew the Puppeteer's identity, as well as had irrefutable proof of Her crimes, he'd have handed Her over to Ozpin a long time ago. With an extensive evidence base, the Headmaster wouldn't think long or double-check everything; instead, he'd immediately put Her behind bars.
But he had no such facts. Egrer knew about the Paladins and that they were being taken out of the city for some reason; about Roman and his dangerous predicament; about Neo and her secret game; he knew the Puppeteer had a minion with an illusion Semblance. But there was nothing that would help him pin the guilt on one specific person. To stand next to the Headmaster by his office window and point a finger down from a bird's-eye view, right at the Puppeteer.
He only had guesses and small puzzle pieces that would undoubtedly help find Her, but definitely not right away. And if Ozpin suddenly started digging suspiciously close to the Puppeteer, She'd have every reason to wonder, "Was I betrayed?"
When a massive machine starts moving, everyone notices. It was precisely through police actions that Roman understood when someone ratted him out, when he just got unlucky, or when he messed up somewhere himself.
So it was better to let things take their course. In any case, it didn't matter anymore. In a couple of days, She'd be caught or, at the very least, forced to flee Beacon and lay low.
He could finally relax. They won.
"You may go, children," Ozpin said. "And do not spread word about the events in the tower. It will be easier for everyone that way."
A little late for that advice. Both Weiss with Ruby and Egrer had long since told their teams about this fight, and they'd surely blabbed to others by now. So by tonight, everyone in Beacon would know what happened.
In any case, the students obediently nodded and stepped into the elevator.
The moment the doors closed, Egrer breathed a sigh of relief. He still couldn't fully believe they got off the hook and no one gave them the third degree. Though why would they need to be interrogated? The three of them were victims, and what's more, they tried to apprehend the criminal. They should be handed a certificate of honor.
It was probably just his paranoia kicking in. Egrer always felt very uncomfortable around representatives of the law, and the General was a cop to the bone. Not just by title, but by nature. Something told him he definitely wasn't gonna go easy on any crime...
Suddenly, Weiss ran her finger across all the buttons in the elevator. The others looked at her in bewilderment.
"So, what was that?" Her cold tone boded ill. Egrer suddenly wanted to run away somewhere. "You definitely know more about this matter than we do. Perhaps even more than the teachers."
'Is it really that obvious?'
And so Egrer found himself back in the monster's maw, the third one today.
He knew Weiss had kept her promise and hadn't peeked at his letters. It clearly took a lot of effort on her part, but he believed in her willpower. She wouldn't betray his trust out of banal curiosity; otherwise, she'd start despising herself. Weiss definitely wouldn't pry into his secrets.
However, this had long since gone beyond just a secret. There are criminals in Beacon, and instead of telling the proper authorities, Egrer started some kind of scheme. Naturally, to her, it looked stupid, suspicious, and weird.
She'd find out everything anyway. Too many questions, too few answers. It's better to bring her up to speed himself than leave it all to chance and her truly boundless stubbornness.
Especially since right now, it wasn't worth making any extra moves. He needed to hold his breath and wait for D-Day, and her personal investigation could ruin everything. The main thing was to convince Weiss to keep everything a secret and tell the Headmaster nothing.
"Let's do this later." Egrer gave a pointed look at Ruby.
"Hey! I'm curious too."
"Fine," Weiss nodded.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
The elevator arrived at the first floor, and Egrer and Weiss stepped out in perfect sync. Ruby trudged after them, begging them to tell her this terrible secret too. But the two of them remained conspicuously silent, ultimately forcing her to stomp her foot in resentment and walk away.
"So?.."
"Maybe you can hold out until we reach our special spot?" Egrer asked hesitantly. He either wanted to simply delay the inevitable or worried that someone might overhear them.
"First of all, it's my special spot, and the fact that you know about it doesn't give you the right to claim it as your property." He didn't dare remind her that the gazebo actually belonged to Beacon, just like all the other real estate here. "Second, I can't hold out. What. Was. That."
Egrer looked around and made sure no one was nearby, then began in a conspiratorial whisper:
"Promise you won't tell anyone. No one at all. Even if Ozpin asks you, keep quiet."
"I don't want to make promises when there's a chance I won't keep them."
"Weiss," Egrer said strictly.
"What Weiss? Well, what?" she grumbled in the same quiet whisper. "There's some criminal in Beacon, and you're playing secrets. How am I even supposed to interpret that? Are you an accomplice?"
