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A Fang Reformed (RWBY SlightAU)

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Week 14 (Part 1)
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    • Yes (+ for which) (3)

    +Social (2)

    +Practical(1)

    No (1)
    VPD Assistance: While I've upheld my end of the deal with Flint there are further benefits to working with the VPD. It'll build up my cover and provide in-roads to the future as well as giving me some practical experience. [Counts as an investigation training action and a social with Flint. Additionally grants 125L to personal funds] (5)
    Digital stalking: It might not help much, but building a profile early on all of the employees and contacts of my woman in red's charity could prove helpful in the future. (4)

    Subversion: With my increase in budget allows me to make room for more potential moles within the Vale branch of the White Fang. (3)
    Ruby (QM)

    Blake: She's revealed her faunus heritage to everyone. I'm sure she's received some backlash from that and I could offer to be a friendly ear for her. (6)

    The Clovers: There's nothing stopping me from inviting the Clovers to Beacon. I know Jasmine would enjoy bugging Blake and Coral would get the chance to meet my friends. (5)
    Time Dilation: Weiss has been experimenting with enhancing her teammates and one of the effects was interesting to me. I could run some tests with her and figure out how that all interacts with my own semblance. (5)

    mobilityX6 (5)

    Ah, yes time dilation, certainly not something I completely forgot that Weiss could do since she does it only like once or twice in the entire show. I'm sure it has no significant bearing on how much it's going to affect things in the future, not at all. On a more serious note, I guess it's a good example that planning on the player's part can circumvent my expectations and I play to the circumstances of the setting and what is written rather than imposing a sort of artificial difficulty.

    Going over my schedule for the week I prepare for another long one. At least this one won't be as mentally taxing, trading that in for a more physically demanding one. Nora's impromptu workout reminded me that I could be working on that area, plus with everything coming up on the horizon it might be best to get some training in. Maybe I can convince my friends to up their own training regimen? Something to think about for later.

    My team and I meet up with RWBY and JNPR on our way to the cafeteria for breakfast. Immediately I notice Nora following numbly alongside her team leader. She doesn't appear to be in despair, more like a state of shock. It's as if she can't believe what's going on right now and is waiting to wake up from a dream. Ren is walking slightly in front of her with the slightest of smirks, which for him might as well be broadcasting his satisfaction. He does give me a look that I find difficult to parse; the best I can explain it's that he's upset with my actions, but happy with how they turned out. Well nothing I can really do about that.

    I make sure my team gets situated before standing up to get some grub myself only to be interrupted by Weiss dropping a plate in front of me. A lingering touch on my shoulder and a look has me accepting the gesture without further comment. It really isn't necessary on her part, but I'm not going to complain about her showing that she cares. That, and maybe accepting this little bit of help will prevent her from going any further.

    Of course my brief hopes are dashed as soon as Ruby speaks up, "So, Ochre. How has everything been going? We haven't heard much about all that you're up to." A self-satisfied smirk on my girlfriend's face is enough to tell me who's responsible for the sudden question.

    "Not much actually. I've found a few leads through the CCT and have some friends helping me sort through some information."

    "I thought you said you'd bring us on if you needed any help," Yang pipes up. She sounds more curious as to my reason rather than offended and I have an easy enough answer for her.

    "I did and I meant it, but I doubt using you all to go over some business reports and gossip would be the best use of your abilities."

    "Yeah, you're right about that. I'm just glad that you aren't sorting through all of that yourself." I fight back a distant look from overtaking my features. I've spent far too many sleepless nights trawling over reports and the CCT as is and I don't want to bring down the concern of my friends upon myself. Unfortunately Blake isn't so well-versed in the art of bureaucracy and stares off into space as if reliving a tragic memory and I know that I have to change the subject before everyone begins worrying about her.

    "Aside from that I've been thinking about inviting Coral and Jasmine up here to meet you guys." My frank admission shakes the cat-girl out of her stupor and replaces it with a growing sense of dread and embarrassment. My comment, however, confuses most people here at the table. I guess I haven't really talked about her much and anyone that asks about my family knows that I'm an only child and only have my dad.

    "Who is that," Yang asks and I can tell she wants to follow up on that with another question, but thinks better of it.

    "She's uh, you know what it's probably best if you all just meet her. I don't have an elegant way to put it into words." Honestly I probably shouldn't have brought them up, but they were the first thing that came to mind. I look over to Weiss who is sitting ramrod still in her seat. I don't know what her issue is; I've talked to her about the Clovers before and she's never had this kind of reaction to hearing about them.

    Ruby slaps a hand on the table as if she suddenly remembered something. "Right! Weiss said something about you getting a badge or something." I narrow my eyes towards my girlfriend who shrinks away slightly. We never made any concrete agreement, but there was an unofficial pact that we'd keep each other's issues to ourselves. It could be an honest mistake and she looks repentant so I let it slide for now.

    "Yeah, got it last week," I start by fishing it out of my pocket and laying it on the table. "I don't see what the big deal is."

    I hear Jaune audibly gulp and with a shaky voice ask, "That isn't real is it?"

    With an opening like that I can't help myself. I loom over the blonde boy and with a shark-like smile ask, "Why, got any crimes to confess?" It might be mean since I know that to be the case, but it works wonders at setting the mood for everyone else. Nora and Yang chuckle at the joke while Kelly and Autumn openly snicker. Weiss and Pyrrha fight back any kind of reaction though for different reasons. Ruby sends me a withering look like she's disappointed that I'm picking on Jaune, but it's ruined by her puffed out cheeks turning it into more of a pout.

    Still, my actions serve as enough of a distraction. I don't think they've put all of the pieces together quite yet, but everything is in place if they were to think about it. I know it might be concerning to others but I can handle my busy schedule well enough without needing them to worry about me. Hopefully the upcoming finals is enough to distract everyone from making a big deal about this. Plus I won't be nearly as busy during the Winter break so I don't see why any of them would have an issue with what I'm doing. If everything goes according to plan I should have less on my plate afterwards, although life seems to have a way of piling more on me whenever I turn around.


    At the end of class for the day my team shoots off to clean up the dorm. Fair, we are having someone come over. Vel is busy on a mission with her team and when I look at Weiss I see her walking off muttering something about making sure everything is ready and perfect. I briefly consider seeking out Blake, but she's run off as well. Plus it's probably not the greatest idea to seek her out after springing the Clover situation on her once again.

    Just as I'm about to pack it in and head to training, already shifting about my mental schedule I bump into Ruby. Fortunately I'm able to stop myself before bowling her over completely, not that I think the girl notices as she's wrestling with how to say something. I back up and give her time to get her words out.

    She takes a deep breath and all in one go asks, "HeyOchreIwaswonderingifyouwantedtohangout?"

    "Sure," I answer back simply enough. "Why were you so nervous to ask?" Instead of answering me she laughs nervously forcing me to fill in the blanks myself. I don't think I've made myself unapproachable and this seems to be coming from her social awkwardness rather than to hide any ulterior motive on her part. Then I think back to the last time that I hung out with her. Which was what, a month or so ago?

    Okay, that might be the cause of this hesitation, but in my defense I've been spending less time with everyone overall. I've been focusing on my training and everything has been eating into my time bit by bit. I think it has been longer since I've spent any meaningful amount of time with Pyrrha, but she doesn't have the same issues as Ruby and I haven't been interacting with her team as much so I don't think she'll react the same way the diminutive team leader in front of me is.

    Whatever the case is I follow Ruby to where she wants to take me, which happens to be her dorm. We run into Yang on the way there, rushing out in her tank-top likely to work on her bike some more. She stops for a moment when she spots me, but upon not seeing Weiss in my vicinity shrugs her shoulders and continues on. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that, but I'm not going to be trying anything with Ruby so I can't say that the trust is misplaced.

    As soon as we enter Ruby rushes over to the t.v, quickly plugs in some sort of game console, grabs a controller, and hops up onto her bed. Just like last time I'm staying as far away from those potential deathtraps as I can, merely grabbing a controller and sitting on the ground.

    Having enough of the silent treatment I decide to tease the girl a little, "As much as I like mysteries I would appreciate knowing what we're doing here."

    That sets something loose as she starts to babble excitedly, "I got this game recently, but it's not really the kind of thing that Yang likes to play. Weiss doesn't like video games and Blake is Blake. With finals coming up this is the last week that I can play before then, so I thought you might like to play with me." Her tone drops low as if pleading with me to accept. Fortunately she's laying atop her bed on her belly with her head hanging over so she's able to see me nod. I have a few hours I can afford to spend on this endeavor and it's not worth the hassle to tell her no.

    She lets out a squee of excitement and starts up the game. It's a co-operative beat 'em up featuring two delinquent girls. The story, as loose as it is, is about the two girls searching for their missing boyfriends while wrecking havoc all across the city which appears to be a fictionalized version of Mistral.

    Remembering the types of games that Yang dragged me off to I have a pertinent question in mind. "So why didn't Yang want to play this? It seems up her alley to me."

    That elicits a groan from the petite reaper, "Ugh, yeah. But she gets way too into it and the enemies aren't enough for her. I can't tell you the number of times she's knocked me out of a combo just to 'spice things up.'" I'm content with that answer and want to leave things there, but as we progress through the game Ruby strikes up another topic. "So last week when Weiss was in her funk you talked to her for like five minutes and she was all better. What's your secret?"

    I was, perhaps, too optimistic that no one would notice the expediency with which I dealt with that particular issue. Unfortunately for Ruby I have no interest in spilling my secrets to her. "Magic," I blithely reply with a straight face.

    "Pfft, you can't fool me; magic isn't real. Now what's the actual answer?"

    "Too bad, because that's the only answer that you're getting from me." I don't even need to look to know that Ruby is pouting. She decides to show me her frustration by beating on my character in the game. I don't let it phase me; if she wants to waste our limited time together that's her decision to make. She lets up after a few seconds, but remains sullen throughout the next few minutes of gameplay. I guess it's up to me for our next choice of topics.

    RWBY: I've been interacting with her team quite a bit and arguably splitting the time of Weiss and Blake away from her. I could make sure that there aren't any issues lingering here. (6)

    Weapons: Ruby knows a little about weaponsmithing and Vel wants me to improve my craft at that. I could ask if she has any tips she'd be willing to share. (4)

    Patch: I haven't really looked too much into the place that Ruby and Yang call home. It's a nice neutral topic and she might appreciate the choice of topic. (1)

    Police: the last time that I talked with her she didn't have the highest of opinions about the VPD and now I'm a part of that organization. There's a conversation there if I'm willing to approach it. (1)

    I wait for a few more minutes to give Ruby some time to get over herself. When that doesn't work I get her attention with a simple and pitched, "Hey." She grunts in response which at least tells me that she's listening even if she's still upset at my lack of answer. "I know that I've been taking up a lot of Weiss and Blake's time. I just want to make sure that there aren't any hard feelings there."

    She flubs an air-combo that she was in the middle of before responding, "Why would I have an issue with my friends hanging out together?"

    That's more or less what I was expecting from her, but I also know that Ruby isn't as mature as she likes to portray herself as. "Well I am taking away time that they could be spending with the team and with the Vytal Tournament coming up that time could be better spent making sure that one of you wins the thing."

    "Winning some stupid Tournament isn't worth it if my friends are going to hate each other. Speaking of which, what you did to Jaune earlier was mean."

    I stifle a groan of my own, "That was just a joke, he knew I was joking. Everyone knew I was joking." She doesn't say anything, but I feel her judgmental gaze. Deciding it's better to shift matters to the topic at hand I say, "Seriously though, you have no issue with me butting in on your team?" I can't keep the incredulousness out of my voice.

    "I wish you'd share your Weiss and Blake herding secrets with me," she grumbles. "But honestly you seem to be handling things better than me. I didn't even know that Blake was a faunus and you were the one to help her out with that, not me."

    "I had a little bit of an unfair advantage there. Kinda hard not to know about the Chieftain's daughter and all that. Besides I heard you were able to wrangle Weiss well enough on your own." That isn't exactly the truth, at least from what Weiss told me. Apparently Port of all people convinced her to give Ruby a chance, but maybe that will be enough of a confidence booster for the short girl. Something tells me that I'm off my mark when Ruby scoffs at my comment, her voice lacking a certain quality of self-loathing.

    "Yeah, but you can do that too." I guess I'm too used to dealing with people with self-esteem issues and that sort of bled over. That or Ruby bounces back remarkably quickly. "Wait what was that chieftain bit? I thought you knew about her from your time in the White Fang." Damnit Blake, I thought you told them all about that. How is talking about your parents worse than mentioning you were a part of the White Fang?

    "Ah, yeah Ghira Belladonna. Previous High Leader of the White Fang, you know before they got violent, Blake's dad. A lot of people still call him the Chief though," I rattle off quickly to throw her off my trail. Nothing I said is a lie, so hopefully it passes muster. All I hear from the small girl is a sharp intake of air, likely upset that I knew something about her teammate that she didn't though I think that's more from her adding another inadequacy to her list and not directed at me in particular.

    "See this is what I'm talking about, you just know that off the top of your head-"

    "I was a part of the Fang, that's how I know."

    "-and look at me I have to hear about it second hand. It's just, err, I know I can only take things one day at a time, but there is so much that I have to catch up on." I get the feeling that she wants to add on something else there, but stops herself.

    Ruby might not have an issue with me spending time with her team, but she does have an issue with not being able to resolve their problems herself. I don't know if she knows about me helping out Yang as well, but I doubt it would improve her mood. If anything it's likely to make things worse with how personal it is. That being said she is trying and I don't think she's been doing a bad job, but the two year gap has obviously taken a toll on her and this has only compounded on those issues.

    Deciding to move the conversation to greener pastures I first move to reassure the girl. "I see where you're coming from, but you've been doing a great job so far. You're good enough to make it into Beacon early. So what if you have to catch up on a few things?" I lower my voice as if I'm confiding something with her, "To tell you the truth I have some issues of my own. I don't know that much about weapons; only enough to maintain the ones I have."

    Ruby lets out a gasp like I just dropped some sort of moon-shattering revelation upon her. "That's awful! How do you handle upgrades!? I'd never let anyone lay a hand on my baby!" I'm sure that if her scythe was within grabbing distance that the little reaper would be cradling the weapon and cooing sweet reassurances to the inanimate object.

    Taking advantage of my momentum I continue on. "Well I was looking to change that and I was wondering if you could give me any-" Before I can react a blur passes by in front of me and the controller in my hand is replaced by a stack of magazines about weapons. Then the controller that Ruby was holding crashes into the ground right next to me and the red-hooded devil is standing over me with her wide silver eyes. "Tips," I finish lamely, already regretting my decision.

    With a squee she pulls me up and into a hug, before dragging me off towards the workshops babbling on about weapon trivia all the way there. Once inside she drags me from machine to machine, all that I don't know the names of. Hyperactively explaining what each one does before getting distracted and pulling me to a different machine and back again. It's as if she's in the mental process of working on her own weapon and is bouncing between the machines in the order that she'd use them.

    I can't say that I didn't ask for this, but the rush of information is too much for me to parse through effectively. And I hang out with Oobleck on the regular so that's saying something. Thankfully I'm saved from this experience while Ruby is in the middle of explaining how to work a machine, that I think is supposed to smooth out some of the internals of a weapon, by a confused Yang wandering into the area. Likely she's looking for her sister as she just shakes her head when she sees the two of us. Ruby lets out a whine at her time being interrupted but follows her sister back to their dorms excitedly talking about showing me around the shop floor while the two of them disappear from my view.


    It's a bit of a pain scheduling a time for the Clovers to come over. Apparently today is the only time that Coral can clear out and it'll have to take place after classes limiting our time together. I also have to go to the offices to clear them as visitors. Most of the time Beacon takes care to maintain some level of security and a visitor check-in is one of those. Though it's one of those things that is going to be heavily relaxed once the Vytal Festival rolls around. I hear there's even going to be a fairground set up on campus so I guess they can't be too picky.

    The offices want to know who Coral is and why she's visiting. It's too complicated to explain my relationship with her so I lie and just tell them she's my mom. Only my friends should be able to catch me out on that lie and I hope that I don't have to end any friendships over one of them ratting me out. Not that that's a huge concern since they're all good people or are invested in me personally.

    When the time comes I stand by the docks with the rest of my team in our school uniforms. There isn't a real reason to dress up, though Weiss apparently disagrees with me. She's standing next to me in her combat dress, steadying herself like she's about to go off to war. I almost want to tell her to relax, but, with some of our recent talks, I find that it would be in poor taste to say that.

    RBY and JNPR are also waiting in the background though I think that's more to gawk at the meeting than any show of support. I frown to myself, I didn't see Ruby and Yang's dad get this much attention when he showed up out of the blue and I don't see why this would be any different than that. I don't have too much time to ponder that as the airship soon docks and a familiar pair of ladies descend from the boarding ramp.

    I see the smile form on Jasmine's face as she starts to run towards me screaming 'Mr. Oak.' I also, distinctly, notice the exact moment that she catches sight of Blake hiding away with her team. Despite her best efforts to remain hidden, the child missile rushes past me and my team crashing directly into the cat-girl and wrapping her arms around Blake's legs. Naturally her battle cry this time is 'Miss Bell.' Everyone aside from Blake and myself seems stunned at the behavior. I merely let out a sigh, having come to expect this sort of thing from the little gremlin. I at least am in a better position than Blake who looks like she's about ready to die from embarrassment due to the whole thing.

    Weiss is also stunned enough that she doesn't notice Coral approaching us until she politely coughs to get my team's attention. That causes my girlfriend to woodenly turn towards her and mechanically stretch out her hand, "I'm Weiss it's a pleasure to meet you." There is a tension in the air that I was expecting given Coral's history. Still, she takes Weiss' hand so there is some hope of reconciliation here. It'll be up to me to make sure that everything goes along smoothly. I'd be concerned, but honestly I've dealt with worse before.

    RBY: Jasmine has already attached herself to Blake so it wouldn't be the worst decision to spend some more time with my girlfriend's team. (2)

    Oobleck: Coral is interested in meeting with my mentor; I could oblige her and introduce the two. (2)

    Goodwitch: While not my main objective, introducing Coral to Goodwitch might get the teacher to be more lenient with me in the future, maybe. (1)

    JNPR: My other group of friends and my sole source of masculine bonding outside of Autumn at the moment. It'd be nice to make sure that they all get along with Coral and Jasmine. (0)

    QM Note: All of these occur canonically, this was just a vote for what would be given explicit screen time. Also decided to go with top 2 due to the tie-I didn't realize how much I tended to do that before doing all these edits, but, uh, don't try to deliberately tie votes in the future, okay?

    Coral returns Weiss' introduction and I get on with introducing her to the rest of my team. I struggle a bit with catching Marina's attention as she is drawn like a moth to flame in the direction of Jasmine though she avoids staring directly at the girl. I wish I could say that's because she has some tact, but it's more likely that Jasmine is just bright to Marina's semblance. Mindful of her discomfort and the fact that we still have a group of gawkers that aren't currently under assault by a cute bunny girl I lead everyone over to my team's dorm room.

    Weiss looks uncertain on whether she should follow along, but I nod my head towards where we're heading and give her a reassuring pat on the back. I refrain from doing anything more serious than that, though I receive a warm smile from my girlfriend as she follows along. I try reading Coral's expression as well to see how she's taking things, but she's struck up a conversation with Kelly and happens to be on the opposite side of her from Weiss and I. I frown to myself; it could be nothing or it could be her avoiding the issue for as long as she can.

    Soon enough our group of six arrives at my team's dorm. The twins took it upon themselves to clean up our room and roped Marina into it for a few days. I think they spent far too much effort on prettying everything up, but I guess they wanted to make a good first impression. I helped out a little as well, however, with my schedule my only major contribution was taking down the boards from my side of the room. I'll put them back after Coral leaves, but there's no need to worry her with my investigations.

    My teammates drift off towards their section of the room, likely double checking that everything is in order. Well, aside from Marina who's digging into the nightstand drawers between our two beds looking for something. Weiss starts towards my bed, but stops herself after a single step and then walks back next to the door and leans her back against the wall.

    Part of that is explained by her just going with the flow and heading to the only unoccupied bed, but it's also explained by the last time that she was in my room. Back when she offered to help with my investigation, I decided to explain everything to her in this room, alone. I, uh, well that isn't likely to repeat itself any time soon given how her team and mine don't want the two of us alone in either of our rooms. Not that it would be an issue for either one of us to book a room out in Vale if we really wanted our alone time. I freeze up, finally registering the kind of thoughts that I'm having in this situation and how they are distinctly not helpful right now.

    Kelly and Autumn remain respectful, answering Coral's questions when she asks them, but not offering much else aside from that. Her questions trend towards asking about me and my time at Beacon in a way that reminds me of when she talked about Jasmine's schoolwork. Fortunately we're all spared from the increasingly probing questions when Marina pulls out a notebook with a cheer. She quickly turns it to a specific page before throwing it down at the foot of her bed and rapidly patting down her clothes until she produces her scroll.

    Then instead of going around her bed to walk up to Coral, Marina scrambles on all four limbs over her bed, butting in front of Kelly to tug on the matronly woman's sleeves. "I need you to convince the Captain that this plan will work," Marina says with obvious excitement coloring her voice and gesticulating wildly to her notebook with her scroll in hand. Morbidly curious as to what's going on here I activate my semblance and find that her scroll has the same drawing she showed me a few weeks ago and the notebook has a written explanation for what all of the symbols on it mean.

    Not that that stops Marina from explaining everything to her audience anyway. Once I step out of my mirror world Marina shoves her scroll into the confused hands of Coral as she goes on to repeat almost word for word the explanation she gave me. Coral at first has an amused smile on her face, like she's entertaining a passing fancy that will soon be over, but as she realizes that Marina is completely serious about all of this her expression changes. Disbelief is writ clear on her face; I tried explaining Marina to the best of my ability, but evidently some things have to be witnessed to really be believed.

    Of course Coral isn't the only one in the room and this is the first time for the others to hear her plan in its unvarnished glory. Kelly, who I gave the broad strokes to since we've each taken responsibility for ensuring that our white-haired teammate doesn't get into too much trouble, has a look of pity, but hasn't gone out of her way to correct my partner. Autumn on the other hand is chuckling at Marina's plan while Weiss is a mix of touched, confused, and extremely embarrassed. After Marina's explanation of our potential future together Coral turns to look at Weiss, a complicated look sneaking its way past her stony mien for a second before being smoothed out again.

    With the ice broken I spot Autumn finishing up a chuckle before some mischief enters his eye. As he opens his mouth I start scrambling for some way to shut him up, knowing well by now that anything that he has to say will be to my detriment. "Well there is one thing that I didn't think to bring up before now. Y'see, Ochre over there gathered quite a reputation as a ladies man during our first weeks of school. First he was with Yang, then Blake, and now Weiss. Why it makes ya think about what he's getting at-"

    I throw a pillow at his lying mouth; propriety be damned! The feathery object impacts him, cutting off his speech mid sentence before falling down unceremoniously. There's a moment of silence as everyone processes what I just did. It's soon broken as Autumn doubles over, howling in laughter, with Kelly joining in soon after. Coral gives a slight laugh, I think more to humor my teammates than actually finding the situation funny, before smoothing her features out into a more refined persona.

    I'm left honestly questioning whether I should have let him continue or suffer this indignity instead. Even my girlfriend has an amused smile on her face and with the way her hand keeps hovering at her side I can tell she's fighting back a laugh at the whole situation. At least Marina is on my side, a pillow in her hands ready to be thrown and I have to signal to her to stand down lest this escalate into something else. Fortunately Coral takes pity on me and rejoins the conversation with some questions about my teammates.

    Given that Marina has already shared her plan for the future, that's her first question for the twins and Autumn answers that the both of them will be Huntsmen for a while before settling down on a farm. Kelly doesn't contradict him but a thoughtful look passes over her face. Something that I know Coral catches along with myself, though neither of us say anything. She does give me a look as if to inform me that's something I should take care of at some point. However, I have plenty of time in the future so there's no need to worry about it now.

    This continues for a few minutes as Coral gets to know my teammates as people. I'm just glad that the focus isn't on me anymore, I never really appreciated people digging into me before and especially not when I can't control the conversation. Then, as if on some unseen signal, my team starts making their way out of the room. Marina is reluctant to leave as she's gone back to working on her plan with her tongue sticking out in concentration. Eventually Kelly is able to cajole her outside with a promise to help her refine her plan and then I'm left in the room with Coral and Weiss.

    The previously jovial atmosphere does a lot to blunt the incoming tide of awkwardness, but it's impossible to miss the shift in the demeanor of the room's occupants. Coral isn't looking at either of us, instead busying herself with looking around the room and nudging the occasional object. Weiss isn't much better as she's taking several deep breaths preparing herself to broach on the awkward subject hanging between her and Coral. I am even tensing up for some unknown reason.

    It's not like the two of them not getting along means my relationship with them would change, although I'm hopeful it doesn't come to that. Weiss looks at me, it seems like she wants to rush over for some support but is holding herself back since Coral is in the room. Instead I give her a firm nod which she returns before addressing Coral. "I want to say that I'm sorry for everything that happened to you."

    Her words sound rehearsed, which is unsurprising. She knew about Coral for weeks and had a few days to prepare for her showing up. It, however, does not help her in this case as Coral picks up on that fact as well and fires back, "It's easy for you to apologize after the fact. You and your father have already benefited from the sacrifices of the faunus and yet it hasn't stopped. So, forgive me if I'm not convinced of your sincerity."

    "I am not my father," my girlfriend yells out. She doesn't deal well with a challenge or aggression like this. Her words turn sharp and defensive, "I will not apologize for my past or my upbringing nor will I have you disparage my efforts. With Ochre's help I'm already improving things for the better here in Vale and I'll do the same for the rest of Remnant."

    If Coral was a woman of less composure I'm sure she'd let something slip right now, but instead she swallows her words. As much as she hates the SDC she knows better than to conflate their sins with Weiss. It might be prudent to check up on her at some point after this to make sure that actually gets resolved. She looks to me for confirmation and I nod, not really having much to say at the moment.

    "Fine," Coral lets out, not at all sounding convinced. She's letting the matter lie for now, probably on my behalf. That, however, doesn't settle Weiss' riled up nerves. Even if it wasn't her intention Coral made Weiss compare herself to her father and my girlfriend is fighting back any more vitriolic comments due to Coral not believing her.

    Seeing as they aren't engaged in any dialogue and my girlfriend is in trouble I stride across the room and don't even get the chance to console her as Weiss latches onto me on her own accord. I don't mean to look at Coral, but I catch her in the corner of my eye regardless. Her expression melts and she turns her face away in shame. I could read into that, but instead my focus is on helping Weiss re-center herself.

    "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken that out on you…I'll give you two a few minutes and…" Coral trails off. Whatever she wants to say is left unfinished as she lets her words hang in the air for a few seconds before walking out of the room.

    "I'm sorry," Weiss whispers in my ear. I feel like this is a bigger moment for her than it is for me. I could let her know that Coral will come around given enough time or that this is all because of the past hurts she's projecting onto Weiss. I could even reassure her that she's not her father. I don't do any of this because Weiss already knows this herself.

    Instead I respond simply, "I'm still here." That causes her to hold onto me tighter for a few seconds before letting go. She sniffs deeply, fighting back her emotions and trying to regain her composure. I cup her chin and wipe away her nascent unshed tears. Nothing needs to be said between us and I'm tempted to use my semblance to give her some more time to gather herself when she jerks out of my grip.

    She turns around for a second and then turns back with her polite mask re-affixed like nothing happened. There are things left unsaid between the two of us and all I get from her is a nod and a steely expression. If I'm reading things right she wants me to continue my day with Coral and not let whatever this was weighing upon us while she goes back to her team. I sigh, but let her get away with this much.

    The two of us leave the room and Weiss splits off to go back to her team's dorm while I take Coral to show off the campus to her and meet with some of my teachers. She does an admirable job of maintaining her composure, but I can tell by how her eyes keep darting back towards the dorms that she feels guilty. Part of me feels like I'm only getting this much out of her because she's willing to show this much to me, but I also get the feeling that she is genuine in her remorse. I don't address it right now as there is no good way to broach the subject and I might just maybe want her to stew on things for a little bit regardless.


    Our next stop is to meet up with my mentor. I don't see much of a point in introducing Coral to my teachers, nor Oobleck, but she is really insistent about it and after what just happened the two of us could use a palette cleanser. We find my green-haired instructor at his office thermos in hand as he darts between one whiteboard and another. Two stacks of papers are neatly ordered on his desk and the boards look like they contain the plans for our upcoming Winter expedition. I do note that he's planning on bringing more people than just the two of us, which makes sense; grimm are dangerous out in the wild and the extra security will be helpful, especially since the two of us might be rather indisposed searching ruins rather than keeping our eyes open for grimm.

    As soon as we enter he finishes up some last second changes to his whiteboard plan and quickly zips around behind his desk to face the two of us. "Ah, Mr. Rovere. I must say this is somewhat a surprise. I didn't realize that you'd be able to bring family to our esteemed halls, much less on such short notice." He turns towards Coral with an outstretched hand. "Miss Clover is it?"

    "Yes it is, Dr. Oobleck. Has Ochre told you about me," Coral responds, grasping my mentor's hand, easily slipping into the conversation as if nothing is weighing on her mind.

    "Ah, nothing of the sort. I apologize for the slight breach of privacy, but I had the offices include me on anything related to my apprentice. Never know when I might need to step in, which has thankfully not been the case so far. Nevertheless, hearing that his mother was paying us a visit was worthy of my attention."

    I duck my head not having expected Oobleck to go so far on my behalf. Coral, meanwhile, has an expression torn between elation and distraught for a moment, before the elation shines through. Both of our reactions have Oobleck humming to himself, regarding us with studious gazes. "I was under the impression that Ochre comes from Menagerie. I find it curious that the same isn't the case for yourself."

    "Ah, that. It was a hard decision, but I decided that Jasmine and I would have a better future here in Vale than there in Menagerie. There may have been some disagreements at the time. I'm just glad to have my boy back with me." Her words sound normal, but there's no way I could mistake the teasing nature hidden within. Still, she's playing along with this more than I would expect to be normal for her. Likely she's trying to make up for her behavior with Weiss.

    Undeterred by her acting, Oobleck cuts to the heart of the matter, "I am not unfamiliar with…strange family dynamics. It doesn't matter to me whether your bonds were forged by time or by blood, but please don't make a habit of lying to the administration Mr. Rovere. That being said, you don't have to worry about me saying anything."

    "You have our thanks," Coral responds with a slight bob of her head. She even cups me upside the back of my head to follow suit as well. I think she's getting into this whole 'mom' thing far more than I think she should. Then again I'm not sure if this is a result of that or just her natural response to someone doing us a minor favor. I can't help the grumble that escapes me and my mentor and Coral share a conspiratorial smile. "In any case, what have you been teaching my Ochre?"

    A light shines off of Oobleck's spectacles as he rapidly goes off, "I have been teaching him all sorts of things, from the foundation of the Kingdoms to the lost civilizations around the world as well as the skills to survive discovering more about them. However, if I must be frank it is my intent to convince Mr. Rovere to take up brush and trowel to uncover the secrets of Remnant's past for all to learn from. A far more productive venture than what he's gotten up to in the past."

    I get the feeling that I know where he's going with this, but before I can interject Coral speaks up, "On that we can agree. He was involved with some…unsavory characters and their recent behavior is enough to make a mother worried."

    "It is good to see that at least one family isn't keeping secrets," Oobleck says honestly relieved, before realizing what he just said. "My apologies, I shouldn't bring such personal affairs into this matter." I very carefully keep my face neutral and mouth shut. Neither of them needs a tip off to know that I'm keeping any secrets, much less the ones I'm currently sitting on.

    Fortunately, or not; I'm not quite sure yet, Coral titters while waving off his concern, "Think nothing of it. Besides, call me Coral, we're both invested in Ochre's well-being and it's the least I could do."

    My mentor relaxes at his minor faux-pas being ignored and nods back to Coral, "In that case you can call me Batholomew." I shuffle awkwardly not really having had much to contribute to this conversation and the lack of control on my part setting me ill at ease. This is something that Oobleck picks up on, though I don't know how he reads into it. "Ah, I suppose that I have taken up enough of your time. Don't forget our sessions later on in the week Mr. Rovere, but do enjoy your time together while you have it."

    With that we make our way outside with Coral waving goodbye to my bespectacled mentor. I go on to briefly introduce her with the rest of my teachers like she requested. Most of them greet her kindly and talk briefly about how I'm doing in their class. I do get a sharp look from Coral when going over my performance in Professor Heartwood's Dust Studies class, but it's Goodwitch's reaction that catches my attention the most.

    It's like she wasn't expecting for someone like Coral to talk with her and even share some stories about me, much to my chagrin. She regains her composure easily enough, but I have to wonder why that unsettled her so much. Oh well it's not like I have a window to the inner workings of her mind.


    After our little tour is done we spend some time with team JNPR to introduce that set of friends to her as well as put off the little reunion with Weiss and her team. I get some weird looks from Nora, Ren, and Jaune while Pyrrha is the most amicable, but without much to talk about me in particular. Aside from the two of us being top in combat class there hasn't really been much interaction between us.

    Nora and Ren's reaction is easily explained by their own status as orphans. They're likely happy for me while slightly jealous. I don't think either of them will hold onto for too long as I don't see them acting much differently to anyone else, but they can't help what they're feeling at the moment. Jaune is the funniest reaction to me as he's looking at me wildly like he can't believe his eyes. I think that comes from how Coral has been playing up her doting on me after our time in Oobleck's office. I appreciate the dedication to keeping up the act, but I'd appreciate it more if she'd let it drop in front of my friends.

    Nevertheless that leaves us with our final stop of the evening. A knock on team RWBY's dorm gets a muted come in followed by the shrieking of a child. Coral practically batters down the door to see what's happening to Jasmine. We find her hanging off of Ruby's neck as the young team leader rushes back and forth across the room in a rush of petals. A loud cough from Coral stops Ruby in her tracks as she suddenly turns mortified and tries to get the girl off her back.

    Jasmine meanwhile takes her mother's disapproval as a signal to hop off Ruby and rush her mom in a hug babbling, "You should have seen it! Miss Red Hood is all wooosh and so fast and her petals are so pretty. Do you think I could run fast enough to have flowers follow after me? Oh! Or maybe I could borrow her hood and go all wooosh on my own!"

    Upon hearing her words Ruby protectively grasps at the front of her cloak. "Ah, no. Sorry, but this is something that reminds me of my mom and I'm not giving it up," she explains, more for my and Coral's benefit as I'm sure she's told Jasmine multiple times by now.

    "I'm just glad that it's you and not me she was hanging off of. No offense, but I don't want Jasmine anywhere near my hair," Yang says, drawing attention away from her little sister.

    "Awww, but your hair's so pretty Goldilocks," Jasmine whines.

    Weiss looks like she wants to say something, but holds off while Yang asks, "Does she normally have problems with people's names?"

    "Not usually," Coral responds, her face screwed up in puzzlement.

    "Maybe it's just a thing with new people," Yang offers.

    "Maybe," Coral agrees, sounding unconvinced. Then after a few moments Coral looks around the room spotting Blake standing in a corner keeping a watchful eye on Jasmine and quickly looking away when she spots Weiss sitting on her bed. Weiss, similarly, avoids eye-contact and I know that neither of them will be working past this right now.

    Thankfully, Yang picks up on this and moves the conversation somewhere more fruitful avenues. "So what have the two of you been up to while we've been entertaining Jasmine?"

    After having a chance to speak up after so long I'm a bit more clipped and honest than I need to be. "We've been running around meeting with the staff even though I don't see the point to it myself."

    I feel like I've made a big mistake when Coral languidly replies, "A mother worries about their child don't you know."

    "Cut it out," is my immediate reply, not wanting her to continue this charade. Our byplay throws Yang for a loop for a few seconds. Unsurprising since I've told her about what happened to my mom, but before I can clarify matters with her she seemingly resolves the issue herself with a slight nod in my direction and a wan smile on her face.

    Jasmine picks up on what was said and the implication behind it launching herself in my direction and tackling my midsection with enough force that I have to brace against the wall behind me. "BIG BRO," she shouts in jubilation.

    "No! Absolutely not!" I gently push her away to the amusement of Coral and the others in the room.

    Undeterred by my denial Jasmine turns to Blake and screams, "BIG SIS," before tackling her. Unfortunately for the gremlin that Blake disappears in a puff of smoke. I notice that one of the windows closes a moment after, but let Jasmine revel in the wonder she just experienced. "She's magic," she shouts and then closes her eyes in concentration, likely trying to disappear like Blake just did. When that fails to produce the results that she wants she slowly turns her head towards Ruby. The young team leader visibly shivers as Jasmine starts chasing after her and makes for the door in an attempt at escape.

    Thankfully Coral is there to sweep up her excited daughter into her arms. The recalcitrant child struggles for a few moments before she settles down and starts playing with her mother's hair instead. "Thank you all for watching Jasmine, but it's been a long day for all of us. I think it's best if I take her to bed before she stays up too late." I look at her suspiciously, no doubt she's just trying to cut things to a close early so she doesn't have to deal with Weiss. However, since that seems to be reflected on my girlfriend's end I don't make an issue of it. It'll be a headache for later, but aside from that black mark I can't say that things haven't gone well with introducing Coral to my team and friends.

    I escort the mother daughter pair to the docks and am slightly surprised to find Blake waiting beside the airship. Jasmine squirms to get at her, but her mom retains a firm grip. I decide to let them have their moment and give them some privacy, but I do catch Blake pulling out the bunny plush that she won with Jasmine at Cecil's. This causes Jasmine to squirm some more until she produces a rather beaten-up dog plush from one of her pockets. It has the wear and tear as if she carries it with her everywhere and Blake cringes away from the reveal. Whether that's because of its damage or because it's a dog and not a cat I'm unsure.

    Regardless, we all say our goodbyes with hugs and promises to visit soon. Once the Clovers board the airship, Blake's relaxed demeanor instantly firms up and she stares at me. It doesn't take a genius to decipher her message that I shouldn't tell a soul about what just happened. I'll consider it, but, after the day I've had, someone else being on the receiving end of some embarrassment is sounding mighty tempting.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 14 (Part 2, End)
  • Threadmarks
    • Once the hubbub from Coral's visit dies down I return to another matter that requires my attention. With reports from my moles inside the organization making up a bulk of the useful intel I'm receiving about the Fang in addition to the increase in available funds, I find it prudent to expand my ranks once more. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of my moles, I can focus my expansion on the operations that I find most useful to my efforts instead of casting a wide net. While I could focus on operations close to home it may be more beneficial to place agents in areas outside of my investigative range.

    That being said, there is a list of valid options. I have a couple agents in Mountain Glenn already; however, seeing as it is a major base of operations for the Vale branch and is integral to their plan, having some more can prove pivotal in stopping whatever madness Adam is up to. Similarly with what I found out last week I can also recruit some agents that are likely picks for their grimm handling duty. Not that I think that'll bear fruit for a couple months as it looks like the Fang is in the middle of acquiring the grimm cages much less filling them.

    Aside from that there are the more managerial roles that the Fang needs filling. I get the feeling that the subordinates here are a bit more aware of what's going on around them than the normal members of Adam's branch. Regardless, getting my hands on a steady stream of their reports will give me the clearest idea of how many people Adam is involving in his operations. Not to mention it'll shine some light on what resources the woman in red is providing him.

    Similarly, I can go after the man ostensibly in charge of managing these operations in Vale. I already suspect that he has some issues with Adam, but this is further confirmed by my moles. It doesn't seem like he has an ideological reason to oppose Adam and would only want to jump ship if a better offer was presented. Given I have some Lien to spare I can make that work, but I don't harbor any belief that his loyalty would extend much further than that. That being said he would provide many benefits, such as slowly shifting the shops over to paying me instead of the Fang and covering up for that in the mean-time. Perhaps not the most useful thing on its own, but this would be in addition to the information he could already provide me. Unfortunately he is sure to want to bring on his own men and establish a power bloc in my growing organization.

    Moving on from that I have two other options in mind. The first of which is attaching some moles to Torchwick's operations. While my bugs have been doing good work, maybe the man is more talkative while on the job and not in the middle of planning his next heist. That and it would be a nasty surprise for him if suddenly some of his men turn on him when he goes to steal that Dust tanker which should be arriving in a few weeks.

    Lastly I could insert agents to sap away at Adam's manpower pool directly. He's stepped up recruitment and I'm certain that I could persuade some of the people in charge of that to my side and they can clandestinely recruit more people to my cause. Most of these would be grunts, but a steady stream of recruitment could be useful while also denying Adam those same assets.

    Normally I'd be concerned about over-reaching, but between the information I have access to, my digital investigators, and the information my moles have provided me I foresee no issue with this round of recruitment. The only question is how far I want to reach and if I'm willing to pay for that information.

    Logistical matters: The middle-managers that are the life-blood of the Fang. Their fellows might be more aware than the usual of Adam's bunch, but their information is valuable to me. (5)

    Mountain Glenn: This appears to be the crux of their plan so having more eyes on the matter and hands available to hinder the operation in case it becomes necessary doesn't hurt. (5)

    Recruiters: A bit of a more long-term plan, but subverting the recruiters would drain Adam's branch of manpower while filling my own. (5)

    Grimm Tidings: The White Fang is setting up some grimm cages for their upcoming action. Presumably these cages will be filled at some point and I could have some men on the case. (2)

    Logistical Director of Vale: The man in charge of ensuring the Fang has enough food, weapons, and Dust to accomplish their objectives. He'd be a valuable acquisition even if his loyalty would be circumspect. (1)

    Torchwick watch: Having some men working with Torchwick could give me some more insight into the man. Plus I know he has some contact with the woman in red. Maybe they'll eventually wind up in a meeting with her. (0)

    I spend some time going over the dossiers and helping select who to attempt swaying to my cause. Honestly most of the work is already done for me or can be delegated to my digital investigators which means I'm mainly here as oversight in case there's something they miss as well as the final decision maker. I do have to spend a few hours making sure everything is alright and okaying all of the orders, but by the end of it the number of moles that I have access to has more than tripled. Hopefully whatever info they have access to will be provided in this week's report.

    Speaking of which I am adding to the workload of Tukson and Blake. Most of these requests had to work their way through Tukson before reaching me so he already knows. Blake, meanwhile, will be dealing with the brunt of the information in the future and might like having a heads up that her job is about to get a little harder. Asking around her team they direct me to the library and I remind myself that I should spend some time with Weiss after this.

    I find the cat-faunus by herself in one of the private study rooms. Typically they're used by tutors to help students out, but nothing prevents someone from renting one out though it's typically frowned upon to use solely for reading. Of course, Blake isn't busy reading while in this room. Instead she has her scroll out and a few paper printouts in front of her as she cross-references all the materials in front of her.

    From a brief glance they look to be the reports from the various moles in my organization, which I should really come around to naming at some point. We're growing big enough that some of the grunts will start making up their own name for us and I should get ahead of that before it gets too out of hand. Regardless, it is nice to see that Blake is taking her duties seriously, though the glossy eyes and slight bags forming under them tell me that she's pushing herself a little too hard and not taking a well needed break.

    Since I'm already here I might as well help her out, "Hey you know we can just go over this on the weekend you don't need to burn yourself out over it. Especially with finals coming up next week." Technically we have as much as a month to get everything done, but they are opening up next week.

    She tries to play it off, but I notice her stiffening up as soon as I start speaking. Maybe she's the type to get obsessive when she thinks she can do something. "It's just that it feels like we're so close to figuring everything out. How can I justify not giving this my full attention with everything that's at stake here?"

    "Sometimes you're better off coming at things while fresh and can make more progress then. Besides, you don't need to justify everything that you do, sometimes you just have to do something for yourself." I can tell my words aren't reaching her so I pull up the chair from the other side of the desk, set it next to her, and start helping her work through the reports that she's having issues with.

    "By the way," I start as almost an afterthought. "There will be more reports coming in the near future so, uh, maybe get rested up for that." She groans at that as her head slumps down on the table and she stares at me with a gimlet eye. I keep myself firm and easily slide into my next topic, either she'll forgive me or she won't but I'm not going to dress it up for her either way. "So, what made you decide to reveal yourself to the school? You were pretty hesitant beforehand." She shies away from my statement, but gathers up her courage and raises her head soon enough.

    "It was this show of trust that tipped things over the edge for me," she says, sweeping her hands over the paperwork in front of us. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the attempts you made before that. It's just that, well, I couldn't keep running away. I could either help others get out of the same spiral I found myself in or I could admit my attempt at redemption was hollow all along and well, you know which I chose."

    "I get the feeling that it isn't as simple as you're making it out to be," I state with an easy-going tone. Leaving it open for her to expand on her statement or just agree with me and move on.

    "Yes, it wasn't that simple and it-it was terrifying to talk with my team after all this time and it took some time to find the right words, but well- thank you for believing in me," she says softly and with a gracious, almost fragile, expression. I don't say anything in response to that. If she wants to take my actions that way I'm not going to disagree with her and I doubt she'd appreciate that I did it to save a couple hundred Lien a month.

    Instead I press on a different, but related topic. "Have many people given you trouble for, you know?" I make a motion to my own ears and it's simple enough for her to pick up on it.

    "Not as much as you might think. I-I wasn't exactly the most sociable before taking my bow off and I was too concerned about people finding out about my secret so not much has changed for me." Blake admits slowly, not too bothered by what happened though I think she regrets some of her actions in retrospect.

    Workaholic: I know it's rich coming from me, but she'll need to learn to balance her workload a little better than she has. (3)

    Ideals: She has a more rosy view of the White Fang than I do. It might be prudent to talk to her about it and see if we can reconcile or accept each others views before we go too far with this organization. (3)

    Adam: I know there's some trauma tied up with that relationship. It might be best to lance this boil before it can pop up at an inconvenient time. (2)

    Parents: She hadn't told her team about her parents or their place in Menagerie. I've made some work on this previously, but I could talk with her about it. (0)

    Clovers: As the only other person to meet with the Clovers before their visit she is uniquely situated to provide her perspective on what just happened. (0)

    We continue going through the reports at a decent clip, Blake getting faster and better at recognizing when a report has nothing of value and setting it aside. I wish I could teach her the wonders of delegation, but I'd prefer if she knew how to do her job first before bringing on any underlings she'd have to directly manage. Besides, there's another issue here that I need to resolve first. "You need to take a break," I state simply.

    "What I need is to finish up these reports. If what you said is true then I'd be buried in them by the weekend if I don't take care of them now." Her reply is testy like I suspected and she shifts some of the reports over to her side of the desk as if claiming them as her responsibility.

    I, of course, ignore her personal space and take a report off the top of the stack, much to her indignation. "Look you can pretend all that you want that you're operating at a hundred percent right now, but we both know that's a lie. I'm not telling you to stop, just asking that you manage your time a little better. Maybe sneak in a book here or a talk with a friend there; it'll go a long way to preserving your sanity, trust me."

    She actually looks like she's considering my words, but something is stopping her from accepting them. So, I attack a deeper issue, "Why exactly are you so motivated to run yourself into the ground over this? You have me and Tukson, not to mention our teams to help us out if we need it."

    She seems surprised that I brought up our teams, which is fair. I haven't exactly gone out of my way to include them on anything more than overwatch operations with the exception of trading info with Weiss. Still, she has the rest of my comment to consider as she grips the reports in her hands tightly enough for me to hear the creases that she's making. "Because I'm responsible; I could have done something before now, but I didn't and I have to put things right."

    I can see where she's coming from, but it's distinctly unhelpful right now. Instead I lean on that same sense of responsibility. "If that's the case then you're responsible for providing quality work to me and you're responsible to your team to be in the best shape you can be. Neither of which you're accomplishing by pushing yourself so hard and for so often. Just take a break every once in a while." I can tell that she remains unconvinced so I pull out my trump card. "If you don't I'll have to take drastic action and have the reports rerouted to my scroll and take care of them myself."

    She stands up from her chair, leans over me, and with a challenging tone exclaims, "You wouldn't!" I want to reflexively disagree with her, but stop myself. I really have spread myself too thin to pick up that work without the rest of my activities suffering. Add in the upcoming wave of reports and I'd be too swamped to keep up with some of my self-made obligations.

    "You're right," I say instead, shocking her. "I wouldn't because I know my limits and I'm asking that you learn yours so I don't have to overextend myself in the future. I don't care that you feel responsible for all this. You're probably right to a certain degree, but I do care about you burning yourself out because it'll create more work for me in the future. So, please for the love of anything please take care of yourself."

    Normally I'm not so honest with my intentions, but the combination of paperwork and Blake's obstinate nature causes me to lose control momentarily. Just as I'm about to make another attempt to right the conversation Blake stares long and hard at me as if deciphering what I just said. I decide to wait this out and see where she goes with it. After a few moments she sits down and starts gathering up the reports and filing them away for another day.

    I blink slowly, not sure what about what I just said could have convinced her to take this course of action. I'm not going to question my good fortune, though and just wait in silence for her to finish up. When she does she turns to me as if to say 'happy now' which I don't know if I am or not.

    Unfortunately Blake uses my lack of response to take the initiative and turn the conversation back on me. "Why are you so invested in all of this? You weren't here for what happened and you could have just left the Fang entirely so why get involved again?"

    "Well it all happened by accident. I was investigating Torchwick as a hobby-" I start with my usual line, but Blake cuts me off with a glare. It's not like I'm lying to her here, but I can take a hint when I'm given one. "Fine, what Adam is doing is the wrong way for the Fang to achieve their goals. I'm afraid that if he carries out his plan more people will be like him and burn the whole movement to the ground." I pause for a bit deliberating on whether I should tell her the next bit. "Honestly I'm just in it for a stronger Menagerie, for some…personal reasons, but people hating the faunus is obviously not going to help with that."

    "You're right. We need to show them a better way; that violence isn't the answer." I really shouldn't, but I can't help the snort that escapes from me. How painfully naive of her. Unfortunately this grabs her attention and I have to defend myself.

    "No offense Blake, I respect the Chief a lot, but his way of handling the Fang is what led us into this mess. Eschewing violence in all scenarios isn't the way for faunus to get respect, it just shows that we can be pushed around."

    My entirely sensible comment causes her to snarl at me, "Excuse me! That kind of thinking is exactly how we ended up like this. Have you walked around Vale lately?! The humans don't respect us as equals; they fear us like the grimm! How is that achieving equality!?"

    I raise my hands in an attempt to mollify her and defuse the situation. "Hey I'm not saying that we should be as extreme as the Vale branch or even Atlas. Just that being willing to stand up for ourselves isn't something we can discard to win some sympathy. Or do you think that all the faunus should have just accepted being shipped off to Menagerie?"

    That only causes her to become more incensed and raise her voice even more. "This and that are two completely different things! As soon as you accept the usage of violence it's only a matter of time until you take things too far."

    "I don't think that's true. Atlas' army employs violence or the threat of it all the time and you don't see them going off to be megalomaniacal tyrants."

    "Since when have you ever cared about how Atlas does things!?" It looks like she wants to continue arguing before closing her mouth and thinking better of her decision there.

    She stands up to leave and in my best leader voice I shout, "Stop! Sit back down," before lowering my voice to a more gentle tone. "You are, for all intents and purposes, the second in command right now. We can't afford leaving this rift between us. You don't have to agree with me, nor do I with you, but we need to sort this mess out between us and at least accept that we have different opinions."

    "I thought you said I should know my limits and maybe not work so much," Blake responds, heat still present in her tone, but her glibness tells me that she's willing to humor me here.

    "Shut up," I shoot back in a playful manner. It's not the greatest foundation, but it allows me to lay out my own philosophy here. "I just want us to be able to defend ourselves." That causes her hard gaze to soften and I continue, "That being said I think the threat of violence is a wonderful tool that we can use though you're free to disagree with that. Actual violence should be our last resort, just like it's always been."

    Blake digests my words for a few moments, "I still think you're wrong. Anything you build on that foundation will require that you be willing to carry out your threats."

    "It's still far better than politely asking the humans to graciously give us the rights they've denied us thus far."

    "You say that, but I think some of them aren't as bad as we thought they would be." I can't really argue against that with who I'm dating. Doesn't mean that I have to like it, nor do I have to like the teasing smirk Blake shoots my way at my sulking. She holds that expression for a few moments before sighing, "Maybe you're right, but I'd like to give the peaceful approach another shot. It's worth that much and more if we can heal the wounds the past five years have caused."

    I can tell that this is more of a personal matter to her than a well-reasoned one and let the matter drop. I'm not going to sway her to my side with one conversation. Regardless, I have established a common ground with her and it doesn't seem that she's too upset by my stance. A bit wary, maybe, but it looks like she's willing to see where I'm going with it now that I've laid all my cards on the table. That will have to be enough for now as the two of us make our way back to our rooms for the night.


    The day after my talk with Blake I make some time to hang out with Weiss. I think she originally had plans for us to head out into Vale this week, but after her meeting with Coral and the upcoming finals decided to cancel. It's all circumstantial as she didn't tell me anything about it, but Yang and Ruby let slip enough details for me to piece that much together. Instead we're back in team RWBY's dorm; this time with Blake atop her bed with her nose in a book. At the very least I'm accomplishing two tasks at once and with my semblance privacy isn't an issue.

    At my girlfriend's insistence I bring the two of us into my mirror world and as soon as we do she turns off the movie we had playing as a distraction. I'm sitting in front of her bed as she leans over it to rub at my scalp and ears. I get the feeling that this is either an apology on her part for the meeting with Coral or a thanks for reassuring her afterwards. Probably both if I'm being honest and I can at least appreciate the attempt on her part.

    After a few minutes of being alone like that she starts singing as if to rid herself of the unwanted emotions. I let it wash all over me, not really in the mood when she's playing around with my upper ears and ruining any attempt to listen in. Besides, I know this is something she's doing for herself and not me so it's not necessary for me to do so. When she's done she leans her head against mine, nestling her chin so that my upper ears cup the side of her face. She giggles a bit when they brush against her and I do my best to wiggle them a little just to hear that sound again.

    Despite this an air of melancholy hangs between us and the lack of outside sound from my mirror world only adds to it. Eventually I say, "Everything's going to be okay. Coral will come around eventually."

    She lets out an exhale that tickles the base of my ears and the top of my head. "I know, but I could have made a better first impression. I knew about her past and I should have prepared better."

    "I'm pretty sure it was that preparation that made her react the way that she did," I state simply as a fact. Weiss makes a quiet noise of disappointment that I hear all too easily with my proximity to her. Deciding to reassure her I reach up and grab one of her hands, "I said I'd be here for you and I am."

    I feel more than see a smile form, but that doesn't stop her from her next course of action. "Why?" It's a question that I've been hoping she wouldn't ask as I'm not sure how to answer it myself. On the one hand I do actually enjoy her company and while I find her doting a bit bothersome, I will admit I've grown used to it to some degree. On the other hand I can't dismiss the practical benefits to my arrangement with her and I wouldn't want to exclude that from any explanation I give her. She deserves at least that much after all this time, even if I dislike the sentimentality behind my decisions.

    Ah, it's all a fucking mess, better start simple and work my way up. "I guess it's because you tried. I've been a drifter over the past few years and never had anything like this," I wave my hand vaguely in the air, not having a better way to encapsulate all of the feelings involved with whatever our relationship is.

    "It can't be that simple. That means…" she trails off while squeezing my hand.

    "It couldn't have been anyone," I complete and refute her point for her. "I think it took someone with the exact amount of determination and stubbornness to get through to me back then."

    "Calling me stubborn," she mumbles petulantly right into my ear.

    "You know you're saying that right next to my ears right?" An 'eep' escapes her and lets me know that it wasn't intentional on her part. Nonetheless she makes no move to separate herself from the position that she finds herself in. "Even then, you have the motivation to take on the SDC and to be honest I think you can do it. And, well, not many people would accept me or the things I've done if they were in your position."

    "I'm sure you could have found someone," she mumbles, but her heart isn't in it. More like she's offering up the protest just to see how I'll respond.

    "Perhaps," I let the word tumble out slowly to build anticipation for my follow up, "but I chose you." I send and receive a little squeeze from our connected hands. "Though I'm not going to complain about dating a rich girl. Why, just imagine what I could do with the SDC at my back," I try joking, but Weiss sees straight through the act.

    "Oh, Ochre. You're far too serious all the time."

    "And you aren't," I needle back.

    She harrumphs, "Of course I'm not, I'm dignified. There's a difference."

    "Ah, of course, my apologies. I guess I'm just too much of a wild animal to be that cultured."

    Weiss lets out a short giggle that she quickly strangles. "Don't joke about that." I let the slight admonishment roll off me since my words had their intended effect.

    Approval: Maybe how things went with Coral has brought her mind to if Winter or Klein disagreed with our match. It might be worth broaching the topic with her. (3)

    Break: What are her plans for the upcoming Winter break? I remember her saying something about checking out the competition, but there has to be more than that. (2)

    Ambitions: There must be something behind her desire to control the SDC with how adamant she is about it. Maybe she'll tell me and I can confide in her my own ambitions for Menagerie. (0)

    "So," I start without preamble and give Weiss a moment to respond to make sure she's paying attention. I get a noncommittal hum in return that I know means she's relaxing and enjoying the moment. I almost decide to put off this topic for later, but figure that it would be better just to deal with it now. "Have you put any thought into how introducing me to Winter or Klein would go?"

    I feel her dig her head deeper into my hair as if to escape from the unpleasant topic and she eventually lets out a quiet, "A little." I could press her immediately, but since she's gotten started I know I just have to give her a few moments and she'll continue her train of thought. "Winter and I have exchanged letters and I wasn't as careful during the first few weeks at Beacon as I am now. She might suspect something, but I haven't told either of them about your past with the White Fang."

    I suck a breath in through my teeth; on the one hand that could be good for our first meeting on the other hand keeping this a secret only kicks the can down the road. Not to mention my relationship with the Fang isn't quite so in the past. "I don't suppose you had a plan for when you're going to tell them?"

    "I figured it would be better if you were the one to tell them. Like you did for me; show them who you really are and all that."

    "Geeze, give me all the easy jobs, why don't you?"

    "As if you weren't expecting to do something like this when we started dating," my girlfriend fires back with a haughty air to her words. She isn't wrong, but I play up my petulance for her sake anyway, making a low rumbling noise that I'm unsure of how it feels on her end. "Don't worry I'll be right by your side the entire time."

    She gives my hand another squeeze and I move the conversation onwards, "What if despite all that they still don't approve?" I mainly ask that because if I were in her sister's shoes, finding out that my sister was dating a White Fang member would set off all kinds of alarm bells. Especially if Winter is as critical of her as Weiss said she is. That still doesn't rub me quite the right way, but I haven't seen it myself and Weiss clearly looks up to her sister, so I've left the issue alone for now.

    My question elicits a heavy sigh from my girlfriend, "She'll come around eventually; that's what you said right? Winter might not approve right away, but I don't think I could choose one of you over the other, so please be patient with her. She can be strict, but she means well."

    At least she recognizes that it might not go well; heck going by how she started that off I expect it'll go just as poorly if not worse than our meeting with Coral. There isn't much I can do about that, I'll have to be happy with the reassurance that Weiss is aware and planning to stick with me regardless. Though, I have a feeling that the actual fallout will be messier than whatever scenario she's thinking of.

    "I can't help, but notice you didn't mention Klein in any of that."

    "He has always been more explicitly supportive of me. I think that he'll respect my decision and just knowing that you've been helping me in your own way should be enough to win him over."

    "Well I'm glad that he's easy to please. My dad will probably be the same way so you don't have to worry about parent issues on my end. At least we aren't caring about yours, cause I don't think I'm winning Jacques over any time soon." That doesn't get a laugh or a giggle or any other response that I was expecting.

    "Ochre," my girlfriend pipes up unexpectedly and I grunt for her to continue. "You are aware that Coral is acting like your mother, right?"

    "I wouldn't know, I didn't get to spend much time with my mom before…well, that and it's not really something that I wanted to think about too heavily." I had some suspicions that was the case, but it was easy to sweep them under the umbrella of her simply being thankful for what I've done for her.

    "She reminds me of my mother before she started drinking and retreating to her room." Her voice lists off sadly before firming up and commanding me, "You are going to let her know that you appreciate her."

    "Fine, fine. I'll even let her know you're forcing my hand on the matter; that'll win you some brownie points with her, right?" Silence greets me and I continue, "Alright, and I won't joke about it either."

    That's enough to satiate her and she whispers in my ear, "Good… You deserve to know what that feels like." There isn't much that I can say to that and my girlfriend returning to her tender ministrations is a clear enough indicator that she doesn't want to talk about the subject any more than we already have. It still feels terribly unresolved to my sensibilities, but I can take solace that we have months if not years before any potential meetings.

    As an Atlesian soldier, and one that works closely with Ironwood to boot, it's not like Winter has much freedom of movement so she shouldn't be showing up unannounced any time soon and my own plans for the break give me a handy excuse of putting it off for later. Likely it'll be until Summer that Weiss will drag me off to meet with her family, if only out of propriety's sake at that point.

    After relaxing together for a few hours in and out of my mirror world an alarm sounds from Weiss' scroll and the two of us make our way to the training room that she booked. While my semblance means I can help her training anywhere, there are a few interactions with her semblance that I want to test before stepping into my mirror world and I definitely want us to have our privacy for that.

    Our first test is making sure that her glyphs still work inside my semblance. I don't see why they wouldn't, but it's important to establish a baseline before we get to the more esoteric interactions. Part of this battery of tests is her using her time-dilation glyph on me which according to her works how it should outside of my semblance. That continues to be the case for the rest of her glyphs and at the end she moves onto summoning, but nothing comes of it. Upon witnessing that failure I step out of my mirror world where we're already sitting side by side with our hands clasped and pull her into a hug. It seems unnecessary on my part as I can tell that she's resolved rather than put out by her failure, but she hardly complains about the additional contact.

    After that we move onto the testing that I'm excited for. She activates her time-dilation glyph, the two of us activate our timers, and I enter my mirror world on my own. Not much seems different at first blush, but given that there's a time-related aspect I have to waste a few hours inside my semblance just to see how it's affecting things. At around the five hour mark I start to feel sluggish, which could just be because I've spent some of my time inside training or could be the time-dilation wearing off; either way I step out to compare our results.

    Our timers both show up at around five seconds with mine being slightly longer. This is only surprising because Weiss' time-dilation normally affects them as well. That has some interesting implications for how her semblance works or it could just be a weird interaction. Regardless, I spent far more time in my semblance, which was corroborated by the timer that I took in with me so it isn't purely subjective time that goes by faster. Unfortunately this came with a consummate increase in aura usage with nearly half of my aura gone by the end of the exercise.

    We take a half an hour break for me to regenerate some more aura before we move onto our next test. I don't try to let the results affect me, but I can't lie I was hoping for something more substantial than just burning through my semblance time faster. Our next and hopefully final test is to see if bringing someone into my mirror world while enhanced produces any different results. We go through the same process as before and quickly sit ourselves against one of the walls before activating my semblance.

    This time the world seems to be running slower while I retain the speed boost from time-dilation. Unfortunately the effect doesn't seem to pass on to Weiss who seems extremely excited for the first few seconds which quickly morphs to disappointment when she notices that we're on two different time-scales right now. That turns to studiousness as she tries to catalog all of the effects that she can before remembering that anything she does in my mirror world doesn't carry back into the real world and settling herself into some training while we wait to see how long the effect lasts.

    According to our scrolls, that time is close to one hour for Weiss and nearly five for me. Seeing as I've spent nearly ten subjective hours testing my semblance I'm ready to put things to a close for the day, but dutifully step out of my mirror world to examine our findings. The big one that stands out to me is that I actually gained aura during that whole excursion, which lasted only five or seconds real-time. Nailing that technique for Vacuo is really paying dividends there. Although, I actually have to stop and explain things to Weiss that she hasn't found a cheat code to infinite time together as there is no way in hell that I'm going to deal with that experience on the regular just to recharge my aura and that she'd have to find something to do for the hour that she has to sit around waiting for me anyway.

    Speaking of which we also find out that my time-dilation doesn't only extend to me as Weiss' aura recharged a little during her time in the mirror world. Our results were a bit muddled by the training she did while waiting for time-dilation to end. Something that we'll experiment with another day as I've spent more than enough time there for one day.

    Before we end things there is one more thing that she wants to try out, likely in an attempt to solve the issue that I have with the way our semblances interact. Namely that it's incredibly boring when the world is so much slower than myself and there's only so much training I can do at any given time. She wants to try enhancing the both of us and seeing how that affects my semblances time-dilation. I mentally prepare myself for simply taking a nap inside my semblance if this works out.

    Fortunately, or not so much, Weiss isn't quite fast enough to enhance herself before time-dilation wears off on me or skilled enough to enhance the both of us at the same time. She is, however, incredibly motivated to improve now. I can't really tell if the results would be any different than me heading into my mirror world on my own, though I'm not holding out too much hope.


    Spending so much time all at once in my semblance leaves me a bit loopy for the rest of the day, but I take it easy and get caught up with my rest easily enough. I might have to shift some things around with this new information. Weiss should be fine with helping me out since it'll more than offset any time she takes up from my semblance as well as giving her more time to train as well. I even go over the numbers for how much lightning Dust this should take up and while it would hurt I could afford it each month even with my budget.

    Or I could normally; Torchwick has jacked up the Dust prices in Vale to over three times their normal value. Great for the speculators, and Weiss funnily enough with how she's whipping the supply chain back in shape. I half-expect the SDC to make a killing with their tanker of Dust while also securing themselves some nice PR. That is if the whole thing doesn't get stolen out from under their nose.

    Thankfully from what I've received about Torchwick's plan they aren't hijacking the thing out at sea. Apparently even he knows that's too likely to attract the grimm and I guess he finds it easier to evade the police rather than homicidal monsters. Instead the plan is to attack it after it docks and unloads most of its cargo, but before that cargo has the chance to be moved to warehouses and distribution centers across Vale. I suspect some Dust, particularly those of the highest quality or exotic Dust, will be express shipped as soon as it comes off the tanker, but most of the Dust will likely have to wait overnight for their transports.

    Unfortunately I'm not in the business of catching that particular crook today. Instead I deal with another stack of minor cases, running the never-ending treadmill and trying to get the VPD caught up; at least for this district. Fortunately my hazing period, as brief as it was, is over and I'm handed some cases that are more interesting than petty crimes. I'm even brought on to help examine an arson, though I'm not allowed to visit the premises or talk with any of the suspects.

    By the end of the day I have another folder full of completed reports, much shorter this time thankfully as one of the beat cops on injury leave decided to help me format things the way they're supposed to be. Knocking on Flint's door I get a loud grunt which I take to mean come in. The man has his pipe lit up and in his mouth while he's typing away at the terminal on his desk. I patiently allow him to finish up whatever he's in the middle of before handing him the stack of reports and taking my seat opposite of him.

    He doesn't read anything I've written up, rather setting it on one of the piles on his desk for later. "You know I wasn't expecting you to come back after your first day, not to mention so soon. What's your game here," Flint says in his best attempt at his interrogation voice, but there's no mistaking the warmth and approval in his tone.

    "Well, I figured it wouldn't hurt my ambitions to have the VPD well dispossessed to me and as boring as the work is it's good to flex my mental muscles every once in a while." He chuffs at my comment and blows smoke out of the side of his mouth. "That and well, I'll admit I wasn't expecting as warm of a reception as I got," I say, thumbing the badge that's proudly displayed on my chest.

    "Good to know that some of you Huntsmen can appreciate the little gestures. I swear so many of you are more concerned with the big bombastic action and don't pay a whit to the consequences of your actions."

    "Tell me about it, it's like wrangling cats sometimes to not have them run off and do something stupid." Flint shares a grin with my minor griping, though I can tell he's slightly surprised that I have experience with the matter. Hopefully he chalks that up to me being a team leader and doesn't relate that to my unsanctioned investigation. Then again he doesn't seem to be the type to take issue with that.

    Regardless of his internal feelings, Flint rummages through his drawer and pulls out a bottle of dark liquid, alcohol of some sort if I had to guess. He pours out a shot and starts handing it to me before I put my hand up to stop him. "Don't worry I'm not going to bust you for any underage drinking. I just heard back that our request is going to be approved. It's gonna take a few more days, but by the end of next week we'll be ready to move in on the tower. Figured that calls for a celebration."

    "It's not that sir," I say, fidgeting in my seat. I don't want to refuse the gift and potentially offend the man, but there's someone else's opinion that I have to hold in higher regard. "It's just that Weiss wouldn't want me drinking and I'm not about to do that behind her back."

    He looks at me curiously before shrugging his shoulders and drinking the shot himself. "That's right, you're dating that Schnee girl or something. Honestly thought that was just some tabloid drama going around, but good for you. Take it from me though, you'll learn that there's some things to keep away from the missus and that's perfectly healthy." I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment, but say nothing to contradict him. He's been helpful so far and as long as they don't interfere with our working relationship I don't care what vices he keeps.

    Police: As far as I'm aware the VPD has a growing corruption problem. I've provided him some help on the matter, but I could get his opinion on everything. (8)

    Faunus: I'll admit that I'm curious about a more authoritative perspective on the Faunus and the White Fang and I can trust that Flint will give it to me straight even if I might not like his opinion on the matter. (5)

    Kingdoms: As a life-long resident of the city he probably has some opinions on the Valean state and I could pick his brain about the international scene. (3)

    Relationships: He has some experience on the matter and while there are bits of his advice that I won't follow I could ask him about it. Maybe learn a bit about his own home life. (2)

    Huntsmen: He's dealt with far more professional huntsmen than I have. I could pick his brain about their behaviors, maybe even pick up a few contacts for the future. (0)

    I nod along as if I'm agreeing with him and push the conversation to safer, yet more controversial pastures. "If you wouldn't mind I'd like your thoughts on some matters." My appeal to the man causes him to straighten up a little; not quite to his usual professional demeanor, but notably more at attention than his previously celebratory state. "I've noticed that there are a large number of officers with more Mistrali inclinations if you catch my drift." Arguably this is the less incendiary of the two topics I hope to bring up.

    Instantly his face hardens and tenses up in such a way that I know he's biting at the end of his pipe which can't be good for it or his teeth. "Yes, that. I'm not going to lie and say that it hasn't been a problem, but we've been taking steps to resolve the issue. I know that's not what you're really after though." He takes his pipe out and overturns the still burning leaves into an ashtray before setting it aside. "There's a big split between most law-enforcement about how we should handle criminals. It used to be that people were all in favor of executing or banishing them, but ever since the GreatWwar ended people have grown soft. Some think that our efforts are better spent dealing with the grimm and others take it even further thinking that these criminals would help us combat them since their lives are on the line."

    I mentally add some context myself. Ever since the Great War the time of peace has shifted people's opinions to less harsh penalties as well as connecting the Kingdoms through the CCTS. This naturally led to differing opinions gaining traction throughout the populace and the police and criminals are no exception. It also made it harder for the Mistrali syndicates and authorities to hide their symbiotic relationship with one another. This led to Vale having to consider if their efforts combating criminals were well-placed or if those efforts could be better spent elsewhere.

    It's hard to say if Mistral has actually benefited from the crime families that call the Kingdom home, though my gut leans towards no. It's even harder to say whether or not the effort to root them out is worth it. Even more so when they are so entrenched and as the saying goes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Vale is in a unique spot where the major crime family is on the decline and they have enough information to do something about it. Plus if everything goes well at the CCT tower I expect there to be a shake-up among the two sides of the law.

    Thankfully Flint remains silent as I go over my thoughts and I acknowledge what he said by saying, "I take it you have a different perspective?"

    "I consider myself in the middle ground here. We can't let these criminals dictate how we live our lives, nor can we just roll out in force and sweep them all up. Not only would it not work it'd also scare the populace. Things have to be taken care of very carefully and by the books or else we risk the grimm coming down on our heads. Not that we won't take care of these problems eventually, but they require some leniency on our part for now or else the whole system falls apart."

    "Yet that leniency doesn't extend to the faunus from what I've noticed," I quip, unable to stop myself. I don't necessarily know if that's true for Vale, but my time in the Fang hasn't painted the authorities in the best light and it's a common enough complaint that Flint has to have something to say about it.

    He gazes longingly at his pipe and turns his attention to his bottle of liquor before pouring himself another shot and knocking it back. "I always hate having this conversation. Do you have any specific complaints or just in general?" I don't say anything, merely glaring at him to get on with whatever point he has. "I know they're in a bad position and I don't have anything against them personally. The same can't be said about some of the other officers and our relationship isn't the best. I couldn't tell you the difficulty there is with getting answers out of witnesses from time to time even if we're going after a violent criminal. The authorities might not have the best track record with them, but both sides need to work to overcome this issue."

    It's a common enough talking point among the humans that if the Faunus were just to sit down and be obedient. Maybe that's not what he's getting at here, but it sounds awfully close to that to my ears. "And what were the past forty or so years? Discounting the recent change in the White Fang; wasn't that the faunus trying hard enough to reach our hands out and solve this issue? Where was this kind of rhetoric then?"

    "I can admit that mistakes were made in the past."

    "Mistakes!? Is that what we're calling them now? You know there are still stores in Vale that don't allow faunus in their walls and that's just allowed. What kind of justice is that?"

    Flint waits for me to finish my little rant before staring down in his glass sadly. "Now you didn't hear this from me, but the council were having some talks about legislating against that. They wanted to reveal it during the Vytal Festival as a symbolic gesture of peace. We even got this list of stores to knock on the doors of and ensure they comply. Then this nasty business with the White Fang popped up and they got cold feet."

    "That isn't what this is about. I couldn't care less for the council's grand gestures. I'm asking if this is the kind of thing that the VPD should be complicit with. If this is the kind of thing that you want to be complicit with," by this point I'm pleading with the man before taking a second to regather myself. I shouldn't have let myself go like that and don't have much of an excuse besides wanting to win the argument that I've spent more than a few hours debating in my head.

    He gives me a hard stare, but it's more like he's debating with himself and staring at me as a stand-in for his alternate self. "No," he grinds out slowly, his voice rough. "That isn't the kind of thing I want to be known for. Still we can't just go around changing things. I get that you're dissatisfied, a lot of cops are like that to start. But we have our systems for a reason. They keep people safe, and more importantly give people the feeling that they're safe. As soon as we start operating outside of that remit people get worried and when they're worried they tend to do desperate things."

    "That doesn't mean we shouldn't try." I really have let my idealistic friends infect me if I think this even has a chance of changing his mind, but I owe them that much to at least try before bringing out any heavier arguments.

    Instead of arguing with me like I expect I see him swallow slowly and bite out, "You're right. That isn't to say everyone will see things the same way, though. Most aren't going to appreciate such a thing unless the Fang changes the way they operate." Well, it's a good thing that I'm already doing something to change that. I look up to face Flint who has an expression of pure shock on his face. I don't think I said that out loud, but I can't imagine that it's hard to read my expression right now.

    I need to leave before I lose my cool anymore than I already have and I've soured on the idea of further conversation. I'm not sure what I was expecting to get out of this conversation or if I've even changed Flint's mind. I guess time will tell, but for now I get up and leave his office. I'm done with my work and he has no reason to keep me here. Hopefully this doesn't ruin our working relationship, but I get the feeling that Flint wouldn't be where he was if he couldn't handle a disagreement or two.


    The last order of business for the week is to look over the reports of my agents and moles with Blake. I kind of regret telling her to take it easy this week as there's far too much for the two of us to work through when combined with her inexperience and my needing to help her out. It's a simple enough solution of putting the lower priority reports into the queue for next week, though with finals coming up I have a feeling that this particular can will get kicked down the road a couple more times. Oh, well. If they have something truly important to say it'll pop up again.

    I'm still caught up with Torchwick's plan so there isn't much to go over there aside from making sure my friends complete their finals on time so they're available to help out if I need them. Though it looks like Torchwick finally cleaned house of his reluctant workers as I receive reports and talks of an entirely new crew being put to work. Hopefully one of my turned recruiters convinced some people to join our cause and they are now working under the man, but that's a marginal benefit in any case. Unfortunately nothing much is new from the meeting place that I bugged, but I do receive a plethora of reports from my newest assets.

    Most of them are about how they're doing their job or are soon to be out of contact for those heading to Mountain Glenn, but the logistic officers I flipped have some interesting insights about what's going on in the Vale branch. There are a number of reports about the material the Fang is moving around. Most of it is what I'd expect in anticipation for an attack; weapons, Dust, food for the soldiers, even some transports.

    Curiously, from what I can tell this is a noticeable increase in spending and with my own acquisition of some of the Fang affiliated stores I can't imagine that the amount they are squeezing out of the rest of them makes up for some of the shortfalls that I'm seeing. Unfortunately I don't have access to the Vale branches main accounts to verify this, but I'd bet anything that the woman in red is fronting some Lien their way. Just another connection that I can track down to nail her and Adam with.

    After that are my digital investigators who report steady progress. According to them it shouldn't take much more to have Watts' charity fully mapped out and then they can begin operations working backwards to see what they're up to. Of course this will be helped by whatever information I can gather from the CCT records, but there are a lot of potential avenues I can chase down there.

    Aura(Practical) raised from (138/625) to (165/625) Source: Semblance usage

    Combat Raised from (295/625) to (311/625) Source: Class & Oobleck

    Culture raised form (27/150) to (33/150) Source: Oobleck

    Craft(Weapon) raised from (0/50) to (5/50) Source: Ruby

    Criminology raised from (4/150) to (6/15) Source: VPD action

    Dust raised from (29/150) to (35/150) Source: Class

    Grimm raised from (88/150) to (94/150) Source: Class

    History raised from (171/300) to (190/300) Source: Class & Oobleck

    Investigation raised from (202/300) to (218/300) Source: Class, Challenge, Training, & Oobleck

    Law raised from (0/50) to (4/50). Source: VPD action.

    Mobility raised from Rank 3 (203/300) to Rank 4 (2/625) Source: Class, Oobleck, & Training

    Survival raised from (79/150) to (85/150) Source: Class

    Discretionary budget reduced to (3650/5000L) Source: Agent Payments

    Personal funds raised to 5125L Source: VPD
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 15 (Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • Due to finals coming up and a subsequent reduction of classes in that. There is an additional weekly actions for weeks 15 and 16 with an additional two weekly actions after classes end for weeks 17 and 18
    Woman in Red: Follow the money: My target has been receiving funds from a 'charity.' I can look into that and their employees to see how far their influence extends. (Hard investigation check) [Huge circumstance modifier to the Investigation check] (6)

    VPD Assistance: While I've upheld my end of the deal with Flint there are further benefits to working with the VPD. It'll build up my cover and provide in-roads to the future as well as giving me some practical experience. [Counts as an investigation training action and a social with Flint. Additionally grants 125L to personal funds] (5)
    Standardization: With my organization having to defend some organizations it might be prudent to start offering equipment to outfit my grunts and maybe resolve the whole lack of a name issue if I want to. (5)

    Curious Accounting: If I could have my agents get access to the records for the main account of the Fang I would have another link to tie the woman in red to her misdeeds. (3)

    Assistance: My organization has expanded yet again and with that I have some hands that could actually help me sift useful information out of the dross of reports (3)

    AN: Due to not clarifying it at the time and some confusion regarding the options the Assistance action provided the benefits of recruiting another underling to the growing organization.
    Oobleck (QM)

    Weiss: With finals breathing down our necks I could spend some time and help my girlfriend relax. (6)

    Ren: He seems…satisfied with my meddling, though he did take a small issue with it. I could make sure that everything is alright between us. (6)

    Blake: After our talk there are some disagreements that could be resolved but our relationship is still amicable. (5)

    Autumn: He's ostensibly my competitor in the game Port and Oobleck are playing, but he's still my teammate. (3)
    Combat (5)

    Craft(weapons) (4)

    I checked with the sentiment at chat with the time and the ultimate decision came down to focusing on Craft(weapons) with as many semblance slots to fill it out before pivoting to Combat. After this week I set a soft limit on semblance actions at 8. Probably a mistake, but going by the mechanics of how said semblances and aura worked out the real limit is Weiss' pockets and Ochre's patience. Not like it isn't a ridiculous number of actions to have on call at any point, but I can't fault the players for finding an interaction that I didn't consider.

    With finals rolling around the topic about what we're doing afterwards comes up. Marina and I are going on Oobleck's expedition and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that Autumn is coming along as well. Apparently Port is more free with his information than my mentor is. Then again I never made it a point to interrogate him about our plans, trusting that he could take care of it. Truthfully I'm only so cautious because I half-expect him to dump responsibilities onto me otherwise and I'm already swamped. Hopefully that will be dropping off now with Blake getting up to speed and with myself not needing to tutor Velvet anymore, assuming she passes at any rate. Regardless, this causes everyone to look expectantly at Kelly who remains stubbornly tight-lipped about her plans. She sports a smug smile so I'm sure it's something that I'll be hearing all about soon enough.

    JNPR is unfortunately boring in comparison, with all of their members planning on staying in Vale. In Nora and Ren's defense they don't have anywhere else to go. Jaune is similar and isn't on great terms with his family and likely staying away from them for that reason. Pyrrha I guess just doesn't want to deal with the hassle when the rest of her team isn't going anywhere. Seems like a bit of a shame to me, but it's her decision.

    RWBY seems to be all about family with Ruby and Yang announcing they'll spend half of their break at Patch with their dad. Weiss declares that she's going to Atlas for a week with the same tone that you'd expect from a soldier going off to the front lines. I wish I could be there as support for her, but my plans are already spoken for. That and I get the sense that this is a request from her dad that she isn't willing to turn down considering her precarious position in the SDC. All I can do is give her a reaffirming smile and some physical comfort.

    With the rest of her team talking about home Blake looks down at the table and it's easy enough to guess she's thinking about her own parents. Before she can say anything though, Yang pokes her at her side and asks if she wants to come with Ruby and herself to visit their dad. It doesn't sound like the most exciting of trips, but Blake seems happy enough to be included so I don't say anything.

    Our topic, and particularly my team's plans, does bring attention to the fact that Oobleck and Port have been mentoring myself and Autumn. This isn't too much of a surprise as neither of us have taken great pains to hide that we were training with the men and would often talk about having to meet up with them after one class or another. It just happened to be something that flew relatively under the radar. It does, however, draw an envious look from Jaune even as he half-heartedly congratulates us, although the others take the news well enough.

    "So neither of you are upset that the boys are receiving special treatment," Yang questions and I bristle a little at being referred to by boy while the innocuous statement rolls off Autumn like water off a duck's back.

    "Nope," Marina states with cheer, "the Captain said he'd talk to Oobleck about bringing me along and here's hoping."

    "Marina," I start, hoping to correct her misunderstanding. "That was about bringing you on to the expedition." Marina looks at me confused like that isn't what she just said. We all let it pass, knowing that it'd be an uphill battle to convince her otherwise.

    Kelly pipes up, "Nah, I don't need any foggy old men telling me how to be a better Huntress." Her answer is short and clipped like normal, but, when combined with her unabating grin, I know she's hiding something up her sleeve. Especially since she was previously a little put out by the attention Autumn and I were receiving.

    This isn't the time to bring it up nor do I have the chance to as Yang rejoins the conversation, "Well not everyone can have a super-awesome Huntsman as a dad, the riches of the SDC, or well uh, Blake has us…" She trails off, obviously not having thought that far through with her statement. "Uh, where I was going with that is that you'll need all the help to catch up to us."

    "Are you forgetting who's at the top of Combat class," I needle back at her. If she wants to bandy about some banter she better check that it's accurate first.

    Unfortunately I realize my mistake too late as her smile turns toothy and she quickly says, "Yeah Pyrrha's right over there." I want to bring up that the two of us haven't fought in Goodwitch's class yet, but considering how our unofficial match went I wouldn't be helping my case here. Oh well, I get the feeling that we'll have our rematch soon enough and when we do I'll have a lot more practice under my belt than her. Some of that may be due to Weiss' help, but that's just utilizing the resources that I have to their fullest extent.


    My meetings with Oobleck are, understandably, sporadic with all of the essays and tests that he has to grade over the coming weeks. This is somewhat made up for by him not having to teach class, but I have to shift my schedule around to accommodate his more erratic hours. I also can't shake the feeling that he has something in store for me this week and that feeling only intensifies when we meet in his office instead of our usual training room.

    "I understand that you have some questions about why I called you here today, Mr. Rovere," Oobleck says as soon as I step into his office.

    Taking a seat I respond back, "I may have a question or two, yes." It is a weak attempt at humor to set my mentor at ease, but he remains serious and stone faced.

    "It has come to my attention that there have been some issues that have remained unaddressed during your time at Beacon. Now I understand some of these may be rather personal matters and I will leave them alone if you wish me to. However, as my apprentice I have a vested interest in your well-being and it would be a shame to see you burn out before reaching your full potential."

    I lean forward in my seat, interested in what he's picked up on so far while ready to cut him off if he starts going too far. "Well I won't know what's personal or not if you don't tell me." He takes a sip from his thermos before standing up and flipping one of his Whiteboards that- Wow, that's a lot of information about my habits. Has he had someone spying on me or is this all stuff he picked up during our sessions? Given how there isn't anything about me running a secret shadow organization I'm going to go with the latter.

    "I'm glad that you're willing to humor me Mr. Rovere. Which brings us to our first topic; now I can't claim to be an expert in your habits, but I have noticed that you change your demeanor and word choice when talking with others."

    "I'm just trying to be polite," I defend weakly.

    "Mr. Rovere," Oobleck starts sternly, "I will permit you a great many things, but I will not abide any lies in this instance. If you don't want to talk about the matter just say so."

    "Fine, I think it's a holdover from my time in the Fang. It wasn't exactly the kind of place where you could speak your mind most of the time and knowing how to sweet-talk a crooked cop or a violent thug were essential life skills."

    "Do you want to address it?" I would normally think that the entire purpose of sitting me down and talking to me about all this is to make me address it, but my mentor's tone is so genuine that it has me second guessing myself.

    "I don't think so," I say slowly, gauging his reaction and when it doesn't turn negative I venture to put forth my reasoning. "It hasn't caused any problems for me and I don't think I could stop it without great effort." He nods easily at that and I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Is this what it's like to be on the other side? Geeze, I should take it easier on my friends some time. Not that I'm going to apologize, I don't regret my actions.

    This continues on as he addresses, what I consider to be rather minor issues. Like my tendency to cover my faunus features and my grades in Dust studies. He also asks about my relationships with my teammates and friends. I tell him there are some secrets that I can't share, but we are getting along well enough. Just as I think that's all we'll be discussing for today he moves on to one more subject.

    "Lastly, I have some concerns about your schedule. From what I can gather, you're tutoring Miss Scarlatina and your partner, Miss Aoi, have had multiple trips in Vale that left you sleeping in my class, have maintained, by your own admission, a rather packed social calendar, kept up your training with me and some on your own if your recent improvements are any indication, and most recently have been spending a few hours a week at the Vale Police Department. I don't know whether your grades have suffered until I get the results from your finals, but surely you can see that you're exhausting yourself."

    Of course he would catch on to how much I've been doing even if he's missed some of my more illicit activities. Unlike the other issues he raised I get the feeling that he isn't going to let this one drop so easily. He needs some sort of answer to assuage his conscience and I have to decide which one I'm willing to give him. I could honestly say that I'm dropping a few of my responsibilities after this semester, but to him all that would mean is that I'm no longer tutoring Velvet unless I give him some other reassurances.

