Primate Murder Through a Multiverse

Convictions

Neo's face grew with Irritation and anger, resentment clear in her eyes as her grip tightened on Cinder. "Where are they? The ones bitcher Salem turned? Her castle?" Fou could imagine her head popping like a grape from the pressure Neo applied as she slammed Cinder against the wall. "Glenn... inside... trap meant for... team RWBY" She barely managed to get out, "She wants to see which ones are... superior." Cinder finished her words with a painful his, and all Fou could wonder is if the same corruption that befall this team RWBY in the mountain could happen to him.

"Then this is still a game to her... Better to just end her before she realizes it isn't." He didn't want himself to change fundamentally, "Are all of her allies in her castle with her?" Yet, he now had to ask himself who he was, he spent the last relative 30 years just dicking around in a time bubble uncaring of the power he gained, barely training it and expanding on it. "Allies...? She has no allies... Only experiments and lackeys..." No drive to get better, no ambition, just going along with the flow? Was that even living? "Even me..." Cinder said that as if it was a statement, her voice hollow, and Fou's chest tightened as he felt insecure about himself.

"Suitable punishment for someone who thought they were hot shit." Neo gave a shrug, "Well..." she seemed to think as she tapped her lip, "Not like I don't understand though." It seemed as if she were playing devil's advocate with her placating tone. "You were manipulated your whole life by her. Abused by your stepmother... abandoned by your parents." Neo let go, taking a step back as she spoke. Cinder's boy had fallen to the floor in a heap of pain, only for Neo to walk up and look down upon her with a smile.

"Honestly," She started, the venom in her voice making Fou question why he felt so... complete... in the middle of fighting, it seemed as if Neo had it all together. "I pity you." Neo seemed to well and truly pity the crumpled heap in front of her, as her voice lost all the venom. "Tragedy can get the best of us. And all you wanted was to never be hurt anymore." It wasn't idle chatter, it was cold hard fact, Cinder knew what she wanted, but did Fou know what he wanted? "It's a shame you ended up like this, Cinder... Really it is." Cinder looked up at neo, clenching her fists as her gained back some of the fight she lost in a strange mix of anger, sadness and... gratefulness?

"How... How do you even know all this... What...?" Cinder lashed out with her words, "You think I can be saved?" She gave a mirthless chuckle, as if she believed herself beyond saving. "I did save you." Neo was kind in her words, not raising her voice. "My Cinder? She's happy. Abandoned Salem before the attack on Beacon... She's currently with an Emerald who isn't just a smear on the floor," Neo remarked, and Fou more felt than heard the evil little giggle from the current cute little fluffy bean was on him. "I'm... I'm not-" Cinder's words died in her mouth as she saw the utter indifferent look in Neo's eyes.

"But you killed Pyrrha, so no." But, truth is- "The only thing you get," -the game was rigged from the start. Neo pulled out a Ranger Sequoia revolver, and with a single trigger pull and bang. Cinder's heart was pierced by the bullet. "Is this." Cinder's body fell to the floor, unmoving and cold.

Neo turned, just in time to see Tearwyn fly over to her shoulder and pat her head softly as Fou took the other, nodding in understanding. Blake gave her a soft and gentle hug as Fou was left to his thoughts. But he understood what happened here, this Cinder was beyond saving.

"Thanks," Neo simply said after a long moment, she walked forward and stood in front of everyone with squared shoulders once Blake let her go, "Now let's go tell Ozpin the deal!" Neo stated with enthusiasm before devolving into a coughing fit. "Everything but the fact that we sorta, kinda, murdered Cinder and her pals..." Blake deadpanned as she lightly snickered with Tearwyn while lightly slapping her back, getting a Wry smile from Artura and a Sagely nod from Fou.

- Beacon tower, 6am -

Ozpin looked every bit his supposed real age, dread and worry on his face, even as he shivered nearly every time Tearwyn giggled while eerily staring at him. His eyes flickered over both Fou and Artura with a more tense gaze, obviously he could feel the divinity from the spear-turned-human and was more than a bit worried about Fou's proficiency in using magics unknown to him. Though, his body seemed to age visibly as Neo told him about Salem, about how she destroyed another Remnant. His face set in a grim straight line as he came to the realization that she was just playing with them all, that this was all entertainment for her.

And on top of that, she was wanting to put both of their team RWBYs head to head in a sort of sick sadistic 'Kill yourself' battle. All for what he could ascertain to be an experiment, or worse yet, bloody entertainment. This was not what used to be his wife, this was something worse. Wearing her face, like some sort of... demented, psychotic serial killer that took pleasure in psychologically torturing her victims. He sat there, looking into his half full cup of coffee as and sighed, digesting all of this new information as the rest waited for him, he was grateful of that fact.

"I was going to consider sending team RWBY over in two months." Ozpin turned his head back up to look directly at Neo as he spoke. "After the dance. I still may, if only to make them stronger in the fight to come." He took a deep breath and stapled his fingers, "Can you train them?" His glasses gained a glint, hiding his eyes. "I can. But I want to handle Grimm RWBY by myself." Neo was uncharacteristically serious about this topic, "I want to see what kind of state they're in myself before deciding. If they're too far gone?" Her voice while kind held a firm determination to protect her friends and their freedom.

"I'll put them out of their misery myself." Fou took comfort in her words, if he ever was corrupted like that, he could trust Neo to put him out of that hell herself to save him from some ass who wanted to puppet him. "If not," she added with a shrug, "We can capture them until I kill Salem." It wasn't an if, at least neo hadn't said it that way, she said it like it was a fact, like Sky is blue, Grass is green.

"I do not, want Yang and Ruby to see themselves die. Maybe Blake and Weiss could handle seeing to their counterparts, but Ruby and Yang are sisters." Neo had her hands directly on Ozpin's desk and was nearly a breaths' length away from his face as her eyes bored into his own, though Fou could feel the sins crawling on Ozpin's back flare up. "It'll tear them up if they see me kill them." She stated, and with a shake of her head she pulled back.

"Ah... I couldn't imagine the pain of seeing your sister die..." muttered wistfully, receiving a comforting pat from Neo and a small little back pat from Fou's tail. "I understand." Ozpin got their attention back on him to continue the conversation. "Though kill Salem? Hm..." He closed his eyes with a thoughtful hum as he thought over it a second, "No, I wouldn't say that's not possible... Not with what I've seen from you and given your current entourage. Though, I do suggest you speak to team RWBY. Get their input on the matter." He finished tiredly as he leaned back in his chair, exhaling heavily as he roasted his palms on the arm rests. Neo stood up and tipped her hat to Ozpin before turning around.

"We should, Neo. It's their world" Neo turned her head to find Blake with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They have a right to fight for it." She chimed in with her own two cents. "I agree!" Fou added his own, clapping his paws together as Neo sighed. "I just want to keep them safe" and she finally agreed.

"From what I understand," Artura started as they all headed towards the elevator down. "They're more mature and skilled than their counterparts when you first saw them, yes?" Lancer gave a small head tilt and a beautiful smile. "And even they were capable. Trust in them, Ma-Neo" Artura blushed but still gave Neo a reassuring pure smile. "Damn..." Neo clutched her chest as she whipped a tear from her eye, the elevator's music starting as they started their descent. "How can I refute you when you make that kind of face?" She asked.

"Alright! Let's go see team RWBY..." Agreed as the elevator doors opened, allowing them out of the small metal box and into the school to find said team.