"Interpret it however you want, but without a solemn vow of silence, I won't say a word to you."
"Like I care," Weiss sulked offendedly. "If you don't trust me, then I'll figure it all out myself."
She turned away, but Egrer caught her hand. They both stood in the middle of the corridor and were simply silent for a while. A couple of seconds later, Weiss jerked her shoulder.
"Let go."
"Weiss, it's not about trust, it's about danger. Right now, when the Headmaster and General are close to catching that criminal, we just need to freeze and wait. Soon the problem will resolve itself. Please, believe me. If you're just curious, I promise I'll tell you everything right after this is over."
She lowered her head.
"I'm not curious, I'm... scared." This admission thoroughly surprised Egrer. "I think she's somehow connected to the White Fang."
By sheer force of will, he forced himself not to flinch. Egrer saw that Weiss was watching him. Gauging his reaction.
If she found out that the criminal in the tower essentially controlled the Vale White Fang, she'd definitely do something rash. As cold and smart as Weiss was, fear was a very strong emotion. Even the most sensible person can do little when their body is wracked with shivers. Egrer had already managed to forget that she associated the White Fang with very painful and traumatizing memories.
And although she gave no outward sign of her fear, she was clearly scared. It couldn't be seen in a single muscle on her face, but he knew it. He felt it. Perhaps Weiss even thought they had come for her.
Convincing her not to tell the Headmaster about this just got a lot harder.
"What makes you think that?" The question sounded as calm as Egrer's frayed nerves allowed. He wouldn't even be surprised if Weiss had already figured it all out.
"Mostly because of Blake's behavior. I asked leading questions a couple of times when I was worried about her well-being. You know, she's had insomnia and malnutrition for almost a month."
Egrer nodded. He and Sun had tried to convince her to take a break, but to no avail. She always says the same thing: right now we need to push harder, we'll rest later, and so on.
"One time she let it slip that I shouldn't pry into her past. There's only one thing in her past that could cause such negativity - the White Fang. Also, she, Sun, and you once infiltrated some White Fang rally. And while Blake herself refused to talk, Sun was much more chatty. Though he spouted a bunch of bullshit... As if you guys fought a secret Atlas robot piloted by none other than Torchwick."
"Haha, what a storyteller." Egrer smiled nervously, but he managed to pretend he was simply amused by these tall tales. So lucky that Weiss is quite skeptical...
"I didn't approach you, because unlike Sun, you'd hardly go around blabbing about such things." Another nervous smile. Weiss had too high an opinion of him, especially considering that Egrer had told this story to his team literally the moment he got back. "And I didn't have the audacity to take advantage of your honesty. Otherwise, I'd have asked you a couple of uncomfortable questions, believe me."
"Thank you?"
"Don't mention it. Anyway," Weiss's tone dropped again, "there's too much White Fang. It's hard for me to believe that this criminal is just some third party. I don't have direct proof, but there's plenty of circumstantial evidence. Eg, I'm sorry, but answer honestly, is it true? If you dodge the question, I'll assume the worst-case scenario is the truth and act accordingly."
"Weiss, you just said~"
"And now I have the audacity," she interrupted. "Because I'm scared, understand? Either dispel my fears or confirm them."
"You can't just take~"
"Answer!"
She can. And he wouldn't dare just turn his back on her. Not now, when Weiss is so scared and when only Egrer can explain everything to her. Something told him that if she cornered Blake or Sun like this, they'd deny it to the death.
"I suppose asking you for a promise now is useless," he sighed. "Yes, they're connected. But that criminal isn't a member of the White Fang; they just... let's say, work together."
"Grimm, Eg." Her voice broke. "There's a terrorist in Beacon, and you guys are just... just... doing nothing."
"I just said She's not a terrorist."
"What's the difference? Someone who works with terrorists is also a terrorist! And how long have you known there was an outsider in Beacon?"
Another unpleasant question. Egrer winced slightly but answered honestly.
"Three weeks."
"Wonderful," Weiss hissed. "Just great. For three weeks you've known everything, yet you still haven't told me a thing. Forget about me! You probably haven't even told the Headmaster."
"We just didn't want Her to find out that we know about Her," he started making excuses. "The more people are privy to a secret, the harder it is to keep it and maintain the advantage. And we aren't telling the Headmaster for a different reason..."