    Alternatively I could tell him about my investigations; it might be a coinflip, but maybe he'd understand that I have to focus on them in the immediate future and things will calm down soon enough. Plus it ties into my VPD job well enough and I could deflect to Detective Flint to avoid some scrutiny. However, it would mean making him aware of my investigation and I'm not entirely sure if he'd be fine with me doing this on my own even if I imply that I have police approval to do so.

    I could also just tell him about my semblance, as much as I'm loath to do so. I'd have to downplay how much work I'm doing with it, but surely knowing that I have more time in the day would help off-set some of his concerns and with any luck enough to get him to relax on this issue. Lastly, I could just deny his concerns. He may not drop the matter entirely, but he's been entirely willing to let me decide if I want his help and will hopefully respect my decision here.

    Semblance: I could explain my semblance to him. It'd be another person that knows, but maybe he'll drop his concerns and we might be able to take advantage of it in the future. (4)

    Revelation: I could convince him, at least that I believe, that I have to take care of some matters in Vale. He'll likely connect this to the White Fang on his own, but I can use the VPD as a shield of sorts. (4)

    Appeasement: I could give him some promises that I'm going to cut back on my activities soon. He likely won't like it, but it may be enough to get him off my back to resolve my more volatile affairs. (0)

    Denial: He doesn't need to butt in on my affairs, as hypocritical as that might be coming from me. Just deny him entirely and hopefully he'll respect my decision. (0)

    Combine the options (6)

    Roll to determine the winner (0)

    "I know that my schedule seems pretty packed from an outside perspective, but I promise you it's not as bad as it seems." My statement does little to mollify Oobleck as he leans in close to my face as if to observe for the tiniest hint of untruthfulness.

    "Mr. Rovere, I may not have the same youthful vigor that I once had, but even I know that this kind of schedule is far beyond what's expected of you; especially with how easygoing your peers are. I can scarcely think of anything grave enough for you to push yourself this hard."

    I could bring up the White Fang and possibly Torchwick if it'd get him off my back, but I'll try the safer and easier option first. "I'm not saying that. What I'm trying to say is that my semblance offers me…certain advantages when it comes to the field of time-management." I can tell that he isn't convinced by my reveal but his curiosity wins out over trying to impress his point upon me, for now.

    "And what exactly is your semblance," he asks immediately, before thinking better of it. "Don't feel pressured to tell me just because of these circumstances. I will respect your privacy if that is your wish." I fight back a snort. He means well, but I don't believe for a second that he's willing to drop this matter at my say so.

    Regardless, I get on with explaining my semblance to my mentor. I make sure to go over the time-dilation aspect while downplaying how much I've been abusing it. I briefly quibble over whether I should tell him about my ability to bring others into my mirror world. I decide if I'm willing to extend him this much trust a little more can't hurt and inform him of my semblance's full capabilities. I see a spark of interest behind his spectacles and expect that I'll be showing off my semblance to him personally sometime in the future. By the end of it he seems mollified enough to let the matter drop, though I think I've given him something further to think on.

    "Thank you for telling me Mr. Rovere, your secret is safe with me at least until the Vytal Tournament. I have the pleasant job of commentating on it this year with Peter and it would have been extremely awkward for that to be a surprise during a fight. I hope that I don't have to tell you that the festival is supposed to be a spectacle, at least partially."

    "I'm not going to throw away that kind of advantage."

    "Nor am I asking you to do so; just that by not having to use your semblance you show off your prowess as well as providing a better show for the people at home." My mentor takes a draw from his thermos and rapidly rips it away as a thought comes to him. "Atlas has been studying the effects of Aura and Semblances in recent years. It's possible that if you allow them to observe you, they could rig up a device that would be able to record and possibly even transmit the fight."

    That's an interesting idea, unfortunately the association with Atlas and the requisite divulging of information makes that a non-starter for me. "No offense, but I don't exactly have kind feelings towards Atlas, much less trust them with experimenting on me."

    Oobleck lets out a sigh, "I understand where you're coming from Ochre," my name rolls off his tongue with distinct unfamiliarity and he shakes his head, not liking his attempt at personability. "However, we must stand united against the threat of the grimm. I want you to give some thought to letting go of your past grudges."

    I don't respond and my mentor pauses for a short while, obviously thinking about how to word what he says next. "I understand if it's not your first concern, but this kind of display helps reassure the people that they're safe. It's a large part of being a Huntsman that many eschew. To be a Huntsman is more than just fighting grimm, it's to be a symbol of hope for the future. Whether that be by leading the charge ourselves, or mentoring those that come after us."

    He gives me a soft smile before shirking away in seeming embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I may have overstepped my bounds as an educator. While I would prefer if you follow in my footsteps, ultimately the decision of what kind of Huntsman you want to be and why is yours. If that means hunting the monsters among us, then that is as valid an option as any."

    The conversation ends there and with his lack of follow up I understand that Oobleck is allowing me to be dismissed. I rise from my seat, but hesitate making my way to the door; I blame my friends and my time at Beacon for what I'm about to do. "That's not all Dr. Oobleck." I swallow thickly as I struggle to get the words out. Not from any sense of not wanting to say them or apprehension on my part, but rather trying to overcome a self-made hurdle and make a leap of faith. "I've been looking into Roman Torchwick and the Vale branch of the White Fang."

    "I suspected something like that based on our previous conversation. I suppose I have no complaints if you're working with the VPD on this matter. Though I wish you wouldn't obsess over the White Fang," he responds with a level of resignation. Likely concluding that is why I sought out the VPD and that I won't be deterred from this action. It isn't wrong and I do want to go along with his interpretation of events.

    However, I brush aside my natural inclination, "It isn't as simple as that. I know the guy in charge of the Vale branch and well- let me just say that whatever he has in mind isn't going to be good."

    I brace myself for the barrage of questions to inevitably come from my hyperactive mentor.

    "What can I do to help," he asks kindly while looking down into his thermos as if it has the answers he's looking for.

    "Huh," I stumble over my words, not expecting that kind of reaction. "I mean, nothing right now. I have things under control, but there's something coming up that I could use as much help as I can get with." I shake my head to shut myself up. I've already let too much go for too little in return. "I'll let you know if I need the assistance, but…I appreciate it."

    He cuts the air with his hand, tossing aside my brief gratitude. "Think nothing of it. I have a responsibility to ensure your well-being, as I said. I just hope that Glynda won't take too big of an issue with my assistance or your actions. I assume this is something you'd rather I keep from her and the rest of the staff, or am I mistaken?"

    "No, this is very much something that I want to handle on my own…there are a lot of good people that would be hurt if this isn't handled correctly," I say, affecting reluctance and trepidation. I think my performance is enough to pass muster as Oobleck doesn't comment on my demeanor.

    "I'm willing to trust your judgment on this Mr. Rovere. Just remember that redemption is a worthy goal, but not all people seek it out. And I hope that you don't come to regret your decision." With that heavy closing neither of us have anything that we can or want to bring up in the aftermath. Maybe he'll be chattier during our training sessions. Actually scratch that, he definitely will be chattier during our sessions; I just hope that this is something that won't weigh too heavily on his mind. The last thing that I need is professional Huntsmen meddling into my investigation. Geeze, I'm starting to sound like Flint. Speaking of which, I should meet up with him and see how all our preparations are going.


    I make my way down to the station and set up at the makeshift desk they have me at for the day. It hasn't been the same one each time, but rather they have me at the desk of an officer that's either out on patrol or home sick for the day. If I keep this up I think they'll clear out some room in a corner for me, but this is an extension of trust either way. Even if the drawers are locked that's hardly foolproof and with my semblance I could read whatever case files they have without suspicion. I may have leant on that to deal with my boredom the first few times that I was here, but after getting into the rhythm and monotony of the cases I'm dealing with, I have simply not felt the need to do so anymore.

    I also got in before Detective Flint today and get to witness his surprised expression when he spots me at my desk hard at work. I don't know if I'll be keeping this kind of work up after the CCT operation, but showing up after our argument is a clear enough way of showing my dedication to him. He gives me a shallow nod before heading to his office and I continue through my workload.

    This week I'm interrupted fairly often to look over a piece of a case or just as a wall for others to bounce ideas off of. I don't know the law, much less Valean law, as well as the rest of them so some of my suggestions are shot down as illegal or against regulations. Fortunately this seems to be endearing to the more experienced officers rather than off-putting. It probably helps that I don't press on my suggestions as I really don't care if their cases get resolved or not.

    Once it rolls around to the middle of my shift I'm pulled away from my desk to meet up with Flint. He isn't the type to interrupt someone in the middle of their work, so this has to be important to him on some level. I leave my half-completed case file for the day on my desk and enter his office.

    This time he's ready for me with nothing in his hands and not typing away at his terminal. "You didn't have to come in and work, you know," he starts with a somber tone.

    "I wasn't about to leave a job half-finished." That and there is no way that I'm jeopardizing my chance at the CCT records.

    He barks out a half-laugh, "I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's your business. Heck you didn't have to come in and work after we established that little fiction between us. Not like I expect you to have much of a desire to work up the ladder of the VPD." I hesitate for a moment, but end up shaking my head. I've thought about it a little and while it would give me access to options that I didn't have before it would also lock me down in the Vale region. Not a problem right now, but a potential one for the future.

    Flint must have read something in my expression as he turns thoughtful for a moment before continuing on. "I appreciate the dedication either way." He pauses for a moment. "Not many would be willing to work with me like you have." He doesn't elaborate, but I know he's referring to coming in after our little argument and not working with the VPD in general.

    "I've had experience dealing with more unpleasant people…that and you're not so bad." I throw him some minor reassurance. At the very least it'll show him that I didn't take our last conversation too hard even if I didn't like what he had to say.

    "Not so bad he says," Flint mumbles while shaking his head. Then he looks at me, suddenly serious. "You really believe that you can change things don't you?" I'm not sure how to respond to that or how he picked it up and can only stare at him in confusion. He emphasizes his statement by tapping the side of his head. Ah, his semblance must have something to do with this. Likely a mental type that gave him some insight into me. I'll have to keep that in mind for the future; there's no telling how much he's learned from me already.

    Since he already knows the answer I have no problem telling him. "Yes. It might take a while, but I have no doubt I'll be able to do something." I try to keep my voice as neutral as possible. He takes some amusement at my attempt of obfuscation so I'm sure it isn't nearly as successful as I hope it is.

    He chews on that for a few moments, rolling his head from one shoulder to the other with audible pops. "I'd say you've already done something. Without you we wouldn't be planning the shake up that we are. I may have a task force in mind for you, not the one we're pulling off right now. Ah, I shouldn't say too much."

    I narrow my eyes at his obvious play. He's trying to entice my curiosity by deliberately holding out on the details from me. I can't say it isn't working and I'm willing to play along regardless, "What kind of task force did you have in mind?"

    "Just a little something to improve relations with the faunus community. Maybe a little service to those communities as well. That sound like something you're interested in?"

    "What brought this on," I ask, already suspecting the answer and wanting to delay for time. It's an unexpected development and I'm unsure if I want to dedicate my time towards it or not.

    Flint nods towards me as if he expected that I'd ask that kind of question. "You had a point when you said we should do something. Once we get started on our shake up we'll have the momentum to show the people, ALL the people of Vale that we're still the respectable men and women that keep this city safe. Our job may not be as glamorous as a Huntsman's, but it is no less vital and we can't have half our city living in fear of a bad day with the cops."

    I still would have preferred if I had more time to think on this rather than it being sprung on me. "This is a lot of trust you're extending my way," I try to delay answering yes or no even further.

    "Look kid, if you're willing to stand by us we're willing to stand by you. You don't have to give me an answer now and I can find someone if you're unwilling. I just thought I'd give you first dibs on the post with how passionate you are about it." I wait a beat to see if he has anything further to say, but thankfully it seems like he's willing to let me take this at my own pace for now.

    Shake up: I can guess that he's referring to the VPD itself here, but I could ask about it and see how the landscape is changing ahead of time. (5)

    Task Force: What exactly does he mean by this? What responsibilities would be involved and what would I have to do? (5)

    Change of heart: It couldn't have been just my words that convinced him. Maybe I should probe deeper into his reasoning here. (1)

    CCTS raid: What exactly is the VPD looking for in the CCT records? I could hazard a guess, but there's no better man to ask than Flint. (1)

    Huntsmen: He's dealt with far more professional huntsmen than I have. I could pick his brain about their behaviors, maybe even pick up a few contacts for the future. (1)

    I find myself interested in whatever Flint has cooking, but I don't want to display my interest too eagerly. It might be a moot point dependent on whatever semblance Flint is working with. That doesn't mean I shouldn't try, however. "So this shake-up you're talking about, what's all going to go down?"

    He smiles enigmatically at me, whether because he knows that I'm avoiding bringing up a certain topic for now or because he's genuinely pleased at my interest. "I suppose there's no sense in hiding it. There are a lot of cops that are on the take or otherwise compromised. Part of why we're searching the CCT records is to have proof and clean house so to speak."

    "Isn't that-" I start

    "Yes, it's a big undertaking. Especially with the state of the city and the upcoming Vytal Festival. Either we do it now or we have to delay things for as long as a year and I don't know about you, but I don't want this to fester and for our information to become useless."

    "Okay, I can understand that. It just seems that with what's going on with Torchwick that this isn't the best time to take out our manpower. That and whatever is going on with Junior." I add in the last bit as an after-thought. It's not like Junior is a threat to me personally and I suspect his power and influence will wane in the upcoming years all on its own.

    "Don't worry about the Xiong family," Flint answers back in a self-satisfied tone. "I'll admit that having Torchwick at large isn't the best of circumstances, but I take it that you have a plan for him already." I'm beginning to think I liked our relationship better when it was over the scroll, but nod along anyway. "Great, keep us informed. Or your headmaster or someone. That way we'll have a chain of evidence showing that we were doing something when the council inevitably questions our actions."

    "Weren't you the one who told me last week that we can't just go around changing things," I fire back. It's a bit of a low-blow given that he's had a change of heart, but it allows me to regain some momentum and I am curious as to how he's going to justify this.

    Flint frowns, making his already severe features even moreso. "I meant that in the context that we can't operate outside of standard procedures. Everything that we're doing is above the book, even if we had a little help getting there." I already suspected that Flint wasn't the most straight-laced of cops, but there seems to be a limit to his behavior. Then again he wouldn't be in the position that he is if he couldn't pay lip service to the rules and this big of an operation requires that the rules be followed as much as possible.

    "So when is this going down and what's the plan for the aftermath?" If the cops are going to be indisposed I need to make sure my forces are aware and ready for it. I expect criminals and other dissatisfied ruffians to make their displeasure known and the businesses under me are going to need protection.

    Unaware of or ignoring my internal monologue he answers, "The worst of the offenders we'll have rounded up in a week. I can't tell you the exact day, but we'll make sure to get as many of them as we can. The rest of the cases and punishments will be handed out in the coming months and I expect a year or so before we work through everything. Even then there'll be far too many that get off with just a fine or a warning."

    We share a distasteful look at that sentiment. "We have to make sure that there isn't a staffing shortage," I respond, knowing the reasoning, but also knowing neither of us are happy about it.

    "Just so. We'll be short-staffed following this anyway; part of why we're forming this task force is to boost recruitment numbers, especially from a portion of the population that has shied away from this kind of work in the past." I expect this is partially what he meant by people not going to appreciate certain changes unless the White Fang changes their operations. To the outside perspective it'd look like changing out one form of corruption for another. Not to mention those that would have a problem with faunus in positions of authority to begin with.

    "Let's hope that everything turns out well." This is a riskier move than I was expecting of the VPD. I have to question how much pull Flint has in the organization as he isn't the chief of police. Something I'll have to ask about another time I guess.

    "Indeed, that being said there are a number of people who have languished in their positions for years now that'll get the promotions they deserve." He flops a stack of four folders in front of me and widens his grin. He leads into my next topic of choice without me being able to bring it up myself. "This here is the short-list of prospects for the task-force as well as in line for promotions of their own. They'll take the experience and apply it to their own districts when they're reassigned."

    I slowly reach out my hand to the folders, see him give me a nod, and start tearing into the details. Four members, all faunus, with me as the presumed fifth. There is a red-haired woman named Rouge with a similarly red squirrel tail, another woman with blonde hair that's broken up by two horns named Sandy, and a man with blue scales on his neck and lower face with black hair named Cobalt. The last folder is thicker than the others, the leader of this task force if I had to guess, a man with light gray hair named Alabaster. He has no obvious faunus features in his picture, but his file states that he is one.

    "And what is my role in all of this," I ask once I've finished my brief review.

    "Officially an advisory position with minimal on the ground assistance. We will all appreciate it if you help out, but I know you've got a lot on your plate as it is. Now, between you and me, Alabaster is the kind of guy who likes to outsource his ideas and I've put in a good word with him about you. All you gotta do is field your suggestions and talk them up a little and he'll at least consider them."

    I frown, while that's more than I should be expecting I can't help but be greedy and ask for more. "An advisory position implies that I don't have any real authority of my own." I could expand on that and ask explicitly, but knowing Flint he'll offer his own explanation that I could piggyback off of.

    Right on cue he sighs and rubs at his temples. "I've already done a lot for you kid. This is the best that I can offer without taking it up with the Chief-"

    "And what if I were willing to meet up with him?" He looks lost for a moment and I smirk at breaking his composure before remembering that he's been helping me out and there's no reason to antagonize him.

    "Well," Flint starts, rubbing at his mutton chops. "It'd be up to the Chief at that point. The others have a longer track record with us and aren't in danger of running off to be Huntsmen so it'd be an uphill battle, but you could take your concerns up with him and work something out." That's as likely as good of an answer as I'm going to get out of him. Especially since I haven't committed to anything yet.

    Joining up could present some unique opportunities for my branch of the Fang as well as responsibilities that I could handle. I doubt that I'll be able to retain a position of power for too long without giving some assurances to the VPD, however. As much as Flint is willing to bend the rules for me I can't enjoy all of the benefits without giving up some concessions on my part. Just more stuff to think about over the coming weeks I suppose.

    I quickly check the time on my scroll and find there are still a few hours before the shift ends and the operation to check the CCT records begins. I send a quick message to my digital investigators to ensure that they are ready while I get back to work. I bid goodbye to Flint for now and return to my desk to two other officers who want my consultation on their investigations and a new stack of unresolved cases on my desk.


    I work through the rest of the day and drop off my cases with Flint again. He doesn't bother reading them and sets them on his desk before leading me to the top of the station. The VPD has their own fleet of bullheads and other air-related vehicles even if they don't have the chance, or budget, to show them off too often. Our operation, however, is big enough to justify the expense since it ensures the safety of all the officers involved. No one wants to take the blame if cops wind up hurt or the operation falls through because no one wanted to pay for anything other than commercial travel.

    A regular bullhead can hold up to ten people comfortably not including the pilot and copilot and the VPD bullheads are no different. Despite that the only members on the bullhead are myself, Detective Flint, the two pilots, and my two digital investigators. To be fair their equipment does take up a fair amount of room, especially after I mentioned things to Weiss and she sprung for an upgrade to their equipment. That comes with an expectation that I'll get her something that helps her out, but I was thinking about doing that anyway so it's no real loss on my part.

    We touch down in the airship docks of Beacon, filling out an appreciable area with the fleet of five bullheads. One has a similar load out to ours with a few technicians carrying their equipment out of the loading bay of their vehicle while the others were filled with officers to help cordon off the area. I spot Miss Goodwitch ready to meet up with us and Flint takes the bullet and goes to talk with her while I make sure my men and their equipment are good to go. They might suspect that I'm higher up on the chain of command then I'm trying to seem with the amount of pull that I have. Nothing I can do about that, just another thing to keep in mind going forward.

    Everyone waits beside their vehicle until Flint is done talking with Goodwitch where he gives us a signal to go ahead. Of course, by this point we've attracted quite a crowd and I draw a few jeers from my position in the crowd until those same hecklers turn gobsmacked when I walk by them with my badge and name-plate on display. I keep serious as I'm walking by since this kind of atmosphere tolerates no joking around, but internally I smile at showing those pricks up. I don't know if they have something against me personally or if they're just racist, but I take an equal amount of satisfaction in either case.

    Our march ends at the foot of the CCT tower where the Atlas soldiers try to bar our entry. The front of our line gets into an argument with them while I hide in the middle of the crowd not wanting to draw much attention to myself or the techies with me. Fortunately Flint and Goodwitch show up to resolve the situation before it can escalate. After a few moments we're let in with more than a few officers knocking their heads back like they're looking down on the soldiers as we pass them. There is a lot that I could read into that simple gesture, but I put that kind of thought out of my mind; it's not helpful here and I'm on the clock.

    The police technicians set up in a room while the standard officers form a perimeter and set up a separate guard rotation from the Atlesian one. We'll be here for a few hours at minimum and this is partly a show of force on the VPD's part, so even with Atlas defending the tower and the multitudes of Huntsmen on campus they're taking security very seriously. On a somewhat similar note the Atlesian technicians have been 'kindly asked' to stay and assist with the operations…without their equipment. I don't think they'd try to ruin whatever the VPD is doing, but the risk can't be taken though they are still asked for their help from time to time.

    Me and my team head up with Flint to our own room close to but separated from everyone else. We're still connected to the feed that routes to the CCT records, but we can't risk anyone seeing something on our screens that they shouldn't. It causes a few raised eyebrows, but being two outside contractors is enough to wave off why we aren't working with the other group.

    I quickly go over the information that I have before deciding on where to direct my team. Thanks to my efforts with the VPD, Flint is willing to run a small amount of interference and bureaucratic oversight to slow down the VPD's own efforts, buying me and my team that extra bit more time. I have a few broad categories that I can separate my information into. That being information about the White Fang, Torchwick, the woman in red, the SDC, and miscellaneous information.

    The last one is mainly to help out my girlfriend and I've consulted with her to try to avoid overlap with our information, but the CCT isn't neatly organized so I can't avoid that entirely. It should be a small matter and having an outside source to corroborate her findings is good in its own right. Then I could move onto a more aggressive course of action and invade the privacy of the SDC execs themselves. I'm sure more than a few have skeletons in their closets that Weiss and I can leverage to our benefit.

    Additionally I can look into the head honcho, Jacques himself in much more depth and access his full message history and a few other choice details. He probably has some things he'd rather keep hidden and even if he's done a good job of burying his past we'll still gain insight into his plans for the immediate future.

    Moving on to my real target I have a few options. The first and foremost is the one that kicked off this whole endeavor to start with. The charity has already been seeded with Lien so we can view the full extent of their reach, but we also have access to what few records are available. This is further expanded by my agents and their diligent research into the charity and its employees. We have a number of their scroll ids so we can add their recent message history for the past few months to the pile.

    Additionally we can dig deeper, potentially all the way back to when the charity was founded and pull as many messages and records as we can; it'd take a little bit more time, but might be worth it. I could also look into scroll activity in the area of the hotel and see if I can narrow in on my three suspects and find out concrete info about them. It shouldn't be too hard since most guests don't stay for months at a hotel and the employees would be easy to sift out.

    Moving on to Torchwick, I happen to have his scroll id thanks to one of my agents and can look into his message history. I know he had a call with the woman in red so I can pull his call list too and potentially find her scroll id that way. There is some obvious synergy between that and pulling the scroll records around the hotel as I'd be able to narrow in on her rather easily. It wouldn't even be that hard to go a step further and pull the message history of all the people he's been in contact with.

    At the bare minimum they're likely criminals though if I can pinpoint the woman in red's scroll id I'd also be able to pull more of her messages than anyone else's. I could also look into his message history more deeply. There might not be much of a point, but it could conclusively prove a tie to whichever crime family he came from. Plus it might give me a clue about his partner and her abilities.

    That leads me to the White Fang and there is a lot I can do there. I could pull some surface records from each of the branches as I have my own list of contacts on top of what my subordinates brought me. Might not be worth looking into each branch, like Vacuo, but it is an option.

    More relevant to me is looking into the leadership of the Vale branch; all of which I have the scroll id to thanks to my agents and Blake. This could provide me some up to date info on their immediate plans and if I dig a little deeper could give me insight into the chain of events as they happened. Possibly not that helpful, but having proof for the wider Fang and the authorities could prove useful in the future.

    Lastly I have what could be considered more personal inquiries. The first of which is records on Mountain Glenn; everything from building records to security logs leading up to the breach of the settlement. There isn't too much of a mystery here, considering it was grimm that did them in, but it could prove useful since the White Fang are holding up in the city.

    Next up is a favorite of the CCT conspiracy boards, the Paladin incident. Not much is available about it aside from a casualty and injury report and it'd be nice to put the more outlandish theories to rest. On a somewhat related note there are many, more minor, mysteries that the snowy Kingdom of Atlas has cruelly denied the public from figuring out. I could do a broad trawl of their military records and see what I find.

    SDC: Inquisition: The higher ups of the SDC surely have a lot of blackmail for me to uncover. All I have to do is search for it. (8)

    Paladin Incident: I could put my curiosity to rest by getting the events from a first-hand source. Who knows, it might prove more relevant than I initially thought. (7)

    DRV: Torchwick's contacts (Synergy with WiR: Scroll): I could scrape the messages and whereabouts of all the people Torchwick contacted in the past month or so pretty easily. (7)

    WiR: Scroll: Her scroll, assuming that she has one, is likely pinging from the hotel and while that's a little hard to track down, just pulling all records from the area should be enough to give me something to go off of. (7)

    Watts' charity: The Lien is already seeded; all that's left is to pull the data and see how far their influence reaches. (6)

    SDC: Records(can be selected up to 3 times): The SDC is a labyrinthian beast with a lot of records. I'll start my search in Vale and Atlas and expand outward from there. (6)

    DRV: Torchwick: A deep dive into the gentleman thief of Vale. It might provide some insight on the man and his plans for the future. (3)

    Mountain Glenn records: Perhaps not the most useful, but I might be paying the place a visit depending on how I approach things and more information never hurts. (2)

    WF: Vale Leadership: Adam and his pack are up to something and it's easy enough to pull their records extending back a month or so ago. (1)

    WF: Surface: Just take a quick dip in the message history of the four branches and take a reading of the temperament of the Fang as a whole. (1)

    WF: Vale Deep Dive(requires WF: Vale Leadership/counts as two slots): Pulling records for the past few months, before this mess even began should shed some insight on how things ended up this way. (0)

    WF: Vacuo: the desert Kingdom doesn't have a heavy White Fang presence, but they are an easy branch to ally with in the future. (0)

    WF: Mistral: The nominal head of the White Fang and where most of the decisions come from. I could learn quite a bit from digging into this. (0)

    WF: Atlas: The most hidden and militant of the branches. Figuring out what they're doing could give me a heads up if they're heading to an extreme response like Adam's branch. (0)

    SDC:Jacques: He might do a better job of hiding his secrets, but he's still worked for decades and must have a number of secrets in his back pocket. (0)

    Watts' Deep dive(requires Watt's charity/counts as 2 slots): The charity has been around for a few years. I could try looking that far back and see what I find. (0)

    Atlesian secrets: I'll admit that I'm not sure what I'm expecting to get out of this, but there are far too many mysteries that die off from Atlas not providing information and I could get my hands on that. (0)

    Our vigil continues on throughout the night, only interrupted by Weiss bringing coffee and snacks for me and my men. This causes a small ruckus, which Flint puts down by going outside and bribing a nearby student to do a similar run for the other officers. I also get more than a few stares from the other officers when they realize that I'm the guy who's dating Weiss Schnee. Which reminds me that that's going to be a whole mess when it spills over to my organization. I can only hope that the techies didn't hear about her or that what I'm paying them is enough for them to keep quiet.

    Regardless, there is a whole commotion when the snacks and coffee are finally delivered with Flint encouraging the VPD techs to set aside their work for a few minutes. It probably doesn't do much to slow them down, but I give him a nod in solidarity regardless. He's doing his best to buy me as much time as he can and I appreciate that.

    My two techies look like they want to join in on the impromptu celebration, but a glare from my end reminds them that we're on a time-crunch. I'll treat them to something nice later, but right now every moment counts.Thankfully I don't have to deal with too many questions about what I'm doing or why I want them to go after certain information. Part of that is my assumed authority over them, but the rest is simply going after targets that the White Fang would be interested in anyway.

    Looking into the SDC for dirt is practically second nature for these guys and trying to find more about the guy bossing around Fang grunts in Vale and his contacts is an easy sell. So is pointing out one number in particular after searching for scroll signals in the vicinity of the hotel and ripping as much info as we can about it from the records. Then, of course, getting them to look further into the charity that I've had them looking into for the past few weeks isn't difficult at all.

    The only time that I receive an odd look is having them pull everything that Atlas has on the paladin incident. Fortunately it's easy enough to do so as the date and location were impossible for Atlas to hide, but the rueful chuckles and grins from my techies tell me that they're just as aware of the conspiracy as I am and are having a little fun at my expense.

    By the time we finish the sun is rising. With how much data we downloaded there is no way that I'd be able to parse through it all and it was enough of a struggle just to keep it all organized, but we managed. My men hand off a copy of the data to Flint and I while I pay them handsomely for their services. I'll have some Lien to spare when the shop income comes in and I'm feeling generous for their work throughout the night.

    I amble my way to the cafeteria, plucking off my badge and name-plate. I'll deal with changing after I've gotten some food in me that's more substantial than a few candy bars. I think Weiss is worried about me because she's at the table along with her team and my own despite not normally waking up this early. I don't even get the chance to assure them that I'm fine before my girlfriend stalks up to me and drags me by the arm to the table.

    Once seated she taps on the back of my palm twice in quick succession, a signal that we've set up so she can let me know she wants me to use my semblance without saying so directly. I'm too tired to tell her no right now and oblige her and when I look at her to see what she wants to talk about she pulls my head into her lap and I shift about, trying to get comfortable. I was going to do this in my bed, but this isn't too bad in comparison. I even get to hear Weiss hum out a tune while I drift off to sleep.

    When I wake up it's to the soft snores of my girlfriend as she too succumbed to slumber and slouched over the lunch table with her arms for pillows. My rest won't do much for my physical exhaustion, but seeing as I spent most of last night pacing back and forth while directing my men I'm not too worried about that. It does, however, bring up the curious question of how this will look on the outside. Would it appear that I was a dead man walking and then suddenly Weiss' mere presence brought me back to life? Geeze, as if Kelly and Autumn didn't have enough to tease me over.

    Still, I can't say it was an unenjoyable experience, but all things must come to an end. Before I do that I should probably wake Weiss up. I haven't really experimented with what it'd be like if I brought someone out of my semblance while they're sleeping in it, but I also don't want to test that on someone I care about.

    Sitting up I gently push on her shoulder and she grouses in her sleepiness. It only takes a few more tries before she stirs fully; shooting up and exclaiming, "I'm awake! I'm awake." She takes a few bleary blinks to resolve where she is exactly and relaxes. "Sorry, I was not expecting to fall asleep like that."

    "Don't worry about it, I appreciate the effort. You didn't have to do any of this, though. I'd be fine and we could hang out later."

    "Please, it's the least I could do. I'm benefitting from your actions either way and it would be unkind of me to not do something in return."

    "And is that why you brought your whole team as well?" Depending on her answer I might tease her about roping my team into this as well, though I know that's because they were curious and they're all used to getting up early anyway.

    "They decided to come on their own. I'm not the only one that worries about you, you know?" I find it more likely that her team wanted to make sure that she was okay rather than myself, especially if my team has been waiting for any appreciable amount of time. I'll ask Autumn about it later.

    "Second question, how long have you been waiting for me to show up?"

    Weiss looks off to the side causing her long ponytail to brush into me lightly. "Th-that is not important. What is important is that you get your rest. We've only been sleeping for-" she quickly fumbles with her scroll to check how long we've been in the mirror world, "four hours. You can't expect to operate on so little sleep now can you?"

    I could tell her that I have more than enough experience doing more while working off of less sleep, but think better of it. "Alright," I agree while nodding, "but you've got to do the same."

    Caught in the middle of nodding in agreement with me she's unable to stop herself from completing the motion and I smile like I've caught her in a trap. "Jerk. I thought you'd be super-serious after what you just went through. Why are you so laid-back all of a sudden?"

    "Hey cut me some slack, I just pulled off one of the greatest heists of all time. All with the complete approval of the VPD and with the targets none-the-wiser. Let me have this little victory."

    "I suppose you deserve some praise," Weiss mumbles petulantly. Then, as if a switch was flipped, she looks at me with hungry and energetic eyes. "Oh, what did you get me during your 'heist?'" I can practically feel her air quotes around the word heist. I let it go; she can have her fun at my expense, I know how much of an achievement this really was.

    "Wouldn't you like to know," I tease and get a sharp poke in my side for my troubles. "Fine, fine. I may have picked out a thing or two for you. I haven't had the chance to look over the data yet though."

    My girlfriend launches into my side wrapping her arms around me in a hug. "Whatever it is, I am sure it'll be wonderful."

    Consultation: I have a number of options available to me. Both in regards to the VPD and the White Fang. I could seek out her advice on the matter. (6)

    Pampering: She's put in a lot of effort for my benefit recently. Bringing that up would be a bit crass, but I can show her my appreciation in other ways. (5)

    Gameplan: With Winter break creeping up and this new data it might be prudent to go over her plans to see if there's any advice I can give her. (3)

    Menagerie: While I have her here I could tell her about Menageries' Dust deposits and see how she wants to proceed with that information. (0)

    Finals: We aren't too far into the week, but I'm sure she would appreciate the opportunity to vent about her struggles so far and how much she has to wrangle her team into studying. (0)

    "How can you go from demanding what I got you to fine with whatever at the drop of a hat?"

    My comment elicits a giggle out of her, "I just needed to make sure that you didn't forget it in all of your excitement."

    I scoff at that, "As if I had any other choice on the matter."

    She hugs me tighter and whispers in my ear, "You always had a choice. I'm glad that you chose to make me happy." Well, I can't respond to that seriously now can I? We've had enough serious talks over the past few weeks and this is a time of celebration.

    "It's good to know that all it takes to make you happy is breaking into an Atlas facility and handing their secrets over to you. If I knew that beforehand I'd do it more often."

    She preens against my side, "Mhm, you always know the best gifts to give me."

    "Since when were you so needy," I ask facetiously.

    Weiss draws a haughty sniff, "Please, you knew what you were getting into so don't complain now." She isn't wrong, but I don't give her the dignity of confirming that she's right. I do have a more serious topic I want to dive into later. Right now I want to keep the good vibes going.

    She has put in a lot of effort on my behalf and I know that the lightning Dust she's using for her time-dilation isn't exactly cheap right now. Then she went through all the trouble of staying up late and getting up early -or not going to bed at all- to make sure that I was doing alright. Despite all that I haven't heard a word out of her; there might be a deeper issue there preventing her from doing so, though now isn't the time to bring it up. Surely that level of dedication deserves some reward. That doesn't mean that I won't tease her a little, though.

    Slowly I raise my hand and hover it over her side. I thought about going for her ears to teach her how sensitive mine are, but decide that would be a bit cruel. Despite my attempt at stealth I can't hide my movements completely and Weiss knows me well enough to know that I'm up to something by now. "Ochre," she starts, "what are you do-ing." Her words end on a high note as I start my attack; I've found that my girlfriend is particularly ticklish, especially on her sides and it doesn't take much to get a reaction out of her.

    "Teaching you a lesson," I say, waggling my fingers and drawing her into a forced bit of laughter that sends her deeper into my side. If she were to try to escape it would only make her situation worse in the short term and as long as I don't take things too far she's fine playing along and won't be too upset. "Just want to give you some idea of how sensitive my ears are since you like playing with them so much."

    "But your ears are soo-oo soft" she whines, her words hiccuping when I brush over a ticklish spot of hers. "I can't help myself." Yeah, I knew that since she first did it in public. It is oddly nice to hear her admit it, however. I stop and let her get her breathing under control before shifting us so we have one foot on each side of the bench with her leaning back into me. I spent enough time laying on her that I'm willing to return the favor, plus I've already decided to spoil her a little.

    I briefly consider giving her a massage and working out the tenseness that I'm sure she's carrying. I have to discard it as there'd be no point in doing so in my mirror world, maybe I could offer it to her later today. Instead I wrap one arm around her midsection and feeling adventurous I run one hand down the top and outside of her leg.

    "Ochre, what are these," my girlfriend suddenly asks and I feel her rubbing my bare arm, pulling back the sleeve even further. It must have gotten bunched up and rolled back at some point, but I'm unsure when, and pulled back just enough for her to see the dark spots and grow curious.

    "Uh, my spots," I try saying like it's the most obvious thing in the world to hopefully draw her off from the topic.

    "And why am I just now noticing them?" Her tone tells me that she's not amused by my attempt at obscuring the truth, though not enough to dissuade me from making a token effort.

    "Well the school uniform and my outfit both have long sleeves and I like wearing pants. I guess it just never came up before."

    "Uh-huh," she says, not convinced. "Don't think that this will be the end of this topic."

    "You're not going to ask about it right now," I ask, a little dumbfounded.

    Her ministrations stop as her hands lock into place. "I want to, but you get touchy around this subject… I trust that you'll tell me about it when you feel comfortable with it."

    "From my perspective you're the touchy one."

    She lets out a huff, "I'm trying to care about you and you're making a joke out of it."

    "Sorry, sorry. And just to let you know you aren't just trying, you are caring." That draws a pleased note out of my girlfriend. With the previous mood already ruined I have no problem shifting the topic. "If it isn't too much trouble I'd like to pick your brains about some options available to me. See your perspective on things and all that."

    "You worry too much, of course it's not too much trouble. I'm glad that I can give you advice for once." She says I worry too much and yet she went through all this effort on my behalf. Well I can let that little bit of hypocrisy slide.

    "It's not a competition"

    "Of course not. If it was I would win," Weiss starts, her voice high and haughty; falling into a familiar dynamic for the two of us. "Do you think you could compete with the number of advisors I could call down with my influence and Lien?"

    "I don't know, I might just surprise you." I start grinning before schooling my features, "Weren't you just getting on my case about making a joke in this kind of situation?"

    "Sorry I was surprised, that's all." I hum noncommittally, it's not worth raising as an issue so I let it go.

    "Well I was thinking about how I'd be handling things with the Fang." That draws an interested 'oh' out of my girlfriend and she lets me expand on that statement. "As I see it I have a few options. The first of which is leaving the Fang altogether." It's not really a serious option, but I know she would be upset with me if I didn't at least mention it. "If I don't then I have three real ways of handling the Fang. I could take over directly, continue running things in the shadows, or set someone up with everything I've put together and take my work elsewhere."

    I could expand on the pros and cons of each option, but I'm not here to convince her of any one option. I'm asking to hear her honest thoughts and opinions on my options and it's best if I don't taint that. Besides I'll be able to work her arguments into my own if I need to convince her later on.

    Weiss doesn't respond immediately, giving the matter the kind of thought that it deserves. "As much as I'd prefer if you weren't a part of the White Fang at all I know you've put in a lot of work into it already. You are planning on changing how your branch would operate, right?" I nod, the current method isn't really sustainable though I'm not sure how much I'd be changing in the end. Thankfully she catches my gesture and proceeds with her opinion, "Then I don't see a reason for you to shy away from it. If you're changing how the Fang works then having a new face associated with that would be good for the movement.

    That and I wouldn't want your accomplishments to be attributed to someone else. You work so hard and you deserve some recognition for your efforts. Plus you'd be able to use your influence and mine to help change things even more." She has a point even if I'm just the boyfriend of Weiss Schnee, ostensibly having the ear of the heiress of the SDC gives me a lot of soft power I could wield. Not to mention any other influence I gain from my handling of the Vale branch and my position in the VPD.

    Speaking of which, "On a more minor note: I also got offered a spot on a task force for the VPD. Something to help improve relations between the faunus community and the VPD."

    "Only with you could a serious position within the VPD be considered the more minor of issues. Well, what's the problem?"

    "I'd have to devote some time, maybe not much of it but it would be another obligation on my plate. That and I'd have to put some effort into acquiring the position if I want to be something other than an advisor on the project."

    "And that would come with more responsibilities." I nod in answer to the conclusion she already reached. "Or you could ignore the task force, even drop working with the VPD entirely." That about sums up my options. I remain silent while I let my girlfriend work through it herself. "I don't want you working so much, but this is an opportunity for you. I'm not sure how much influence you'd have, but if you're confident in producing results I'd say go for it, as much as you can. It might be my bias, but if you take up a position in leading the White Fang you could show everyone that there's another way aside from violence to achieve equality."

    That makes me want to ask her about the ideology of the Fang and how much violence is acceptable. I stop myself before I can do so, I'm asking for advice and not making this a debate. Besides, it is a heavier topic than what we've been discussing and can be a matter for another time.

    Instead I decide to share with her some of my more long-term ambitions. "I don't know if I told you this, but I want to bring Menagerie up to par with the other Kingdoms." I've left out enough clues for her to put this together herself and I remember telling Yang about it during one of her more insecure moments. We haven't had a real discussion about it until now.

    "You don't need the White Fang to do that," she points out. I'm glad she doesn't question me as to why or if I'm sure that's what I want to do.

    "That's right, but it's the path that made the most sense at the time and like you've said I've already put in so much work already." I can tell she's not entirely happy with that, but using her own words against her prevents her from raising an objection.

    "So what would that look like? Do I need to worry about you taking on the responsibility of running an entire Kingdom on as well?" Her tone ends up light and I know she's poking a little bit of fun at my busy schedule. Well if she started it then she has no ground to stand on if I bring in some levity of my own.

    "I'm not entirely sure yet. There are a lot of factors that work into that and I'll have to see what everything looks like then. Though I'm pretty sure becoming a proper Kingdom means we'd have to sign the Vytal accords so no adding Queen to your list of titles sadly."

    She completely misses my teasing remark as she tenses up with confusion entering her tone, "Wait. They didn't?"

    I raise my hand and wag it in front of her in a so-and-so gesture. "Eh, it's a little more complicated than that. As a settlement that was formed by the Vytal accords it could be assumed that Menagerie is a signatory as well, but in practice that's not really supported. First off Atlas didn't give us our own CCT tower when they delivered their 'gift' to the other Kingdoms. And secondly our government structure hasn't reflected the parameters set by the Vytal accords. We don't have a council, we have a Chieftain that makes all the major decisions for Kuo Kuana and no one's told us to knock it off yet so it's all in a gray area so to speak."

    Not to mention the infringing on Menageries rights if it were a Kingdom. Mistral and Atlas shipping undesirable faunus for decades until it sparked the Faunus Rights Revolution would have never been allowed if they were doing it to Vale or Vacuo so all arguments about the supposed equality of the unofficial fifth Kingdom ring hollow in the face of that.

    I can tell I've given her something to think over and I'm sure she didn't miss how I stressed the word 'gift' there. She is already aware of my distaste of the snowy Kingdom, but we've both left the subject matter alone for understandable reasons. I don't want this to devolve into a debate about politics so I speak up, "I think we've spent enough time resting. We should get back before people realize something is up." Weiss grumbles in disappointment, but removes my arm, signaling that she's ready to leave whenever I am.

    I step out of my mirror world and when we get back to reality I remind myself that from an outside perspective it looks like we lent against one another for over twenty seconds, probably insensate to the world. I try to act drowsy and tired to throw off any possible hints towards my semblance. Unfortunately my girlfriend isn't as on the ball as I am about hiding my semblance; though to be fair I haven't really impressed upon her how serious it is to me.

    "So are we just going to gloss over whatever happened here," Yang asks testily. She has some slight bags under her eyes and her hair is a bit of a mess. Probably did not enjoy staying up for an appreciable part of the night to keep Weiss company.

    "Sorry about that, I was a bit tired and wanted to enjoy the moment. Sheesh," I respond with faux frustration. Hopefully that's enough to get them to drop the matter. It works for Yang and Blake isn't willing to make this an issue, but Ruby is closely observing her partner, going as far as to lean over the table to stare into Weiss' eyes.

    Try as she might there's no way for her to hide the new energy that she has and Ruby stands up, points between the two of us, and yells out, "This is more of your Weiss sorcery! I will have your secrets eventually, Ochre! Mark my words."

    "Are-are you not going to ask?"

    "Would you even tell me?" I shake my head. "Then I rest my case," she says while crossing her arms and holding her head up high like I just proved her point for her. To be fair I did, but she shouldn't take so much glee from such a simple act. I look over to my team for any potential support and find a sly grin on Autumn and Kelly's faces while Marina gives me a big smile and a thumbs up. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't that. At least I know they cared enough to show up even if I'm going to hear all about this moment from the twins.


    With that heart-to-heart taken care of I go through the rest of my day completing my daily tasks and then get on to diving in head first into some of the materials I got from the CCT records. I want to start with the woman in red since she's been a consistent mystery. However, I've had my investigators look into the matter of Watts' charity for long enough that I don't feel like pushing it off for much longer.

    Still, I can't help but sneak a peek into the message history of my woman in red. I find out that her name is Cinder and her two lackeys are Emerald and Mercury. It isn't too hard to peg Emerald as the girl and Mercury as the guy and it is nice to finally have names to put to their faces. Having to describe them in oblique terms was getting pretty tiresome.

    A minor part of my curiosity resolved, I move on to my project at hand and start reviewing what the CCT and my agents have uncovered. I send a few choice bits off to some of my underlings to help compile into something more useful while I get to work reviewing the big ticket items. Hopefully by the time that I'm through with that my underlings will have sorted the messages and other minor data points we've collected into something worthwhile.

    Investigation Check: Rank: 3.73 + 2(circumstance) +.5 (assistance) + 1.5 (CCT records)= 7.73 vs Challenge: 5/7

    Final DC: Autopass/32

    BO2 Source: Assistance

    Dice: 2d100

    Options: Individual.

    49,84
    The Lien we seeded into the charity reveals enough details about their accounts that we are able to backtrace their spending to see how far their influence spreads. The first thing this reveals is that the 'charity' operates in all four Kingdoms. Something I already knew, but it also shows that they have a number of expenses far in excess of simply paying their employees and their leases. It also shows that their income is primarily from donations of single to double digit amounts of Lien from a variety of sources. There is the occasional big donation, but I trace those back to corporations likely doing so for a tax break of some sort.

    The curious thing is that the majority of donors don't do so monthly, rather their donations are spread out with breaks of multiple months in between. It gives me the impression that this isn't a conscious decision on the part of many of the donors as I don't expect that many people to be as sporadic, yet oddly consistent. That and the size of their donations means that it'd be hard for most of them to spot and could shrug it off as an unknown purchase or an error on their part.

    An interesting distraction, but hardly something I could use unless I go screaming about it to Atlas. I return my attention to their spending and find that they're pretty consistent about paying into various individual accounts on a consistent basis. Most of these congregate in Atlas and Mistral, though there is a sizable number in Vale as well. Atlas would make sense as that is where the majority of their employees are, but this is in excess of that and it reminds me of the payments I make to my moles.

    If I had to guess, something similar is going on here trading Lien for info, or maybe providing a monthly retaining fee to have their services available at a moment's notice as well as incentive to not betray the charity for a quick return. I won't know what the exact case is unless I look into the matter but it's another thing to look into this expanding spider web of intrigue.

    I always conceived conspiracies as a group of five or so people meeting behind closed doors to determine the fate of the world, but there is an awful lot of bureaucracy involved in all of this. It also fills me with excitement to be digging into a world-wide shadowy organization. Sure it's technically a 'charity' and the fate of the world isn't likely at stake, but I can't help the giddiness as more and more is revealed to me.

    Another curious expenditure from the charity's accounts is that every three or four months there is a sizable amount of currency traded in for Lien cards that proceed to fall off the face of Remnant. Now it is much easier to obscure the Lien transfer with Lien cards rather than online transfers, but this still leaves me with two realistic options for why this is occurring. Either these cards are left as part of a stockpile or they're used to secure illicit goods and services.

    I don't have the ability to look into this further, but I do find out that all of these exchanges had to be signed off by the chair of the charity. I don't know how complicit the rest of the employees are, but given this he has to know more about what's going on and be fine with it. I could have some of my men look into him to see what they could find and I have to sigh about not being able to question him in person. I could potentially do so if I ever take another trip to Atlas, but I don't think that will be on my schedule any time soon.

    It's almost a minor note when I confirm that the 'charity' also put in an order for bullheads with the same dealership that Cinder 'stole' hers from. Apparently it's a bulk order and due to be delivered over the coming months. I have enough information to know that these will be going to the Fang to help them pull off whatever their grand plan is, but I have the shipment schedule as well so I could plant a few surprises of my own when it rolls in. Or I could hand it off to the authorities at some point; worst case it would delay things and possibly sour the relations between Cinder and Adam.

    I check in with Tukson to see if my agents have put together their findings yet. I've already discovered so much, but it couldn't hurt to see if they found something I missed. He doesn't respond immediately so I start delving into the message history of the chairman of the charity. I find that he sends out a monthly text to a scroll that is only a string of numbers and letters. Obviously a code of some sort, but not one that I have any hope of deciphering without knowing how it's encoded.

    Unfortunately that information isn't in his message history, but I do find a call that goes to the same scroll which wasn't answered followed by a message asking if he should be dispensing resources to a woman that requested them, stating that she used his name when saying that she had permission. The response, which is the only response from this particular person in all of the records that I have, is a simple yes that came two days later.

    As much as I've cursed the CCTS and its spotty coverage it looks like it's done a favor for me here. Without it the call would have gone through and I'd have just that little bit less. It does bring another mysterious person into the mix, but with all the information that I've collected and with how the 'charity' is set up and their strange purchases I have a big hunch of who it could be. And as it so happens I have the footage of the incident in which my suspect, Arthur Watts, 'died.' Now I'm not a fool to think I'd be able to spot something that Atlas missed so I send my digital investigators instructions to go over the footage for any sign of tampering and to be overly thorough about it while I watch it myself.

    The footage starts with a researcher announcing a test of the heavy weapons load out for a large mech, probably the eponymous Paladin, with another feed of Ironwood and the researchers, including Watts, observing. I take up the time to pull up the specs for the Paladin and find two results to my inquiry. Apparently they restarted the program at some point as the designs are slightly different though obviously similar. The biggest change is that there is room for a pilot in the more recent design, likely a concession so they could test the design after whatever issue occurred here. They are still capable of remote operation, which seems to be their default mode so I don't see the reason why they even bothered.

    My gripes aside I resume the video and everything seems to go fine at first until they get on to the rocket test. According to the researcher it was only supposed to launch one missile as a test of the system before unloading a larger salvo. What happens instead is that the torso of the mech turns and unleashes an entire pod of rockets.

    Ironwood, to his credit, steps in front of the researchers while the rockets crash into the wall. I don't know if the salvo was enough to go through multiple walls or if Atlas was tight on space for their facility, but the feed cuts out for a few seconds and when it returns the room the researchers were in is filled by a baleful red light from the paladin. It also has a fair share of corpses, rubble, and viscera decorating the room despite the General's best efforts.

    He still has both of his arms at this point, but the telltale signs of exhaustion point to him losing his aura in that burst. Just as he's about to turn tail and run he whips his head to a mound of rubble that I think has a dark-skinned man trapped underneath. This costs him as he takes a hit to the torso that he barely didn't dodge and he decides to engage with the mech. With some of the cameras taken out of commission it's hard to tell how the fight goes, but after a few minutes Ironwood returns to the observation room with a bloody stump as soldiers start flooding into the scene and he helps shift the rubble so the man underneath can be rescued.

    As informative as that was, it doesn't help me with my inquiry so I rewind and slow down the footage to find out what happened to Watts and slow down the footage. He's standing amongst the crowd of researchers. That strikes me as distinctly unlike the man from what I've heard about him. I lose him when the feed cuts out from the impact of the rockets and don't find his corpse when the feed returns. Now it's possible that he's among the giblets that covers the room, but I have the distinct impression that isn't the case here.

    I don't have any proof, however, and have to wait until my agents go over the material. It takes a few hours to hear back from them in which I don't find much out on my own. They do, however, find what they believe to be signs of tampering near the beginning of the footage. There isn't any clear visual indicator, but by going into the sound files associated with the footage they were able to catch a clear break in the recording; Inaudible to even my ears, but able to be detected with audio software. Given that revelation it throws into doubt certain events, primarily Watts' position in all of this. With most of the researchers appearing to have died off or been concussed there aren't a lot of eyewitnesses to contradict the footage and before now no reason to suspect that Watts didn't die in this event.

    It doesn't give me the original version, nor do I think there's a way to restore it. It's a shame that I won't know the truth of how Watts pulled this off, but I have to respect a man that could fool Atlas. I already know that he has the technical know-how to pull this off. As for the greater conspiracy, I assume he's doing this all remotely as he has a distinct visage. Even if the world thinks he's dead all it takes is one slip up and his charade comes apart. It does finally give me a potential motive for what's going on.

    One doesn't go through such extreme action unless they feel like they have no choice to. So either he couldn't leave his job or he had his own reasons to fake his death like this. Either way I can't imagine he'd look too kindly on Atlas and seems like the type to carry a grudge. Now this doesn't add up to why he'd be involved in Vale unless I add the Vytal Festival into the mix.

    Atlas is nominally in charge of security for Amity Colosseum and the festival as a whole. Best I can guess is he's trying to cause an incident to prove Atlas is incompetent or if his grudge is more personal, disgrace General Ironwood in front of the whole world. Some of the pieces don't quite fit, like the Fang's bit with the grimm cages, but that could be independent action on their part. It fits well enough as a working theory for now and I can look into it later.

    I receive a ping from my scroll with Tukson delivering my subordinates reports. I skim through them with most of them echoing my own thoughts. They do find two things that I overlooked since I didn't have the time to look over everything. The first is that we pulled the codes to the warehouses of Watts' charity during our information trawl and all that's left is to check the places out myself or have my agents do so. The second is along the lines with the paladin stuff. Apparently there is supposed to be a shipment sent in as part of Atlas' tech display for the Vytal festival. Technically there's more than one, but the rest haven't been scheduled at this time and this shipment will be arriving shortly after the second semester starts.
     
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    Interlude 2, Glynda Goodwitch
  • Sidestory


    • Glynda Goodwitch​

    I swear Ozpin must have planned for this year to be the most stressful and headache-inducing one yet. I understand that certain…leniency has to be granted for our standards and the attack on Amber has made preparing the next generation of Huntsman a far more pressing issue, but things have gotten ridiculous.

    Miss Rose has been the least of my issues despite her age and sudden thrusting of leadership upon her. Not that she hasn't been involved or the cause of several incidents, but they have all been fairly minor in the grand scheme of things.

    Arguably Mr. Arc is in a similar boat, but his performance in my class has been inexcusable and if it weren't for Ozpin's reassurances I'd have had the matter investigated to my fullest capabilities. The last thing we need is young hopeful huntsmen rushing off to their deaths because they thought they could play at grimm slaying. However, my initial assessment of him may have been overly harsh. He has shown significant improvement in my class as well as the others based on what little we've discussed about our students. Plus he at least knows how to stay out of trouble even if his teammates, excluding Miss Nikos, are unable to. Seriously, do they think my classroom is some sort of circus act for them to make clowns of their friends with?

    And of course their disruptions have a common element among them as well as the source of my current headache, Mr. Rovere.There was no way I could miss him joining the VPD both on their march to and their entrance of the CCT Tower. Bartholomew told me about him working with the organization, though he was shy on the reasoning why and I think I've discovered it. Whatever Mr. Rovere's playing at is surely too big for a student like him to be concerning himself with. Which only makes it more concerning that he hasn't brought it up to Ozpin or myself. Still, Bartholomew assures me he's keeping an eye on the situation and I'll trust in his judgment for now. I will have plenty an opportunity to grill the both of them in the wilderness.

    However, with this most recent and brazen display of his I review what Ozpin and I have on the boy. Born in Menagerie and sending letters addressed to an Onyx Rovere two to three times a week so I can be reasonably certain that is at least true. The contents of the letters have remained private thus far and unless Mr. Rovere gives us good reason to, it will remain that way. He's also a self-professed former member of the White Fang.

    The former part was very much called into question by his acts during the first week of school and his subsequent and frequent trips into Vale. Some of that has been explained away by his working with the VPD and the revelation of his mother living in Vale. I had my suspicions on the veracity of that, but once again Bartholomew assured me that it is the truth, or at least close enough to it that I needn't look into it any more.

    I also can't say that his activities have overly harmed his academics. Aside from his performance in Miss Heartwood's class he has remained among the top performers of his year and a firm second in my own class. That much was at least proved with his duel with Miss Nikos and spared me the trouble of having to arrange a spar between them while I was still gauging everyone's relative skill levels.

    Of course I arranged it so that neither of them would fight with one another until I could be sure there wasn't some sort of rivalry forming between the two. Teenage drama is the last thing that I should have to worry about with my job, but the two of them have shown so much potential that I can't risk either of them developing bad blood at this point in time. Especially with Ozpin's plans for Miss Nikos and the rapid development of Mr. Rovere.

    Until recently I would have said that Miss Nikos was a shoe-in for winning the Vytal Tournament, as long as her team didn't receive an unfortunate match-up during the full-team segment. However, since Bartholomew started training the boy he has seen a substantial amount of improvement to his skills. Much more than I'd expect given how much time in the training rooms he's reserved. Hopefully that's just his natural improvement now that he's being mentored rather than Bartholomew taking his competition with Port too far.

    The elevator doors opening serves as a signal to pull me out of my thoughts and I step into Ozpin's office. The man himself is at his desk with a steaming cup of cocoa off to the side and not a shred of paperwork in sight. Aside from the occasional form, all of his workload has been shifted to his scroll. Even so, with the VPD having left just this morning I find it prudent to ask, "They didn't touch anything did they?"

    "They never even touched the place. Of that I can assure you," Ozpin responds with his hands steepled together

    "What were they after anyway?"

    He looks over his small spectacles and says with a measured tone of voice. "Glynda, it's not like you to ask questions you already know the answer to." My lips tighten, but he's right. I received the same paperwork from the VPD just as he did. They were after records of officers suspected of corruption as well as whatever they could find on a Junior Xiong and his organization.

    "What was he after," I ask, correcting my inquiry.

    Leaning backwards in his seat Ozpin says, "That is the question, now isn't it? He could have just been here to assist with the operation."

    "You don't believe that do you?"

    "I believe a great many things, Glynda. However, suspecting one of my students of acting in bad faith without any evidence isn't one of them."

    "But what if he is," I argue. "He's definitely up to something Ozpin. Don't you think we should be concerned about that?" I don't bring up how he can be so trusting. With his long life Ozpin has developed a certain view towards loyalty and an inclination to his students. If he spots that they mean to do harm he won't hesitate to deal with them, but by the same token he has corrected so hard so as to not fall into paranoia.

    "Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? If you truly believe that Mr. Rovere is a threat, I invite you to bring him in for a talk. Until then let him enjoy his time at Beacon however he wishes to spend it. In far too short of time he won't be able to any longer." He doesn't even mention how Bartholomew has been watching over the boy and he doesn't have to. I trust Bartholomew's judgment; it's just that I'm far more used to being the one keeping secrets than the one secrets are kept from.

    "And what are your plans for him?"

    Ozpin is silent for a long time before he stands up and faces the window of his office, turning his back towards me. "I'll admit that I've taken an interest in Mr. Rovere for some time and recent events have proven that interest warranted. I will keep my eye on him, but I believe he has the potential to be a great asset in the future."

    "You mean to recruit him," I state, my lips thinning as I'm not sure I approve of the idea.

    He turns around with a slight smile on his face, "Well he can hardly be as bad as Qrow now can he? He might not be quite as good either, but it never hurts to hedge our bets." I remain silent, wondering what exactly makes him think Mr. Rovere will be a good recruit. Plus it always leaves a sour taste in my mouth to talk about our students like this, my job is to prepare them for the dangers they'll face, not to throw them into even more. No matter how necessary and regrettable it is.

    "Was there something else you wanted to talk about," Ozpin asks, allowing me to voice my thoughts.

    "Yes actually," I start. "I know you approved it already, but with recent events are you sure-"

    "Yes, yes, enjoy your trip. I can manage things well enough while you're away. Though take care not to be delayed; I can hardly run the school without you, now can I?" I feel a twitch of my lips at that bit of recognition, but I smooth my features as quickly as I can. Not that I do well enough to hide that slip from Ozpin; he just doesn't comment on it.

    With that I take my leave and head back down the elevator to the lobby of the CCT Tower. I still have some reservations over Mr. Rovere, but I'm willing to defer to the judgment of Bartholomew and Ozpin for the time being. I can keep my eyes out for his activities, but he can't cause too much trouble in the few weeks we have before our expedition.

    On a similar note I make my way to meet up with his teammate, Kelly out on the outskirts of the Emerald Forest. Much like Peter and Bartholomew I decided to take a personal approach with one of my students as well. You don't see me bragging about it whenever we meet up though. The girl has some potential and her semblance has enough similarities to my own that I can provide some pointers. Her having an agreeable temperament and the drive to improve herself are just what sealed our partnership together.

    Due to the requirements of her semblance we can't use the training rooms like Bartholomew and Mr. Rovere do and we both want a certain level of privacy to our training. This led to us using our new training grounds: the outskirts of the Emerald Forest, deep enough and tucked off to the side to avoid any prying eyes.When I arrive at the small clearing, however, something must show from my demeanor as Kelly asks, "Is something the matter ma'am?"

    "Your leader," I bark out, letting myself properly vent my frustrations about this for the first time.

    "What did he do this time," she asks and I just send her a look. "Right, stupid question. What do you want me to do about it?" Good, she knows not to beat around the bush with me.

    "Nothing," I say, but based on my apprentice's expression she doesn't believe that one bit. I sigh, not wanting to have to put her in a bad position like this, but also being unwilling not to act now that the opportunity has presented itself. "If you could ensure that a surprise like last night's doesn't happen again, I would be grateful." Kelly sucks in a breath like she already knows that's not going to be possible. "What is he doing this time?"

    "Nothing bad I assure you, just a trip into Vale, with teams RWBY and JNPR" she hurriedly says; adding the last part after a brief bout of hesitation. A part of me wants to glare at her until she tells me more, but I stop myself.

    "Just make sure he doesn't do anything too crazy or take anything too far," I relent, not wanting to make this any more of an issue than it already is. Instead I get to training her, in particular working on her semblance and honing its offensive capabilities. Kelly has, thus far, oriented herself into a defensive mindset and fighting style; something that has worked with her semblance in its most simple form. However, she has ignored the multitude of options available to her and that is what I seek to correct. She's not always going to have the time or ability to set up a defensive line to retreat to, and I will admit I'm more partial to taking the fight to the enemy than letting them come to me.

    To that end I have been working on her fine control. Right now attempting to get her to use tendrils of earth as makeshift projectiles and spikes and we're working on getting them thinner and thinner to help reduce the aura load. Perhaps she'll even be able to mimic my semblance to a degree and rid herself of the need for the whole thing to be connected to the ground.

    "Stop," I call out, snapping my riding crop against the air for an audible crack to punctuate my statement. Just as I've drilled into her she stops her manipulation of the earth aside from whatever's necessary to keep her structures held together. Her tendrils stretch off a few feet above us and off towards the trees of the forest. A decent attempt in both number and speed, but there is one fault that I find that's inexcusable. Despite my comments the base of her tendrils is still much wider than the tip, in fact the whole thing has a conical quality to it where the tendril slowly thins from the base to the tip until it's a sharp point.

    I don't even need to point out what the exact issue is as I see the recognition in her eyes, "You can't afford to waste aura like this in the field." Kelly doesn't complain, simply nodding and giving me a 'yes ma'am,' and I smile. With a softer voice I instruct, "Don't focus so much on making a realistic structure. That limitation only exists in your mind. If you need to focus on anything, focus on forcing the earth to shoot out as quickly as it can. You won't have the opportunity to even think about reinforcing the base like you have."

    Another nod and another 'yes ma'am' later she resumes her exercises and already I'm seeing some improvement. It's not much and it's inconsistent, but it's there. I pretend not to notice it now, but I'll be pointing it out to her in a few weeks if she doesn't catch on to it before then.

    I call a short break once her aura reaches the fifty percent mark. We'll move onto more general combat tips and some light sparring in a moment. For now she's earned a break, though from the look on her face she isn't planning on relaxing. Cutting to the heart of the matter, I preempt her, "Is there something you want to say?"

    "I was just wondering ma'am, why did you pick me? I know you said our semblances are similar, but that can't be it can it?" She tries to be professional and soldier-like, but years as an instructor allow me to see there's something beneath that bluster. I wasn't expecting her to be self-conscious about this, but I guess I was like her once. In truth, it's not a bad question to ask. She may have caught my eye and Peter and Bartholomew's talks made me take action, but I never expected to do anything more than provide some pointers at first.

    "Did you know that you're one of the few students that reserves time in a training room or yard every week?" She nods, but a little too rapidly for me to believe that she knows how rare that is even from students at Beacon. I'd prefer if they took their combat skills, and studies, more seriously, but surprisingly few actually do.

    "Yeah, but my brother works just as hard, Marina only isn't because she has to catch up on her studies, and Ochre does something every week to improve himself."

    "Be that as it may, I don't believe any of them have the same fortitude or are as serious as you are."

    "Ochre is just as serious as I am." I send her a look, remembering the time that he forced one of his classmates to fight in my class with a maid outfit on. "Well he can be when he needs to."

    "But it's not the same is it? When he has to deal with something else or gets distracted by a project he's working on you're the one to pick up the pieces aren't you?"

    "I- maybe you're right," she says and I can tell she doesn't agree. "But it's more complicated than that. He doesn't just drop things on me for no reason. He only does that when something important comes up and that hardly happens at all." I would love to quiz her on what 'important' thing her leader is doing, but I put that out of my mind for the present.

    "Still, that is why I picked you. When it would be easier to just let the matter slide or deal with it later you don't hesitate and stand up and do what must be done. No complaining, no dragging your feet, just the inexorable fact that the problem is yours and you will attend to it." It might have been a flight of fancy at first, me finding something to do to take my mind off the talks Peter and Bartholomew had about their mentorships. However, just because something had an ignoble start doesn't make it any less meaningful.

    Kelly accepts my reasoning and with a spring in her step takes her stance a few paces away from me. I was going to give her some time to process things and actually take a break, but if she's so eager to get along with things then I suppose I can grant her wish. As always I snap my riding crop with a loud crack to signal the start of our bout and wait for her to make the first move.
     
  • Sidestory
    • Week 15 (Part 2, End)
  • Threadmarks
    • I have to spend a few minutes going over everything I just learned and admittedly to calm myself down a little. It takes a greater amount of willpower than I'm willing to say to anyone to not immediately run off and start making a log of my findings. I mean I will, just later. I'm in the middle of history in the making; this is probably the single greatest and most importantly real conspiracy in the history of Remnant and I want to make sure that nothing gets lost in the process.

    Sure, I have my board which contains everything that I've learned so far, but as multiple explanations have proven it's not exactly as obvious to others as it is to me. That and it's not like I could reproduce it as easily for other people to learn from like I can a personal log. It's just words after all, how hard could it be to put my thoughts in order?

    Thinking about it all brings to mind that my investigations probably wouldn't be as successful as they have been without the assistance of those under me. It also reminds me how much of a workload that Blake and Tukson have been under. While I have no problem wading in and helping them with it, especially Blake as she's still finding her feet, I also don't particularly want to leave the issue to build up and become a problem later. That doesn't mean that I have to take care of it now, but assuming that I do there are two ways I could go about it. I could bring on a third person who would subsequently know about me and bring their own opinions on how to run the organization. Or, I could show off the wonders of delegation to Blake and Tukson.

    Our organization has grown enough that it would be worth having someone to sort out the dross for them as well. It would, however, be more expensive by more than twice over. Plus it would mean more people privy to the information that's being bandied around. Perhaps not the biggest concern with how I've been handling things, but a concern to keep in mind. Still, it would allow Tukson, Blake, and subsequently myself to manage more people at a slight loss in direct control. It is also something that I'll have to implement sooner or later if we keep up our expansion as there's no way I can have so many reports handled by a handful of people.

    Recruit: I'll need more hands to help run this ship at some point and now is as good of a time as any to recruit another person to help out. (Cost 200L/month) (7)

    Delegate: I could hire some people to be more direct assistants to Blake and Tukson. It would expand out the budget, but it should still be workable even with what I have in mind for this week. (Cost 500L/month) (1)

    Skip: now's not the time to add on any more expenses. Kick this can down the road. (0)

    I send Tukson a message to put together a short list of leadership candidates. This time it won't be me deciding to bring in Blake without his input. That may have worked out well, but making it seem like I'm taking in their concerns and advice will help prevent any resentment from forming. I will have the final decision no matter what, so I'm not too concerned. Although bringing on someone who would only know about me due to my relationship with Weiss is sure to cause a headache that will take some time to explain. Fortunately I don't have to worry about that for a few days as it'll take some time for Tukson to get me that list as well as some time to arrange a meeting between all of us.

    In the mean-time I should make sure that I haven't caused too many problems with JNPR due to my meddling. In reality I don't care much what Jaune does, but Ren and Nora could make my life a lot more frustrating if they were given motivation to do so. I don't think Ren is holding a grudge and Nora is too shocked to raise any complaints at the moment, but that's no reason not to make sure things are alright.

    I find my quiet friend in the library with Nora asleep next to him and drooling on the pages of an open book. The first isn't surprising considering finals are happening and it says a lot about the latter that I'm not even fazed by it. I'm also not too worried about waking up Nora accidentally, she seems like the type to sleep heavily. That and there is enough chattering and bustling from how many people are packed in the library that there shouldn't be any issue as long as Ren and I are quiet.

    I'm about to pull out a chair and sit next to him when he spots me, raises an eyebrow, and nudges his head towards the sleeping ginger. Well, it's not too much of an imposition so I indulge him. I grasp the side of the book while he holds up her head and sets it gently on the table after I remove the book. The table isn't as soft as the pages of the textbook, but she- no, Ren will appreciate that she isn't ruining her textbook. He gives me a nod of thanks and I take the seat next to him.

    He simply goes back to his studying and I pull out my own materials, though my heart isn't really in it right now. I'm more waiting for him to strike up a conversation, but after half an hour of waiting I have to accept that either he's messing with me or he has no intention to do so. "Do you really have nothing to say about what I did," I whisper, hoping to get this ball rolling.

    He slowly raises his head with disapproval in his eyes, "A library is for reading," he answers back in a harsh whisper. Really? That's his problem here. I fix him with a look and he closes his book with a sigh. "There isn't much to say. You shouldn't have done what you did…but I'm not displeased with the result." He turns to look at Nora as he says that and I know where he's coming from.

    "It sounds like there's more to it than just objecting to me messing with your personal life." I make that deduction based on a few hints and references that have been made about his past during conversations with him and Nora.

    "I find that most people take offense if you guide them to a major decision without consulting them first," he replies without answering my actual inquiry.

    "But small things are fine," I needle back at him. If he's fine with guiding a conversation from behind the scenes then it isn't that big of a jump to guiding them to take actions that they already want to take and would be good for them.

    He winces slightly at my words which I take to mean I found a bit of hypocrisy in his actions. Most likely it's indicative of a place where his principles clash as Ren is usually careful enough to think through his actions and I doubt something like this passed by without him noticing. That is potentially useful if I need a lever to get him to do something, but there's no need to manipulate him like that yet.

    Regardless, he didn't like that I pointed that out and I doubt I'm going to get him to talk if I keep antagonizing him. "Sorry, forget I said anything." That may as well be code between us that I'm letting the matter drop, which he shoots me a thankful look for. I have no doubt that that particular thought will stay in his brain for weeks to come, but I can't do anything about that at this point.

    "I appreciate it. Now what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

    "Mostly this, make sure we were cool and maybe make sure things between your leader and Pyrrha haven't blown up too badly."

    "I'm sure that's all that you're up to," he fires back with a slight smirk.

    "You caught me," I yield. "Can you blame me though? I'm pretty good at multitasking." He grunts in a way that sounds like he agrees with me without actually agreeing with me. I know he's just doing it to rile me up a little, but I'm not about to let him control the flow of the conversation that easily. "Now stop avoiding the question. Do you have a problem with me or not?"

    He stares me in the eyes, challenging me and I return the gesture. I don't care if he takes issue with me or not, but I want to know where we stand before I do anything else. Eventually he looks away and softly says, "No. I could tell that you meant well and everything worked out." I was hoping for a little more elaboration than that, but it's Ren that I'm talking to and I have to be happy with what little I get. I get ready to spin off into another topic and catch his smirk widening. I already agreed with his assessment earlier. He doesn't need to take any more satisfaction in me continuing to prove him right.

    Relationship: I know they haven't been together-together, as Nora would put it, for very long, but I could see how he's settling into that kind of thing. Might even appreciate that I'm making sure he's fine. (4)

    Arkos: I'm morbidly curious about what, if anything, Jaune has planned for Pyrrha and Ren seems like the best person to ask about that kind of thing. (4)

    Delay: he seems fine with how things went with him and Nora, I could question him on why he never made the first move. (2)

    Well-meaning: What exactly did he mean by I meant well? I can see how he could take my actions that way and wouldn't say he's wrong, but I get the impression that he thinks my actions are more altruistic than they actually are. (2)

    Overstep: I may have taken things a little far and while he's willing to let it go that doesn't mean that I can't provide some sort of restitution on my own. (1)

    Principles: I'm not going to manipulate him, but I suspect there's a reason that he acts the way he does and I could question him on that. (0)

    "So," I say slowly, taking my time as if I'm tasting each word. "How are you enjoying your new together-together status?" A twitch of his eyebrow ruins his otherwise placid expression and immediately I know that he did not enjoy my turn of phrase even as I'm smiling.

    As much as I enjoy poking fun at Ren it is a legitimate question on my end. Weiss takes up a lot of my time, not that I'm complaining, as is and I can only imagine it'd be worse with how energetic Nora is. Plus they live in the same dorm and I'm sure their antics will drive Jaune and Pyrrha up a wall at some point. Well that is if Ren is willing to break propriety. Regardless, I'm just glad that my dorm is on the other side of the hall from them, though that does bring up the mental image of team CRDL having to overhear whatever they get up to. I don't know if the walls are actually that thin, but it's not like that's a concern for me and Weiss either, right now or in the future.

    "It is not as different as I was expecting," he starts and waits a moment before elaborating, "I thought there would be some kind of change. Maybe something did, but Finals popping up in the middle of all this makes everything seem so normal." I nod along, his reasoning making sense even if it wasn't my experience. Maybe him and Nora knowing each other for so long is responsible for that? Either way he didn't answer my question and I give him a pointed look to let him know that I picked up on that.

    He stares back with wide eyes, pretending to not know what I'm getting on about. If he wanted to fool me that easily he should have put more work into his disguise before now. Eventually he loses this game of patience. He leans back in his chair and I catch his eyes darting to Nora before refocusing on me. "I suppose I do enjoy it. Even if things haven't changed that much, it's reassuring in a way." I don't bother clarifying if he means that it's reassuring that things didn't change or if the relationship itself is reassuring. Maybe he doesn't know or think it's both, either way asking about it would only drag the conversation down. Ren uses my moment of silence to take the initiative and turn the tables back on me, "Why'd you do it anyway?"

    It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he means, but he nods his head towards Nora regardless. That's my first clue that he's after something other than what he just asked about. Well, technically it's my second clue as he already told me that I 'meant-well' whatever that means. He already has a preconceived notion about why I did this, but if he was looking for confirmation he'd just state it and ask if that was the case. Since he isn't doing that, that leaves only one other option.

    "Do the two of you have any plans after Finals," I ask instead of pointing out his attempt at manipulation. He's observant to notice my change in subject means that I know what he was attempting to do while not letting the mood drop from either touching on his issues or making a big deal about it.

    Ren rolls with the sudden change well, so well that it makes me feel like he didn't care if I engaged with his question or not. "We have some plans to spend time around Vale, maybe catch a movie or eat out at a restaurant or two. Nothing serious or extravagant, given our situation."

    "No plans to spend some time with another couple stuck in Vale," I ask with a teasing smile.

    "We didn't plan on it, but if you and Weiss are willing it would certainly expand our options for venues. If you're generous enough to cover for us that is," he says, turning my teasing remark back on me. It also gives me the mental image of Nora at a high-class restaurant and I shake my head. Ren could probably rein her in for the duration of a meal, but she just doesn't fit into that kind of clientele.

    "You know who I was referring to," I snark back with a little too much volume based on the look I get from Ren and some people looking up at the two of us. A smirk tells me that I had the exact reaction that he was looking for, though I suspect he didn't expect the attention I drew upon us. After a beat we both check to make sure that Nora is still asleep. It seems that way to me and with how he doesn't make a motion to change anything I have to assume she is. If anyone could tell when she's faking it it'd be Ren.

    "In order for them to be an option, they'd have to be dating first." I didn't figure that Jaune had asked Pyrrha out yet, I'm sure I'd see the fallout from that one way or another. However, even my critical gaze isn't enough to cajole Ren into speaking about the matter without explicitly bringing it up myself.

    "Fine, I'll stop beating around the bush. Is Jaune going to do anything about Pyrrha or is he all hot air even when there's a woman that's actually interested in him?" Ren blinks slowly, likely not expecting me to be that direct. Well he only has himself to blame for that. How else am I supposed to bring up the subject if he's stonewalling me?

    Ren coughs into his fist as if he's embarrassed to be bringing this up. "I suspect Jaune is still working up the courage and wants whatever attempt he makes to be suitably grand." I grumble inwardly since he didn't seem to have that kind of problem as far as Weiss was concerned. Ren picks up on this and elaborates, "He's acting like that because of how things with Weiss went. He was used to rejection, to the point where if she returned his affections it'd be a nice bonus, but there was no fear that something would change. It's different for him with Pyrrha she-"

    Ren stops himself, not wanting to reveal whatever he was about to. I might not know exactly what he was going to say, but I appreciate his attempt at keeping his teammates' secrets at any rate. "Lets just say with her, he thinks that he has something to lose. I can empathize to a degree."

    I'm not sure that I do. Even with all the encouragement and reassurances in the world, he's still hesitating. Before I can continue on my internal rant anymore Ren interrupts me, "Not everyone can be as bold as you Ochre." I want to challenge that and say it was Weiss who made a move on me, but then I remember confessing my White Fang allegiance to her on that date of ours and run out of steam for even an attempt at an argument. Noticing my state he continues, "If it's any consolation I think he has something planned for once Finals are over. I suspect he'll go through with it once Winter break starts."

    "And you're doing something to help him with that?" His eyes dart away from me and I raise my voice pointedly, "Right?"

    "I don't think I should get involved." I stare harder at Ren for his evasive answer, but aside from him firming up his expression I get no response out of him. Fine, whatever. I was only satisfying my curiosity about the matter anyway. Ren can sort out his own issues and I'm sure Jaune will- well I don't really care what he does now that he's taking being a Huntsman seriously.

    I open up my textbook as a clear indication that I'm moving past the subject and Ren lets out a short exhalation before doing the same. At some point we start asking questions about our school material and helping the other out in our problem areas. Nora even wakes up after a little while, though she's still groggy and in no state for studying. Instead, she butts in on our study session to interject with a comment every once in a while. Surprisingly I have to agree with Ren, it really looks like their dynamic didn't change much. Maybe there's something underneath the surface that's different, but I haven't spent enough time with the two of them to really tell.


    My short study session with Ren and Nora reminds me that Autumn has some unique insights on the working mind of Port. While he has had an easier time in Port's class that experience hasn't really filtered itself back to me. Sure, our friend group quizzes Autumn about what Port meant so they get more easily digestible notes, but that's not as applicable to me as it is to them. They have time to spare after class to cover up their deficiencies in class.

    Not that I blame them, it's hard to stay focused in his class, especially if they try following along with his stories for the extra credit questions he puts in our exams. I'm sure I could marginally improve my GPA by paying more attention or spending my time picking Autumn's brain after class. I don't because it doesn't really help my knowledge of the grimm and just reading the textbook in class has worked out well enough.

    Despite his long-winded stories Port actually follows pretty close to how the textbook describes things. Seeing as he's a co-author on the thing I'm not too surprised, but it is slightly disappointing that he can't get to the point in class like he does in the book. Maybe his editors or co-authors restrained his worst impulses and he just needs someone to keep him on track? Maybe I could float the idea over to Autumn.

    I shake my head to dispel that thought. In the middle of exams is not the time to bring such a matter up even if I am hanging out with the big lug. Speaking of which the man himself is standing out in the courtyard standing atop one of the benches and talking with a crowd of people. I step in to listen and find out that he's recounting one of Port's stories, though he's only going over the 'highlights' so to speak. For me that means I can stand off to the side and half-tune him out; Weiss already interrogated him about the 'important' parts of Port's stories and is kind enough to share the flashcards she made for the exam with me.

    Him doing this outside and in such an impromptu fashion makes me think he wasn't planning on this. He didn't say anything about helping our classmates and if he did he could have reserved time in one of the training rooms or ask to use a classroom since they aren't getting much use right now. He probably stopped to talk with one person which led to him giving them some help and that snowballed into this crowd of people. It's no secret that Autumn is at the top of Port's class and I wouldn't be surprised if the fact that he's Port's apprentice has started to make the rounds.

    That does bring to mind why no one has approached me about the situation. I was tutoring Velvet, but no one else made an attempt to get my attention. Then again I have a much more mixed reputation than Autumn does thanks to all of my activities and my brutality towards Cardin during the first week of school. Whatever, I'm not going to complain about people not eating up my precious time.

    Thankfully I don't have to occupy myself with my thoughts for too long. Autumn catches sight of me in the crowd, finishes up his story, and makes an excuse to the crowd before leaping towards me and forcing me along a walk with him as we speed away from the crowd of people. "Thanks Pardner. Those folks descended upon me like a pack of beowolves," he says sporting a wide grin.

    "You could have just told them no."

    "That would have been pretty rude of me, don't you think?"

    "You can't just go around helping everyone that needs your help. You have your own things to take care of and there's no reason for you to involve yourself in their welfare." I know better now than to press him on his good-nature, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to refrain from sharing my thoughts on the matter.

    "Ah I bet that you know all about that," he says with a teasing grin that makes me interrogate him.

    "What do you mean exactly?" The only response that I receive is an enigmatic smile and I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of asking again. Instead a thought enters my head and I have somewhere else to take this conversation. "I expect that we'll be seeing combat in the next week or so. I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that things turn out well, but in order to do that I need all the information I can get." I fix him with a look and don't say anything explicitly. He may not have the best book smarts, but he can pick up on what is left unsaid.

    Autumn looks reluctant to answer, likely wanting to keep his trump card up his sleeves, but recognizing that I need to know his abilities to use them effectively. "Fine, I was pretty sure that I'd show this off to ya during the break anyway." He throws an arm around my shoulder bringing me in close and dropping his own voice to a whisper. "Now I don't understand it too well, but I can just sort of make myself move faster. There are some side effects aside from the aura expenditure like some frost forming on my clothes and the air getting colder. It also works in the opposite way, I can slow or stop myself, but things start heating up mighty quickly."

    I mull that over in my head, it seems like there could be some interesting applications for his semblance. Especially if he's able to use it for aerial movement. Maybe I could spend some time with him and work out exactly how it works, though I'm certain Port is working with him on that as well. "Anything else to it," I ask just to make sure I have all the information I need to work with.

    "Peter seems to think so. I haven't seen what he's getting at yet, but he has me running exercises where he throws something or shoots at me and wants me to stop the projectile. We'll see if it goes anywhere," he says, shrugging his shoulders, seemingly unfazed about whether that's a real possibility for him or not.

    Semblance: There's no time like the present. Might as well help him out and dig deep into how his semblance works and maybe I'll pick up on something he or Port hasn't. (5)

    Altruism: I could, uh, give in and ask what exactly he was hinting at earlier. I get the feeling this topic will be more about myself than him. (4)

    VPD: Autumn looked up to his Uncle Cyprus because he was a lawman of sorts. I could ask his opinion about my position in the VPD. (3)

    Winter Break: I haven't heard much of our plans for the break from Oobleck. Maybe Port has let things slip to Autumn and I could pick his brain on what Kelly is doing. (0)

    TA: Might not be the best time, nor do I have entirely altruistic intentions, but I could see if Autumn has given any thought to helping Port out in the classroom. (0)

    Well, the first thing that I need to take care of is satisfying my more practical curiosity. To resolve that I lead the two of us to the training room that Oobleck and I use. I could, maybe get a room reserved on such short notice, but this is more convenient although technically against school rules. The room is hardly used outside of our training sessions so I don't think it'll be an issue and I'm sure Oobleck would cover for me.

    Fortunately we don't have to worry about any esoteric activating conditions as Autumn gets into his demonstration shortly after we arrive. That makes me wonder why he didn't discover his semblance earlier, but I can ask about that later. To start off with he shows me the basics of his semblance: how he transfers the surrounding heat into his movements and vice versa. After observing things it's less that he's making himself faster and more that he's applying a secondary force with his semblance. I get the impression that if Goodwitch had the inclination and could affect herself with her semblance she could do a similar thing that Autumn is doing.

    It does mean that there is a restriction on the range of motion that he has access to and he is better in a straight line than an arc or curved line. At least his semblance working with his usual straightforwardness means that it shouldn't be too difficult to include into his combat repertoire. He also has difficulty with maintaining a boost, preferring hard and fast movements over a constant increase. I don't know if that's something that he could train to improve, a hard limit, or if it's something that requires more focus than he can muster right now.

    The basics over we move onto the more interesting experiments. Aerial redirection is possible with recoil maneuvers, but they aren't always the easiest to execute or possible depending on the weapon you're using. It isn't something that really fits with his general style of combat, but I'm sure he'll find a way to incorporate it when he sees the value it could provide.

    We start off with him jumping as high as he can and trying to stop his downward descent. His fall is anything but graceful. It is, however, slower and presumably safer to a degree than taking the fall the normal way. Instead of slowing down or stopping the entirety of his fall it sort of stutters with him alternating between slowing down and speeding up. I guess there's a limit on how much force he can work with at a given time that's independent of his aura reserves. Considering how most semblances are unlike mine that's probably something he could work on.

    I ask if he could simply apply a force in the opposite direction of his fall and he gets a wondrous expression on his face like he hadn't thought about that. We rerun the experiment and he tells me that it's much harder to throw himself in the opposite direction of where he's heading. Harder, but not impossible; not that it looked too much different from my end, but I trust that he knows his semblance better than I do. Then we move onto some more casual redirection, this time adding more speed rather than subtracting it. Autumn runs into a similar issue that he has on the ground with having to effectively 'throw' himself around rather than any more graceful changes to his trajectory.

    We finish up with seeing if he can affect other objects or even people with myself as his unfortunate test subject. That doesn't seem to be within his capabilities and from what I heard Port is already on this train of thought so I'll leave it to his hands to develop. It's not like I'm more qualified to help out. Sure I can provide some ideas that he hasn't thought of like that reverse throwing technique? I don't know if that actually helped out or not, but Autumn assures me that it will.

    "So when did you unlock your semblance," I ask as we go over the room to make sure nothing is out of place.

