Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XVII: Court

Weiss was very adamant that they not speak without a lawyer present before they split apart. The marine who sat across from her was a middle aged man. He had salt and pepper hair to match his five-o-clock shadow. Hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, she could feel his cold and condemning gaze. Seemingly unfazed by it, she was more concerned about the stench from the cigarette that hung loosely from his mouth. The size of the dimly lit room did her little service to dissipate the smoke.

"You sure you don't want to say anything? It'll be a while before anyone shows up and this will go a whole lot faster if you just answer." Weiss countered his gaze with a far more superior version of it. "Fine, I gave you a chance."

He pulled his feet from the table and marched over to the door. Yanking it open and stepping outside, he left her alone in the room. As time passed by, she stared blankly ahead at the wall. She might have been left alone, but she wasn't fool enough to forget that there would be those watching her beyond the one-way mirror.

Eventually, the door opened again. She steeled herself to be questioned once more, but in walked Winter. So overcome with relief, Weiss sighed and let her shoulders sag a bit. She was still being watched, but Winter was here to help.

"I trust you haven't told them anything?" Winter asked.

"Of course not," Weiss responded. "They're such terribly leading questions that I'm insulted they tried."

"Good. For now, just keep your head low. We're unsure what is going on, though it seems one of those present at the scene reported the incident to a separate base. It is likely a misunderstanding that will resolve itself promptly, and the worst that could be done would be incriminating yourself when there is no crime."

The conversation flowed smoothly from there touching on what Winter could speak on and avoiding what she couldn't. Some of what she was permitted to know surprised Weiss, but she hardly argued. Her sister was a ray of light in this murky situation.

***

The brush kept getting caught in knots, yanking her head along with it. She gritted her teeth and powered through. The marine stared at the young lady who had deep red eyes, wild mane, and a snarl.

"M-miss, would you p-please put the brush down? You're not allowed to —" He gulped as the eyes zeroed in on him. "Nevermind. So, uh, why did you —" There was a sharp knock on the door. Whether or not he had been a man of faith before, he thanked those who were watching over him. Yet somehow, when he opened the door, the woman on the other side made him feel worse.

Goodwitch took his hesitation as permission to enter. Striding past her, she sat across from Yang. When the girl looked up, she tried to compose her. It was ultimately a failure, but the presence that was Glynda seemed to outweigh her rage.

"Miss Xiao Long, I apologize for this and ask that you be patient as we sort it out. I want to be very clear that if this does not go in our favor, it would not be your fault — any of yours — but rather it would be that of those who gave the orders. If a blame is made, it will not fall onto you. That being said, the government here is very adamant about how this will play out, so you must put up with it for now."

***

"Miss Nikos, I do not believe anyone in particular is at fault."

Pyrrha was upset at Ozpin's words. "I just don't see why they arrested us and not the pirates."

He gave her a lengthy silence, forcing her to sit in her statement. "I was under the impression that those 'pirates' were your friends; are they not?"

She averted her gaze guiltily. That wasn't what she had been trying to imply, but she couldn't really deny what she had said. "I just meant that between those clearly marines and the ones they were fighting, they sided against their own people."