Weiss looked at him like he was an idiot. And although it wasn't the first time Egrer had seen this facial expression, right now, for some reason, it stung very much.
"Do you really think this is better?! You really thought you could just keep quiet about a terrorist infiltrating Beacon? You're idiots!" Her voice was deafening, but she immediately shut up and looked around. Weiss spoke much quieter after that. "Absolute morons... You're going back to the Headmaster right now and telling him EVERYTHING."
"They'll catch Her soon anyway," Egrer, meanwhile, tried to remain calm. "Do you want to cause me extra trouble? How am I supposed to explain everything I know?"
"Explain it however you want, but I'm not going to just sit and wait for the results of the Headmaster's scheme. What if She pulls something else in the meantime? What if She takes hostages or kills someone?" Weiss would never admit it, but right now she was afraid she'd be the victim. "We can't just sit and do nothing. So go tell him."
"I can't do that." Involuntarily, Egrer also began to raise his voice.
"Really? And what idiotic reason will you come up with this time?"
"Because then Roman will die!"
"What's the difference?!" And then she realized what she blurted out. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that..."
At a brisk pace, Egrer walked away. He wasn't running, no, but it was a rather eloquent request to leave him alone.
Only one thing was slightly comforting - to Weiss, Roman was just a criminal whose safety and life could be disregarded. After all, she is a Huntress. And while Grimm are the primary prey of this profession, they are far from the only ones. She didn't say it out of malice.
For a while, Weiss stood in place, but soon broke into a run and caught up with him.
"Eg, don't make me run after you." she kept pace, but due to the height difference, she was barely keeping up. "In case you forgot, I still need to give you your letters."
Egrer stopped.
"I believe you didn't read anything, but still..."
"I didn't read them, though I clearly should have," Weiss grumbled. "Don't look at me like that; I don't have your letters on me, I hid them. Come to my gazebo, I'll give them back to you there. At the same time... we'll have a chat."
Egrer wasn't entirely sure if this pun was an accident or if Weiss was trying to slightly cool the heat of the moment this way. But even if it was the latter, she had taken his letters hostage, which wasn't exactly a friendly gesture in itself.
Apparently, she really disliked that Egrer was so casual about a criminal working with the White Fang roaming around Beacon. But he was left with no choice but to look sadly at her back and meekly head to her secret spot.
"Eg," Weiss called out to him a second later. She spoke so quietly he understood her more by the movement of her lips. "I'll think about not telling the Headmaster anything, but... tell me everything. Okay?"
Egrer nodded. It was the most he could hope for.
They parted ways, Weiss - for the letters, Egrer - straight to the hidden gazebo. The upcoming conversation clearly promised to be a heavy one, and it was unclear where it would lead.
Weiss had started taking an interest in the unfolding events at a very inopportune time. He could only hope that her promise to think about it wasn't a simple ruse to drag all the information out of him and then hand it over to Ozpin. Their friendship wouldn't survive such a betrayal.
But Weiss could be understood, because in Beacon, the White Fang was her worst and most terrifying enemy. They were the ones taking the lives of her acquaintances to this day, it was because of them she grew up in fear that she might be their next victim. And fear makes things look bigger than they are. Having lived her whole life with the thought that sooner or later they would come for her, Weiss couldn't help but think that this was exactly what was happening now. They had come for her.
Egrer understood perfectly well that whatever goals the Puppeteer was pursuing, Weiss was definitely not on the list. Why else would She need dozens of Atlesian killer robots? Why tons of Dust? Why infiltrate the CCTS tower? To kill or kidnap a seventeen-year-old student Huntress required a different arsenal. The voice of reason, however, was unlikely to interest Weiss right now.
A surprising turn of events. Usually, Egrer was the one who needed the help of her cold brains, but now it was the other way around.
The gazebo hidden in the thicket appeared unexpectedly. Despite his thoughtfully lowered head, Egrer still missed the low threshold and tripped over it with a quiet "Oof." Only by grabbing the wooden doorframe in time was he able to keep from falling.
Weiss was already waiting for him, sitting at the table. On the slightly cracked wood lay a couple of dry leaves and an envelope with a few papers sticking out. She had clearly hurried here, since she arrived before him.
"Now, tell me."
"Straight to business?" Egrer chuckled bitterly, sitting down next to her.
He knew firsthand that the unknown was what frightened the most. Weiss was already scared, and it was unclear what was keeping her from the idea of running straight to the Headmaster right now. So the best option was to explain everything to her. If she knew more, perhaps she'd agree to tell Ozpin nothing.