    Autumn chuckles ruefully, "Well it's the darndest thing, I don't know actually. Apparently I've been using it unconsciously whenever I get into fights. Well ones where there's some risk on the line; couldn't muster it in a friendly spar or anything of the like. Only realized something was odd when Peter congratulated me on an excellent use of my semblance and I tried explaining to him that I didn't have one."

    I shoot him a wide grin that he knows the meaning of, but vocalize my thoughts anyway, "Just so you know I'm not going to let you live that down. Heck I might even make sure to bring it up whenever you get too full of yourself."

    Autumn clicks his tongue and leans to the side as if to spit on the ground before shaking his head. "If anyone needs help deflating their big head it's you 'n' not me."

    "I disagree, I have an entirely healthy view of my abilities."

    "Shame the same can't be said about your awareness."

    I narrow my eyes at him for that low blow. "Hey, Weiss was a one time thing, and can you really blame me for not picking up on that immediately?" The flat look he sends informs me that, yes he can and will.

    "Not what I was referring to, but that's another example where ya lost the plot."

    "Please when else has that happened," I confidently snark back.

    Autumn draws in a fortifying breath as if he needs the resolve to determine if he's going to go through with his course of action or not. "Now I'm not saying this as a bad thing, but you involve yourself with others' problems and resolve them an awful lot."

    I look at him in confusion, I have my reasons for that, but he said that it's not a bad thing. I wouldn't use the same words if I was in his position and knew my motivations for such acts. "Okay," I say slowly, trying to piece together what his point is and failing. "Where are you going with this?"

    He stands up straighter and steps up within grabbing distance towards me. "At first I thought that was just who ya were and too humble to take credit." He shakes his head like he remembered a joke, but isn't laughing. "Humble ain't a word that I'd use to describe you. Secretive and self-effacing maybe, humble no. So that left me with a bit of a puzzle of why you were doing it, and the only thing I could think of is that you didn't even realize that you were doing so."

    "Enough," I say, cutting him off from spouting any more nonsense. We might have touched on this subject somewhat before, but I'm through with him maintaining this misconception. "Just to make it clear, every time that you think I've 'helped' someone was to my benefit. I don't care if that makes you think less of me, but it's the truth."

    "Really," he challenges skeptically as he looms over me. "Ya did something to help Yang, tutored Velvet, heck you even spent time setting Jaune straight for what benefit exactly?"

    "Helping Yang gave her a favorable impression of me, Velvet got me introduced to Flint which has been invaluable for my investigation, and as for Jaune I wasn't about to let him get his team killed because of his idiocy; they could be useful in the future." More and more heat enters my voice and I raise it as I notice he's not convinced.

    "Well if you're going to bring up those two lovebirds, why did you set the two of them up to begin with?" I'm about to ask how he knows I'm responsible for that, but it's not too big of a leap to make. I was the last person to talk to Nora before she asked Ren out and that couldn't be too hard to figure out.

    "I was annoyed with how obvious they were and not doing anything about it. That and since everything worked out they're likely to look on me more favorably in the future." Autumn takes a step forward, but I remain steadfast and don't move back despite the gesture. I don't know if he's trying to intimidate or comfort me right now, but I'd much rather that he knock it off with this line of inquiry and get the truth through his thick head.

    "How much is that true and how much is that you convincing yourself after the fact?" I glare at him, just about ready to leave. "Be honest, did you start tutoring Velvet because you knew it'd help you out later?"

    "No," I grumble out before quickly clarifying. "But it's not like I could say no with how insistent Kelly was about it and it wasn't a big deal anyway."

    "You know I was fine with you having your own eccentricity, but I'm starting to think this goes a bit beyond that." He tries to lay a hand on my shoulder, but I jerk away from it and start eying up the door.

    "Can you get to the point," I ask more to delay him as I start shuffling around him to get a clear line to the door.

    "My point is that I don't understand why this is an issue for you. Most people don't have a problem with being told they're doing the right thing or being called a good friend." Autumn at this point is shouting and I have to resist making any moves that show how much I disagree with him. He still doesn't understand and I don't think I'm going to be getting through to him; all that's left is to make my escape so the both of us can cool down and forget that this ever happened.

    He sighs and closes his eyes while taking a deep breath. Seeing my chance I bolt for the door. Just as I'm about to reach it he clips me in my side sending me tumbling towards the floor and I hear rather than see his impact against the door/wall. Neither of us have our weapons, but that will hardly be enough to stop me if I need to escalate this.

    "You better have a damn good explanation for that, Autumn," I say as I lever myself back to a standing position and begin strafing just outside of engagement range.

    "I was just trying to help. I didn't think you'd be this stubborn about it," he responds while blocking the door with his mass.

    I bark out a short laugh, "Help? You have a funny idea of helping. No wonder you got the wrong idea."

    His lips thin, obviously finding this situation distasteful. "Now, I admit I might have taken things a little far, but ya ain't listening to me." I shake my head. What's there to listen to? More of his ramblings that couldn't be further from the truth. I relax my stance and remain silent, there's no reason to engage with him any further and I don't need to put up with this from a teammate. He'll have to give up if I give him nothing to work with.

    "Look," he starts, his own posture relaxing with my own. "You're a good person and I just want to know why you can't acknowledge that." It takes all my effort not to laugh hysterically at his accusation.

    He still doesn't get it; if only he knew the lengths I'm willing to go to achieve my goals he wouldn't dare make such a comparison. A good person wouldn't ruin others' livelihoods or manipulate his friends for his own benefit. A good person certainly wouldn't put his friends' parents in danger and hide all evidence of a massive conspiracy from the authorities just because he'd benefit more if the circumstances were different.

    I accepted that I couldn't be a good person and still achieve my ambitions. I made my peace with that and if people want to project their own interpretations on me that's their business not mine. I don't even know why I made such a big deal about this with him to begin with; it only served to worsen our relationship and now he has this whole issue he could bring up at any time. Whatever, I'll deal with those issues as they come as I've always done before.

    I adopt a peaceful expression as I internally resolve my dilemma and start humming to myself. Autumn and I spend a couple minutes in that stand off with me not engaging with him as he struggles to come up with something to say to magically win the argument and failing each time. Honestly if he wasn't on my team I'd just tune him out and pay his words no mind at all. Still, I think my unchanging expression does more to infuriate him than ignoring him ever would. I'll make it up to him later, I should have some Lien at the end of the month to throw his way.

    Eventually he sighs as his composure breaks and he slicks back his hair with his hand while he leaves the room. He doesn't bother waiting up for me and the feeling is mutual on my part; it's terrible that he made this an issue before we dealt with Torchwick, but I can't do anything about that. I can only deal with the pieces as they lie, not how I wanted them to fall.


    It isn't difficult to throw myself into work after the incident with Autumn. The familiar call of numbers and spreadsheets calming me down. The next order of business isn't one that's strictly necessary, but one that would be nice to have especially to set my organization apart from the Fang if I want to. That is the equipment and uniforms of the people in my organization.

    This mainly applies to the grunts so they can easily identify who is a part of us and who isn't at a glance. It can be as simple as some colors or a specific accessory, though for obvious reasons I'm not a big fan of masks. Those grimm masks are an abomination to fashion and it'd be better if we distanced ourselves from them entirely.

    Thankfully I don't have to provide a full outfit for everyone, nor do I think we could afford that. Rather it'll either be something small or a stipend provided to our new members so they can update their wardrobe and equipment as necessary. Speaking of which, my planned budget has weapons included. Nothing fancy or specific right now as most people have different proficiencies and trying to mandate uniformity would rub them the wrong way as well as being counterproductive.

    Of course this also brings up the question of if we should stay a part of the White Fang or not. Well it does to the fashion-minded part of my brain. We'd have much more options for color in our outfits if we want to distinguish ourselves, maybe even throw up a new banner to show that we're different from the usual White Fang. I don't have to change how we're associated now, but with my upcoming actions in the Vale there is plenty of good PR that I could soak up if I do so. Especially with my participation in certain events and investigations.

    I could do so later and I'm leaning in that direction as I can't really put the genie back in the bottle. It would, however, mean lessening the impact that those events have on public perception. It's easy to claim credit after the fact once the dust has settled, but it doesn't have the same visceral effect once it's out of the news cycle and a good portion of my goals could be helped by swaying public opinion. I sigh to myself even as I think that. I never imagined myself as the kind of person who cares about what the public thinks, but even I have to admit they wield a certain amount of influence. I certainly wouldn't like dealing with them. Nonetheless, they are yet another factor that I have to consider if I want to be successful.

    As I see it there are four options available to me. The first is to keep things as they are, at least to the public, and remain a part of the White Fang. I've done pretty well with the more cloak and dagger side of things if I say so myself, and I might not be prepared to deal with the attention that any other action would bring to me. It would, however, introduce some complications if or when it comes out that I'm a part of the Fang even by technicality. I can already imagine the choice words Winter would have about her sister dating a terrorist. Regardless, I'd be willing to make that personal sacrifice if I need to.

    My other options offer a way to deal with that particular issue. The least extreme, potentially, option is to make it clear that my branch of the Fang disagrees with the current actions of the White Fang. It'd be pretty easy to do with what Adam has been up to, but there would be an understandable amount of friction between us and the other branches. Mistral, Sienna's branch in particular, wouldn't like a challenger to the throne. The Albain brothers also wouldn't like the competition, but I at least have the chance of placating them; for Sienna it entirely depends on how much I can convince her of the rightness of my cause. Still, the White Fang has had two peaceful transitions of power already so a third isn't out of the question.

    The next up on the list is to declare ourselves a successor to the White Fang. It would allow us a cleanish break while allowing us to lean on the previous reputation of the Fang and some of the previous members might find our point of view more agreeable and join up immediately. It also doesn't preclude us from working with the Fang, but it would introduce tension all the same. Additionally there is a distinct possibility that it'd influence others to form their own break away groups like I feared. Even if it doesn't, my actions would be pretty polarizing and make people choose one side of the fence or the other.

    Lastly is a clean break. We won't be saddled with much of the Fang's reputation, good or bad and we'd have to rebuild our connection with them if we want to. It also puts us at pretty direct competition with one another without the benefit of any shared bonds. It would provide a clean slate to build things off of without the messy history attached, but how valuable that is is still up in the air. Regardless of what I decide to do I'll wait for a more opportune moment to announce this change to the world. Perhaps after I deal with Adam and his ilk?

    Schism: Raise an ideological disagreement within the Fang and form a faction. This is an internal matter of the Fang and should be resolved as such. (8)

    Undercover: Stay with the Fang and keep a low-profile. It's worked out well so far and doesn't rock the boat. (0)

    Successor: Break away from the structure of the Fang, but announce our ties to them/their past. The Fang's structure will fall apart sooner or later and the only way to fix it is from the ground up. (0)

    Break: Break away from the Fang and renounce our ties. The Fang has too many connotations and associations to tie ourselves to. A clean break may be the best idea. (0)

    New Name: Shallow Sea Union (6)

    Live Free Remnant (4)

    New Name: Black Panther Party (3)

    Faunus lives matter (3)

    UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) (3)

    New Name: No change (2)

    AN: There were additional names suggested, far too many to post, so here's all the ones that got more than one vote.

    I send out the orders for the Lien we're collecting from shops to be redistributed to the members to fund their new purchases. Trying to organize a single or multiple collection and hand-out points is too difficult to do without drawing unnecessary attention. The stipends will be spaced out so it isn't a bunch of faunus buying the same type or color of accessories not to mention weapons. Thankfully my branch of the Fang is small enough that this shouldn't be a major issue in a city as large as Vale and hopefully I'll resolve the stigma attached to the Fang before it can become a potential issue between us and the VPD.

    It does, however, lead nicely into the next issue that I have to take care of. Well, we have to take care of. Tukson sent me a message with the dossier for our new leadership and I'm dragging Blake with me to his shop to have a frank discussion on who to choose. Of course I review the materials on the way there and make my decision before we even set foot in Vale, but she doesn't need to know that.

    The first is a woman by the name of Maple. She is an odd-choice as she's also the only candidate on the list that is still a part of Adam's Fang to a serious degree. Her area of operation up until recently was up north to the opposite of Adam and has an extensive list of going after Dust transports. She is noted to be less extreme than Adam, but that isn't a high bar to clear. She does bring the experience of a leg-breaker to the table and presents an opinion that isn't present currently between myself, Blake, and Tukson.

    Blake prefers a more peaceful approach which Tukson broadly agrees with though he understands we should be able to defend ourselves. I'm, admittedly, the most extreme with not being against the threat and potential use of violence to achieve our goals. To be fair, neither is Tukson, but it's obviously not his preference. Recruiting Maple would make my position seem more moderate in comparison, though it would be divisive. She could also be an olive branch or a lead in the rehabilitating the more extreme Fang members, but that's a tertiary concern at best right now.

    Next up is someone that lines up more with my viewpoint. A man named Helios and a bit on the young side. Still older than Blake and I so I can't throw too many stones, but I'm slightly surprised to see Tukson recommend him. He runs one of the businesses that contributes to our funds but otherwise has no connection to the Fang. He's also in love with the idea of providing defense for ourselves and making shows of force to prevent any action in the first place. He'll also be another member that understands the importance of logistics so I might be biased towards him.

    I can't tell much more about the man without meeting him, but I suspect that he's wanting something for himself out of this position. At least that's the kind of vibe I get from him being a businessman. Depending on what that is it might not be an issue, but it provides a point for others to apply leverage on if I can't satisfy it.

    The last is a woman named Terra and she falls in on the more idealistic side and the only one to not be a part of or connected to the Fang in any capacity. Apparently she runs a community kitchen in a faunus heavy residential district which she funds from an inheritance she received. From what I can tell she isn't wholly idealistic, but it would be stacking the council in that sort of direction regardless. Still, she has the skills to help out and her ideals align closely enough with our own that I don't think we'd have any issue with her. A nice uncontroversial choice, that I can't really argue against.

    There are a few others, but upon looking into them some more they either don't have the skills right now to help out or have a red-flag in their history that would make them too easy to manipulate for my liking. Sure I could use it as a lever myself, but making my inner circle angry at me seems like a good way to not have control over my organization any more. I briefly think about recruiting someone else I know or maybe someone from the task force, but can't come up with someone that would be amiable to the idea and I wouldn't mind as a part of my inner circle.

    Regardless of who I choose I'm sure I can handle my impromptu council for the time being. We're in a bit of a crisis and I can convince them many actions are necessary for things to work out. They would still bring their own perspective and way of doing things with them as that's unavoidable. Plus in the future they may wish for their vision of the organization to have more prominence.

    Idealist: Terra is a bleeding heart and the charitable sort. She can do the job well enough and brings some goodwill with her. She would, however, tilt the council further from my favor. (5)

    Moderate: Helios is a businessman first and foremost. That provides some useful skills and a moderate disposition. He is, however, likely after this position for self-serving reasons. (2)

    Hardliner: Maple could provide a new point of view to the council and comes with some experience that we're sorely lacking. She is, however, a controversial pick. (1)

    I must have given off the impression that I was busier than I was because Blake doesn't attempt to strike up a conversation until we reach the ground and I put away my scroll. Then again she might have just enjoyed the quiet between us and taken the moment to catch up on some of her reading. The conversation mainly revolves around school and finals. She sports a slight smile when she talks about heading off to Patch with Ruby and Yang for half of the break. I also make sure to pepper in some info about what I was doing and preemptively sway her to my choice of candidate.

    Honestly, I don't think I need to even put in the effort, but I'm taking no chances here. It would have been more of a struggle with the other candidates. But, by the time we make it to Tukson's shop I don't think there's any way that I could convince her to go for another choice. Well, in that case I can sit back and let her make all of the arguments for me while I play the part of the magnanimous leader. Maybe it'll even give Tukson the impression that his opinion matters if she convinces him as well.

    What follows is a rather anticlimactic thirty minutes where I watch Blake make token arguments for the other candidates before looping them back to Terra and Tukson agreeing with her each time. It is somewhat cute for her to be taking the matter so seriously despite the lack of opposition. At the very least it's some experience for her with presenting her opinions even if it's blindingly obvious what choice she would prefer.

    By the end of it she tries calling for a vote and I shut that down by stating we'll bring Terra in on our next meeting and received a round of nods from my two audience members. It wouldn't do to give her the impression that this is actually a democracy even if I don't say anything about the matter. Still, she's all smiles at my decision and Tukson has a light in his eye upon observing her behavior. With that resolved I move on to an arguably less serious matter.

    "I've been thinking about the future for us," I state without preamble. "The White Fang has been misguided for the past few years." That gets an easy nod from Blake and a slower one from Tukson since he knows that I have to be going somewhere with this. "To that end, I think that once the time is right we'll have to distinguish ourselves from the Fang and offer to show them a better way."

    I know that I don't have to say much more for Blake to be on board and as such focus my attention on Tukson. He rubs his side-burns in obvious thought before asking, "Let's say that we do, what's your plan here?"

    "After we deal with Adam we'll use the goodwill to launch a movement within the Fang. There's no need to bring in outside parties and we can make sure this remains largely an internal matter while broadcasting our allegiance and change in policy enough to get and work with outside support." I imagine it'll be more complicated in practice, but that's the long and short of it. Tukson doesn't look too convinced, but I haven't led him astray so far. He shrugs his shoulders and that's all anyone else has to say on the matter. Fair enough, it's not too different from what we are already doing, just a little more public.

    With no one else bringing anything up Blake stands up, presumably to peruse the books in the shop. Not wanting to lose the opportunity I bring up the only other thing of note. "I was also tossing some names in case we need to make a bigger break than that. Thinking about the Shallow Sea Union," I say with some slight pride in my voice.

    "Isn't that a bit divisive," Blake speaks up. "That whole myth is about how the faunus separated themselves from humanity, which seems to be the opposite of what we want."

    "Oh that," I say, waving off her concerns. "Myths and history is all about how we frame it. We can just call that the Shallow Sea Division, whereas we're trying to reunite the Faunus and Humanity."

    I can tell that she's not entirely convinced and Tukson pipes up before I can say anything else. "I'll make sure the boys on the ground call us something like reformers or unifiers to anyone that asks. It's suitably vague enough that we aren't drawing attention to a name change and is accurate enough that I doubt you have a complaint." I grumble a little, but agree with his assessment; I can just refer to my organization by that name in my head.

    A bell rings, cutting into our conversation and drawing Tukson to the front of his store. It's pretty late, but I guess he didn't want to close up shop to take care of this business. That leaves Blake and I alone, but there's a certain lack of tension in the air that I wasn't expecting. It doesn't take me long to trace it back to my actions. We had a disagreement about our ideals and I sided with a candidate strongly aligned with her own. Even if she's not consciously aware of it, that looks like a pretty big concession on my part even if I agree with the decision wholeheartedly.

    It does, however, lead to a bit of a dearth in the conversation as I'm not entirely too sure how to approach this. If there was something unresolved between us there would be an easy line of inquiry, but now I'm wondering if I even want to address that now.

    Plans: We've talked a bit about the future, but she also has access to a not insubstantial number of people. I could ask if she's doing anything to form the Fang she wants to be a part of. (5)

    Operation: I could tell her about Torchwick and the Tanker of Dust. This does imply that I'll be bringing her with me to deal with that, but it's not too much of an ask and subtly undermines her pacifistic stance if she agrees with me. (4)

    Relaxation: We don't have to be always on all the time. We could hit up a restaurant in celebration of a reduced workload. Plus I wouldn't mind celebrating my CCT infiltration. (2)

    Parents: There is still something unresolved with her here. I could take the effort to help her resolve it. Plus having someone that knows her parents nearby will make bringing up the topic easier. (1)

    Well as long as we have some relative privacy I can shower her with some more good news. "So, I've got a lead on Torchwick"

    "Oh? It's been a while since you've said anything about that," she responds as an off-hand comment. I'm not going to lie. I was expecting her to be more driven about the matter, but I guess revealing her status as a faunus and helping me out with my investigation has mellowed her out more than a little. That isn't to say I don't see any signs of excitement, she definitely perked up a little, but it's more subdued than it would be before.

    "He's going to be hitting a tanker that should be docking in a week or so from now."

    "Do you not have an exact day?"

    I waggle my hand, "Not exactly. I got a pretty good time-frame, but the seas can be rough from time to time. Not much should slow down a tanker of that size, but there's always the chance that something happens and delays them a little. Don't worry I'm plugged in and will know as soon as they dock."

    She nods at that and resolutely states, "Good. We'll be there to take him down." I get the impression she's talking about her whole team and not just the two of us. I already mentally added her team into my plans when I told her so it's not too troublesome. I also have plans for involving team JNPR since their help could be useful and Nora wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't try inviting her.

    "People like him need to be stopped." She nods her head, agreeing with me before stopping herself and giving me a searching look. I grumble internally, I don't know why, but I blame Autumn. I'm usually a bit better at sneaking that kind of thing past people. It's not like it couldn't be mistaken as an innocuous statement at any rate, but it kind of defeats the purpose if she even has the thought that it was intentional on my part.

    Fortunately Blake doesn't comment on it, far more focused on the specifics. "What's the plan?" It's not the best location since I don't have all the materials, but I've downloaded the schematics for the docks onto my scroll so I show her what I got. I go over the various plans that I have depending on how much support I receive; realistically three teams of Huntsmen is already overkill, but I also have plans to bring in the VPD and whatever Oobleck can scrounge up if need be. Not to mention I could get some of our grunts to help out if I was really desperate, which I'm not.

    I could be pedantic and needle her about who is and is not okay to apply violence to, but there's no need to ruin the goodwill I've built up with her and my previous attempt wasn't my finest work. Regardless, Blake is pacing back and forth and periodically fiddling with her scroll and asking the odd question as she puts together how the operation is supposed to work and my various plans for it. My inclusion of the VPD surprises her a little, but she gets over it quickly. Likely she didn't think I'd bring anymore people in on my investigation with how hard I shut down her efforts previously. I don't think there are any hard feelings here because of that decision, but hopefully trusting her with this info ahead of time takes care of it if there is any.

    In the middle of one of her pacing sessions I decide to interrupt her, "What are your plans for after all this?" Her face morphs into confusion and I move to explain. "We aren't going to be chasing after Torchwick or Adam forever. Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do after that?

    She nods slowly, her ears twitching at the movement, and barely takes a second to respond. "I'll probably stay at Beacon and become a Huntress. You won't need my help anymore and I need to make up for what I've done."

    "Okay, one: that's noble of you. And two, that isn't what I was getting at. I'll have you on board as long as you want to keep helping out and taking down Adam would leave a hole in the Fang that needs filling." I don't say whether I'd be the one to fill it or if I have someone else in mind. I'm not too sure right now and don't want to lock myself into any one option. "Plus if we're doing this whole showing the Fang a better way thing we'll need examples to point to."

    "There are better examples that we can hold up than myself," she says in a self-deprecating way.

    "I'm not sure if I agree; and if you still want to disagree with me I can make it an official order. Write it out in triplicate and submit it to you, if you force me to take things that far." It's a lame joke, but it's enough to get through to her and draw a smile. Though, I don't miss the slight shudder that comes from mentioning paperwork. Still, I might as well strike and get her thinking about this seriously rather than let her languish in another moment of self-pity. "Give it some thought. What would you like to do?"

    "I think," she starts slowly as if unsure of what she's saying herself. "I think I'd like to create something for once. I've caused enough destruction." That's a good start; I could have done without the self-reprimanding remark, but I take what I can work with.

    "That's good," I nod, affirming her decision. Luckily we're recruiting someone that would be able to help her out with that. "You should have a talk with Terra at some point. She's already built something up to help out with the community and she'll have some advice for you." It's honest advice from me for once. The fact that it has the side benefit of tying the two of them up with something productive is entirely circumstantial, I swear. Heh, as if, I know exactly what I'm doing here, but if it keeps Blake out of my hair as well as happy with her position I really have no room to complain.

    "I'll do that," she lets out a sigh. "It'll be difficult to do by myself, but I'll make it work." As touching as her resolution is, I get the feeling that she's missing something obvious.

    "You know you're one of the top executives of our branch, right? You have plenty of people that you could ask or order to help out." She looks at me with wide eyes, obviously not having considered that option. They're quickly replaced by her averting her gaze and getting a dusting of red on her cheeks.

    She mumbles something that I can't hear and after a few seconds returns her gaze back to me. "Wouldn't I have to pay them? And what about supplies? Are you offering Lien to get this off the ground," she asks with sudden energy. Something must have shown on my face as she quickly backpedals her statement, "not that you have to. I don't even have anything in mind right now. Forget I said anything"

    Thank the heavens for that, I don't think I could give her a solid answer right now. It's not that we're in danger of running out of funds, but the number of moles we employ aren't cheap and can't be relied on to produce much for us aside from information right now. We could be running more of a surplus, especially after I raise everyone's compensation a month from now, but things are manageable and not in danger of falling apart.

    Still, I should give her an answer of some sort so she'll get on this project. "Talk about it with Terra. She runs a volunteer organization and there's a lot you can get done with volunteers and donations. If you need Lien after that, write up a proposal and I'll give it some thought." Hopefully that'll be enough for her. I might have to make some innocuous comments to Terra about the budget to get her in the cost-cutting mood, but all I can do is wait and see how this turns out.


    Since I'm at Tukson's place I decide to go over all the information from our agents as well as what he's discovered. From the bugs I find out that Torchwick plans to have his bullhead on site to help load up the Dust as well as two others. That's a bit of news that I wouldn't be aware of, but it isn't too surprising that Cinder or Watts moved up some of their preparations or made some amendments to their plan to provide resources to capitalize on this find. Either way it gives the VPD something to do aside from grunt work.

    I'll admit my team and friends don't really have much of a way to stop them from simply flying away that doesn't involve some level of property destruction. The VPD has access to their own bullheads that they can scramble and follow after them if they make an escape. Not to mention that I'm sure they could lock down the airspace to a degree; the hard part is giving them enough lead-time to prepare everything without tipping Torchwick off that something's up. I'll just have to trust that they can deal with it if I bring them in on my plan. Aside from that it's about time that I dive into what I found from pulling the CCT records on Torchwick's contacts and Cinder's CCT history.

    Starting with Torchwick I find a lot of messages from Neo. Like a lot of messages, far more than anyone else in his message history. A lot of it is meaningless and nonsensical things or simply an emoji, but I do catch them discussing their plans from time to time. It isn't much, but based on the context of some of the things he says, like wait nearby I can scratch off some sort of teleportation as being her semblance. I don't learn what it is exactly, but the word disguise is used more than once among his instructions for her. That detail doesn't narrow it down nearly enough for my liking, but there isn't much I can do about that. Maybe I could look into Neo some more and try to figure her semblance out myself?

    Aside from that I also find a number that has been feeding him some police info and forward that off to Flint to take care of with a note to hold off on anything drastic until closer to the Tanker date since I have info that could be affected if they move too soon. At least that's one less thing to worry about. The rest of his messages are dreadfully dull; entirely professional and to the point. It does give me some potential contacts in the underworld, such as one of his fences, but not much that I think would relate to my current investigation. It does nothing to answer my question about his past allegiances, but I knew that would be a long shot without digging deep into the man himself.

    Moving on I check in on the now named Cinder. Due to finding out which of the scrolls at the hotel was hers thanks to pulling the call she made with Torchwick I have much more to work with. I don't have the call itself as the CCT doesn't record that by default, so I'll have to make due with what I get from her history.

    The first thing that I narrow in on is a number that she messaged along with the manager of Watts' charity. That confirms a connection as sure as anything, unfortunately Watts is as terse with her as he was with the manager and I notice far more calls between them than messages. What little messages he does send, give me the impression that he's far more used to hiding away information than she is as her messages start becoming more terse and less revealing as time progresses.

    Not that she let much slip at any point. I find a mention of a T. and H. as well as a mysterious Her. She similarly refers to Watts as W. so I assume those are the actual initials to their names, but they give me so little to go off of and were sent over a year ago. I don't even know if those are still co-conspirators or how involved they are in anything as she learned to mention people as 'our friend' or something similar at some point.

    I swear I'm going to throttle the answers out of them for being so oblique in their message history. Damn Watts and his technical knowledge, this is so much easier on me when my opponent doesn't know the ways they can be tracked down, like Adam and his goons.

    I grumble a bit and struggle to find anything else of note to no avail. It looks like most of their information passed by call or in person rather than these messages and I only have so much from pulling her info from multiple years. I note that she has some messages with the manager of Watts' charity, but that is far outweighed by the calls between them and there is nothing incriminating in their history so I set it as a dead end

    Her two companions are a bit more loose with their messages, both messaging more and with less infosec than Cinder. It's through them that I learned all their names, but either they know better than to discuss sensitive info or they aren't big thinkers on whatever plan they're pulling off as I don't find anything to help me piece together their plan. I do find that Mercury is a new addition to the crew like I somewhat suspected and he could be an avenue to find out what their plan is if I could get him alone and figure out what's motivating him. Either way it'll be something I'll have to do later.

    The last thing almost slips my mind, but I check to see if my moles were able to get their hands on that account info of the Fang. It also crosses my mind that with what I pulled from Watts' charity I could have just used that instead, but it's useful to have two separate pieces of evidence for this. Especially if I don't want to admit to illegally using the CCT for a personal investigation. I'm sure any reasonable person would shrug their shoulders at my actions based on what I found, but minimizing the chance that someone crazy could take issue with me is just common sense.

    Fortunately they pulled through on their end, but drew some attention to themselves in the process. I told them to lay low for a while unless they get something too big to sit on. It's a little frustrating to lose access to this information so soon after acquiring it, but it should only take a month or so for the heat to die down and it's not like I'll be in contact for most of that so it's a small price to pay.

    It corroborates my findings and has their most recent purchases. Mainly weapons and Dust, so nothing too out of the ordinary. I find some Lien going up into smoke as it's converted into Lien cards and presumably traded for more illicit favors and goods. Likely how they got their hands on that grimm cage. Hardly a smoking gun, but every piece of evidence helps strengthen my case.


    My, whatever you want to call it, with Autumn is still fresh on my mind. I throw a Lien card at him like I do with Marina and Kelly, but I don't stick around to see their reactions. Instead I throw myself into training which involved spending quite a bit of time with my girlfriend. The increase of time spent with her rather than at my own dorm either goes unnoticed or satisfies her enough that she doesn't comment on it. By the smile she's constantly sporting I'm assuming it's the latter.

    Once my aura is sufficiently depleted the two of us set up to go over the info I pulled from the CCT records. I could go through a time-accelerated nap to regain my faculties and aura, but decide against it. I've spent enough time training and I don't want to give Weiss the impression that I'm taking advantage of her. Sure, getting her this info is likely to offset any bad feelings; it's just better to not have such a potential issue to begin with.

    I already handed this info off to her so I could delve into the parts more relevant to my investigation and so she could make some progress on her own. She decided to organize the information and present it to me. Given the way she puffs out her chest and raises her head she thinks she's done a good job and I'll have to praise her efforts if nothing else. Thankfully the praise that I subsequently give isn't facetious as she's done a good job distilling the relevant information in a way that's digestible. I might have to go over it again afterwards to make sure that she didn't discard something as insignificant, but that's a minor concern.

    Going over the message history of the managers in the SDC is a breath of fresh air compared to the opaque wall of messages sent by Cinder, Watts, and Torchwick. It's like these people aren't even trying to keep their affairs secret, both actual affairs and illicit dealings. That isn't to say that we find dirt on everyone; there are more than a few, most particularly those close to Jacques and his operations annoyingly enough, that we can't find anything meaningful to use as blackmail with the short amount of message history we got from them all. It was meant to be a wide-band scrape so I'm not too surprised that around a third of the executives that we look into escape our grasp.

    There is also the distinct problem that Jacques might be aware of the same blackmail that we are and these executives would be essentially worthless to us; not all of them, but some to be certain. Sure, we could get them to quietly resign, but they'd be replaced by someone that Jacques would presumably have control over and we'd have nothing. It's better to sit on this information until Weiss can actually do something about it and replace them with better, more loyal, employees.

    The SDC records I pulled from the CCTS are much more sporadic. I tried to limit myself to the Vale region as that's the most applicable to Weiss right now, but I couldn't prevent some spill-over from the other Kingdoms. There isn't enough from those other Kingdoms to make a meaningful move and by the time she has enough influence to do anything about them this information will largely be useless.

    There are still some gems in the rough disorganized info I collected. This includes some messages sent to and from company accounts which tips her off about the collusion and corruption going on with some of the managers and employees that are nominally working under her. Then there are some plans and projections for some Dust mines around the Vale region that were shelved for being uneconomical.

    Weiss goes on to explain to me that with certain advances they are starting to look like a good investment which is probably why they were being looked into. She's going to try to get ahead of it and get the project approved before anyone else can bring it up and I pity the middle manager that won't be getting credit for this project anymore. Ultimately it's a minor feeling as it's definitely more beneficial if my girlfriend gets the recognition instead.

    The last real find is an official company message stating to keep labor costs low and suggests pretty heavily to use faunus labor and undercut their wages. If anyone complains it's then suggested to threaten them with severance without compensation, which for most of these people would mean being stranded in a Schnee Dust mine with little to no Lien and no real way of making the trek across the wilderness to civilization.

    There isn't a reason stated on why to use faunus labor specifically, but my understanding of it is that faunus are already used to low-wages in comparison to humans, at least as a trend. I can't discount the PR angle that it's better optics to do this to 'animals' than their fellow man and it's possible the managers and overseers would have some level of sympathy for their common man that they wouldn't have for the faunus. Even if they all lacked any kind of discrimination towards the faunus, the economics of the situation still compels them towards oppression to satisfy their bottom line and get the approval of their higher ups.

    This does, however, provide me with a dilemma of sorts. This is the exact kind of thing that the White Fang would crow about until everyone's ears bleed as it's pretty definitive proof that the SDC is oppressing the faunus. Even if it wouldn't amount to any actual policy change or Atlas cracking down on the company it would still be useful for drumming up public support and recruitment. It would, however, damage the SDC's reputation which is something my girlfriend wants to avoid as much as possible.

    In the end I leave this in her hands, but not before making sure that I have a copy on my scroll. I certainly hope that we don't ever have a falling out, but it's better to be prepared for the possibility than not. Unaware of my thoughts, Weiss thanks me for my help, still cuddled up next to me in the two chairs we pushed together to go over this stuff in the first place. I quash down any complicated emotions with familiar ease and a smile on my face.

    Aura(Practical) raised from (165/625) to (190/625) Source: Semblance usage

    Combat Raised from (311/625) to (369/625) Source: Class, Oobleck, & Training

    Craft(Weapon) raised from rank 1 (5/50) to rank 2(2/150) Source: Training

    Criminology raised from (4/150) to (6/150) Source: VPD action

    Culture raised form (33/150) to (38/150) Source: Oobleck

    Dust raised from (35/150) to (41/150) Source: Class

    Grimm raised from (94/150) to (100/150) Source: Class

    History raised from (190/300) to (209/300) Source: Class & Oobleck

    Investigation raised from (218/300) to (238/300) Source: Class, Challenge, Training, & Oobleck

    Law raised from (4/50) to (8/50). Source: VPD action.

    Mobility raised from (2/625) to (13/625) Source: Class & Oobleck

    Survival raised from (85/150) to (91/150) Source: Class

    Discretionary budget raised to (5000/5000L) Source: Monthly refill

    Personal funds raised to 5750L Source: VPD
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 16 (Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • VPD Assistance: I've upheld my end of the bargain, but Flint is offering me something that I'm considering. That task-force he's putting together could give me a lot of useful contacts for the future. [Counts as an investigation training action and a social with Flint. Additionally grants 125L to personal funds] (6)

    Robberies: A little Partner: With my upcoming operation against Torchwick I find myself with more questions about his diminutive partner than answers. I should change that. (Investigation Check). (5)

    Woman in Red: Paladin Shipment: Something about this is pulling on my gut. I could look more into the matter and come up with a rough gameplan ahead of time. (investigation check) (4)
    Community Service: Well if I'm going to have my branch of the White Fang turn over a new leaf it might be prudent to get a start on that ahead of time. (4)

    Wattchout: Watt's had to be connecting to the CCT from somewhere so his presence can't be entirely hidden. Maybe I could sic my agents on this task and see what they turn up. (4)

    Exploit: With my newest wave of expansion I'll be running into the ceiling of my budget in a few months. It might be prudent to get ahead of that. (2)
    Kelly (QM)

    Weiss(Free)

    Ren: Considering how my talk with Autumn went, Ren may be my closest guy friend for a little while (5)

    Ruby: My favorite other team leader and someone that I haven't spent too much time with. I know she'd appreciate the attention. (4)
    1x Combat (and 6 mirror) (3)

    1x Investigation (and 2 mirror) (2)

    Things between Autumn and I remain frosty with him being unwilling to apologize or go back on what he said and myself not wanting to deal with him right now. As long as he follows my orders during our raid against Torchwick I really don't care. If he remains recalcitrant I can just leave him behind while I take everyone else with me. The loss of manpower would hurt a little, but I've done well in gathering support for this operation that one less person would hardly be a deal breaker.

    Unfortunately the change in attitude is readily apparent among the team, Marina seems to be taking my side but turns apprehensive whenever she thinks someone isn't looking at her. I find it hard to believe that she didn't have to deal with this during her time on the ship, but perhaps it's concerning to her either way. Kelly isn't much better, refusing to talk to Autumn or I for the first few days after our argument as a clear way to state she isn't taking sides.

    Once her period of silence is over and Autumn and Marina aren't around she corners me in our room. "I don't know what the deal between you and Autumn is, but the two of you are going to patch things up by this time next week. I don't care if I have to lock the two of you in a room until you sort out your issues, just get it done." Her tone is commanding, which is both amusing and infuriating that she thinks she can take that kind of role. Regardless, it's not too big of a deal and I can understand her concerns for team cohesion so I let it slide.

    "Fine by me," I state. "I'm not the one who has the problem and as long as he listens- well I've dealt with worse people before."

    I can tell that she isn't entirely convinced, but willing to accept my response. "Alright, but make sure the two of you actually talk. I don't want to deal with any of this macho bullshit where the two of you don't talk to each other for a month because you can't be seen making the first move." I get the feeling that she's referencing something that happened with Autumn in the past with how specific that reference is.

    Still, she's sending off some mixed signals, both caring and stating to not care about this matter and I should get to the bottom of that. "For someone who says they don't care, you're putting more effort into this than I would expect." A tiny part of me quips that the same could be applied to me, but I smother that thought before it can get any traction.

    She blows an errant strand of hair away from her face and affects a bored expression. "I'm not about to let the two of you ruin my relaxation time at the dorm with your drama. That and I am not willing to spend a month in the wilderness with the two of you if you're both going to be all moody about it."

    I narrow my eyes at her words; she was cagey about what she was doing over break and to mention that can only mean she plans on going along with us. I haven't heard anything about that from Oobleck and Autumn didn't know about her plans so I'm curious about how exactly she plans on attaching herself to our outing.

    My suspicion of her doesn't pass by unnoticed; with a strained expression she grouses unenthusiastically, "It was supposed to be a surprise. So, surprise."

    I kinda want to question her more about that, but I have a more important inquiry to resolve. "You really aren't going to ask what's going on between Autumn and I?"

    She wrinkles her nose like the very prospect disgusts her. "No, and I don't want to know. With my brother involved I give it even odds that it's either something stupid or 'guy stuff' as he'd call it. Probably both with the mood he's in and I have no interest in dealing with either."

    This talk reminds me of the last time Autumn thought we had an argument to resolve. "So when should I expect Autumn to try fighting me again to 'resolve' this issue."

    Kelly's expression shifts into something more complicated and she kicks the ground with the point of her shoe. "I don't think it's gonna be that easy Ochre. Maybe if this was something minor, but Autumn thinks if he loses the fight he'd lose the argument as well. Whatever is going on between the two of you is major enough that he's not willing to risk that."

    Of course it couldn't be that easy. Then again I can understand where he's coming from; he wants to win our argument and a direct confrontation is a sure way to lose. He might have improved since the last time we fought each other, but so have I and I don't think he has quite the same amount of resources, mainly time, that I can tap into.

    Oh well, lacking an easy solution to my problems is a common occurrence for me so I won't pay it too much mind. I'll make some time to talk with him at the start of next week to get Kelly off my back. Speaking of which, the girl cornered me in our room demanding something from me and I could easily turn the tables on her and get some answers of my own, or take it easy and just strike up a conversation with her.

    Contacts: She mentioned some friends that are going to Shade and Haven. I'll focus on those in Vacuo since that's a favorable place for my branch of the Fang to expand to given some time. (3)

    Trip: She heavily implied that she's joining us on Oobleck's expedition. I could press her on what exactly that means and how she's going to accomplish that. (2)

    Atlas: We both share a certain animosity with the snowy Kingdom. It could be fun to pick at it and discuss our various opinions on its short-comings. (1)

    Ambition: From our last conversation I got the impression that she's into this Huntsman lifestyle for grander reasons than Autumn is. I could talk with her about this and see if she has anything concrete in mind. (1)

    Beliefs: She has a strong opinion towards authority as well as being religious. I could delve into how exactly she ended up with those opinions. (0)

    "Well," I start slowly to broach the topic. "To go back to something you said earlier, how exactly are you planning on joining our expedition?"

    Her face clamps up in a way that tells me she's either biting her tongue or the inside of her cheek. "I'm not supposed to tell you that," she mumbles reluctantly.

    "I think we're a little beyond that. If you didn't want me to know about it you shouldn't have brought it up in the first place," I point out more harshly than I need to. I'm a little short with her due to her cornering and making demands of me.

    "I don't suppose I could ask you to forget I said anything in the first place." I level an unimpressed stare at her. Normally she isn't this reluctant when it's only her involved so I suspect that her apprehension comes on the behalf of another. I rack my brain for who that could be and Marina comes to mind as the first suspect. She is also quickly discarded because if she wanted Kelly to be a part of our group she'd just ask me to get Oobleck's approval.

    That means there is an unknown involved and the only thing that I have to go off of is Oobleck's off-handed comments whenever he brought up the matter. Maybe I should have interrogated him directly and I'd have more to go off of here. He did mention a need for security at one point and presumably he'd pick up his friends to save funds for more supplies like he did when I suggested bringing Marina on board.

    Presumably he did the same thing with Port and Autumn, though he didn't tell me that those two are joining us. That leaves a short-list of potential friends that Oobleck could tap for this. Taiyang comes to mind, but I don't think he and Kelly had any time to form a connection and it's not like she's particularly close to Yang or Ruby for that to work out. Nevermind that, given Yang and Ruby's plans for the break I can assume their dad is going to be home so he's ruled out by default.

    Eliminating him leaves the professors here at Beacon where the two could have a plausible connection, which in this case means Peach, Heartwood, and Goodwitch are potential options. I don't necessarily need to know which professor in question is involved here, I merely need to appear that I do and convince Kelly to let loose with the information that I already know.

    I plaster a pleased smile on my face like I solved the mystery and receive a roll of the eyes for my troubles. "I can't say that I was expecting her to join up for this kind of thing. I'm curious as to how you play into that, however." Thankfully all of my potential professors are female so I don't have to word my statement in a vague way to throw Kelly off my trail.

    Even with her suspecting that I figured things out she still clicks her tongue in frustration. "Well, the cat's out of the bag anyhow and as much fun as it was I don't particularly like hiding this kind of stuff from ya." That's a bald-faced lie if I ever heard one. I distinctly remember how smug she was when we were all talking about our plans for Winter break. Still, I bite my tongue as she moves on to give me the information I'm after. "Goodwitch saw me at the training yards working on my semblance, watched me for a few minutes, and started giving me pointers for how to use my semblance better. Parts of my semblance reminded her of hers and she had some pointers for me."

    Huh, Goodwitch wouldn't have been my first guess with how busy she must be as deputy headmistress. I wonder what convinced her to join up, or take interest in Kelly for that matter. Nothing against my teammate, but Goodwitch seems to be the kind to have exacting standards and no real patience to spend on dealing with students more than she has to. Then again, she is friends with Oobleck and Port from what I know; it's possible that the competition between my mentor and Autumn's spilled over and convinced her to do something similar. Or maybe she was just looking for an excuse to get away from Beacon for a month.

    "What does Goodwitch have you focusing on," I ask, genuinely curious. Depending on what she tells me I can gauge how serious her 'apprenticeship' is and I'm sure taking an interest in her activities won't hurt how she views me.

    She shrugs like talking about this isn't a big deal to her despite the secrecy she's kept with it thus far. "Mainly she has me work on my fine control of my semblance; apparently it's much more efficient to use thin tendrils earth than it is to do some wide scale changes. It isn't as permanent as I'd like or quite fit into my fighting style, but new tricks never hurt to have. After that she has me focus on combat and movement like in Combat class."

    She pauses for a moment as if unsure if she should share the next part with me. "She also has me help her file away forms and talks about the running of the school. I thought my ma could go off complaining about someone for hours on end, but she's got nothing on Goodwitch. Uh, I was asked to make sure you don't do anything too crazy like your stunt with the CCT; she really didn't like having that surprise sprung on her." With a defeated expression she continues, "I'm guessing that's going to be too much to ask for isn't it?"

    I answer back with a broad smile that draws a sigh from my teammate. Feeling a little bad for her I throw a softer inquiry her way. "You mentioned having some friends attending Haven and Shade, right?" I get a cautious nod from her. "I was wondering if you could introduce me to them."

    With suspicious eyes she asks, "And why exactly are you wanting me to do that?" I can't blame her, the inquiry is a little out of the blue and it's not like I keep my team entirely up to date with my plans for the Fang. Both because they're somewhat fluid and in motion and because it's not exactly a topic that I like to bring up. Weiss only knows as much as she does because she made me make that promise, though I can't complain too much with the results.

    "Plans for the future. I'm going to need people I can trust or at least convince to work with me in all the Kingdoms if I want to change things in the Fang."

    Shaking her head in exasperation she says, "You know, I'd appreciate it if you didn't drag all of my friends into this mess."

    "Don't worry I won't," I assure her. I don't know if her concerns come from a place of genuine worry or not wanting to share the spotlight too much. Either case doesn't matter to me, because I'd mainly use them for the information they can provide and only rarely actually get them involved. That being said, if they want to be a part of my Fang I wouldn't turn them down, but I'm trying to keep this as an internal matter even if I need outside assistance from time to time.

    She sends me their details and I'll draft up an introduction to them later. First I'm going to try looking into them to see if there's anything useful I can find. I'll also have to ask Olive if he knows about any of the ones in Vacuo. It's a long-shot, but he lives in the area and any information is better than no information. Hopefully he won't ask too many questions. Things don't quite end there as we make some small talk, but my mind is occupied with the task in front of me which limits the conversation.

    Eventually Kelly splits off to take care of her own business and I set aside my scroll having done a little research on my potential contacts. They might be helpful in the future, I really don't know, but it's a minor issue right now and I can take my time investigating them. Instead I can't quite put Autumn and our conversation out of my mind. I'll have to make nice with him later to prevent Kelly from taking issue with me, but I also don't want to.

    Normally I'd just suck it up and deal with it when the time comes, but I distinctly remind myself that things are different here at Beacon. I'll still have to deal with Autumn later, but I also have people that I can confide in that I didn't before. Not making very many friends during my travels and Dad taking months to contact means this is a legitimately new option to me. Not that I think it'll be particularly effective, but I could at the very least make an attempt before writing it off completely.

    That being said, I have more than one option on who to approach for this. Oobleck comes to mind first as my mentor, but I don't want to bring him into this drama especially since Autumn is nominally our competition in his dealings with Port. Next up is Ren, he'd probably be pretty passive and non-judgemental so he's an attractive option. He might even have a perspective about this matter or some advice that'd be useful; though I think it'd mostly be me ranting at him and him making small comments here and there.

    Then there's Ruby, she's taken an interest in making sure that I have good relations with all of our friend group so she'd certainly have something to say about this. Her advice might be a little suspect and I get the feeling she won't understand what the issue is. Still, her perspective would be distinctly different than my own and that might be what I need here. Blake and Yang I write off as both of them are busy with the Fang and Finals respectively. Yang delayed taking them for as long as possible for whatever reason.

    Lastly is Weiss. I don't feel too comfortable bringing this up to her, especially considering the subject at hand. It might change how she views me but confiding my issues with her seems like something I should do. In any case I don't think I'll be seeking out too many opinions, or maybe at all. I want to resolve this matter, but I need to figure that out for myself and throwing in too many differing opinions would only make that harder. Of course I could seek out none of them as I don't think I have an issue here and am only seeking reassurances.

    Ren: My stoic male friend. He may or may not have much to contribute about this topic in particular, but I could at least get my thoughts out. (6)

    Ruby: A bundle of optimism who might not know what the problem is, but willing to listen regardless. (0)

    Weiss: Confiding about this kind of thing seems like the thing couples should do. I guess it couldn't hurt. (0)

    No one: I can handle this just fine on my own. There's no need to get anyone else involved. (0)

    QM Note: This replaced the normal social option for the character in question.


    Before I can move on to discuss my team drama I have a particular hole in my information that I need to rectify before my encounter with Torchwick that's rapidly approaching. Technically I could avoid him and let him pull off whatever plan that he has in the works, but that's a distinct impossibility for me. Even if I don't take part in bringing him down personally I'll at least tell someone and hope they can manage the op without me.

    It's simply too big of a risk to leave unattended especially with what I know about the plans for that Dust. Maybe if he knew what his handlers were planning Torchwick wouldn't be so willing to help them out. Shame I won't find out either way; the time for that kind of thinking is long-past. Still, these thoughts are only delaying me from the answers that I'm looking for so I dispel them and get to work.

    Now that I know roughly what to look for and can broaden my search it isn't too hard to piece together the clues hidden in various surveillance footage from Torchwick's crimes. Just as before his partner isn't around until he gets into some sort of jam that he needs her help to get out of. Sometimes this extends for a longer time than I think to be reasonable which implies that she either has a lot of faith in Torchwick and his ability to get himself out of sticky situations or that she has to physically travel to help him out. The latter lines up with what I got out of her message history and the context clues hidden throughout so it's my go to explanation.

    That means I have to come up with an explanation of how she can appear out of a crowd or from out of nowhere without anyone spotting her beforehand. My most likely answer comes from a set of footage where she appears out of thin air with her parasol deployed to block some sort of projectile fired at Torchwick. Given the sudden appearance and already ruling out a spatial or warping semblance I have to assume that she can turn invisible, at least for a short time. I don't know if there's a limitation to that as her insistence on showing up like that could be attributed to a sense for dramatics or even sadism given the glee she takes some people down with.

    However, her being invisible even in a recording means that her semblance interacts with the physical world instead of some sort of mental manipulation. That's both a good and a bad thing. Good because mind-juju can get out of hand real fast and bad because it means there isn't an easy counter to her. Plus given the limited footage I have access to it's hard to pin down her exact limitations, like I don't know if she could hide Torchwick with her semblance. She simply never needs to, preferring to beat the opposition into a bloody pulp before leaving.

    I'm a bit miffed that she has more combat prowess than most of my classmates, but I can't get a good read on her age considering her diminutive size. It could be that she's just that experienced rather than being a combat prodigy like Pyrrha. It also isn't easy to read into her past at all, despite having her description and a name I can't find anything that's older from her than half a decade. If I had to guess, Neo isn't even her real name, but that's a distraction at best and doesn't help me counteract her.

    On that subject I still don't know enough about her semblance and get to work seeing if there is anything I can find from footage near Torchwick and his crimes. I focus on the ones where she shows up to help him as she's guaranteed to be somewhere nearby. Most of what I find turns out to be useless, I don't find her anywhere in the vicinity. That could be because she hides out somewhere without cameras or because she can maintain her invisibility for far longer than I first suspected. There could also be an alternative explanation, but I simply don't have enough to say anything definitive. That is until I go back over her messages and the bare few mentions of disguises.

    Nothing I've seen so far indicates that she has a penchant for disguise, but it isn't too far of a reach from what I've seen out of her semblance thus far. She could disguise herself so she doesn't draw attention and hang out in the area explaining why I can't seem to find her. It also makes a degree of sense because I imagine her invisibility trick has to be limited in some way; there are certain limitations to how ridiculous semblances can get.

    That still leaves things distressingly vague, but should be enough to work around. Just knowing that she could potentially disguise herself means we can plan around that to a certain degree. The invisibility trick is a bit harder to counter, but it's possible that Flint or Oobleck might have some ideas to help with that. Plus just knowing that it's an illusion instead of teleportation means that we won't have to call off the search if she gets involved. Unfortunately this is as much as I think I can find from what I have available, so the deeper secrets of how her semblance works will just have to remain out of reach.

    With one more thing taken care of I, reluctantly, drag myself off to Ren to see about crossing another priority off my list. I'm not sure what to expect out of him, but maybe it'll do me some good to vocalize what I'm feeling and what my issues are. Thinking about it I grimace, I will need to do something to ensure that he doesn't go spreading this around, either for his benefit or out of a misguided sense of helpfulness.

    Unfortunately I don't have any leverage to use on him; it's not like he's confided very many secrets to me and I've already resolved the one issue with him and Nora that I could have potentially held over his head. Maybe I could use that and phrase my request as a favor, from how he's acted before that might be enough to convince him to hold off on spreading this information. Plus with his more passive nature I shouldn't have too much to worry about.

    Internally reassured I find Ren relaxing out in Beacon's courtyard. He's not too far away from where exams are being held so if I had to guess he's either waiting on Nora or the rest of his team to be done and ready to hang out. It works out well enough for me and as long as I make sure to watch what I say and ensure no one hangs around too close I should be able to ensure a reasonable level of privacy.

    Figuring that it's best that I get straight to the point I sit next to him and suddenly say, "Ren, great. I was wondering if you could give me some advice." I get an eloquent, 'uh' as he looks in my direction, a slight frown on his face before he turns towards the building his team is probably in. "Yeah, I know that's typically my job or at least everyone else seems to think so. That's actually sort of the issue here."

    "Okay," he says in a way to convey that he clearly doesn't understand. "What's the issue exactly?"

    "I'm glad you asked. You see unlike some people you actually ask what I'm on about instead of making assumptions. Anyway that's not important right now, first I'm gonna need you to promise you're not going to say a word of this to anyone." Something in my tone or the fact that I'm making a big deal about this must have gotten through to him as he sits up straighter and gives me his full attention. Despite that his response is almost a direct contradiction of his attitude being a simple 'sure' and nothing else.

    I sigh, at least he's willing to humor me about this and I've gotten his affirmation to keep this a secret. If need be I can hammer this point in multiple times, but I'm sure the subject matter will convince him to keep things under wraps. "Thanks, you're doing me a big favor here," I say, stressing the word favor and his eyes narrow. Good he's picking up what I'm putting down, now I can tone things down a little.

    "Ochre, are you sure I'm the person you should be talking about this with?" Silly Ren, if you weren't who I wanted to talk to about this I wouldn't have sought you out to begin with. Nice attempt at weaseling out of this though, I'll be sure to remember that.

    I take a deep breath before I start. Now that I have him trapped under social obligation I can take my time deconstructing the issue in a way that he can understand. "Well I should start with saying this is some team drama on my part; between Autumn and I specifically. Kelly is staying neutral and Marina is…Marina." He nods along like that statement makes complete sense which it does. "Now, Autumn mistook some of my actions for being motivated by something that they aren't. Not a big deal, but when I tried setting him straight he refused to see reason. We got into an argument and now he's not willing to apologize; that's about the short of it.

    "I see," he says slowly despite me knowing that he doesn't. "What was his misconception exactly?" He asks that in an inquisitive tone that I'm not sure how to parse. It could be that he's genuinely curious and wants to help out, but my gut is telling me that there's something more to it. Well, the only way to find out for sure is to continue onwards.

    "Remember, no telling anyone." I get a shallow nod from him and continue far more somberly, "He thought that I had trouble accepting that I'm a good person when I know that's the furthest thing from the truth." A wave of fatigue washes over me. It's bad enough that I had to share this with Autumn, much less another person. It's not something I like to admit to for understandable reasons, but it's central to the issue that happened so I can't really leave it out.

    If my revelation is surprising to Ren he doesn't let it show as he keeps his face carefully neutral. "Why," is all he asks and if it were anyone else I'd think that they were trying to get me to examine my preconceptions rather than as an honest inquiry. Most would have some confusion in their tone or go off about how I'm actually a good person or other nonsense. With Ren I give it even odds on whether he is trying to genuinely understand the issue or manipulate me here.

    "He brought up some examples like how I was tutoring Velvet or, you know that thing between you and Nora." His face twitches a little upon mentioning that, but he smooths out his features before I can read into it any more deeply. "Honestly I'm not sure how I'd get it through to him that he's in the wrong here, but I thought you might have some helpful advice." I notably don't say that's because he has experience dealing with someone that often runs away with the wrong idea. He's dating her and that seems like the kind of thing that if spoken could sour a relationship.

    "Well," he starts carefully, searching for the right words to say. "He might not be entirely wrong. I've noticed…certain tendencies from you." He doesn't elaborate any further than that, forcing me to think through what he could be referring to. Aside from what Autumn said, which I know to be false, I can't think of anything that he'd be aware of to cause this reaction. As if he notices that I'm struggling he speaks up again, "Why did you start a prank war with me?"

    "Because I thought it'd be fun," I answer without a thought.

    "Ochre," he calls my name out sharply as if to rebuke me. "Even if that was the case, you were insistent on dragging me in particular into it. You could have done that with anyone, so why me?"

    I have to slow down my thinking and prevent myself from blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Why did I do that? It's not like I enjoyed being pranked by Nora and the prank I did on Ren to kick off that prank war was payback for my outfit. Plus he was reluctant to join in and I had to press him to get him to think about it. "I thought that you would enjoy it," I admit with some reluctance before quickly covering for myself. "I just didn't want there to be any hard feelings between us and giving you an enjoyable hobby was the best way to do that."

    Ren doesn't show his frustration in any way like pinching his nose or rubbing his temples. Rather he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes for a few moments, and fixes me with an intense stare. "You're too observant to be lying to yourself like that."

    I want to argue with him, but that was a spur of the moment admission and I can't say that it was what I was thinking about at the moment. A nice benefit, sure, but not what my aim was at the time. A part of me doesn't want to think too deeply on this subject, but if he noticed it as well then I have to give it some thought. It doesn't mean that he and Autumn are right, there are any number of explanations that could fit where they're not entirely wrong but still off the mark. I don't know what they could be, but I'm sure I can think of them if I give myself enough time to.

    Ren seems content to leave things like that. I do take some issue with just dropping that and not attempting to resolve it, but a part of me is also thankful that he knows when to back off. Maybe that's a little hypocritical of me, but I have enough on my mind that I don't particularly care. Admittedly I want to break away from the conversation, but that feels like admitting defeat for whatever reason.

    Fortunately I don't have to make that decision as I spot Nora racing her way towards Ren and I. He notices it as well and gives me a reluctant nod, not wanting to discuss this kind of thing around her and having promised a level of secrecy. While the two of them talk I make my way back to my dorm to sort out my thoughts and piece together what I should do next.

    I mull over the conversation with Ren more than a few times before dismissing it as something I should return to later. Having to wrestle with all that takes too much focus away from my investigations and I'm entering a period where things could get very unstable. I can't afford to let something slip by me just because I'm dealing with some personal drama.

    With that in mind I pop open what I have on the paladin shipment that's coming to Vale. Technically there are multiple, but I only have access to what was decided for the first shipment. They appear to be a batch of prototypes which possibly explains why they're being sent ahead of time, maybe? Looking into it some more I find out that they're being sent by ship because there isn't enough room on board for them on either Blue 2, 3, or 4. At first I'm confused by this, but some more searching brings up that these are Atlesian airship designations…three of them.

    What the hell is Atlas getting at here? Are they aware of what's going on with the Fang and their potential backers or are they just overzealous for this Vytal festival in particular? Sure there isn't usually a crime spree connected with a terrorist organization in the other Kingdoms during a Vytal festival, but that amount of force seems excessive when compared to the historical precedent. I can't shake the feeling that a higher up in Atlas, possibly Ironwood, knows more about what's going on then they realistically should.

    I'll deal with that can of worms later; right now I'm surprised that Atlas is trusting a shipment of brand new equipment to either a merchant ship or their dwindling seaborne navy. Atlas has largely moved to a fleet of airships rather than a traditional navy. Something that has actually been detrimental to Menagerie.

    Not every merchant can afford an airship with naval craft being much cheaper if more dangerous. This wasn't as much of a problem while Atlas lazily patrolled the waters, but with their shift to a more modern navy they've left the seas behind and shipping has gotten increasingly more dangerous. Well-frequented routes are still safe enough, though they encounter grimm more often than previously.

    For routes like the ones to Menagerie, those have been traveled less and less as the years go on. The trip becoming more dangerous while not being any more profitable. Maybe that's fine with most of the inhabitants of Kuo Kuana, but I know the risks involved with allowing ourselves to be cut off from the world and Vacuo is another example of how this can go horribly wrong.

    Regardless, that doesn't answer the relevant questions that I have. Those being what ship is bringing the batch of prototypes over and where they're docking exactly. I don't know if I'd be able to guess when exactly they'd arrive, but knowing the where and what ship means I can assign someone easily enough to keep watch over the area. Well, nothing to it, but seeing what I can find in the records I pulled and what's available on the CCTS.

    Investigation Check: Rank: 3.79+1.5(CCT Records)= 5.29 vs Challenge 4.

    Final modifier: +32

    Dice: 1d100+32

    8 + 32 = 40

    Going through it I find that Atlas uses an annoying amount of designations and shorthand to refer to their equipment, transports, and destinations. I'm sure if I had someone more familiar with the Atlesian military that I could crack this pretty easily. My thought goes to Weiss and Kelly, but both prove confused when I ask them about what certain terms mean. If I had any faith in the Atlesian military I would say they change these up from time to time to prevent this sort of system from being used against them. Unfortunately in this instance it prevents me from, potentially, helping them in a cruel twist of fate.

    Seeing that I'm getting nowhere chasing both the ship and where it should arrive I decide to focus on one of them. In the end I choose to focus on which dock they'd be arriving at. Knowing which ship they're taking would be useful, but lacking that knowledge isn't the end of the world. Plus with the dockmaster's records Flint forwarded me all those weeks ago I have more to go off of here.

    Armed with that information it isn't too hard to narrow down a list of potential spots, luckily most of them appear to be by the North end of the docks near the border between the commercial and industrial districts. According to the dockmaster's records this is historically where Atlesian ships would dock whenever they needed to pull into port. Not that that's been happening too much lately, but it's all that I have to go off of.

    I send a message to Tukson to have someone watch the area and report back what they find and I ask Flint if he can get the dockmaster to keep me up to date with any ships coming into that area. That's as much as I can take care of at the moment; hopefully it's just a bad feeling and nothing comes of this, but I've prepared as much as I can in any case.

    Setting that aside I make my way down to the station. Maybe I'm putting off thinking about what Ren and Autumn told me, but this time it's for a legitimate reason. I told Flint that I'd be coming in at this time, specifically because there is a hole in the Chief of Police's schedule that he can squeeze me into if I want to lobby for a bigger position on the task force that's being put together.

    I know that he would expect me to pony up something to put me in that kind of position and while I'm not willing to make a binding obligation just yet I have something else that he might be interested in, Torchwick. It's not like I haven't thought about bringing the police into the action for this anyway, but if I could leverage that for some benefits I wouldn't be opposed either. I'm struggling to find a downside especially since I've sort of tipped Oobleck off about this as well.

    Of course if I'm fine with just being on the task force I don't have to do anything and could meet up with the team or I could even decline if I'm fine with things how they are. Not the most palatable option admittedly, but it could allow me to keep a low-profile for a little while longer.

    Bargaining: I could offer the police a place on my raid against Torchwick and surely the goodwill would be enough to afford me certain privileges among the task force even if it'll ultimately be temporary. (7)

    Acceptance: I'll join up with the task force in an advisory role. I might receive less credit and have less control, but I could still do some good there. (0)

    Denial: I don't see much of a need to join up with what Flint's cooking. I can just do my job and focus on my efforts with the Fang. (0)

    I make my way inside the station and set my stuff on the desk that's been set up in the corner for me. It's smaller than the rest, but unless someone gets let go or transferred it's the best I got. Then again that's pretty likely to happen soon enough so I should be upgrading before too long. I can't dwell on that thought for too long as Flint meets up with me and we quickly march into the Chief of Police's office bearing the placard with his name: Slate Frost

    Frost is a dark-skinned man with gray, almost blueish hair, and on the shorter side, but well-muscled and with a mustache and goatee that gives off the distinct impression of a walrus. Chief Frost is seated with his hands folded on the table in front of him and a chair open for me opposite of him. I take my seat while Flint stands off to the side equidistant between the two of us. Despite wanting to get this over with I have to let him have the first word or come off as presumptuous. I know this is a power-play of sorts, but it's a minor enough one to not cause an issue over.

    After a minute of waiting he speaks with a deep voice absent of the scratchiness present in Flint's from his smoking habit. "I understand that Flint offered you a position in the faunus relations task force, yet you think you deserve something better than that." I don't miss the bit of wordplay he's doing here. Making it sound like I'm demanding something unreasonable and forcing me to defend myself.

    At least I would have to defend myself if I didn't have something that's too juicy for him to ignore. "I have information that can lead to the capture of Roman Torchwick." Bait set, now it's just a matter of waiting for him to crack and give up this bit of bluster. To his credit, or perhaps detriment, he keeps up a firm mask and remains silent waiting for me to give something up without having to do so himself. Unfortunately for him I know how this game is played and have more than enough experience with silence to not be disturbed in the slightest.

    Eventually he turns to Flint and a silent conversation occurs between the two men. Seemingly satisfied he turns back to me and responds with far more joviality than I'd expect out of a hardened cop. "Damn kid, Flint said you were working on something big, but I thought he was just blowing smoke up my ass. If what you say is true then I think we can come to an agreement. Tell me what you want and I'll see what I can do"

    I make a show of thinking over my position even though I already know what I'm after. It wouldn't do to seem too eager after all. "I was thinking of a leadership position of some sort. Something with more authority and visibility than what you're offering me previously."

    "You're asking for a lot, you know that right?" I remain silent since I know this is just an attempt to get me to back down from my offer. I couldn't shoot for higher due to seniority concerns, but like hell am I going to back down now. Plus I know my info is juicy enough that he'll have to capitulate. I just have to give him the time to do so.

    Frost exhales loudly, his nostrils flaring like a bull. "Fine, I can see that you're not backing down from this. I can't put you in charge of the force, you haven't been with us long enough for me to justify it even with these circumstances. Alabaster will still be the lead, but you'll be the official second in command. Wasn't supposed to be one in the first place given how small the group is, but you do a good enough job and I'll let you keep it. Just don't let Al shove all the work onto your plate, the boy needs to temper his laziness and learn some responsibility. Of course this all depends on the information you're giving us to actually be good."

    He has to throw in that last attempt of intimidation to save face, but I'm confident in my plans and preparations so it doesn't affect me. I spend the next few minutes quickly going over what I know about Torchwick and his operations. I'll have to send in my more detailed findings later, but the rough outline is all I need to get Frost on board and plans are set in the works for when the tanker arrives. This also winds up with me nominated to be the liaison for the Huntsmen which works well enough for me.

    After that Frost shoos Flint and I out of his room to start pulling up reports and making calls. It's going to be a lot of work to make sure everything is ready to go with our somewhat flexible deadline. Even if the tanker shows up on time we still have to wait for Torchwick to make the first move or else a lot of these preparations will go down the drain.

    As we make our way through the station Flint looks at me with a broad smile and says, "You got bigger stones than most of the men on the force. Damn shame again that you aren't joining up," instead of the usual resignation when he brings this topic up there's a spark of hope behind his eyes.

    I don't have it in me to crush that hope right now and I divert our topic away from it. "Are we meeting with the team next?"

    "Nah, what you just pulled throws a wrench in things. We'll need some time to break the news gently and shift some things around. We'll have that all sorted for the meeting next week."

    "Meeting?"

    "You didn't think you'd be able to avoid that kind of thing when you agreed to this did you? Before gunning for that leadership thing I would have told you not to worry about it since the team knows about your circumstances, but you had to put a hole in that now didn't you?" I get the impression that's meant more to tease me than as a reprimand. "As is I'm not certain how much they'll expect you to be there, but the more often the better. Though I think you were already planning on taking a more active role here if you were willing to challenge the Chief over this."

    I can't say that he's wrong and I should have expected that with greater power would come greater responsibilities. As long as the team is understanding it shouldn't create too many problems, but there will be a certain expectation that I'll have to measure up to now that I've stuck my neck out like this. Oh well, I'm sure the benefits outweigh the minor drawbacks that I've brought upon myself.

    VPD-Huntsmen Relations: I know the VPD and Huntsmen don't alway get along, but I could ask how that seems from the VPD's point of view and make sure it won't be an issue in the upcoming op. (7)

    Torchwick detention: I have some concerns with Torchwick being held due to the people involved. I could check in with Flint and see if it would be possible to detain him at Beacon ahead of time. (6)

    Sound out: he mentioned that the White Fang would have to change their operations in one of our previous talks. I could try seeing what his opinions on a changed Fang would be, but that might be complicated by his semblance. (1)

    Family: I haven't asked much about his personal life and with my new responsibilities I might not get the chance to talk with him too much. I could at least show interest for all he's done for me. (0)

    Future: With all this good PR coming the VPD's way I have to wonder if they're going to do anything to capitalize on that. It's certainly something that I can ask about. (0)

    Deciding that I should change the topic and clear up some things first I say, "Flint I have some things to talk to you about the operation."

    "And this is the kind of stuff that you couldn't bring up during our meeting with the chief?" He phrases it as a question, but his tone informs me that he already suspects why I didn't want to bring it up then and there. Still, I can tell that he wants me to vocalize my concerns so he can respond to them properly.

    "I'll admit that I'm a bit ignorant on how the VPD and Huntsmen are supposed to work together. Both in theory and in practice. I didn't want to come off as presumptuous by asking for something patently ridiculous."

    "As good of a reason as any, but that kind of outsider thinking is gonna alienate you one of these days. You're one of us now, don't worry so much about what we're going to think about you or you'll find that we aren't so willing to talk about this kind of stuff in the future." I'll take his advice under advisement as misplaced as it is. I've done well enough for myself so far and see no need to change how I act. Picking up on some of that Flint sighs, but doesn't challenge me on the matter further. "Alright, well what did you want to talk about then?"

    "Since I'm our liaison between the Huntsmen and a Huntsman myself I figured I'd check to see if there's going to be any friction or tension between us."

    He scratches at his neck, needing to occupy his hands in some way while he talks about this. "There shouldn't be a problem on our end. Most of the time our problem comes with Huntsmen taking matters into their own hands and not bothering to inform us. Just by being willing to join in on this operation will do a lot to ease any tensions. That being said, most of the men won't like being shown up by Huntsmen, but this score is worth it and Frost and I will do our best to make sure the men do their jobs and nothing else. Do the same with the Huntsmen and there shouldn't be any issues."

    I mentally translate that into something more useful. By being willing to help the VPD my friends and I will be given some benefit of the doubt. Well, maybe just my friends; I might be well known enough by now that they won't have much issue with me. Plus I can wear my badge and name plate which will do a lot to prevent issues there. Regardless, the two groups are better off being separated from each other just in case. That might create some issues that could be exploited, but being aware of it means I can plan for it and countermeasures are best discussed during the strategy meetings anyway.

    Since we're already on the topic I see no harm in pressing him for a more general view on the matter. "And how is it usually between the VPD and Huntsmen? You mentioned that Huntsmen take matters into their own hands, but is that really that big of a concern for the VPD?"

    Flint lets out a low rumbling chuckle as if what I said is particularly funny. "Kid, I figure this is something you'll learn in Beacon, but Huntsmen are by all metrics law enforcement officers. They kind of have to be in order to legally take jobs wiping out the occasional bandit camp. Though they also have the right to judge and carry out a sentence immediately out in the periphery. That can rub some officers the wrong way and it engenders a certain attitude among Huntsmen."

    "And I'm guessing that's where the friction comes in." It makes sense to a certain degree. Even if most Huntsmen and police officers have good opinions of one another they aren't the ones interacting with each other. Most likely the cops have to deal with brash Huntsmen and normal Huntsmen have to deal with outspoken cops.

    "Just so," Flint grunts out. "There's more to it, but that's the crux of the issue." At my curious look he elaborates. "Me and the boys would never imagine telling a Huntsman how to deal with the grimm, but that professional courtesy isn't returned. They always have something to say about how we could be doing our job better or faster, or about how there are lives at stake like we don't already know that." He takes a steadying breath to calm down, "Of course we sometimes get the good ones, like yourself, that know there's a process that we have to go through, though they have a tendency to want to fast track things."

    I get the feeling that the last comment is directed my way in particular. Both for pushing him to take action a few weeks ago and for my meeting with Frost. Still, I think I know where Flint is coming from here. It sounds like the VPD mainly deals with young Huntsmen who are unaware of how the police are supposed to function while the older Huntsmen learn to not deal with them at all out of perceived ineffectualness.

    Considering how I had to essentially do the VPD's job for them so they could get their act together I can understand that perspective as well. If I had to guess this leads to Huntsmen taking matters into their own hands, further worsening relations between the two. I struggle to find a way to reconcile these issues, but find nothing that's immediately applicable. The best I can think of would be a complete overhaul of the system, but that would be anything except easy.

    I have to steer my thoughts away from this matter as it's not one that I can resolve and has been a fixture of the Kingdoms, or at least Vale, for decades now. Plus, I just have to ensure that things work out well enough between the VPD and everyone else I bring on for one operation. The rest of this information is ultimately useless to that end, but still good to know.

    It does, however, bring my mind to the other topic that I wanted to bring up and I have to be careful how I word this to not bring offense. "Torchwick has some pretty powerful friends and allies. I'm concerned about how we're planning on securing him in the aftermath."

    That draws another chuckle out of Flint, "Already counting your chickens before they hatch, huh?" I shrug in response; I figure twelve or more Huntsmen should be more than enough to catch Torchwick, especially if we have the VPD cutting off his most likely escape route. If it wasn't for what I learned about his partner, Neo, I'd say catching him is an absolute certainty. Not getting the response that he wanted, Flint shakes his head and soberly says, "And now comes the point where you try to convince me you have a better plan than throwing him in one of our cells."

    I nod readily, he's correct and his deduction doesn't surprise me. There would be little reason for me to bring this up if I didn't have something in mind. This topic may be better suited for the strategy meetings, but there's a difference between bringing it up in that serious atmosphere and bringing it up in casual conversation. Plus, if I'm able to convince him now he can start laying the groundwork with Frost and the rest of the force. "Torchwick should be held at Beacon given the severity of his crimes and the assistance he can call on to bust him out."

    "The chief isn't gonna like this. Torchwick is supposed to be a feather in our cap, not an example of where the Huntsmen show us up." His statement comes off as entirely perfunctory, like he's already accepted that I'm right and is only saying what he is out of obligation. I find it curious that he didn't mention that last bit earlier and brush it aside for now. I can satisfy my curiosity later on if I have to.

    "It would be even worse if he broke out after you caught him." My response is just as token as his. I'm probing to see if I need to lay out any more of my cards on the table or if this is enough. While I detailed what Neo could potentially do I haven't gone into how Torchwick is connected to a greater conspiracy. Not that I'd necessarily jump to that first; pulling on his connection to the Fang and insinuating that they'd do something in retaliation would be my go to, but proves unnecessary.

    Flint grunts and nods my way, producing no further complaints to my suggestion. He certainly believes that I believe it to be a necessary precaution, but I thought I would have to spend some actual effort in convincing him that's the case. I'll likely have to lay out my reasoning during the meeting before the operation, for the VPD officers on the ground if nothing else.

    I also get the feeling that I'm going to have a close eye on me from Frost and Flint following this operation. I am asking for quite a bit of compromise from them on top of demanding a leadership role with their task force. As long as I continue to show results and my dedication I don't think this will become an issue, but there is a certain weight of expectation for me to live up to what they've invested in me so far.

    It's easy enough to brush off that weight and make some small talk with Flint before breaking away to my desk to get caught up on the cases that have made their way there. The workload is lighter than it normally is, probably because I was supposed to meet up with the task force today and do some work for them. Since that got delayed I have less work to do and I make some inquiries of my own to help out around the office. Considering that I'm going to be associated with the less-liked part of this upcoming operation, it's in my best interest to make sure I make a good impression on everyone before it's go time.

    After my time at the VPD I sit down and go over the books for my branch of the Fang. We're making a nominal profit, but that is slightly offset by necessary expenses and if I account for the upcoming changes in wage I'm planning on implementing we'll either be right at our limit or slightly over. Not the worst thing in the world since I still have my discretionary budget, but not something I'm particularly enthused with either. Worse comes to worst I could continue paying the people under me

    In order to resolve it I run into the issue that I'd have to expand out to more shops and in order to do that I'd need to recruit more people. The problem I run into is that I already have tasks in mind for all of them and was unsure if I could spare the manpower. It takes me longer than I care to admit to realize that I could put Terra to good use and do both at the same time.

    Before this the manpower and shops had to be checked by Tukson and I, but with Terra involved I can leave the shops to Tukson and the personnel to her while I provide oversight to make sure everything lines up. It does mean that some of their work has to be shifted over to Blake, which is regrettable but shouldn't be anything she can't handle by now.

    With that matter resolved I start drafting up some plans on how we're going to expand. In the future I'll probably automate this task to some degree, but right now with secrecy at a premium and our group still in its relative infancy I feel like I need to take a direct hand. There are, however, a number of advantages that I can leverage.

    The first of which is that I have a number of grunts that are still on the Vale branch's payroll, but are able to assist in matters like this. Some come from the managers that we've turned to our cause while others from the recruiters that we've infiltrated. Regardless of how they were recruited we don't have to pay for them and may as well get our Lien's worth while they're still on the broader Fang's payroll.

    Which brings me to our second advantage. Now that we've established ourselves as an alternative to the Fang it shouldn't be as much work to convince more businesses to our side. Additionally with some of the logistical officers of the Fang subverted that means our activities can fly under the radar to a certain extent. If we aim for the bare minimum I expect no issues and even aiming for higher than that comes with reduced risk.

    That being said, there is still a risk of expanding too much; there is only so much our moles can cover for us before we bring on too much attention from the Fang. Plus while we're in this interim stage before announcing our intentions it's possible that some of our men could get on the VPD's radar and make a working relationship more difficult in the future. That seems like a small concern to me with the shake-up in the VPD and oncoming manpower shortage, but I can't discount the possibility either.

    A more concrete concern is equipping all of the new recruits adequately. With more standardized equipment comes the expectation that we'll equip them with it. An expectation that I plan to meet, but it does put a limit on how much we can expand beyond our logistical concerns. Worst case scenario, we can press our businesses for some early payouts to make sure all our ends meet, but it's another matter to consider.

    Huge: Press for a major increase in operations. This would wipe out the savings our branch has to make sure everyone we bring on is well-equipped. (87 businesses, gross profit of 26,100L per month) (6)

    Small: With the amount of free labor that we have available we can justify a doubling of our operational size without incurring additional cost. (37 businesses, gross profit of 11,100L per month) (0)

    Moderate: While maximizing our current resources is well and good we should go a bit further. (62 businesses, gross profit of 18,600L per month) (0)

    Massive: Go even further and push for a larger increase. This will possibly draw some attention and we'll have to borrow a small amount of Lien to cover for the interim, but the profits are worth it. (112 businesses, gross profit of 33,600L per month) (0)

    All-In: I'd find it difficult to expand this much without drawing attention, but with the situation coming to a head soon it might be worth it. We'll have to borrow some Lien to cover everything, but that won't be too big of an issue. (137 businesses, gross profit 41,100L per month.) (0)

    AN: Once again, don't worry about the numbers too much. The system had to go through a rework after a certain point.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 16 (Part 2, End)
  • Threadmarks
    • With my business attended to I decide that it's time for some much needed relaxation. Needless to say my conversations with Ren and Kelly weren't the most relaxing and my talk with Flint trended towards more business than less. Thankfully my girlfriend already has something planned for the two of us.

    She says it's to celebrate completing our finals, but a part of me suspects it's to make sure we do something together before leaving for Winter break. I find it a little unnecessary since we still have two weeks and I'm sure she'll plan something for my departure on Oobleck's expedition. Still, I don't call her out on it; this is a treat on her part and if she wants her excuses and justifications for it I'll let her have them.

    Like some of our previous outings, this one takes place in Vale. Weiss is in a hurry to leave Beacon; probably sick of the place after all the exams we had to take, not that I blame her. The exam for Dust studies kicked my ass and I'm sure I'll receive an offer from Weiss for her to tutor me on the subject. I might take her up on that, as humiliating as it would be for me. I know it would make her happy to have another excuse to hang out together.

    Those are thoughts for another time as we take a walk around Vale where some shops are setting up banners in anticipation of the Vytal festival. That seems a bit premature in my opinion since most people aren't going to arrive until just before the tournament and festival proper starts. It does remind me of Weiss' plans for later this week.

    With other teams supposedly arriving I guess that some places are looking to squeeze them of their Lien before anyone else can. There are also a number of shady stalls and persons set up in the alleyways, but fortunately Weiss has no interest in interacting with them. She's enjoying our languid walk throughout Vale well enough as it is.

    Our ultimate destination is a restaurant, but the path that we're taking is very circuitous and she isn't paying much attention to the stores we pass by. If I didn't know any better I'd assume her intention was to show off our relationship to as many people as possible. I can't discount that entirely either as I know she's not too happy with returning to Atlas for the break and this might be a petty act of rebellion.

    Either way doesn't matter to me and I don't bring it up just yet anyway. If I want to bring up something like that it'd have to wait until we're deeper in a conversation. I'm struggling to come up with something to talk about at any rate.

    I don't want to talk about what's going on with me and Autumn or my conversation with Ren. School is out of the question as well since we're doing this to get away from it and neither of us know the results for our tests yet.

    Some of my apprehension must leak out as Weiss catches on and asks, "Ochre, is something the matter?"

    "It's nothing," I reply automatically. "Well, there's a lot going on soon enough and I guess my mind is just occupied." She already knows about my plans for Torchwick and some of the changes with the Fang which work well to cover up my actual thoughts.

    "I knew I should have waited for a better time," my girlfriend remonstrates herself and I have to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

    "No, it isn't your fault. I'm just busier than I was expecting. I'm sure I'll get it resolved and we can do something nice before I leave."

    At my comment about me being busier than expected Weiss' expression turns into a thin frown. Likely she's relating this back to her own past and her issues with work eating into our time together. I wish I could assuage her worries, but there's not much I can do except make this up to her later.

    "So why'd you bring us all the way out here," I say waving my hand around the streets in an attempt to change the topic.

    I can tell she still isn't happy, but she goes along with it regardless. "I wanted to get away from it all for a few moments. Staying at Beacon is nice and all, but it can be a bit…"

    "Stifling," I offer, not sure where exactly she was going with that. She pauses for a moment, thinking over if the word applies or not before shaking her head.

    "Close, but not the same. I enjoy my time there and wouldn't trade it for any other Academy," she says, giving me a shy look.

    "I can sense a 'but' coming on here," I respond with a slight smile.

    That draws a small pout from her as she continues, "Yes, well, between class, my team, and working there is a lot of stress associated with staying on campus and I figured a change of scenery would do us both some good."

    I hum in agreement with her, though my mind is elsewhere. If I had to guess, her upcoming return to Atlas has her more anxious than she'd like to admit and is trying her best to deal with that stress in a healthy manner. It might be prudent to talk with her about that or I could play the part of the dutiful boyfriend and help take her mind off it entirely.

    Relaxation: The two of us need a moment to wind down. There are more than a few attractions set up in anticipation of the Vytal festival that'd provide some merriment. (3)

    Family: With the subject of Winter break and her trip back to her family coming up, now is as good a time as ever to let her vent her thoughts about them. (3)

    Relaxation x2: This is a fun date to get fresh air and relax. No serious topics (2

    Reassurances: She's visiting her family, and Jacques in particular, over the break. She could use some fortifying words and reassurances that everything will be alright. (2)

    Worries: She says she's doing this for the both of us, but I don't think I've given her any inclination that I needed a break. I could talk with her and see where she's coming from here (0)

    Work: It's not likely a topic that she'll appreciate being brought up right now, but it'd be a good idea to have some sort of plan of action set up for during the break. (0)

    Maybe it'll do her some good if I can get her to vent about her issues. I know she doesn't have the best opinion of her dad. As for her mom, well that's a lot more complicated and she's going back to where both of them are which obviously isn't the best for her right now.

    I almost want to tell her that she doesn't have to do this; that there are other ways for her to wrestle control of the SDC. Ultimately I shake my head. She knows that as well as I do and I'm as likely to convince her to stop as she is me. We each have our goals and all I can do is support her as much as I'm able.

    On that topic I might as well go with her wishes despite the locale and the atmosphere. There are too many people and loud noises for my tastes, plus a lack of things I'd find interesting. Maybe I'd be able to put up with all this if I didn't have so much on my mind. As is, I feel like I'm too wired to properly relax, but I make the attempt for Weiss' sake if nothing else.

    To that end I scan the crowd for anything interesting that I can use to raise my girlfriend's spirits. There's a stand next to an alleyway selling great war memorabilia. Not the greatest draw for a festival built on peace, but the two events are forever connected in everyone's mind.

    It does well enough to attract a crowd of teenagers and the morbidly curious. I gently tug on Weiss' hand to bring us in that direction. She catches sight of what we're heading towards and rolls her eyes before going along with it.

    The man has slick back hair and gives me an oily impression like he's waiting to either part me with my Lien or make a run for it. I make a show of inspecting his wares and draw him into explaining that these are all authentic Great War relics that he's brought out of a collection for the Vytal festival.

    He says this more for the crowd around us than myself, but I eventually find something that'll serve my purposes: an Atlesian cross. Not the highest of honors that Atlas has put out, but not exactly something they give out all that often either.

    I start talking it up and relating it to all of the awards handed out to soldiers and some anecdotal accomplishments of those that were awarded with it. This is ostensibly for Weiss' benefit, but I pitch my voice so everyone around us can hear it as well. My girlfriend's lips twitch upwards as I get into my explanation; I don't show this side of me very often and I guess that's amusing enough for her.

    Halfway through I realize that my plan may have been a bit ill-founded. Everything in the stand before us is fake and I got it in my head that I'd make a big show of exposing him to the crowd or maybe scaring him off from the area entirely. That, however, would be the opposite of what Weiss wants to do right now and she seems to be enjoying my impromptu explanation. That's likely more from the spontaneity of it than any genuine interest on her part; I doubt she'd be as excited as I to visit a museum.

    With some reluctance I move over to a few other objects before turning down any attempts from the man to get me to buy anything. I drop a message to the VPD with his description but that's all that I'm willing to do with Weiss at my side. If it was something more serious I'd stop it and hope that she understands. However, I have to make some sacrifices here.

    In an attempt to mollify my feelings on the matter and continue pandering to my girlfriend, we stop by a number of stalls with various knick-knacks and I see if there's anything I can buy for her. We both know it's a meaningless gesture since if she wanted it she'd be able to purchase it or a more genuine article much easier than myself.

    Nonetheless she appreciates the offer as well as the chance to lean up against me whenever we stop to look over various wares. Honestly it's more of the latter than anything else that's keeping her in a good-mood even as I struggle to find something that interests me in the area. I'm saved from my dilemma by the two of us arriving at the restaurant that Weiss picked out.

    It's less fancy than the one we went to when we first started dating, but we're escorted to an out of the way booth soon enough. Now that we aren't surrounded by people I'm about to bring up her parents and her trip over to them when she interrupts me.

    "Thank you," she says nuzzling into my side and I'm a bit puzzled over what exactly she's thanking me for. Thankfully I don't have to ask her as she elaborates for me after a second. "My sister is a part of the military," she spits out, almost offended. "Of course I knew that was a fake, but you stopped yourself from doing anything about it."

    Ah, I didn't do as good of a job of hiding my intentions as I thought I did. Though, I do wonder when exactly she picked up on what was happening as she was pretty entertained by my performance before I had to cut it to a close.

    "You know most people wouldn't be glad that their boyfriend didn't stop a crime," I say in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

    "Ochre, you told me about how stretched the VPD is about to be. Do you really think that they'd have time to deal with him of all people."

    I shake my head, agreeing with her sentiment. I doubt anyone will pick up on the tip that I left, but I had to do something after putting all that effort in.

    Weiss scoots closer to draw me out of my thoughts as she says, "I remember you saying that just trying to put a barrier between our work and our time together was enough for you. Don't be surprised if it's enough for me as well."

    I can't really argue against that without making an ass of myself and it almost causes me to withdraw from my next topic, but I power through. It might cause some discomfort at first, but maybe it'll help her deal with whatever anxiety she's feeling. "Sorry that I can't come with you." There is no need for elaboration on my part as we both know what I'm referring to.

    I feel her stiffen next to me and her hands clench, grabbing a bit of my outfit with her left and her own with her right. "It's fine," she says, her tone implying anything but that. "Your plans were set in stone far before my own and I'm only doing this because I have to."

    All of the logical reasons might make sense, but emotionally I feel like this still has the potential to be an issue between us. Maybe not a big one, but I'm not one to let this fester if I can help it.

    "Hopefully you'll be able to see Winter and Klein while you're there," I say in an attempt to find something positive out of the situation. My own distaste for Atlas being the opposite of helpful here as I can't think of a single thing that she'd find endearing about her homeland.

    Her face drops into a forlorn expression, "I talked with Winter and she won't have time for a visit. She's too busy arranging things for Atlas' activities in Vale." That strikes me as slightly odd since her sister is in Atlas, but she does work closely with General Ironwood so I have to assume whatever she's doing requires some discretion.

    Still, that doesn't help me with the problem that I have on my hands. Deciding that there might be something more that she isn't willing to say in a semi-public place I activate my semblance and bring the two of us into my mirror world. "If you need to talk about it I-" I don't get the chance to finish my sentence as Weiss' strong front collapses.

    "I hate it," she spits out as she launches into my side and grips my torso roughly with both her hands. "Every time it's always 'I'm too busy' that is if I get a response at all. From everyone in that house. All the money in the world and it's still the loneliest place on Remnant."

    Well, I mean this is what I wanted wasn't it? I just don't have much that I can say or do beside wrapping my arms around her while she vents about the issue. Sensing that I should, maybe, do a little more than just that. I start stroking her hair and making the occasional reassuring noise as she works through her emotions

    "I- it. It didn't use to be this way. We used to be a family or at least we pretended to be one. Then HE decided that he cared more about the company than his own family. Then my mom found more solace at the bottom of a bottle than with her own flesh and blood and Winter couldn't handle it any more than I could and joined the military."

    She doesn't mention it now, but she also told me about how busy Klein was when Whitely was born which is surely impacting her thoughts here as well. She's also, well hysterical is the best word that I can think of. She keeps flipping between apoplectically mad and inconsolably upset. Grabbing at me and pinching at the flesh underneath my outfit one moment and croaking, struggling to get the words out of her throat the next.

    I knew this was kind of a big issue for her, but I guess our own work lives intruding upon our relationship has brought the matter a lot closer to her than she likes. Add in the reminder of her home life and it's easy to tell where her concerns are coming from. The worst part is that I can't really console her about this matter. The reality is that it does get in the way of our relationship a little. Nothing that we haven't been able to work around so far, but the reminder is ever present

    "I don't want to lose any of this. My friends, Beacon, you…" if there is more to her statement she can't bring herself to say it. As if speaking the possibility would make it real she avoids it as much as she can and with shuddering breaths starts to calm herself down. By the end of it the front of my outfit is a bit of a mess, but at least the clean up will be taken care of by my semblance.

    "I'm sorry," she starts looking away from me. "I shouldn't be making such a big deal about this." Not about to let my girlfriend wallow in her self-pity I turn her head towards me and press our foreheads together.

    "No, I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place," I remark guiltily. While the catharsis might do her some good it's also left a distinctly bad taste in my mouth for instigating this in the first place. We stay like that for a few minutes to allow her to comport herself before stepping out of my mirror world. She pretends like nothing happened, but the specter of our conversation poisons any attempt at anything aside from small talk.

    Still, when we leave she has her confidence back and then some. Like she's resolved to do something that only she knows about. I can put in a few good guesses about what it relates to, but don't press her on it. I'll either have a front row seat to what she's got planned or she'll tell me soon enough. Aside from that we're mostly silent on our trip back to Beacon, though if she holds onto me a bit tighter during that trip, well I don't say anything about it and neither does she.

    With our lack of classes and further obligations it's a chore to pry myself out of Weiss' tender embrace. No matter how reluctantly that may be. I doubt that her team or my own would appreciate the two of us being inseparable right now and we don't want the hassle of the two of us getting caught at a hotel together.

    Regardless, her desire for sleep eventually outweighs her desire for company and she retires to her room with the rest of her team. I get playfully narrowed eyes from Ruby and can only shrug as an answer. I don't feel like messing with her right now, nor do I think how I handle Weiss would be applicable in her situation.


    A night of rest doesn't stop Weiss from latching on me as soon as I'm up the next day. I have a meeting with Terra to see what we can do to drum up support in the community. Well that's how I'm viewing it, her words were about how we could help the community, but that's really a roundabout way of saying the same thing. I briefly consider bringing Weiss with me with how insistent she's being right now, but decide that now really isn't the time to be bringing a Schnee to a White Fang meeting.

    Thankfully I'm saved by Ruby dragging her partner off of me for some sort of team activity. From the way she babbles about it it seems like another excuse for her and her team to have fun now that Finals are wrapping up. Either way I'm free of any obligation and make my way into Vale for the second day in a row. My destination this time is in the residential district near the Eastern walls. Not that far from the twins' parents actually, but with far more faunus in the area.

    Now I know Vale doesn't zone their districts the same way Atlas and Mistral would so I find it hard to believe that such a demographic disparity is their fault, but I can't dismiss that there's something at play here causing the faunus to congregate like this.

    It could be as simple as this area is cheap enough for all of them to afford and humans avoiding the area because of so many faunus, which is its own separate and still concerning issue. Or any number of reasons, really. Whatever the cause, I can look into it later; right now I need to make my way and meet up with Terra. Inside the community kitchen there are a number of volunteers behind the counter serving soups and simple meals to those that come in. Not everyone looks as destitute as some of the homeless I see making their way through the establishment.

    I also spot a few humans waiting in line, though not many behind the counter and they may just pass for human instead of being one. I stand out a lot even in my casual clothes. My colors are a lot brighter and clothes less worn than the crowd. It works well enough in catching Terra's attention and she motions for me to meet her by the back door.

    She's a woman in her early fifties by the looks of things. Something I knew intellectually from her dossier, but it's another to see in person. She has brown hair that seems to have lost its luster with age and when she lets me into the room in the back I spot that she has a thin wispy tail dropping low between her legs. I don't know what animal that tail is from exactly, but my gut is saying a gazelle or something similar.

    She lets me in and we get to talking about the various proposals she's come up with. They range from providing food, medicine, education, job opportunities, basically anything and everything that could even tangentially improve the quality of life for those in the community. I have to be the unfortunate one to tell her that some of them just aren't practical. While I can understand sports are a big deal to some in the cities; it really pales in comparison to our actual troubles and our Lien would be better spent combating those than setting up youth sports leagues.

    Eventually I'm able to narrow things down into some broad categories. I'm sure that eventually we'll have the resources to expand into these other ventures at least partially, but right now we need to focus on more useful prospects. To that end I start grouping them into broad categories. There is a lot of overlap, there has to be with how broad some of these proposals are, but each category has a different objective at the forefront of these otherwise altruistic ventures.

    The first of which is to set up our groundwork for recruitment. While I don't think there'd be much issue in getting recruits immediately after taking down Adam and his branch that doesn't mean that will always be the case. By setting up our organizations in such a way to test for and train useful skills as well as influence the workers towards seeing my branch of the Fang in a positive light we can ensure a steady supply of useful new recruits. Either by 'promoting them to the White Fang' or simply saddling them with the additional responsibilities. Considering how much the Fang needs to be reorganized this is a tempting option, but that doesn't mean I should discount the others.

    The next of which is Terra's preference and is to focus on what would help the community the most. Not as directly beneficial as the other options, but something that would keep her and other members happy. It would also be slower to expand than the other options as it's not so simple to just plop them down and expect all of a place's issues to be solved. That requires more time, manpower, and Lien for results to be shown, but will hopefully pay dividends later on and might convince others of our good intentions.

    The last option is to focus our efforts on opening a number of charitable ventures such that they'll be peppered all over Vale and possibly other Kingdoms. It would do especially well at increasing our public presence and giving us some good coverage, but would understandably struggle at being as successful as the other ventures without requiring more funds to support. These ventures could also be used as a foot in the door with other Kingdoms if the other branches of the Fang aren't willing to play ball.

    The only other thing that we have to answer is the question of funding, but that's harder to answer immediately. It doesn't help that we don't have any funds on hand to get it kick-started so whatever we do has to wait until our next set of payments roll in. As such I'm giving Terra access up to half of the funds from whatever is left over next month since I won't be around at the time to direct things. I'll be able to review her progress when I get back and set a more reasonable expenditure then.

    Long-term: Focus on solving local matters first and foremost before expanding. This might mean giving up on some short-term gains, but making sure things are done right the first time is the priority. (8)

    Recruitment: Structuring our ventures and services in such a way to engender loyalty and training a cadre of new recruits would be helpful with my plans for the Fang's future. (0)

    Scalability: Focus on opening up ventures across Remnant to help spread our name and message. They could be vital in giving us access we'd otherwise be without. (0)


    Knowing that I'm taking my chances with the Vytal tournament seriously, even if it's not my main concern, Weiss decides to invite me with her team to check out the competition.

    I would have thought that was just another excuse on her end to spend more time with me. But her serious demeanor and lack of overly affectionate displays on the way into Vale puts lie to that assumption. Well, I'm sure that it factored somewhat in her reasoning, but when her competitive side flares up like this she can get pretty focused on her target. Not that I, or her team, feel the need to raise that particular issue.

    On our way to the docks we pass by the district Weiss and I went through during our date. I guess that served more than one purpose there and the circuitous route makes more sense in retrospect, though we didn't stray near the docks too much so I might be overthinking this. Either way I nod to myself and enjoy the easygoing atmosphere with team RWBY.

    This ends up slightly soured as we pass by a store that Torchwick must have burgled the night prior. Two detectives that I don't recognize stand out front and I give them a half-wave, but receive none in return. This far out they're probably a part of a different station so the lack of recognition is understandable.

    Afterwards Weiss, Blake, and I share a look; the shop a stark reminder of our plans for Torchwick. We can't avoid the attention of Yang and Ruby who aren't as quick to pick up on what's going on through our heads.

    "This is Torchwick's doing isn't it," Ruby says, looking towards me. I give her a nod to confirm her thoughts. She groans in response, "If only I caught him that night I ran into him."

    "Don't worry Rubes, we're going to stop him soon enough," Yang responds while wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulders, "Right, Ochre?"

    I suspected that they'd learn things from Blake or maybe Weiss, but it's good to have semi-confirmation. Of course this isn't the kind of thing to discuss in public so I give a shallow nod before taking a leading step towards our original destination.

    A yell from the docks catches all of our attention and we rush to see what's going on. The words become clearer as we approach and I catch the sailors yelling at someone for being a stowaway. By the time that we get there the blonde short-haired faunus with a monkey tail leaps from the boat to a lamppost before hanging off it by his tail.

    Man that is some impressive strength he's showing off there, most wouldn't be able to put that kind of weight on their faunus parts. Oh right, that kind of jump also implies that he has his aura unlocked if not some combat training on top of all that.

    I guess he could be one of our competitors, but him being a stowaway and without his team puts a few dents in that theory. Even if that was true, he rubs me the wrong way with how carefree he's being with the whole situation.

    "Fu-" I start before remembering that Ruby is with us. "-reaking degenerate." Yang's glare has nothing to do with my decision making there. None at all.

    "Don't call him a degenerate," Blake protests.

    "Even I paid for my boat fare during my time in the Fang. What's his excuse?"

    With the lack of safe ports most ships are perfectly fine with accepting stowaways as passengers if they're properly compensated. Sure it isn't always the most pleasant of trips as your rations are usually the first to be cut, but when you make that sort of imposition on a crew with limited supplies you have to be willing to accept that kind of deal.

    Plus I can't help but think about the ramifications of his actions. While this might not change the opinion of the crew overnight it will be another mental tally to not make dealings with faunus and that can make the difference between them being willing to humor a trip to Menagerie and them refusing to do so. Understandably I'm not too appreciative of his antics in that light. Fortunately I don't have to ruin my time with Weiss and her team as I spot two detectives making their way over to apprehend him.

    That is until one of them does something monumentally stupid that I have to replay it and question it in my mind. Did he just throw a rock at him? "He did," Blake answers for me with hostility in her eyes. Ah, I guess I said that out loud. It takes me a second to process what she just said and reconfirm that yes that did actually just happen and I'm going to have to do something about it.

    "Sorry Weiss, but this isn't something I can let slide." The hesitance in my tone must have slipped out as she doesn't look upset at me for abandoning her like this, but rather she gives me a supportive push towards the faunus and the two detectives accosting him. I can tell Blake wants to join me as well, but I'm the one with the badge and she'll just have to be happy with how I handle the situation.

    As for the two miscreants I have the distinct displeasure of dealing with, even if they were a hundred percent certain that he had aura, provoking a suspect like that would be the last thing you'd want to do. The only reason why they'd be willing to do that is if they thought they could get away with it, which points to some rather unsavory opinions on their part. Well I've already done so much to help the VPD take care of their trash, two more knuckleheads isn't really adding too much to the pile.

    I'm about to reach the three of them when the monkey faunus jumps over us and makes his break. I sigh once again as he's making this harder for the rest of us. If the two detectives didn't give chase I'd probably let him get away and deal with them since one stowaway isn't really worth the VPD's time right now, but that's not the world I live in. Somewhat reluctantly I give chase and I'm glad that this whole outing happened in our combat uniforms instead of our school ones.

    We pass by team RWBY, which thanks guys you're right there and could do something, and I hear them give chase along with Weiss yelling out, "After them." Well, it's better that they help out later than never. I chase down the faunus as we start heading inwards into Vale and pass by a corner. The detectives and I have to swerve around a girl with orange hair while our perp simply jumps over her, gaining a bit of ground. I hear a crash behind me, but can't pay it too much mind right now. I'm getting tired of this chase and I know that there are a few alleyways nearby that he can make his escape with.

    Since I have my Wit's End with me, all it would take is a simple recoil maneuver to catch up with him and a single touch with an activation of my semblance would be enough to help capture him. I doubt he's prepared for the loss of coordination associated with the usage of my semblance.

    That, however, would mean that I have to fill out a firearm discharge form back at the station since I'm doing this under the authority of the VPD and it's all for a stowaway that we wouldn't be able to deal with properly anyway. Plus if he is actually a competitor, somehow, it would create an incident between the Kingdoms and all this is starting to sound like more work than what it's worth.

    Heck I didn't even go down those docks with the intention of catching him in the first place; my targets were these two, or well whichever one threw the rock though I have to give them some accolades for being willing to give chase instead of shrugging this off. I see him start tensing up for a jump and make the decision to let him go. One stowaway isn't worth this effort and I plan on making this up to the boat crew at any rate so I'm not too concerned.

    He jumps off towards some rooftops and I slow down to a stop and the two detectives stop near me as well. "Thanks for the attempt, civilian," the one with a beard says in between breaths.

    "Detective actually," I say, showing them my badge. Some might say I'm a junior detective, but that's not actually a rank in the VPD. Even with seniority being an actual policy it would be rather humiliating to have Junior Detective as your job title. "Say, which of you was the one to throw the rock at the suspect." My faunus features are all covered up so this hopefully doesn't come off as too suspicious.

    The bearded one points to his clean-shaven partner who makes no move to disagree with the accusation. "Why," I ask legitimately dumbfounded.

    He shrugs like he doesn't see what the big deal could possibly be. "Had to get his attention somehow and if that criminal gets a little roughed up because he broke the law, well that's just another reason not to do so in the first place. Am I right?" I don't know what I was really expecting.

    I quickly look them over to see if they have their badges on display, but I'm not that lucky. Looks like I'm going to have to make an issue out of this after all. "Alright, and can I get your badge numbers?"

    That sets off some hostility from the two of them like I expected it to. The bearded one steps between me and his partner. "Woah, no need to do that. We're all on the same side here. My partner was just a little overzealous, that's no reason to do this. We have to look out for each other in this line of work."

    Upon seeing my unmoved expression his partner slinks out from behind him and yells, "Who do you think you are anyway? You must be pretty new to the force if you don't know how we do things around here. This-this is nothing compared to what we gotta deal with every day so take it from me and just drop it."

    I remain unphased and pull out my scroll instead. "Are you going to comply or do I have to take this up with the chief?" It's possible that they might think this is a bluff on my part. I certainly wouldn't expect a random out of uniform officer to be able to contact the chief on short notice, though this really isn't something I should be bothering him with. We have a different department to handle misconduct and as much as it pains me to admit, this isn't serious enough to escalate beyond some reprimands.

    Regardless, my seriousness must get through to them as they eventually produce their badges, grumbling all the while. When I'm done taking down their details they snatch them back from me before returning to their job and cursing underneath their breath. I knew I wasn't going to make any friends with that action, but it was better than letting them get away with it and being seen as passive by my actual friends.

    Speaking of which I see the group talking with that orange-haired girl from earlier. I guess they were the ones to run into her. I also witness her declaring her friendship with Ruby in an over the top manner. Well- it's good that Ruby is making more friends, but based on everyone else's expression this isn't an outcome that they're excited by.

    "Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys," the girl exclaims and I get the impression that she has absolutely no experience with any of that. Rather she's saying it because that's what she expects friendship to be like, though her excitement is obvious. It reminds me of Marina in a way and I will have to see how applicable my skills with handling her are.

    As much as I would like to stay and talk I might as well do my due diligence and talk with the crew of that boat. I give a wave to Weiss and promise that I'll catch up with her and her team in a little bit. I make my way back to the docks where the crew has mostly disembarked. It looks like they're going to stay the night before moving on to their next destination. With how busy Vale is becoming due to the Vytal festival it's likely that they're working overtime to meet demand.

    I meet up with one of the boatmen and apologize for the faunus stowaway. I have to make it clear that I don't actually know him and flash my badge to prove that's the case. Admittedly this may be unnecessary on my part but I decide to pay for his fare. I've used the services of boats and they are too vital to my plans for Menagerie in the future for me to leave this to chance.

    Once that's taken care of I meet back up with team RWBY while they're on their search for that faunus. The orange-haired girl took her leave, and I'll have to ask them about her later.

    We don't end up finding him and make our way back to the docks to observe anyone else coming in. Mostly we find teams from Vacuo, a few from Atlas, and hardly any from Mistral. It's still early on so they might not have made their departure to Vale, but that distribution is odd to me. Oh, well a matter to resolve another time.

    When we return to Beacon Weiss retreats to her room to go over what we found out about the other teams; which admittedly isn't that much. We're able to get pictures of them and their names on occasion, but that hardly tells us anything about who they are or what they're capable of. Maybe if there were more Mistrali teams we'd be able to look up their arena records and footage. That could be why so few of them showed up this early, but that doesn't make much sense to me either.

    We're going to be sharing classes for the next semester and that includes Combat class. Honestly this outing probably wasn't worth it in the first place; we'll have plenty of time to see how they fight and spy on them during their time at Beacon.

    Maybe it makes sense for Weiss because she could ask her sister for info on the Atlas teams, or maybe one of the Mistrali teams showed off their semblance in the arena. Vacuo is, well, Vacuo; not to say they can't produce good fighters, but a lot of them end up in either Vale or Mistral depending on their goals.

    Whatever, I trust Weiss to know what she's doing and maybe this is a form of stress relief for her. Getting her mind off of her troubles and focusing on something else. By the time that I sort through those thoughts the rest of team RWBY has started to disperse.

    Yang and Blake are making their way to do…something together and Ruby is making her way towards the workshops. I didn't pick up much info about the new friend that she made aside from Weiss commenting that she's apparently a competitor in the Vytal tournament as well.

    It strikes me as odd that she'd be out in Vale on her own since there hasn't been much time for the teams to arrive and settle in. We'd have seen them around Beacon if that was the case. Whatever, she could have just gotten separated from her team for one reason or another. It's not like the streets of Vale can't be confusing if you're unprepared for them. Regardless, Ruby is my best bet for finding out more about the girl and I was wanting to talk with my fellow team leader anyway.

    I walk up next to her, but before I can say anything Ruby speaks up first, "Oh, hey Ochre. Did you want something?"

    "I was wondering what you were up to." I can guess, but Ruby likes talking about weapons and there's no need to jump into the meat of the conversation right away.

    "Well I thought I'd head to the workshops so I can think about how I'm going to upgrade Crescent Rose in the future." She pulls out her scythe and caresses it gently. "Not that I'm going to be able to stuff any upgrades in you for a few months, but oh boy I have so many plans for you once the tournament is over."

    That makes some sense to me; it wouldn't do to change up her combat style too much with the tournament around the corner. It does give me the impression that she isn't planning on taking part in the solo rounds and is focusing on not being a liability for her team. Otherwise I'd expect her to claw for whatever advantages that she can rather than holding off for now. Admittedly that's more information that I have now than I got from our little adventure together which is amusing in its own right.

    However, I feel like I should say something before she starts cooing over her scythe like it's her child. "And that requires you to go to the workshop to brainstorm?"

    She looks away and laughs nervously and shies away even more when she realizes what she just did with her scythe in front of me. "Well, I just find it easier to think when I'm surrounded by machines. I can look around and imagine all the things I could do with them and that leads me to looking at the next machine I'd have to use and getting even more ideas. It's well-it helps a lot is what I'm trying to say."

    I can't really argue with her there, if it helps her think then it helps and it's not what I want to talk about at any rate anyway. "I didn't catch much about your new friend. Is there anything you can tell me about her?"

    "I-well I don't really know that much about her. I didn't even mean to become her friend at first; I said 'take care friend' as a way of saying goodbye. She honed in on that word and what was I supposed to do, tell her no?" That, well that actually isn't too surprising. As friendly as Ruby can be, she isn't the most outgoing of people, though it only makes things odder that the other girl would focus so heavily on the word. It has some rather unfortunate implications for how her teammates and whatever academy she's attending is treating her.

    "You wouldn't happen to have a way to get into contact with her would you?"

    "Huh," she mumbles, not expecting me to take an interest in her. "Why do you want to know?"

    "Let's just say that I'm curious about her and her circumstances." I can tell that isn't enough for Ruby so I elaborate. "She reminds me about Marina in a lot of ways." That's enough for Ruby and I don't feel the need to bring down her mood by bringing up my suspicions just yet. I'm not sure how I'll use whatever I find, but I'm certain I could find some way for it to benefit me.

    "I, uh, I didn't get her contact info," she says to my disappointment. "But I could go out in Vale to see if I can find her again. Would that help," she appends quickly, eager to help.

    I doubt that she'll be able to find the girl again in a city as big as Vale, but I nod anyway. It will get her to stop lingering on the topic and if that girl is here for the tournament then I expect that we'll see her around campus in the future anyway. That topic leading to a dead end I figure that I should come up with something else for us to talk about.

    Patch: I haven't really looked too much into the place that Ruby and Yang call home. It's a nice neutral topic and she might appreciate the choice of topic. (5)

    Torchwick: We're coming up pretty close to our operation to catch Torchwick. She might have some opinions about the matter and I can make sure she will be fine with the VPD assistance. (5)

    Tournament: From what I can tell she isn't too concerned about the tournament while the rest of her team seem excited or prepared for it. I could ask her why that is. (3)

    Taiyang: Her dad did corner me in a training room one day. I ask why that was. Maybe learn more about the man. (1)

    Upgrades: I could take an interest in what exactly she's cooking up for Crescent Rose and get her opinion on what Velvet has planned for my weapons. (0)

    I could start with the more casual topic like I usually do, but Ruby is the type that doesn't have issues bouncing from one topic to the next. She also doesn't have any pressing issues about the matter that would make her reluctant to continue the conversation. With that in mind I have no reason not to go to the heart of the matter. "So, what are your thoughts on us catching Torchwick?"

    "Uh, that it's good that we're going to catch him," she responds slowly and with wide eyes, her confusion readily apparent. Alright, that's on me for being so vague with my inquiry; time to narrow it down.

    "I meant something more specific. Like you were the first of us to have a run-in with him and I don't know; I just thought that you might have something more to say about the matter." She did mention while we were out something about how she could have stopped him. I guess that was more of a general comment than her beating herself over the matter.

    "It's not really something that I've paid too much attention to. My team and Beacon have been eating up a lot of my time, but I'm glad that I can help you with this."

    That brings to mind my next question, "And why is that? If the same happened to me I can't say that I'd let it go as easily as you did."

    That elicits a reaction out of her as her expression turns frustrated, "I thought the authorities had everything handled and then you told us you were looking into things as well. I hoped that everything would just work out. I should have trusted my Uncle Qrow on this more."

    If I remember right he was the one that gave her a bad impression of the VPD in the first place; well maybe not bad with how accurate it's been. Ruby is such a sweet girl that I can't imagine that she came to that sort of conclusion on her own. "Related to that, I'm bringing the police to assist with the operation. Any thoughts about that?"

    "Uh," she stalls, not having an answer readily available. "It's good that they're finally doing something. I can't say that I'm too happy that it's taken them this long to do something about Torchwick though. Didn't you figure out where his base was in like, what, a couple months?"

    Yeah that is a pretty big mark against them, there are some mitigating circumstances around it, but I doubt Ruby would appreciate hearing that they just didn't have the right information or how some of them were likely paid off not to look in certain areas.

    These are some pretty lukewarm opinions though; it gives me the impression that her opinion about the matter is largely affected. Likely borrowing from what her Uncle Qrow has told her and the situation has only reinforced her view. I could put some work into resolving that now, especially since I'm nominally a part of the VPD. But, I don't see it as too big of a deal and Ruby is the type to look at the person first rather than the organization that they're a part of.

    Still, I suppose it is now my professional responsibility to make sure that there are no problems that can arise. "No other thoughts?" At her confusion I decide to offer her an example to work off of. "With the police brought in it will cut into the amount of credit you'd receive for capturing Torchwick."

    "Why would I care about that," she asks genuinely. Admittedly I was more expecting something along the lines of her denying that she cares at all than her coming across like she honestly never considered that angle in the first place. She's still young so it might not have occurred to her, but I get the feeling she'd be this way even if she was a few years older.

    It does however bring up another question in my mind. She doesn't care about catching Torchwick for the glory and she doesn't care much about the tournament. That doesn't leave very many options for why she became a Huntress in the first place.

    I know her dad, mom, uncle, well pretty much every authority figure she knows is a Huntsman. It's likely that she's just followed in their footsteps and convinced herself that it's what she wants to do with her life. I am, however, curious as to what her answer to the question would be.

    "Why did you want to become a Huntress in the first place?" My question causes her to shuffle her feet and bring her weapon protectively close to her chest. I get the sense that's more due to my seeming non-sequitur and putting her on the spot like this than any embarrassment over her answer.

    I'm about to let the matter drop when she finds her words, "I want to help people."

    "Really? That's all there is to it, you just want to help people," I say, unable to keep the skepticism out of my voice.

    Her response sounds like the kind of generic answer someone would give when first asked about why they want to go to Combat School and not what I'd expect out of someone who's dedicated a portion of their life to the craft and made it into Beacon.

    She answers back more seriously than I've seen her before, "I'm not going to say something like I want to wipe out all grimm. I'm not that naive; I just want to protect the people that I can with my time on Remnant."

    I learned from my experiences with Autumn not to question this good-nature of her even if I don't really understand it myself. For me it's always better to have some sort of goal or grander-vision in mind to help ground yourself. I can only hope that that simple-minded idealism doesn't end up turning on her. Things may be fine while her convictions are strong, but I have seen a fair share of idealists turn disillusioned when things don't turn out how they envision them.

    I let a beat of silence pass between us before I wind us down with a palatable change in topic. "So you're going home to Patch for the break. That's actually one of the few places that I haven't had the pleasure of visiting."

    Like a switch her serious demeanor falls away as she starts bouncing in excitement. "Yeah! It's home and it's going to be nice to visit. I mean Vale is nice and all, but it's a little bit too much for me-though Beacon has been amazing. And most people think that Patch is some rural island off to the side of vale; I mean it's sort of like that the further inland you go, but the coast facing Vale is actually really built up. The forests can get kind of thick and full of grimm if we're not careful. Not that the Huntsmen of Patch are ever slacking or anything, but they have to let the grimm build up a little for the students at Signal."

    "Ruby," I say, waving my hand in front of her face in an attempt to get her to calm down. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but maybe you could tone it down. I don't need all of the trivia about the island."

    She chuckles nervously as she scratches the back of her head. "Sorry about that, I'm just excited to visit again. There's this bakery a little ways away from my home that makes the best cookies. You should come with us the next time we visit." I give her a noncommittal grunt as there's no way I can predict if I'll be free during that time.

    It does nothing to sour her mood as she continues on, "Anyway our dad built our home not too far out from Signal, but still out of the way you know. Like we're surrounded by forests and our nearest neighbor is a few miles away" That…that doesn't strike me as the best place to raise children with the threat of grimm being ever present on the horizon, but what do I know about parenting.

    Ruby goes on to explain about the town that sprouted up around Signal and where Ruby and Yang would typically hang out with their friends. It's also the first time that I hear her talk about any of her friends outside of Beacon, but she makes it seem like that's all in the past and that she doesn't have plans to visit with them over the break.

    I brush it off easily enough as it's not like she hasn't made connections here and something similar happened to Autumn, Kelly, and Yang. I guess being shuffled off into teams has put a lot of strain on relationships that wasn't there prior.

    Ruby's explanation does bring a question to mind of why Patch hasn't been settled more heavily. It's a fraction of the size of Vale and there is apparently not that much development further inland despite the fact that if the land was secured it'd be relatively easy to fend off the grimm. The only thing that I can think of is that there are some nasty aquatic grimm in the northern waters like there is at Argus that's scaring people off from doing so. Still, that isn't what Ruby is talking about so I dismiss the thought as she starts detailing all the hangout spots that she and Yang used to frequent.

    As if noticing my return to the conversation she steadies herself and asks, "And how is Menagerie?" I have to stop myself from showing too many signs of excitement. Aside from Blake and occasionally Weiss I haven't had much opportunity to talk about my homeland

    "The town is Kuo Kuana," I inform her with a smile. "And if I had to choose one word to describe it it would be crowded." I enjoy how her attentive face falls into something more complicated. "If I had to choose two, the second would be beautiful. The sight of the sun on the sea is legitimately still breathtaking to me. We can't expand our walls too much because of the grimm and a lack of supplies to hold the position while the defenses are raised. I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though there are a lot of problems with it-"

    "-it's home," Ruby interrupts and finishes my sentence for me.

    "Exactly that. After all this time I could move me and my dad to any Kingdom I wanted, but well I can't bring myself to give up on the place. There are so many memories I've left there, good and bad and, well, I can't say that the prospect of being the one responsible for improving the place isn't attractive in its own right." I can tell that I'm starting to ramble, but Ruby just nods along like I'm making perfect sense to her.

    "I'm glad you could tell me about it. We don't hear much about Menagerie, sorry Kuo Kuana out here in the Kingdoms. To me it sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

    I wave off her slip of the tongue, I use the two names more or less interchangeably myself and I'm not about to bust her down over it. I could also explain how Menagerie is anything except a fairy tale, but I can't find it within myself to do so. Outside of the start of our conversation this wasn't meant to be a serious discussion and I'm more than happy to keep trading light-hearted stories about our homes. It does remind me that Blake probably still hasn't told them about her parents, but now isn't the time to bring that up either.

    Somehow I end up telling her about how I used to dive into the sea in search of 'treasures' along the seafloor. That was when I was young and before my time in the Fang so I didn't keep myself covered up so often. Of course I never found anything that valuable, but I enjoy the reminiscing of simpler times and my descriptions of the aquatic wildlife is colorful enough to keep Ruby's attention.

    We are, however, interrupted by an alert going off on her scroll. She looks off in the direction of the workshops before slumping her shoulders. I suppose I must have lost track of time and send her an apologetic look for disrupting her plans.


    As nice as it was to relax with Ruby I should probably get back to work and make sure everything is in order for my plans against Torchwick. I finally have a firm date for the tanker coming in and can plan around it. It's technically still possible for them to be delayed further, but this close to Vale I don't foresee any problems.

    I receive similar confirmations from the bugs on both Torchwick and my channels among Adam's branch. Torchwick is more explicit with a time and date and I get the implication that he isn't bringing Neo with him on the initial bullhead. Maybe he's confident that he won't need her, but I expect that she'll follow along after he leaves or try to be nearby to bail him out.

    Or maybe she'll be back at the warehouse making sure everything goes according to plan. I find that to be much less likely, but can't rule it out entirely. I, unfortunately, just don't have access to what she's going to be doing or her whereabouts. I figured Torchwick would be more of a stickler about things with how big this operation is, but evidently he trusts her to manage her own affairs or go along with the plan in her own way.

    I don't get much from the White Fang which makes sense since they have to wait to see if this operation is successful before allocating their resources accordingly. As such I move onto the task I set out for my digital investigators.

    Watts has to be able to connect to the CCTS somehow in order to operate the way that he does. A lack of information here hampers matters, but I couldn't have possibly known that I would need to pull all the data I could about him when I had access to the CCT Records. However, we do have something for us to go off of.

    One, he has to have access to the CCTS on a somewhat regular basis. It's something that I already knew, but restating the assumption is still good. Two, there are periods where he is not able to be contacted as evidenced by him missing that call from his charity's chairman. This means that either his base is in an area of spotty connection or he moves around from time to time. I can't eliminate either option as they both seem likely from my point of view. Three, Watts has to be getting food from somewhere and he doesn't strike me as the type to farm it himself or go hunting.

    That means he either has to have deliveries or that he does in fact move his location. The charity didn't have any account that was regularly drawing payments so I rule out him chilling out in the middle of Vacuo and avoiding attention that way. Besides, with his recent activities I have a hard time believing he'd be so passive. Just to make sure I check to see if there are any consistent deliveries on the part of the charity and end up finding nothing, so I rule out my first option definitively.

    That leaves me and my men with the conundrum of how to track down a ghost of the Kingdoms that doesn't stay in one place and that no one knows is alive. Then I also have to take into account how he manipulated Atlas' cameras in order to make his escape and have the assumption that he could do the same to other surveillance systems. I don't know if that's actually possible or not, but I'm not willing to take the chance.

    That leaves me stumped for options and I take a look to see if my agents have any suggestions. The first is one that I find unpalatable, but is technically an option. We could release some of our findings to Atlas and they'd, presumably, lock down the charity. Considering how it's currently bankrolling the options in Vale, Watts would be forced to make a move of some sort and we'd be on the lookout for whatever he tries. I find it much too disruptive and move on to their alternatives.

    The next is to have agents watch over and observe the safehouses for any movement or signs of Watt's inhabiting them. It makes sense that he set these up so they'd be used in the future and with some of them having deliveries from his charity it would also explain away how he's been able to avoid notice for all these years.

    The problem comes from a lack of assets to surveil these locations physically which means we'd have to rely on CCTS footage to keep track of these locations which is suspect, but perhaps our best option for now and something that I'll add to their docket from now on.

    The last option is to try to draw Watts out some other way; though I'm not sure how I'd do that. My guess would be that wrecking the operations of his lackey(?) Cinder is my best bet. Honestly I don't have any good options here as I simply lack the resources for a more full-scale investigation. Not that my men have made no progress, but it's not anything that will help me in the immediate future.

    Not wanting my agent's efforts to be a complete waste, I redirect them to trying to find Watts' trail from when he left Atlas as that's our last definitive knowledge of his location. This proves more fruitful as they're able to find more alterations to the outer facilities camera footage from the Paladin incident that give us a rough trail to follow, but they'll need more time to infiltrate the systems of locations along his path to look for similar discrepancies. That is if there are any records left for them to look through. This whole thing might end up being one big goose chase, so I'm uncertain whether I should continue investing resources into the matter.


    I ruminate over the happenings for the week as I train. I already spent some accelerated time with Weiss and am continuing on my own. Moreso to get my thoughts in order than out of a desire for self-improvement. I've made enough progress this week that I can afford to take a few easy hours.

    Naturally my thoughts fall back to the big discussion I had with Ren as well as the talk with Autumn the week prior. I'm forced to admit that they may have a point. Not that they're entirely correct either, but upon reviewing my behavior I find a number of areas where I can't justify my actions with my normal pragmatism.

    Sure I made the justifications at the time or after the fact, but upon deeper inspection some of that reasoning seems hollow to me or happened long after and thus wouldn't have been an influence on my decision. I hesitate to attribute this to any sort of altruism or inherent goodness like Ren and Autumn have and start reconstructing my worldview around the new information.

    The biggest trend among my decision making is that it typically affects those that I'm either friends with or knew I would be spending a decent portion of the next few years with. This leads me to a compromise of sorts between what Ren and Autumn are seeing and what I thought my previous actions were motivated by.

    I'm still as pragmatic as I ever was, but I will admit that I have a certain weakness for close connections. I already knew about that with how I care about dad's, and recently Weiss', wellbeing but I failed to consider if it would extend further than that. In my defense it was a conscious effort to include Weiss into my decision making and dad is, well, my dad.

    While I'm ready to call the matter settled there, one particular action of mine this last week stands out; organizing charitable works with Terra. Now I could justify that by saying it was solely to ingratiate her and the locals to my cause, but I'm trying not to go with that easy justification.

    I could have easily done the same by offering her more funding for her pet project or even directing our focus in a different direction altogether. Maybe it's as simple as not wanting to see people that desperate or a misguided sense that I have to give some good to the world for all the bad I've done and plan to do.

    I can't resolve it one way or another with just that one example and it leaves a mess of my thoughts. Not that I can do much about it right now; I'm open to the possibility of further evidence, but it's not like I can spontaneously produce more of it to figure out my state of mind and thinking deeply about it isn't likely to have a genuine result either. It's sort of how I ended up in this state of mind in the first place as I logically deduced that I was going to cause harm to others and accepted that. Perhaps I took that lesson too far, but it has worked out well for me so far and I am hesitant to leave it behind.

    That reminds me that I'm going to have to have a talk with Autumn soon and I can admit that I took his well-meaning intervention the wrong way. I'm not sure how exactly I'll make up with him, but it would be nice to have my friend back.I shiver at that thought, the sentiment behind it not following the mental image of myself. I'm not sure I appreciate knowing about this layer of vulnerability I have about me now.

    It would be so much easier to accomplish my goals if I didn't have to care about others feelings. That's not who I am, apparently, nor do I think I want to change myself to be that way. Bah, this sentimentality feels ill-suited when applied to myself. It's so much easier when I can help people with their problems rather than having the lens turned around on me.

    Aura(Practical) raised from (190/625) to (215/625) Source: Semblance usage

    Combat Raised from (369/625) to (459/625) Source: Class, Oobleck, & Training

    Criminology raised from (6/150) to (8/150) Source: VPD action

    Culture raised form (38/150) to (43/150) Source: Oobleck

    Dust raised from (41/150) to (47/150) Source: Class

    Grimm raised from (100/150) to (106/150) Source: Class

    History raised from (209/300) to (228/300) Source: Class & Oobleck

    Investigation raised from (238/300) to (264/300) Source: Class, Challenge, Training, & Oobleck

    Law raised from (8/50) to (12/50). Source: VPD action.

    Mobility raised from (13/625) to (24/625) Source: Class & Oobleck

    Survival raised from (91/150) to (97/150) Source: Class

    Personal funds raised to 5875L Source: VPD
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Week 17 (Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • Yes (7)

    No (0)
    VPD Assistance: I've upheld my end of the bargain, but Flint is offering me something that I'm considering. That task-force he's putting together could give me a lot of useful contacts for the future. [Counts as an investigation training action and a social with Flint. Additionally grants 125L to personal funds] (6)

    Lock in 1 VPD action per week?
    Yes (6)

    No (0)
    Community policing: Something about Terra's operations got me thinking that we could provide a similar service keeping the communities safe like we do our businesses. With the VPD's changes and new task force I might be able to leverage this into something more. (6)

    Follow their trail: Mercury, Emerald, Cinder, and Watts have to be connected somehow, but I don't have a lot of info to go off of. I could put my men to the task of dealing with the boring minutiae while I handle more pressing matters. (6)
    Autumn (QM)

    The Clovers: Considering that I'm going to be gone for a month or so it might be prudent to say my goodbyes before it's too late. (6)

    Weiss: We're about to be separated from each other for a month or so. It wouldn't hurt to spend more time with her. (5)

    Velvet: I've done my homework, I could see if my skills are up to snuff for her liking and see how she's handled her finals. (5)

    Marina: She seems to have calmed down after taking my words the wrong way. I could spend some time with her. (5)
    Combat x3 (5)

    The Dust Tanker should be arriving pretty soon and before we deal with that there is going to be one last strategy meeting with the VPD and everyone I'm bringing on to assist with Torchwick's capture. There shouldn't be much friction or disagreement at this point as I've gone over the strategy with the relevance group. However, this will be the first time that everyone meets up. It should just be a formality, although it is possible for some last minute alterations to take place.

    Before I can attend to that, however, I need to make sure that things between Autumn and I are resolved. While he may have had a point that doesn't mean that I'm going to admit that to him directly. I'm still resolving things on my end and that will just have to be enough. If it isn't then that isn't the worst thing; if he's anything like his sister then he knows the importance of following orders. Worst case I'll have him sit out for this operation and while that would be unfortunate we should still have enough manpower to ensure we capture Torchwick with minimal problems.

    I find my erstwhile teammate in the library with one of his comic books. We've more or less avoided each other for the past week and I guess this is where he retreated to pursue his hobby. Almost immediately he closes his book and looks up at me while I take a seat on the opposite side of him. Neither of us say anything and I see Kelly's point about how the two of us could let this drag on between us with the both of us waiting for the other to make the first move.

    "We're making a move on Torchwick soon. Are you going to be ready for that," I start, having already resolved that I'm not going to apologize for my actions. It wouldn't be sincere on my part as I don't think I've done anything wrong and he was the one to instigate things in my mind.

    "Ya ain't got a thing to worry about on my end pardner. Even if we're quarreling I know this is too big to bring personal matters into," Autumn responds after clearing his throat. His hand sneaks back over to his comic book, ready to pick it back up and resume his reading if this is the extent of our interaction.

    "I thought about what you said," I say and in response draw an uninterested hum from him. Despite that he's leaning forward with his eyes locked on me; waiting in anticipation for what I'm going to say next. "It wasn't entirely without merit," I continue begrudgingly. It's as close as I'm going to get to acknowledging his position until I resolve this matter for myself.

    Autumn doesn't respond with anything aside from a firm nod, but the growing smile on his face speaks volumes. I try not to let it bother me, but I've seen that smug grin on his face too many times to be entirely unaffected. Not that this time is like all of the previous ones where I couldn't deny his words, but doing so in this circumstance wouldn't be productive. Or maybe he is right in this instance as well; I shouldn't discount that so easily since I've yet to find conclusive evidence pointing one way or the other.

    As if aware of my internal argument he cuts through it with, "I'm glad to hear it. If ya ever need some assistance in the future, know that I'm willing to help."

    "I think I'll pass on that. Your last attempt wasn't the gentlest, I'm sure you can agree." That draws a bark of laughter, but also results in my teammate rolling his shoulders back and looking above my head. Evidently he can feel some shame over that action and doesn't appreciate the direct reminder.

    While we may not have said much of anything to each other, the atmosphere between us notably lightens up. The both of us acknowledge the sentiment behind my words and that's more important than either of us apologizing in the moment. Not that I expect that to happen from either side; the matter is as good as resolved and I don't think Autumn is going to apologize any more than he already has. He only apologized for his rough handling of the matter and not his words or the sentiment behind them and I don't find much fault in what he said now.

    Redemption: We haven't really talked about it, but he was hesitant to accept Marina after she revealed her piratical lifestyle. There are certain parallels to explore here as well as making sure that it's not an actual issue. (4)

    Differences: for as much time as he and Kelly have spent with each other I get the feeling that they'll go their separate ways eventually. I could see if he's thought about that. (1)

    Enforcement: Instead of becoming a lawman like his Uncle, Autumn decided to be a Huntsman. I'm sure he has some reason for doing so and opinions on how Huntsmen's role in society. (1)

    With things more or less resolved I can't stop my thoughts from drifting to a similar matter. Autumn is adamant that my actions come from a place of goodness despite some of the unsavory actions I've done. On the flip side when Marina was revealing her piratical lifestyle he was the most hesitant out of all of us to welcome her back into the team. Now I can understand why he might be hesitant to have a criminal on his team, but the same should apply to me as well. Maybe there's a difference because I'm the team leader and the fact that she kept her past hidden longer than I did, but by that same token she's no longer a pirate while I'm still a part of the White Fang.

    I'm not going to get much further just thinking about the matter so I might as well ask him. "What makes someone worthy of redemption in your eyes?"

    "Where is this coming from," Autumn asks with a knowing look in his eyes.

    I won't be addressing that and move on to the actual subject matter, "It's about Marina, and Blake to a lesser degree." His lips thin and the previous light atmosphere grows tense for altogether different reasons this time. "I'm interested in your perspective on the matter."

    He lets out a great gust of air as if he just finished tossing a heavy boulder. The task before him is no doubt as monumental in his mind as that laborious feat. "Ya really know how to pick the easy questions no don't ya." When I don't bite at his bit of sarcasm he continues, "I suppose it depends on the circumstances, but that's not enough to satisfy ya isn't it?" He doesn't wait for my answer, instead shaking his head. "From a certain point of view it's all a matter of the age-old question of rehabilitation versus retribution. In an ideal world both would be satisfied, but that's hardly the world we live in now isn't it."

    "You've given this some thought haven't you," I say, pointing out the obvious.

    "Sorry to disappoint," he replies with a smile. "My head ain't entirely empty and I've had a lot of time to toss this around in my head so to speak."

    "Fair enough, but that still doesn't tell me what you think." Autumn grimaces once again, despite having thought this matter over it obviously isn't a subject he enjoys. Either that or having to reconcile his worldview with knowing three separate criminals is something that's particularly taxing.

    "I want ya to know that before I explain this that I ain't planning on doing nothing ta any of y'all." I roll my eyes, figuring that was a given since he hasn't done anything after all this time. Autumn not being satisfied with that forces me to give him a nod that I heard him and permission to carry on. He takes a moment to think over how he's going to phrase his statements without causing offense before starting slowly with a calm tone, "Now I find it admirable that y'all are willing to become Huntsmen to make up for your past misdeeds."

    I don't think I've told him about how me attending Beacon was just a means to an end, but well I might need to re-examine that assumption myself at some point. All of my logical reasons still stand and I'm not about to give up on my aspirations, but there may be more to it than what I saw at first blush.

    Unaware of my thoughts on the matter, Autumn does not stop, "If it was up to me you'd all pay for your misdeeds to the fullest extent of the law before being allowed to join up like this. Ain't no good thing's been built off a bad foundation and a start bathed in lies and evasion of the authorities is as bad a foundation as you can get."

    "So becoming a Huntsman isn't atonement enough," I challenge him. Blake and her team seem to think so. Jury is still out on myself and, well, Marina is a special case amongst all this.

    "Does running off to live a better life absolve you of all the bad you did prior," Autumn asks rhetorically. "Does it undo the harm you caused or bring closure to the victims?"

    I chew his words over, somewhat distantly as his words aren't meant as a challenge or a rebuke for my past actions nor are they directed towards my friends. "No," I let out slowly, "but the same can't be said for whatever punishment the law would levy either. And, you have to admit that fighting the grimm is an endeavor worthy of some clemency."

    He snorts at that, "If it was, we'd have to accept anyone wanting to fight the grimm is worthy of forgiveness. Or that our justice system is inherently unjust; willing to forgive those that can contribute more than others." His thinking is almost the opposite of the Mistrali sentiment that views criminals as a useful part of the Kingdom to a certain degree. It's also a particularly hardliner stance that I wouldn't normally associate with the affable man.

    Historically speaking he's also wrong, not that I bring it up. The practice of banishment typically lasted only ten years with the assumption that the banished would have to fight the grimm in order to survive. It didn't always work out that way and subsequent punishments were typically a swift death for repeat offenders. This, of course, was phased out as more settlements found their feet outside of the four Kingdoms and those criminals could find safe havens outside the walls without much worry of having to fight for their lives.

    Taking my silence as a form of disapproval Autumn resumes his argument, "Now I ain't saying that becoming a Huntsman ain't a way to seek forgiveness. Just that that kind of decision should be left in the hands of the law and whatever they deem to be an appropriate sentence."

    "And what if the law is unjust," I ask. This conversation is starting to remind me an awful lot of the discussion that I had with Flint. Autumn may be more willing to give ground on this matter and I'm sure his convictions are less settled. His expression tightens and I take that to mean that he doesn't have an easy answer for me so I press on with the most blatant example I can think of. "Slavery used to be legal in Atlas and Mistral; surely you can agree that those slaves had a right to fight for their freedom even if it was against the law."

    "I'm not saying that," he defends quickly, "even then this and that are two different things entirely." I could press him more on this especially with examples of how Mistral and Atlas legislate against the faunus in a variety of ways. I decide to be merciful and let him gather his bearings and continue his train of thought; if he's this rattled by a simple observation then I'm sure I can bring him around to my point of view given some time. "I can agree that sometimes you have to fight against the law for a good cause. However, just because you're fighting for a good reason doesn't excuse any bad that you might do along the way."

    That comes off to me as painfully naive; when going against the system it's damn near inevitable that some bad will come of your actions. Then again I never thought that doing good would be an excuse for those ill actions, rather accepting them as a necessity. Maybe pointing out the impractical nature of his thoughts would get him to consider them further.

    "Let's pretend that we both agree that's the case; you have to recognize that it's impossible to hold everyone accountable like that. I'm sure that throughout his life your Uncle Cyprus had to make some compromises. Overlooking a small crime here or there to keep the peace; maybe letting a bandit go because his crime wasn't severe enough for death and he couldn't hold on to him."

    Autumn adopts a sour expression like he recognizes my point, but doesn't want to agree with it. "I agree the world ain't ideal, but just because that's the case doesn't mean that we should give up on striving for those same ideals." I can tell that he isn't going to budge on that now. Even then Autumn has to have compromised on those same ideals given that he hasn't turned anyone over to the authorities. I wonder if he's aware of that discrepancy and is just ignoring it or if it's a complete blindspot for him. I get the feeling that it's more the former than the latter, but don't feel the need to press him on this either.

    My next inquiry is inspired mostly by my own personal soul-searching. "What if you know that a man is going to continue doing bad in the future?" I get a look from Autumn that I have a bit of difficulty deciphering aside from that I know he knows the subtext underneath that statement. Which is fair enough, it has been the most blatant of my questions.

    "I'd say," he starts carefully, "that there's no way to know if a man will do evil before he does it. He always has the choice to stop at any moment. Not that every man will choose to take the better path, but it's always a choice in the end." The air remains tense as the two of us regard each other, but I cut through it with a grateful nod. I can accept his sentiment in the spirit that it was given even if neither of us touch the subject explicitly.

    With that the conversation peters out and eventually devolves into some small talk as I question him over the comic that he's reading. I may have found a point of disagreement between the two of us, but it seems like he's perfectly fine keeping it as his personal opinion and with how he's been acting I'm not sure if that's his actual thoughts on the matter rather than his idealized thoughts. Maybe he doesn't recognize the difference between the two? Either way it's not something that has to come between us at the moment and I doubt it will unless I press the issue or start associating with some unredeemable characters.

    The time comes to meet with the VPD and go over our strategy one final time. I'm traveling there with my team and teams RWBY and JNPR. Jaune doesn't look like he wants to be here, but is resolved to see things through. I think that this operation being headed by the VPD with Oobleck's assistance has done work in encouraging him that this is necessary, but he also knows enough to figure out that I've orchestrated a good portion of this.

    Almost his opposite is Nora who can't seem to stop moving and it's only due to her sticking close to Ren that she isn't skipping across the pavement in front of us to burn off her energy. Yang and Marina are similar, but less wound up and they're both ready to do violence upon those deemed deserving of it. Everyone else falls onto the more serious side of the spectrum, knowing how big of a deal this is and I'm slightly surprised that Ruby isn't as excited to do real Huntsman work as I thought she would be. Either she realizes the gravitas of the situation or something else doesn't quite sit right with her about it.

    Regardless, now is not the time to go over what could be causing her problems here or if there are any at all. We make our way to the station where Oobleck, his recruits, Flint, and Frost are waiting for us. Oobleck was sent ahead to make a favorable impression on the VPD officers present that aren't Flint and Frost with his recruits being professional Huntsmen as well. Showing up with a gaggle of twelve Huntsmen in training wouldn't exactly be the most promising start to our operations.

    When he catches sight of us, particularly the other two teams I'm dragging into this, Oobleck looks deeply into his thermos like it holds the answers to the universe. Whatever has him suddenly contemplative set aside in my mind I turn to look at his recruits, team UMRE (Ultramarine) if I recall what he told me correctly. The leader of which is a tall woman with short spiky black hair and similarly dark attire. They don't have to be paired up with Oobleck, although it is likely. The VPD wants someone with experience to help out with whatever area that me and my team don't go to.

    It's a necessary compromise as I wasn't going to fight too hard to ensure Ruby or Jaune would be leading their own operation. It would require far too much effort to convince the rank and file to go along with it and I'm trying to ensure a good reputation with both sides here. Maybe if I wasn't as attached to the VPD as I currently am this would be different, but there's no way I can change that now. Though given how many eyes track onto Pyrrha when we enter the room I could have perhaps leveraged her celebrity status into some form of acceptance. They don't necessarily have to know that Jaune is the leader of their team and it's an option to keep in mind in case I need it.

    A similar number of eyes fall on me and I can hazard a guess as to why. My badge is pinned onto the chest of my outfit and it just does not go together, the coloration, shape, and vibrancy of the materials all clash and is the main reason why I keep it in my pocket most of the time. Still, it gives me an air of authority I'd otherwise be lacking and it's a small sacrifice to make.

    Fortunately that authority isn't undermined by Weiss hanging off my side. She knows how serious this matter is and is sticking firmly with her team so as to not get distracted. I already have plans to spend time with her this week which did well in mollifying any potential complaints.

    With everyone present it's time to get into the nitty gritty of our strategy for the evening. This is mostly for the grunts as I've taken care to instruct all the Huntsmen present on the details ahead of time. The VPD's main role in all of this is to provide aerial support and form a perimeter to catch any escaping criminals while the Huntsmen do the bulk of the fighting. Once the fighting is over we're supposed to hand off any captures, but otherwise leave the scene as it is for evidence collection. That will probably be the hardest part of my job, but it's one that I have to do.

    The only thing that's left in the air is the matter of Neo. My thoughts and theories on her semblance and abilities are repeated to all present and the grunts aren't all that happy to hear about what she can do. To be fair I give them a rather pessimistic estimate as I can't be sure where her limits lie. Frost is giving them a more charitable version, but even then the outlook is kind of bleak. All of the officers are given signs and countersigns to check for infiltrators and explicit orders not to allow anyone through. Additionally they will have regular contact with mission command that will be situated here in the station so Neo can't just stumble on them.

    Then the question is brought upon the Huntsmen, i.e. me, on whether we should split off a third group to try and track her down. It has its merits as it would be beneficial to catch her rather than just run her off, but there are some risks involved. It also doesn't solve how we'd catch her in the first place as I'm unsure of where she would be and the current plan is to secret away Torchwick before she can arrive and bail him out.

    At this point Umbra, the leader of UMRE, speaks up, "My team is a bust on this matter, but do any of you guys have a semblance that could help out here?" Everyone shakes their head except for Marina who raises hers. I don't have to explain what her semblance is as that is something considered personal, but I give a hesitant nod to back her up. I don't know for sure if Marina's emotion sight would be able to see her, but it's a potential option. I guess that leaves my team locked in for either busting Torchwick or chasing down Neo.

    There's no guarantee that we'll find her even with Marina's help and we might be better off keeping watch of Torchwick if she can spot Neo. There is a certain appeal in making sure that we ensure his capture as well as that of the warehouse, but two teams to each location is a bit overkill. Ultimately the decision rests on me since it's my partner who'd make this a reality and my position as liaison affords me the ability to make this decision.

    Two groups: No need to risk our capture of Torchwick even if the score could be bigger. It does mean we'll have to be on the lookout for Neo's retribution, but taking a piece as big as Torchwick off the board is worth it. (6)

    Three groups: Neo is too much of a threat to leave alone. Even if it weakens our operation a little it should be worth it to at least make the attempt (1)

    Settling into a two group structure means we move on to organizing the groups. My team and RWBY are easily assigned to the docks. Apparently with her being one of the few people to fight Torchwick she's considered an expert on him despite her young age. Honestly I don't know if I'd prefer them over team UMRE, but I know the versatility that her team brings to the field and can plan around them a lot better than the newcomers.

    On a similar vein Oobleck is assigned with UMRE to take care of the warehouse. His experience with the team isn't that great, but he knows them well enough that he brings up no complaints. There is some talk of splitting JNPR up so that more forces are available to keep watch on Torchwick. This gets shut down by Jaune and Pyrrha and I back them up on it. While it would make things easier that isn't enough of a reason to cause any bad blood between us. Plus if Neo is staying in the warehouse for whatever reason having that extra backup won't hurt.

    Before we depart and get into position Frost coughs and takes command of the room, the hushed and excited whispers stopping as he brings up a controversial point. "Once Torchwick has been secured three of our bullheads will land and he'll be loaded up on one of them. These bullheads will then make their way to Beacon to ensure his partner can't break him out."

    There's a bit more to it than just that, but it's enough to get the point across. I don't miss how the officers and other members of the VPD have their enthusiasm cut at the knees, but whatever grumbling they have in mind they keep to themselves. Hopefully whatever accolades they're showered with in the aftermath is enough to keep them satisfied, though I notice more than a few wandering eyes focusing on me, Oobleck, Pyrrha, and Weiss. Likely assuming that one of us used our influence to ensure this outcome and they aren't in the wrong on that one.

    There is nothing I can do about it so I set it out of my mind while RWBY and my team make our way to the docks. We have a stakeout location across the street where we can remain out of sight while we wait for the signal. Three bullheads coming in for a landing with more on the way isn't really something that Torchwick can hide and we're close enough that we can make our entrance without losing too much time.

    By my estimation the police have the harder job of cordoning off this area while keeping their numbers out of sight to not tip Torchwick off. We have the numbers and skill to deal with any White Fang grunts and with how Ruby was able to keep up with Torchwick I doubt that he's prepared to deal with two teams of Huntsmen.

    The only potential wrench in the plan is Neo and to that end I have Marina on overwatch, something that causes her to pout when she realizes that it means she won't be able to join in on the beatdown. Kelly takes it upon herself to stay within contact range of Marina to make sure she isn't taken out by Neo and is willing to rely on her ranged combat and semblance for securing any would-be escapees. Ruby is more or less assigned to help with any stragglers after we take Torchwick down due to her semblance

    I also take the time to beat it into everyone's heads to not come close to one another for whatever reason and to assume that it's Neo in case that someone does. They look at me like I'm crazy for the most part, but I'm not willing to take the risk when there's such a dangerous unknown at play.

    We settle in for a few hours until we receive the go ahead signal. Although my intel on Torchwick is good, we still take measures to ensure we won't be spotted ahead of time. In this case that means arriving early and staying in the building until the time is right. Everyone is too wound up to do much more than smalltalk and passing time with some cards and even that stops during the final hour of waiting.

    After our vigil passes by torturously slowly we receive the signal and rush to take down Torchwick. We make a stop before we arrive on the scene in full to observe what's going on. If they have a whiff of our presence the plan is for Ruby to rush in and distract them while we make our way to take down Torchwick. Fortunately they seem preoccupied with securing the cargo containers and don't appear to be alerted.

    I send the all clear to the VPD to scramble their bullheads in the air when I spot Torchwick. One of the White Fang members is bringing or showing him a bundle of rope, presumably to tie to the containers to carry them off with. All the while Weiss is preparing her time-dilation enhancement that I feel comes over me with easy familiarity. I'd have thought that Ruby would have been a better choice, what with her additional speed making taking down Torchwick a piece of cake, but I was overruled. Apparently I have more experience being under it than Ruby, which is an understatement of dramatic proportions, but I can't help but feel our relationship played a bigger part in her making that decision.

    I rush in eager to make the most of the time that I have available to me. While it may feel like over a minute of time while enhanced I know it's only for a few seconds and with how much ground I have to cover some of that is inevitably eaten up. Regardless, I reach Torchwick as he stands saying something that I can't make out in my time-enhanced state with his cane held behind his back. It's almost gift-wrapped for me to take at this rate.

    I only catch his expression of grim surprise for a moment, though I savor it greatly, before I'm behind him. As enhanced as I am and with the leverage provided, it's no trouble to wrench his weapon out of his grasp even as he makes an attempt to defend himself from my rapidly approaching visage. I follow up on this by kicking him in the back of the knees, tossing his cane backwards and making a stab with my Wit's End. He attempts to roll out of the way, good reflexes on his part, but I still tag him with my strike and pin his coat against the ground. I may not have pierced it with his aura providing some protection, but that almost makes it worse as he has to struggle even to get free.

    Unfortunately this is when the boost from Weiss wears out and he notices my momentary loss of composure, sending out a vicious kick towards my shins that I reflexively step out of the way of. This gives him enough leeway to scramble out of my pin and rise to his feet. Only to get decked by Yang making a pass into the melee, despite the plan being to focus on Torchwick she breaks away to deal with the chaff and keep them away while we whittle him down.

    The hit must not have been the hardest she can manage as he merely stumbles away from the impact, but is set up perfectly in line for Ruby to run him down. In a burst of petals she flashes forwards with her scythe held out, catching him at the knees in a maneuver that if his aura wasn't active would leave the man without his legs. Fortunately, or perhaps not so, his aura holds out as he's sent crashing to the floor once again. Whatever strength aura may grant him is not enough to withstand the leverage and forces applied.

    The criminal lays sprawled out on the ground, though I notice his attempts to right himself and I make my way over to him hesitantly. The reason for my hesitation becomes clear as Autumn comes screaming from the sky and lands into him as if he's the fist of a wrathful god. The ground buckles and shatters underneath the forces applied as a wave of frost emanates from the newly created crater. I approach the lip to see how things are progressing and get a thumbs up from Autumn who's now sitting on the rather concussed Torchwick. I send off the second signal to the VPD and make sure to verbally call in and confirm in case they don't believe the rapidity in which we took down Torchwick.

    I leave team RWBY and Kelly to take care of the remaining grunts as Autumn and I take our watch of Torchwick. As far as I'm aware there's no sign of Neo and I don't have the time to spare to see if anyone has encountered her thus far. Autumn's bulk provides a nice defense against any trick she could make, but also leaves him rather defenseless if she tries anything. I take a look around the battlefield, locking eyes with Marina who gives me a quick shake of her head.

    Kelly is busy picking off any would-be runners and providing overwatch like Marina is, though Marina is forced to restrain herself so she can keep a lookout for Neo at any moment. I also spot a few earthen walls that have broken out from underneath the concrete to keep the White Fang members contained. I hope she didn't spend too much aura on that, but that's a concern for later.

    Weiss is similarly standing apart from the melee, using glyphs and charges from her Dustcaster to pick off any members of the White Fang while drawing a great deal of their attention by simply being present. Blake meanwhile is darting behind those distracted members and quickly taking them out as she darts between shadows with only enough time in the light to barely make her out.

    A part of me wants to declare this an anticlimactic end to things as all that's left is to mop things up. I remain vigilant in case of Neo showing up, but have to conclude this is the expected outcome. Torchwick was good at running away while his partner, despite her small size, was more the muscle behind their operations. A prepared team against a surprised Torchwick was always going to have this outcome and he only avoided this for so long by being too slippery to catch.

    With an almost shocking display of speed three bullheads descend upon the yard with red and blue lights flaring. One of them ends up close to the crater Autumn dug Torchwick and I make a hand-signal to the pilot. Seeing as the other two don't open their doors, both as a safety precaution and as a prearranged signal I figure this is the right one and not some kind of insane double bluff. I call out to Autumn and he tosses me the weakly struggling form of Torchwick who has his hands cuffed together. Good to see that Autumn wasn't wasting time just sitting around down there.

    Torchwick tries to say something while I handle him. Likely some pithy comment or a derogatory statement or whatever. I don't hear him over the sounds of combat still going on and my own rushed and rough treatment of him. I'm careful to make sure his head doesn't hit anything, but I all but sprint to the bullhead to get him loaded up. Once there I spot three officers who all flash me their badges before two of them step forward to lift him into the cabin.

    Everything is over in a couple of seconds and the bullhead is back in the air as the sounds of combat start getting more distant. Likely the White Fang members are trying to make their escape after our alpha strike; though their numbers could only be in the high tens based on the number of bullheads that touched down so I don't think there will be much action left for me when I get back into the fight.

    Autumn seems to mirror my sentiment as he's no longer in the crater and making no move to rejoin the fight. Instead he gives a look at the departing bullheads before turning to me with a smile and an otherwise inscrutable expression as he approaches. Naturally I smile back at him, my smile full of teeth, and stab at him

    Ochre Combat: 4.73(combat)+ 1(Marina) + 2.02(Mobility) +1.5(Dust) = 9.25 vs 7.55+1(Dust)=8.55

    Difference: .7

    Final Modifier: +17

    Marina Combat: 3.77(Combat)+1(Ochre) + 2.05(Mobility) +1(Dust)= 7.82 vs 7.55 +1(Dust)= 8.55

    Difference: -1

    Final Modifier: -25

    Dice: 1d100+17

    79 + 17 = 96
    Dice: 1d100-25

    19 - 25 = -6
    Use semblance on Neo?

    Yes(+to fight or evade) (4)

    +Fight (4)

    +Evade (0)

    No (0)

    QM Note: This section kind of got scuffed due to the site eating an update and me not noticing it at the time. I think it worked out well in the end, but it is a factor to consider.

    I have a very brief moment where the thought 'what if this is really Autumn' passes though my mind. I don't have enough time to properly consider it, but upon retrospect I'm sure he'd understand, probably. I might have to re-explain why I'm so ready to stab him, but the following events will hopefully clear things up.

    As the tip of my Wit's End enters his chest he falls away in a spray of light cracking as if it were glass. Not the weirdest thing I've seen given that I looked into some rather obscure semblances, but it's still unnatural to see light have a semi-physical form and fall away. Underneath that I discover Neo with her two-toned hair and different colored eyes.

    Unfortunately when I stabbed 'Autumn' I forgot to take into account the difference between their heights. My stab, aimed originally at his midsection as a reflex, ends up passing by her face which is morphed between a rictus of anger and surprise. I can tell that I'm going to miss so in that split second I pull the trigger sending a face-full of buckshot to its unlucky recipient.

    Her head rockets backwards and she goes with the momentum, almost cartwheeling out of my grasp and narrowly avoiding a rocketing Marina who's previously resolute if disappointed disposition has changed into one of outright bloodlust. Unfortunately this causes her to get a little too reckless and chase after the dual-colored shortstack swinging her anchor with wild abandon. This earns her a few precision stabs that halt her advance, but leaves her assailant open for another strike from myself.

    Neo realizes the predicament that she's in too late as she's already extended a strike that Marina has taken on the side and evidently grabs at the weapon, a pink parasol of all things, when she notices me. The attempt at disabling Neo's weapon is unsuccessful, but proves fortuitous as it draws the girl's attention to what's stopping her swing for the split second needed for me to close in with another strike. This time she is unable to even attempt to get out of the way as I hammer on the trigger and send a shell into her midsection doubling her over for a moment.

    As caught up in the moment as I am I only have the briefest of windows in which I realize I could use my semblance on her. Almost without thinking my left hand starts to dart forward and then I commit to the action. My left hand brushes up against her arm as she tries jerking away to avoid any further blows, and that's enough to drag her into my mirror world. Immediately I start sealing off all possible exits as she recovers starting with the one heading towards where the bullheads departed with Torchwick.

    Instead of attacking me immediately or noticing that her surroundings are now different, the mute girl before me rockets off trying to tear down the barricade I've constructed between her and Torchwick. Honestly if she had chosen to attack me instead I don't think I'd have time to ensure she can't escape, not that it would do her much good in this scenario. I keep reinforcing the walls that she tries to break past and extend them any further; her choice of weapon making attempts at destruction rather difficult and while I'm sure she could manage it given enough time, I just have to give her the impression that it's futile.

    Before too long she turns around to regard me and the small room I've constructed for us. I don't have enough time to ensure complete coverage as well as hinder her mobility with the construction. She's a bit faster than I am so it's a slight disadvantage that I'll have to make up on the fly with my semblance.

    Truthfully, fighting her is unnecessary on my part, we're both disabled in the real world with the exception that the backup I have is more than capable of rescuing me and detaining her if given enough time. I decide against that, and I can come up with any number of reasons why. Only one of them would be accurate, though; I've been training for this long at Beacon and want to see the fruits of my labors. Besides it's been a while since I've been able to go all out, and no the fight with Pyrrha doesn't count; it just doesn't.

    Past QM Note: This is how it's going to go. Throughout all rounds Ochre is going to use his semblance to fight Neo. The first is going to have the full bonus as Neo does not know what his semblance is after that it will not provide a malus against her until Ochre wins three rounds of Combat in order to pick up on her semblance and how to counteract it. Afterwards she will not gain the benefit of her semblance and can be fought normally. We will require 7 total wins to defeat her and if Ochre is dropped to 2 hits left there will be a vote on whether to continue or abandon this prospect. That being said here are the modifiers:

    First round/After 3 wins: +42

    Until 3 wins: +30

    That being said, I think we're winning this one.

    FR/3W= Ochre Combat: 4.73(combat)+ 1(duelist) + 2.02(Mobility) +1.5(Dust) +.5(semblance) = 9.75 vs 7.55+1(Dust)-.5(semblance)=8.05

    Diff: 1.7

    Before 3 wins: Ochre Combat: 4.73(combat)+ 1(duelist) + 2.02(Mobility) +1.5(Dust) +.5(Semblance) = 9.75 vs 7.55+1(Dust)=8.55

    Diff: 1.2

    Dice: 1d100+42

    33 + 42 = 75

    Dice: 3d100+30

    Options: Individual.

    43,1, 48 + 30 = 73,31,78

    Dice: 5d100+42

    Options: Individual.

    4,80,29,37,54 + 42 = 46,122,71,79,96

    AN: Neo has so many rounds of health due to her semblance providing a target to hit instead of herself, effectively taking minimal damage until the trick is figured out.

    I press the attack, not wanting to give her a moment to think with the semblance she has, darting forward with a powerful thrust that's capped off with a pull of the trigger which helps stop my momentum as well as further damaging my opponent. At least it would if she didn't shatter into another peel of light. I feel more than see my Wit's End bounce off her side and know that I haven't done much real damage. I tsk out of frustration and I raise up a wall in the direction she's heading and see another one of her illusions crash into it. Oh, that's interesting and just plain unfortunate for her.

    Seeing her strafe to the side I lunge once more and let loose another barrage of pellets. I'm unsure of my success as she disappears into a flash of light this time and doesn't reappear. Knowing this particular trick of hers I stand still and strain to see if I can hear her. My ears twitch at a sudden sound coming right for me and my gut tells me to duck so I do so. I'm rewarded with the incredible and terrifying sight of her parasol approaching my head, looks like she was aiming for my eye, but I get out of the way before she can do any real damage.

    At least that's what I think until I realize that my upper ears can feel the stagnant air of the building I've constructed. Uh, hopefully I can't actually suffocate in my semblance though I'm sure our fight will be over before it gets that bad. Right, bad thoughts; not useful here. Back to the fight at hand I see my feathered hat resting upon the tip of her weapon. In an attempt to infuriate me even more she daintily plucks my hat off the tip of her parasol and dons it upon her own head, an insult twice over. Once to me directly and once more to any being with a sense of fashion. I try not to let it get to me and I distract myself by analyzing her.

    For being the partner of a renowned Dust thief she's not using much if any with her weapon; in fact it seems like she has no means of ranged combat. It puzzles me until I think back to Jaune and his reluctance to upgrade. I- it can't be that simple can it? That I'm going up against some neanderthal who doesn't appreciate the usefulness of Dust and its myriad of applications? Maybe there's some in use to assist with her weapon, but if so it's been painfully hampered by the design decisions made to produce such a monstrosity.

    We aren't idle during my period of inspection. In a fight movement is life; stillness is death. I'm sure Kelly would disagree with me on that, but it's the truth in this kind of fast paced melee. Unfortunately for my opponent it is the exact kind of combat that I have trained the majority of my life for. Plus if I turn my head and squint her parasol is a decent imitation for the foil my dad used to train me with which only adds to the familiarity that I fall into.

    I tag her again to be met with another illusion much to my disappointment. I spot her again and on a hunch I flex my semblance to send a spike through her instead. Normally my semblance is not strong enough to cause any sort of damage to my opponents like this, but it pierces through her illusion like it isn't even there; only causing a shatter of its fragile shell as it falls apart. What's more is that I can sort of feel the hollowness inherent within it; not enough for me to tell where she is all the time, but enough that now that I know what to look for I can tell when there's an illusion in front of me with little effort.

    I can't fight back the predatory smile that overtakes my features. I feel like the cat that's cornered the mouse and is just playing with it now. Sure she can get her licks in and the fight isn't over yet, but her most impressive tools are stymied and ineffectual now. What a horrible fate that has befallen her, to face an opponent such as I.

    Now that I have her measure I am relentless and it's all she can do to avoid being skewered upon my blade. Try as she might, her illusions prove useless as I shift the floor underneath them or stab them with impromptu spikes. Not anything that would harm her if she was there, but sufficient to disrupt her fragile illusions as I bring our deadly dance into its closing act.

    She tries once more to disappear from view except this time I hear her whacking at the side of my building and a flex of my will has an otherwise ineffectual wall of spikes sprout from it to force her back into the center. Her aura must be too low for her to want to test if they will actually hurt her and her predilection for illusions against me is only drawing upon her reserves further and further. That isn't to say it isn't the best decision for her at the moment; to go up against me without that bit of assistance would see her just as doomed as this inevitable march.

    As if realizing her fate she drops her attempts at escape and turns to me with wide eyes and hair matted with sweat. I'd wonder what's going through her mind right now, but she's not much of a talker so I guess I'll never know. To punish me for my hubris I end up taking a hit across the breast, my dodge the barest hint too slow to evade her parasol entirely. Not that I don't rightly punish her for her overextension as I return her stab with one of my own. Unlike hers, however, mine comes with an extra helping of shotgun shells to add on to the pain.

    She makes to escape from the melee, but I grasp onto her retreating hand with my gauntleted one. I haven't been able to use my shield too much with her usage of illusions and the necessary aggression with which I've needed to combat them, but it serves its purpose well enough as an armored hand to prevent her escape. I twist her arm and hear her parasol land upon the ground with dull thud before turning my whole body into a throw that slams her onto the ground where she starts scrambling for some hope of escape.

    I can tell through my semblance that it's not an illusion, but that's no reason to give her even the barest chance of victory. Instead of stabbing at her to finish things off I simply open fire, her prone form unable to avoid the hail of bullets and her aura unable to suffer the abuse I'm piling on. By the end of my assault she simply vanishes from my sight; I guess I finally know what happens to those who run out of aura in my semblance, though I'll have to make sure that there aren't any ill-effects after this.

    With my blood pounding in my ears I take a moment to settle down. As exciting as the fight may have been I felt myself getting a little carried away there. In my defense it's been a while since I've had a good fight where I had to put in the effort to win without it being that much of a struggle to do so. I even go over my aura only to find that I've just barely dipped below half my maximum capacity. Her attacks and the usage of my semblance adding up over time, but still leaving me in a state where I can fight.

    Considering that sufficient time to cool down I step out of my mirror world to check in on the rest of the operation and make sure that nothing unfortunate happened to Neopolitan for being forcefully ejected from my semblance. The first thing that I notice is that I'm face-down on the pavement. The second is that the left side of my face has bits of gravel rubbing up against it that's rather annoying as I can feel them through my aura even if they aren't causing much damage.

    The third is the most concerning, but to be fair I didn't notice until I turned myself around. That being my partner with her anchor raised high about to strike down square on the now disabled criminal's head. I shout at her to stop as I realize I'll have to come up with some way to explain to my team whenever I'm going to be combatting someone in my semblance rather than disabling them. To her credit Marina freezes in place, her powerful swing aborted in its tracks, and she has the gall to look disappointed like I just ruined all the fun that she was having.

    Putting that out of my mind I move to secure Neo as I check in with the rest of the operation. Sounds of fighting have more or less died off during my brief incapacitation and I trust that RWBY and the VPD will be able to handle any stragglers. More important to me is calling Autumn and Marina to watch over Neo in case she has any more tricks up her sleeve while I pull out my scroll and get connected with the rest of the operation.

    Things are proceeding well for the warehouse group with no real issues reported there while the VPD has given chase to the second wave of bullheads that peeled away from the docks. Apparently one of their bays opened up right before they made their retreat, but the VPD were unable to confirm if anyone or anything left and it was closed up after a few moments. Aside from that there is the minutiae of some White Fang members being caught when they tried to get past the perimeter with some getting caught on their way to the warehouse after a brief search. I'm sure there will be some more details that I can pick up in the after action report, but for now I'm satisfied that there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for us.


    In the aftermath of Torchwick's capture and the bust on his warehouse I have the distinct pleasure of having to get everyone's stories from the Huntsman side of things. This turns out to be akin to herding cats as everyone wants to go to bed and I have to cajole them into remembering relevant details while also having to write up my own report on what I observed. This leads me to realizing that I spent a couple thousand Lien's worth of Dust in taking down Neo and I start chewing over if that was really necessary or not.

    Perhaps it wasn't; I had the upperhand in that fight near the end and could have conserved ammo better. That isn't what happened though, and I'll stand by the decision that it was better to make sure she was incapacitated rather than give her the option to escape. Still, with Dust prices as they are I'm unlikely to be able to replenish my losses any time soon. Maybe they'll be lower after the Dust from the tanker has had some time to disseminate over Winter break.

    Then again I was instrumental in taking down Torchwick and he was a wanted man. Did he have a bounty on him? That's a thing Vale does right? Or was it Vacuo? I know it's not Atlas with their military or Mistral with their, well, relationship with crime. Then it strikes me, would I even be able to claim any bounty considering that I'm an active member of the VPD?

    I mean, Autumn is technically the one to apprehend Torchwick as he's the one who slapped the cuffs on him so that's a way to get around that issue if it's present. Though since this was an operation conducted by the VPD it's possible they'll avoid payment in the first place. Maybe I could lean on Weiss to make a donation to a certain charity in Vale in recognition for our efforts in protecting an SDC Dust shipment.

    I shake my head, it's just money in the end and prices will stabilize soon enough. I don't need to worry so much over this and try to squeeze every ounce of value out of this windfall. Especially since the real benefit is the potential intelligence we could get out of Torchwick. I haven't been allowed in on interrogations thus far due to my newness in the VPD and my rather unusual measure of employment. I submit a request to them for approval anyway, with any luck I'll be able to squeeze a talk with the man before I leave for my trip.

    Nothing I can do about that other than wait and I have more important things to do anyway. Like dealing with my recalcitrant partner. She's been in a sour mood ever since we finished up our operation. From her perspective it's easy to see why: she was promised violence and I did not deliver. She even received a consolatory hug from Nora when she complained about her circumstances to the group. I stopped her before she could talk about attempting to split open the head of a defenseless Neo, so I don't have to deal with that can of worms.

    To make it up to her I ask Oobleck if it's okay to go out into the Emerald forest and take our frustration out on some grimm. At first he was confused as to why I would want to jump into doing some more work instead of celebrating, but a quick explanation of Marina's circumstances convinces him to give me something. Apparently grimm have been building up a bit in the area due to most of the teacher's being too busy grading Finals to do their regular extermination. He's all too eager to hand the work off to us even though he mentions that he has to be with us since we don't have our licenses yet. I get the impression that isn't a real requirement that he has to worry about and is rather trying to avoid any pointed questions for his involvement in last night's activities.

    While everything was technically above board I can't imagine it's that great of a look to have brought in three teams of Huntsmen in training to take down Torchwick. Even though it was my decision to do so, that isn't the way it appears to the news or the official record. Given that reports of our escapades the night prior are everywhere on the news in the morning it is only a matter of time before someone comes to seek out Oobleck and it seems like he's not that excited to face the music.

    Either that or he just wanted to finish grading his tests in relative peace and knows he wouldn't be getting that at the campus. He brings with him his thermos, understandable since it's his weapon, a pen, and a stack of tests. I don't really blame him, if the grimm are anything like they were around initiation this is going to be a relative cakewalk.

    I take a backseat to the carnage this time as Marina cuts loose, smashing grimm to bits with her heavy anchor and occasionally impaling them upon the harpoon when it fits her mood. I step in occasionally to make sure she doesn't take any hits that are too heavy and receive an appreciative nod for extending her rampage.

    Oobleck either doesn't notice or isn't too concerned about how much Marina is reveling in the carnage she's causing. I'm betting on the former since he also hasn't brought up that we've been out here for a couple hours past what we needed to, but he could just be putting off going back to Beacon for as long as he can.

    I decide to call for a break before Marina exterminates the local grimm population. I'm unsure about how conservation efforts are supposed to apply to them since we need to keep some for other Huntsmen and Initiation. Maybe if I knew where grimm came from I'd be able to make a better call, but I don't want to get my mentor into any more trouble than he's already in.

    With the break called Marina slams her anchor into the ground creating a deep furrow and kicks some more dirt over it before stamping that down with her foot. Then she hops up to sit at the top of the anchor, its arms under her knees and the hole the chain is fed through resting between her legs and midsection. Her expression is one of satisfaction with a tinge of smugness as I lean against a tree, having nowhere good to sit myself.

    "Thanks Captain," she calls out once I'm settled.

    I wave her off, "Don't worry about it. Consider this an apology for keeping you from the fight and a thanks for helping out." She tilts her head in confusion at the latter part of my statement so I expand it. "Without you I don't know if I would have had the opportunity to use my semblance on Neo." She nods readily at that, accepting my reasoning easily enough. I might be bending the truth here a little; Marina didn't do much to Neopolitan herself, but it's true that I can't know if things would have proceeded the same way without her assistance.

    Seemingly happy with my response Marina starts kicking her legs out and sings the first few bars of a shanty before stopping herself and looking at me quizzically with her head tilted once more. "Captain, do you think we could go out singing together? Bring the whole crew to celebrate taking down that Torchwick guy." By crew I know she means the team plus Weiss; ever since the two of us started dating Marina has sort of mentally added her to the list of people she should care about.

    "Maybe," I respond slowly. It isn't a terrible idea even if it's not my favorite activity; some form of celebration would do everyone involved some good. However, Marina's favored songs and their crass lyrics aren't likely to be too appreciated by most involved, Yang and Ruby especially. "It might be better to wait until after Winter break; it's an awful lot to organize on short notice."

    She doesn't seem too pleased by that news, but accepts it regardless. She resumes her singing, her clothes and hair now devoid of any grimm giblets and ichor that stuck to her, the smaller pieces dissolving at a rapid rate means that even with their volume she's relatively clean aside from the sweat that she's worked up. I'm sure if she was aware of this fact she'd make a noise of disappointment as she treated being covered in that gore and viscera as a badge of honor, like it was a symbol of her destructive might.

    Celebration: Marina hasn't really asked much of anything from us during her time at Beacon. I could prod her and see what changed. (5)

    Independence: She has started branching out into hobbies either new or old, and has even made a direct request I could ask her about what else she's been up to. (4)

    Violence: After all this time it might be prudent to see why she's so enamored with this subject. (1)

    Performance: While she's been doing alright during combat class she hasn't had the best track record out in the field. I could make sure that she's not too hung up about that. (0)

    "What brought this on," I ask, bluntly. As always with Marina, being direct is the best course of action here.

    It takes her a moment to piece together what exactly I'm asking before knocking her head back looking towards the sky. "I dunno, it's just that after a big score Captain Smoke would always throw some sort of celebration or feast for the crew. Thought that you land-folk would appreciate the chance to cut loose."

    That seems reasonable enough, but not exactly what I'm going for. I can press her on that later though, as her phrasing here makes me think that's the only context she's experienced a celebration with. "Did you ever celebrate anything else," I probe. At her silence I decide to throw her an example, "Your birthday, perhaps?" She looks at me with a quirked neck and searching eyes that remind me of a bird of prey with how she's roosted at the top of her anchor.

    "You know, having a party for getting older and all that…" I trail off looking to Oobleck for assistance. He is as lost as I am here, but sends the both of us a pitying look as he returns to his work.

    "Why would I do that," Marina asks, her brow furrowed as if thinking the matter over seriously. "Smoke and the others complained about getting older; it's not something to make light of." That, well, it makes a certain degree of sense.

    A pirate ship probably isn't getting enough regular paydays to ensure parties for regular events so only calling for a celebration after a big score is understandable. I'm just not sure how to deal with this lack Marina has compared to everyone else's shared experiences. I'll, uh- I guess I'll have a talk with Kelly about how to handle this, though based on her history I don't know if Marina even knows her date of birth.

    That, however, isn't going to be something I'm touching on with the girl herself as I don't even know how I'd go about explaining this concept. Rather I move on to what I wanted to touch on earlier, "Why bring this up now and not before? We could have celebrated our midterms, but you didn't bring it up then."

    She remains silent for a moment before opening her mouth, closing it, and resuming her train of thought. This continues on for over a minute as she tries working through why she didn't bring it up before now. "I was scared," she eventually says, deciding on an answer with a nod that's more to herself than me. She doesn't elaborate as to why and despite my curiosity I decide not to pressure her. She looks like she just figured something out for herself that had previously eluded her and I'm not about to take that moment away from her.

    I let her bask in the moment for sometime until she starts humming a tune under her breath. I take that as my cue that she's finished with her epiphany and draw her into a conversation about comparatively more minor matters. "It's been a while since I last checked in with you. What have you been up to? Aside from studying I mean."