Besides, what else was left for him? Even if he intentionally omitted some of the most terrifying facts, like the Paladins, a single simple question would ruin everything.
Never in his life had there been a moment where he hated his "Honesty" this much.
And he told her everything, hiding absolutely nothing. Everything he knew, she now knew too. And at the end, Egrer explained Roman's situation.
"He's plotting against the Puppeteer himself, so he also wants to get rid of Her. But if we just tell the Headmaster about the imposter, She'll figure out his betrayal and kill him."
"Egrer, let's clarify something," Weiss was clearly trying to choose her words carefully, but even so, venom was distinctly felt in her voice. "If the Headmaster finds out about the infiltration, he'll possibly start acting aggressively, possibly let this Puppeteer of yours know that he's aware of everything, after which the Puppeteer will possibly blame Torchwick for the failure and possibly kill him, rather than punish him some other way."
"She will absolutely kill him. You don't know how things work in the criminal underworld; there they can punish you even just for suspicions of something like that."
"Yes, I won't argue, when it comes to crime you far surpass me, but in logic, you are no match for me, believe me." Egrer easily recognized those familiar notes of superiority in her voice, which he was used to ignoring. But right now, doing so was very difficult. "So, be so kind as to explain to me how you arrived at such a logical chain, where there are absolutely no certain data, but only a few clouds of probability?"
"Oh, stop acting like a know-it-all! I know, and that's it!"
"Egrer, it's obvious to me that you're being guided by your emotions right now, not your head."
"You're the one not thinking with your head; you just want to get rid of the White Fang's presence. And what do emotions have to do with this anyway? Roman wants to take out the Puppeteer even more than we do. He's our ally!"
"I doubt Blake and Sun share that opinion." He had nothing to counter that with; they truly had no intention of trusting Roman. No one, except Egrer, trusted him. "Remember what you told me once? Feelings shouldn't gain the upper hand over reason, especially if they only bring harm..."
Weiss was about to continue her tirade, but suddenly cut herself off mid-sentence. She lowered her head.
"I'm sorry. I just realized I was trying to find logic where it's of no use. You're just afraid for him, aren't you?"
Egrer hesitantly nodded.
"Yes. Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind that if I have to choose between the safety of Roman and Beacon, the answer is obvious. Every day I look at my friends and realize I'm doing something foolish. But I just can't take and... choose. In any case, She'll be caught soon enough even without us."
"But earlier you didn't know that things would turn out so well. Isn't inaction choosing Torchwick's side?"
That framing of the question knocked the ground right out from under Egrer's feet.
"It's... I don't know... I guess it is... But it's still a bit different. I didn't choose Roman's side, it just... happened that way. All I want is for him and Neo not to die."
"And for the sake of that, you were willing to put up with a terrorist with unclear goals roaming around Beacon pretending to be a student." Egrer involuntarily winced at that phrasing. "I don't even know what outrages me more: your disregard for the safety of everyone around you in general and me in particular, or the fact that you still haven't reported it to the proper authorities."
"You're just... twisting things."
"Everything looks exactly the way it looks. There's a terrorist in Beacon, and you're doing nothing." Egrer didn't have time to object before Weiss rushed to continue. "Listen, Eg, doesn't it seem to you that this is exactly in Torchwick's interests? I mean, while the Puppeteer is as far away from him as possible, he has more opportunities to come up with a plan against Her. Therefore, he needs someone to distract Her."
"Roman isn't just some villain," Egrer replied firmly. "Yes, he's not the most decent person, arguing with that is stupid. But you're imagining him as some unprincipled asshole who's ready to use me as a shield just to buy himself a little time."
"Or maybe you're imagining him to be far too good?"
"You don't even know him," Egrer hissed. "How can you judge him?"
"I won't claim that the news is the best way to get to know someone, but you have to agree, this method can't be completely useless either. Torchwick's list of crimes is extensive enough to conclude that he should be avoided."
With every argument presented, Egrer's confidence that he was the cool-headed one here melted before his eyes. Apparently, he had taken on too much when he thought he was capable of being the voice of reason for a panicking Weiss. She could think logically even in such a situation, even if all her thoughts were focused on one thing - getting rid of the threat as quickly as possible.
Egrer, however, only had his feelings. He was the one not thinking with his head.