    Fortunately I don't have to elaborate too much this time as Marina appears to recognize what I'm asking. "I've been helping people express themselves," she announces proudly. So that's what she calls her game of charades with people.

    "Oh are you still doing that," I ask, not sure what answer I'd prefer to hear at the moment. On the one hand it's good that she's finding something to do. On the other, well, there are so many ways that this can go wrong.

    "Mhm," she hums affirmatively with a great rocking of her head and body. Her anchor shifts a bit under her, but she pays it no mind as she continues, "Kel said I should be more careful with how I do it and only do it for people that 'deserve' it." I get the impression that Marina and Kelly have two entirely different definitions for that word. "Plus she said I should make sure that it's an actual problem on their end and not just a momentary feeling so I've only been able to help a few people each week"

    "I'm not sure I see the appeal," I offer neutrally. "But if you like it, that's none of my business." Marina remains quiet for a few moments. "You do like doing it, right?"

    She looks honestly bewildered at my inquiry, "Isn't it a good thing to do?"

    I fight back a sigh as well as any other sign of frustration. She's trying, which is the important part even if she hasn't figured things out quite yet. "You don't have to do something just because it's 'good' or 'right.' I'd prefer it if you did so because you like doing it."

    "Do you enjoy it," she fires back inquisitively.

    I bite back my immediate retort and respond instead with, "I guess…but you're not me. You don't have to enjoy the things that I or anyone else does." Maybe I was a bit too optimistic with her independent streak. Her previous inquiry does show she's been making progress there, though it's not as much as I'd like.

    Something about my statement catches her attention as she sits up straighter. "I," she starts hesitantly, looking at Oobleck and then myself meaningfully. I'm not sure what she could be thinking of that she'd be concerned about Oobleck knowing. I decide to give her a nod to reassure her; Oobleck has already been a party to some of our drama and he's been willing to back me up this far. If there are any issues I'll have to resolve them with him afterwards.

    Pushed on by my reassurance Marina speaks up hesitantly, "I thought about messing with Cardin. He-um- he's mean," she offers lamely as an explanation before hurriedly adding on, "but I didn't because that would be wrong…right?" I get the feeling by 'mean' she meant 'acceptable target' and that she had something more in mind than just messing with him.

    Before I can formulate a response, Oobleck interjects, "Miss Aoi, I have studied enough history to know that man often falls prey to his darker impulses. So it is no small accomplishment that you were able to conquer yours. Take pride that by doing so you've become a better person."

    I think he may be misreading things here. From what I know of Marina she likely just didn't go after Cardin because of the likely consequences or our likely negative reaction for doing so rather than conquering some sort of moral demon. Marina, however, is overjoyed with the praise and it's not something I'd bring up anyway so I let her enjoy this moment as well.

    It does bring into stark contrast that Marina doesn't think along the same lines as everyone else. So far she and my team have done a fair job keeping that from being too obvious and with any luck she'll figure out how she's supposed to act and be happy with it. Though, given how she was reveling in the slaughter of grimm a few minutes prior I suspect that this isn't really an issue that can be fixed. She'll either have to learn how to cope with her condition or find a place willing to accept her for who she is. When put in that perspective I can easily see why she'd attach herself so strongly to the team, though I don't think that was a conscious decision on her part.

    Either way we've spent enough time in the wilderness for one day. Especially with our trip starting up next week. I for one would prefer to enjoy the amenities of civilization and call an end to our activities after starting up again for a few more minutes. No matter how reluctant Marina and Oobleck are to return to Beacon I put my foot down. Marina has slain more grimm than we were supposed to and my mentor can't hide out in the woods forever.

    However, upon seeing Goodwitch standing sternly upon the cliffside staring our group down I have some inclination as to why he was so hesitant in the first place. Marina and I aren't spared from her gaze, but she brings up no issue to us and merely makes a motion to my mentor who walks off like a man to his execution. I don't envy him as he has some rather difficult questions to answer if he's planning on keeping my involvement to a minimum.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 17 (Part 2)
  • Threadmarks
    • After that I don't have much pressing matters to attend to and can take it easy for a day. My shift with the VPD and meeting with the task force isn't until tomorrow and my plans with Weiss align with the weekend so I actually have some free time to myself. I also don't particularly feel like throwing myself into training right now after the victory I secured so I keep it light for the day and finish off with a walk around campus. Scouting out the halls that are both emptying and filling with people.

    A few more students have made their way to Beacon from the other academies, though strangely Mistral has made up the least of these teams sent thus far for the Vytal festival. Maybe there's an explanation for that, but I haven't had the opportunity to interrogate a Mistrali student about that nor am I particularly motivated to seek one out to satisfy my curiosity. I'll just have to keep my ear out for the rumor mill when I get back and I'm sure there will be any number of explanations to choose from.

    I'm broken out of my idle thoughts when I spot Velvet with her bags packed waiting at the airship docks. It doesn't take a genius to put together that she's leaving for somewhere, either to stay with her mom in Vale or to visit her dad up in Atlas. It's fortunate then that I ran into her; I can take care of two issues at once.

    Making sure that she's confident in the results of her Finals and seeing if my skills pass muster. Both are rather important as being able to re-allocate the time I spent tutoring her to other projects is ever-present in my mind especially with my new responsibilities. Additionally, it's possible that showing that I've completed her requirements ahead of time might motivate her to work on my weapons a little earlier than she otherwise would.

    With that in mind I approach the bunny-eared girl who's ears twitch at my footsteps and she ducks away while turning around. "How's it going, Ochre," she asks like she didn't just hop away at my presence.

    "What's got you so jumpy," I ask, looking around for any would be culprits. It couldn't be Cardin as he knows better than to mess with anyone I'm associated with after I dealt with him.

    "It's nothing…just bad memories." She doesn't say it explicitly, but I remember her saying she had some difficulties with Mistrali students while at Pharos. Considering how they've been slow to show up she might be paranoid over waiting for the shoe to drop and to be picked on again.

    I hum noncommittally in a show that I'm not going to make an issue over this and she relaxes. "So where are you heading," I ask while inclining my head towards her bags.

    "I'm going to see my dad. He booked an airship for me and everything," she responds with a complicated expression. It could be about her relationship with her dad as I know that's a bit off if still amicable, but I have the feeling it's something deeper. Her mentioning the airship is also a small detail; it could just be a changing of the times with inter-Kingdom air travel becoming more prevalent, but before it would imply that her, or her dad in this case has some level of money or influence to throw around.

    "I take it you have an objection to that," I probe.

    "I should be getting caught up on missions with my team, but Coco has other plans in mind. She said while she's doing that I should visit my dad since he can't come down for the Vytal Festival." I refrain from making any comments. As a team leader I understand Coco's position here far more than Velvet's and trust that she'll be able to get caught up on whatever missions she missed out on with her team during the second semester.

    I also don't want to make my lead-in to the next topic any more awkward than it already is and she hasn't given me much to work with here. "I put the effort into learning weaponsmithing like you asked," I start and receive a distracted hum in response. In truth I mainly focused on maintenance protocols and machining replacement parts as I doubt I'll be making weapons like Ruby or Velvet any time soon. "I figured that I should see if I meet your standards before you go."

    That draws a smug grin from Velvet as she starts digging into her bag and says, "I'm sure I can quiz you real quick. One last session for old time's sake."

    "I take it you passed then," I ask genuinely curious and to distract her from trying to tease me any further.

    "Yeah; was one of the first tests Oobleck graded. Sorry to say, but I'm not going to be with you next semester," she says with a grin that tells me she isn't sorry at all.

    "Shame," I state simply. "It was good having you and I don't think I've paid back all the debt I've taken on either." That causes her motions to slow until they stop, the moment turning serious. At least in Velvet's head.

    "Yeah…you aren't what I was expecting, what with you being a part of the Fang and all, but you've been a real one Ochre…so thanks." There isn't anything I can say in response that wouldn't drag down the mood so I don't. Instead I wait patiently as Velvet slowly goes through her bag, at a pace that I'm sure she's deliberately slowing down as if in an attempt to extend the time we have together. Silly girl, just because I'm not tutoring you doesn't mean we can't hang out any more.

    Almost regretfully she pulls out her sketchbook and brings it open to a page and starts quizzing me over what various parts are and how to repair them. I do better this time, able to name parts and provide solutions to potential problems, but the depth to which Vel asks some questions leaves me stumped as do a few parts. I must be doing well enough as Vel has a complicated expression on her face like she finds fault with my level of skill, but it begrudgingly meets her standard. This is confirmed for me when she lets out a strained, "Acceptable," by the end.

    Vytal: What are her plans for the festival anyway. I get the sense that her team is competing, but seeing as she hasn't made her second weapon yet I doubt she's getting that far in the tournament. (7)

    White Fang: I didn't particularly keep it a secret from her, but neither have we discussed it. I could tell her about my past with the Fang and see her thoughts. (6)

    Torchwick: I didn't invite her or team CFVY to take down Torchwick. The news must have gotten around a bit and I could make sure that there isn't any bad blood from doing so. (1)

    Atlas: She hasn't mentioned it explicitly I don't think, but I'm sure her dad is in Atlas. I could see what her thoughts on the Kingdom are as a fellow non-resident. (0)

    Mistral: I know she has some issues with people from Mistral due to some unsavory actions, but I could see how far that extends and maybe share my gripes about a certain other Kingdom. (0)

    I let her put up her sketchbook, which she does much faster than she pulled it out, without saying a word. Once done she sighs heavily and looks out towards the skyline of Vale while not paying any attention to me. Did she really think that's all I was here for? I'd almost be insulted if I couldn't tell that she had a problem with this being goodbye. I decide to be slightly merciful and politely cough.

    She doesn't jump this time, but it's a close thing as she turns to regard me with wide eyes. She shuffles her feet nervously as she checks my surroundings, presumably to check if I have any luggage like she does. "Are you heading to Vale?"

    "Not today, just thought I'd hang out with a friend and mess with her a bit," I reply with a glib smile. Her ears fold down a little and she ducks her head as if that will be enough to stave off any embarrassment she's feeling. Once her embarrassment dies down she glares at me with barely restrained fury. She got all worked up about this being goodbye and her gamut of emotions in the aftermath is too much for me to contain the chuckle that escapes me.

    "Why didn't you say anything," she hisses.

    "What was I supposed to say? I was so grateful that you thought so highly of me in the moment that I didn't have anything to follow up with." That isn't what she wants to hear as evidenced by her keeping her glare upon me, though it lacks the same intensity as before. Well there's not much of a point in beating around the bush if she's already mad at me so I go for an abrupt change. "What are your plans for the festival?"

    Her glare changes to one of suspicion and I have to raise my hands to stave off any undue critique. "Don't give me that look. I'm not asking about your plans for the tournament, just what you're doing at the festival. It, uh, it might actually be the first time that I'm going to one of those." Being a part of the Fang and moving around a lot meant there wasn't much overlap between myself and the Festival as a whole and that's more or less true this year as well; I'm sure I'm going to be busy with my own projects as well as the tournament which will cut into my time.

    Velvet's expression softens and she sways her head slightly as if judging whether she should tell me something or not. "Fine, it's not like I'm going to be going too far into the tournament anyway. I read over the rules and they're not going to accept my weapon with the regulations they have on Dust use and I'm too deep in for a redesign now." That isn't the reason I was expecting, but useful to know regardless. Wait, does that mean- "Don't worry about yours; they don't have the same features as mine and I'm early enough in the design stage to re-work them if I needed to."

    "That's good to hear," I say while letting out a breath in relief. "It doesn't really answer what you're doing though."

    That throws her for a loop for a few seconds. It's like she didn't believe that I could have taken an honest interest in her activities for the festival. I haven't really earned that kind of reputation have I? Velvet looks away and with a shrug of her shoulders says, "Probably enjoy the attractions with my mom and my team, maybe take some pictures."

    That strikes me as a little odd considering how hard it was for me to get her to pick up a hobby in the first place and if this was Coco's doing I'm sure I'd be hearing some complaints. "I didn't know you had an interest in photography," I say in an attempt to keep the conversation going, but a small amount of my skepticism seeps into my tone.

    She shuffles about nervously yet again, but there's a growing undercurrent of excitement behind it. Like she's trying not to say something yet also like she can't wait to tell it to someone. I don't have much time to contemplate what can be going on in her head as she suddenly stops and looks at me with a wry grin. "Well you already know I'm not competing with my weapon so it can't hurt to tell you," she says more to convince herself than me.

    "It's related to my new weapon, Anesidora. It needs a template to base its structure around using hard-light Dust. So I thought what better to use than weapons from the best Huntsmen from around the Kingdoms? I still have to work out how exactly it'll work, but the hope is that it'll be able to reconstruct them from a picture and then I'd have access to potentially limitless weapons!"

    I get the distinct impression that she's telling me something that she really shouldn't be, team secrets and all. She is, however, incredibly excited to reveal this and is watching my expression with anticipation. It certainly sounds incredibly complicated and not at all something I'd attempt in, well, ever.

    It also brings up the question as to how she plans on using all those different weapons with any degree of skill, but that's not exactly something I can just out and out ask her. If she felt like I needed to know that information she would just tell me. Though with how her previous weapon was similar in nature to this I have to assume she has it handled one way or another. A semblance would be an easy explanation, but it's almost too convenient. I'm not sure if my reaction is what she was hoping for, but she's no longer shifting around on the docks and seems almost at peace for having gotten that off her chest.

    Conscious of her usual mindset I realize that she could very easily come to the conclusion that I owe her for something like this. Rather than have to deal with her demanding a secret at some later unspecified time I might as well deal with it now.

    "I joined up with the Fang when I was thirteen," I start without preamble. Vel looks up to me with confusion in her eyes. She doesn't say anything, likely realizing the serious subject matter and perhaps curious herself. "You wanna know the big reason why," I ask rhetorically, uncaring of her answer. "They were the only ones willing to change Menagerie.

    My mom died because our Kingdom was too cut off from the rest of the world, too underdeveloped, too unsafe. And you know what everyone else did? They shrugged their shoulders and carried on with their lives like that was just how it was." Vel remains silent, her face scrunched up in a way I can't read; likely remembering her bad experiences with the Fang while sympathizing with my position.

    "I'm not going to pretend like that excuses what we did during that time. Or heck even what we're doing now," I add on thinking of Adam and his branch. "Just that I had my reasons for joining. I'm sure everyone else does as well but-"

    "-but there are still human-haters. People who are wholly uninterested in equality," Vel finishes for me. Not where I was going, but a good enough jumping off point.

    "And there are faunus-haters in the Academies, doesn't mean that all Huntsmen should be painted with the same brush."

    Her eyes narrow and her voice turns low in disbelief, "You can't seriously be defending them."

    "I'm not trying to," I say, trying to de-escalate the situation. "Trust me I know better than most the type of things the Fang has been up to. What I'm trying to say is that the Fang isn't some sort of monolith; there are good and bad people like anywhere else."

    Vel exhales loudly and throws her hand out as if to discard my answer. "If that was the case then I can't believe that these good people would stick with the Fang after all they've done." There are any number of examples that I could provide that help refute her point; the Clovers for example are technically a part of the Fang and have very good reason to stick with them. At least until recently. I don't say any of that, instead I aim for a different point entirely.

    "What if they were trying to change things? Inside the Fang I mean, for the better of course." This is coming closer to my actual situation than I'd like normally, but I'm this deep in the conversation already so what's a little more?

    She pauses for a moment, either having not thought about that possibility before or reading into my words a little too much for my liking. "I'd wish them the best of luck then," she says slowly, almost reluctantly as if it's an admission of defeat on her part. She follows this up quickly with, "I've seen the type of people who join the Fang. So, forgive me if I don't hold out much hope for them accomplishing much." Her attempt to disengage from the conversation is clear and I let a beat of silence pass before continuing.

    "I'd have taken them apart like I did Cardin if I heard about what they did."

    "I have their information if you're willing to follow up on it," her tone is joking, but a twitch of the lips and the look in her eyes convince me that she's secretly holding out hope.

    "Send me their details, I'll see what I can do." It's a strange turn of events and I doubt that any of them are a part of my branch of the Fang, but it's yet more information available to me. That and I can admit that the puzzled look on Vel's face before she scrambles for her scroll is delightful to witness, as is the gratefulness that it morphs into.

    "Just don't take things too far," she says and I nod my head while rolling my eyes. What kind of person does she take me for? A sound cuts into our conversation signaling the departure of the airship she's looking to board. "Well, it's been fun, Ochre, I'm gonna miss this."

    I shake my head, she still hasn't gotten it so I'll spell it out for her in a way she'll understand. "Quit talking like I'm gonna die. I'm only going to be out of contact for a month and you can still send me messages. I'll meet you back at Beacon" A stutter in her step preceded by her speeding off to the airship is the only response I get, but that's enough to tell me my message reached her.


    The day after Velvet's departure it's time again to make my way down to the station once again. Honestly, after dealing with Torchwick as successfully as I did I could enjoy a few weeks away from this place in addition to the break that I have scheduled. I don't, however, take advantage of this as the shortage in manpower and my position on the Faunus Relations Task Force means that I can make more relative gains with my time spent here than anywhere else.

    As I enter I'm told that my desk has moved once again, now no longer stuck in a corner and instead off to the side. I recognize that as a previous detective's desk and assume that the thinning of the ranks is under way. I already had a rough timeline previously, but I'll remind my agents to kick up protective patrols to make up for the increased chaos that's sure to come from the cops having their workforce cut down to size.

    I don't get to spend much time at my desk today as I'm called into the meeting promptly. This is the first time that I'm going to be meeting with the rest of the task force and given the rapid rescheduling that happened last week I'm sure they've met each other and know that there was a change in circumstances regarding me. Given their profession I don't doubt they'll be able to put together that change and the capture of Torchwick even if my name wasn't a part of the case file. Oh well, nothing left to do except face the music.

    I open the door to the conference room and find Flint at the head of the table with an empty seat to his right and the man I recognize as Alabaster to his left. I still don't see any obvious faunus features on him, though I notice that his sleeves are puffed out more than everyone else's like there's something extra stuffed in there along with his arms.

    I'm briefly introduced to the other three members present before Flint takes his leave. He isn't here to direct how we run this task force though we still ostensibly need higher up approval for some of our changes. It's a nice gesture of trust, but I can't help feeling that it's just a gesture. Maybe if we get some results I'll change my mind more on that, but in any case I feel like I'll be able to benefit from this arrangement.

    I half-expect Alabaster to take Flint's spot at the head now that it's vacated, but the man just leans forward, resting his arms on the table and his chin upon those like they're the softest pillows in the world and remaining silent. When he notices everyone staring at him he clears his throat and says, "The first half of this meeting will be a nice meet n' greet. Make the most of it as we'll be moving on to actual work in the second half."

    That evidently isn't enough to break the ice between us all and I look over the folder that Flint left where he was sitting. I drag it over in front of me and activate my semblance so I'm not wasting everyone's time and can move on to actually productive ventures. It takes a few activations to make sure I have everything in order in my head, but I quickly get the main points of what the issues we have to deal with today are.

    The officer layoffs are about to hit the presses and consequently affect the city of Vale. There isn't anything that we can do about that and even by speeding up the training of the cadets in the police academies there isn't going to be enough boots on the ground to cover all of Vale. Naturally this means that the police are pulling back some of their forces from the…less desirable neighborhoods. They have a higher proportion of faunus among their residents which is why this issue fell in our laps rather than being taken care of by the higher ups.

    We also don't have the best resources or measures to deal with this matter; sure some of the budget is going to be freed up by the inbound layoffs, but what we need is manpower. There are only a few measures available to us to resolve this issue. The first of which I discard immediately and don't even bring up to the group which is to quietly abandon those neighborhoods and districts. Maybe if I hadn't hitched my wagon to this task force in a leadership role I might consider that and take over the vacuum left by the police leaving, but now it would just feel like admitting defeat.

    The second is a stop gap measure more than anything else which is to temporarily rent out buildings for the police to use as makeshift stations to help respond to crime. It's really only helpful because of how spread out the stations are in Vale. As Vale became more and more densely populated it became harder and harder for the stations to cover more ground. Typically the answer was to just throw more bodies at the problem instead of shelling out for an expensive new building given the limited budget the VPD sometimes operated under. We don't have enough resources to purchase any buildings fit to be a station, but we can rent out some buildings until this crisis is over.

    These buildings would include living amenities and we'd transfer some officers to rebase there for a few days at a time. It'd be a bit of a pain for them, but they'd be able to respond to crimes there with less of a need of manpower, though, they'd be rather reactive than proactive. Most of the officers would have to stay until they are called instead of walking the beat or patrolling in their vehicles. Still, it's a relatively inoffensive course to take and shouldn't draw much scrutiny.

    The third is to take advantage of Vale's bounty system, which yes does exist on the books still. Naturally we'd only accept live captures as most of the criminals we'd want to encourage would-be manhunters to engage would be on the smaller side and not deserving of death. Naturally this relies on dealing with the crime after the fact and only if we have a suspect in mind. It is also likely to draw its fair share of critics as it will definitely broadcast the VPD's inability to cover the city. I'm sure I could use my position on the task force to gain some minor benefit here, but it would mostly involve detaining members of Adam's branch of the Fang.

    The fourth and final solutions that come to me are actually quite striking in how it matches up with my plans for the week. The VPD isn't the only source of security in Vale with security companies and the odd traveling guards calling the city home. It would be more expensive to contract out to them in addition to these companies having a different and usually looser interpretation of the law.

    "That one. That's the one I like the most. We're going with it; meeting adjourned everybody," Alabaster interrupts my presentation to the rest of the group. They look at me hesitantly and I continue on with my alternative plan, ignoring the temporary distraction.

    "Or we could contact local members of the community and try to organize them into some sort of neighborhood watch while broadly deputizing them so they can legally mete out justice. We'd be responsible for training them to a certain level, but we should be able to get away with not offering as much compensation." I also have a short-list in mind for people to recommend for these kinds of positions even if I'd be unable to reach every neighborhood in Vale that this plan would be rolled out for.

    Almost as an afterthought I realize this is a committee and we're supposed to discuss things. "So what are your thoughts on all this?"

    The black-haired man with blue scales sitting diagonally from me raises his hand, but he's cut off by the blonde woman, Sandy, sitting across from him. "We aren't in class Cobalt, you don't have to raise your hand. If you're looking for my thoughts on the matter we should set up shop in these areas around Vale. It's not the best right now, but putting down roots in the area will convince the brass that we need to expand into those districts.

    Sitting next to her is the red-haired, and tailed, Rouge who shakes her head. "As much as I can agree with that, we're spread thin as it is and with the Vytal festival coming up we're going to need as many hands around the commercial districts as we can get. You know how rowdy people got last festival and it's only going to be worse this year round. Though I guess we have you to thank for taking care of our biggest problem," she says nodding her head in my direction. "What we need to do is hire some professionals to keep the peace for a little while we get our shit together and those cadets out of boot."

    Cobalt all this time still has his hand held high and I deign to point to him. I do not expect for him to then immediately stand up with his hands behind his back and address me, "Sir. I recognize the points that the other two have made, but I must disagree. It would be best to ensure that these communities can take care of themselves and we have the means to provide that assistance."

    Rouge tosses a ball of wadded up paper at him and he barely flinches, "You're only saying that because you think it's his preferred option. Besides what are we supposed to do if some of those members have ties to the White Fang or some other criminal organization. We need a solution right now and we don't have the time to do in-depth background checks on everyone."

    Cobalt looks like he wants to retort, but turns to me for permission. Before I can give it Sandy speaks out of turn, "As if your plan is any better. Wanting to sell out the prestige of the badge to avoid doing a little extra work." I get the feeling that comment is a dig at our nominal leader, but I have to agree with her thus far on that assessment.

    Cobalt continues looking at me like I'm going to give him permission to join in on this schoolyard level argument. I turn to my ostensible superior and Alabaster gives me a long-suffering smile like he expected this outcome and I somehow played directly into his hands. With an internal groan I prepare myself to make my case for my preferred course of action.

    Social: Alabaster (4)

    Waystations: Rent out buildings for officers to base themselves out of that are closer to these neighborhoods than the other stations. By being closer they will be able to better respond to incidents. (4)

    The Watch: Band together local members of a community and assist them with policing their own neighborhoods. Quality will vary and can have some bad optics, but it may be our best solution. (4)

    Mercenaries: Contract out the protection of some areas to local security companies. We will have to sacrifice some coverage, but this ensures a minimum level of standards. (3)

    Social: Cobalt (1)

    Manhunters: Offer bounties on outstanding criminals. Unlikely to do much than stem the incoming tide of crime, but it's doing something and won't leave our forces stretched too thin. (0)

    Social: Flint (0)

    Social: Rouge (0)

    Social: Sandy (0)

    Tiebreaker​

    The Watch (6)

    Waystations (2)

    "I think I'm going to have to go with Cobalt on this one. We can't spread ourselves too thin like Rouge said, but we also don't have the budget to cover our everywhere by hiring security companies. I don't even know if they have enough manpower to make up for our shortage in the first place."

    "So what are we supposed to do now," Rouge asks. "The way I see it we're deadlocked two on two unless Sandy wants to change her vote." The woman in question shakes her head. "So how are we supposed to deal with this? Rock, paper, scissors, perhaps?"

    "Actually," Alabaster cuts into the conversation suddenly. His previously sleepy expression is still carefree, but with sharp observant eyes that betray the level of care he's giving this. "Cobalt and the new kid convinced me; let's do this community service thingy and get it over with. Happy? No? Well, meeting adjourned anyway."

    The other three members take barely any time to vacate the room, neither Sandy nor Rouge happy that their preferred options were turned down though their frustration doesn't seem to extend beyond that. Cobalt, meanwhile, seems to not care too much that his option won aside from a curt nod to me and Alabaster.

    "What was that," I say, turning towards Alabaster with a bit more heat than I was intending.

    "Hey calm down," he replies with a wave of his hand as he props his elbow on the desk to hold his head aloft with his hand. "I don't know if you noticed, but those three don't exactly gel with one another. Great records all of them, but they weren't chosen for their ability to get along. They have different ideas on how things should be handled as you saw even if we're all officers of the law."

    "And you couldn't do anything about that?"

    "I tried man. I gave you the time to acquaint yourself with them as well as create a relaxed atmosphere so we could ease them into the discussion and you just jumped in with both feet. I even chose the least divisive option for you so we could have avoided all this," Alabaster says with the air of a put upon man. Like he can't be bothered to put any energy into the conversation.

    "Why didn't you argue for your position if you thought it was the best one?" His rather childish disposition aside, he could have at least made a stand if that's what he actually believed in.

    He makes a motion that I figure is supposed to be a shrug. "What would be the point? The bad blood had already been boiled and squaring off against you would have only made it worse. Far better to give ground and maintain a workable atmosphere. Besides you just had to choose the option that involves the most work; I should be the one complaining here."

    I stare at him in open disbelief, finding it hard to believe he'd be put in charge of this operation with his attitude. At first I thought it was a concession on Flint's part to give me more control over the task force, but seeing as Frost apparently agreed with that decision I'm beginning to have second thoughts here.

    As if he can read my thoughts he gives me a weak grin, the expression seemingly fitting the man and his general energy levels. "Let me guess they told you about me. About how I'm lazy and don't apply myself or some such. They're right, I'm the laziest person I know and proud of it." He tilts his head away as he finishes cryptically, "There is far too much to do in this world to be anything but that."

    "Sounds like there's something behind that," I offer neutrally, still not entirely liking him thus far.

    "Wouldn't you like to know. Alas I have all this work that's suddenly been piled on me. How will I find the time to regale you with such a saga." His sudden theatrics and a gleam in his eyes tell me that he isn't taking this very seriously.

    "I was planning on helping out with the background checks." I don't say that I'm doing so for my own benefit and he doesn't need to know.

    "Good," he announces with a lazy nod. "I sort of expected that, but it's good to have confirmation. Now I'm sure you didn't stay behind just to lambast me about my supposed inaction, so get on with the questions already."

    Dynamics: What exactly did he mean by the others not really gelling with one another. That was a fairly calm argument, some pettiness aside. (2)

    Philosophy: There's something behind his earlier statement. I might as well press him on what that is. (2)

    Attitude: how did someone with his disposition end up as a police officer. He doesn't match up with the expectation at all. (2)

    Decision: No I'm not willing to let him get away with this. I want to know why he thought that was the best option and why he gave up so easily. (2)

    Work: Does he actually do anything or is it all pushed off onto whatever unfortunate sod ends up next to him? (0)

    AN: All of my hate for some of these ties. I tried to work with this as best I could.

    "Supposed inaction," I start skeptically. "I can't help but notice that all of your reasoning is coming in after the fact. If you actually cared about any of this you would have made it more apparent earlier."

    "You're really still on about this?" Alabaster sits up and rolls his neck to the left then to the right with audible pops. "Look, I don't know what to tell you. That's the truth and you can take it or leave it, now-"

    "No."

    "-no," he questions like no one has stopped him like this before and is honestly confused on how to proceed. "What do you mean by no?"

    Conversational momentum regained, I can finally start pressing on him rather than the other way around. "What I mean is that I'm not leaving until we discuss what you actually thought about the plans presented." His lips tighten and he turns to look at the door. Likely weighing whether it'd be more work to deal with me now or later.

    "Fine, you want to know my thoughts?" I nod and he takes a deep breath before resuming his previously lazy airs, "Your plan is a massive sink of time and resources that we'll never see any improvement from. At least Sandy's plan might have the benefit of expanding into those areas. But you- you just want to throw Lien and our efforts to the wind so it can all be torn down when we have the manpower to resume operations? Or how about how those communities might not like the return of central enforcement after their brief independence?"

    Despite his best efforts I can tell that there is a bit of energy entering into his voice. Whether from frustration or excitement that someone is challenging him I don't know. Not like it's going to stop me now. "All wonderful reasons that would have been great to hear during the meeting so we could address them. Isn't part of the reason this task force was formed to help with recruitment? What better way than showing these communities that we won't abandon them when times get harsh as well as providing them the basic training they need to join up in more permanent positions."

    Alabaster shoots me an annoyed look before sighing, "Fine, we had your big argument and you won. Happy now?" I'm not and I want to keep pressing him on this. However, the way he's eyeing the door now gives me the impression that if I did so he'd cut his losses and make his exit. Still, that doesn't mean that I can't sneak in one last question about the matter.

    "Why did you agree with me if you thought it was such a bad idea?"

    "To avoid this," he says flatly as if it should be obvious. I don't have too good of a read on him, but I get the impression that there's more to it than just that. Unfortunately I don't think Alabaster would sit and take it if I tried drilling past his apathetic nature to see what lies beneath.

    "All this to avoid working a little harder," I say, deliberately avoiding the issue and switching the topic to what is more familiar ground for the man.

    "What can I say? I'm the laziest man I know," he says with a lopsided smile, as if that's all the answer he has to provide. It might have even been true for whoever he had to deal with prior, but I'm not one to let him get away that easily.

    "We're in the middle of a crisis. You don't think that calls for working a little harder?"

    He makes a noise like he's choking on his own laughter before he clears his throat. "Remnant is always between one crisis or another. If that's all it takes to demand that we work harder and longer we'd all be slaves to the state before too long." That is not the kind of position I'd expect from someone in a position of authority, much less one put in their place by Flint and Frost.

    "That seems a little extreme," I offer as calmly as I can.

    "Maybe, but every bit of extremism starts as something reasonable." Seeing that I'm not convinced he carries on. "Just trust me on this kid. Atlas will be up front about how much they'll take from you and Mistral will get their cut from you one way or another. But Vale, Vale is the only Kingdom that will grab you and keep squeezing, all the while saying how it's for your own good. That it's all for the right cause and you should be proud just for the opportunity to contribute."

    I find it ironic that he's calling me a kid when he has less than a decade on me. That does bring up the question as to how he got his position as I'm sure there had to be better candidates and he doesn't have that much seniority to get this position in spite of his issues. I also get the impression that he's never worked outside of the Kingdom and is only using this as an excuse to justify his worldview. If I wanted to look into it even deeper I'd say that his issue lies with people around him telling him this rather than an actual political stance.

    "There is too much to do to be anything but lazy," I parrot back to him.

    "See now you're getting it," he replies with an easygoing smile. By this point any energy that he had left from our argument has left him and he resumes his slouched posture in his seat. "You see, when you're lazy and broadcast that, people learn to not bother. So you can just enjoy life, pick up a hobby, find a guy to settle down with. All without being chained to your desk like it's some sort of privilege."

    "You could just set some boundaries."

    "I've tried that before," Alabaster says with a wave of his hand. "There's still the expectation that you can and will do more if they say the right thing or express how disappointed they are in you. They can't do that if I'm proud that I'm a disappointment now can they?" He pauses for a moment. "You're probably thinking to yourself how did someone like me get put in charge of this," he sweeps his hand across the room, the most energetic expression I've seen from the man thus far. "Or hell, how I made it to being a cop in the first place."

    At least he's saving me the trouble of having to ask. A bit ironic considering that he's doing the work for me. "The thought did occur to me."

    He leans back and raises his arms, setting them behind his head. "The answer, as it is with many things, is nepotism. You see, my old man was friends with Frost and Flint." I wait for him to elaborate, but he seems to think that's all the answer I require.

    "That doesn't explain why you became a cop in the first place. You could have done anything else with your life."

    "Thank you," he says loudly before reining in his volume. "If only everyone else could be as enlightened as your esteemed self." I wait once again for him to get further into the issue, but I guess he's had enough talking for one day. All he does is look at his arms and starts rubbing them through his sleeves before looking at the door.

    To put the pieces together myself, I guess that his family or perhaps Frost or Flint or any combination of the three have insisted that he become a cop because his dad was. It still doesn't explain why he did so, but based on his personality I suppose he just went along with it before realizing that it wasn't something that he wanted to do. Before I can ask anything else, Alabaster stands up and wordlessly makes his way out of the room, an air of melancholy hanging around him.

    I don't have much time to process that and once I do I have to put it out of my mind. I've created quite the workload for myself and I have to message Tukson and Terra to up our efforts and expand our background checks. There are simply too many people in Vale for me to do this on my own and tasking the Union to handle it is the best I can do.

    With that train started I get back to my caseload for the day. Thankfully it is much reduced from previous weeks. I know that it isn't because there are less cases to take care of. Most likely it is because I have this additional responsibility and that, in a display of some foresight, subsequently I have been given less work so I can focus on my additional responsibilities. It is with Alabaster on the mind that once I'm done with that stack I split my time between background checks and helping out around the station.


    Once I'm done with my time at the VPD I don't head off to Beacon like usual. Instead I make my way over to the Clovers' residence. Like myself Coral and Jasmine are finished up with school so the atmosphere is a lot less stressed than it normally is. Not that there is usually too heavy of an air in the apartment, but it's shown in the little things. The place is more put together, there are less dishes and trash hanging about as Coral has had the time to pick the place up and put it back together. She even has had the time to change up the decorations a little, much to my dismay.

    Off to the right of the entrance, next to a set of hooks for hanging up coats or keys or what have you, is a framed newspaper with the title, "Huntsman Hero Takes Down Torchwick." Instead of Autumn, which would be technically more accurate, is a picture of myself in my combat outfit with my VPD badge on display. I'm not sure when exactly the picture was taken as I don't remember anyone with a camera or even a scroll pointed in my direction while I wore both my badge and my outfit. The only possibility that comes to mind is that it is from footage taken of our strategy meeting.

    I only read a few lines before deciding to just look it up on the CCT and seeing where that takes me. Most of the articles on the matter actually downplay my involvement. Which isn't too big of a surprise as I haven't broadcasted how responsible for the operation I am. A scant few don't mention me at all, but I don't pay them too much mind as I hop onto the conspiracy boards.

    Now my relationship with Weiss hasn't been too big of a deal as I was an otherwise random nobody, but with a heaping of credit due to the Torchwick bust now has a lot of my compatriots scouring the CCT for any information they can find on me. This turns out to not be much, which is both heartening to hear and the absolute worst thing for the resulting theories. Well worst for me as people fill in all the blanks with the most outlandish theories and speculation.

    Going by some of them I am, apparently, the result of extensive genetic modification by the SDC and Atlas to create the perfect supersoldier. My relationship with Weiss and our attending of Beacon is supposedly a deep operation to test out the combat and social capabilities of, well, myself before they conduct full scale deployment.

    I try to put the whole debacle out of my mind, but then the thought crosses my mind that she got this framed rather quickly. Like did she just have a frame sitting around waiting for a moment like this or was she expecting that I'd send her a picture or something? Then Weiss' words about how she's acting like a mother to me. I-I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it feels like something I'm going to have to address at some point; one way or another.

    Speaking of, Coral, having noticed that I've just sort of stopped by the door for a few minutes, walks up next to me. Her long blonde hair is tied up in a ponytail instead of swishing freely like it normally does. Once next to me she wraps an arm around me with her head coming up just above my shoulder the two of us standing abreast one another.

    "It's a good thing you did Ochre, I'm proud of you," she says softly and there is no way I can miss the motherly undertones now. It isn't really something that I have much experience with and perhaps I shouldn't make a big deal about it just before I leave. I'm left with a complicated feeling regardless and I have to push down on it as we move to include Jasmine.

    The girl has a junior detective badge attached to her sundress that she keeps playing with in between drawing in her coloring book. It really does look similar to the one the VPD handed me on my first day at the job. I knew it was a bit of hazing, but I pity any one that actually falls for it. Checking the regs, they'd give you a deputy's badge if you're temporarily assigned to them on a mission, but that doesn't stop some of the officers from playing tricks on unsuspecting Huntsmen.

    Professional rivalries aside, Coral pulls out a card game for the three of us to play, something that has Jasmine stop and put away her coloring book immediately before flashing me and her mom a megawatt smile. It doesn't take a genius to guess that she doesn't get to play this game too often, whether because her mom is too busy or she just doesn't have enough friends to play with. As she excitedly explains the rules I cotton on to this being some sort of competitive card game where you assemble a grimm horde to break into various settlements. A bit morbid for a card game designed for children, until I see the illustrations for these grimm 'monsters.'

    They are, all to one, drawn rather cutesy and with more color than real grimm. It also appears that they're based on more palatable creatures like unicorns, pegasi, and the like. In fact there are a lot of cards based around fairy tales; there are even cards themed around the four maidens for some reason. There is a whole heaping load of tonal whiplash here, but Jasmine seems to enjoy my struggling to catch on to all of the rules and the synergies that she knows about, but I'm ignorant of.

    Once Jasmine secures her inevitable victory she cries out for us to play again, but Coral deftly moves on to serving dinner and not so subtly encourages me to tell them about my part in Torchwick's capture. If I did the full story we'd be here for a few hours, not to mention I'd be telling them more than I'd like or that they'd be interested in. So I cut it to the bare essentials; how I came to be associated with the VPD, the lead-up to the fight, and the fight itself. Jasmine for her part is excited by my retelling, but keeps asking about Blake as soon as she hears that she helped me.

    I don't really have anything to tell her as I was more than a little busy handling Torchwick and Neo, so I make up a few details to satisfy her curiosity. I'm sure that Blake will have some explaining to do next time she sees the little munchkin, but I don't know when that would be. Maybe I should poke into her life some time and see how she's getting on with the Clovers. I know she's favorable to them since she kept that plushie and met them to say goodbye when they visited Beacon, but not much beyond that.

    Once that is over Jasmine has to go to bed, supposedly to not ruin her sleep scheduler, much to the girl's disappointment. Coral helps her to bed and returns to the room looking between me and the framed newspaper while she makes herself some coffee. That action appears to be mostly borne from habit as she looks sheepish when she goes to retrieve it and realizes that she has nothing she has to get caught up on or night school to attend for the moment.

    White Fang: I haven't brought her on my activities with the White Fang, for good reason. However, with my upcoming plans it might be best to give her some heads up instead of springing it on her. (4)

    Reconciliation: Her meeting with Weiss wasn't the greatest. I could lean on her a little to make an attempt at reconciliation some time. (3)

    Schooling: I could ask about how her semester went and swap some stories. Maybe check and see what's next for her and Jasmine. (2)

    Mom: I'm not sure if I should bring this subject up, but it is something that's bothering me. Both how she's acting and the loss of my own mom. (2)

    Given my leave of absence and my plans for the future there is the very real possibility that I'll have to reveal myself as the leader of a splinter group in the Fang once I get back from break. With that in mind I can't really justify keeping Coral in the dark anymore, plus it's the easier subject to bring up. It's patently ridiculous that talking about the White Fang would be easier than trying to patch things up between Coral and my girlfriend. It's the truth though; how am I supposed to bring up such a charged topic, much easier to talk about my plans to take over the White Fang instead.

    "I've been up to more than just busting some criminals," I say, knocking my head backwards in the direction of the newspaper. "Or well it might be more of the same based on your perspective." I could be clearer, but I enjoy a certain level of doublespeak and don't get to engage in it as much with my friends as I do with Coral.

    With a knowing smile, she nods, but there is a sadness behind her eyes. "A shame. I always hoped that they would get better, but I guess they were too far gone for that."

    With a flash of teeth I deliver the good news, "Not exactly. Tukson and I have been doing some good work in rehabilitating the less dire cases. Still, things here have been worse than anyone expected." My statement has her stopping herself for a moment before her complicated expression is smoothed out under a practiced mask.

    I'm not sure how she's feeling about the Fang right now with their increased demands and belligerence. My last comment implies this isn't a thing that's condoned by the rest of the Fang, not that I know that for sure. I highly suspect that it's the case, but it's not like I can just ask Sienna if she's fine with whatever mess Adam has planned. I've been treating this as a case where if the problem is already resolved that they'll just have to accept my solution, which, conveniently, works out in my favor.

    "Is there anything I can do to help," she asks with soft eyes that drift down to her coffee for a moment.

    "We've been able to handle things thus far," I offer slowly, still unsure if I want her involved or not. Especially with how busy she normally is and with Jasmine in her life. Besides, there is something to be said about having a place where I, and to a lesser extent Blake, can go to retreat from any worries about the Fang. "We've been cleaning things up so it should be more…palatable to engage within a few months."

    I can't make the decision for her, but it is true that I'm aiming for a more acceptable image and she deserves to know that much. She picks up on my hesitation and doesn't press on the issue. Her expression turns complicated, but her worry is clear. It passes by before I can comment on it and I'm not sure how I'd even broach the subject in the first place. It doesn't help that there are a lot of unresolved emotions hanging between us and I guess I should get to work on that, before the moment passes.

    "I've been thinking about when you visited Beacon," I start slowly, speaking softly as if my words would startle her if said too fast or heavily.

    I'm right to be worried as she turns away and her hand tightens around her mug. "I'm sorry. I know I apologized once before, but that behavior was unbecoming of me." I don't need her tone to know that she's admonishing herself. It, however, gives me very little to go off of and empty platitudes aren't going to be of help here.

    "Weiss doesn't exactly have the best home life," I start instead. Maybe giving her something to sympathize with will make this next part easier. She knows that she hurt Weiss somehow, but I doubt she knows why or how she did so. "From what I know her parents stopped being as such right after she turned ten. Her father's fault of course, but her mom didn't handle things much better." It's easy to blame Jacques here, but I refrain from giving too many details; her story isn't one for me to tell in its entirety.

    Coral's face goes through a swath of emotions, starting with shock, then anger, transforming into melancholy with a touch of paleness striking her features as she looks upon her actions in retrospect. "The girl hates me doesn't she," she says almost defeated as she stares down at the table, unwilling to meet my eyes.

    "She actually apologized to me about things not going well between the two of you," I inform her. "She caught on to something that I didn't and, well, I'm not going to get into it, but she made me promise that I'd tell you that I appreciate you. So you know, thanks for all you've done; you've been a bigger help to me than I think you realize."

    I still don't know how to feel about Coral in particular and that isn't the topic of our discussion. Something that she also picks up on if her sudden happiness that she quickly reins in is any indication. Of course this only makes her feel guiltier, for some reason, as she continues to avoid my gaze. It's as if Weiss' reaction is worse for Coral than if she was simply angry. Not that I don't understand where Coral is coming from, but it's distinctly unhelpful. A thought pops into my mind that might end up helping the both of them out.

    "Here's Weiss' scroll number," I say while forwarding Coral her contact info. "I'm going to be gone for the break and she will be visiting Atlas for a week." I don't need to spell out why that's a problem to Coral, she has enough pieces to understand why that would be troubling. "Maybe you could set up something for the two of you when she gets back?"

    Weiss should be heading to Atlas on the third week of break and coming back at the fourth, using school as an excuse for why she can't stay longer. Her team is sticking with her until she leaves, but they'll be up in Patch for two weeks leaving her alone for that remaining week. Well, not exactly alone as team JNPR would be there, but she doesn't have the strongest of bonds with them.

    I can tell that my suggestion takes hold when Coral gives a small nod to herself. She doesn't say anything, likely thinking it over to herself and convincing herself that it's a good idea. There isn't much I can do now other than wait. Well wait and maybe pitch the idea to Weiss as well. If nothing else, having a potentially friendly face waiting for her would do some good with raising her spirits.

    I continue my stay at the Clover's for the next day, with myself still having business in the city and it is not worth it to make the trip back to Beacon. Plus being able to reassure Coral that we're still on good terms and not just dropping what I did on her last night and leaving is a nice side benefit. Still, I eventually have to say goodbye to her and Jasmine, but not before being pulled into another round of that game at Jasmine's insistence.

    Once I depart it's to promises that we'll see each other when I get back. I've given them a heads-up of when I'm expected to be back and I should be in range of the CCTS to send them a message a few days out. I half-expect to find them waiting for me at Beacon, but I have a feeling they'll have to contend with Weiss for my time when I immediately come back.

    That will be something that I'll have to deal with in the future at any rate. More immediately my concerns lie with the plans of the VPD and their upcoming actions. Thanks to my position with them I have a heads-up on where they're pulling back their forces and subsequently where their attention for the local watches will be. It also means that I have some say in who they do or do not trust. With my extensive list of White Fang contacts I can easily steer them away from the more troublesome recruits on the faunus side. That is if anyone in Adam's branch of the Fang has the wherewithal and the patience to pull off a scheme like infiltrating these nascent organizations which I doubt in the first place.

    Unfortunately there is only so far my reach can extend and the VPD will have to pick up the slack with their own vetting. With a population in the millions, Vale is entirely too large for my organization to keep watch over all of these forming watches with its current size at any rate. Even if we spread our influence as thin as we can there will still be sections of the city outside of our reach. Not that I need to worry about seeding all these local watches with agents loyal to me, but being able to ensure that they're running well and this whole project goes off without a hitch is beneficial to me. Both for my goals with the White Fang and for my 'career,' what little it is, with the VPD.

    This doesn't even go into the societal effects of seeing faunus communities work with the VPD to uphold the peace. Though there are some downsides. If protection is ostensibly provided by these watches and the VPD it makes our business racket a little less appealing, which could have an impact on future income as they'd be donating entirely out of ideological reasons. Of course we could make our recruitment a bit more pointed, but with everything we've done and have planned that's the opposite direction we want to go into.

    There's nothing I can do about that now that the trigger has been pulled. All that's left is to ensure that we're in the best position to benefit from this decision. To that end I have a few problems to consider.

    The first is how far I want to try to extend our reach. Considering that most of our members come from the White Fang or have close ties/sympathies with them the more we spread out the more this fact will become prevalent to both the VPD and the media. While the VPD may be willing to accept my recommendations that doesn't mean the media or the populace at large will, plus it's rather unsubtle with some of my future plans. Perhaps I should have a chat with Frost or Flint at some point to clear things up on this matter before it gets too large.

    Plus the further I spread our influence the less we will have in each area. That may grow with time, but this early period is perhaps the most important for the project. Additionally concentrating our forces will make it easier to develop and enforce policy among whatever watch I have infiltrated. Still, the potential gain from seeding my agents as far as I can initially is tempting.

    Secondly I need to consider expanding my forces once again. Our coffers are mostly empty after our most recent expansion, but we can borrow some Lien or ask for a few payments in advance. Not to mention I also have most of my discretionary budget for the month that could be repurposed for this. I suppose there is also my personal funds, but I'd rather not have to spend those if I don't have to. I'd have to expand a rather ridiculous amount to make that a possibility, but I might have plans for roping in more businesses to support us.

    I won't have the opportunity right now as me and most of my resources will be bent to making sure this project is as successful as possible. Even then I'm sure we'll miss more than a few spots. While they may not have access to as much information as I do on my prospective candidates, the VPD is still a much larger organization than my own and they're going to have problems keeping up with the influx of applications and recruits. I can do my best to stem that tide, but there's only so far my efforts can go.

    Regardless of what I do there's no hiding this. It's a public proceeding by the VPD and the members will be a matter of public scrutiny. With any luck, and my say on the matter, it won't pass as something related to the Fang, but it will draw some level of attention no matter what.

    Balanced: Split my men up so that there are at least ten of them in each established watch. This will only go so far, but allows the leadership to retain their positions and have a decent amount of labor to work with. (4)

    Expansion: Lage: Expand our forces by about half. A sizable increase that will strain our budget and I might need to assist or expand our business ventures. (3)

    Expansion: Moderate: Expand our forces by about a quarter. A normally substantive increase, but one that is necessary and should be covered by the funds we'll be receiving. (2)

    Concentrated: Keep my men relatively together in the same few areas, mainly where we're already established. Both so they can back each other up and to make the logistical strain as minimal as possible. (0)

    Dispersed: I don't need control of each watch, just eyes and ears and someone to talk sense when things start getting out of hand. Some of my grunts might need to pick up some leadership skills, but that's hardly the worst thing. (0)

    Expansion: None: now is not the time to go into a deficit and my funds have a better use than being put towards this. (0)

    Expansion: Small: Expand our forces by about an eighth. A not too substantial increase, but hopefully enough to cover some more ground without drawing too much attention or funds. (0)

    Expansion: Huge: Expand our numbers by about three quarters. A monumental increase that will strain our logistics and necessitate a number of expansions. (0)


    With my business concluded I make my way back to Beacon where Weiss is waiting for me on the docks. Well, waiting for me and scoping out the competition because apparently she hasn't given up on that. Not that I blame her, she's pretty cute when she gets all focused like this. Of course that doesn't mean that I'm not going to mess with her a little and I have the perfect material to do so.

    I pull it up on my scroll and fix a thunderous expression on my face. It hurts a little when I see her hurriedly look off to the side as if she's trying to find the source of my frustration. She even looks concerned when I hand her my scroll with the conspiracy about me front and center. I even found a post where somebody had it all mapped out on a white-board; I can poke fun at myself every once in a while.

    At first she looks at it in utter confusion, likely not connecting what I'm presenting her with my emotional state and she looks up to me. I can't keep my composure and it slips a little as my lips twitch. That's enough for her to realize that I'm messing with her and hurriedly re-check what I'm showing her. It starts small as I see her fighting back her laughter and then she wraps me in a hug with her face pressed against my clothes to muffle her noises. This draws some odd looks as she desperately tries not to ruin her image in public.

    Eventually she brings herself under control and looks up to me, "Thanks, I needed that." Then her smile morphs into a brittle frown that keeps breaking into mirth, "You could have just shown me. It would have been just as funny."

    "Not to me," I quip back and she tries to look upset at me, but can't manage any heat in her features. Instead of trying and failing to continue to fight me she harrumphs theatrically and storms off to my side. Her attempt at showing playful indignation is a little bit hobbled by the fact she's still hanging rather close to me, but I let her have this. "I'm sorry," I wait a beat, "Now, are we going to keep standing in the middle of the docks or shall we get on with our day?"

    That draws another playful glare from my girlfriend and she almost petulantly locks her arm with mine. I allow myself to be dragged off as her facade rapidly falls away and she gets on with explaining about all of the teams that she's observed as well as what she's heard about the Mistral teams. Apparently most of them are being held back by their headmaster in response to recent grimm activity, or so the story goes, and will be arriving by the tail end of the next week with some arriving as late as the start of the next semester. I don't remember hearing anything about increased grimm activity in Mistral, but that is the kind of thing the authorities like to keep quiet until after the fact.

    Putting that out of my mind, my girlfriend and I retreat to a training room that we've booked. Weiss got it in her head that it's been too long since she last sang and wants me as a captive audience. I guess it's more meaningful to her to have someone hear her expression rather than just doing it herself. It's not too big of an imposition as I've grown to enjoy her voice even if I don't have much substance to bring up musically speaking. Though I swear if she calls me uncultured over that minor flaw one more time I'm going to whip out the dissertation I wrote up for Oobleck archeology class.

    Fortunately I'm able to avoid any such antics and just relax to the sound of my girlfriend singing. I suppose it's also relaxing for her based on what she's told me even if I don't see the appeal myself. Her songs range in topics from loneliness to finding unexpected warmth and one with a strong undertone of newfound resolve. She also starts to sing another song before aborting it barely a bar in. Her face heating up leads me to believe she's too embarrassed to continue on with it. I shoot her a wolfish grin which only causes her face to flush further

    As if in protest she stops her, well I guess it's a concert. Then she marches up to me and attempts to force me to sit down against the wall. I play along with it and once I do she nods to herself before laying down and setting her head upon my legs. I roll my eyes, but I can tell when my girlfriend wants to be pampered and oblige her with some soft strokes of her hair. My fingers trailing lightly between them as I occasionally scratch at the top of her head.

    "Thank you," she says without warning.

    "For what," I respond, playing at obliviousness.

    That earns me a soft shove at my side. "You know for what. Don't make me spell it out for you."

    "But I like hearing you say it," I say with my best approximation of a whine. My girlfriend huffs, but doesn't otherwise try to remove herself from the situation. Neither does she oblige me and vocalize what she's thankful for since she knows I'm messing with her.

    We each put up our scrolls for this little session together, plus with my more flexible training schedule it's been easier to stop whatever time we have together from being interrupted. Plus I know she appreciates that I'm willing to take whatever time I can to spend with her; probably also helps that I earned her a big windfall by stopping Torchwick, but I know that's not the crux of her thankfulness.

    Whitely: She hasn't mentioned much about her brother, but I know their relationship is somewhat strained. I could look into that. (6)

    Pampering: My girlfriend is going to be facing a rather unpleasant task over the break. I should help her build up whatever mental fortitude I can let her know about Corals attempt at reconciliation (6)

    Competitiveness: Why is she so focused on scouting out the competition? Especially so early when we have no way of knowing what they're strengths are. (0)

    SDC: She might not want to talk about this right now, but with her recent windfalls in Vale she's well placed to start making some moves and I can see what her plans are. (0)

    At the moment there's no need to bring up any complicated subjects or talk about anything at all really. I'm still riding the high of catching Torchwick and completing a serious accomplishment for my goals. Weiss meanwhile is more than happy with the attention she's receiving and the brief atmosphere of calm suffusing the both of us. We both know it's akin to the eye of the storm and we'll both be busy soon enough, but it's more than sufficient for us to just enjoy each other's company and not worry about those far off troubles

    I even get to hear the song that Weiss couldn't bring herself to sing. She recorded a previous performance on her scroll and pulls it out to play while avoiding looking me in the eye. It's in the same vein of the songs leading up to it where they got generally more positive, like she was trying to tell a story of some sort with her concert. I'm still lost at what I'm sure are some deeper themes to the music and song itself, but the lyrics are obvious enough that I get the feeling she chose the song explicitly for that reason.

    It's about two people, a man and a woman, going off to some far off destination and hoping that the other will be there waiting for them. Once the song is concluded I look down to find my girlfriend beet red and staring at the ground. I want to tease her and say, 'use your words,' but the heartfelt nature of the gesture prevents me from doing so.

    Just as well it wouldn't have been that funny anyway and definitely not worth the trouble I'd cause from doing so. Instead I lean down and plant a chaste kiss on the top of her head, our relative positions making it too awkward to perform much else. My intentions must carry through as I feel her practically vibrate from the simple gesture as I return to my ministrations

    It's almost a shame that I have to ruin it so soon, but hopefully the news will restore my girlfriend's good mood. "I talked with Coral," I say and feel her stiffening up at that announcement. "She wants to make things up with you, so if when you get back and she hasn't reached out to you first could you drop by her place? I think she's just having trouble figuring out how to approach you." I don't say that I think it will do her some good as well. That goes without saying and I'm not going to insult Weiss' pride by insinuating she needs that or that she can't figure it out on her own.

    "I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble," she responds as she relaxes. "Are you sure it's a good idea?" I don't say anything and instead tap her on the back of the head with two fingers. As if to say that it was silly to ask that question in the first place. She either gets the message or takes my silence to mean the same as she grumbles something under her breath before preening her head back into my hand demanding more attention.

    This continues on for some time, long enough that I'd fear she'd fall asleep, but she eventually tires of it. Or at least tires of laying on the training room floor, if I had to hazard a guess. She stands up and stretches with her arms raised above her head, after which she offers a hand to help me up before nuzzling into my side. It seems she wants to depart, maybe to just take a look around campus, but there's one topic I want to bring up that's best discussed in private.

    "So," I start off ineloquently as there's no real good way to approach this, "You haven't told me much about your brother."

    "Whitley," she questions, likely confused by the sudden topic. "He's…well he's fine I guess; I don't really have a problem with him like I do some others and he's fine for a brother, I suppose." There's a bit to unpack there, but I can guess that she didn't have a particularly strong relationship with her brother and also doesn't realize what kind of situation she left him in otherwise she'd be panicking.

    Well, I should ease her into this I guess; and to think our day was going so well before this. "And how's he been doing? I mean since you left; I know he still has Klein." I'm perhaps a bit too direct considering the wince I draw out of her.

    "I-well I've mostly kept in contact with Winter and occasionally Klein. I'm sure they've been taking good care of him." Or maybe not. Now how do I break it to her that if Winter doesn't have time for her then she probably doesn't have time for Whitley either.

    "That's good," I offer before deliberately pausing. "I wasn't aware that Winter ever goes back to the family estate."

    "She doesn't…" Weiss answers quickly before trailing off, putting the obvious pieces of the puzzle together herself. Then her brow furrows like she's thinking very heavily about something and trying to force two disparate pieces of information to fit together. "I- no, that can't be right. She wouldn't just leave him alone would she?" She doesn't say it, but I see the instant that the thought, 'just like she wouldn't leave me' passes through her mind. I go in to hug her or provide some form of comfort, but she pushes me away. "How soon can you cause an incident in Mistral?"

    Thrown a bit by the non-sequitur I'm slow to answer, "That- that's not really something I can do on short notice-"

    "You don't understand we have to get him out of there. Who knows what he's been through since I've been gone," she says with a manic energy as she pulls out her scroll and starts looking something up.

    "I get that, but how is doing anything in Mistral supposed to help?"

    "It will get my father out of Atlas," she says like it should be obvious.

    "And then what?"

    "I'm working on that," she snipes back as she furiously taps away at her scroll.

    I put my hand between her and the screen, not liking how quickly she's keyed into this issue. "How about you go check on him while you're there, before doing something drastic like an inter-Kingdom incident." I can visibly see her emotional and logical sides fight each other, but fortunately for me she sees reason and begins to lower her scroll.

    "You're right, maybe it isn't as bad as I think it is. He still has Klein so he's not stuck alone with him. I mean, I turned out alright so Whitley will as well." I fight back a grimace as now I think she's being too optimistic, but there's not much I can do without adding fuel to the fire. I at least drew her attention to there being an issue in the first place, which will just have to be enough. There isn't anything either of us could do from where we're at right now. Hopefully Weiss will keep this in mind for the future, but that's all either of us can ask for now.

    We only stay a few seconds longer in the training room before Weiss drags the two of us for a walk around the campus. Particularly slowing down in front of the docks with watchful eyes for any more incoming teams. I want to ascribe some of this behavior to her just not wanting to think about her brother right now, but I can't rule out that she's back to normal and will deal with that issue. Either way I see no need to make an issue of it today; we'll have some more time together before I leave for my trips so it isn't too big of a deal.


    I have my agents look into the four suspects at the forefront of my investigation to see if there are any common threads that I can find among them. They had to come from somewhere and met up somehow. If I can find that commonality I can potentially find out more about their conspiracy and who all is a part of it. Maybe even discover what their purpose is or if there's a common cause binding them.

    It's slow going work as my men pore over a multitude of reports and what information we pulled from the CCTS looking for anything and everything that could possibly be a connection. It is thanks to the efforts of a new recruit that we get something that we might be able to go off of. Apparently he was into the shadier side of things because he claims to have dealt with Marcus Black and Mercury reminds him a lot of that man. I find it to be a long-shot, but it's better than what little else we've found on the rest of the group.

    With the names Emerald and Cinder being our only clues as to the identity of the other two members I'm willing to stick a leg out on this outlandish theory and have my men work off of it as an assumption for now. If we find something later on to disprove it or bring to mind a different identity for Mercury it shouldn't be too hard to pivot to, but I have my men brief me on whatever they can find about Marcus Black.

    He's somewhat of a boogeyman in the underworld, what with the semblance to steal other people's semblances and working as an assassin. Honestly I think it might be worse for some people to have their semblance stolen than to die. It's also extremely odd that the theft is permanent, apparently, as that has an incredible amount of implications for how semblances work and where they come from. Then again that could just be a played up myth as I doubt many of his victims ever survived to tell others about it.

    Supposedly he's also been out of contact from anyone and everyone for the past few months which is an incredible coincidence of timing if that's true. Maybe it's due to dealing with Neo and her illusions, but I can't help but think something similar is at play here. It would explain some discrepancies that I've found and with all the possible semblances Marcus could have stolen, one that helps with disguises. It fits almost perfectly with the modus operandi of an assassin. That theory is too outlandish to pass off to my agents so I keep it under my hat so to speak and move on.

    Unfortunately there isn't much else to go over. My men can only find so much from what little I have to go off of and the bugs pick up a confused mess of conflicting orders. It's not too surprising as the White Fang just lost a sizable amount of manpower and Dust that they need for their plans as well as their pointman in the operation. It's unfortunate that I won't be able to take advantage of this chaos personally. I'll have to be satisfied with leaving the Union to handle this as well as some other things.

    Aura(Practical) raised from (215/625) to (250/625) Source: Semblance usage & fighting Neo

    Combat Raised from (459/625) to (611/625) Source: Oobleck, Training, & fighting Neo

    Criminology raised from (8/150) to (10/150) Source: VPD action

    Culture raised form (43/150) to (48/150) Source: Oobleck

    History raised from (228/300) to (238/300) Source: Oobleck

    Investigation raised from (264/300) to (275/300) Source: Training, & Oobleck

    Law raised from (12/50) to (16/50). Source: VPD action.

    Mobility raised from (24/625) to (51/625) Source: Oobleck & fighting Neo

    Personal funds raised to 6000L Source: VPD
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 18 (Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • Due to the Winter break starting some actions were taken away to represent time spent packing and leaving before the week was fully over.
    Personal Assistants: The workload for Terra, Tukson, and Blake has only been increasing. It might be prudent to raise some people up to help them with their work. (4)

    Follow their trail: My agents have made a little progress connecting Mercury, Cinder, Emerald, and Watts together, but they'll need more time to come up with any concrete information. (4)

    Searching the underbelly: there are a lot of dark secrets in the criminal underworld of Vale. With my branch turning over a new leaf there's an opportunity to make nice with the cops by finding some info for them. (4)

    Subversion: Another round of expansion means that I have enough funds to expand my reach in Adam's branch of the Fang. I should be able to have a man near any major operation after this. (4)

    Delegate: Tukson, Blake, and now Terra can manage things on their own. I just need to provide the capital and I'm sure the two of them can accomplish something. (4)
    Marina's Party (QM)

    Penny: Ruby, what do you mean you found her and I need to come quick? Well, this is one way to make an introduction I suppose. (5)

    Sun: Terra called me about a certain faunus that showed up at her kitchen. I guess I could swing by and see what his deal is. (3)

    VPD: Cobalt: The black-haired man with blue scales. He supported my proposition and is orderly, but I don't know much else about him. (3)
    Grimm (4)

    It is an odd series of events that leads me here. In retrospect it's entirely obvious and expected that things would come to this. I told Kelly about Marina's desire to throw a party, or at least attend one and how she wanted to include Wiess. This led to Kelly bringing it up with Weiss who seems to have thought it was a good idea. The two of them then took it upon themselves to expand their party and invite team RWBY and soon after JNPR. We're only going to be gone for a month so I don't see the big deal. However, this is the first thing Marina has directly asked for and my girlfriend is probably looking for whatever support she can get before leaving for Atlas.

    Either way I have to attend for multiple reasons, although it isn't too big of an imposition. A bigger imposition is having to join Weiss up on stage, much to my protestations and wry smiles from my so-called friends. Once that is done I don't have much time to relax with her as I rush off to make sure that Marina doesn't pick any explicit songs or ones with too many swears.

    Eventually I just drag Ruby over to watch what songs she picks and the little reaper has the gall to look at me in shock. Like it's somehow my fault that Marina has these proclivities. When Nora makes her way over to the feedback loop of energy that is Marina and Ruby I know that it's my time to leave; Marina seems happy enough to have a group to sing with and Ruby should be able to keep her in line, maybe.

    With my escape secured I take a look to see if I can find my girlfriend. She happens to be standing in a corner with her scroll out, her eyes narrowed in on it. She isn't furiously pecking away at it, so I guess either she's calmed down or she's just taking care of some SDC business. Next to her is Blake who similarly has her scroll out and is doing some work on it; at least I know roughly what she's working on as I have a lot I want to get done with the Union before I leave and that sort of got all crammed into this week, unsurprisingly.

    I'm tempted to bug them both, but decide to take stock of the rest of the party in case there's anything I should be paying attention to. The first thing that catches my attention, mainly because one of the people involved is so large, is Autumn and Yang hanging out together. Well, Yang's the one doing the hanging as she's apparently convinced my teammate to hold out his arm so she can use it as a pull-up bar. Something that's barely affecting Autumn with their differences in size.

    Turning away from that I spot my other teammate sitting at a table across from Ren. They've shoved off a good portion of the food we ordered all to one side so they could set up the pieces for Kelly's wargame. That poor bastard, Ren doesn't know what he's in for, but it does bring something to mind. Did she only go along with organizing this party so she could rope in another unfortunate victim?

    Almost an afterthought is Jaune and Pyrrha who are sitting and talking together, but there's a certain hesitance in them that tells me that neither of them have taken the plunge just yet. They seem to be getting along well, so I figure it's only a matter of time. Still, I'm stuck here so I might as well socialize a little, even if everyone else has more or less broken up into their own little groups.

    Ruby, Marina, & Nora: This bundle of energy is dangerously close to a criticality event. I should, maybe, step in and put a stop to that. (4)

    Jaune & Pyrrha: They seem to be fine on their own, if a little awkward. Still, I could make some small talk and maybe tease the two of them a little bit. (2)

    Blake and Weiss: They both seem to be caught up in some work. I could check in on that and maybe encourage them to participate some more. (1)

    Ren & Kelly: I could spare some time to help my friend out and point out some of the pitfalls I fell into. Plus teaming up against Kelly sounds like a good idea after our last match. (1)

    Yang & Autumn: I can't say that I've seen the two of them hang out that much outside of group activities. Perhaps I could see what they're up to. (0)

    Even though I just left them, and for good reason to boot, I can't just ignore the bundle of energy that is Nora, Ruby, and Marina. The three of them seem to be feeding off each other, but at least some of that energy is bled off in their singing. Which at this current moment consists of some sort of power metal song.

    I pin it to being Nora's choice as she's the one signing with the most energy. Ruby is half-trailing along with the words, not liking the intensity of the music but making the attempt regardless. Marina, however, isn't singing as she stares intently at the words provided by the machine and mouths them along with the others. I don't think she quite gets the point of a karaoke place, but she seems to be having a good time just being included.

    Once the song is over Ruby stops Nora from running off to pick the next song by throwing her arm out in her path and motioning over to me. "Hey Ochre, did you want to join in?"

    "Nah, just came by to check on my partner. Make sure she's doing alright," I say planting a hand on Marina's head and ruffling her hair. "Maybe make some small talk, y'know the usual." The infantilizing gesture that would be spurned if I turned it on Ruby gets an appreciative nod instead.

    "Hey," Nora cuts in, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently. "Do you have anything else like that raid planned for after the break?" I shake my head in the negative and don't even have the chance to say anything as she continues on. "Awww, but it was so great. I was all like, 'freeze or I'll break your legs,' and the goons at the warehouse all started running or fighting. I haven't had so much fun since initiation, though- Did you know that some of them didn't even have aura?

    Well, I didn't at first, but it wasn't too hard to see which ones weren't running fast enough and leave those for Jaune and Pyrrha. And I mean have you looked at them, they're quite the team when they have the chance. It reminds me of me and Ren. Not that I'm saying they're like Ren and I, just that they work well together. Well, maybe not together-together- they aren't like that" I appreciate her attempt at obfuscating the blindingly obvious, but she needs to learn when to cut her losses.

    "Anyway, what was I saying? Oh right, I can't wait for missions to start. I'm chomping at the bit for some more excitement." Nora proceeds to growl like a dog and act like she's biting at a chain before breaking out in some barking. Marina, not knowing any better, joins in with her barking and the two get into a bark off while Ruby and I attempt to salvage the situation.

    "Yeah," Ruby announces loudly. "I can't wait for missions. I have so many upgrades in mind for Crescent Rose. I just need to scrounge up some Lien." She turns to me with a calculating glint in her eyes, "heeyy, I heard from Blake and Weiss that you're running something in Vale. You wouldn't happen to have something you could pay me to do?"

    I don't think I'm in a great position to start recruiting humans into my branch of the Fang, much less break it to her that I'm running a splinter group of the White Fang. "Actually we're running into some financial issues right now, so it'll be a few months before that stabilizes." Ruby looks disappointed, but it's also the truth and she lets the matter drop.

    Marina takes that as an opportunity to pipe up, "I don't see what the big deal is. The Captain and our crew are going on a mission for the break."

    "We aren't going on a mission, we're going on an expedition," I correct.

    "What's the difference," Marina asks with a tilt of her head.

    There are any number of things that I could point out, but I decide to go with the one that will make the most sense for her. "We don't get paid."

    "Ah. So, it would be just like how it was on the ship." I stop myself from blanching at that. I certainly hope not from what I've heard thus far, but it's clear that she still associates her time there with happy memories.

    "At least you guys get some excitement," Nora grumbles and Ruby nods along in commiseration with her. I don't really have anything to say in response to that, nor do I want to continue to subject myself to this chaotic maelstrom of energy.

    As I begin to make my escape, Marina notices and demands, "Sing with us Captain!" I want to immediately turn her down, but the pleading look she sends is enough to get me to reconsider my better judgment. I give her a shallow nod and she rushes off to pick the next track.

    It turns out to be a shanty, of course, but the one she chose includes the words 'it's a pirate's life for me.' Which, well, that's going to be quite the bombshell in hindsight. Ruby stumbles on some of the lyrics as they imply some not nice acts, but Nora only seems to be encouraged by the violent nature of the song bouncing back and forth on the stage and adding her own embellishments. I make an attempt at joining in, but I know that I'm vastly under-performing here. Maybe that's just because my biggest comparison for my skill level is Weiss, but I don't have much faith in my musicality, much less my singing voice.

    Despite my interruption the trio is starting to get keyed up on each other again as their conversations between-songs rapidly swap between the topics of weapons, the grimm, the Vytal tournament, violence in general and whatever tangent Nora drags them off into. I only pay the barest of attention to them throughout the rest of the night as I make my way to the area Jaune and Pyrrha have claimed for themselves.

    It's a communal seating area for people to talk over a small table, possibly with some drinks. No one here has ordered any alcohol; mindful of Weiss' problem with the substance or having their own reasons to avoid it. Jaune and Pyrrha are crammed together on a loveseat that has a generous helping of pillows on its sides forcing the two of them together. Not that either of them makes any move to remove these intrusions, though neither of them are making any bold moves in this public of a place.

    With a predatory grin I take my seat opposite of them and Jaune pales, likely understanding that he's not going to get through this evening unscathed. "So," I start slowly, savoring each word as I say it. "How are you enjoying each other's company?" Perhaps I wouldn't be so bold if Ren didn't tell me about how Jaune has something planned over the Winter break for Pyrrha. As it is, I have no hesitation in taking my fun by messing with the pair for their inaction thus far, despite how obvious they are.

    Jaune chokes on whatever he was going to say and Pyrrha stammers, "I-we-that is-we're doing just fine thank you for asking. Jaune has been a wonderful conversationalist."

    That's a big lie as I know they haven't said much of anything, stuck in the game of romantic chicken as they are. Now I could let up on my torment and pick up on the atmosphere, but where's the fun in that? "Oh what were you talking about? Don't tell me, let me guess. Was it about Ren and Nora? They pair pretty well together if I say so myself. Or perhaps Weiss and myself, I've read some articles that describe us as quite the power couple."

    I can tell that the two of them aren't used to this kind of attention as Pyrrha hides her face, conveniently in the crook of Jaunes neck, and Jaune's face turns a bright red. He is then torn between standing up to yell at me and not wanting to disturb Pyrrha. Ultimately his desire to defend himself and her wins to a certain degree and he spits out with some hostility, "Do you find it funny to mess with us?"

    "Yes," is my flat reply, only ruined by the wide grin that I'm sporting. He groans in response and Pyrrha places a reassuring hand on his shoulder as if that would be enough to ameliorate any suffering he's going through. Maybe she's onto something as he shoots her a grateful look and the two seem to have an entire moment as if I'm not even there.

    As much fun as it would be to continue messing with them, my work here is done. I might not have done much of anything, but I also don't want to stick around and see whatever they may or may not get up to. Plus it would be a real mood-killer if they realized I was there.

    The party proceeds apace, with Weiss darting around the various groups and steering clear of whatever's going on with Jaune and Pyrrha. Likely she finished up whatever business she had and is playing the part of the hostess; which reminds me that I'm likely on the hook for helping clean this place up after the fact. It's not like I can tell her no and I'm sure Kelly is going to rope her brother into this as well. I give it good odds that Marina will stick with the crew rather than continuing to enjoy herself with her friends.

    I briefly think about telling her to hang out with them some more before shaking that thought off. It'll be pretty late by the time we're done and that sort of thing should be her decision, for the sake of her continued independence if nothing else. She's made good strides by asking for this party in the first place so hopefully she'll continue that by making her desires known. Regardless, I'm not fine with sticking in the place for an hour or so after everyone leaves and thus I start picking the place up for the rest of our time here.


    The next bit on my schedule is to spend some time at the VPD. I moved it pretty early on in the week to clear the rest of it for organizational concerns as I don't want to have to deal with any of that while I have a station full of officers who could potentially peer over my shoulder. Fortunately it's not as big of an affair as it was last week; the task force is to meet with some regularity, but we all have to put in the work for our proposal to get off the ground before we'll have any big proposals to decide on.

    Once again my work is split between a reduced caseload and helping out with the Faunus Relations Task Force. Mostly that means forwarding whatever background checks I have on my men that are 'volunteering' for the local watch program and doing some research into the unknown hopefuls looking to join as well. It's a never ending list to go through on both sides, but I'm able to offload some of my work to the Union and reap the rewards from doing so.

    My sheer productivity will probably draw some attention from Frost or Flint, but I suspect they already know that I have some plans in mind for Vale. It might be a good idea to talk with them before pulling the trigger on anything, but there's no way they don't have an inkling of what I'm up to.

    By the end of my shift I drop off my completed work and decide to take a walk around the station to familiarize myself with the place. I've mostly been relegated to a small portion of the place and with my work ethic haven't made the attempt to branch out until now. I swing by Alabaster's desk during my travels through the station and it is absolutely stacked with papers. Information about volunteers for our local watch program by the looks of things.

    He sends me a hateful glare with as much energy as he can spare, which turns out to be not much at all. He gets back to his work with his same lazy energy as always so I don't know if he actually holds anything against me or not. Deciding that I'm not welcome there I continue on my trek and eventually find myself in the break room where I find Cobalt sitting at a small table with two chairs as he rubs some sort of cream on his scales.

    I might as well get to know my compatriot? Technical subordinate? I'm going to go with fellow officer right now. Anyway I might as well get to know him better since we're working together and based on what Flint told me he'll be in a position of power before too long. "Cobalt right," I ask, taking a seat opposite of him and getting a nod in return. "How's your day been?"

    "It's been alright sir, just have to rub some ointment on my scales. They're shedding and it helps with the itch." I was more asking about how his work was going since he seems to be a guy with a preference towards professionalism and directness so far, but this works I guess.

    "I've always heard that was a pain, glad you have something to help out with that though. I know it was a problem back at my home even if I don't deal with it myself. You can call me Ochre by the way."

    "I'll keep that in mind sir," he says immediately. I let it wash over me as I suspected he'd act like this anyway. It's not a big deal as the sign of respect does, admittedly, boost my ego and it's not like his professionalism has gotten in the way of our conversation thus far.

    Reputation: I've been noticing a few more respectful nods among the officers of the VPD, but not much else has changed about how they treat me after Torchwick's arrest. I could ask about that. (3)

    Aftermath: I have the after-action reports and my own subordinates informing me of the situation, but what's his view of what's going on in Vale. Both in the VPD and with the takedown of Torchwick. (3)

    Task force: I could get his opinion on the other members as well as ask him why he chose to be a part of it. (0)

    Support: He was the only other person to honestly(?) support my proposal. It might be a good idea to check into his reasoning for why and see where his loyalties lie. (0)

    Personal: Cobalt seems like the type to keep his personal life hidden, but I'm sure I could charm something out of him. (0)

    "Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear about how the VPD has been reacting to the recent changes from a ground view," I say, getting straight to the point with him. Then after a moment of consideration I add on, "Be as candid as you can be. I'm interested in what's actually going on and not what you think I want to hear."

    He gives me a nod, which makes me think that he was about to do just that, but I can't be sure if that's the case. It takes him a moment of thinking where he presses his nose against his fist and his forehead against his thumb. It reminds me of a pose where one cups their chin in thought, but I guess that's too uncomfortable for him to do with his scales.

    "If I can be frank sir," he starts with asking for permission again and I nod while refraining from rolling my eyes. "It's been a mess. Some stations were only a little corrupt while others had to be cut off wholesale. All in all we're down to effectively half-strength after all of the lay-offs and misconduct trials that are still ongoing. Even then we'll lose some more officers as they make a mistake during their probation or simply quit from the stigma of wrong-doing. There's a reason why we had to pull back our coverage and we also had to shift around what stations officers are posted at with myself being one of the new officers to this station."

    "I was wondering why I didn't see you around before," I speak my thoughts aloud. "Still, that's a broad overview and doesn't tell me how things are on the ground.

    "What do you want me to tell you? I've seen your case-load you're stuck in it with the rest of us. It's always that way during any crisis, just not usually so wide-spread."

    "Okay," I start slowly, shifting tracks to get the information I'm actually after. "And what do you feel about all these changes?"

    He gives me a searching look as if trying to decipher what I'm really after here and I keep my face carefully neutral. After a few moments he gives up on that endeavor and says, "It was a long-time coming and a good thing that it happened."

    He stops there and I have to provide some encouragement to get him to speak his mind. "I'm sensing there's a but there."

    He nods as if he was waiting for me to bring that to his attention. "It couldn't have come at a worse time." Neither of us bring up the fact that there is no such thing as a good time for a massive shake-up of the VPD. Even I have been here long enough to notice that this level of busyness is somewhat commonplace just based on how the common officer has been acting.

    "The Vytal festival always draws in some unscrupulous foreigners and the petty crooks of Vale seem to fall out of the woodwork during this time. While violent crime decreases somewhat during this festival of peace it's still not good that our effective manpower has been cut in half."

    I don't know what it is, but there's something in his tone that makes me think he's more concerned about the fact these crimes are allowed to happen rather than them actually happening. I'm not sure if that's because of how it reflects on the police or out of a sense that there could be more done to prevent such incidents in the first place. Not that he's entirely unconcerned with stopping these crimes, just that his sensibilities are more maligned by the state of affairs than the crimes actually happening.

    "I don't suppose the capture of Torchwick is doing anything to discourage them?"

    "I've always been told that it's unbecoming for the leadership to brag or seek compliments," he says in his same measured tone as always. The only thing that makes me take a second look at what he said is the faint twitch of the lips at the end. Huh, I guess he knows how to make a joke when he wants to.

    I'm not sure what way to react would draw the best reaction from him as his professionalism makes me think he wouldn't appreciate me joining in on the joke. However, I can't think of any other strong reaction that would draw a favorable outcome. Instead I keep my demeanor neutral and unchanging, perhaps I could play it off as never noticing the joke in the first place.

    "That wasn't my intention, but I'll let the matter drop. I am curious though, about how the officers have been taking things. I know the Huntsmen had a big celebration over this arrest, but I haven't seen anything like that here." I'm careful to refer to my friends as 'the Huntsmen' to create some distance between me and them in case he has an unfavorable opinion towards their inclusion on the operation.

    Fortunately that doesn't seem to be the case as he glides over that to answer my inquiry. "That's just the way it is here. Don't get me wrong we appreciate the help with taking him down and your role in it, but there's always something else to focus on. Some other case to crack or crook to chase. And when we do celebrate, our festivities are always more sober and serious than what I imagine some kids at Beacon get up to."

    I could, perhaps, keep pressing him to see how the rest of the station is viewing me, but his comment from earlier rings in my ears. It could have been a simple joke, but I'll take it as a warning for now. I'll have opportunities to look into this when I get back and there's no rush to jump into it now.

    I stand up and make my way to the door when Cobalt calls out from behind me, "Sir. With that being said we aren't soon to forget who's responsible for that operation, much less all the help they've given us."

    "I'll be sure to pass that on to Flint and Frost for you," I reply with a humorous lilt. I've tried to downplay my involvement with the operation to a certain point as I doubt many people would appreciate how much I've meddled with the VPD and made deals around the established power structure to make it happen.

    Cobalt looks at me like he's disappointed that I'd bring up such a flimsy defense in the first place. "A Huntsman in training starts hanging around the station and then we launch an investigation into the CCT archives followed up by not only bringing down the biggest criminal in Vale, but a wholesale restructuring of the VPD. Forgive me, but I have eyes and a working brain; and so do most of the officers here. We appreciate you for your service, but don't think we're that unobservant."

    I don't have much to say in response to that and I can recognize when it's better to retreat from a conversation and thus I do so. It doesn't seem like he's upset by my questions, but it is annoying that I'm not flying as under the radar as I'm used to. I guess I'll have to suck it up, my current trajectory only sees me getting more visible with my actions and not less.


    My time at the station spent for the week, I turn to the more important matters of managing the Union as it enters another stage of expansion. Well, not quite another stage of expansion as we don't have the resources available to expand our list of contributing businesses just yet. Too many other proposals taking up our attention for the time being.

    First of which is another expansion of the moles under our control. Fortunately this is a matter of just putting the work in and finding the right people to flip as there are not many other operations for us to infiltrate into with how well spread our informant network has gotten. Sure we'll still be blind to some of the ground level operations, but anything of real significance should be picked up on by our agents unless it is something held only by Adam and his closest council.

    On that subject there is potential to flip one of his lieutenants. Technically two of them, but I've put the man in charge of the logistics of Vale out of my mind. I have no way of securing his loyalty and he'll mostly be stripped of any real power with how the Union has been expanding and is thus not worth the hassle. Not to say that the other candidate is much better, but he at least has the opportunity to be useful. He still comes with all the same problems of recruiting a high level member of the current Fang, that being that he has his own support network and underlings already established.

    The man in question seems to have been in charge of the recruitment from Vale and is in some hot water with the Fang after the arrest of Torchwick and subsequent arrest of so many members. That being said, he is still a member of Adam's branch and holds some views that would be considered extreme by most members of the Union, being a bit further on the spectrum than I am.

    At least that's what I can tell from some of the speeches he's given and posts he's made. It's entirely possible that could be an act, but it's not a possibility that I find particularly likely. Especially with how consistent he's been about striving for equality and how we have to fight for it, both in his speeches and in his posts.

    It's possible that with the right rhetoric and concession I could convert him to my cause and only have to moderate him a little bit. He is an ideologue from what I can tell, so if I can convince him of the rightness of my position he should be as fervent in those beliefs as he is now. Ultimately, the decision on whether we should turn him is up to me.

    If I do, nothing says that I have to make him a part of my inner circle, but he would still carry some influence with those that respect and have worked under him before. That happens to be a good portion of the Union so far and that number will likely increase after I take down Adam, whenever I get around to that. Plus with how he's been in charge of recruiting I can't deny that he'll have a certain charisma of his own to grow his influence without my oversight.

    Moving away from that topic I have some rather more broad spectrum plans to deal with for the Union. While I'm fine with them having the reins for a time I do believe they'd be better off if I give them some structure and general instructions to work with. It's just as well, as the Union is growing too big and too fast for me to keep as tight of a hold of it as I have in the past, while also being much more capable of independent action than it was before.

    The most important, and perhaps concerning, of which is the matters of expansion. While I've been able to provide broad oversight to the inclusion of members and businesses to our growing collective, that simply isn't going to be feasible in the long run. Not that I need to make an absolutely firm decision about it now and I can change my mind later, but this break should be a nice trial run for them and I just need to establish some guidelines for them.

    Next would be what the Union focuses on while I'm gone. We have more than a few irons in the fire right now and while some attention will be paid to all of them so as to not waste resources it would be more beneficial for us to focus our efforts on two of them. That way there will be some significant progress waiting for me upon my return.

    Broadly speaking the projects that we've been working on are the two investigations into Cinder and our ongoing work with Adam's branch of the Fang. Then we also have Terra's charitable works that I'm sure she'll give some attention to while I'm gone, but throwing her some more resources wouldn't be the worst thing. We also have the local watch project and assisting the VPD with background checks and making sure that no unsavory characters find their way into positions of power. Similarly I've also tasked my men with looking into the criminal elements of Vale and could have them keep at it while sending that info off to the VPD for stronger relations in the future.

    No: While I've been fine with poaching some members from Adam's organization, recruiting someone so high up and complicit with their acts isn't a good idea. (4)

    Yes: The position that he's in could give me some insight into what's going on in Adam's mind and his plans for the future. (1)
    Steady: The engine of growth is necessary for my continued ambitions, but there's no reason to cause any undue stress on my underlings. Keep things nice and steady and I'll have a nice bit of growth waiting for me. (3)

    Moderate: Stretch my logistical capabilities a little bit, but not too far. There will be some growing pains associated with this and maybe an issue or two for me to resolve when I get back. (1)

    Slow: I don't think I'd be able to stop my men from recruiting some new members or bringing in their friend's business with how much we've grown, but I can slow that process down as much as I can. (0)

    Fast: Really push my men to up their recruitment and expansion. Maybe make a competition out of it all. I'll certainly have a few issues that I'll have to resolve upon my return but the growth may be worth it. (0)

    No Brakes: Release any restriction on what's been holding back our growth thus far and encourage rapid expansion. I'll deal with whatever logistical nightmare comes from this when I return. (0)
    Community Policing: The plans of the VPD are at a critical juncture and could use all the help they can get. Providing some will likely ensure good relations in the future. (4)

    Terra's Projects: We have a number of community initiatives that are still in their infancy. Giving them some additional attention will be good for PR and have some knock on effects. (3)

    Woman in Red Investigation: Cinder and Watts are still at large and a big unknown for how they'll affect my plans. Having some resources dedicated to them will do me some good. (1)

    White Fang Investigation: Adam's big plan is still up in the air and there is a certain appeal in setting the stage to pull the rug out entirely from under him. I expect most of our progress here will come from recruiting more moles. (0)

    Underworld Investigation: Perhaps not the biggest concern, but there's an upcoming power vacuum in the criminal underworld and getting an idea of the players involved would be helpful, not to mention this information could be shared with the VPD. (0)

    I spend a bit of time writing up the guidelines while looking over the new moles that we're recruiting. This is perhaps the last time that I'll be able to do so personally and that brings a bit of a heady feeling to the whole matter. It's similar in a way to saying goodbye to an old friend. One that was an asshole and annoyed me to no end, but a friend nonetheless.

    On a less pleasant note I make sure to blacklist any attempts on the lead recruiter for Vale. It's possible I might change my mind in the future, but he's definitely not a man I want brought on without my explicit approval.

    With that taken care of I crack open my grimm studies textbook to do some last second catching up before the expedition. Before I get too far into it and start using my semblance to speed this process up - relatively at least - I receive a call from my scroll. It's Ruby which is odd, because she hasn't called me before and I think she'd call her sister first if it was an emergency.

    Regardless I pick up the call and the first thing that I hear is Ruby's voice babbling excitedly, "I found her! Ochre I found her, you gotta come quick. It's too complicated to explain but she can't meet up for too long."

    "Calm down Ruby. Where are you? I'm getting ready now," I say, slipping on my shoes and the rest of my casual clothes, remembering to grab a hat and scarf to help cover up. Vale doesn't get too cold, but it's more or less a habit for me and as long as I'm not in Vacuo it's of no real issue.

    "We're outside of a small coffee shop in Vale, uh here." I hear her tap away at her scroll and soon receive the location that she's at. Fortunately it's not too far away from where the airship from Beacon lands in Vale so it should only take me half an hour or so to arrive. Before I can announce that fact I hear some mumbling before an unfamiliar voice joins in on the call.

    "Sal-u-tations. Friend of Ruby, it is a pleasure to meet you, I'm Penny."

    I'd much prefer to have this conversation face to face, but I can't just deny her introduction like that. "I'm Ochre, Ochre Rovere; and we've met already, sort of. I didn't have much time to stop and chat."

    "Oh, I remember. You were the faunus chasing that other faunus, weren't you," Penny asks in a way like she's completely oblivious to any potential implications there. Though if she's similar to Marina, I guess she's reasonably well-adjusted.

    "That was me, listen I'm on my way so just sit tight I'm on my way there."

    "We are currently standing," is her cheerful reply and I honestly don't have any words to respond with.

    "Okay, no more scroll for you. Ochre, please hurry," Ruby says before the call is abruptly cut off. I wait impatiently for the airship to land and then all but sprint my way to the coffee shop. I check the outside patio and the inside of the store and find no trace of them. Just as I'm about to give up and call Ruby to see where they're at I hear a 'psst' coming from the nearby alley. Down the alleyway, hiding behind a dumpster, is Ruby and the orange-haired girl from the docks, Penny.

    "What are you doing here," I can't help but ask.

    "We're hiding from the police and Atlas military," is Ruby's hushed reply.

    I nod instantly as if I perfectly understand her situation. "Ah, a time honored tradition. Wait, why are you guys hiding out from the police? What's the military doing here?"

    "Look it's a complicated story and I'll tell you later, right now-"

    "Sal-u-tations Ochre Rovere: Friend of Ruby and fellow Atlas experiment," Penny interrupts a little too loudly and gets shushed by Ruby.

    In the middle of that I turn to Ruby not about to let her get out of telling me about their circumstances that easily. If they're wanted for doing something illegal I kind of have the responsibility to turn them in and advocate for a light sentence. Then Penny's words slam into the both of us and we turn to look at her. Ruby has less shock than I'd expect from that kind of revelation, but I'm in no position to question her on it.

    My mind starts running a mile a minute processing what it just heard and trying to make sense of it. All the while my emotional state is going off the charts as I've somehow stumbled into another secret project/possible conspiracy. Then that conspiracy plays into the one I'm currently investigating and the leviathan of possibilities starts to overwhelm me. During this time Penny takes our silence to mean she should explain herself and I only mutely hear her from this point on.

    "I searched the CCTS while we were waiting for him and there was startlingly little until I discovered a site that had all of this information about him. Some of it was contradictory, but I excluded those from my memory banks. It's so nice to meet another experiment. Although," she says and her lips turn into a frown. "I have no record of you anywhere in Atlas' system. Curious. Do you even have any memory of your creator?" A beat of silence passes and she waves her hand in front of my face, something that I barely register. "Hello?"

    "I think you broke him Penny," I hear someone say, not really in the state to care who said it as my vision narrows in on the girl before me.

    "He must be less well-designed than I am." I read her lips more than hear what she actually says and without the ability to restrain myself anymore, I slam both of my hands on her shoulders, encountering more resistance than I'd expect, and fix her in place.

    "Tell me everything," I growl out. "Wait, that's too broad. Tell me everything in a way that I can take notes about." There, that should do it right?

    "Uh, Ochre-" I turn to look at the intrusion and see Ruby take a step back from something that's spooked her. Whatever, I have more important matters to worry about right now.

    "Sure," Penny chirps like this is an entirely normal social interaction. "What would you like to know?" I already told her, but maybe she needs something more specific to go off of. Like providing an example to Marina so she understands the concept. Nodding to myself I resolve that little discrepancy and think over how exactly to word all this.

    Treatment: I mean, this was what I wanted to talk with her about in the first place and finding out she's an experiment for Atlas only makes it more pressing to bring up. (5)

    Experiment: What did she mean by that exactly. She looks like a normal girl to me and this isn't the time or place for me to do an in-depth examination. (5)

    Clarification: She said something about a fellow experiment right? Maybe I made that up, I mean who would believe that? (1)

    Conspiracy: How connected is her creation to the other conspiracy. I must know and she'll be the one to tell me; though there's no way of telling how much, if anything, she knows. (1)

    Torchwick: I don't know why my mind went to him, but maybe she has some information about him that's useful. (0)

    With so many possible questions and mysteries that I want answers to, I end up saying the first thing on my mind. "What have they been feeding you?" I eye her up and down once more and I think she's a bit on the thin side. Nothing wrong with that, but I have to make sure she's getting enough to eat.

    "Electricity," is her cheery reply and in my state I only register her response as neglect on Atlas' part instead of properly processing them. Just another thing to hate that Kingdom over.

    "Come on," I say, pulling her with some effort. "We'll go see Terra and get you some real food."

    "Ochre stop! We can't do that," Ruby screams behind me and I turn to look at her with utter confusion on my face. Can't she see how important this is? Right there was something about the police, but I am a policeman so it should be fine and subsequently ignore her with Penny following along a half-step behind.

    "Excuse me, but I think Friend Ruby has something she's trying to tell us." I nod at her words, but otherwise keep walking. It's good that she has some friends and she hasn't been kept from proper socialization. It's bad enough that Marina and her got to such a state to begin with, but having some friends should help them right the course so to speak.

    Then I process that she said Ruby and not someone else and I stop in my tracks. "Penny. Do you have any friends aside from Ruby."

    I stare intently at her face awaiting her answer and I receive it before she even opens her mouth. She shies away from the question like it's some sort of great shame to be brought up which then mixes with what I overheard her say at the docks and her simplistic view on what friendship is. It takes all my willpower to restrain myself from showing any aggression or any of the other negative emotions that I feel that I don't even register her admission.

    Well, I can't say I wasn't expecting this at all and I have just the thing to cheer her up. "Don't worry, there are a bunch of friends where we're going. You might even see a familiar face," I whisper to her conspiratorially which seems to both confuse and excite her. I do remember Terra saying something about a certain monkey faunus showing up to help out at her kitchen, but even if he isn't there getting her a warm meal and some friendly faces is worth the trip.

    With a smile on her face and her bouncing up and down from the ground she asks, "Really? Does that mean you'll be my friend?"

    "You betchya," is my easy and casual reply. Not like it costs me anything to make her day just that little brighter on our way to Terra's.

    Unfortunately Ruby has other ideas as she rushes out in front of us, not letting us pass and yells, "Penny! Don't you remember that there are people out looking for you. And you Ochre, I can't believe that you're being so casual about this. Didn't you hear that they've been feeding her electricity. Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?" Her tone tells me that she's just about at the end of her rope.

    I'm about to patiently explain to her that's why I'm taking her to Terra's in the first place, but then I review what she actually said. Yeah, that is a little strange now that I think about it. Geeze if I missed that what else have I missed? I take a moment to center myself and bring my thoughts in order before looking at Penny to see if she has anything to say on the subject.

    The girl shifts away from Ruby and closer to me for whatever reason, but her posture is still evasive and nervous. She opens and closes her mouth with half-aborted statements that each end with a hiccup until she finds something that works for her and steps away so that Ruby is standing behind me from her perspective. "Can I trust you? Are you two really my f-friends?"

    Ruby's face softens and she takes a step forward and grabs one of Penny's hands. Penny jerks back at first, but with some effort remains stationary. "Of course we are. And you can trust us, we're the best at keeping secrets, aren't we Ochre?"

    "Yup, I'm practically made of secrets," I reply back honestly and drag my mind back into the web of secrets and conspiracies that I've been delving into for the past four months.

    Despite our reassurances Penny is still reluctant to say what exactly she has on her mind. Like she's afraid of how we'll react, which only further incenses me against Atlas as that is most certainly a learned behavior. Apparently she reads into my expression as that causes her the slowly admit, "I'm not a real girl. Most girls are born, but I was made. I'm not real."

    That really should come off as more of a revelation to me and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it a few hours from now, but I'm sort of numb to it all and simply reply, "so?"

    "That's not true," Ruby cries out next to me. "Just because you have nuts and bolts instead of squishy bits doesn't make you any less real than me."

    "I've heard that kind of reasoning before and it's all nonsense. If you think and you feel you're as much of a person as anyone else," I respond; Ruby and I providing our justifications at the same time.

    Confusion passes over Penny's features only to be replaced with hope. "Neither of you are taking this, like I thought you would. Thank you! Thank you! You're the best friends I could've wished for!" She finishes this off by sweeping Ruby and I in a bone crushing hug.

    It's really impressive how much force she's able to muster in each of her arms, but I've dealt with an amped up Nora once before and I'm sure I'll be able to escape from this without too much of a recovery period. Ruby seems happy to leave things off on that note, but now that my faculties are more in order I have some questions that I want answered.

    "So, what exactly are you an experiment about? I mean real artificial intelligence is impressive and all, but that's more of a prototype than an experiment in my books."

    Penny nods and answers easily enough, "I'm the first and only synthetic person capable of generating Aura. My father built me like that and he tells me that I'm his biggest accomplishment." She giggles as if that's a particularly funny joke, "That isn't true, he's built things way bigger than me."

    That triggers Ruby's weapon nerdery, "Wow, did your dad build you all by himself?" A part of me suspects that she's holding herself back from invading Penny's privacy to see how she's constructed and that's an odd mental image that I'm never going to think about again.

    "Well, he had some help from Mr. Ironwood," Penny allows with some sheepishness. Like she is proud that her father did all or most of the work on his own. I don't say anything as it makes sense if she's an Atlesian experiment that the General would know about her. It also explains why soldiers would be looking for her, but I'm not so sure I want her back in their hands based on the whole lack of socialization thing. Ruby and I being her first friends isn't exactly setting a good standard here.

    "How about we make our way to Beacon before they catch on to us? I can introduce you to my team." As soon as I say it I recognize how dumb of an idea that is. The last thing I can afford to do is draw the attention of Atlas down on myself.

    Fortunately Penny shakes her head and makes my argument for me so I don't have to back down. "I don't want to get either of you in trouble. They aren't bad people, really. I'll be fine." My lips thin at that since Marina had similar sentimentality for her crew. Before I can even attempt to take issue with that I hear some shouting from just outside the alleyways and I can tell Penny does as well.

    "Fine, but if you ever run into any issues go here," I say, pulling out my scroll to show her where Terra's kitchen is. "My people will help you and can get you in touch with me." I pause for a moment looking for something more substantial. "You wouldn't happen to have a number that I can reach you at?" She shakes her head and I frown in annoyance.

    Too much to expect Atlas to give her a basic amenity like that; then again she likely can still access the CCTS based on what she said earlier so I provide her with my contact info anyway. It's the best I can offer on short notice and I'll just have to check in with her again once I get back. If I remember correctly, she's participating in the tournament so she'll have to attend class with us, right? Not even Atlas could get away with sending a competitor that never actually attends the school for the semester.

    With precious little time to spare, Penny stares us down and says, "Promise that you won't tell anyone my secret and I won't tell anyone about you either." That last part is directed towards me for whatever reason.

    "We promise," Ruby and I reply in stereo. The sounds of people running in the alleys increases and we all look at each other knowing that our time has come to an end. I grab hold of my badge in my pockets in case I need to flash it to any officers or Atlas personnel, but we're lucky enough to avoid them. Either that or Penny found them and got the search called off at just the right moment. With no time to count our lucky stars the two of us make our way back to Beacon.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Week 18 (Part 2)
  • Threadmarks
    • The day after running from the police with Ruby I, ironically enough, receive approval for my request to interrogate Roman Torchwick. Part of that is likely motivated by the recent manpower shortage and another part is likely due to the fact that Beacon is both my home at the moment and where Torchwick is being held. I don't know if I should be concerned or not that we have a cell on campus that's capable of not only holding him, but Neo as well. Not that they're being held in the same cell or that he'd have any way of knowing that she's been captured either. I made sure to go over the security necessary with Oobleck and Frost and those are some rather basic precautions.

    Regardless, I'm not here to concern myself with how we're keeping hold of our prisoners when they could have information for me. Well Torchwick might, his partner isn't really the talkative sort nor do I think she was all that involved with planning based on how she rushed into things. Unfortunately, I'm not going into this interrogation alone.

    While the VPD may have been fine with me conducting this interrogation alone, the same can not be said about Beacon and its staff. It's almost like they're concerned that they'd be held liable if I took things too far. Doubly unfortunate is that my interrogation partner isn't Oobleck, or heck even Ozpin. Instead I'm stuck with Goodwitch and her icy glare. I know she didn't catch him the last time the two crossed paths, but that seems like a petty reason to involve herself like this and I'm not even sure if she has experience with this matter.

    Oh well, I have to play with the cards I'm dealt and there are a multitude of ways that I can subtly let Torchwick know about all the leverage I have on him without Goodwitch being any wiser. Sure, I might have to deal with some awkward questions in the aftermath, but I'm nothing if not confident in my ability to evade her wrath thus far. I meet her in the lobby of the CCT tower where we journey down a hallway that declines slightly into the earth where Torchwick is being held under armed guard. I guess he's technically under the detainment of Atlas in that case, but I'd like to see them press the issue without the Valean council's approval.

    That's a minor quibble as the two Atlas soldiers bang on the door to let him get ready for us and after thirty seconds pass, let us inside. Apparently Atlas takes their security to an extreme level as we're not even brought to an interrogation room; I believe the reasoning behind it being that he'd be easier to free while in transit even if it's all still in this building. The room is mostly barren with only small creature comforts and a cot that juts out of the wall that our criminal in question is sitting on.

    "Finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting? What does a guy have to do to get a little room service around here," Torchwick quips as if he doesn't have a single care in the world. Goodwitch, naturally, does not like his attitude and her semi-permanent scowl deepens in response. Torchwick, sensing weakness, continues his verbal assault, "Ah, the Huntress. I didn't realize you were there when I was so rudely assaulted by this brat and his friends. Or maybe you weren't. What, do you have to send off children to do all your fighting for you?"

    That digs deep at Goodwitch for some reason. She snaps her riding crop against the wall with a loud smack and I briefly peer over to make sure she hasn't done any damage. I haven't put in this much effort for her to give him any opportunity for escape, but thankfully there doesn't seem to be any permanent harm done. During all this I've been toying with how exactly I'm going to get him to squeal. I have a few options available and it's only up to me how much I want to reveal in my attempt to convince him that he's screwed.

    Heavy: Bring out the big guns and make him realize how much of a pawn he's been on this whole board. His only hope for seeing daylight again is if he cooperates. (6)

    Moderate: I'll proceed to drop some heavy hints that imply that I know what he's been up to and how far things reach. Perhaps spelling out how he was assisting with an attack on the city of Vale would be enough for him to crack. (2)

    Light: I'll keep everything I have to what could be publicly available or easily known to me. No reason to draw attention from Goodwitch for marginal gains. (0)

    My course decided I only have one obstacle in my way. Thankfully Torchwick has provided me with the perfect excuse to get rid of her and I'm not one to squander that opportunity. "Go outside and cool down," I demand with my most authoritative voice as I turn towards Goodwitch. She looks at me like I'm crazy, likely more incensed at me for following up on Torchwick's comment with that rather than actually upset at Torchwick.

    "You can't be serious. If this is your idea of a joke then I am dearly disappointed in you." I let her comment wash over me; I need to stand firm in my resolve right now even if it'll make things awkward for me later.

    "Miss Goodwitch, this is a co-operative venture between the Vale Police Department and the Huntsmen of Beacon. If you have any complaints about me ejecting you for displaying aggression towards the prisoner you can take it up with them or Ozpin." I can tell she wants to argue more and I move to offer her an out. "Just take five minutes; we'll start the interrogation when you get back." She narrows her eyes like she doesn't believe me. Which, fair, I am going to launch into the heart of things as soon as she's out of the room.

    Fortunately, she knocks on the door with some reluctance. Thirty seconds later the door opens and she takes a step outside. Of course this is when Torchwick decides to chime in again. "Wait, you're the one those pigs sent? Oh boy, they must have really let themselves go if they couldn't make the climb all on their own; too fat to even see what's plainly at their feet. Glad to see that they too have to rely on actual children to do their dirty work." He continues throwing out whatever disparaging comment he can muster about the VPD and myself that he can.

    He's trying to rattle me, but he doesn't have anything of substance to latch onto and is firing his shots in the dark. Likely a behavior to attempt to regain control of the situation. I can use that, if there's one thing that I can impress on him it's that he has no control left. All I have to do is shatter whatever hope he has left and then offer him a path to reclaim the control he so desires. Still, I'll have to act fast and unload my most impactful info before Goodwitch comes back.

    I suffer his verbal abuse with the calm of an oncoming storm. As soon as I hear the door seal properly and know that we won't be interrupted for a few moments I lay into him. "Shut up," I bark out, taking a step towards him. His smile grows because he thinks he got to me, but I'm about to wipe it from his face and I'll enjoy every moment of it. "I don't have much time, so let me lay out how well and truly fucked you are. I mean really, did you think you'd be able to get away with orchestrating a full scale attack on the city of Vale. And with the grimm no less."

    He looks on with confusion for a bare moment before he gets himself under control. Maybe no one else would have seen it, but I've hung out with Ren enough to pick up on those more subtle cues and Torchwick hasn't had the pleasure to be put in the hot seat like this too often to have a more perfect mask. His confusion is understandable as who in their right mind would have anything to do with the grimm?

    Despite this, he rolls with the punches as he says, "I knew those animals were up to no good. I tried to tell them their plan was bonkers, but they paid well enough to shut up any complaints. If you want any hope of stopping them you'll have to give me something to work with here, else I'm gonna stick to the winning side." I shake my head at his attempt of deception. Unluckily for him I have far too much information to be fooled by his honeyed words and smug grin.

    "Shut. Up. I know you don't have a damn clue about what they're planning and I have the logs to prove it." At his stony mask I decide to let him know how exactly that's the case. "What? Didn't think that anyone would find your little base of operations, much less bug it? Face it Torchwick you got overconfident and you're paying for it now." I pause for a moment and then turn the knife a little deeper, "Then again I guess you had no choice with that woman holding your leash."

    "Neo and I are partners-equals! Not whatever your tiny pea brain is conjuring up," he replies dismissively, but I notice the barest hint of sweat and anticipation leaking from his frame. Honestly I wish he'd just shut up as he's burning what little time we have outside of the gaze of Goodwitch. Regardless, his reaction was a bit stronger than I was expecting; good to see that I have another lever to ensure his compliance, but I'll reveal that later.

    I weigh the choice heavily and decide to draw out a heavy pause to build up the anticipation. "Cinder," I say flatly and wait another moment while he's still trying to process that. "Or did she not even tell you her name? Or about her two flunkies? Or maybe how she isn't even the one providing all these resources? No, if she wants to get anything done she has to run to her daddy for permission. I highly doubt she can do anything she promised you without permission and she doesn't strike me as the type to honor her deals."

    I'm not accurately describing how Watts fits into this picture, but I doubt Torchwick even knows about him to begin with. Plus describing Cinder this way might help infantilize her and downplay her threat in Torchwick's eyes while also painting her as untrustworthy. Plus some deliberate misinformation will help me catch if he's trying to feed me a line later on.

    "Please," he starts in an admirable attempt to keep his cool, but I can see the signs of doubt creeping into his eyes. Likely her keeping things so secret from him made him suspect a bigger game was at play here and my information plays wonderfully well into that. "If you knew anything about her you'd know that-"

    "-powerful enough to cow Adam Taurus," I interrupt, "Yeah, I know, but I don't care how strong she is. Do you really think she'd be able to stand up to a team of veteran Huntsmen, how about two, or three. If you were the biggest criminal in Vale then she's the biggest criminal in the world-well second biggest actually. Which reminds me, how does it feel to have been the pawn of a pawn?"

    There is only so much I can accomplish with revelation after revelation. Eventually he'll grow numb to it. If I want to make any real progress I have to unsettle him- change his emotional state so much and so often that he starts to break down. Getting him angry is as good of a choice as any to break up the monotony of putting the fear of me in him.

    Before he can fire back an angry retort to waste any more of my time we're interrupted by a knocking at the door and I tsk in frustration. When I told her to take five I meant it and I don't think I got so into this that I lost that much time. Oh well, I got most of the heavy duty ammunition out of the way; I might not have enough left to topple a Kingdom, but I have more than enough to take down Torchwick.

    Goodwitch enters the room and there's no way I have any hope of hiding the conversation with Torchwick. Not only is the man rattled, but he'd also inform her out of sheer spite if nothing else. This would be a lot easier if I didn't have her standing over my shoulder or if we could work together. As it is, I've committed too far to back down in my aggression otherwise I risk what little progress I've made. I'll have to deal with that later, but I'm banking on my momentum and whatever results I produce to be enough to earn forgiveness. Better to beg for that than ask for permission in this instance.

    So with a cold calculus I ignore Goodwitch to keep the pressure up on Torchwick. With any luck I'll be able to freeze her out of the conversation entirely, but he will surely interfere once he cottons on. "Did you really think she chose you for your skills? No, she chose you for your notoriety; the perfect little scapegoat to pin all of her crimes on. You're far more valuable here than doing whatever middle manager role she can find for you next."

    Torchwick scoffs at the attack on his ego, but I see the gears turning in his mind; the pieces fitting a little too perfectly. How she kept him in the dark, how big the plan was, maybe even how easily he got captured. "It's a good thing that I hedged my bets then now isn't it. Not to brag, but you guys don't exactly have the best track record of keeping me detained. Still I suppose I could tell you a thing or two in return for making my stay a little nicer."

    I must be making some progress if he's willing to negotiate, however little, instead of keeping his lot in with Cinder. Still, that isn't enough for me and I let my smile widen as he's given me the perfect opening to pull the rug out from under him. "I wouldn't get your hopes up about Neo coming to swoop in and save you. I arrested her myself after all."

    "Do you really want me to believe that some snot-nosed brat like yourself beat her? Pull the other one it's got bells on."

    "Believe whatever you want. Reality isn't going to comport to your wishes." As nice as that one-liner feels to say I know it's not going to convince him so after a beat I continue. "Was it you who taught her to go for the eyes? Good instincts, if not, but, well, I have my eyes and Neo- I'd say she screamed, but we both know that she's not much of a talker now don't we?"

    I spot Goodwitch out of the corner of my eye giving me a concerned look and I inwardly curse as I know Torchwick notices as well. "Bravo, teach! Bravo! Really raising the next generation of psychopaths now aren't you. I can see why you'd pick him for this, he's almost as vicious as I am. Though, if you want an honest critique his acting could use a little work."

    Thankfully her distaste for the man in front of us outweighs her desire to demand answers out of me. "Your partner, the woman known as Neo. Was indeed captured by Mr. Rovere here," she says, pulling up a hologram from her scroll that I recognize as a picture of Neo and her weapon alongside said weapon being disassembled and the blueprints next to it. Damn, I should have thought about that as proof it's as good as I can get considering that she hasn't lost the thing before and shows that she got into a bad situation if nothing else.

    He stares at the images looking for any trace of deception as his frame sags more and more, his eyes drifting downwards as well and genuine sorrow entering his voice. "I tried telling her that design was going to be a liability one day. Curse my bleeding heart." Neither Goodwitch nor I make any comment on that, instead waiting to see where he'll take this conversation next.

    I could always pepper him with how much I know about the plan already, but I'm hesitant to do that anymore than I've done so already. Both to avoid any more of Goodwitch's attention and to prevent him from cobbling together a nice sounding story from whatever I tell him. Perhaps I've already told him too much that he'll be able to spin a nice little yarn for a month or two, but that's a gamble I have to take.

    Eventually Torchwick regains a small measure of his composure, but he looks so much smaller now. Like he's admitted defeat on some level. Not to say he's entirely out as he puffs his chest out as if the act of making himself look bigger will grant him some sort of confidence or other advantage. "I want to see whatever deal you have for me AND Neo before I say anything. In writing no less, and notarized so much the document is more red tape than anything else."

    I grimace at that, I haven't been in the VPD for long enough to have permission to make terms. In fact I'm pretty sure that's the responsibility of the courts and not the VPD. Goodwitch might, but the VPD isn't about to let go of prosecuting Torchwick so easily. His capture is their big win of the year and letting that go to the Huntsmen is the last thing they want to do.

    "I'll see what I can do," I let out slowly, not willing to admit that isn't something I can provide.

    I don't think Torchwick notices as he relaxes instead, some small measure of control returned to him. "Yeah, yeah. I know how these things go. I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

    That may be accurate, but it wouldn't be me visiting him next. I'd have to get permission all over again and I just don't have the time to do that. Plus I may just want to snipe back at him for all his snide comments thus far. "I think you mean a month or so," I say while knocking on the door.

    "What do you mean?" I can tell instantly that he regrets not being able to stop himself from asking that question.

    "I think you are vastly over-estimating your worth here. You aren't necessary for me to crack this case and my world hardly revolves around you. In fact I have a trip planned for the break and you just don't fit anywhere in my schedule." With that parting shot Goodwitch and I leave the room as Torchwick follows after us. Halting before he gets to the threshold.

    "Break- a break! You're leaving me to stew for a month just so you-" Whatever else he was going to say is cut off by the door closing shut behind us. Goodwitch has a smirk on her face that I'm sure if I pointed it out to her would be gone in an instant and I'm sure my expression is no less satisfied.

    We continue walking in silence past the guarded corridors and back into the Tower's lobby. Then, almost as if she was waiting for the moment where we'd draw the most attention, she turns to yell at me while still making her way to the outside. "Mr. Rovere! As one of my students, I do not appreciate you keeping secrets from me. I will have answers, and you best be ready to deliver them when prompted." I keep pace with her, but she makes no move to drag me along anywhere or interrogate me on the spot.

    "You're not going to ask about them right now," I ask, a little dumbfounded.

    "As much as I wish to, there are some important matters I must deal with. That and I suspect that this will take more time than we have available before your trip." She mumbles something under her breath and I get the feeling that if she wasn't friends with Oobleck I wouldn't be enjoying this level of leniency right now. I guess he's more excited for this expedition than he's let on.

    That's, well, that's better than what I was expecting out of her honestly. I slow my pace to let her carry on and to make sure that she's serious about this before making a break back to my dorm. If I was in her position I don't think I'd do the same, but I guess she's only human after all. Maybe she trusts whatever Oobleck has been saying about me. Or, more likely a part of my brain says, she's just waiting until we're on the trip together to interrogate me. I'm not supposed to know she's joining us for that so in her mind it might be the perfect opportunity to catch me unawares. Either way I can only deal with that when I get to it and I have no intention of running away from Beacon now.

    I send off my report on the interrogation, mainly about how Torchwick didn't give me much to work with and that he's willing to play ball to a certain degree. I do include some of my own notes as a part of his testimony; mainly to set the groundwork in case I need to mobilize the VPD against Cinder. It's out of my hands, but given how I receive congratulations from both Frost and Flint I get the impression that they're going to work with Torchwick. I get the feeling that the VPD's ambition stretches further than their grasp, but it benefits me so I don't say anything.

    I've also checked over all of the new hires we're onboarding including the assistants for Terra, Tukson, and Blake. I have a complicated feeling over distancing myself from the amount of control I've enjoyed thus far. On one hand I really don't need to look over a report written up by a grunt who has no idea what he's doing and on the other there is an occasional nugget of information buried within all the minutiae.

    Unfortunately it's not realistic for me to keep up with that same level of thoroughness, at least if I want any time to myself and my other projects. The disapproval I'd expect to get from Weiss might also play a small part in my decision here, but I can also recognize that this was inevitable one way or another.

    If I want the level of world-wide influence I'm striving for it would be impossible for me to do anything else. I mean it's not like there's a secret shadow cabal that controls the world from behind the scenes that I can conveniently join. No, real power comes from the many hands under me willing to enact change, or, failing that, at least my will.

    I push such thoughts out of my mind for now. The Union is still in its infancy and will take some time to grow to the heights I want it too. It does remind me that Terra sent me a picture of that monkey faunus I chased at the docks. I suppose I should do my due diligence as an officer of the law and make sure that he isn't up to anything nefarious. Probably won't arrest him in either case, he's not worth it and if he's willing to help out Terra he probably has some redeeming qualities.

    Joining me on this trip is Blake. She wants to talk with Terra about some of her plans now that I've given them all the green-light to operate without my direct oversight. It serves well enough in tying the two together so I can talk with this unknown faunus in relative privacy.

    We enter Terra's kitchen to the sight of the monkey faunus rushing around the line moving ingredients and cooked food around so the various chefs can focus solely on their own tasks. He isn't quite a blur of motion as Ruby would be, but he's awfully co-ordinated with his hands and feet. I even spot him picking up a utensil or knife on occasion with his tail, which seems unsanitary to me. No one else raises a complaint so either they're ignorant or fine with it as long as he helps out.

    Blake doesn't quite freeze up at the sight of him, but it's clear that she recognizes him from the docks as well. She looks at me for some sort of answer and I just shrug my shoulders, not knowing what to tell her. It's not like she has to worry about dealing with him, so it should be a minor inconvenience at best. When he notices us he looks hopeful, but after a second his mood seems to have taken a hit. I don't know exactly what's going on in his mind, but having someone who was chasing you just over a week ago show up somewhere where you can't escape easily can't be a good feeling.

    Blake splits off from me while I go to meet with our guest. Terra motions to him and he steps away from the chefs to some good-natured cheers and thanks for his help thus far. Just as he's about to step off the line I see his hand dart out to grab an apple that's yet to be cut up. Terra, with almost preternatural awareness, raps his knuckles with a wooden spoon. "No eating in the kitchen. You'll get your food when your shift is over."

    He adopts a chagrin expression, but I can tell he isn't repentant. Just unwilling to test her patience for the next few minutes. Given Terra's sigh she spots this as well, but leaves him alone for the time being since I'm there to talk with him.

    As soon as he is away from the food he tosses off the apron he is wearing and unbuttons his white shirt and pops its collar. "Hey, so you're the boss of this place I hear," he starts confidently. "Man, you must be doing well for yourself; I can hardly imagine giving out this much food, and for free no less. You'd never see this kind of thing in Vacuo, much less Mistral."

    "This was all built up by Terra actually," I correct. "And you are…"

    "Right, the name's Sun. Pleased to meetchya," Sun says, sticking his hand out with a relaxed smile.

    "Ochre," I say, grasping his hand. "Last time I saw you, you were running away from the cops."

    "Hehe, yeah. They tried to catch me, but I was too slippery for them. Getting out of trouble like that is kind of my specialty."

    I could just let him get away with that brag, but I'm feeling a little petty and vindictive for him interrupting my time with Weiss. I pull out my badge as I start, "I suppose as an officer of the law I should disabuse you of that notion." I notice his tail stiffening up rather than any other part of him and he keeps his eyes focused on me. He's probably looking behind me for any kind of escape, but it does credit to his nerves that he's not panicking. "Then again it's not worth the hassle and I have bigger fish to fry."

    Sun relaxes at that and shoots me a thankful look while rubbing the back of his head. "Ah so why are you here then?"

    "Just wanted to ask you some questions if you don't mind."

    "Are you sure I'm not under arrest," he jokes. "That's exactly the kind of thing I'd expect a cop to say." Perhaps if I was more comfortable with him I'd join in on the joke, but I don't know enough about him to determine how I should feel about him. He has Terra's approval which is something in his favor, but it's not enough to wash out the distaste from our first meeting. Still, I'm here to talk to him and I might as well get the ball rolling.

    Stowaway: Could he really not just pay the fare like a normal person? Or was there something more up with his sudden arrival. (3)

    Union: I could check in to see how he's been contributing to the place and how he likes it. Maybe sound him out on his views and if he's likely to join up. (2)

    Coincidence: It's awfully suspicious that out of all the places to choose he winded up at Terra's. Why it almost reminds me of my own activities with the Fang, I should interrogate him on this matter. (2)

    Blake: Blake had some sort of reaction to him when she walked in. I could make sure that he didn't do anything untoward with my friend. (0)

    QM Note: Coincidence won the roll off.

    "Why'd you do it," I blurt out, wanting to get to the point and not having a good enough read on Sun to tailor my approach to him. "Stowing away on the ship I mean. I can guess why you ran afterwards."

    He looks like he bites back a snarky comment at my clarification, but doesn't put too much effort into his reply. "I had to get here from Mistral somehow, and I kind of needed a subtle way of getting out of the Kingdom. Those two circumstances arranged themselves into that happy little venture."

    "And you didn't think to pay for your fare after the ship was a few days out of port?"

    "Why would I do that," he questions with his same easygoing nature. Not like he's confused by the question, but more like he doesn't see what the big deal could possibly be. I could guess from his presence at Terra's kitchen that he doesn't have the funds to pay in the first place. However, his clothes are of much too good of quality for that to be the case.

    "Common decency, maybe? What if you all ran into a delay and because of your presence there wasn't enough food to go around." I've been around the world enough times to know that's a legitimate concern, especially for the smaller boats that brave the waters without much room in their hold for anything but the essentials.

    Instead of taking issue with my tone or reflecting on his actions, Sun instead leans against the hallway wall as if we were having the most casual of conversations. "Nah it's fine; it was a passenger liner and they had plenty of food. Plenty of space too. No way were they going to be able to eat it all before it rotted. I just made sure that good food didn't go to waste."

    "Did you know that before you stowed away," I ask, already suspecting this is all post-hoc justification on his part.

    "Nope," he responds, popping the 'p.'

    Sensing that trying to get him to see any level of reason on this matter is a cause that would require far too much effort I switch tracks. "So why did you need to get to Vale so badly?"

    "What else could I be here for? I'm competing in the Vytal Tournament." I stare at him in slight disbelief still not believing he could be an actual competitor. Surely I just misheard him and he's here to watch the tournament. "Lionheart started jumping at shadows again and forbade all teams from going to Vale just because of some grimm sightings. I mean how could he do that? Doesn't he know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of us. Who knows how far we could fall behind because of his decision." Heavens help me, I'm going to have to deal with him all of next semester won't I?

    "If that's the case," I say slowly, picking my words carefully. "Where is your team?"

    "Ah that, you see they had to cover for me while I went ahead to scout out the competition. No way were we going to give up on any kind of advantage no matter how much our headmaster wanted to stop us." This again. Is there something I'm missing? How much could anyone possibly get from a few extra weeks of observing teams not even practicing when we have a whole semester together?

    During my silence, Sun is not inactive. "Hey," he says, sweeping me up in a side hug. "You've been in Vale longer than I have. I bet there are a lot of neat places you could show me around. It'd be alot better to have a native with me when going to some of these places based on my experience in Mistral."

    "I'm from Menagerie actually," I say as I lever myself out of his hold and put some distance between us

    "No shit man. That's great, you'll have to show me around there sometime as well," he continues in his overly friendly manner like that wasn't a subtle dismissal of his request.

    "Maybe," I offer just to get him to drop the subject. "So what brought you here specifically? Terra's isn't exactly on the map in Vale and we're pretty nestled away."

    "Well you see I didn't exactly bring a whole lot of Lien with me. That's not a problem, I'm from Vacuo and I have my ways to survive in the city, but then I heard about a place giving away free food and I'm like 'hey that's way better than having to filch it from a stall or a store.' So I made my way over here and waited in line like everyone else. Then the old lady," Sun ducks his head and looks back and forth in search of if Terra heard that.

    "Well she pointed me out of the crowd and demanded that I help her and you know that's no big deal. I'm a Huntsman in training and I have aura so I'm like what the heck, might as well see what she wants, but I have to get my food first you feel? Anyway that's not the important part- the important part is she took me to the back to wheel in a new piece of equipment then left to get some help. Well it wasn't too heavy or anything so I just did all the work myself and she offered me food for helping out on occasion. Gainful employment has been a lot more fun than I thought it would be."

    It takes me a second to parse out what exactly he said and search it for any hidden meanings. I don't find anything and he reminds me of a less sporadic Nora. I'll admit hearing that he was a stowaway from Mistral made me instantly think of the Fang.

    I mean if the brother's wanted me to keep an eye on the Vale branch surely Sienna must have thought to do something similar. There are too many holes present in what he's said for me to seriously consider that any more so I guess this was just a massive coincidence. Though on the incredibly unlikely chance that it isn't I should sound him out to see if his views align with the Union.

    "Aside from that how're you liking the place? We're trying to get some more set up and I'm curious on how it looks from the outside."

    "Man it's great, like I said you'd never see a place like this in the other Kingdoms, well not without a whole lot of strings attached."

    "How so?"

    "Well the free food bit is the first of it. The second, well this is more of a Mistral thing, but I'm not too used to everything being so civil with the… you know what I'm talking about right?" He waves his hands aimlessly in the air like that will cause me to just get it. Thankfully it isn't too hard to piece together what he's referring to.

    Mistral is arguably the worst Kingdom for race relations and this kind of atmosphere must come as a bit of a shock to him. While most of Terra's patrons and volunteers are faunus she hasn't turned away a human yet. Well one that was here in good faith at any rate, but she'd just as soon throw out a faunus looking for trouble.

    "I don't suppose you think that's a bad thing, do you," I ask, injecting some levity in my tone and forcing myself to give a conspiratorial smile.

    "Nah man, it's great. You and the old lady have done a good job with this place. Keep this up and it's only a matter of time until the rest of Remnant is as chill as this place."

    "I heard that Sun," Terra interrupts our conversation and for the first time I see him actually panic.

    "Ahaha, you must have misheard me. You know on account of- you know what, shutting up now." Terra's glare softens a little at his antics and she just shakes her head before motioning him to follow her, deciding that she needs him for something and that I've had enough time with him. I meet up with Blake out front and we head back to Beacon. I try pressing her on what she was talking with Terra about, but she remains steadfast in wanting to get it off the ground first before she'll tell me anything.


    With the date of my departure rapidly approaching Weiss, of course, has some last minute plans for us. It isn't anything as grand or personal like the last few weeks. At least in comparison, it's still rather personal as she leads me through some basic steps for classical dancing. She heard about the dance before the tournament which led her to asking if I knew how to dance. I can safely say that the footwork isn't too hard to pick up even if I have some trouble keeping up with the rhythm. I can get by as long as I'm focusing on my dance partner and make adjustments accordingly, but it's far from graceful.

    It's not my fault that I never really learned how to as a kid. Plus my time with the Fang was hardly pockmarked with many occasions where I'd have the opportunity to cut loose and celebrate, much less feel like showing off in front of a crowd. Despite this she doesn't get upset at my lack of progress or skill, rather she patiently keeps walking me through the same sequence again and again until I have it right. Besides, I think she's enjoying the extra attention that I have to give her to keep up.

    With my semblance we're able to practice in the great hall where the dance will be held without worry about the optics or interruption. She's a little too busy to regale me with her singing, but she still puts on some music from her scroll. Nothing with her as the vocalist after last week, though I catch her with a soft smile directed at her scroll every now and then. After a couple hours of being intimate and close to one another she calls our practice session there. I'm sure we'll have another at some point in the future, just as sure as I am that she'll have something to say about my score in Dust studies; not that she knows about that just yet.

    Once we're on our break, my girlfriend makes a run to her bag and pulls out some chocolate that she pops into her mouth. She's taken to carrying expensive treats with her into my mirror world when she got it through her head that nothing she eats in here will transfer or be lost in the real world. She was also super excited about the same possibilities with experimenting with Dust until I had to remind her that my semblance doesn't work that way for whatever reason.

    She hands me some as well which I receive gratefully even if it's a bit too rich for my tastes. Or as I'm sure I'd hear from some stiff upperclassman that I just have an unrefined palate. Either way the two of us take a seat at one of the tables sitting rather close together with her leaning on me.

    "You know," I start without warning. "This is not where I expected my life to go when I joined Beacon."

    "I hope you're not saying that as a bad thing," she teases, confident that she isn't some sort of regret of mine.

    "No, just saying that a lot has happened. Most of it good." My comment draws a pleased note from my girlfriend

    "Mhm, I know the feeling. I felt that I was so ready to be a leader, but I can't say that I hate how Ruby has been running things. And the whole business with the SDC, I can't thank you enough for that."

    "You did most of the work on your own," I demure.

    That causes her to pinch me at my sides, "Take the compliment why don't you?! Seriously, you can be so pig-headed about the oddest things."

    "Like you're any better," I say and draw a grumble out of her and it looks like she wants to say something before thinking better of it. Instead she rests her head against my shoulder and we stay like that for a few minutes. During that time she keeps looking up at me for a moment before looking away. Likely trying to work up the courage to do something before deciding against it. Whatever it is I'm sure she'll get over it herself soon enough and I'm fine playing things by her pace so far.

    Relaxation: There's no need for us to get up to too much drama before we leave each other. Some additional stability will likely do her some good. (7)

    Leader: she hasn't brought this up much before and she seems fine with things now, but it wouldn't hurt to discuss what ifs and might have beens. (5)

    Menagerie: I know she doesn't have many happy memories of her own home, but maybe she'll take some solace in my retelling of some of mine. (4)

    Dust: This is the last week I can bring this up for a while, but maybe letting her know about the Dust deposits of Menagerie and offering an introduction to the brothers and the Belladonnas would give her some ammo against her father. (1)

    Dance: I know this is a big deal to some, but I'm not really seeing the big appeal. I could at least see how Weiss feels about it. (0)

    SDC: There might not be much left to discuss on this matter as Weiss has it well in hand, but I could see what her plans are. (0)

    There isn't much of a need for words at the moment between either of us, though that doesn't mean we aren't communicating another way. Or less communicating and more directly showing our affection for one another. Weiss has a hand trailing across my chest with feather-light touches. I have one hand pressing her against the side and squeezing us together in a way she likes while the other is drifting across her unused arm, rubbing little circles around the back of her hand and occasionally intertwining our fingers.

    Judging by how red in the face she's getting as well as her deep breaths this is something that my girlfriend considers particularly intimate. Either that or she's holding herself back from going any further; not that I mind either way. Seeing her in such a state is a pleasurable experience in its own right.

    It doesn't take too long for it all to become too much for her, but she's nothing if not stubborn on the matter and keeps escalating with minor adjustments that I'm sure are bigger for her than they are for me. A shift of her hand lower and the other higher here and there, arching her back in such a way that my own slips a little bit lower. She even goes out on a limb to look at me with her lower lips sucked in and trapped by her incisors before she has to call it quits.

    Not that she changes too much of our arrangement, simply sitting up straighter and keeping her hands to herself in a faint attempt to remain prim and proper. It's more or less defeated by her unwillingness to actually separate from me and with her head still on my shoulder, but I know better than to keep testing her now. She needs a moment to cool off and collect herself, though she gives me a hard look all throughout her process of doing so.

    Eventually she comes to a decision on the matter and looks away with a pout. Either upset at her own reaction or her lack of an ability to cause a strong one with myself. In response I tickle her side before she can slide into any sort of foul mood. That earns me a glare and I just smile to break through her icy exterior. She returns fire with a grin of her own and sighs as she rests her head against me once more; seemingly satisfied with the conclusion of our antics.

    With that mood passed I start thinking about what I could talk to her about that might be the last thing we say to one another for a month. "I never thought I'd be made leader of a team. Or much of anything really- I was always more of a lone operator if you catch my drift."

    Weiss reaches down to give my hand a squeeze, "Well I think you've done a wonderful job thus far. Especially with Marina if all the things I've seen and heard about the girl are true."

    "Thanks, but not the point. It's just I don't know I always thought my plans for the Fang and Menagerie would be this far off thing that I'd get to eventually and it's all just been one fast paced ride since I got here." Weiss gives me a flat look. "What," I cry out, not knowing what she could be taking issue with here.

    "Really? Mister 'have you actually thought about how you're going to manage the SDC' didn't have some sort of plan in mind? I've been with you long enough to know that you always have something in mind."

    "I mean yes, but a lot of that was just me hedging my bets and seeing how they'd pay out. Anyway, that's not the point," I ramble trying to think of how I want to word all this.

    "If you had a point you'd have gotten to it already," she says with a playful smile on her face

    "When did you get so bratty," I complain instead of properly addressing her point.

    Her face scrunches up, "I have to do something to get a reaction out of you sometimes."

    "Fine, fine," I say, running my hand along her side in an attempt at defusing the situation. She jumps at first, but soon leans into the touch. By the end of it she has a pleased smile which she has to force into an unconvincing pout. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I didn't expect it and I can't help but wonder how things would have turned out different if it wasn't the case. Like I haven't found being team leader to be anything onerous or time consuming, but I also can't discount that I might not have enjoyed the amount of support from my team that I have thus far. You ever think about stuff like that, like what if you became team leader instead of Ruby?"

    "Yeah," Weiss starts with a far off look on her face. "I thought about it a lot at first, and I've thought about it some more with the semester coming to a close. I think I would have made a great team leader, but…" she pauses for a moment, squeezing my hand all the while and looking down and then back up at me. "I think if I was the leader instead of Ruby that I would have been too busy and focused on my own team to give this a shot. I-" Whatever she wants to say she cuts herself off with a heated blush on her face.

    I give her a second of reprieve before making light of the situation, "You still think about it though." My simple statement is punctuated by a wide grin on my part.

    Weiss doesn't even try to reprimand me instead scoffing off to the side, "Of course I do. Did you know she once brain-stormed a combo move where she'd install a blunt part of Crescent Rose to scoop me up and toss me at an enemy like a common stone. She kept going on and on about how with Myrtenaster's fine point that it'd have incredible penetrative power to take down any heavily armored grimm. Nevermind that would leave me either without a weapon or stuck to an angry rampaging grimm as I try to hang on for dear life. No, the idea was 'too cool' to let go until she came up with her next great idea.

    If it was up to me our entire team would take our studies much more seriously and I'd push them harder to succeed. But…I can admit that my style of leadership probably wouldn't have been as much fun as Ruby's. No matter how much she can irk me and make me want to pull out my hair at times." Despite ostensibly complaining about her team leader there's no way I'd miss that wide grin that she's sporting.

    "So you think being in charge of the SDC isn't enough for you," I ask with a teasing lilt.

    She rams her shoulder against me in protest, "That's entirely different and you know it. They have to listen to me or else I'll fire them. It isn't this genuine respect and…friendship that we have. The only person like that in the SDC is Lily and, well, she keeps to a professional bent as much as possible." I nod my head to show that I'm paying attention. She hasn't told me much about her assistant, much like how I haven't told her too much about Tukson or Terra. We know they each work for us, but aside from that there's been no need to go into any details.

    "You know," I say meaningfully, looking her in the eye and dropping any joking pretense. "I'd like to think that we'd have found a way to work things out. No matter what our situations were." Maybe it's something about the situation or our upcoming separation, but I'm feeling particularly sentimental and I know my girlfriend would enjoy the sentiment if nothing else.

    She doesn't say anything or move much at all, but I know she heard what I said. It just seems that she's having a hard time fully processing it since I don't normally act like this. I guess that means she's happy and maybe she's just trying to stop herself from gushing over the situation or acting 'improper' in any way. I figure I'm on the mark when she throws both arms around my midsection and nuzzles against my shoulder. The time for words between us once again is over, but with a far lighter, less-needy air. Like the two of us are simply content to spend the rest of the day like this.


    It's almost a disappointment when I have to check in with my agents to see what they've managed to collect thus far. Not because they have nothing for me, though the teams assigned to tracking Cinder and her lot's previous activities are unable to produce much substance. Not that they made no progress as eliminating dead ends will help in the future, but there's a lack of anything that I can really tear and read into. Just as well, I suppose- progress like this will come slowly with the occasional bit of good info, not a constant stream of usable updates. Instead I turn to what my various moles and agents have for me.

    While there's confusion amongst the Fang as everything is restructured to go on with the sudden loss of Torchwick it appears that there isn't quite enough Dust for them to carry out their plan. They're real close to the minimum threshold, however, and I suspect that they'll kick up their efforts while I'm away. There isn't much I can do about that without tipping my hand, though I suppose I could feed a few lines to the VPD, or more accurately have the Union do so.

    Furthermore I've heard some concerning talks from some of the members in the Fang. Well, concerning based on your point of view. With the recent and very public takedown of Torchwick there seems to be a split with some of the members turning against Adam and others insisting that it was the fault of working with humans to begin with. Nothing that's gone too far just yet and only minor rumblings at the lower levels, but I can't help but feel that this will play out into something bigger.

    Moving on from that I have one last report to work through, which is what my agents have found on the criminal elements of Vale. With Torchwick taken down, and surprisingly, or unsurprisingly enough, Junior Xiong in custody as well there have been a number of bit players making a move to expand their influence.

    There are also a number of criminals holding back in case this is a trap by the VPD, but their weakness will become apparent soon enough and lead to the criminals fighting one another for dominance over Vale. Now would be the perfect time to move in, but we've done well so far by distancing us from any shady practices that I'm not too enthused to make a move now. Especially since I won't be around to oversee it; perhaps if the circumstances were different I'd try my hand at it, but that ship has sailed.

    Of course, local players aren't the only ones interested in Vale. I'm told by my agents that some emissaries on the behalf of Mistrali crime syndicates. Particularly those working for Wave and Spider. It's likely that they'll start making a move to infiltrate Vale now that their competition has been swept from the board. As much as it pains me to admit this, we might be relying on the help of Atlas to deal with them while the VPD recovers.

    Now it may be a particularly moot point with how much I've entangled myself with the VPD thus far, I still have to consider the possibility of holding onto this information for myself. There isn't much benefit I could get out of it if we're not expanding into criminal enterprises, but having some friendly faces on the other side of the fence could prove useful in the future.

    Yes: The VPD will need all the help that they can get and earning some good will in the process is a nice benefit. (7)

    No: I might be able to leverage this information for some possible gain in the future. Better to keep it under wraps for now. (0)


    It's not quite the end of the week, but the expedition group has quite a bit of ground to cover on foot. We have a one way bullhead to bring us as close to our first dig site as it can, but there's only so far it can take us. Either that or Oobleck cheaped out on paying for a better flight in order to buy up some more supplies.

    Everyone on my team has to carry an oversized rucksack with us just to hold it all and even then I hear from Autumn that Port had to shoot down Oobleck bringing a cart with us to carry even more stuff. I can only imagine how the return trip is going to pan out because I know my mentor is going to want to bring some artifacts back with us.

    We have to assemble at the docks a bit before noon where the packs are already loaded on the bullhead. This is to give us enough time to say any last minute goodbyes and take care of some unfinished business, which seems to be the case for Kelly as she makes an excuse to leave. Autumn looks a little concerned, but quickly laughs it off while Marina is strangely morose.

    With our party earlier in the week we don't have to deal with a cavalcade of well-wishers instead our group is much smaller with only Weiss, Ruby, Jaune, and Ren showing up to say goodbye. Jaune is the oddest one of all to me and he doesn't interact with me much. Only giving me a shallow nod, before sticking close to Ren for the rest of his time there. An odd choice since Ren and I are, well close is an odd way to describe our relationship, but we definitely have the strongest bond out of anyone from our two teams. This is further encapsulated when he presents me with a going away present.

    Mindful of our somewhat stalled prank war I open it gingerly, ready for any surprises. It turns out to be a book and I can't see anything wrong with it. That is until I read the title, '101 edible plants of Vale.' That little shit, just because he got a better score than me in Peach's class doesn't mean I don't know how to rough it in the wilderness. Everyone else seems confused as to my sudden change in mood and I'm not about to show them that Ren got one over on me so I tuck the book away before anyone can see it and grind out a thank you. Ren's slight smirk for the rest of the time until our departure is absolutely insufferable and I can't call him out on it.

    Ruby starts to panic after that display of gift giving, likely thinking that she was supposed to bring some going away present. She fumbles around her outfit until she pulls out a small cookie patterned box and opens it up. She quickly closes it and hides it away with a blush on her face until my girlfriend pokes her in her side and whispers something to her. Whatever is said is lost to me, but serves well in calming down the little reaper. The two of them proceed to have a small conversation between one another that ends with Weiss scoffing off to the side and Ruby looking victorious.

    Then, as if she just remembered why she is here to begin with, she dashes off to say some high-speed goodbyes. There is no hugging involved, I guess she's not as physically inclined as my girlfriend is. Then again Weiss is only like that with me, so it's probably just an intimacy thing. Regardless, she finishes her round of goodbyes by saying that she'll have something in store for us when we get back.

    We have to make our leave before Weiss gets to bid us well, however she doesn't seem too put out by it and follows us to the docks where Oobleck and Port are already waiting for us. If I had to guess she either wanted this to be a more personal goodbye or she's working up the courage to do something. Probably both, knowing her, her trip to Atlas, and her behavior throughout this week.

    Not that I have too much time to think about that as Marina pulls on my sleeve. Her and Autumn wearing glum expressions, though Autumn is doing a better job hiding his. They look at me, but I don't see what the big deal is; it's not like we're leaving without Kelly. As if on cue I spot her silhouette trailing behind Goodwitch and I just point towards her instead of saying anything. For some reason this causes the two of them to look on with a mix of shock and elation.

    Did I forget to tell Autumn and Marina about that? Huh, I guess I did. In my defense I had a lot to keep track of with capturing Torchwick, expanding the Union, and making inroads with the VPD. Surely that forgives a minor slip of the memory like this. Not that I think Autumn is in any state to notice my lack of surprise and Marina is happy enough that our errant teammate is joining us on our expedition.

    Seeing that everyone for the expedition has arrived, Oobleck gives a slight nod in my direction before piling into the bullhead. Goodwitch has other ideas in mind as she stands standoffishly and coughs loudly. "Ah yes, if you could," my mentor starts before seeing the look that Goodwitch is sending him.

    "Bartholomew," she states authoritatively and Oobleck winces slightly. "I can't help, but notice that we still haven't discussed the matter of payment."

    "Glynda," Port tries to complain, but is shut up by a stern stare from my combat teacher.

    "We can talk about that when we get back; we're burning precious daylight," Oobleck says quickly, trying to fast-talk himself out of this situation.

    Goodwitch is having none of it and demands, "Pay me the standard rate for a Huntress." She pauses meaningfully and looks to Kelly who's still standing at her side. "And half that for my apprentice." Kelly swivels her head towards us with a big smile as if to say that her mentor is better than ours while Autumn and I grumble to each other. Marina, on the other hand, returns the smile with two thumbs up.

    "Glynda," Port starts again, mustering his courage. "Surely you could be a bit more lenient? In the name of friendship if nothing else."

    "This is me providing a friendly discount, Peter," she responds pointedly. "You both know that I'm worth much more than a standard Huntress."

    I can tell that Oobleck is thinking over the proposition and not immediately giving ground. It leaves me concerned for a little while that he might turn down Goodwitch's counter offer and we'll go without her and Kelly. After a few moments of resolving things in his head my mentor concedes, "I suppose that I can dip into my savings for this."

    That is apparently enough for Goodwitch as she pushes Kelly forward to hop into the bullhead. The rest of my team as well as Oobleck and Port follow suit, but I have to wait for whatever my girlfriend has in mind for me. Her leader is standing a fair distance away, likely curious as to what Weiss has in mind, and Goodwitch stares at the two of us before turning her head away with a click of her tongue. She doesn't head into the bullhead, however, and I get the impression that she wants to be the last one on for whatever reason.

    I put that out of my mind as she's giving us the barest amount of privacy and, well, Weiss wouldn't appreciate it if I were in any way distracted for this. She rushes into me with enough force that I have to take a step back and brace myself. I wrap my arms around her in a mutual hug with one hand in the small of her back and the other resting against the back of her head.

    "I'm going to miss you," she says softly, her voice low enough that I'm the only one who can possibly hear her admit that. I refrain from any pithy comment about how it'll only be a month as I'm sure it will feel like a lot longer than that for her.

    "I will too," I return instead and it feels like the truth. I'll admit that I'm more used to shorter and shallower relationships than this so it's left me a bit unprepared for this brief departure. I make to break away, figuring that's the end of that, but she cinches harder, likely with something more in store for me. I relent and stop my attempt at escape, but before I can do anything else Weiss makes her move. She has to stand up as straight as she can and stretch out her whole body while pulling down on me for leverage and stability, but she manages to plant a chaste kiss on my lips.

    Before I have the chance to process that she's broken away and ran off in the direction of Ruby who's looking away and sticking her tongue out at the display of affection. That causes Weiss to hone in on her team leader and pull her away from the scene. I look back at the bullhead and am spared from any of my team witnessing what just happened. Not that I think that will stop Autumn or Kelly from sending me teasing looks and making comments throughout our trip, but it blunts the worst of it. The only other witness of note appears to be Goodwitch and she looks as ready to forget about this matter as I am to never discuss it with anyone.

    We both board the bullhead and out of sentimentality I ask for us to keep the doors open for as long as we can. Beacon becomes smaller and smaller as we break away to the North and for a brief moment when the pilot banks to the right we're able to see a good portion of Vale as well. All the buildings and people we know are being dwarfed by so much as a thumb held out between our eyes and the skyline.

    Soon enough we have to close the bay doors and everyone shares a look of excitement as we go off to our destination. Not even Goodwitch is spared from the good mood as she is soon drawn into a conversation between Port and Oobleck with her playing as a moderator to each side. Likely a familiar dynamic for the trio. My own team is not much better with Autumn and Kelly arguing over why she kept this a secret for so long and Marina attempting every few minutes or so to get someone to join in with her singing. Eventually I relent, but make sure to keep it quiet so we don't draw the ire of the other passengers.

    Aura(Practical) raised from (250/625) to (275/625) Source: Semblance usage

    Combat Raised from (611/625) to (621/625) Source: Oobleck

    Criminology raised from (10/150) to (12/150) Source: VPD action

    Culture raised form (48/150) to (53/150) Source: Oobleck

    Grimm raised from Rank 2 (106/150) to Rank 3 (13/300) Source: Training

    History raised from (238/300) to (248/300) Source: Oobleck

    Investigation raised from (275/300) to (288/300) Source: Training, & Oobleck

    Law raised from (16/50) to (20/50). Source: VPD action.

    Mobility raised from (51/625) to (56/625) Source: Oobleck

    Personal funds raised to 6125L Source: VPD
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Winter Break Act 1(Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • Sorry about this bit of preamble, but I feel the need to say that I don't think the Winter break section is anywhere near my best work. I try to maintain a certain level of quality and while there may be a multitude of factors at play for the resultant quality and my feelings towards it I will not be detailing those here.

    What I will say about the matter is that I feel it was an error in the conceptualization phase, where I simply did not think through things and plan them out in enough detail for my satisfaction. I can only apologize for that, and subsequently the segment ended up reduced from it's previously planned scope to get back to the main meat of the quest. It should only last a few days on this site with the current update schedule so I can only ask for patience and understanding.

    The pleasant atmosphere bleeds away after not too much time because we're ostensibly on the clock as it were. Naturally being this close to Beacon and with the rise of air traffic none of us are expecting much trouble, but to act so carefree isn't really something that anyone is willing to risk with Goodwitch aboard. Well, Goodwitch and Port; the man is uncharacteristically serious and at odds with the demeanor he displays in the classroom. It does line up with what Autumn told me about his mentor, so I guess he at least knows to take fieldwork more seriously than his lectures.

    I play my part as well, keeping an ear out for any trouble, but don't really expect any issues. Any grimm that would attack us this close to Vale would have to be young in grimm terms; those that are older should know better than to attack the transports leaving or entering the city. Even if they're successful at first it's only a matter of time until they're taken apart either by Huntsmen, other airships, or the guard. Plus it's not like the bullhead that we're on is completely defenseless Although, I can understand that the pilot would prefer to keep his payload for the return trip when he isn't transporting damn near two teams of Huntsmen.

    Our trip drags on for a few hours as we pass over the Emerald Forest at a North-Easterly heading eventually clearing the forest entirely. Not that I can tell when the pilot announces the fact as looking out I see the same sea of trees that we've been passing by for the past hour or so. Seeing my confusion Oobleck chimes in that historically the edge of the Emerald Forest was determined by how far out woodsmen would travel in search of trees to fell and was a point of pride in the expansion of Vale and the walls. As for the modern definition, Port points out that the current edge of the forest is denoted by how far the sensor network extends out at any given time.

    That, of course, reminds me that's another advantage that Menagerie has been missing out on in its determination to avoid the outside world at all costs. I wonder how many lives could be saved if we had such an early warning system and then have to consider how we would even begin to afford one in the first place.

    The simple answer would be relying on the White Fang like I did with the CCT relays, but that leaves a bad taste in my mouth especially with how I've been distancing the Union from the Fang. Maybe it'll work out in the end, but I would prefer if my homeland had a way of dealing with these issues on its own rather than relying on the charity of others. Then again it was with the help of others that I've been able to get as far as I have.

    Such thoughts occupy my mind until we touch down and I have to put them aside. We all step out with Goodwitch being the last to leave. I take the chance to stretch out my limbs and get my bearings. All around us is a sea of trees and overgrown vegetation. There isn't even a trail or footpath that I can make out. The only landmark of note is a river flowing towards the Northwest. The river itself is languid and murky, almost opaque and black with a similarly dark river bank.

    After a last second check we give the all clear to the pilot and he takes off to return to Vale. At that everyone, even Goodwitch, is seemingly more relaxed. I guess not having to worry about defending our mode of transportation and the relatively defenseless pilot has done everyone some good. I check to see if I have a signal on my scroll. Seeing as I do I send Weiss and Coral a message to tell them that we landed without issue. I figure that both of them would appreciate an update considering that I can't be sure when I'll lose signal. During this time my team goes to the river and discover what I have about it, though their reactions are markedly different.

    Autumn has gone ahead and shoved his hand into the bank of the river and returns with a handful of mud and black silt. Kelly on the other hand is looking at him like he's crazy and yells at him to toss whatever he grabbed back into the river. Marina, meanwhile, sets her weapon into harpoon mode and shoots at the river. I don't know if it was her intent, but upon retracting her projectile there's a fish on the other end and its retrieval has a panicked Kelly rip the fish off wholesale and throw it back into the river.

    That causes her brother to bowl over laughing and for her to round on him. Instead of being deterred by his irate sister, Autumn simply reaches up with his hands in a threatening motion and Kelly stops dead in her tracks. Whatever is going on here obviously has more influence on them as Vale natives than it does with Marina and I.

    The three teachers look towards me and I figure that I have to deal with this issue so we can get a move on instead of just seeing how it progresses. "Autumn," I bark out and he slumps his shoulders before washing his hands in the river. Taking a gentler stride and tone I approach Kelly, "What's got you so worked up?"

    She looks at me like I'm the crazy one here. "That's the Stygian River," she cries out, throwing her hand in the direction of Autumn who briefly pauses in his action before shaking his head. I just look at her flatly, not seeing what the issue here is. "You know, the river of death- like the stories." Normally I wouldn't associate this kind of behavior with Kelly, but I guess being a Vale native she's heard a lot of stories about this river growing up. That and her beliefs may be coloring her views here somewhat.

    "So? Just look at it; ancient people probably just named it that because of what it looks like and, well, being that dark will naturally make people think about the grimm. Hence the nickname." People are usually pretty simple about naming things; like the Emerald and Forever Fall Forests aren't exactly hard to determine where their names come from.

    Kelly is about to say something when Oobleck cuts in. "Mr. Rovere is partially right. The river is named after its coloration, but its moniker comes from the very ruins we seek to explore. With any luck we'll be camping out within its walls by sundown, so chop-chop; we're losing time and there's only so much daylight left to burn."

    "Hold on Bartholomew," Goodwitch says suddenly. "Students line up and hold your scrolls out." Kelly is the first to line up and the rest of us do so with some confusion. After we're lined up in our usual order of myself, Marina, Autumn, and Kelly, Goodwitch starts with her apprentice and walks down the line tapping her own scroll as she passes by each of us.

    With my scroll in my hands it's impossible to miss the notification that pops up informing me that there's been a change to my student i.d. That change being that above where it says "Student License" when I pull it up on my scroll are the words "Provisional Huntsman."

    I'm only familiar with the fact that there is, apparently, a distinction between these due to my time in the VPD, but naturally it's not a subject that is very expanded upon. The difference between a fully accredited Huntsman and a student is much starker and clearly defined. I can't help but feel that a certain level of ambiguity has remained in the system so that the Academies can use whatever interpretation they want with their students.

    "Normally you would have to wait until at least the start of your second year to receive these, so don't go waving them around to your friends when we get back to Beacon," Goodwitch says, looking meaningfully at me, but there's no heat in her glare. "There are a number of missions along our route that I've gone ahead and accepted on our behalf. You all will be compensated for the level of performance that you show upon these, so do try and do your best." The promise of monetary reward has Kelly and Autumn in a good mood while I pick up on what she isn't saying.

    Naturally there are restrictions in place from taking Huntsmen in training on missions that they aren't ready for. While injuries are rare and deaths even rarer, they still happen despite these protections and the Academy in question is usually held responsible to some degree. With these restrictions it is a bit odd that we'd be joining Oobleck on this trip, but that was predicated on this not being an official mission and subsequently us not getting paid. Goodwitch obviously had something different in mind, and this is the loophole she's using to get around that issue. It also might be a slight rebuke on her part to Oobleck and Port.

    Speaking of, my mentor looks like he's torn between being grateful that he might recoup some of his losses and upset that this will detract some time from his archeological adventures. He doesn't say anything to hint at his feelings, merely nodding when Goodwitch turns to look at him and taking the lead on the trek for the rest of us to follow. Me and my team fall in line behind him, though Kelly and Autumn are busy gushing over their newfound status and Marina turns to look at the river as we travel towards its source. Goodwitch brings up the rear while Port hangs off to the side doing a quick check of our flank and occasionally darting between trees before returning to the group.

    We continue our travels upriver, with the river to our left and Port keeping our flank secured on the right we only have to deal with the occasional straggler that passes through the protective screen. Rather than letting us deal with them like I'd expect, Goodwitch mercilessly batters them with her weapon and semblance and even tells us to keep moving while she does so. Given the harsh pace that we're setting I assume that we'll barely make it to our destination before sundown as it is and we're subsequently being pushed so we don't end up wasting a day in transit.

    Still, even with three seasoned Huntsmen we do run into the occasional group where we have to stop and strategize before engaging. They aren't anything too dangerous, barely reaching into the fifties or so in number at the high end and most of the strategies are to just be aware and move slowly in case the numbers are under-reported or there are more dangerous grimm waiting nearby for us to get distracted. Neither of these turn out to be the case and aside from the antics of our mentors it would be a boring trip.

    The first time we encountered such a group Oobleck tried pitching that Autumn and I do the lion's share of the work despite our seeming haste. Goodwitch put a stop to that with a look while rubbing at her temples, but it served as a reminder that my mentor and Port are likely to try comparing Autumn and I's progress to see who's won their little competition. I'm unsure if Goodwitch would join in; based on her reaction I'd say no, but I can't entirely rule out that she wouldn't let herself get dragged in. Marina would join in on whatever bloodsports happen just as a matter of course.

    Speaking of my partner, I've noticed that she's been slipping in her place on the team. At the start of the semester she was the second best combatant right after myself, but now she's struggling to keep up with Autumn and Kelly, at least against the grimm. Considering the slight frown on her features she likely realizes this as well. With how much she had to catch up on at the start of the year it's unsurprising that she's fallen behind in other areas that she was previously ahead on, but it's sure to be a blow to the ego whatever the case is.

    We finally reach our destination just as the sun is nesting itself behind some mountains, casting the valley we're approaching in darkness. We have to pull out our scrolls and lights to be able to see clearly and pass by a mess of dilapidated walls that encroach on the river. There's a mix of stone and brick walls and spots that I assume we're filled with long rotten-away wood ones. The river itself passes through each one and upon shining my light on the water find it much clearer than I'd expect. The bed and banks of the river is still an inky blackness, but this is a good indication that it will be safe for us to drink in the future.

    On either side of the valley are slopes that end in mountains. While there may be miles upon miles of land that could potentially be used, the vast majority of ruins and development are centered around the river, though they maintain a distance from the body of water. Likely there were buildings or farms that the passage of time has since erased any sign of; that's why we're here after all. However, I'll have to consult with Oobleck to see what the actual goal of our expedition is.

    We make our way to the center of the ruins and I spot a hint of distaste on Oobleck's face as he notices signs of previous habitation. In this case a few ramshackle buildings that have mostly fallen apart and have cannibalized some of the surrounding ruins for their building materials. Unfortunately they aren't in good enough condition to use as shelter. I mean we could if we had to, but we packed tents and sleeping rolls for a reason.

    That being said we have to set up our shelter in near complete darkness, with the only lighting available being what little equipment we brought to illuminate the area. Something tells me that Oobleck didn't quite anticipate how the geography of the area would cut into the daylight that we have to work in. Each group is separated into a tent, my team and I in one and the teachers in another. Ostensibly this is so that we have some safety in numbers no matter what, but I suspect my mentor did it to cut down on costs.

    Once everything is set up we sit around a communal fire and get our dinners ready while Oobleck and Goodwitch outline a rough itinerary. There will be two to three groups at any given time and for safety reasons each group is to stick together until scheduled meet up times. Technically this is unnecessary since our scrolls can maintain a local comms channel up to a certain distance even without the help of the CCTS, but it's better to not take the risk to begin with.

    That being said, Goodwitch outlines a number of missions in the area. Most of them are search and destroy, though there is a search and rescue and a retrieval mission not too far from here. The retrieval mission is after a scroll that a Huntsman lost while on mission, or more accurately the data that's on it. It wouldn't be worth it to post a mission to retrieve the damn thing if there wasn't a sentimental reason for doing so. As for the search and rescue, well that one has apparently been on the board for a week and involves a civilian; I don't give good odds that they're still alive.

    Oobleck, naturally, has his focus more on his own work and I suppose I'll have to help out at one or two of the areas to not draw his ire. The first and biggest of which is to find where a temple complex is buried and mark it out for future expeditions or even search it ourselves if we have the opportunity to. Higher up in the mountains is apparently a cave system that the residents used to inter their dead, which has, perhaps the only examples of their language still around considering the dilapidated nature of the settlement as well as some insights that Oobleck wants to look into.

    He also wants to dedicate some time to looking at the walls themselves and try to date them to periods of expansion and retraction among the village and hypothesize on how the civilization fell. There are already a number of theories that I'm aware of so this is more for confirmation and for Oobleck to add his name to the works of his peers. Lastly he wants to do a more general search of the area to see if there's anything that we can come up with.

    Of course, not to be left out, Port also mentions that he'll be showing us all the ropes on how to handle grimm like he has with Autumn. It's clear that he hasn't planned out this trip as much as Oobleck and Goodwitch has when that's all he provides, but I assume the other two teachers have their own lesson plan in mind and that I'll be in for a front row seat with Oobleck's no matter what I try to do.

    We will run this somewhat like a weekly vote. We will have 4 action points to spend. One free mission selection, one free Expedition selection, and two free Socials. Whatever actions we don't spend will be put to training where there will be options to join in on Port and Glynda's lessons. Choosing additional missions costs 2 action points. Additionally any missions that we don't pick are assumed to be handled by the other members of our expedition, so pick what you find to be interesting.
    yes(+ for which) (3)

    +Social (3)

    No (1)

    +Practical (0)
    S&D, Aerial threats: The city of Vale has become aware of a nest of nevermore that's grown a little too big for their liking. Contains a rather standard payout and is unlikely to be tedious or too difficult. (4)

    Retrieval: A moderately well-paying mission to find the scroll of Huntsman. We have a rough mission area to search and I'm sure it's only a matter of time until we find what we're looking for. (2)

    Search & Rescue: The least well-paying mission as it's only the savings that one merchant family could scrounge up on short notice and likely why it wasn't taken despite the urgency of the matter. Considering how much time has passed I don't have high hopes of finding anything. (1)

    S&D, Merchant's lament: The most well-paying mission in the area. There are grimm that hide out in the forest and some caves that have been preying upon the merchants taking the northern road. (1)
    Temple Complex: Oobleck wants to check out the buried temple complex. We have records detailing its general location and apparently the group that lived in the area was known for their novel usage of Dust. (5)

    Burial Mounds: The area has been staked out before, but getting a look at their language first hand might give some more insight about them, plus I'm rather good at finding anything hidden. (3)

    Walls: The various walls of the settlement tell a story all on their own, it's just a matter of putting them all in the right order and might shed some light on the final moments of the civilization. (3)

    Buried Secrets: There is evidence that this area has seen repeated habitation, so there may be more to find than just the Stygian people we're looking into. (0)

    AN: Burial Mounds won the roll off.
    Goodwitch: I'm not quite sure where I sit with Goodwitch, but she hasn't pressed me for any answers thus far. I could get ahead of the curve and preempt them. (5)

    Marina: My partner who has had the fact that she's been falling behind shoved in her face. Considering how she doesn't like holding the 'crew' back it might be worth talking to her about. (4)

    Port: Normally he's rather, well, uninteresting in the classroom, but he seems to be taking this whole out in the field business rather seriously. (3)

    Oobleck: My mentor and someone that I'll be spending quite a bit of time with considering the nature of our expedition. Might as well make some small talk while I'm there. (2)

    Kelly: Considering where we're staying and her previous reaction it might be prudent to check in and see if she's alright. (2)

    Autumn: My teammate and technical rival. With my deprivation of modern entertainment I'm sure he brought a comic or two that he'd lend me. (0)
    Port: Primarily focused on grimm and combat, though the man is also an orator and a survivalist so I'm sure I'll pick up some of that. (6)

    Investigation (4)

    Goodwitch: Primarily focused on combat with a minor focus on the grimm, I assume I'll also pick up something about Dust and Aura considering how closely linked they are to her subject of choice. (4)

    Grimm (2)

    Combat (2)

    There is a lot more scheduling involved in this whole affair than I would think at first, but with how far we have to range out for these missions it makes some kind of sense. Naturally the search and rescue is pushed to the forefront of our duties in the area. Not that anyone is holding out hope as they all have grim faces. Though, in the case of Marina I know her concern is either exaggerated or placed solely on the twins who are heading out with Goodwitch in search of the missing woman.

    A ding from my scroll interrupts our heavy moment and I already know that I'm going to regret pulling it out. I do so anyway because it might be important and to help break the tension. After a quick check to make sure it isn't anything incriminating I find that I've received a few messages from Weiss.

    The first is a message thanking me for letting her know and saying that she's alright. The next is a full blown letter that basically details her plans in Vale as well as what she did once I left Beacon. Then after I didn't respond to either of those she just left it off on a final message saying that she hopes I'm alright. Honestly, it's like she's never dealt with someone who's gone out of CCT signal range before…on second thought that's all too likely considering who she is.

    Naturally all it takes is a look at who the sender is and how many messages she sent me for Autumn to start ragging on me, even calling me a love sick fool, and Kelly merely shoots me a teasing look. My professors are much less eager to dogpile on me, but Oobleck takes the break in tension to start explaining the history of the area in an impromptu lesson.

    With their food finished and plans made for the morrow Kelly and Autumn retreat to our tent for some shut-eye. They'll be leaving early in the morning and don't have to keep watch as they'll be traveling as soon as there's light out. Goodwitch follows suit as she's the one going with them, leaving me, Marina, and Port to sit through Oobleck's lesson. The only one of us who looks reluctant is Marina, who I guess is sticking out with this either for my sake or to see if it interests her.

    Rather than jumping into any archeological trivia or facts about the people in the area Oobleck starts off with the geography. The two mountain ranges that flank the valley as well as the narrow inlet of where the river enters meant that this location is a naturally defensible one. Though it is often cast in shadow of the mountains on the East and the West. According to some reports, the people of the valley regarded the river as a source of life, not death. It makes sense as it's responsible for their agriculture and irrigation; that and if they viewed it as death or a source of it one would suspect that their burial practices would reflect that to some degree.

    However, the river was not without issues. It would and still does flood annually during the spring and summer as ice melts off of the peaks of the tallest mountains as well as being bolstered by any storms that make their way into the closed off valley. Not much is actually known about what the people thought about these calamities, but it's theorized that the seasonal flooding drew in the grimm. Both by sweeping unsuspecting grimm up in the waters, but also by the destruction such an act would incur and the negative emotions resulting thereof.

    This could result in a feedback loop where the Stygian people fear the coming floods more and more, drawing in more grimm and making them fear the next one all the more. That's rather reductionist in my view and Oobleck agrees, though I don't know his reasoning for that. If all it took was the fear of the next grimm attack to crack a civilization then we wouldn't have the Kingdoms as they exist now.

    Any further pondering on a long-dead civilization has to be put on hold as we settle in for the night with Oobleck and I taking the first watch and Marina and Port taking the second. I try not to let it bother me that we have to be watched to make sure we're keeping an eye out. We don't have a mission record for them to verify and I'd likely be doing the same in their shoes no matter how much I respected my students.


    In the morning Autumn, Kelly, and Goodwitch head out to find our missing person while Marina, Oobleck, and I make our way to the burial caves. Port, despite staying up for a significant portion of the night prior, follows after the twins and Goodwitch. I guess even if the chance is slim he still thinks he needs to put in the effort of looking for the missing woman.

    Our party, reduced to a trio, mainly revolves around Oobleck and I talking and looking around with Marina occasionally chiming in. That has more to do with her insistence of sticking to the front and viciously chasing after any grimm than her lack of interest in the matter, though that isn't too great either. Her mood only picks up once we get to the caves as she observes their entrances rather quizzically, like the mound of earth before her is something prophetic.

    The entrances themselves are a mix of man-made and natural structures, though all of them have been defaced to some degree. Either by the peoples of the time with crude drawings and insults or by passing travelers and archeologists who left either mentions of which caves are safe to stay in for the night or have been picked over so to speak.

    Seeing as there are too many entrances to search in a timely manner we stick largely to the man-made ones, figuring that they are either important enough to deserve such acclaim or come from a later time in history where they had the tools and manpower to dig out such structures. Naturally, once inside, we have to rely on our scrolls and the few lights we packed to explore the area.

    We pass by more examples of ancient graffiti that Oobleck takes pictures of, but doesn't try to decipher the meaning. It isn't until we reach a third chamber that we find what we're looking for. The chamber is entirely bereft of any objects aside from a stone slab that presumably had a body on it at one point, though its walls are decorated with rich colors and symbols that I can't decipher.

    They seem to catch Oobleck's and, surprisingly, Marina's attention. Oobleck proceeds to launch into a mini-lecture about the language, which my partner does seem to be paying attention to. I leave them to try to figure out whatever it is that they're up to, but I don't think this is the kind of paydirt that Oobleck is looking for. More like it's something to cross off of his list on the off-chance he could find something more substantial.

    Not having too much of an interest in what my mentor's talking about, I decide to do something to pass the time. I would love nothing more than to waste it on the CCT, but I don't have a signal at the moment and I can't exactly go off on my own and explore some. Maybe if Port joined up with us we could split from the group for a little bit, but it's an understandable precaution for our safety and I'm not about to break away this early into our trip. With nothing else to do with my time I set myself against the wall and activate my semblance to see what I can find.

    Investigation check: Rank 3.96 +1(Semblance) +1(Time)=5.96 vs Challenge: 6/7

    Final DC: 51/76

    Dice: 1d100

    68 = 68

    Once inside my mirror world I take a leisurely stroll around the cave we're in. Mainly to pass the time, but also to see if there are any hidden passageways or the like in the area. After a few minutes I have to admit defeat on that prospect; if it was that easy then surely it would have been found already, especially in these man-made passages that have surely been the focus of archeologists and grave robbers for decades. They may be what Oobleck wants to look into, but they are bereft of the things that I find interesting at the moment. Thus, I turn my attention to the more natural caves left to the wayside.

    With my semblance I don't have to worry about getting lost or turned around. Plus I can easily deal with any obstructions or other obstacles that might be in my way after who knows how many years these burial spots have remained abandoned. The only real concerns that I have is distance and how much aura I'm willing to spend on this endeavor. I'm sure that Oobleck and Marina could do without my presence for a few seconds, but I have to ensure that I'm in fighting shape no matter what I do.

    Unfortunately that limits me in certain ways; like I could just rip the top off this entire system of caves to see what lies underneath, but it would be prohibitively expensive even for me. It may be less taxing to change my mirror world with my semblance than it would be for Kelly to do the same in the real world, but not even I can move mountains that easily. With that in mind I give myself a generous two hours to turn up something interesting before I check in with Oobleck and Marina.

    I doubt that I'll even miss much of the conversation, but it's a nice distraction and I can't say I've gone caving before. Then again I can't say very many people have ever gone caving. Between the challenges of traversing a hostile landscape that's cramped, dark, and damp and the grimm it's no wonder that only the most daring or desperate wander into caves.

    Ignoring that I may be at the forefront of a largely unknown, if useless, field of exploration I head outside and pick the first natural entrance that I find. It's awfully close to the one I just came out of and is half buried by a mound of mud and stones that are sticking in front of its entrance. Perhaps there's a reason for its proximity, but it seems much more likely that the people of the valley simply worked with what they had available and got better at turning the caves they explored into tombs throughout their development.

    In addition to being blocked off, the cave opens up to a single small chamber with a passageway that's blocked off by a pile of rubble and loose stones. The passageway itself would be a struggle for me to squeeze through sideways, but I deal with it the same way that I did the entrance. A flex of my semblance has the obstruction removed and the path clear and wide enough for me to pass unopposed. I do notice some small crystalline growths as I make my way down the decline, some I recognize as small Dust deposits not worth the effort to mine, but the rest is either a clear or milky white crystal.

    I consider it an idle curiosity until I make it to the end of the passageway which drops off into a steep decline. I figure this isn't what I'm looking for, but shine my scroll light down the hole and am slightly surprised when I catch a glint of a reflection. I make a pathway down to see what was the cause of that and find a cavern full of those same crystals that are jutting out from the roof and floor like an array of sharp teeth waiting to bite down on whoever wanders too closely. It's a pretty sight to be sure, but not what I'm looking for and likely full of grimm to boot.

    As I turn around to head back the way I came I notice that there's a hole in the wall opposite of the crystalline cavern. I don't know if that's a natural occurrence or something that happened due to the usage of my semblance, but what does catch my attention is the painted stonework I see when I peer inside; the colors reminiscent of what I saw in the chamber where Oobleck and Marina are. Reviewing my mental map I don't see how this could connect to any of the entrances up on the surface, but go about exploring it in spite of that.

    It's a bit of a surprise when I turn in on a burial chamber that looks like it's untouched. I actually can't be sure of that with how malformed everything is by my semblance, but at the very least it looks like there are artifacts that Oobleck could look over hidden in here and I start looking for where this place connects with the outside world. The answer ultimately turns out to be that there isn't one, at least not anymore. There is one passage that is markedly different from the rest and that's by its material composition.

    Instead of more stone or even a collapsed passageway instead the rather wavy by now walls and floor are filled to the brim with dirt and maybe mud as well considering the slight dampness I feel on the floor. Still, it's a small issue for my semblance and I find myself on the surface as it were without too much issue. I'm further down on the slope much to my lack of surprise, but the hole I have to crawl out of to the surface extends at least four feet before it reaches the more recognizable stonework that I've come to expect out of these burial sites. I take a moment to look for any landmark that will mark my spot in the mirror world, but have to give up as I don't find anything that is distinct enough for me to notice in the real world when taking into account the distortion of my semblance. I guess I'll just have to do it the tedious way if I want to find this spot again.

    With that I step out of my mirror world to find Oobleck and Marina still in the middle of their conversation about the Stygian language. While some speakers of the tongue made their way to what would become Vale, the language itself has been largely lost to time. It survived for long enough for records to be written about what it sounded like and some accounts for what common words or concepts from the language meant what. It was enough for linguists to make an educated guess on some of its rules and rediscover a few lost words, but unfortunately the same couldn't be said about the written language.

    If there were any literate refugees among the Stygians they didn't have the time or inclination to pass it down to their descendants so it's a lot of fumbling in the dark to determine what anything means. That isn't to say that experts like Oobleck are completely bereft. He explains the language is logographic with certain symbols conforming to words or concepts.

    This would be useless on its own, but due to previous archeological ventures it is assumed that the precursor to the written language was pictographic and that carried over to some degree with certain symbols looking vaguely like their real world object. Thus some amount of readability can be inferred when combined with what little we know of how their spoken language was structured.

    Of course that's all guesswork and we could be completely wrong, but it has produced some sentences of questionable readability thus far, so it can't be completely off the mark. Unfortunately it means only the simplest of sentences can be understood as it's near impossible to tell what is a complex concept being described by multiple characters or simply someone's name or even a misinterpretation of what the symbol means. The fact that there are so few examples of their writing doesn't help either, but I'm more than content to leave that to the realm of scholars. I have enough on my plate that I don't have the capacity to worry about solving mysteries of ancient times.

    Once I'm done patiently waiting for Oobleck to finish up his investigation I decide to break the news to him. "Dr. Oobleck, I used my semblance and I found some more burial mounds buried further down the mountain." With that simple statement my mentor zooms over from the empty slab he was previously peering over, his spectacles sliding down his nose at his abrupt stop to reveal manic eyes.

    "Fantastic Mr. Rovere. Tell me everything," he demands and I do my best to explain the series of events I just went through. Once I get to the part where I mentioned potential artifacts lying around waiting to be claimed he all but drags Marina and I outside to the natural cave that I went down in my mirror world. He appears to actually weigh up the benefits of going spelunking in a relatively unexplored and possibly dangerous location until I tell him that I could probably mark out where we could dig to the entrance from the surface.

    At Oobleck's insistence I use my semblance more to start denoting the location of whatever entrances I can find. It's slow monotonous work on my end, but I eventually mark out five locations for future digs. I'm sure that Kelly will get roped into uncovering some of these so Oobleck can satisfy his curiosity, but that will have to wait until she makes her way back, not that I have too many complaints on that matter. I could use a break after the slave-driving that my mentor inflicted upon me, plus I think Marina would prefer to be doing anything else other than digging around in the ground right now.