"And I shared a roof with him for five years! Is my method not effective? Listen, just don't tell the Headmaster anything, okay? Let me reiterate, She'll be caught soon enough without our help."
"And what about the Paladins in the hands of terrorists? And their base to the southeast?"
"Alright, as soon as the Puppeteer is caught, we'll tell them everything. But not before! We'll just stir up the hornet's nest for nothing, and the Puppeteer will flee."
"You're asking too much..." Weiss lowered her gaze. "This is... this is the White Fang! And they're in Beacon! You don't even have to think about it to realize we should tell the Headmaster everything. And you're suggesting we just do nothing."
"Please. The Atlesians will need a week tops to figure it all out. Just wait."
"A lot can happen in one week, and not just in Beacon. The terrorists might have time to use the Paladins. Do you have any idea what consequences that will lead to?"
"Please."
He could have started pressing on her conscience, saying that trust must be repaid with trust. Like, he hadn't told her all this just so she could then simply pass on what she'd heard to the Headmaster.
He could have played on her pity, begging on his knees and hoping for her mercy. He didn't have any arguments in his favor anyway, and she understood that perfectly well too.
He could have threatened to destroy their relationship. And not just the romantic one, which they hadn't even had time to properly taste, but also the more familiar one - the friendship that neither of them wanted to lose. But Weiss already knew perfectly well the price she'd have to pay if she decided to tell Ozpin everything.
Egrer could have, but he didn't. It wouldn't lead to anything anyway.
Right now, the question was different. What would Weiss prioritize: herself and her safety, or him and his fear for his foster parents? Even if she despised Roman, she couldn't deny that he was dear to Egrer.
Weiss closed her eyes and sighed heavily.
"If it's that important to you... Fine. I'll keep quiet."
And yet, she agreed. Egrer exhaled raggedly and leaned back against the bench, tilting his head backward. He closed his eyes, and for a second his brain seemed to go into reboot mode, the relief was that strong.
"Thank you. I don't even know what I would have done if you'd gone to the Headmaster."
There was no answer, and Egrer opened one eye.
This decision clearly didn't come easy to Weiss. She sat slightly hunched over, hugging her shoulders and staring blankly ahead. She was still scared. But now it could be seen with the naked eye.
Egrer scooted closer and awkwardly put an arm around her. Weiss didn't resist, so he grew bolder and pressed his side against hers.
"Everything's gonna be fine."
"I'm probably doing the most foolish thing in my life, but I'll turn off my brain and take your word for it."
'Did she really have to ruin the whole mood?' Egrer sighed mentally.
"Could you have said that less... cynically? Skeptically? Forced? I'm not even sure what word fits best here."
"They all fit, Eg. All of them..."
Egrer and Weiss sat in complete silence for a couple of minutes. Only the wind rustled the leaves of the bushes that tightly enveloped their hidden gazebo. Soon she felt better.
"We need to gather our anti-puppeteer league," Egrer said. "Share the good news. I hope Blake won't be too upset that I roped you into our gang."
"Why would she be upset?"
"What do you mean, why? You might not be able to tell by looking at her, but she worries about her team and doesn't want any of you getting involved in this mess."
Weiss skeptically raised an eyebrow.
"Then why hasn't she told the Headmaster everything yet, if she doesn't want to put us in danger?"
"Well... I'm keeping quiet too."
"Your case I can understand. Ultimately, I also love my father in a way, despite all his flaws and total lack of virtues."
"What if she also has someone in the White Fang with problems like Roman's?"
That must be what drives her. Blake wants to understand why the White Fang sold out, the rest doesn't bother her too much. It's just that she still hasn't come to terms with the fact that they're unprincipled scumbags, rushing from one extreme to another. One day, the terrorists suddenly turn into deceived victims of circumstance who merely stumbled while pursuing worthy goals of universal equality and freedom. The next day, these same terrorists become vile spawn who disgrace their entire race, and who must be stopped at all costs.
Blake never said it, but Egrer guessed that she wanted to do more than just thwart the Puppeteer... Sometimes it felt like she wanted to catch Her. Catch and interrogate Her. From the very beginning, Blake had been agonizing over the question of why the White Fang agreed to collaborate with Torchwick. She didn't accept the answer "Because they were both forced," believing that things were somewhat more complicated.
Weiss was silent for a long time. But a minute later, a doomed sigh escaped her.
"I feel like I'm going to be the most sane one among you."
"You know, I can't even argue with that..."