    While we wait for the away team to make their way back, Marina and I decide to tour around the area and exterminate any unfortunate grimm that have made these ruins their home. Oobleck tags along, partly because of the rules we set up meaning he can't just be left on his own even if he'd be safe back at camp, but mostly because I think he doesn't trust us not to get a bit overzealous and damage these ruins even further. Supposedly the brick and stonework around us is just a bare fraction of what survived to the present day.

    Much like how I assumed the series of walls must have had some wooden ones with how prevalent trees are in the area, so too have archeologists theorized that wood had to feature in Stygian architecture to some degree. Likely for the low and middle class considering that the stonework would be harder to work with and thus more valuable to their society. There is also conjecture that they used dried mud bricks for some of their domiciles, but just as with the wood it's either been rotten or washed away with the passage of time.

    Perhaps that might strike a chord of existentialism with someone. About how the works of man, no matter how great or small, are susceptible to the elements of time and will be forgotten far easier than they were made. Marina is no such person and upon hearing about how much was lost from what we know about the Stygians, simply shrugs her shoulders before shooting a low-flying nevermore out of the sky.

    "What's it matter if we don't know about them? They're dead and we're not," she says much to the shock of Oobleck. He looks ready to tear into her about the importance of knowing one's history, but I preempt him.

    "What about your old crew? What do they matter now that they're dead?" It's harsh, but drawing upon a personal example is perhaps the only way to get Marina to see this point of view. With how she jerks back and shrinks in on herself I can tell that she understands my point and is unable to formulate the words to fight back against what I just said and what she implied previously. "You care about them despite, or maybe even because of that. Imagine that it's the same for all of these people; they all had loved ones that tried carrying memories of them forward."

    Marina looks like she's having trouble processing that statement. Like she understands what I'm getting at on an intellectual level, but just can't do the same on any level further than that. I don't think there's really a way that I could explain things here for her to just 'get.' Either she'll work her way to her own understanding or she will just have to accept that it's something outside of her grasp.

    After several long seconds she looks no closer to an epiphany, but with a small voice asks, "How do we stop that?" It's with entirely too much effort that I prevent myself from answering 'we can't.' I'm not normally one for pessimism, but I recognize the inevitability of everyone eventually being forgotten in the grand scheme of history and the universe. Similarly I recognize that isn't what Marina is looking for and come up with a different answer.

    "All we can do is try the best we can. Do great things, succeed in life, and make some friends who'll remember us afterwards." I try to keep my response brief, not wanting to dwell on the deep subject for too long out in the wilderness. Marina, however, isn't so easily dissuaded.

    "Is that why you've been doing what you have," she asks with wide eyes and genuine curiosity.

    "I can't say it hasn't affected my decisions," I allow, "but it certainly hasn't been the driving force either. Give me a few years and a mid-life crisis and maybe that'll change," I try to end our exchange with a joke. However, Marina either doesn't get it or the atmosphere is too tense for that injection of levity to survive. My money is on the former, but I can't discount that there is an oppressive atmosphere wholly separate from the ruined architecture around us.

    Performance: In our recent bouts of combat she's shown that she's fallen behind both Kelly and Autumn. I could check in and see if that's something weighing on her and offer her some help. (4)

    Remembrance: With the topic of her old crew being brought up it might be prudent to see how she's been dealing with that. (3)

    Expedition: I could try changing things to a lighter topic and see how she's been enjoying the trip thus far. I'm sure the highlight for her is grimm-slaying, but she might surprise me. (1)

    Legacy: We touched upon it briefly, but maybe it's prudent to push a little further. What does she want to be remembered by? At the very least I could get her thinking about the subject. (0)

    "You know you don't talk about your crew too much," I say and briefly pause before remembering that I have to be pretty blunt with Marina. "Is there a reason for that?" Bringing this up in the middle of the ruins of a long-dead civilization probably isn't the best of moves, but since we're on the topic I might as well push while I have the opportunity. Besides, if it works up any negative emotions in Marina, I'm sure she'd enjoy the opportunity to work those feelings out on any unfortunate grimm.

    "No, not really. You just haven't asked about them…you also already know about what we did," Marina says looking off to the side and glancing at Oobleck. My mentor for his part has a curious expression at my partner's vague statement, but is content to allow us the veneer of privacy. I also get the impression that she was being so circumspect mainly because of how I reacted the last time she told me about what her crew did.

    "Well I'm asking about them now," I insist stubbornly. A big smile breaks out on her face much like the last time she talked about her crew. It seems despite how they treated her she still regards those memories as precious and of happier times. I'm not sure how concerned I should be about that, but I don't think that I'd be able to make much headway in convincing her to think otherwise about her old crew. Maybe she'll come to that realization on her own with time, but there isn't much that I can do that would assist with changing her mind directly.

    "I can't say much about them aside from Rob, Lily, and Captain Smoke. We had around thirty people on the crew at any given time, I think we even got to forty there for a few weeks, but that didn't last. Most of them didn't want anything to do with the dead-weight of the crew; always said that I had to prove myself before they would deal with me. Said I wasn't a real s-sailor until I dealt with my first grimm." The way she stumbles over the word sailor tips me off that she corrected herself before saying something more incriminating. It also provides the real possibility that the grimm in her sentence could just be another euphemism.

    "Okay," I say slowly, not sure that I want to touch on that subject while Oobleck is with us. "What about them as people, what did they like to do? Not as a part of the crew, but as a part of their free time."

    "Mainly drinking and gambling," Marina chirps back. "Cards, dice, any game of chance where they could bet their chores. They never let me join in," she pouts, "They knew that I'd beat them and Rob only told me that I'd get to drink when I was older."

    "I don't suppose they taught you anything," I say with more than a tinge of bitterness.

    "Rob taught me my letters and numbers, Lily my knotwork and swimming, the Captain helped me with my weapon, how to fight grimm, and he even taught me a bit about navigating," she replies with the same wide smile on her face like she doesn't realize or care about how little they prepared her for life in the outside world. If I had to guess, I'd say that they had no intention of her having a life outside of the ship and I don't know if that was just shortsightedness on their part or actual manipulation at play. Either way I strangle my anger as much as I can to not tip off Marina.

    My mentor isn't quite as restrained. I can't blame him since he probably doesn't know exactly how Marina's semblance works, but it causes my partner to look at the ground because of the anger he's radiating. Likely reviewing what she said to find out what error she made and how she can avoid it in the future. I'm not even sure if explaining where Oobleck's anger is placed would help her at all since she has such a fondness for her old crew; it might just put a wedge between her and telling anyone about her past.

    With not much to say I let her work her way through whatever leaps in logic that she's making. I'm sure that I'll have to correct some misconceptions at a later date, but that's par for the course as far as dealing with Marina is concerned. If it were anyone else that was forced to deal with her I'd pity them, but all I can do is shoulder the burden as best as I can. After a minute or so of silence Marina sets her anchor down against one of the ruined buildings, takes a few steps back, and just looks at it. Her faintly blue weapon is a stark contrast to the rest of the gray and brown ruins.

    I don't know what's going on in her head and while I could just ask her it's clear that this is something that she's dealing with on her own initiative. If it becomes a problem I can step in, but it's a confusing mess of knowing when it's right to with how she's struggled to do things on her own thus far. Whatever it is, it only occupies her attention for a few moments before she picks her weapon back up.

    "Come on Captain, let's go back to killing grimm," she says in a more solemn tone than I've come to expect from her, especially with the prospect of violence on the table.

    "Trying to catch up with Autumn and Kelly," I state, avoiding the other topic altogether and following along behind her.

    "They advanced so fast," she says with no inflection. Like it's just a fact of the world that she's come to accept. I prepare myself for another round of dragging answers out of her when she speaks up again, "I hate it." Her words ring out in a flat, almost hollow tone. Like instead of anger there's simply nothingness that she's drawing on. I get the feeling that it's a much more complex emotion than simply anger filling her, but she doesn't know how to express it properly.

    Based on her previous comment about how she was dead weight and her general demeanor of not wanting to hold the crew back I suspect that her issue is more with her own lack of progress rather than Kelly and Autumn passing her by. Not to say that that isn't contributing here, but Marina doesn't strike me as the kind of person to be upset with the rest of her crew doing well.

    "If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask. I can make some more time for you, as can Kelly and Autumn." I probably shouldn't be volunteering other people's time, but I know Kelly would agree with me and Autumn hasn't pulled too much weight in helping out with Marina duties. Understandably because he isn't much for book-smarts which was what she was lacking previously, but he's more than capable of helping her polish up her combat skill.

    She turns to me, her face equal parts grateful and conflicted. "No," she says after a moment with the shake of her head. "Thanks for the offer Cap'n, but I just have to try harder like you have." I suppose this is an example where I'd prefer if she did as I said rather than follow my example. However, before I can bring that up she stands up a bit straighter and rockets off to the side smashing a quadrupedal grimm to pieces. It is annoying that she's refusing help just like Jaune did, but before I can get too worked up over that I feel a hand being placed on my shoulder.

    I turn to see my green-haired mentor looking slightly down on me. "Give me some time, I'll do something about this," he says with a soft voice and casting his gaze to where my partner is continuing to slaughter grimm. "I didn't realize-" whatever he was going to say gets drowned out by another smash on Marina's part. He shakes his head and stalks after her with a slow gait, checking the buildings as he passes by and likely thinking about what just occurred.


    After our little escapade we make our way back to camp to wait for the return of the away team. Oobleck takes Marina aside to talk with her for a little bit and their conversation ends with him retrieving a journal and a pen for her to write with. Naturally curious, I ask about it and she tells me that she is writing a log - like a captain's log, but just for her. I look to my mentor, but he just shrugs like he was at a loss for how else to explain the concept to her as well.

    I try explaining that she doesn't need a book for that and that she could just use her scroll if she wants to jot down her thoughts. She looks at me like I'm crazy and very slowly explains that it's not a logbook if there's no book involved. Her expression easily shifts to a satisfied one when I am unable to form a proper rebuttal.

    Not that she gets to luxuriate in her sense of superiority for long, the away team is approaching on the horizon and it only takes a second of staring at her reaction to realize that things went about how I expected them to. A civilian alone in the woods for a week with grimm on their trail; it would have taken a miracle for them to survive. That doesn't stop the long faces of Autumn and Kelly. While Port and Goodwitch aren't unaffected either, their tight expressions are much more indicative that they're familiar with this kind of experience. Dinner that night is a somber affair.

    I don't miss that Oobleck talks with Port and Goodwitch while gesturing towards Marina, but I'm too focused on my own team to pay too much attention to that. Marina doesn't quite get what the issue is, but she says the right words and makes the right motions to express concern. It's genuine on her part since she obviously doesn't like that Kelly and Autumn are in a sour mood, but there's a distance that's too great not to be felt.

    The twins aren't much for conversation tonight and I make sure to let them know that I'm available if they want to talk. Not much else I can do about it unless it becomes an issue. I know that they knew the woman's chances of survival were slim and all that's left is for them to work through whatever they're feeling. If they want to talk about it, great, if not then I can allow them that amount of privacy.

    At daybreak we have a short meeting about where everyone will be split up. Today it's going to be three groups, though two of them will be close to each other in case back up is needed. Oobleck pleads with Kelly to assist him with excavating the burial caves I marked out yesterday. It leaves some of our groups a bit under-strength and without support when they head out. With our numbers it was inevitable that such a lopsided distribution would happen, but after clearing out the area yesterday and with Oobleck being a veteran Huntsman it shouldn't be too much of a cause for concern.

    The two away groups are Goodwitch and myself and Port, Autumn, and Marina. I'll be looking for the missing scroll along with Goodwitch while the others will start clearing away the grimm for one of the search and destroy missions. I suspect that they'll take things a bit slow with their numbers and the caves that they'll have to clear out and that they'll need another trip to wrap everything up, but it shouldn't be too much trouble.

    We will all be in close enough range that local comms should keep us connected for the most part, so either group encountering too much trouble isn't a huge issue. Plus the area that Goodwitch and I are searching in doesn't appear to have much of a grimm presence; seems like it was just bad luck that the Huntsman lost his scroll rather than losing it in the confusion of a fight.

    Our trek takes us a few hours to the North and I think I can spot the markings of a road through the copse of trees, but that's not where we're searching so I file it away in the back of my mind. Port and his group split off at this time with plans for us to meet up at lunch and help out whichever group is further behind. What that realistically means is either we find this scroll and get to kill some grimm as well or we're going to be scouring over this area together. At least the company would be more pleasant.

    I figured that now that we're alone Goodwitch would take this opportunity to grill me for some answers. She doesn't do that, instead she marks out a rough area for the two of us to search within close proximity of each other with her semblance. Her area is smaller, but it's not like she's making me do more work than she is. I don't need her to explain it to me, but as the more experienced of the two of us she's keeping watch and ensuring no grimm sneak up on us which naturally detracts from her ability to search effectively. All that's left to do is to roll up my sleeves and get searching.

    Investigation Check: Rank 3.96 vs Challenge 4

    Final Modifier: -1

    Dice: 1d100-1

    32 - 1 = 31
    The search is long and tedious as the Huntsman doesn't know the exact area that he lost his scroll and honestly it could be in a completely different location if he didn't realize when exactly he lost it. As far as I understand it he would have had to have either been in a hurry to not look for it or didn't realize he lost in the first place. The only saving grace is that our client prefers the larger sturdier scrolls rather than the slim new products coming out of Atlas. That isn't much of a benefit, but it makes this search the smallest bit easier.

    It, unfortunately, doesn't make it go by any faster as we conduct a grid-like search over the suspected mission area. Once that turns up as a bust we start expanding our search area. It's just about noon when I consider using my semblance to speed this process along. I didn't beforehand as I'd have to wait alone with Goodwitch for a while after finding the thing, but with our scheduled meet-up fast approaching I don't have much to lose.

    Just as I find a good spot to lean up against, Goodwitch takes a few steps towards something and lifts it up with her semblance. I look at where she pulled the now visible scroll out of and find a small crevice in the roots of a tree. I guess it got knocked in there when it fell or an animal dragged it to its den for some reason. Either way our job is done and we have a few minutes to kill while we wait for the others to show up.

    She appears to be content with letting the awkward silence hang between us. Then again I don't know how awkward it is for her; this isn't all that unusual from my interactions with her and other students. In fact it was a bit of a surprise with how willing she was to stick up for Kelly in front of Oobleck. Not that it was particularly difficult for her, but there was a warmness there that is absent from most of her interactions with other students. Perhaps it's only because Kelly is her apprentice, but I can't help but feel that it runs a little deeper than that. Of course I could continue to analyze my professor, but I much prefer to get ahead on some issues while I have the chance.

    "I figured you'd be asking me some questions by now," I state simply. I don't need to elaborate that it's because the two of us are alone. I trust that Goodwitch is smart enough to pick up on what's unsaid.

    She looks at me affronted that I'd dare make the accusation before confidently saying, "If I were you I'd be grateful that I haven't been pressing the matter as much as I should." She lets her statement hang for a moment, "Enjoy your break for now, you will have plenty of time to answer questions when we get back to Beacon." It's hard to place her tone and what she's actually trying to convey here. On one hand she's definitely trying to take a hard stance with me, but that's at odds with her actions thus far.

    It's possible that she's only giving me this much leeway on Oobleck's behalf, but that feels off the mark as well. Regardless, I'm not solving that conundrum right away. I'd have to spend some more time with her to put together an accurate framework of her mental state. Maybe I'll devote some more time to it throughout this trip, but what I do know is probably enough to get by without too many issues.

    With that avenue closed off for now I seek to satisfy some idle curiosity. "So who's scroll did we spend the past few hours looking for anyway?" Goodwitch has been the one in charge of handling the missions since she's the one who accepted them. I know she's shared the details with Oobleck and Port, but she hasn't sent those same details to me or the rest of my team. Likely that's her attempt at preventing us from running off to do them on our own. I wonder what exactly prompted that kind of behavior, but I know it's not exactly the type of topic I should bring up right now.

    "A friend's," she says slowly, "he needed someone that he could trust to retrieve it."

    "You can't just say that and not expect me to be interesting," I lightly complain. "Come on, cough up the details."

    I don't miss the sly smirk that forms on her face, "You aren't the only one with questions Mr. Rovere. Perhaps keep that in mind before seeking any more answers."

    "Eh, a little late for that don't you think," I joke, seeing how far I can press this light atmosphere with her. "You know what they said about curiosity and all that." She frowns at that, evidently Goodwitch either doesn't like the subject of my joke or, more likely, dislikes the reminder that I've been up to something she doesn't know about. She doesn't make a further comment, relying on her clear disapproval to be a statement enough on what she thought about that. It does, however, leave us in another lurch in the conversation and with Port and his team still not here.

    Trio: As far as I'm aware her, Oobleck, and Port were never on a team together. How exactly did their friendship come about? (2)

    Admissions: It's a bit of an odd bunch that made it into Beacon this year. Two white Fang members, a pirate, a girl who moved up two years, and Jaune. Maybe she can shed some insight on why that is. (2)

    Attitude: She's been rather standoffish with me for my entire stay at Beacon. Now that I've talked with her I suspect that was somewhat a front, but I could press her on what prompted it in the first place. (1)

    Secrets: There's no need to hold back on what I've been doing. Sure I might have to explain it again while at Beacon but I could clear the air between us and maybe ask some questions of my own. (0)

    I perform an affectatious shrug, more to draw attention to the act than any real need on my part. "You know, I never got the story out of Oobleck about how the three of you became friends." Goodwitch shoots me a suspicious look at my statement, likely wondering what I'm getting at. Fair, I am trying to ease her into the conversation so I can satisfy some personal curiosity. After a few slow moments she exhales and removes her glasses to clean them. I get the feeling that's more of a tick for getting into a conversation like this than any actual need to do so on her part.

    "I don't suppose you'd be satisfied if I just told you that we have a life outside of the classroom," she states and then reaffixes her glasses, not waiting for me to say anything. "I was a rather late addition to the group. Peter and Bart knew each other from their time as students even if they were in different years, but it wasn't until after I rose to deputy headmistress that I had the pleasure of really getting to know them. That was in thanks to the actions of another member of our group and if I remember correctly one that you had the…experience of meeting."

    I rack my brain to figure out who she could be referring to. What tips me off the most is her odd phrasing at the end there as well as a twitch of the lips as she realizes that I don't have the answer immediately. It might be a bit hypocritical for her to take pleasure in my relative ignorance, but I come to an answer soon enough. Oobleck has, after all, only really mentioned one friend outside of the group thus far, that being Taiyang.

    Seemingly realizing that I've come to the right conclusion Goodwitch carries on, her face once more neutral without a hint of any previous mirth she might have felt. "After a period of…unpleasantness he decided to settle down and become a teacher in Patch. I won't get into too many details about that, but he soon came crawling back to Beacon when he realized he didn't know much about what he was doing. He came to me for advice and so I gave it to him," she says with a bit of hesitation in her voice, like there's a bit more going on there but she doesn't want to get into it. If I have her pegged right then she wasn't expecting for him to come to her for advice at all and that's what's tripping her up."Anyway, he wanted to thank me for my efforts and that led to-"

    "Thank you how," I cut in, sensing that this isn't something that I want her to just gloss over.

    She shoots me a look that again lacks much heat in it. Likely she's caught up more in reminiscing about times past than actually upset at my intrusion. "He invited me to a bar of all places. I tried turning him down at first until he mentioned that Peter and Bart would be joining us. And I couldn't well turn him down then."

    Yeah, keep telling yourself that, teach. I know Goodwitch could have refused if she really wanted to. If I had to guess I'd say that she was sick of whatever loneliness was afflicting her at the time. Whether she was or is aware of that is an entirely different question, but it also brings up that if that were the case why didn't she jump on Tai's offer when he first presented it. Goodwitch doesn't give much away with her body language, but her previous confusion on why Tai would seek her out and then inviting her out to a bar later makes me think that Ruby and Yang's dad had a certain reputation. Somewhat unsurprising considering that they have different moms, but it's amusing to pick up on it from Goodwitch's side of things.

    I try to keep that amusement hidden from Goodwitch, but a furrowed brow and thinning lips is enough to inform me that I'm not entirely successful. I don't know if she read me that well or is taking my amusement to be that she'd get dragged into that kind of situation in the first place. Either way it would be far too troublesome to explain myself to her so I just remain silent.

    After a few more seconds of disapproval she resumes her story, "We all met up to unwind and after he returned back to Patch either Peter or Bart would make an effort for the three of us to get together. Eventually I had to involve myself more and more to prevent them from escalating their petty rivalries and other less auspicious ideas. The rest, as Bart would say, is history." I'll admit, I expected her story to have a more satisfying conclusion especially since- wait no she's friends with Port that tracks.

    It doesn't slip by me that she never once mentioned if she enjoyed any of those outings or how they went, just that they did. Obviously she had to on some level or else she would have stopped, she doesn't strike me as the type to put up with something out of obligation. I get the impression that she likes to keep things hidden and I suspect that extends even to herself. Not like I can throw too many stones on that matter.

    "Not that I'm complaining," I start bluntly, "but I wasn't expecting two faunus from Menagerie and my partner comes from outside of the Kingdoms as well. Is that normal for Beacon?" I don't appreciate having to use that kind of rhetoric since it's my aim for Menagerie to join the other Kingdoms. As it is, it's an unavoidable fact that the Kingdoms regard Menagerie as the other; not on the same level as them and in some cases below cities like Argus.

    I don't specifically mention Jaune or Ruby, but I'm sure they pop up in her mind anyway. I know vaguely why Ruby was selected and based on that story I doubt Goodwitch had much input, which makes me question how much pull she actually has at Beacon. If Ozpin is willing to go over her head with admissions at what point does that behavior stop. Despite any assurances from my mentor that the headmaster is actually a good guy I can't say that I'm too impressed by his behavior thus far.

    "Miss Belladonna, unlike yourself, wasn't entirely truthful in her application," Goodwitch says slowly. I'm not sure if I should be taking that as a compliment or not with her tone, but it's at least an acknowledgement that she knew about my gamble.

    "I figured that you had to know about that before meeting with me," I say, keeping my tone and expression as flat as I can manage. I'm not about to make an issue of it despite my petty side wanting some retribution. I'll just have to be satisfied with how she stiffens up in response to my comment. I'd expect a bigger reaction, but I guess her pride prevents her from dropping her guard too much around a student, or maybe just myself in particular.

    "Yes, well back to your question. I'll admit that it's rather unusual, but not unheard of to take on so many students from that background. There's only so many resources we can spare to ensure that each student is receiving the attention they deserve." She averts her gaze like her next statement is an admission of guilt on some level. "I'm normally against admitting many prospective Huntsmen from outside of the Kingdoms. We have had…mixed results with that policy before to say the least.

    That makes sense to me, but there's one part of what she said that twigs my attention. "Curious, I don't remember very many resources being brought up in regards to Marina and I, or even Blake." I don't follow up with a question, my harsh tone more than enough to convey my point.

    Her head snaps back up to bring her eyes in line with mine, but there's a hollowness to her features instead of her usual sternness or even anger. "We were preoccupied with other matters-like what was going on in Vale. Upon review of your progress it was deemed that there were few issues worth addressing and it seemed like you had matters well in hand. However," she snaps as a clear indication of a change in tone, "Bart brought it to my attention that we have been overly optimistic in that regard. I know it won't make up for past wrongs, but let me assure you that I'll be giving the matter my personal attention."

    I want to challenge her on what exactly she's going to do. Both so I can understand what's going to change and so I can shoot down any ideas that might be too restrictive for myself. I don't get the chance to, as Port, Autumn, and Marina make their way through the brush to meet up with us, bringing a clear end to the conversation. It didn't go nearly as badly as I thought it would and I suppose having the teachers and some resources to help with Marina isn't bad to know about. However, that will draw more attention to me and there's a certain freedom that I've found in staying within the indifference of my professors. Unfortunate, but it was likely inevitable one way or another, especially with my likely plans upon my return in Vale.
     
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    • Winter Break Act 1(Part 2/End)
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    • Port and Goodwitch talk with one another while I make my way between Autumn and Marina. Marina is all smiles after a couple of hours of grimm slaying while Autumn looks more exhausted than anything else. I figure that the emotional catharsis of taking his anger out on the grimm can only go so far, especially since I suspect there's a great amount of tedium involved in clearing out the caves marked for their mission.

    They have done an admirable job of clearing them out as they've gotten four of the six marked for today despite having to take a cautious approach. With Goodwitch and I assisting it doesn't take much longer to clear out the other two, mainly filled with creeps, beowolves, and the worm-like centinels. The grimm that call caves home can be a much more eclectic bunch, mainly depending on cave size, but with the dangers involved in fighting such areas it is an, admittedly, understudied field.

    Not that that seems to affect Port's enthusiasm or depth of knowledge. Apparently bolstered by reinforcements he's decided to turn our mission into a lesson of sorts for the three of us, much to Goodwitch's consternation. Unlike his lectures he barrels straight into a crowd of grimm swinging his blunderbuss-axe and bowling over the crowd of grimm and decimating the beowolves. Likely regarding them as uninteresting or not worth teaching any more in detail.

    Goodwitch plays along and holds off the rest of the grimm while Port wrestles a creep into submission. A task that doesn't prove too difficult for the man as he lifts it by its tail with one arm and wraps the other around its midsection, just below its two limbs, locking it in place and preventing it from turning around or clawing at him.

    What follows is a practical demonstration where he quickly points out the various weak-points of the creep followed by anecdotes about its behavior, usually prompted by the creep attempting to do something. It's…surprisingly informative, he isn't getting lost in his stories or rambling on. Likely his serious attitude towards missions inclining him to brevity and getting across what's most important about the subject.

    He does get a bit too excited pointing out the various weaknesses and ends up slaying a creep on occasion with just his bare hands, but he easily rectifies that by grabbing another helpless creature with the help of Goodwitch. By the end of it all that I can say is that the man is wasted in the classroom and I can see how he thought bringing a grimm to class would be the best way to assist his style of teaching.

    We don't get to participate much in the resulting slaughter, though to my surprise Marina isn't much disappointed by it. She is at first until she picks up on what exactly Port was teaching us and then she pulls out the notebook that Oobleck gave her and starts taking notes. I decide to just tape the whole thing in case I need to review it in the future and Autumn merely nods his head and asks the occasional question.

    Back at camp we find Kelly and Oobleck hauling some items that they lay a little ways away from the campsite. Likely to protect them from collateral damage in case a grimm sneaks up on our camp. The items in question appear to be some stone working tools and a few jars, which have a respectable amount of ground up Dust in each of them and have a faint moistness from their place of retrieval. I'm unsure of the quality, but it's hardly the first thing that comes to mind when talking about buried treasures or tombs filled with such. Oobleck seems happy about the find, especially going on about the undiscovered forms of writing.

    His excitement, however, is undercut by an air of tension, like he knows things are about to take a turn for the worse with him. I don't have to wait long to find out why as Kelly rushes over to Goodwitch to appraise her of the situation. Apparently Oobleck debated about taking a skull with him, but Kelly talked him down. I'm not even sure what he would do with a skull, if anything. He also doesn't provide an explanation which only leaves me further confused. She continues on, detailing how she had to limit him on the number of artifacts he attempted to carry back.

    Unless he planned to dump some of our supplies I'm not sure how he would have managed that. Sure, we would have spent almost a week's worth of supplies by the time we leave this site, but that's hardly enough for how much he brought back already. These artifacts aren't exactly durable and will need extra space for padding and care given to them so they don't end up a broken mess by time we make it back to Vale.

    Marina proceeds to quiz Oobleck and Kelly about the exact details of their expedition. Oobleck handles this better than Kelly does, able to actually articulate his answers and describe some of the corridors they went down as well as bringing up photographs that he took while down in the tombs. Kelly, meanwhile, flounders having not expected to be barraged with questions. She doesn't say anything explicitly, but her tone gives me the distinct impression that she did not appreciate disturbing the peace of the dead.

    Just as I think Marina's done with her interrogation she turns to Goodwitch and I to find out what exactly we did while we were away, writing and sketching in her notebook all the while. There are only so many ways that we can explain that we searched in a grid-like pattern until we found the scroll, but Marina records each and every one of them like it's the first time she's heard about it.

    She even tries drawing a map based on our descriptions which, well, it's better than her map for our future, but not by much. Stylized is a generous term for it and I think it would be utterly unhelpful for anyone else reading her logbook. Still, she seems satisfied with her quest for answers. I can only hope that she'll dial this back in the future, but it's nice in a way that she's found something to care about.


    The day after, Port, Marina, and Autumn head out to finish the mission. There shouldn't be too much for them to clean up so they should be back a little after lunch. The rest of us are set to the task of searching for a temple complex that has hitherto evaded archeological detection. Our search area has us on the Eastern side of the river amidst a series of half-buried mish-mash ruins. The leading theory is that a mudslide hit the area at some point and future settlers simply built atop the site of the temple or took apart the building to construct their own shelters.

    Oobleck is aware of my semblance, but has me refrain from using so that I can, in his words, 'have the true archeologist experience.' Personally I think he wants to stumble on the find himself and me directing him to it with minimal effort would just take the winds out of his sails. Not that he doesn't eventually cave and ask me if there's anything I can find with my semblance.

    This catches Goodwitch's attention and while she doesn't say anything I can tell that the topic has her curiosity. I did neglect to inform the school of my semblance and based on her reaction Oobleck hasn't shared anything I've told him about it with her. I shoot a look to my mentor and he returns a nod. I take that to mean that he'll back me up on whatever I say, though I don't think I have a good reason to give her nothing in this instance.

    I only give her the bare essentials to understand what I'm doing. Mainly that my semblance has a clairvoyant aspect to it that I'm going to use to hopefully find the ruins we're looking for. Upon hearing this she adopts a satisfied expression like telling her that answered a lot of the questions she's held unasked. I'm sure she's jumping to the wrong conclusions here, but I don't feel the need to correct her; I'll be doing enough of that once we return to Beacon and I hate retreading conversations that I don't have to.

    I find a spot to settle down in and activate my semblance. With them duly notified and with additional people there for protection I don't have to worry about holding too much of a reserve of aura and get to work. I peel away the dirt layer by layer with my semblance until I reach nothing but dirt and rocks. Not even a hint of human habitation; though with how distorted everything is with my semblance I can't be entirely sure of that. I think of giving up until I cast my gaze on the other side of the river; there are much fewer structures still standing there and it's thought that most of them were of the lower classes and thus swept away by the seasonal floods.

    It's the best I can work with off of what records we have indicating the temple's general location. Most of them are from oral accounts since very little of the Stygian people's history made it to the modern day, but Vale had, and to a degree still has, a pretty strong storytelling culture that could have preserved the details after all these years. Even after the advent of the written word some oral traditions continued on, though obviously some details have been muddled, adjusted, or otherwise lost to time and this could just be another example of that.

    I have to peel away over ten feet of dirt and mud until I find the wavy top of some stonework. I can only tell that it's man-made by some of the carvings on the outside, having been preserved slightly against the elements by the surrounding dirt. Not that I'm entirely sure with how distorted it is; I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a flat roof of some kind. To satisfy my curiosity I continue digging as a rough pyramid-like structure comes into view.

    Luckily in our case we don't have to excavate the whole thing as I spot a collapsed section of the roof that we can attempt to make an entrance through. It's filled with dirt and mud and we'll have to reinforce the digsite so it doesn't collapse in after us, but with Kelly's semblance that's more than doable. Informing Oobleck of my findings has him skeptical at first, but he quickly descends into talking with himself about the assumptions his previous colleagues have made about the area and what this could mean in the greater field. He follows after me as he talks which I take to mean he's giving me the implicit go ahead and I wave the girls over to join us on the other side of the river.

    Our dig team then falls into a rhythm where I use my semblance to check our depth and make sure we aren't damaging the structure with ever-growing resolution. Kelly's main job is to shift the dirt and Goodwitch picks up the slack by moving any rocks that would otherwise eat through Kelly's aura to affect directly.

    It's slow going work and we're barely able to reach the hole in the temple by the time the away team comes back. They pick up the slack of forming a perimeter and keeping watch as Oobleck shifts over to cataloging the outside of the structure in excruciating detail. Taking pictures and charcoal rubbings of the outer surface until we have a path ready to make our way inside.

    The interior can be best described as moist, not entirely wet as streams of water are few and far between, but it's evident that over the years the structure has not remained waterproof, if it ever was in the first place. There are grooves along the floor and walls where water has passed through over the years, slowly weathering through the stone. The trails indicate that it pools primarily in the middle of the rooms, likely a misalignment or future sagging from the structure that wasn't planned. One room even has a hole in the middle where the masonry failed to uphold the weight of water. It isn't a large obstacle, but we all keep clear of it so as to not risk furthering the collapse.

    Based on what I found I'd estimate the structure to have two or three levels and possibly a basement of sorts. It's far too much for us to effectively search with the time we have left for today, but we still make the attempt. From what I know we're working off of a tight schedule and despite whatever Oobleck may wish we can only spare an extra day or two at most to check out this find.

    Not that we'd be able to check out the whole thing even if we devoted more time to this prospect. The floors after the first are largely submerged, apparently the structure has a problem with drainage and the water has been slowly accumulating over the years. I can only imagine the heartache that brings my mentor, but he takes the blow to his spirit in stride.

    Our second pass through the upper floors is much more thorough with all of us using our scrolls to document the area. I'm not sure if it's lucky or not that the top floor is mostly murals rather than Stygian writing, though there are a few sentences here or there. There are a variety of scenes on the walls of various rooms.

    The one that I'm tasked with shows crude figures of men with swords and clubs getting beaten back by the grimm. That is until the next scene where they're shown being attended by men in robes and partially colored with red, blue, and yellow markings. The next scene has them fighting back the grimm with a colorful aura and projectiles emanating from each of the warriors. The wall opposite of this has a rather detailed mural showing how they accomplished this. Showing a rather detailed thin needle that has actual Dust in the wall, likely where the Dust would be stored on the actual instrument.

    From what I can tell the instructions detail tattooing the arms and legs primarily to achieve this effect. There are, what best I can tell, a series of warnings to not go too deep or tattoo the torso or head, which makes sense. Dust is volatile at the best of times and putting it under stress with aura capable individuals is a recipe for disaster if all parties involved aren't at the top of their game.

    As for its actual effectiveness, well, it's not an inefficient way of using Dust from what I know. There are probably some health complications, but Huntsmen and warriors like the ones depicted on the mural rarely lived long lives anyway. The real problems come from the pain involved and the resulting damage to one's nerves from overuse. Aura can't heal all injuries, despite some popular misconceptions to the contrary. However, the usage of tattoos would likely ameliorate both of these issues to a small degree and repeated tattooing would likely make it easier on the warriors as they get used to it.

    It does, however, imply that there was a large class of people whose job it was to apply and maintain these tattoos for the warriors and could have a whole host of implications for the power structure of the civilization. Like would these, for lack of a better term, priests be in charge or the warriors who fight off the grimm. Martial prowess has been highly valued in Remnant's history, but the power of Dust is nothing to sneeze at either and would be vital for the saving of many lives and the very prowess these warriors would covet.

    As interesting of a subject as that is, I'm unlikely to find my answers just staring at this wall and so I give another search of the room, partly in search of those tools that I found the image of. If they ever were in this room in particular they must have long since been washed away as I turn up nothing aside from a few stone slabs. Returning to meet up with Oobleck I find that the others had more luck with finding physical relics.

    It isn't much, but they are clay tablets with Stygian writing on them, particularly what I believe to be numbers- a find all on its own as not much of the arithmetical system is found in the tombs. With their fragility and weight we only take two of them while securing the rest for future expeditions. Something tells me that Oobleck is going to have to share a wealth of these findings and credit with the wider archeological community.

    As much as the man would prefer otherwise there simply isn't enough time for him to devote to exploring and cataloging these findings to their completion along with his job at Beacon. As much as he enjoys his archeological work I know that he much prefers his work as a Huntsman, so hopefully, once he comes down from his initial burst of excitement, it isn't too much of a sting.


    The next thing on our list is to deal with that nest of nevermores, so after a day of resting my team and Port start our journey. Goodwitch wants to come with us, but with none of us willing to stay behind in this case she's stuck watching over Oobleck. I think she could force the issue and get Port to stay with him, but I'm sure she's trying to rein in my mentor's worst impulses and doesn't trust Port to do the same. At least I can be sure we won't be dragging half of the ruins with us on our trip back, even if it'll be a near thing with how manic Oobleck has gotten once the realization that we won't be here for too much longer set in.

    I'm just glad that I won't have to be the one to deal with him today and I review our parameters for the mission as we make our approach. This is a bounty put up by the city of Vale in order to keep the skylanes towards Mistral as clear as possible. It isn't on the main path so it's a bit of a low priority and with it being mainly nevermores - primarily of the smaller variety - instead of a more dangerous grimm, like say griffins or lancers, has meant that it hasn't drawn much of a reward by the city. That combined with its out of the way nature has led to us picking up the contract and it's likely to be the first bit of real combat our team will see.

    The caves and grimm that Autumn and Marina dealt with were more tedious than anything else with all the precautions one has to take when dealing with subterranean environments. Thus I can tell that everyone is ready to cut loose a little. It helps that Goodwitch isn't here to keep watch of us. It might not be intentional on her part, but her attitude and concern for our safety puts a damper on getting excited for dealing with grimm, well as long as you're anybody not named Marina that is.

    Port on the other hand, despite his serious on the field nature, joins in with our idle chatter of how we're going to deal with the nevermore nest. Talking us up and joining in on the boisterous nature of it all. I don't even mind when he diverts into a tangent about how he once dealt with a nevermore nest of similar size all on his own. I can tell that a few of the details are exaggerated, but I can't bring myself to care in the atmosphere of it all.

    We're only given a general area of where the nevermore have been spotted and it's up to us to actually locate the nest and deal with it. Fortunately we don't also have to juggle the job of verification as Port is willing to take care of that as long as we don't directly need his help. Plus in the event that he has to help out his word has enough weight to it for us to get paid regardless of providing direct proof.

    He is also kind enough to openly speculate on where the nest is likely to be based on his past experiences. Not really necessary since I see Autumn about to provide the answer anyway and I'm sure it would have only taken the rest of us a few minutes to think it through.

    Regardless it gives me a target and I use my semblance to give myself some height and spot it in my mirror world. I relay the directions to Autumn and Kelly who take point and use their woodsmanship to make sure we don't get turned around and take the best path towards the area. I can tell that Marina feels a bit left out, but she makes up for it by darting along our flanks and taking care of any errant grimm before they become too aware of our presence. She is still the fastest among us, but it's a bare thing between me and her right now. The difference in mobility between her and the twins allows her to keep up with them more or less, so I shouldn't have to keep much of an eye out for her once combat begins.

    As if to pull me out of my thoughts we round in on the nest of nevermore. They've stuck themselves in a copse of trees right by a cliffside edge that gives them a terrific view and diving platform off into the forest below. I'm honestly surprised that they didn't make themselves more of a nuisance on our way in. Then again I'm thinking of them too much like fresh grimm.

    This request has been up for a little while so they had to have been spotted beforehand and if they were smart enough not to attack us on sight that means that at least one of them has to be old enough to know better. Now that gets my blood pumping; the last time that a grimm challenged me was back in initiation and that was a rather poor showing for team OAAK. Plus I was certain that I could have taken that grimm on my own and if this is anything near that level this encounter will just prove it.

    Fortunately I'm not so eager to prove myself that I head off without a plan, or in this case several. I make some plans in case there are more than one, elder for lack of a better term, nevermore. I don't find that likely and neither does Autumn; Port tries to stay out of the conversation to let us pass or fail on our own merits, but he has a terrible poker face and I can tell he agrees with my assessment. Under that case I have the twins dealing with and drawing the attention of the majority of the weaker nevermore while I chase after the big one myself. Marina's job is to keep any stragglers off of me and offer assistance where it's needed, not that I think any of us will need it.

    Truthfully a better plan would be for us to rush after the big guy since he's the real threat and deal with whatever stragglers afterwards, but I'm looking for an excuse to test myself in a more or less safe environment. I don't even try to hide that intent from my team and to my surprise Kelly doesn't make an issue of it. I know that Autumn understands my sentiment here and Marina would follow whatever plan I have. I guess she trusts that I know what I'm doing. On a similar note Port just congratulates me on my Huntsman spirit and starts going on a tirade of how when he was a young lad before stopping himself as my team and I ready ourselves for the fight ahead.

    As part of our plan Autumn and Kelly take the first steps towards the trees that hold our enemies, with Kelly shifting her weapon in rifle mode to take out the smaller varieties of nevermore and catch their attention. Her brother does similar with his hand-cannon, but I feel a bit bad for him; we just aren't in his optimal engagement range and I can't help but feel that he's wasting some of his ammo and even if we're being spotted some munitions as part of Oobleck's preparations it still must sting to toss that Lien away.

    I don't have too much time to think about that because the ruckus the twins are causing is enough to stir the nest and subsequently my actual target. The main indicator for its location is the great shaking of a tree and its branches. With how tied together the canopy is it is a little difficult to pin down the exact tree, but it's enough for Marina and I to rush after it. The ideal scenario would be to reach it before it can get airborne and make this fight a lot more tedious than it needs to be. Its wings breaking out of the tree-line puts an end to that hope, but it's no use crying over a plan that fell apart upon contact with the enemy.

    Instead I do what I do best and wing it, heh. I start ascending up the tree the nevermore just leapt out of, striking at various smaller nevermore almost casually. They aren't much of a threat to someone with aura until they get to the bigger sizes and the biggest I encounter is around the size of three of me. I know the average variety can get quite a bit bigger than this, but those usually form their own nests or remain solitary creatures. This type of nesting behavior is more prevalent amongst the smaller nevermore for whatever reason; if I had to guess to avoid drawing the attention of Huntsmen too much.

    Shaking that thought off I return my attention to my target that is making a sweep back to defend its territory. It's rather large and with any hope has some age on it as well. Size and age for a grimm doesn't always go hand-in-hand, but being one big sonuvabitch certainly makes it easier for them to reach old age. Technically the elder nevermore could be one of the smaller varieties, it's certainly possible for one of them to live through enough of these exterminations to run at the first sign of danger and advise its flock to do the same.

    That brings to mind, how exactly do dynamics within grimm work exactly? They aren't animals despite their animalistic behavior so it can't all be dominance and power displays. Do they have some way of knowing when a grimm is older and wiser than them, or is there some other mechanism at play? It isn't like they have intelligent conversations amongst themselves; enough researchers have put forth that theory and it's been shot down every time. Whatever, the grimm are confusing enough to ponder as it is and the only thoughts that I need to entertain about the matter is how to kill it.

    I ascend to the top of the tree and start firing at the large bird-like grimm with my Wit's End in rifle mode. Mainly to draw its attention as I harbor no illusion that my bullets are going to do more than tickle it at this range. Once its attention is drawn I shift my weapon back to rapier mode and prepare for it to make its pass. My focus is nearly broken when a rush of air passes by me and Marina's harpoon strikes a nevermore that was about to knock me from my perch. I give her a nod; it would have been more annoying than anything and a slight bit embarrassing, but I don't have to worry about that right now.

    As if on cue my target makes a low flying pass, it has prioritized dealing with the enemy rather than ascending any further than it needed to to pull off its next maneuver. The damn things can be hard to pin down even at the best of times and once they're in the air it becomes near impossible to hem them in as they typically prioritize keeping themselves safe and maneuverable over dealing with their enemy directly. There is one major exception to this, however.

    Thanks to my time at Beacon I learned the, somewhat obvious in hindsight, fact that the giant bird-like grimm can't reorient itself once it's committed to launching its feathers. Now this isn't too much help normally to someone like me that doesn't carry a large caliber ranged option, but at the altitude it's approaching me at, I have another option available.

    I jump off the top of the tree with enough force to shatter the branch I was standing on. Even if I didn't accomplish that the flurry of recoil maneuvers to help boost my speed and height surely would have done so. At the same time the nevermore rears itself back in order to launch its feathers. Since I'm aiming for center mass at the moment and with the angles involved the feathers pass by and land roughly where I was a moment ago. Even if I was unfortunate enough on the timing, my buckler would have saved me from the worst of it even if the subsequent fall would not have been fun to deal with.

    This does leave me on a collision course with its chest, or more likely its head as it will recover shortly, neither of which is my target at the moment. A shot off to the side has me drifting towards its left wing instead and I stab at it in the midsection. A part of me wanted to go for the wing itself, but that seems like a bad idea if I cut through the whole thing instead of stopping myself.

    As it is, my weapon cuts through a portion of the grimm, but provides enough resistance that I'm able to use my weapon as a makeshift horizontal bar and fling myself both backwards and upwards to keep pace with the avian grimm. I'll have to check to make sure that I didn't bend the blade out of shape with that maneuver, but I'm just happy enough to have pulled it off.

    My internal celebration is short lived as the nevermore I'm now above is struck in the chest by Marina's harpoon. I'm slightly upset that she's decided to help me out with this, but to be fair if my trick just failed it would have made this fight a lot more tedious than it needs to be. Her move stalls the grimm more than I intended and I end up overshooting my mark and land on its bone-plated head instead of its more vulnerable back. Not that I was going to waste enough Dust to down it from back there and this serves well enough to ground it for a moment.

    Marina braces herself and pulls in with her winch which when combined with my sudden crashing into the grimm has it pointed down to the ground and following suit before too long. I jump off before we hit the ground to bleed off some excess momentum. We just so happen to have headed in the same direction as Autumn and Kelly; the grimm I was briefly riding on digging a furrow in the ground.

    This, of course, makes it child's play for Kelly to activate her semblance and trap the beast fully in a cocoon of earth save for its head, though that too is restrained so it can't so much as move. Then, rather anticlimactically, Autumn makes his way over to the oversized bird, plants his gun right at one of its eyes and pulls the trigger, finishing off the beast and stealing my kill.

    I can tell that he knows what he just did as he shoots me the widest, most shit-eating grin that I've seen him sport. I try not to let it affect me as I swap over to rifle mode and start shooting at the stragglers and retreating forms of nevermore. Fortunately a full wipe out of the nest isn't necessary as nevermore under a certain size aren't much of a threat to airships. It only takes a few more minutes for us to deal with the remaining grimm or for them to buzz off to somewhere else and be a problem for the future.

    Ochre Combat: 4.99+2.04(Mobility)+1.52(Grimm)+1(Dust)+2(team)=11.55

    Marina Combat: 3.77+2.05(Mobility)+1.39(Grimm)+1(Dust)+2(Teamwork)=10.21

    Autumn Combat: 4.13+1.7(Mobility)+1.9(Grimm)+1(Dust)+2(Teamwork)=10.73

    Kelly Combat: 4.20+1.59(Mobility)+1.6(Grimm)+1(Dust)+2(Teamwork)=10.39

    Giant Nevermore (8.4)

    QM Note: Needless to say this battle was just auto-resolved. This grimm is also statted out the exact same as the one I did for RWBY's initiation encounter; mainly to showcase how much progress has been made in a single semester.

    Despite the performance petering out at the end there, Port gives us a raucous round of applause after we stow away our weapons. "Bravo young Huntsmen, bravo. Felling such a beast is no easy task, especially so quickly. Why I imagine that beast must have been the same size as the one team RWBY faced during initiation. It's a testament to your teamwork that you were able to accomplish the feat that you did, but one should never forget their individual performance and I can assure you that you all are well above the average. With time you may even bring yourself to my esteemed level. Ho ho ho." Port actually sounds out the 'ho ho ho' part instead of it sounding like a natural laugh on his part, but I'm a little too distracted to pay attention to that bit.

    At the mention of teamwork Autumn turns to me and smiles. I have to prevent myself from returning a rather rude gesture back at him. I may as well have because his smile only widens in return and I am nearly two seconds away from breaking propriety and launching myself at his smugness.

    That isn't to be as the Port cuts into the brewing conflict with a reserved cough. "If it's not too much trouble I would ask that the three of you head back to camp while I have a word with your leader." The three of them turn to me instead of listening to Port, but I wave them off. I'll admit I'm curious as to what Port could possibly want to bring up with me. He waits a good few minutes for my team to make their way out of sight and then checks around the area quickly, either for any sight of them or errant grimm. Finding nothing he plops his axe down in front of himself and leans over it to look at me.

    "I suppose you're smart enough to know what it is that I want to talk with you about," he says with no preamble. Truthfully I don't; I could make a good guess, but I decide to refrain from the chance to make a fool of myself and let the silence stretch on long enough that he feels compelled to fill it. "Your plan was a reckless one that put yourself in unnecessary danger and centered around a singular point of failure."

    I keep my face neutral, he has a point, but I was certain of my skills to at least make up the difference if I failed. Plus a certain aspiration for pulling it off played a part in my decision making there. Before I can voice any of that he cries out with a booming voice, "It was magnificent, simply magnificent.

    Too often are Huntsmen content to satisfy themselves with meager glory work-man-like precision that they forget what a Huntsman is first and foremost. A hero; and what hero could be afraid of a little failure - to not push yourself like you did would have been the greatest of insults. And why, the trust you put in your team to handle things in case you failed was simply stupendous - why I haven't seen such camaraderie in, well, I'd rather not say - but it was impressive nonetheless. Though if you could let Autumn take the next one I would be most appreciative"

    I'm not really sure where that monologue came from and I'm not sure I want to engage with any of it. Instead I latch on to his final statement. "I think he took that one even if it wasn't his," I say with an irritation that isn't entirely affected.

    Port knocks his head back and laughs boisterously. I don't think he finds my statement funny, but it's like he's playing a character and that character would laugh regardless of what I said. "True, true, but I want to see my apprentice really stretch his legs one of these days. What better time than when he has the rest of his team to fall back on?" I grumble at that since that was more or less my own reasoning. If Port notices that he doesn't make any mention of it, the only reaction that he has is his bushy mustache twitching.

    "Was that all you wanted to talk to me about," I venture, not really understanding why my team had to leave for us to have this conversation.

    "Oh," Port stumbles over his words for a bit. "Yes, actually. As much as I appreciate your daring I can't just go ahead and advise such recklessness in front of the other students. As your leader I'll trust that you'll manage their risks appropriately. There is wisdom in keeping things safe, but glory comes in strides - not small steps."

    I'm not sure if I agree with that, but it's certainly an…interesting point of view. Still, I'm more or less stuck with Port as we make our way to catch up with the others. I suspect they're keeping their pace slow to not get too far away from us, but that means I'll be with Port for the next few minutes at minimum.

    Practical: His practical demonstration blew anything he's ever done in class out of the water. Surely there has to be a reason why he doesn't engage in that style of teaching more often. (3)

    Grimm: While brief, in that fight my mind went to some of the more esoteric aspects of grimm. I have an expert on the matter with me and I could pick his brain a little. (2)

    Glory: His point of view on Huntsmen is certainly…different. I could probe more into that. (1)

    Autumn: Apparently him deciding to take Autumn as an apprentice is what started off this whole series of events. I could ask him what prompted that decision. (1)

    A beat of silence passes between the two of us as I wait to see if there's anything else he wants to add. When he remains silent as well I take that as my cue to start following after my team. Their tracks aren't hard for me to find with how fresh they are, plus I could have just started heading back to camp and I'd probably be fine. At my sudden movement Port rushes ahead to take the lead, his blunderbuss-axe shouldered with the blades next to his head and his hand around the barrel.

    I'm not quite sure how he uses the weapon more or less safely, which reminds me that my mentor uses his weapon as a thermos and drinks from it. That is in spite of the fact that his weapons shoots balls of fire and must surely be loaded with Dust for that to work. I wouldn't be caught dead with a weapon with such an ease to cause self-harm.

    Do all of my teachers secretly have a deathwish of some sort or are they just that sure of their aura? I mean Goodwitch isn't the same, but she's the straight-laced type. To be fair I haven't seen Peach's or Heartwood's weapons so maybe it's only Oobleck and Port that have a death wish.

    While I'm occupied with my thoughts, Port starts up some story or another and looks at me like he's waiting for me to ask a question of some sort. I have no clue what he was on about so instead I turn the tables with a blunt reply. "You know, that lesson you provided to us in the caves was pretty great."

    My statement apparently catches him off guard as his steps take a hitch and he almost trips over an errant root. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he doesn't get much genuine praise for his lessons. Though with their general quality that isn't something that's the fault of his students.

    "Oh, that lesson. Bah, I did the best that I could on short notice, I assure you that given some time that I could provide something on par with my usual lessons at Beacon." Port's voice is soft, almost embarrassed. I don't know if that's because of my compliment or because he believes he somehow provided a subpar lesson there. Either way there's not a world that I want to live in where I don't at least attempt to correct that misconception.

    "Actually I think the impromptu nature of it helped out a lot. You know, made it so you really spoke with your heart and not your mind," I say, coaching my language to gel with what I understand of the man. I'm not entirely altruistic here, and no I don't need Autumn to tell me otherwise. I can say without a shred of doubt that I want him to change up his teaching style and maybe grimm studies won't be such an absolute bore.

    He laughs his fake laugh once more and I get the feeling that's his deflection mechanism for whenever he feels uncomfortable about something. That has some disturbing implications with how much he does the same thing during class. Then again his stories always came off as rehearsed so maybe he only does it then for the dramatics.

    "Right you are, my boy, right you are. Unfortunately I do have a curriculum that I have to keep and it's a struggle enough to cover everything even with my stories being as comprehensive as they can be. I'm afraid I can't risk diverting into tangents like that; I have your education to think about after all."

    I fight back a grimace as I was hoping he would be a bit easier to convince than this. "What about more practical demonstrations? The last one was very informative and I'm sure if there's anyone who could pull it off it would be you." The compliment doesn't come easily to me, still fighting back my previous image of the man as I am. However, if I need to puff him up a bit then that's what I'll do.

    He remains silent for a moment, thinking the matter over before speaking up, still not turning to address me directly. "Oh I wish that I could, but my lesson with the boartusk is as far as I'm willing to push my bounds."

    That leaves me puzzled for a moment. It's not like we haven't had field trips, like collecting the red sap from the Forever Fall Forest. Surely what we just did with Port couldn't be any more dangerous than that. "What do you mean by that exactly? I didn't think Beacon had many restrictions for its teachers."

    Port doesn't grace me with another laugh which immediately informs me that this is a somewhat serious matter. "That isn't the case and for good reason. There are restrictions in place so that…enthusiastic teachers don't overstep their bounds and endanger their charges. Something the council voted into place after the unfortunate death of a young girl on a training mission. I myself was just barely a few months into my teaching career at the time and the restrictions were particularly harsh for those without a track record. Thus far I've seen no need to appeal that decision.

    Besides, how could I go about depriving my attentive students of the stories of my youth? Why I'd say they'd be heartbroken to not hear about the adventures of Peter Port in the prime of his Hunstman career." I can tell that his sudden change is so that we don't dwell on the topic any further, but I want to press my luck to some degree.

    I tell myself that I'm above begging and then I remember how bored out of her mind Weiss gets in his class. She tries to keep notes as best as she can, but I know it's not easy for her. Alright, I'm still above begging, but maybe a little sweet talking is in order.

    "You know I think it would do the other students a lot of good for them to see a veteran Huntsman in action. You know a real specimen in the prime of his youth and with such boisterous energy." The honeyed words roll off my tongue in a way that I want to choke on them, but I force them out nonetheless. "I don't suppose you know of any Huntsman with years of experience dealing with the grimm who could spare a bit of time to show them the way do you?"

    With each of my compliments Port shrinks in on himself and keeps his gaze away from me. I'm a little worried that I may have laid it on too thick, but a lack of any comment, even a deflective one tells me that he's actually thinking over my proposal. After a few moments I hear his voice ring out once more, "I'll see about talking with the powers that be. Maybe you're right and showing those youngsters is the right way to light a flame in their hearts."

    I nod in satisfaction at having more or less gotten my way and prepare myself to launch into my next topic of discussion. Port, however, doesn't stop. "But! I'm afraid that my attention would be far too occupied by dealing with any grimm that I'd be rather lax in keeping the rest of the class safe from harm. Not a problem without a solution, if only I could find a spry young man to help me as my teacher's assistant I could pull off a most wondrous lesson."

    My heart drops as I process what exactly he's implying. I just clawed my way out of so many time commitments I don't have the willpower to spend dealing with grading papers or whatever else he'd have me doing. "Uh, as much as I appreciate the offer. Don't I have to be a little more experienced to take up such a post," I defer hoping to get out of this mess.

    "Bah," he barks out, waving a hand in front of his face. A mostly useless gesture since I only catch the tail end of it as he keeps walking. "As long as you know your stuff I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll drill the knowledge into your head myself if I have to."

    "Wouldn't Autumn be a better choice then? He's way further ahead on this grimm stuff than I am," I say in a last-ditch effort to put this matter to rest.

    "He's my apprentice," Port says as if affronted; I honestly can't tell if he is or not. "Why if I made him my TA as well some would accuse me of blatant favoritism." I notably don't say that his favoritism is already pretty blatant.

    "I'll think about it," I say slowly, "I have a lot of responsibilities and I don't think I'll have any answer before we get back to Beacon." I'll likely say no since the benefits probably aren't worth it, but that's enough for Port to nod his head as if the matter is closed. "Though, if you wouldn't mind sharing some of your knowledge about grimm ahead of time I'm not going to complain."

    He knocks his head back again and lets out a loud laugh that I'm sure will draw my team in no time if they're in the area. Any grimm dumb enough to cross us as well, but they're almost a footnote on our journey here. "I suppose I could, but first tell me what you know about the grimm."

    Even though he can't see it I start counting off factoids on my fingers, "Let's see, they have an innate desire to destroy people, can sense emotions, get smarter or at least more clever with age, unlike people or animals they don't really grow-"

    "That's a rather common misconception," Port interrupts, "Not all grimm remain the same size as whenever they're created. Nevermores are a great example of this and so are centinels. Centinels even turn into cenitaurs if provided enough time to metamorphize for lack of a better word."

    "How," I question dumbly and then feel the need to elaborate. "I mean as far as we know grimm don't really eat anything so how can they gain more mass, or size, or whatever?" I may not have had the displeasure of encountering a cenitaur, but the difference in size between one and a centinel is rather substantial.

    "Why my boy," he says with a slight chuckle, "you might as well be asking where the grimm come from if you're asking that." Well that's one way of saying you don't know.

    Although…at the risk of sounding dumb I decide to raise the obvious question, "Where do the grimm come from?"

    Port doesn't stop, but his pace notably slows as he pieces together how exactly to express his thoughts. "There are multiple theories on the matter, but I'll stick to the facts. Grimm do not appear out of thin air, this has been substantiated not only by the Kingdoms' very existence but by decades of Huntsmen observations. Second, not all grimm display this growth behavior so it is not an innate feature of all grimm only specific examples. Third, despite an arguable lack of need to do so, many grimm species will form pods or group units; some say this is for protection, but we cannot rule out that there is another reason altogether."

    "Wait, are you trying to imply that the grimm breed or bud off of each other somehow?"

    "Either that or they pop out of the woods and ground whenever we're not looking," he finishes his sentence off with a laugh like the very idea is preposterous. I'm not sure I find that one less believable than the other, but it's not like I have any proof to challenge him with. "Unfortunately there are many grimm habits that we don't understand, unlike their animal counterparts. It is exceedingly difficult to study them in their natural habitat. Not only do you need an iron will, but you also need superb stealth skills that you can keep up for hours, if not days at a time. One small misstep or flash of frustration and it's all ruined."

    I can see how that would make the prospect difficult. Unfortunately this conversation has left me with far more questions than answers and what answers I do receive just rub me the wrong way even if I can't point out why. I don't get the chance to ruminate on the matter much longer as I spot a tuft of white hair darting between the trees. Evidently Marina is the first, or fastest among them to chase after me and Port when they heard us. The twins show up not long after and the group falls into an easy conversation that isn't about the beasts of grimm and I don't feel the need to press the issue.

    Aura(Knowledge) raised from (0/150) to (5/150) Source: Glynda

    Aura(Practical) raised from (275/625) to (290/625) Source: Semblance usage & Combat

    Combat Raised from Rank 4 (621/625) to Rank 5(46/1250) Source: Oobleck, Glynda, Port, Training, & Combat

    Culture raised from (53/150) to (67/150) Source: Oobleck & Actions

    Dust raised from (47/150) to (59/150) Source: Glynda & Actions

    Grimm raised from (13/300) to (50/300) Source: Port, Glynda, Training & Combat

    History raised from (248/300) to (271/300) Source: Oobleck & Actions

    Investigation raised from Rank 3(288/300) to Rank 4(11/625) Source: Training, Oobleck, Challenge, & Actions

    Mobility raised from (56/625) to (82/625) Source: Oobleck, Glynda, Port, & Combat

    Performance (Acting) raised from (12/150) to (17/150) Source: Port

    Survival raised from (97/150) to (102/150) Source: Port
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Winter Break Act 2(Part 1)
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    • Just a quick announcement. The investigation page has finally been put together and transferred over here. It does contain spoilers for where we are in the story and future events. It also contains reports on completed investigations with character commentary. Not needed to understand the story, but a neat little addition nonetheless.

    For the next leg of our journey we travel along the Stygian river to the North past the mountains surrounding the valley we stayed in. Then we turn East and eventually South hooking around the back side of the Valean mountain range. Looking at our planned route the return leg of the journey will have us traversing the mountains on a straight shot back to Vale. Before we can get to that, however, we have to get to our next major stop of this trip, a small village nestled on a plateau approaching the Misty Mountains.

    Naturally that leads to the majority of our time getting eaten up by travel, a shame since further off to the East is the other spot that Cinder stopped at. As far as I can tell there's nothing of interest in the area, but I won't have the opportunity to check it out in person in case there's simply something there that isn't on the CCT. A minor annoyance but not one that I can deal with considering how tight our scheduling already is. A fact that's only compounded on as we have to travel in a meandering line to knock out the various missions Goodwitch picked up and checking out some more minor ruins.

    My semblance helps out in this area once more, finding some more buried buildings, though nothing on the same scale or importance of what I found in Stygia. Unfortunately as we drift to settlements further away from the mountains and hilly region the smaller degree of sediment buildup simply means there is less for me to discover. Most of those turn out to be a series of settlements built right on top of one another, cannibalizing the structures and architectural style of the previous inhabitants which makes identifying where one society starts and another ends much more difficult.

    Halfway to our destination for this leg of the trip I lose all hope of a CCT signal; not that I had a consistent one before this. We're heading away from the minor settlements that would have a CCT relay and despite the Tower and Beacon being just over the mountains those same mountains are blocking out our signal while we're this low in altitude. It does give me hope that it will pick back up not too far into the return leg of our trip, but there's nothing I can do about it now.

    Not that I have anything to be too concerned about, I left the Union in good hands and with the exception of Weiss none of my friends are doing anything dangerous. Even in my girlfriend's case her danger is more to her emotional and mental state than anything else and that's at least something I can deal with when I come back.

    It is almost a relief when we start our ascent to the small plateau the village rests on. The journey up is hard on the legs after so many days of straight walking. Huntsmen, unsurprisingly, can keep a much harsher pace than what I'm used to from my time in the Fang.

    Our pace has been no different and might be even harsher than normal considering the time crunch that we're on. I can't say that it doesn't have the intended effect as I'm sure we're a day ahead of schedule. There simply aren't any major delays that a team of three veteran Huntsmen can't take care of or at least find a way to avoid.

    There was a herd of goliaths, but their large size and hesitant nature means that it's not difficult to avoid a confrontation. It, however, brings to mind how the biggest and most dangerous grimm are paradoxically the least of concerns for the Kingdoms. Typically they live long enough to know that dealing with the Kingdoms proper is a bad idea.

    They aren't so hesitant with smaller villages, though they typically wait until they're dealing with some other hardship or have enough negativity to draw their attention. Even then that usually occurs far enough from the Kingdoms that it's just written off as a loss and no bounty is put out and there is some logic to that. With the lethality of these grimm it would certainly result in the death of several Huntsmen to hunt down each one as well as taking away funds from the general defense of the Kingdom. The villages certainly don't have enough funds to preemptively defend themselves against these large grimm so absent of a monetary incentive to do so all that's left is either a personal one or for the glory of having done so.

    Maybe Port is on to something with his thoughts. A lot of the general mindset around Huntsmen is that they're heroes, but we're paid out on a bounty system that encourages either big paydays or smaller safer jobs. There is little to draw Huntsmen out into the wilderness to slay these particularly dangerous grimm other than it being the right thing to do and the accolades that would come with it. I shake my head and dispel those thoughts; dealing with the grimm is an ever-evolving problem and I won't be the one to solve it indefinitely.

    We approach the village, which is thankfully still standing based on the peels of laughter from children running around and playing. We hear them long before we see them as their sounds are carried down the slope along with the wind and our pace slows down to a leisurely walk, finally allowing us a chance to relax after the previously grueling days.

    Our entrance onto the plateau is rather narrow. The path we're on winds a little bit and is narrow, but aside from the occasional arch of rocks above us it's like a giant had cut a divot in the earth for us to walk through. It almost makes me think that it's man-made, but a lack of smoothed walls and floor as well as signs of erosion puts that thought out of my mind.

    The first thing that I notice once we reach the proper elevation is a stone tower that stretches a little bit above the walls of the village. It's clearly out of place and older than the surrounding structures. The next thing is the walls themselves, which don't stretch out to this natural chokepoint. Instead they form a semicircle around what is presumably a pass further into the mountains.

    The walls are a patchwork mess with some bits being bricks, hewn rock, or wooden in structure. All are painted a Valean green like the act of doing so would provide some sort of ward against the grimm. Well, as long as the residents believe it does something it likely helps by keeping their mind off of inevitable grimm attacks.

    As we reach the gates to the village our approach is met with the shifting of some guardsmen atop the walls. They make their way deeper into the village which causes a bit of apprehension with the twins. Marina doesn't seem to care and our teachers are nonchalant about the matter. Before too long the gate swings open to a crowd of people…cheering, like we're some sort of returning heroes and I'm a bit thrown back at that reception.

    I start analyzing why that could be and come to a possible conclusion. With their seclusive location and lack of access to the CCT it's likely that they assume we're Huntsmen and can help them with any problems that they've encountered. We're close enough to Vale that bandits are rarely an issue, additionally making the trek this far out would be unprofitable for them in most cases.

    Plus it isn't hard to assume the people in colorful outfits and with elaborate weapons are Huntsmen. Bandits rarely progress beyond basic firearms and blades due to the maintenance requirements and the desperation that causes them to turn to that life. If they had the equipment and training to become Huntsmen they could simply take the proficiency exam and pick up small if paying work. Still, I find it a little too trusting for my liking, though it paints the picture of a village that doesn't have many issues beyond the grimm and general survival.

    After a bit of the fanfare dies down we're given a residence for the duration of our stay. It's the headsman's house which is a tight fit for seven people compared to the usual occupants, but has enough rooms for us to have a modicum of privacy. As my team settles in I'm called up with Oobleck, Port, and Goodwitch to meet up with the headsman and discuss what they have in store for us. I guess they feel like I should be included in this meeting since I'm team leader, but it is annoying because I know we'll have to rehash all this with the rest of the team later.

    Our meeting takes place in a meeting house that's been cleared out of everyone except for the four of us, the headsman, and his daughter. The headsman introduces himself as Cyril Yama and his daughter Cerulean. The man is old and his daughter looks like she's a bit past her prime and I wouldn't be surprised if she has children of her own. I content myself with being an observer to this meeting; it's not like I'll have much of an ability to influence or negotiate here and I can raise any issues with the teachers once we've concluded this initial meeting.

    The problems that he outlines are rather minor tasks, all things considered. I'd believe them to be more busywork if I didn't notice the telltale signs of stress and worry whenever the topic of payment is brought up. He assures us that he can pay the rates that we're negotiating for and provides a few lien cards to prove his sincerity. I suspect that most of that is whatever savings he retired with and very little else. With their location it can't be easy for them to make Lien and any trek to a village or city for trade has to be an arduous one.

    It makes me think that this village isn't long for this world despite its defensible position. If they need to pay for the occasional Huntsman they'll eventually run out of funds and have to pack up. Maybe it'd be different if they were able to secure an investor or other form of cash flow, but I haven't seen anything in the area that would be worth it. Nevertheless he's willing to pay and we're more or less mercenaries; he can figure out how exactly to prevent the inevitable death of the settlement he founded on his own time.

    Our first task is to simply keep a perimeter around the walls so that they can be expanded outwards and hopefully in far better shape. Honestly Kelly could probably handle that on her own even if it would take her a while to make sure it's done efficiently and sturdy enough to stand for years to come. We'd still be on the hook for keeping up defenses around the walls for a time so the guards can take a bit of a break, so it's mostly busywork.

    The second is a bit more tedious, apparently there's a mine a little ways up the mountain path that has some ores that the village is wanting; the place isn't usually filled with grimm, but our job would be to escort some miners there and keep them safe while they do their job. Thirdly is a request for us to head back down the path we came to pick various herbs for them, nothing exciting but it's an official mission.

    The last one isn't even a mission from him, but from the city of Vale for a bounty mission up in the mountains. No specific grimm nest to target, rather it seems to be a standard mission issued in the hopes of keeping grimm numbers low, with how long it took to be accepted I'm not sure what to expect, but we'd be able to adjust how difficult of targets we want to go after.

    After the discussion on, and Goodwitch's acceptance of, the missions we stay for another hour to share some news with our host. After which, we return to our residence and explain our options to my team. Oobleck takes this time to talk about his interest in the area. The tower that's the largest structure in the village is the obvious main draw. Apparently it leads to a cavern just underneath the village that's theorized to have been a mine at one point. There's very little explanation as to what the tower could be, but that's par for the course.

    Naturally the tower isn't the only remnant of whatever civilization was here previously, but much of it has been lost to repeated settlement and time. We could check out the town and the structures scattered around to try to determine what's left of the original settlement, which Oobleck plans to do regardless. Additionally there are signs of habitation that stretch out across the entirety of the plateau that we could search for. Lastly there are further signs that at some point the peoples of the area tried reshaping the surrounding areas for more farm and pastoral lands, it's possible that something could remain in those areas no matter how slim.

    Yes(+ for which) (4)

    +Social (2)

    +Practical (1)

    No (0)
    Bounty: The city of Vale has a standing bounty in the area to cull the local grimm. It's largely up to us how we want to approach this with how few details were provided. (5)

    Village Security: The village is looking for extra protection so they can expand and refortify their walls. There might be some problems with grimm, but we'll have plenty of backup. (4)

    Escort: A group of miners need to be brought up to a mine and watched over while they perform their work. We'll have to keep a somewhat wide perimeter to ensure they aren't in danger, but otherwise shouldn't be much of an issue. (1)

    Retrieval: The village needs some additional supplies that can be found back the way we came. (0)
    With a total of four selections that was enough to select all options thus there was no vote held to determine which to do.
    Cyril & Cerulean: These two seem to be in charge of the village and might have some interesting experiences to share. It couldn't hurt to talk with them and I might be able to bring up my concerns. (4)

    Kelly: With the change in venue she's much less wound up. Still, she might appreciate if I check in with her. (3)

    Marina: She's taken up chronicling our adventures. I could check and see how the writing is going or just how she is in general. (3)

    Goodwitch: I've talked with her and though there is still some tension there she seems sympathetic to a degree. (2)

    Autumn: My teammate and technical rival. With my deprivation of modern entertainment I'm sure he brought a comic or two that he'd lend me. (1)

    Port: He has a rather different view of the world and Huntsmen than what I'm used to. It might be worth it to interact with him some more. (1)

    Oobleck: My mentor and someone that I'll be spending quite a bit of time with considering the nature of our expedition. Might as well make some small talk while I'm there. (1)
    Goodwitch: Primarily focused on combat with a minor focus on the grimm, I assume I'll also pick up something about Dust and Aura considering how closely linked they are to her subject of choice. (6)

    Port: Primarily focused on grimm and combat, though the man is also an orator and a survivalist so I'm sure I'll pick up some of that. (5)

    Mobility (4)

    Aura (Knowledge) (4)

    Investigation (3)

    Grimm (1)

    It takes a little while to hammer out the mission assignments for everyone, but we get it done before too long. There is enough daylight left that Oobleck and I start our trek around the town in search of whatever hidden ruins we can find. He's more attentive to the matter than myself as I'm mainly doing this to get a lay of the land, but I don't slack in my assigned duties either.

    The majority of the dwellings that the villagers use are almost entirely made from scavenged stones and bricks. The material is not really all that worse for wear, close by, better than what they can produce with their level of industry without expending too much effort, and easy enough to piece together with any holes being covered with bits cut to fit or a generous helping of mortar.

    Historically this probably wasn't the case, not many societies can devote that much time to buildings of this quality and with trees being present on the plateau a lack of wood in their construction is highly unlikely. Most probable is that over centuries people moved into the area and took apart the native buildings, which were likely a mix of all of these materials with wood featuring prominently, and slowly centralized them into this location. It does bring into mind what drove out the people here in the first place as evidence points to them occupying a large portion of the plateau, but we lack so much as even a hint of a record about their existence.

    We only know about them because, obviously, they must have existed at some point for all this to be here in the first place. There are probably many more civilizations like theirs that we know nothing about simply because the grimm would wipe them out before they had a cultural impact. Unlike the one we're currently investigating I figure there must be many more that weren't successful enough to even leave a trace of themselves behind.

    Either way it's a mystery that likely won't ever be solved and the search for which is probably as fruitless as our current venture. It's incredibly difficult to tell what is an original construction and what is from a newer architectural style due to the fact that it's all the same materials and whatever inhabitants came in after the fact probably aped the style that was already around. The only mitigating factor that we have on our end is that with the tower so prominent that it's likely whatever people settled here chose that as the spot to make their residence.

    Investigation Check: Rank 4.02 +.5(circumstance)=4.52 vs Challenge 6

    Final Modifier: -37

    Dice: 1d100-37

    3 - 37 = -34

    Oobleck and I spend the rest of the day turning over stones and inspecting the base of the structures as they're the least likely to have been messed with. That is unless some disaster required that the building be rebuilt from the ground up. The foundation is the sturdiest part and near impossible to replace as a part of general repairs. Unfortunately even if we can find a few examples where the foundation looks original we can't be entirely sure that the rest of the structure is either.

    With the way they must have been built originally included a lot of seams where they transitioned material which has been more or less replicated from the repeated attempts at building them. We can reconstruct some idea of what their architecture must have been like, but the picture is rather blurry on the details and doesn't provide much insight.

    We receive permission from some of the residents to check out the insides of their homes for any further clues. Most of them, or the previous occupants, have cleaned off the inside of what was surely some form of graffiti or decoration much to Oobleck's dismay. We do find some examples of artwork and presumably writing that isn't recognized, but that runs into the familiar issue of having no idea which time period those could have come from.

    What we can figure out is that it appears no subsequent civilization was as successful here as the first, although it isn't obvious as to why that's the case. The most obvious solution would be that there was a Dust vein in the area that was tapped out by the first civilization and could possibly be what the cavern below the tower was. There's a lack of evidence that supports that conclusion, but the lack of which simply means it isn't present, not that it never existed in the first place.

    As it is I quickly run out of ways to contribute even though Oobleck remains diligent in brushing off the stonework and taking plenty of pictures. He notices my dilemma and starts up an explanation of the techniques that he's using while hoisting photography duty onto me. It's informative to a degree and some of his advice might help in the future, but I can't help but feel a tinge of frustration. Perhaps that's just because my semblance was helpful in our previous endeavors and this one has no clear way for me to help out with it. That'll change with our future plans, but it doesn't help right now.

    Eventually he runs out of talking points and lets me take my leave to do whatever I want with my free time. I suspect he could tell that I was dealing with some frustration and figured it would be best to let me cool off. Not really necessary on his part as I'm familiar with the emotion and it passes quickly whenever I focus on a different endeavor.

    Case in point I decide to get a feel for the town and its people and that does well to take my mind off our lack of progress. The settlement numbers just under a thousand people, which is quite successful with how remote and recent its refounding is. I'm not sure how Cyril could have pulled that venture off, but it's clear to me that he's put a lot of effort into making this successful. That makes it a further shame that unless something changes I can't see a future for the residents here.

    The current walls and abodes expand far beyond what the current residents could fill in a generation, but most of that land is instead taken up with farmsteads and herds of animals, mostly goats and chickens and their upcoming expansion is likely to expand their production of foodstuffs. That implies there's some level of growth that they're expecting to need it, either that or they have some harebrained scheme to ship that somewhere they can sell it before it all rots. Considering their seclusion, the difficulty in traversing the Misty Mountains, and the presence of a number of children I'm going to assume it's the former instead of the latter.

    Additionally, most of the residents are quite frankly civilians. Sure they have their auras unlocked, but they lack most forms of advanced weaponry and with a lack of Dust, firearms are only sparsely present. Not an impossible circumstance to deal with, but another notch into the viability of the settlement and I'm sure the residents realize it as well. Plus based on how we have to help escort their miners I can't imagine that the maintenance or forging of new weapons is any easier for them, much less tools.

    It gives me the impression that, despite his preparations, Cyril was expecting this endeavor to be less challenging than it actually is. I can worry about figuring out his motivations and misgivings when I meet with the man again. However, I can't imagine that he's totally oblivious to all the signs around him. Then again with so many people counting on him he might not have much of a choice except to ride the tiger in a sense.


    Oobleck and I are alone again the next day. This time expanding our search to outside of the village proper and checking the rest of the plateau. To that end we start from one 'corner' with plans to end our search at the opposite one. Of course we're not just taking a straight line and after our previous failure Oobleck has given me explicit instructions to use my semblance from time to time. Not that I wouldn't have anyway, but it seems like he isn't holding out too much hope that he'll find something on his own.

    The rest of us split into two teams, Port and Autumn on one and the girls on the other. The girls hike up the mountains with the miners to complete that mission while the boys take the challenge of searching the lowlands for what the town needs. The last I see of Autumn he's pulling an empty wooden cart with Port sitting in the back.

    I'm not sure if he's trying to show off or if that's Port's idea of some additional training. I can't imagine that none of the villagers couldn't spare a beast of burden to make their job a little easier. Whatever, it's his mission and he can deal with it. If things turn sour I have faith that he and Port will prioritize their safety over ensuring the cart returns.

    There isn't much excitement at the start of our search, while our position makes it more likely that there remains some un-scavenged structures that doesn't mean that it was a particularly popular spot for anyone to build on. Cliff sides might make some breathtaking venues, but with the presence of aerial grimm it provides a liability as it limits your options for evading them.

    In the modern age that's less of an issue, but it could have proven fatal while the original settlers were here. Either that or like most societies the fringes were where those with less resources were pushed out to and they simply used less durable materials for their homes. Regardless, we have plenty of space to search even if we aren't off to the most auspicious of beginnings.

    Investigation Check: Rank 4.02+1 (Semblance)=5.02 vs Challenge 5

    Final Modifier: +0

    Dice: 1d100

    22 = 22

    Our trek takes us a good portion of the day to cross the plateau in its entirety. That's due to our meandering path more than anything else. It only takes a few moments to activate my semblance from time to time and come up empty handed. Honestly, it probably takes me longer to get myself situated and back up again than I spend in my mirror world.

    My mentor offers to hold me up while I do so to speed things along. I, however, am not too comfortable with that prospect. I've kept my semblance a very private thing and the only person to have done that for me is Weiss. I don't think I need to explain why that's different and even then it's not like it's entirely intentional on my part.

    Our first pass ends just a bit after noon and I'm certain if we really pushed it we could cross the breadth again before nightfall. Oobleck declines that idea, perhaps if we had found something he'd be more enthusiastic. My mentor assures me that with just our findings on the Stygian people that he has several papers worth of material to write about and report on. I can't tell if that's meant to reassure myself or him more and I don't see the need to press the issue.

    Despite his chipper attitude and the small amount of insights he's made into the societies that must have been here at some point I can tell that the failure affects him however slightly. Perhaps this is why we didn't dive into the tower first, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that he didn't expect to make much progress here and is saving the more interesting prospects for last to end things on a good note. This town will be the last bit of archeology that we deal with; the rest of our time is already allotted for traversing the Misty Mountains with a day or two built-in for any delays.

    Once we get back into town I busy myself with some light studying for the upcoming semester. My performance in Dust studies and Goodwitch having to go over what she thought were some simple concepts is enough to convince me that I might have to put some additional level of effort to keep up with my peers. I don't have the CCT to speed things along and have to rely on whatever I downloaded to my scroll before getting out here, but I make decent enough progress.

    My little study session is interrupted by the girls entering the house covered in dirt and grime with the exception of Goodwitch. I take it that they had a bit of a tumble with some grimm out in the mountains or the mine itself, but they don't look any worse for wear aside from being a bit dirty.

    Kelly takes the time to set aside her gear before going to clean herself up while Marina makes a beeline for where she left her pack. Given her recent behavior I assume she's going to grab her logbook. She stops just before she does so as if she just realized she was doing something wrong and steps outside of the house.

    Out of curiosity I follow her to find her pulling out her water flask and pouring it over her hands, rubbing them down, and eventually drying them off on her outfit before she nods to herself satisfied. I refrain from telling her that she could have just done that inside of the house, we have the amenities and a towel necessary for her to clean herself with. I'll find a way to work it into a future conversation, she doesn't need to know that at this moment and I think she's too focused on chronicling whatever she got up to to pay whatever I have to say too much mind.

    She rushes back into the house, ignoring my presence entirely, and digs into her pack until she finds what she's looking for. She holds the book aloft before she brings it close to her upper chest and gives it a light sniff. I'm not sure if she's just that concerned about it or if she's trying to suss out if somebody was messing with her things. I don't even know how what she's doing would assist with either of those activities, but it wouldn't be the first time she picked up an odd habit from somewhere. I give it a few weeks before she tosses it aside for a different oddity.

    Of course her actions dirtied the front of the book as it's not like she bothered to clean her outfit before doing so and she adopts a frown. Then she looks down at her outfit like it's somehow to blame for her actions and she swivels her head about the room until her gaze settles on me. "Captain, could you help me with something?"

    "I think I can guess with what," I say, not bothering to suppress a sigh. I walk up to her and hold out my hand for her to pass the book over to me. After a moment of hesitation she does so and that hesitation strikes me as out of character for her. "Is something the matter?"

    Fortunately she's picked up enough social skills to understand there's something more to the question than just asking if she's alright. It still takes her a moment to process what it could be, but she gets there all on her own. "It's just that a Captain's log is only for the Captain to read so my log should only be for me right?"

    Internally I relax, it's good that it's something simple for once and not another monumental issue that was hiding just beneath the surface. "You can share it with others if you want. Whatever you decide I'll respect your privacy so you don't have to worry about me reading it," I assure her.

    That seems to be enough to assuage her worries and I set the book down on a nearby table. The action causes her to frown slightly, but she trusts me enough that she doesn't make an issue of it. I figure it's best to attend to it in a moment after Kelly has gotten cleaned up; that way I can prevent Marina from making more of a mess and deal with it while she's indisposed.

    Civilians: This is probably the first time that she's civilly dealing with a group of people that aren't on the same level as her. I could see what her thoughts are about them, especially after the mission she just had. (4)

    Exploration: She's had some time to take part in the expeditionary life. I could check in to see how she feels about her nascent dream of exploring the world now. (3)

    Logbook: She seems fine with leaving things there, but I could ask her why exactly she's recording all of this in the first place. (1)

    "How'd your mission with Kelly go," I ask. I don't bring up Goodwitch since I'm not angling the discussion in that direction and knowing Marina's mindset she doesn't pay our teacher too much attention in the first place.

    "It was great, Captain," Marina bellows with a wide smile on her face. "Some grimm tried jumping on us from above but Miss G. threw them in front of us while Kel used her semblance to set up some walls. I smashed right through them and started beating down the grimm before they could recover. Kel was a bit upset, but if she wanted those grimm she shoulda jumped in faster instead of wasting her time with some walls."

    "Alright," I say neutrally. I'll need to talk with Kelly or Goodwitch to see if her reaction was suitable, but it seems like everything worked out fine in the end. "How were the miners," I ask, since she didn't mention them at all.

    "They were good bait," she admits slowly, like she doesn't understand the nature of my question. She also doesn't understand how that could be an inappropriate comment and I'm glad our professors are out of earshot. It also makes me think that she fundamentally didn't understand what the mission entailed and that's the easier problem to address.

    "You know, the whole point of the mission was to keep those people safe, not use them as bait."

    Her face screws up in confusion. She knows that I wouldn't lie about such a thing, but that seems to be running against a more fundamental belief of hers. "I thought our job was to kill grimm." Ah, there it is.

    "Yes, but for this job specifically you were supposed to keep the miners safe while they worked. Killing grimm was a secondary objective there."

    She mulls that over for a moment until she comes to some sort of epiphany. "But if we kill all the grimm then there won't be any danger," she announces proudly, having found a line of logic that circumvents the issue entirely.

    "That's right," I allow. I don't want to shoot down her enthusiasm entirely, but it does need to be managed. "It won't always be an option though, sometimes a horde is too big to deal with on our own and we'll have to prioritize our safety as well as others first and foremost." I know framing it as them being in potential danger won't be enough for her to care about, but including that our team could be on the chopping block as well forces her to confront the issue with some level of seriousness.

    "I guess…" she trails off morosely. Perhaps I went a little too far with making that comparison considering how much she's attached herself to the team.

    "Look, I'm not going to let that happen. It's my job to keep us safe and I haven't messed that up yet have I?" She shakes her head instead of vocalizing her answer and some of her energy comes back to her. "For now just follow whatever orders Kelly or I give you in the field. It might take some time, but you'll get the hang of it just like you did with your studying."

    I have to propose it as a mechanical issue for her to resolve instead of a moral or principled one. She's too stubborn for the latter two, but she can understand not acting correctly or up to standards. I'll have to work with her some more on it and she might not ever fully understand, but I can get her to the level where she can at least fake it around others. I know my words reach her when she gives me a firm nod, her smile back but slightly diminished.

    A beat of silence passes and I figure I might as well dig as deep as I can into the subject since I don't know when I'll have another good opportunity to bring it up. "What do you think about them personally? Not about how they acted, or how they performed on the missions, just your honest thoughts on them as people."

    "I don't get them. Those pick thingies they were using are enough to hurt a grimm if they really try and they all have aura. I don't see why they needed our help."

    "Most people aren't as good at fighting as we are."

    "Well yeah, but that's why they have to train and practice."

    She isn't understanding the fundamental issue here so I switch tracks. "Not everyone wants to fight either."

    "Tough," she says with a level of anger in her voice. It's a bit difficult for me to place where exactly it's coming from. "Everyone on the ship had to learn how to fight, even those pansies that rolled over when we first showed up. How can they be so willing to entrust their safety to someone who isn't a part of their crew?" She echoed similar sentiments during the first month at Beacon. She wasn't as strong about it back then as she is now, but I take that as her being more willing to talk about the matter than her opinion solidifying any further.

    Unfortunately her opinion is rather firm, which is unsurprising considering her past and mindset. She probably can't even conceive of a situation where she'd be relying on the kindness of strangers. Well, except I know of one scenario where she had to and I'm not sure how she's going to square that inconsistency in her mind.

    "What about the people who helped you out when you washed ashore?" Marina winces at my question for whatever reason and I press on in case she doesn't quite understand it. "If it wasn't for them helping you, a stranger, out you wouldn't be here would you?" I know I've said something wrong because Marina takes a full step away from me and brings her arms up to cover her head, blocking me out of her vision in the process.

    "Don't-I don't want to talk about that anymore!" Any comment that I could have is aborted before it reaches my throat. I think that's the first time she's straight up shut down a line of conversation with me and I puzzle over why. Right, if she was so willing to join up and attach herself to our team then she probably did the same with the group of people she first met. I haven't heard much of anything about them after the fact so from her perspective it'd be like they just abandoned her while she was still trying to find her footing.

    Still, that leaves me with a distraught Marina and not many ways to calm her down effectively; at least she isn't hitting herself this time. I look down at my more or less clean outfit and back to her dirty one. Geeze, the things I sacrifice for my team.

    I quickly traverse the space between us and wrap my arms around her holding her head to my chest. Her posture remains guarded for a few seconds until she tries reciprocating the gesture. One of her hands tries to make its way to the back of my head in mimicry of my action, but she can't quite manage it.

    "It's okay, I'm here" I coo, desperately trying not to think about how she reminds me of Weiss. I swear it's mostly the hair color responsible for that, but they are distinctly not the kind of thoughts I want in my head right now. She seems to be gathering herself up rather well and I'm about to throw out a distraction to take her mind off of the issue some more when Kelly barges in.

    She throws me an accusing look and I return it with the flattest stare that I can muster. She should know there's nothing untoward going on and that I wouldn't deliberately do anything to set Marina off. That seems to be enough for her and she heads to one of the rooms with a huff and the shake of her head. She trusts that I'll be able to resolve whatever issue this is on my own.

    I'm also reminded that Marina has me trapped in a reciprocal gesture, so I slowly let go and wrench myself out of her grasp. She gets the hint after a moment and returns to a neutral posture. She has a slight tenseness in her features, but that appears to be dwindling by the second. I have more I want to talk with her about, though I think it'd do the both of us some good to let that moment settle for a bit and I tell her to go get cleaned up while I work on cleaning the cover of her book.

    Marina comes back inside after some time. She's in her casual clothes which are a plain white shirt and blue jeans. If I had to guess they're what she was given by the travelers or the City of Vale when she was sent off to Beacon and she's seen no need to update her wardrobe since then. Something that I'll have to take care of when we get back. Maybe I can hoist some of that load off on Coco? Given how much Vel complained about her team leader going off on fashion trips I doubt she'd have much reason to say no.

    While she was away I kept my word and cleaned her logbook as best as I could. I hand it to her and she's quick to rip it out of my grasp before gingerly flipping through the pages. She only stares at each page for a second so she isn't re-reading them. Rather it's like she's reassuring herself that the book hasn't changed since it's been out of her grasp.

    "Thanks Captain," Marina says as she takes a seat, pulls out a pen, and begins writing about her day in her logbook. I know it will only be a matter of time until she finishes up and starts quizzing me about what I've been up to. Oobleck attempted to get her to interview some of the residents, but she only looked at him in confusion as if to say, 'why on Remnant would she do that?' No, whatever her reason for picking up this hobby has something to do with the team as she doesn't bother much with anything outside of our experiences. Maybe I'll ask her about that at some point, but for now I have a more pressing subject I wish to bring up.

    "What have you thought of the expedition so far?" I'll use whatever her response is to launch into further questions, although I am legitimately interested in her experience. Plus it will inform some of my further questions, so really I'm just being economical here.

    Marina stops her writing, obviously giving the matter some thought as she bites down on the end of the pen. "I thought the caves would be exciting," she says, her tone indicating that she found them to be utterly lacking. "They're so much of a slog to go through and grimm can hide in every little crevice. I can't even get into a good rhythm with Bitter End or else I'll 'bring the whole place down.' Whoever made those things didn't know what they're doing if they're that fragile."

    I make a noncommittal hum before pivoting to my next question and ignoring her erroneous belief altogether. I can deal with it later, but it's harmless enough if that's something she holds onto strongly. "Has that changed anything about what you want to do after Beacon?"

    "No," she says slowly, confused as to how I would even ask such a question in the first place. "It's been a lot of fun having the crew around and dealing with all the grimm. Too bad Weiss isn't with us." She's genuine about that remorse and I guess I'll have to prod her on how exactly she determines someone as part of the crew or not. Our team and Weiss are simple to extrapolate from, but it could do her some good to start adding whatever friends she makes to that mental list of hers.

    "You know this is mostly how doing missions will be like, not exploring in earnest," I challenge lightly. While Oobleck and I have been doing some exploration of unknown areas, Marina hasn't been all too interested in that side of things. So far she's given off the impression that her real passion is simply going around and killing grimm with her friends.

    She looks at me with a tilt of the head and a slow blink, like she understands what I'm saying but can't quite square it away. "We've barely done any exploring. You and Dr. O. keep having us stop at these boring ruins."

    I guess I should have expected something like that from her. She has no interest in what we're doing even if we've gone to places no one has in centuries. If I had to wager, I'd say she's expecting more of a grand adventure with lots of traveling and dealing with grimm. Probably something similar to her time on the boat with her previous crew. It brings up that this whole exploration business could be her attempting to relive those nostalgic days. While that probably has some bearing on her desires I can't help but feel that it's not the complete picture.

    "Not enough excitement for you," I note, attempting to lighten the air a little.

    "Or treasure. We even went through the trouble of digging it up and all we have is junk, not treasure," she says affronted. As if the possibility that we could go through all that work and not come up with some sort of treasure is a violation of the rules of the world. I could explain how valuable it is to Oobleck, but I know she won't understand fully. She has her conception of how things should have gone and thus far the archeological side of our trip has failed to meet her expectations.

    Before I can move on to my next question Marina sits up straighter as if she has a sudden thought and her eyes narrow in on me. "You lied," she accuses, "You said there would be treasure and we've found none!"

    "I said there was the possibility of treasure," I defend, now regretting that I didn't burst her bubble when she first had that misconception. She still doesn't look convinced and I bite back a thought of how this would be easier if she was still hanging off of my every word like she was at the start of the semester. "How are your expedition plans coming along," I ask, hoping to avoid this topic altogether. I don't think my change in topic is much of a better one for me, but at least she's enthusiastic about that one.

    Instead of launching into a happy tirade about how much she's been planning about it she instead sulks in her chair and closes her logbook. "Captain. Do you know how to put a farm on a boat?"

    "What brought this question on," I ask, already having some idea of the circumstances.

    "Autumn said he wants to start a farm once he's done hunting grimm, but if he does that then he can't go with us," she says like her line of thinking should be obvious.

    "I'm not sure how to go about that other than getting a really big ship," I say cautiously. Hopefully she doesn't take my words to mean she needs to design a massive ship. By the way her shoulders sag I can guess she doesn't see that as a viable option. In her head she's thinking of ships that can be run by only five people and whatever her conception of a farm is likely requires a big enough boat that five wouldn't be enough.

    "Why does it have to be so complicated…" she trails off defeatedly, stuck between her desire and trying to keep our team together.

    I'm not sure if I can help her with the latter as my own ambitions are sure to take me in a direction different than the twins at the very least, but I can offer her an alternative. "You know, you can go exploring without us."

    She doesn't deny the mere possibility like I expect her to, rather she pulls her knees inwards and wraps herself around them like she's trying to make herself as small as possible. "Would I even be part of the crew then?" I only barely hear her because of my upper ears. Of course this would be where her issue stems from and I quickly think of how I can resolve it.

    "Do I stop being a part of the crew whenever I stay out in Vale for a day away from the team?" Marina shakes her head quickly, likely thinking the very prospect is absurd. I know she doesn't get the point so I continue on, "What about Weiss? Is she going to stop being a part of the crew because we haven't seen her in a month?" She shakes her head again, albeit more slowly this time. I'm not sure what exactly is going on in her head, but it's close enough to what I want that I can bring this point to a close. "You'll be a part of the crew for as long as you want to be."

    She looks at me oddly, likely thinking that there would never be a time where she wouldn't want to be a part of the crew. Still, maybe she'll look back on this moment in the future and appreciate that I'm willing to give her an out if she wants it.

    With little fanfare she stands up and puts her logbook back into her pack. "I'll write later," she announces, more to herself than to me, and walks out of the house. From what I know of Marina she should be reassured by my statement, but it's complicated by her own desires. If I had to guess, she's confronting the very real possibility that if she wants to explore the world she might have to do so without some or all of us and is weighing up if that is worth more or less than sticking with us through thick and thin.

    Even though we're in relative civilization and I'm sure she'll be fine I resolve to follow after her and make sure she doesn't get up to any trouble. Thankfully she sticks to the town, walking the streets and occasionally stopping to stare at the residents.

    She isn't in the mood for conversation as she remains silent throughout the procession and only responds to my occasional prodding with a simple sound or one word answers. At the very least she doesn't seem upset, but the issue is still in her mind and unresolved as far as I can tell. Eventually Marina decides to turn in for the night and we all head to bed.


    In the morning my team sets up to defend the town while Kelly and Goodwitch help with the construction of their new set of walls. It will take a few days and I'll help out a bit later. Presently Oobleck and I depart to survey the surrounding lands of the plateau once again. This time our focus is on the signs of the previous inhabitants reshaping the world around them to better suit their needs.

    In this case that takes us close to the mountains and the hilly terrain leading up to them. These hills have been carved out in such a way that they have 'steps' that ascend to their wide flat tops and have been taken over by wild grasses in the absence of human upkeep. Something similar has taken place in Mistral, but the amount of resources to accomplish such a task is hard to imagine for an ancient people to be capable of and willing to do.

    There is a further lack of incentive to drive this behavior as none of the sites are rich in ores or Dust to make the initial task of clearing them in any way profitable. At most what can be expected is that they used what few stones they cleared as a part of their housing although that would be minimal in this instance. That leaves this expansion of arable land being necessary as they must have been approaching their carrying capacity.

    Unfortunately that doesn't give much insight into how large they were or how much of their lands were already dedicated to agriculture. Agricultural development has come a long way in the world, but without having any examples of their practices or tools it's near impossible to determine where they fall on that spectrum and prevents any extrapolation from that information. Hopefully our search will turn up something that could point us in the right direction or make the trip worthwhile, but with how things have progressed thus far I'm not holding onto that hope too strongly.

    Investigation Check: Rank 4.02 +1(Semblance) +.5(circumstance) = 5.52 vs Challenge 5

    Final Modifier: +13

    Dice: 1d100+13

    8 + 13 = 21

    The search has us making treks up, down, and around the various hills in desperate search for any tools or structures that haven't been picked clean over the years by new settlers. We find some bits of stone that could have been used as tools, but they're all too rough and malformed for either of us to believe they were what was used in either agriculture or these earthworks. It's possible that whatever tools they did use have weathered away due to time. What few could have been preserved throughout the ages are possibly buried in these fields and we simply don't have the time to obsessively comb over the area in great enough detail to find them.

    On a somewhat more fruitful note I discover a couple of cellars from, presumably, the site of houses or windmills at the tops of these hills. Likely they were used as a part of food storage and their size indicates that they could hold quite a bit. Going by what the villagers told Oobleck, the winters here are mild enough that they probably weren't filled up seasonally, but rather for long-term storage. This gives us our first hint of how large the civilization could have been at a minimal level and we can extrapolate that there were likely other, similar sized, facilities for other sources of food.

    Unfortunately we find no signs of usable tools, storage containers, or any other artifacts within these cellars. Part of this is due to such places probably not being used for much else than food storage and even that has been ruined due to the passage of time. There are signs of decay in each and every one. Even if they were watertight at their inception they certainly haven't stayed that way now and that likely ruined any hope of finding intact artifacts.

    The cellars do confirm the general architectural style and material used in their construction which has a rough match to what we found in the village. With any luck it could prove vital in pinpointing the few original, if any, structures that exist in the area and give future archeologists sites to work with. Regardless it is a disappointing haul even if we don't leave entirely empty handed.

    We quickly run out of our allotted time and haven't found anything worthwhile to justify dragging Kelly away from her duties to dig up more cellars. If there's anything to find in them it will have to wait for future expeditions. Oobleck marks out the few locations we went over in his notes and marks a few more for the future, but it's clear that we won't be returning to this endeavor before we depart.

    My team, or more accurately Kelly and Goodwitch, has had a far more productive time. We very easily see the new wall that's being constructed. It is roughly a third of the way done and is primarily earthworks with patches of bricks and wood being added to the front by a steady stream of villagers. Likely they're trying to complete as much of the outside while we're contracted to defend them.

    Just as likely they probably have a lot more work ahead of them than they bargained for, or at least more ground to cover. The topic of Kelly or Goodwitch's semblance never came up during our negotiations and I suspect that was deliberate on Goodwitch's part. I doubt that they would have been able to offer proper compensation if it was brought up and by declining to do so we sidestep the issue entirely.

    We pass Autumn, Marina, and Port as they're ranging out from the walls in search of grimm. No doubt at Marina's insistence or impatience. I'll join up with them in a moment, but first I want to check in with Kelly. My teammate is sitting on the edge of an empty cart overlooking the trail of villagers as they move to and fro. Goodwitch is at the end of their line, presumably using her semblance to assist with the ongoing construction.

    Kelly is probably taking a break after using her semblance so much and needing to recover her aura. I could assist with that by using my own semblance, but I think I'll hold off on doing that unless there's an actual emergency. The people we're helping are already getting more than they bargained for and I doubt Goodwitch would let us leave with a job half-finished.

    Kelly isn't oblivious to my presence and she sweeps back her hair as if in preparation of having to deal with me. Given the look she shoots me afterwards that is entirely intentional on her part and she knows that I received it. "Here I was genuinely concerned about you. I see, I can take the hint," I say walking past her in a feigned attempt at anger. I stop before too long and turn back to the girl who's holding back a laugh at my expense. "Glad to see that you're doing alright."

    As observant as ever, Kelly knows that I'm not only referring to her state right now. "I'll admit it was rough at first, but I got used to it. Just, uh, don't ask me to go digging up any more graves - ever."

    "I think I can do that," I offer easily enough. I'm not sure what exactly she was expecting when she agreed to join an archeological expedition, but it shouldn't be too hard to keep her wishes in mind in the future. A familiar silence falls between us. Kelly has usually been content for me to take the first step unless it's about something important and I guess it's the same here.

    Goodwitch: She probably knows her better than I do. I could ask her how she's likely to react to the various secrets that I've been keeping. (5)

    Stygia: She had a pretty bad reaction to the river at first and even if she's fine now I'll admit that I'm curious to get to the bottom of the matter. (3)

    Atlas: We both have our complaints about the snowy Kingdom, but I don't think we've ever had a chance to delve into the topic to any real depth. (2)

    Ambition: I've gotten the impression that she's into the Huntsman lifestyle for grander reasons than her brother and with our apprehension of Torchwick I'd expect her to leverage that somehow. (0)

    Militarism: Building up a wall like this must spark some thoughts about how Kingdoms manage their defenses. I could bring up the topic and get her thoughts on it. (0)

    I have a few ways to approach this, but I should probably make sure that she's actually doing okay and isn't too shaken up by our stay in Stygia. "With that out of the way I have to check. Are you sure you're doing alright? No lingering issues or anything?" I know if Autumn was here he'd be giving his sister some shit for reacting the way she did, but I'm merciful enough not to press that far.

    My mercy doesn't stop Kelly from groaning and leaning back in the cart like she could slink away from her past actions. "Can we please just forget that ever happened? I had a certain impression of the place, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

    I make a show of debating over her issue in front of her even though I've already decided that I'm going to press it. Perhaps I'm taking a little more joy in the act than I should, but it's so rare that I can have Kelly on the backfoot like this that I'm taking it for all it's worth. "No. You should know that as your leader this is something that I have to follow up on, no matter how minor you may view it, that isn't exactly something that I can let happen in the field again."

    She responds with a half-frown that isn't quite a pout, she can't really argue against my point and it's clear that she doesn't want to engage with it any more than she has to. "I know I overreacted, and it won't happen again."

    I roll my eyes at her, "You know that's not addressing the issue. I need to know why you reacted, not just an assurance that it won't happen again." Truthfully, I could probably let her off on that since I trust her. However, it's clear to me that there's an actual issue here and I would be negligent to ignore it. The fact that I'm curious has only a minor effect on my decision making I swear.

    She fidgets at the pressure and a slight blush rises to her tanned cheeks. She's about to speak up when she notices a grin that I'm sporting and halts for a moment before taking a breath and getting on with her explanation. "Autumn and I heard a lot of stories from gramps and Uncle Cyprus when we were kids. Not all of them were about the war or law-making, most of them in fact were just stories like any other and, well, to be frank they were fairy tales for the most part when we were still little 'uns."

    "I think I can guess that one of those stories was about Stygia, or at least the river. She nods and I continue, "How did your gramps know about that story in the first place?" It could just be a rather common tale in the Valean area, I'm not exactly up to date on them but I would think I'd have heard something about a river of death if it were that culturally significant.

    She shrugs her shoulders at the question, "As far as I know gramps heard it from his dad, who was the local storyteller.

    I hum at that, not having anything to say on that matter, but it still doesn't address my actual question. "So what? Are you trying to say that you heard a story, saw the river, and acted on pure superstition?"

    "You try dealing with it after years of being told about a river black as grimm that grew so hungry it washed away an entire city," she replies defensively, and her cheeks only grow redder. I'm going to give her the courtesy of assuming that the actual story had more impact than that. I also, notably, don't bring up how Autumn's first reaction to visiting said river of death was to stick his hands in it and see what happens.

    She takes the moment where I'm not bombarding her with questions to take a breath and reorient herself. "Do you know how many dumb fairy tales my brother has recounted to me whenever we're alone? I can't even hit him to make him knock it off half the time since we have to be ready to deal with the grimm and he knows it." Huh, that would explain the good mood that Autumn has been in for the past week.

    Of course, now that I know I can't exactly take it easy on her now can I. "Ah, I see. You can deal it out, but when the shoe is on the other foot you crumble."

    "This and that are two different things and ya know that," she says quickly, slipping into an accent like Autumn's and waving her hand in front of her as if to collect the conversation and toss it to the side. "If you didn't want to be called out on things then maybe you shouldn't be so public about them."

    "Says the girl who was afraid of a fish and some mud," I rejoin instead of engaging with her argument. Doing so would be detrimental to me and lead nowhere to boot, plus it's far more entertaining to bother her some more. She grumbles at that, and I figure I should offer her some reprieve before taking things too far.

    "Don't worry," I say, taking a seat next to her and wrapping my arm around her shoulder. A task that requires me to stretch my arm out a little considering our difference in heights. "By the time we're done with Beacon we'll have plenty of blackmail material on each other to the point where I won't be able to bring this up without mutually assured embarrassment."

    She playfully scoffs and removes herself from my loose grasp. "As if that would stop you; you can be plenty shameless when you want to be."

    I ignore that jab as it's entirely baseless and responding in any way would only encourage her. If anyone is shameless it's Weiss and she keeps dragging me into those public scenarios that the twins like to tease me over. Neither of us say that and let the conversation peter out while Kelly clicks her tongue.

    "So, how is it hanging around Goodwitch on a regular basis?" I start off neutrally so I can swerve into the topic later.

    "Ochre, stop beating around the bush. If you have something that you wanna say then go ahead and say it for gods' sake," she snaps, any patience she may have had for me already lost at this point. Well, if she's going to offer such an invitation like that I might as well take it.

    "How do you think she's going to react to all the stuff that I've been up to?" Kelly lets out a big exhalation at that. I guess it's been an issue on her mind for some time and trying to balance out staying on her mentor's good side and keeping my secrets probably hasn't done anything good for her stress levels. It might do her some good to know that won't be an issue for much longer, but I think I'll wait until something more definitive has happened on that front.

    After a long moment of thinking it over she responds, "I'd wager that she'll be some combination of angry, suspicious, and concerned. Mostly that last one." At my look she decides to elaborate, "She might act all tough on the outside, and don't get me wrong she is. However, she's got a soft spot for us, uh, Huntsmen in training that is." I'm not sure how true that is, but at the very least I can tell that Kelly believes it and she can usually get a decent read on people. Maybe I'll compare notes with Ren back at Beacon since he's pretty good at picking this kind of stuff up as well.

    "Alright, I can understand the concerned part now, but what makes you so sure about the other two," I ask more to see what Kelly's thoughts are than necessarily disagreeing with them.

    "You try putting yourself in her shoes, she's supposed to be responsible for your safety and everyone else at school. How do you think you'd react if you found out your student got caught up in some sort of world spanning conspiracy. Maybe she could take the news better or be more supportive, but she's only human in the end." She notices my look at her choice of wording and scowls, "You know what I meant ya big jerk."

    "Fine, fine," I say, conceding the point. "How about the way she acted towards me for most of the first semester."

    "I don't know about that, but I wouldn't expect an apology out of her; she's the type to just move on and try to do better. If you do get one, know that it's a lot harder for her to admit that she's been at fault than it is for most. Don't know the story behind it, but I think it's like if she admits that she's wrong at this point then where else could she have messed up before."

    That doesn't sound healthy to me, but it's far from the worst coping mechanism I've heard of. Before we can continue our conversation any further the two of us notice Goodwitch making her way towards us and Kelly jumps off the cart and grabs her shovel. "Looks like the professor thinks I've had a long enough break. You're free to join up with us or go with the others. Word of warning the grimm like to test us after I use my semblance so expect some gribblies coming our way soon enough."

    Huh, that's interesting and not usual behavior for the grimm. Maybe there are a few older ones smart enough to make the link that semblance usage equals aura drain, but that doesn't quite explain things to my liking. Whatever, I can think about that later; after the past few days I could use some stress relief and taking it out on the grimm sounds wonderful right now.

    I join up with the rest of my team minus Kelly on a quick patrol around the rapidly constructing walls. Goodwitch and Kelly make good time with their combined semblances and the assistance of the townsfolk. This bustle of activity is met with a wave of grimm ambling their way out of the forest and I have to wonder where most of them are coming from when the plateau is this cut off from the rest of Remnant. Especially since it's mainly land based grimm such as beowolves, ursa, a small deathstalker, and some creeps. The creeps are the most surprising to see in the numbers they bring because the things are typically only found in caves or the underground. It's possible that due to the proximity of the mountains that there's a good number of them and they're thusly attracted to attack the settlement.

    Either way the grimm don't provide too much of a hassle and after the one big wave their numbers taper off into something much more manageable and sporadic. Not that we couldn't have handled them if they kept up their numbers, but it would have resulted in a setback for the construction project as we'd have to evacuate the civilians so as to ensure they aren't in danger.

    The wall is only half-complete when we call a close to the day and we resume our guard duty for the remainder of a second day. Like last time there are two spurts of grimm activity, once at the start and again after Kelly has rested up to restore her aura. There is still grimm to slay during the interim, but their numbers are substantially increased whenever Kelly gets into the swing of her semblance. Though, their increase is much less substantial during the last time. Either they finally learned to avoid the obvious death trap or the near completion of the walls deter a stronger response. I hope it's the former because the latter would imply a grimm that's way too smart for its own good.

    I would expect for the town to be more beset by airborne grimm than we've encountered thus far, but one of the townsmen offers me an explanation. The aerial grimm mostly reside in the mountains and their defenders, including the town watch, the headsman, and his daughter, can deal with all but the largest varieties well enough. For the ones too large to deal with they're able to seek shelter in the mountain pass temporarily where the grimm only has a limited range in which they can engage them and most of those grimm have learned that attacking the settlement is either a risk not worth taking or a waste of their time. Perhaps that's not a stable state of affairs, but it's been working out for them so far.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Interlude 3, Weiss Schnee
  • Sidestory


    • Weiss Schnee​


    Klein is the only one waiting for me when I land at the Schnee estate. This is in spite of Father insisting that I use one of the company's ships to travel and knowing when it would arrive in the first place. The trip itself was nice enough I suppose, we passed by a lot of Atlas airships keeping the airways clear. If Ochre was here he'd tell me about how it's in Atlas' best interests to maintain security and interkingdom travel during the Vytal festival. He'd say it all in that reluctant tone of his whenever he has to admit Atlas is doing something good.

    This would be so much easier for me if I could just talk with him for a few minutes before and after, but I take a deep breath and hold back such thoughts instead. He isn't here and I have to take care of this business on my own. Well, maybe not entirely on my own; I share a shy smile with Klein as he approaches with his arms behind his back.

    "Welcome home. Would you like me to take care of your bag Miss Schnee," he asks while inclining his head in the direction of the one piece of luggage I brought with me. The rest I left at my home in Beacon, a reminder that returning here isn't an admission of defeat and that I'll be returning soon enough.

    "No, that won't be necessary. Is Whitley in his room?" Knowing my brother he's likely kept himself locked in his room outside of his lessons. It's not like there's much else around the manor for him to have any interest in. Mother is, well, Mother, and I can only hope that Father hasn't done anything to him while I was gone; a concern that I hadn't given the proper weight to until it was brought up to me.

    "Indeed, Master Whitley should be in his room this time of day. Do you need me to lead you there," Klein asks, his sympathetic brown eyes softening with approval behind them.

    "I would appreciate it very much." I haven't been gone long enough to forget my way around the manor, but I don't want to lose his company just yet. It will be hard enough for him to find time for me between all his duties and I will need every bit of support I can to get through this week.

    His eyes flash yellow as he turns to lead the way and I follow behind him. I still don't know if that's an effect of his semblance that he can't control or if it's entirely deliberate. Even without it I would have noticed his satisfaction at keeping him around, but that little bit of normalcy reminds me of better days.

    On our way to Whitley's room we walk past a hall filled with statues of various grimm. Most of them are life-sized recreations and all of them are modeled in great detail. According to Mother, before she became a recluse, they were all grimm that my grandfather fought and killed during his trips around the world. He used his semblance afterwards to summon copies of those grimm so they could be studied in detail and these replicas made in the first place.

    "Do you think he'd be proud of me," I ask suddenly when we pass by a life-sized replica of a king taijitu.

    "Master Nicholas would be proud of you no matter what you decided to do, Snowflake. Though, if you want my two Lien on the matter, I think he'd have taken great pleasure in you showing up his son-in-law after all he's done."

    "I wouldn't say that I've done that much," I demure. It takes a second or two until I process what he said and realize there's something wrong with what he said. I never told him that I was taking control of the company in Vale, only Ochre, Winter, and my team.

    "For all of his faults Master Jacques is not entirely unobservant. At least when it comes to matters of the company," Klein informs me, picking up on my hesitation. I had thought I was prepared for that kind of revelation; it is why I decided to come and stay over the break after all. Anything that I could do to buy myself some time to solidify my position no matter how distasteful I found it. That's a secondary priority for me now, but it's troubling that Father already knows about my activities and I have to assume he's known about them for some time.

    He stops moving forward, turns around, and bends his knees so that he's staring at me eye-to-eye. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trouble you, my little snowflake. If it's any consolation I'm near prescribing him some dentures with all the gnashing of the teeth he's been doing." He waves a hand in front of his face to hide his eyes changing color, now a vibrant red. "Course I'm also near prescribing him a few knocks to the head to set a few of his loose screws back into place."

    I can't help it, a childish giggle escapes me. It's not even that the joke is that funny or that he delivered it in a particularly great way. It's more that the familiarity and casualness of the action cut through whatever tension there was, just like he used to do whenever I felt down. It's reassuring that even after leaving this place that he's still the same and as welcoming as ever.

    "There's no reason to linger on that sour topic, now is there? I'd much rather hear about your time in Beacon," he says as he resumes leading the way.

    Klein's change in topic is obvious, but I can't wholly say that I disagree with it. I'm about to go into how I've been doing in class when I suddenly stop myself. I can always brag about my academic progress later, but I suppose I want to share something a little more personal with the man who's been supportive of me for so long. "I suppose I should start with my team, well, it's not my team."

    "Is that a problem," he interrupts.

    "No, no," I respond hastily. "Ruby has been doing a fantastic job. Sure she might be a little childish and get on my nerves from time to time and take some things way too seriously while not paying enough attention to her academics."

    "Such great things you have to say about…your team leader was it?"

    His comment brings me up short for a moment. I have been a little critical of her in my statement haven't I? "Well, if you hadn't interrupted me I would have gotten into her good points, like how she's genuinely caring and wants nothing more than to be a Huntress. And maybe her crazy ideas aren't so crazy in the end and I can understand how she can approach things with such enthusiasm."

    He stands up straighter at my, admittedly, faint praise for Ruby and I don't go any further into her good points, I don't want Klein getting too big of an impression of her though there is more I admire about the girl two years my junior. Like how she's an endless font of optimism, seeming to turn any bad situation into at worst a neutral one or bouncing back with a plan after a few moments. Heck, the worst mood I've seen her in was her being sullen for half a day. Not even sad, just subdued like she had something on her mind.

    He turns his head in my direction and I catch a subtle shuffling of his mustache like he's amused by what I said. "And I'm sure you have just as pleasant things to say about the rest of your team don't you?"

    "Of course I do," I bark out and think back to what I can say about Blake and Yang. In comparison I come up with much less than I did for Ruby and that causes a falter in my pace. I haven't been ignoring my team have I? I mean I've been rather focused on upping my grades in class and ascending the ranks for sparring and taking control of the SDC and spending time with Ochre, but I haven't been leaving them off to the wayside.

    I always made time for team training and bonding activities and I'm sure they know that I'm open if they need to talk with someone. Though, I do admit that I haven't hung out with them as much as Ruby or Ochre. Ruby because she impresses herself upon my time and Ochre for more obvious reasons. Maybe I'll reach out to them when I get back to Beacon, find something for us to do together. Still, Klein is waiting for an answer and I intend to give him one despite any minor crises I'm dealing with.

    "Yang is passionate, a bit hot-headed but her heart is in the right place. She's probably the most social out of all of us and likes to wear her heart on her sleeve. Her partner, Blake, is almost the opposite, very reserved and not necessarily anti-social, but she prefers to spend time on her own though I think she likes it when we drag her into whatever we're doing."

    "I'm glad that you've been able to make some friends during your short time there," he says with a warmth in his voice. "Though, I seem to recall that there's a certain gentleman that you're a little more than friends with. One that you curiously haven't brought up yet."

    "I was getting to him," I yell back, a heat flooding my cheeks. My entirely reasonable statement is met with a low-laugh from Klein and I just know that he's only doing this to mess with me. Besides, how am I supposed to respond to that? Am I supposed to talk about him like I did my team or would that sound like I don't appreciate him as much as I do? And how am I supposed to start, it's not like this was ever anything I expected and the actual story behind it only makes it more ridiculous.

    My thoughts are all a jumbled mess and I have to actually try to bring them back into order. I guess I could start from the beginning and how he cornered me after a training session alone from the rest of my team to tell me that he was a former member of the White Fang. No, that would only set Klein against him and that's the last thing that I want. While Ochre had good intentions with his actions back then it doesn't exactly paint him in the best light, especially when he revealed later that he was still a part of the Fang if only technically.

    It's funny to think about, but that particular revelation helped put some fears of mine to rest. They were baseless, of course, but the thought that he was only using me to get access to the SDC like Father did worried away at the back of my mind. Maybe my heirship played a part in things, but we've progressed past that I'd like to think. Plus I can't imagine that he'd be able to juggle the SDC along with his plans for the Fang

    Regardless, I can't really go into the night that our relationship started either. Just bringing it up might lead to all sorts of questions and I'm not going to betray his trust like that. I know just how hard it was for him to promise to stop keeping secrets in the first place and I know he's been sincere with how he's given me weekly updates about his plans. He doesn't need to be that in-depth, but seeing how serious he's taking that promise he made me, well, I don't think it would be proper to express how that makes me feel.

    I don't even notice when we stop just in front of Whitley's room, not until Klein is already facing me and gently touches my cheek. "It's okay if you can't find the words to tell me snowflake. I know you aren't so fragile that I have to worry overly much, but at least tell me this. Is he a good man?"

    "He's wonderful," I say and I don't have to hold back on the sincerity. "He makes time for me and he's so driven and ambitious. He likes to act all aloof and mysterious, but underneath all that he's a bit of a dork and he'll get stuck on the weirdest of things or the smallest of details and blow them into much bigger proportions. He's usually onto something, but sometimes I think he just does it to have fun or because he can't help himself. Like he can't see why others don't understand why that's a reasonable jump for him to make."

    I can't help myself and all of that just comes out in one big rush. I quickly hide myself behind my hands; that was way too much. Now Klein's going to think that this is all so superficial and I can't properly explain why it isn't

    Nothing happens for a few long seconds and I dare to peek between my fingers only to see kind yellow eyes staring back at me. I-I don't entirely understand that reaction, but it's enough for me to drop my guard. Perhaps it's just enough for him to be happy knowing that I'm happy, or he knows how much someone making time for me is, or that I never needed to prove anything to him to begin with. Whatever it is, the building storm of turmoil in my gut is dashed away in seconds by that happy look in his eyes and his kind smile.

    The moment stretches on between us for a few seconds longer until it ends with a nod on Klein's behalf. There's nothing more to be said on the matter and I don't think I could bring myself to say anything else to begin with. After a moment longer he breaks that silence, "You know you can call me at any time right?"

    "I didn't know if you'd be busy and I didn't want to bother you in case you were," I say, making excuses. Truthfully, I think I just didn't want to be reminded of this place and all of the expectations and emotions that came with it.

    "I can always make time for you, my snowflake," he answers, sidestepping any of my concerns. I don't know if he realized my feelings on the matter and doesn't see the need to bring them up, but I don't fight back the smile that forms.

    "Thank you Klein, truly." I turn to face the door to Whitley's room and he takes that as his cue to grab my luggage and take it to my room. I guess I did need his help with my bags after all. I fight back any more sardonic thoughts with a light rapping at the door.

    "Come in Klein, just set the food at the usual spot. I'm almost done anyway." I hear my brother's voice from beyond the door and it sounds distracted and a bit terse. Like he was in the middle of something and I just interrupted it.

    Despite ostensibly having permission I would feel bad if I barged in without clearing things up. "Whitely, it's me. May I come in?"

    "Weiss," he responds confusedly and that hurts more than I thought it would. "Give me a moment." The thought that there's something he is fine with Klein seeing in his room but not me almost has me pressing up against the door to see if I can figure it out on my own. I refrain from doing so, my brother deserves some level of privacy and I don't really have the right to infringe upon that after all this time.

    Before too long I'm called in and find myself looking around Whitley's room. It's changed since I was last here…how many years ago? There's a larger dresser and cabinet a few feet away from his bed that fill one side of the room while the other side is dominated by two desks, one has a few books that I recognize from our tutors and the other is completely cleaned off. Whitley in his dress shirt and vest combo is standing in front of it with his arms held behind his back.

    "Sister, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit," he asks with his usual level of politeness. Before I would have just assumed it was his normal indifference to everything, but now that I'm looking underneath all that I detect his confusion and a little bit of trepidation. I suppose it's to be expected, I didn't step up into the same role for him as Winter did for me and now there's this distance between us that stretches far longer than our physical separation.

    I open my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. I close it in short order and come up with another plan. It's not a big setback, I learned that far more can be said without words than with them. I guess it also helps that this seems like the exact kind of thing that Ruby would do and I don't know if that's a good indicator or a bad one.

    Regardless, Whitley grows more nervous as the silence extends between us and his eyes widen when I finally make my move. If the problem is the distance between us then removing that should be my first move, propriety be damned. The last thing that I notice before I crash into him is him holding up his arms and leaning away as if he was defending himself from some wild animal.

    It does nothing to save him from my oncoming embrace. He struggles at first but I don't let go. I can't let go. Try as he might without aura he has no hope of escape and he stills after a moment, though his guarded posture remains. I know he likes to keep his arms behind his back as much as possible, a habit he picked up from our etiquette instructor, but I can't risk giving him enough room to reset himself without risking this distance between us widening.

    "Sister…Weiss, what are you doing," he asks slowly, like the possibility of this ever happening was something he never considered.

    "I'm hugging you, you dolt," I respond with forced gentleness, fighting back the onslaught of nervousness and hurt.

    "Yes, I'm intimately aware of that, I'm wondering why you felt the need to violate my personal space." His tone is guarded, bordering hostile and I want to take offense to that. To fire back with a comment of my own, but I bite it back. He isn't making this as easy as I hoped it would be, but I suppose I haven't actually made up for what I did just yet.

    "I'm sorry. I left you here and, well, if you ever need anyone to talk to or help with anything I promise that I'll listen and do whatever I can."

    "How convenient," he spits out and I pull back to see what's going on with his expressions. This gives him enough room to break out of my grip and he falls back slightly until he's stopped by his desk. Whatever was going on with him I miss as his face is carefully neutral when I finally get a good look at him.

    "Whitley," I start, my tone far more strict and demanding than I intend it to be. "Whitley," I say again, this time my voice much softer and more welcoming

    "Stop that! Stop pretending that you care. Such trickery is unbecoming of you sister," he responds coldly and I feel us drifting apart once again.

    "I do care," I cry out, "I know that I haven't been there for you as much as I should have, but I'm trying now. Whitley please-"

    "As I said before, how convenient. Just when Father thinks that I'm worthy of the Schnee name you come waltzing back into my life like I'd just forget the past few years never to mention these past few months."

    His words strike at me and I have no way to refute them. However, something from what he said leaves me confused. "Whitley, what are you talking about?"

    "Don't act like you don't know; it's why you're here in the first place isn't it? I'm sure Father has told you all about it and now you're scoping out the competition just like he said you would," Whitley announces confidently, like there's no possible way that he could be wrong.

    "I haven't talked with Father since I left for Beacon," I protest. "I came here first thing after landing, you can ask Klein and he'll confirm that." He still looks skeptical at that so I switch over to something much easier to prove. "What time is it?" He's confused by the sudden change in topic, but he checks his scroll and finds the facts out for himself.

    His eyes widen fractionally and aside from that he does a wonderful job preventing himself from showing any kind of surprise. He doesn't say anything, but I can tell what he's thinking; I lived the kind of life that he has too. He's wondering why I'd risk incurring Father's wrath knowing full well that he could rip everything away from me if he wanted to. I have some safeguards in place in case that happens, but far fewer than I'd be comfortable with.

    A large part of Ochre and I's plan relies on him placing a large amount of importance on the Schnee family name and the appearance of harmony. It all fits with what we know of the man, but if we're wrong, well, I'm sure we'd figure something out. Things would be harder, maybe even impossible, but that hasn't been enough to stop us yet.

    Whitley keeps looking at me with gimlet eyes, not saying anything, and I figure that I'll have to be the one to continue this reconciliation. "There are things more important to me than the company, much less what he thinks about me." Out of all possible reactions to that I didn't expect him to start laughing. It's low, soft, and obviously feigned to my ears like he's trying to convince himself that what I said is ridiculous instead of believing it himself.

    "I didn't think you'd be this foolish sister. Going against Father's wishes never ends well. You might as well leave the company in my hands if those are your plans." Instead of coming off as challenging or defiant, which I think was his intention, his words come out slowly, almost defeated in nature.

    "I know and I hope you can forgive me, but I'm not going to let him win; not where it really matters, even if all we have left in the end is each other." I speak past his concerns. Maybe it won't convince him now, but I have to hope that whatever little progress I make here will be worth it in the end.

    Before Whitley can think of a rebuttal to that we're interrupted by a knocking at the door and Klein's voice piercing through. "Miss Schnee, your presence is requested by Master Jacques." Of course Father couldn't give me some time to make up with my brother in the midst of all this. I'll have to spend more time with him throughout the week.

    I go to make my exit and I take one last look at my brother before I leave. I notice the conflicted nature on his face, one part hopeful and one part reserved. I am equal parts elated and hurt by that; I know I shouldn't expect too much but I can admit that a small part of me was hoping to have this distance between us resolved by the end of today. A childish hope to be sure, but one that was present nonetheless.

    "Do you need a moment," Klein asks when he notices my state.

    "No, it's best to get this over with as soon as possible." He nods at that, I know he's not convinced and neither am I. Neither of us say anything about it, there isn't anything to say. Father would only be harder to deal with if we delay things and while Klein would be fine with drawing his ire for me I'm not going to allow him to do so. This is my fight now and I can't afford to back down.

    It takes us little time to cross the manor to reach Father's office and we remain silent during the transit. I need the silence to build myself up and Klein knows this. He still shoots me a reassuring smile before he opens the door to the office and leaves. With the moment of truth finally here I take a breath, steady my nerves, and walk in with more confidence than I feel.

    Father's study is a long hallway leading up to him sitting behind his desk, just behind him is a picture of his younger self dressed in the same style white blazer he's currently wearing. A blue shirt underneath and a red handkerchief in his breast pocket are the only highlights of color on him. The only difference between him and the painting is the adding of a few decades and his previously slicked back black hair is now white with age and dyes. That and his similarly white mustache I suppose.

    His whole desk is slightly elevated from the rest of the room like he's a King on his throne attending to supplicants. Adding further to this image is that the main light of the room, a chandelier is hanging just over his desk bathing him in a radiant glow while the rest of the room suffers from a lower level of light due to the high vaunted windows barely letting any natural light inside. Flanking on either side of the room are bookcases filled with books he's read, awards he's won, and knick knacks reminding him of his accomplishments; things he cares about. Notably absent is any picture of our family.

    I crush that emotion into a ball of cold fury. I can deal with it later, right now I need to focus and not show any weakness to this man. Despite knowing that I was due to arrive and my entrance causing a not insignificant amount of noise he's working at his terminal acting as if he doesn't even notice me. In that silence I make my way just in front of him, he has no chair for me to sit across from him with; some sort of power play on his part, but I'm not about to let that affect me.

    "Father, I believe you were expecting me." In defiance of everything that's been taught to me by my instructions and what he has made clear he expects of my behavior I do not stand idly by and wait for him to finish up.

    "Right you are, where are my manners," he finishes typing whatever he was in the middle of and turns off his terminal before spinning his chair towards me. "It's so good to see you."

    "I'm glad that you feel that way," I say respectfully, unable to bring myself to return the sentiment even falsely.

    "I'll admit I was expecting a bit more from you. Perhaps a bit of gratitude for so kindly allowing you to meddle with my company." His tone is harsh and I prevent myself from lashing out by balling up my fist and lightly piercing my palms with my nails. It was never his company to begin with, he stole it and I'll be damned if he is going to get away with it.

    "Still," he says suddenly, his tone lightening up. "I must concede that you have done a far better job than the incompetents that I trusted with that branch. Keep this up and I'll know that the company will be in good hands."

    That stops my mind dead in its tracks. Is Father praising me? Why? I went against his wishes and subverted the Vale branch against him. So what if I managed things better than my counterparts, how can he be so fine with that disobedience? That disrespect?

    Even worse is how his words make me feel. I should feel disgusted that he has any kind words for me. However, I can't help but feel a tiny bit of elation at that and THAT more than anything makes me want to puke. I thought that I had buried any desire for his approval. I thought that I convinced myself any praise from him would mean that I've done something terrible. I thought that the moment he saw anything praiseworthy in me would mean that I've become too much like him for me to stand myself any longer.

    Maybe I have, before this year if someone told me that I'd be blackmailing managers to get them to fall in line I would have laughed them off. Obviously they would have been delusional or poisoned against me by my family name. How easily I fell into that habit when the option was presented in front of me. Am I really any better than Father is?

    It takes some effort to convince myself that I'm wrong. Ochre would stop me if he thought I was taking things too far. Ruby would stop me if she thought I was doing something wrong. I'm not alone in this endeavor, not anymore and I should remember that. Besides, I'm only doing things this way because I have no better options available. It would be worse if I let Father conduct business unopposed and I, unfortunately, have to suffer those corrupt fools in their positions until such a time that I can gain more legitimate control.

    A rough cough brings me back to reality just as I get my thoughts back in order. Father has a look of stern disapproval in his eyes that slowly fades as I fix my posture and stare back into his eyes. "In recognition of that accomplishment," he continues as if nothing happened, "I'm officially putting you in charge of the operations of the Vale area. I trust this won't be an issue with your current studies…" he trails off leadingly and I nod, not trusting myself with using my voice at the moment. "Good, good. I'm glad that we could come to an understanding. With that being said, I will not tolerate any more meddling with my operations or those of your brother's."

    "What are you talking about," I ask before I can stop myself. The revelation that he supports my endeavors has me off balance still.

    "I just thought that with how successful your venture was that it would be a shame to deny the same privilege to your brother. He's been working oh so hard to advance his studies and pick up the family business, so certain that you would leave us behind just like your sister did. It caught us all by surprise that you still held an interest in the company after moving so far away," he says in the same tone as if he was talking about the weather. Like everything he just said is just to be expected and not worthy of being commented on. Any flash of irritation that I'd have at him disparaging Winter is drowned out by the implication behind his words.

    "You're giving him a part of the company," I comment bewildered, still not fully processing that Father would do such a thing. It does make Whitley's concerns earlier make a bit more sense. Father intended to set the two of us against each other from the start and I shudder to think about what would have happened if I didn't go see him immediately.

    "Less a gift and more of a temporary stewardship, for the both of you in fact. It's not like we had to concern ourselves with two of you being interested in the company before now. I can hardly make a decision of which of you to choose without knowing who'd be the best for the job and who has our concerns close to their heart. Our reputation is just as important as our success, wouldn't you agree?"

    So that's his angle, his attempt at regaining control of the situation. Give the two of us our own sections to manage while stifling my attempts at increasing my influence and control of the company. Then he gets to set us against each other while he watches on in the background using whatever metric he wants to advocate for who should inherit the company. I don't miss his comment about 'our' reputation which I'm sure he'll use as a cudgel to try to get me to fall in line if I let him.

    "I take it you're giving Whitley something in Mistral," I hedge. In response he smiles, a disturbing expression to see on his face, and nods shallowly confirming my guess. Of course it would be just like him to retain the most successful part of the company when divvying out the rest.

    Even in recent years Atlas and Mantle have been home to our largest and most advanced refineries as well as the home of our biggest buyer, the military. Mistral, with its close ties to Atlas, has enjoyed a good amount of run-off from our expansion and development efforts. So, despite my recent victories in Vale, Whitley is likely starting in a comparable if not better position than myself. I also can't rule out that Father might try stacking the deck in his favor some more depending on if he disapproves of my behavior or feels threatened.

    "In that case," I start slowly to keep my tone level and any surprise or disgust out of it. "Do you consider Vacuo as a part of 'your' operations?" If he's going to curtail my expansion into both Atlas and Mistral that only leaves one real possibility to look into.

    He lets out a genuine bout of laughter and I keep myself stone-faced ready to face his derision. "No, no, we drained that place dry of its easily accessible deposits years ago. If you want to stake a claim on that blasted wasteland, be my guest. Heck you can have all of Sanus for all I care, just keep out of Anima and Solitas for the time being. Though do be careful not to grow too ambitious, I will not suffer your failed ventures."

    The more acidic words I was waiting for don't come, only the weight of his final request. No pressure, right? It's just the same as what Ochre and I were already planning, just more official than either of us were expecting for this point in time.

    A faint upward twitch of his lips is the only thing that indicates, despite his words, that he's pleased by my response. I'm still off-put that he'd approve of me in any way much less for this and I search for a way to exit the conversation before I can let him get at me any more than he already has. "Is that all you wanted to talk about, Father," I ask, my voice full of faux-politeness.

    His tiny smirk reverses itself and he clasps his hands together. "I suppose so, we are both busy individuals aren't we?" I nod shallowly, hoping that it will get me out of his office that little bit quicker. "Then go and take care of your business, we'll have time to talk one on one again before you leave now won't we." I nod again. Knowing that it's a demand and not a request that I could refuse.

    Finally he raises his hand and waves it towards the door giving me a clear dismissal. With his eyes still on me I give him a curtsy, which is more of a courtesy than he deserves, before heading out of his office. Just as I'm about to reach the door he calls out and my hands still. "Welcome home Weiss," he says in an inscrutable tone and I grasp the handle with more force than I expected to. Thankfully nothing breaks and I'm able to extricate myself and take a breath of relief once I'm outside.

    I wish that there was more I could do now. I wish there was more that I did in the past. But most of all I wish for nothing more than to lie down for a moment and deal with whatever all of this has been. It should only take a few minutes to get to my room and a few more to recover enough to visit Whitley again and with any luck Klein will have anticipated my state and prepared some hot cocoa for me in addition to putting away my bag.
     
  • Sidestory
    • Winter Break Act 2(Part 2)/The tower
  • Threadmarks
    • As stated in an earlier note; I don't think this Winter break segment is my best work and I think the upcoming section exemplifies that rather well. Again I blame this on weak conceptualization, but I am including it for completeness' sake. Additionally I'm posting it up as it's own individual segment so it can be easily skipped, especially on a reread. Additionally, there will be another section posted immediately afterwards covering all other relevant sections and the return to Beacon.
    The original intention was for this to be a sort of dungeon crawl/run, with various encounters and decent player involvement unlike previous combat encounters. Unfortunately it runs into the issue that my system isn't well-designed for that. Not like there was much of a chance to explore based on the rolls and the whole affair wrapped up too early for any sort of in-depth exploration. Chalk that up as a mistake made, lesson learned, or what have you.

    Our affairs in the village begin wrapping up since we only have one major mission left to do and it's not even on their behalf. The last thing that we absolutely have to do here is check out the tower and even though it's the most prominent feature of the town neither Oobleck nor I are too enthusiastic after our previous lack of progress. It's not like we found absolutely nothing, but that pittance only seems to serve as salt in the wound and the both of us are more than ready to get this endeavor over with.

    We arrive at the base of the tower with Goodwitch and Autumn, the two of them working together to set up a pulley to hoist us and a couple of supplies to the top. This is necessary because the base doesn't have an entrance, the only entrance that's been found so far is a hole at the top. Presumably there were stairs, or a ramp, or some other method of reaching the summit and subsequently heading down into the cavern below, but whatever it was has long since been lost to time.

    Just as well, because if it was still functional I can't imagine that it would still be standing amidst the town. It probably would have suffered the same fate as all of the other buildings, but because of its lack of accessibility and danger associated with just knocking it down it has remained standing where all else has fallen to the wayside.

    Of course this strange construction brings about many questions as to why the tower was made like this in the first place and previous explorations of the cavern below have provided nothing that would settle the debate in any way. The most prominent explanation is that it's simply a monument, or perhaps a religious structure, but it strikes me as far too defensive for that to be the case. The thing is easily thirty or so feet in diameter and nearly as tall and brings to mind the image of a tower at the corner of a keep. I keep my supposition to myself, I'll be able to explore the place with the usage of my semblance soon enough and maybe that will uncover the answers I seek.

    With an assortment of ropes and harnesses Oobleck is the first to be raised to the top and then lowered over the other side. The whole process takes a few minutes before it's reset and it's my turn. The ascent up is nothing to write home about, but once I cross the threshold and start my descent into the cavern I look down at the scene below me. There is some light from the sun that's climbing the sky, but most of what's illuminated comes from the lights Oobleck sets up and his scroll.

    At the bottom is a scattered pile of rubble, mostly stones of the same make and type that we've seen around the village. Most of them are broken like they've fallen and I can take a guess as to where they fell from. My guess is confirmed as unlike the smooth exterior the interior has a few bricks jutting out from the side and partially broken. The floor must have collapsed at some point, but it's impossible to tell when.

    Once my feet touch the ground I unhook myself and call out to Autumn to finish the set up. He's to remain up there for when we need to return, but once he pulls in the line I was attached to he lets down a knotted rope that's tied to the top of the tower. Another precaution from our teachers in case he is called away to deal with something or otherwise indisposed. It shouldn't be necessary as there isn't too much to explore here.

    Oobleck is in the middle of surveying the walls as if they somehow have the answers that he seeks. However, I can tell it's half-hearted at best. While the walls of the cavern have clearly been marked by human hands it isn't anything that provides further insight into the people who did so.

    Instead of artwork, carvings, writing, or what have you, the surrounding sides of the cavern are all ridged furrows in mostly straight lines. Like someone took their hand and simply pulled the stone from the walls like it was clay. With semblances being the way that they are I can't necessarily say that isn't what happened, but it only raises more questions. Either the society had some sort of specialized tool to do this that we've never found, or they were able to spare a warrior for the purpose of…what exactly?

    Regardless, staring at walls for the duration of my time down here doesn't strike me as an enjoyable experience and I get to examining the room when an errant cloud passes by. Huh, now that I think about it the place is a lot drier than I'd expect. In Stygia the whole bottom two floors of the temple were flooded, and the burial tombs had their own fair share of moisture. The fact that it isn't the same here means there has to be some sort of drainage.

    I look up and then back down, deciding that it isn't hard to figure out where the water has to enter into and if it's anything like what I saw in Stygia it has probably run grooves into the cavern here as well. I shift about the rubble beneath me a little and find the start of my trail. Following it I end up at a small pool of water. Right, I could have just walked around the room instead of that needlessly complicated bit. Whatever, I thought I could use my previous knowledge to help out here and it's not like I can waste my time too much in this situation.

    Poking at the water with my Wit's End I find that it goes deeper than I expected it to and when I turn to look at my mentor, I realize that the whole cavern slopes downwards and narrows in at this point like it's acting as a funnel of some sort. The furrows along the wall are also less prominent here, but I don't know if that's intentional or due to years of erosion. Perhaps it's out of boredom or lack of other options available to me, but I set myself against a nearby wall and activate my semblance.

    The first thing that I do is move all the water out of the way, creating a hole in the cavern to store it all while I begin my investigation. Sure enough the cavern continues its slight decline and narrowing until it reaches a point that's slightly dug into the surrounding wall. There the furrows that are present with the rest of the cavern abruptly stop in the face of a wall of sheer smooth stone. The only irregularity of which is a small gap at the bottom that the water was draining through.

    My curiosity not yet satiated, I carve a path through the wall trying to keep it at the same declination rate as the previous cavern. Either I overshoot my mark or the original passageway leveled out at some point because after moving aside a few feet of solid stone the passage has a small opening at about the height of my chest. The error is simple enough to resolve and after doing so I discover that it links up to another cave, this one much more natural looking.

    Just like my previous spelunking adventure I notice that there are some Dust crystals still in the cavern, but they aren't in great quantities. It's possible that the native peoples had discovered this place previously and the smooth blockage to here supports that assumption to a degree. It also implies that the place was closed off for a reason and the most likely of which is that they dug into a nest of grimm.

    I can only explore so far into the system before anything I encounter is turned into an unrecognizable mess by the side effect of my semblance. Although I encounter the odd tool that I think Oobleck would find interesting. With Kelly's help it wouldn't be too difficult to grab some of them. However, this is the kind of situation that everyone should be briefed on before we make any decisions.

    Stepping out of my mirror world I inform my mentor of what I found and his expression quickly turns grim. Turns out finding out that the peaceful town we're staying at could be at the top of a nest of grimm isn't the most heartening news. The similarities of what happened to Mountain Glenn are also difficult to miss and we both know how that ended.

    It is the matter of a few minutes again to get us both topside and we convene a meeting with the rest of our expedition at our temporary residence. Fortunately, everyone was in town since we'd be striking out soon enough and our actions don't draw any suspicion. While they may or may not panic, having to deal with that possibility on top of everything else would only serve to distract us. Once everyone is there, I lay out what I found and my suspicions.

    The revelation is met with stony faces and a distinct lack of panic, which makes sense to a degree. The issue hasn't been one for hundreds if not thousands of years and will likely stay that way even if no one is happy that such a threat is close by.

    Marina just so happens to be the first of us to suggest the obvious, "Why don't we just move on? You weren't expecting to find any junk to begin with and we can move on without dealing with the grimm." I would have thought someone replaced my partner with how she's not advocating for the slaughter of grimm if she hadn't shared with me her disdain of operating in caves.

    She receives a harsh look from Autumn and Kelly until Oobleck joins in, "As much as it pains me to admit, Miss Aoi does have a point. We certainly aren't equipped to deal with that environment. I don't think anyone on Remnant is really. In this case the better part of valor may be our best option here."

    "You can't seriously be considering that, can you Barty," Port asks, turning towards my mentor.

    "Sadly, a good warrior must know when some fights are best left unfought. Besides, we can inform the council and they can dispatch a team more capable of dealing with this issue." That gets a round of reluctant nods from the twins and unfortunately, I must be the one to burst the bubble here.

    "Dr. Oobleck, we both know that the council won't devote any resources to combat a problem that isn't one. Especially not for a village out in the middle of nowhere."

    He turns to look at me not with annoyance, but resignation writ clear on his face. "I'm sure if we brought the matter up to Ozpin he could-"

    "Enough," Goodwitch cuts in. "Even if Oz agrees with us there's no guarantee that we'd be able to spare the help either. We need to take responsibility for this action instead of hoisting it off on to someone else when we have no guarantee that it will be resolved without us."

    "I-you're right Glynda," my mentor admits while looking deep into his thermos.

    Port coughs loudly to draw attention away from that brief exchange. "Regardless of what we do we must consider what we're going to tell the headsman."

    "What is there to decide," Autumn starts with a mix of confidence and surprise. "Obviously we're going to tell him. He has a right to know what's going on and so do the townspeople."

    "Be that as it may, causing a panic in this delicate time could exacerbate the issue and if we're not going to be around to assist is that really something you want to be responsible for," Goodwitch asks imperiously. She's trying to guide Autumn to a more moderate stance in her own way, but my teammate is having none of it.

    "Ma'am I don't know if you know much about us country folk, but these people knew the risks when they decided to come out here and every day thereafter that they decided to stay. They ain't gonna get spooked just 'cause of a few grimm, especially if we're going to solve the problem." His comment is met with silence. "We are going to solve it, right?" He looks at the three teachers and then to me when they aren't forthcoming with an answer.

    "It's a bit more complicated than that Autumn," I start. "Even with my semblance there's no easy way of mapping out the area or finding where the grimm are pouring in from. In addition to that these tunnels aren't the same as the ones used for modern mines, while there are some caverns where we will have room to deal with the grimm there are also a number of passages that it would be difficult for us to even squeeze through much less fight in."

    "So? Kelly can fix that issue right up; she just needs the time to do so. Just have to take things slow and methodical, right Pete," Autumn says, casting his gaze towards his mentor.

    "Ah-" Port starts before Goodwitch butts in again.

    "That's the issue here, time. We can only spare a day or so on this endeavor, so any attempt that we make must keep that in mind."

    "You can't seriously be suggesting that we leave these people to fend for themselves, so we aren't late for school. I know it's serious and all, but it's not more important than people's lives." Goodwitch grimaces at that, like she has something that she wants to say to counter that but can't bring herself to say it. "Back me up here Kelly, you agree with me right…right?"

    Kelly for her part remains silent, clearly torn between siding with her brother and her mentor. Marina meanwhile has started absently kicking her legs clearly tuned out of the conversation since she already made her desire known. Autumn turns to me again and I keep a thoughtful posture thinking through the issue.

    Thankfully I'm spared from having to take charge here with Oobleck standing up straighter and speaking out. "I believe we've discussed matters as much as they are helpful. All that's left is to lay out our options and choose among them. First is to let this matter lie, it's unlikely that it will become a problem anytime soon. Second is to unseal the passage to claim some of the artifacts within. It may seem callous to endanger ourselves and the townspeople for some relics of the past, but it would verify our claims and the find of which might draw in the assistance of Huntsmen and archeologists that want to explore the ruins.

    Lastly is to attempt to deal with the problem ourselves. If the passages are as narrow as Mr. Rovere says, then I'm afraid that some of us will have to remain behind while the rest of us push forward to deal with the issue. Peter, Mister Russet, Miss Aoi," Oobleck says, nodding to each person in turn. "I'm afraid if we were to engage in this sort of action you would have to remain behind and in the case that the worst happens seal the tunnel up behind us."

    That statement gets Marina's attention who looks at me as if begging to not go through with it. Autumn for his part actually looks deterred now that the very real possibility of death has been brought up, but his resolve still seems to be there.

    My mentor takes a sip from his thermos to allow us all to digest that, but before anyone can speak up for which plan they support he starts up again. "Then there's the matter of if we do or do not inform the headsman." Autumn snorts at that, "I agree Mr. Russet. I abhor ignorance, but it's a course of action we must consider to some degree."

    "I still think we should let all of the townspeople know," Autumn grumbles surly.

    "Let us at least discuss matters with Mr. Yama before deciding that his people would be better off if we circumvented his authority," Goodwitch admonishes, and he backs down. Amidst this all I share a look with Kelly and based on what passes between us I understand that she's leaving the decision up to me. Considering that she's the lynchpin of any plan that's more or less making me the determining factor for how we engage with this scenario. Unless I really want to argue for keeping him in the dark, the majority of us are in favor of at least informing the headsman.

    Depth Dive: A venture largely into the unknown to resolve this issue. There is some risk, but it's the right thing to do and would benefit the town to a degree. (5)

    In-n-Out: We don't have to go in too far to gather some evidence so the risk is much more minimal if present. As long as we don't stir up the nest this shouldn't be an issue. (0)

    Left to Lie: The matter has been stable for centuries without any interference. It will surely keep for a few years more. (0)

    "We should at least try to deal with this problem ourselves before passing it off to someone else," I say after a moment of deliberation and Kelly is quick to follow up with her support as well. That gets nods from everyone with the exception of Marina who looks away with a conflicted expression. At least she's not panicking right now and she'll follow the plan, but it's clear she is not happy with the arrangement. Aside from her, Oobleck and Goodwitch are more reluctant than everyone else in providing their approval. Knowing them I figure their hesitation comes from having to involve us first years with the operation.

    Our semblances are just too useful to leave by the wayside. My semblance will help with scouting and finding the breach in the first place and Kelly's would be used to seal it up. It's possible that Goodwitch's semblance alone would be enough to cover up whatever breach exists, but we can't be certain of that thus the main reason for our inclusion.

    With that out of the way the only thing left to do before readying ourselves for our descent is to inform the headsman. I didn't need to speak up on that topic; everyone aside from Autumn is in favor of it and in his case he wanted to take things further. A lack of support for his idea causes him to eventually back down and let the matter lie while the teachers and I arrange a meeting with the headsman.

    It doesn't take long to meet with him at his temporary residence. I suspect that he already suspected we'd be leaving soon enough and is prepared to see us off at a moment's notice. Unfortunately this isn't the more casual send off that he was expecting and his slight grin of satisfaction is soon replaced with a frown that's just as restrained. His expression does not grow any more severe once we get into the reason why our collective mood isn't a jovial one, but I don't miss the paling of his features.

    His eyes dart towards a door, likely the room where he's keeping his Lien hidden away, before refocusing on us in silence. Probably thinking over if he has enough to properly compensate us to take on the mission while understanding the risks involved. If my impression of him is correct he's too prideful to lower himself to begging when he might have other options available.

    Goodwitch preempts any attempts at negotiation when she says we're going to attempt to deal with the problem ourselves. I guess I should have expected something like this after she undersold our services with the construction of the new wall, but it's not like I have much room or reason to complain. We all agreed to this course of action without even discussing the possibility of payment.

    Cyril sits still at this announcement and I get the feeling he's about to launch into some sort of expression of thanks. "It's good fortune that we found it when we did. We've all been itching to really test ourselves out in the wilderness now haven't we," Port says with a loud bravado. I guess he picked up on what Cyril was about to do and is sparing the man's pride.

    "Indeed," Cyril says, relaxing back in his seat. "Just know that we won't forget the service you have done for us." He pauses for a moment, "I will let the relevant people know and be prepared for any grimm activity. Is there any way that I can assist you with the tunnels?" We all shake our heads at that, even if they had anyone on the same level as Goodwitch or Oobleck bringing in an unknown into that kind of environment isn't the best of ideas.

    With the purpose of our meeting concluded we leave to prepare ourselves and let the headsman prepare his forces. We give ourselves an hour to check over our weapons and take care of any last minute business. For my part I have to modify my outfit for the tight confines of the caves, ditching both my hat and my cape for the moment. I'll add them back in later, but right now they're a liability that I can't afford to have. Plus I don't want to have any chance of them getting damaged.

    I swap out my headwear with a spare pith helmet that Oobleck has on hand and rig a light to it for a slapdash mining helmet. Afterwards I give a silent thanks for my faunus heritage; the caves are going to be pretty dark especially with a lack of flares and light sources in general. The lack of light is going to have a greater impact on everyone else than it will for me which is another reason why I'm brought in for this rather than leaving it up to the teachers. After that it's a whole affair to get everyone lowered into the cavern. Port, Autumn, and Marina are staying behind to deal with any grimm that give us the slip.

    As for us on the expedition team, Goodwitch and Oobleck are going to handle the bulk of the fighting. The both of them don't want us to help out too much and risk depleting our auras to the point where we have to pull back. This is doubly important for Kelly who has to conserve her aura as much as possible. We'll need her for help navigating the tunnels and for our main objective. My role, aside from scouting, is to keep the grimm off of Kelly so the teachers can focus on fighting instead of worrying about protecting us.

    With our roles assigned and clearly delineated Kelly makes a tunnel connecting the cavern to the first chamber I discovered. Progress is slow going as she has to keep in close contact with the walls to keep her aura expenditure down and I flash my semblance repeatedly to make sure we're heading in the right direction.

    Eventually we breach into the first chamber and after all of that build-up it's a let down to discover only a handful of creeps that are dealt with ease. Once the grimm have been dispatched and we've made a trek around the room to ensure there aren't any hiding out to attack us when our backs are turned I activate my semblance for what is surely to be the first of many times down in these tunnels and get to work.

    Investigation Check: Rank 4.02 + 1(Semblance) + .5(Circumstance) = 5.52 vs Challenge 7

    Final Modifier: -37

    Dice: 1d100-37

    28 - 37 = -9
    I scout out the surrounding tunnels with my semblance. I find a few dead ends, but also three paths that branch off with another passageway. I could spend more time exploring and hopefully narrow down my options, but we're trying to keep aura expenditures to a minimum. Plus the distortion from my semblance would throw out a lot of false impressions. Thus our best bet is to go deeper into the cave complex so I can get more accurate readings.

    We mark off the path we're heading down as well as marking the dead ends so we don't get turned around and continue on our way. We had three choices in front of us, but the first would have required Kelly to clear it up with her semblance and the second had barely enough room for us to travel down single file. If there are any grimm worth the name they'd attack us there and even if we could deal with them it would inevitably chip away at our aura, that leaves our path forward as the most obvious one.

    The passageway connecting us to the next cavern isn't that much wider than our other option, but it does allow for some lateral movement which soon proves necessary as a wave of sulfur fish careen across the ground and Oobleck at the front is able to blast away most of them with a fireball propelled from his weapon. Probably a calculated risk on his part since it does the job of breaking up the swarm at the expense of the cavern walls shifting a bit. They appear to be holding up, but I don't have much time to think as I'm the next up in the line.

    Even if I couldn't see in this low-light environment I would have been able to deal with these fish-like grimm appropriately. Their tails radiating off a heat and light that makes the matter of marksmanship trivially easy and as long as I aim properly Oobleck is in no danger of friendly fire. If I didn't have to stop them from reaching Kelly behind me, or maybe if I had a little bit more room to maneuver, I would be able to escape from this entire situation entirely unscathed. As it is, I take a few hits on my aura to dispatch them in the narrow passageway before we deal with enough of them to enter the chamber they were guarding.

    Once there they back away from the group in a sense of self-preservation. Then they attempt to link up with one another for some purpose, but that only provides a central target for Oobleck and Goodwitch to focus their efforts on and the beasts are dealt with in short order. After their attempt at dealing with us has been thwarted, the grimm scurry around the edges of the room hiding in various crevices and holes.

    We take up the repetitive task of searching each hiding spot and dealing with the creature inside. Some of them are able to evade our search or choose a path that leads out of here entirely which is slightly annoying. It's not like the creatures are that deadly on their own, a civilian could probably fight off a couple of them no problem, but they're the type of grimm to only come out at the most annoying of times.

    Regardless we have cleaned up the area as best as we can and it's up to me to scout ahead again. This chamber only has one other exit that would be wide enough for us all to pass through if it weren't for the web-like substance hanging off the walls. It would be the obvious next path on our journey, but if I find it's a dead end or more hopefully our objective we could bypass it for now.

    Investigation Check: Rank 4.02+1(Semblance) 1(Circumstance)=6.02 vs Challenge 7

    Final Modifier: -25

    Dice: 1d100-25

    90 - 25 = 65

    With only the one obvious path available it would make sense to check that out and determine if it's a dead end or not and then continue on as normal. I don't do that, however, Perhaps it's just a feeling or maybe that web-like mess of a hallway is more off-putting to me than I give it credit for, but I check around the room once more for anything we missed. We didn't get all of the sulfur fish and I'm sure one or two of them probably had the wits to know that merely hiding wasn't likely to save them. Thus I go over the nooks and crannies once again.

    One of them turns out to only have an exceedingly small entrance that the sulfur fish was barely able to squeeze through and it leads into a tunnel that could probably fit two of the small grimm side-by-side. I decide to follow after that in case it leads somewhere and fortunately after not too long it does. The chamber it deposits me in is moderately large, a bit smaller than the cavern underneath the tower and the telltale coloration of Dust deposits are spread thinly across the walls. Not really enough to make a good source of the substance, but that's not what catches my attention in the first place.

    No that would be the scattered pile of deformed metal and skeletons strewn about the floor of the cavern. There are two exits from the chamber not including the one I made, one is a large gash and has no further signs of human corpses or tools while the other is a narrowish passage that has the occasional tool and cadaver littering the floor. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is what we're probably looking for. I double check with my semblance one more time just to make sure that I'm not being misled in any way and I turn up a similar result.

    I step out of my mirror world, stalk over to the crevice in question, and direct Kelly on how to reach the cavern we're after. There is a sense of hesitation from having her use her semblance like this, but considering that we'd otherwise have to fight through who knows how many chambers of grimm it's the more sure-fire option available to us. It's possible that there's one or multiple other breaches across this network of caverns, but we have no easy way of detecting them aside from a methodical sweep and they aren't likely to be as severe as this one.

    It's another tedious wait as we move slowly with Kelly making a path for us. Oobleck stands behind her with myself behind him and Goodwitch covering our rear from any wandering grimm. This whole endeavor has taken less time than I expected it to, but I'm not going to complain. I guess I shouldn't consider it resolved either until we seal the hole up and deal with whatever grimm is waiting for us in that chamber.

    Surprisingly we don't find anything immediately once we breach into the area, but none of us let our guards down. Oobleck out of a sense of professionalism, Kelly and Goodwitch by nature, and myself because of a faint sound I hear. I motion for everyone to stop while I take off my helmet and let my upper ears breathe a little. It takes a moment to narrow in on the sound and where it's coming from, but I eventually parse together an answer to both of those questions. The sound is a slight hiss, like a raspy breath that comes and goes every thirty seconds or so and its location is the abyss that the grimm must have crawled out from.

    It would be a little disappointing if the thing at the bottom of this adventure was just a king taijitu, but I certainly wouldn't complain if that was the case. Of course they typically like to make their nests in caves closer to the surface so this could be a completely different grimm altogether. Technically we don't have to deal with it as we could simply seal off the entrances to this cavern in particular. It wouldn't be hard for Kelly to do aside from being a bit aura intensive. Still Oobleck and Goodwitch seem to determine between themselves that this is a worthy endeavor to take part in and have Kelly and I stay back while they fight the beast.

    I creep a little closer to the edge than I probably should to spy on the fight and the grimm does turn out to be snake-like as I guessed. However, it doesn't attempt to enter into the room to fight the two veteran Huntsmen like I'd expect a king taijitu to be capable of. I can't imagine that it's helping it in the fight currently as that vastly restricts its capabilities and reach, something that my teachers take advantage of by sticking to range with Oobleck pelting it with fire and Goodwitch with her semblance. Unfortunately such a strategy seems like it isn't enough to put the beast down, but it's also smart enough to realize the stalemate that it's in. It wheels its head back and breathes out a cloud of darkness that engulfs the room.

    That isn't something a taijitu does and even worse it hampers my vision as if the very substance eats up light. Fortunately it seems to be sinking into the pit the monster calls home and without ill-effects for myself or my teachers. Speaking of which they're struggling to fight in the worsened light conditions, but are accounting for themselves well with the changing circumstances.

    The grimm isn't entirely passive during all this. It uses the cover of its darkness to squeeze more of itself into the chamber. Its body is long and coiled across the room and still long enough to stretch into the abyss that it crawled out of. It's a lot thinner than a taijitu of its size would be, but is still too large to fit through either of the passages that would lead it out of the room.

    Unfortunately for it, the size of the room is still constrictive and provides Goodwitch and Oobleck with plenty of targets that it can't fully defend against. Goodwitch pries a stalactite from the ceiling to pin down the beast and inadvertently separates the grimm in two. The front of which screams out in pain while the latter bubbles into a new head that's also screaming. Unfortunately for the second a fireball from Oobleck catches it in its open gob and the rapidly expanding projectile pops its head with little fanfare leaving the rest of the body to collapse and start withering away.

    Realizing its predicament and the very real possibility of its death the grimm rears back its head to spit out another cloud of darkness. It's interrupted by a large rock covered in Dust crystals finding its way into its throat courtesy of Goodwitch. This backs up whatever substance it was about to spew before it uses its powerful jaws to crush the offending jaw.

    Of course with the volatility of Dust this turns out to not be the greatest of ideas as that causes a variety of effects to beset it all at once. Smoke and sparks pour off of it as its mouth is pierced and sealed shut by a mix of ice and earth. It isn't enough to finish it off, but its head swings low and Goodwitch rears back her riding crop before smacking the top of its head between a section of boneplate with a sickening crunch. She repeats this move a few times, but I think the beast was killed after the first one.

    After the grimm is dispatched and Goodwitch and Oobleck give the all-clear, Kelly and I enter the room properly and we cover her while she gets to work. It's only a matter of a few minutes to patch the hole initially and then a few more to layer it with multiple feet of stone to prevent an enthusiastic grimm from punching its way through. Then we write and draw out multiple warnings on the face of the newly erected wall to warn away any future explorers or miners.

    Once the major threat of the underground is taken care of, our group returns briefly to check in with how things are going topside. It turns out that they had a minor run in with grimm, but it subsided quickly enough and we haven't been gone for that long in any case. With a few hours left to spare we start slowly and methodically clearing out the network of caves underneath.

    We are able to leverage Kelly and Goodwitch's semblances much more liberally for this since we aren't saving them up to seal a gigantic hole. Enough so that Autumn, Marina, and Port no longer need to be held back in case the worst happens. Plus with the prospect of more grimm flooding in being a thin one there is no big hurry behind our actions aside from our deadline to leave. Our plan is to go down one more time in the morning as a part of a final sweep before we depart. There may be a few grimm leftover, but hopefully we dent their population enough that Cyril and whatever warriors this town has are able to deal with it themselves.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Winter Break Act 2 (Part 3, End)
  • Threadmarks
    • In between one excursion and the next I go to meet with the headsman and I end up meeting him at his temporary residence with a much more casual air between us. Probably how he imagined he'd be sending us off before we brought that crisis to his attention.

    The two of us are seated across from each other with a tea table between us. Cyril himself is a man that I'd peg to be in his seventies with balding gray hair, a thin build, and after the events of today an air of exhaustion that is emanating off of him in waves. His daughter, Cerulean, steps out from the kitchen with a Mistrali tea set and pours out a drink for the three of us. She's in her late forties, maybe fifties, with steel blue hair and a waifish frame.

    The set itself appears to be old, likely a keepsake, and points to them being rather close to that heritage. With the last name I could have assumed, but with the intermingling of Kingdoms that's no longer a safe assumption to make. A safer assumption is with how he's been acting I can hazard a guess that Cyril is the traditional sort, which is not the most flattering of things to say in regards to the Mistrali attitudes.

    I haven't noticed any discriminatory treatment for the faunus around town so I could be entirely off the mark there and am likely to be in any case. Regardless, after the day that I've had I feel no need to dance around the issues and remove the helmet I had on while in the caves below. I still dislike the action, but find the trade to be worth the potential interest.

    Cyril stills a little as I flex my upper ears a little and takes a moment to recover. He doesn't make a comment on it and merely asks if I like the tea. I'll take that as he isn't going to make an issue as long as I don't and that's good enough for me so I partake in the almost ritualistic pleasantries.

    After I set down the tea cup after my first drink Cerulean takes the opportunity to speak up. "We can't thank you enough for all the help you-"

    Cyril holds up his hand and his daughter stops speaking immediately. "I can speak for myself, no need to spare my feelings. As my daughter was saying, we can't thank you enough for your help. If ever there is a way that we can assist you it would be our honor to do so." She shoots a surly look to her father who maintains a stone-faced expression. I don't think her outrage is fully due to his interruption and taking over of the situation. If I had to guess she didn't want to offer us, or me in this instance, such a blanket promise.

    I let the situation pass without remark as I suspect getting involved will only worsen my relations with both of them. They wouldn't want a stranger, much less one that they feel indebted to, to step into their business one way or another. They'll just have to figure it out on their own time I guess. After a long moment Cerulean relaxes and takes a sip at her tea and I take that as my signal to bring up what I want to talk about. Ostensibly my questions will be fielded to the both of them, but in truth I expect most of them to be directed to Cyril out of the two of them.

    Dust: The Dust deposits I found underneath are nothing spectacular, but it may be just what the town needs to reach economic stability. I could bring up the subject and see what their plans are for it. (5)

    Founding: Settlements this out of the way usually take a lot of planning, supplies, and influence to set up. I could ask how all of that was managed and why this spot in particular was chosen. (2)

    Governance: I could ask them what it's like to have managed a town with so many people. It might not be entirely transferable, but it might provide some perspective in how to manage my branch of the Fang. (2)

    Viability: With the economics of the town I'm sure the two of them realize they were living on borrowed time. That might be changing, but I could see what their take on the situation and plans were prior to our arrival and how they've changed. (0)

    QM Note: Governance won the roll off.

    I wait for another beat to pass, hoping that my silence comes off as respectful. "I don't know if a show of thanks is necessary," I say not entirely truthfully. If they're going to offer I might as well see what they have to offer before I pass on it entirely. "If it would make you feel better you can count answering some questions of mine as a means of thanks."

    "Our minds are open to you, ask whatever you wish and we will do our best to answer," Cyril responds with a placid face. His daughter is less restrained, her lips thinning at my statement. Likely she knows that any questions I could ask are unlikely to count much in satisfying whatever debt her father has in his mind. I suppose I could be seen as taking advantage of the situation for my benefit, but that's a risk I'm willing to endure.

    "I'm unsure if you've been apprised of the situation, but during our explorations of the caverns underneath the town we encountered some Dust deposits. I find myself curious if you have any plans in mind for that discovery." I'm pretty sure they have already been informed, but it costs me nothing to word things in this way and offers them the chance of clearing up any questions they might have without looking like they are uninformed. Given the slight nod that Cyril gives me, I can tell that my gesture has been received by him.

    "We will have to take things slowly," he demures. "We wouldn't want a repeat of any incidents and our town doesn't want for much of the substance. We've been able to adapt our lives without its convenience and I fear a dependence would prove troublesome."

    "So no plans for using it to expand your operations," I challenge with a raised eyebrow. I don't need to bring up that I know their Lien is running thin. Even if they don't know that I know, they must know that their current situation is unsustainable. Cyril returns my challenge with an icy stare, like he is the mountain and will not move.

    His daughter, however, is quick to provide an excuse, "I'm sorry, but we simply don't have the tools or expertise to do so safely. I'm sure you understand."

    "What if you did," I ask, jumping at the opening. At their silence I clarify, "I want to know if your reluctance to do so is because you lack the capability or the willingness to take advantage of this good fortune."

    The headsman shoots his daughter a look, but she evidently doesn't find anything wrong with her statement. Either that or Cerulean believes that this outcome is worth a little bit of scorn from her father. The two of them remain silently staring at one another for a moment until he turns his gaze back to me and stalls for time with a sip at his tea. Likely he's using the opportunity to collect himself, but I can hardly fault him for that.

    "That may change things," he allows reluctantly. I get the impression that he doesn't want to venture a stronger opinion.

    "I see," I say as a platitude that I don't mean. If he's going to stonewall me like this I can just take up my questions with someone that's more likely to give me something to work with. "I assume it would be no trouble if I asked for Cerulean's thoughts specifically." It's my last offer in terms of respect, if he really doesn't want to continue this line of discussion he can shut it down now. Instead he merely inclines his head. So, he isn't a fool, he's just too proud to ask for any more help.

    Given tacit permission I turn to her and the woman says, "I think that if we were to have the equipment and the training then we would be amenable to exploiting the mines further."

    "Merely amenable or willing?"

    She looks back to her father and then to me, "I think it would do the town a lot of good." Hmmm, annoying, but that's likely the best answer that I'm going to get out of them. They don't want to commit to anything just yet and with the recency of the discovery I can't imagine they've fully thought through what they want.

    Just as well since I don't have the ability to work out a contract between the relevant parties anyway. Weiss may have informed her assistant to treat my orders the same as hers, but I really don't know what's standard for this kind of arrangement.

    Mulling the thought over, I delay my next question a bit. "Is there a particular way that you want to handle the mines? Like, do you want to do it on your own, or are you amenable to outside help coming in to manage things?"

    "I think-"

    "We would prefer to keep things done by our people if that's at all possible," Cyril interrupts his daughter, evidently finding the subject serious enough to drop the pretense of using her as a go between. "Of course, we would not turn down help from the outside if there's no other way to do so."

    "Do you have a preference against any companies, like say the SDC?"

    He shakes his head, "I can't say that we do. As long as they treat us right, they are welcome here." His tone is begrudging, likely he doesn't want to share or give up the responsibility that he's earned thus far. It's a bit at odds with how the SDC likes to run their mining towns from what I know, but most of those are founded by the SDC. It's not often that a town stumbles upon a Dust deposit like this and that might offer them some leeway.

    "I'll see what I can do," I offer neutrally and am met with skeptical looks. It's hard to place where exactly that comes from; perhaps my heritage or maybe my age, but since neither of them wish to voice their skepticism I allow it to pass by.

    I briefly toy with the idea of proving my connection by showing them a picture of Weiss and I, but decide against it. Given their isolation they might not even know who she is. Plus it saves me from the potential embarrassment. Besides, they'll realize I was sincere if they ever have a meeting with a representative.

    "I think that's all I have to say on that matter," I announce and the two of them relax fractionally, my cadence indicating that I still have more to say. "If it's not too much to ask, may I inquire as to what it's like to run a settlement like this?" Both of their lips twitch upwards, likely finding this to be a much more pleasant topic to engage with.

    Cyril even chuckles slightly as if my question reminded him of something humorous. "Like many things in life it is hard and very rewarding. When I founded this settlement in my youth I thought that I had it all figured out. If the number one cause of new towns failing was being unable to defend themselves combined with not being able to pay for their defense I thought why not seek out a spot where even I could defend it on my own? It is the folly of youth to not think towards the future and I was no different, I could go on and on about the mistakes I've made, but that was not your question now was it?"

    I nod my head at that, hoping that he'll get on with whatever he wants to say, but instead he pauses for a long moment. "If I may bother you with a question of my own?" I nod. "Why are you asking this?"

    "I'm a leader, in more ways than one," I offer vaguely. He can put the pieces together in his mind for all I care. "I'll admit that I'm still trying to find my feet when dealing with a large number of people."

    "Ah, so you are seeking advice then," he says pleased with himself. That's not exactly what I was going for, but it costs me nothing to play into his ego a bit and thus I nod. "My advice is more professional than personal; it is a different thing to lead your companions than it is to lead a mass of people. For the formerr I'd suggest maintaining strong bonds, but I doubt you need me to tell you that.

    My first piece of advice is to appear strong, always. You are the foundation that all else have to turn to look to, if you can't deal with the problem then what hope do they have? Second, in times of crisis act quickly and definitively; a half-baked good plan is better than any great plan that's delayed. Similarly once you've chosen a course of action try to stick with it, nothing will lower confidence in you more than swapping between directives or suddenly reversing your stance.

    Third, though it is regrettable, you must accept that someone has to lose as a result of your decisions. Whether it be your enemy, some of your men, or a harmless bystander. There is no course of action that will guarantee a favorable outcome for everybody and trying to spread your hands too thin will only leave them ineffectual."

    I can't stop myself from frowning at his 'advice,' most of it seems rather simple to me and things that I've thought about before even if I didn't put them into words like he did. He seems to pick up on it with a bark of laughter. "I'm sorry if I disappoint; I'm afraid any other advice that I'd have would be lost on you. I doubt you have to deal with petty complaints or assisting with the planting of crops even if only by paperwork. Though if you do I have a final piece of advice for you; make sure that the men below you know what kind of man you are and what you will tolerate. Doing so will encourage them to behave correctly and only bother you with matters that are worthy of your attention."

    "I'll keep that in mind," I say slowly, still not sure if the latter half of the conversation was worth my time. I suppose I should have been more specific if I wanted him to tell me his honest feelings on what it's like to manage nearly a thousand people or how he does so, but his 'advice' is hardly the worst that I've heard. As I reach the bottom of my tea cup I decide that I've spent enough time talking with the man and his daughter. I'll have time to think over what to say to Weiss and what he's told me now, but I'd prefer to spend the evening with my team than stay here much longer.


    The morning after I'm part of the team going through the underground once more, by noon we have to call it quits and get a move on or else we run the risk of missing our window to arrive at Beacon on time. Regardless, we do an admirable job of clearing out the place, most, if not all, of the larger varieties of grimm are dealt with including a nest of spider-like grimm and their webbing. There are still a few pockets of sulphur fish and maybe the odd creep or two, but they shouldn't provide too much of a challenge for the town as long as they're careful.

    As for ourselves we have a job to attend to that fortunately doesn't distract too much from where we need to go. Vale posts bounties to clear out a number of grimm near major settlements and the city itself. In this case our contract is on behalf of the city, though with how high up and difficult to navigate the Misty Mountains are it's an understandably oft neglected task.

    Due to that neglect, unlike other bounty missions, we have a degree of latitude on how to approach the task at hand. Technically we could get away with doing nothing except slaughtering beowolves and it would count as completing the mission. I'm sure there's a solid racket an underperforming Huntsman could find themselves taking advantage of.

    However part of this trip was to really push ourselves and considering how we're going to be traveling as a unit now that our archeological ventures are finished there's no real reason not to shoot for the stars so to speak. It would still be better for us if we succeed, or at least more profitable, but a risk of failure isn't something that I'm too concerned about with Oobleck, Port, and Goodwitch nearby. The only question is what prey to go after.

    Based on some preliminary scouting we have a nest of griffins, which are probably the easiest to deal with from our options. There are also pairs of nevermores, the variety up in the mountains being larger and more solitary than their lowland counterparts and rarely traveling in groups larger than pairs; all a set of behaviors that they apparently acquire with age I'm informed by Port.

    Beringels, the ape-like grimm, are also known to stalk the mountains, usually on the descent towards Vale, and we're likely to encounter one or two of them even if we don't go looking for them. Lastly for the big grimm, there are reports that geists can be found in the mountains on occasion, but I get the feeling we'd have to spend a bit of time looking for them.

    Nevermores: We may have faced a giant nevermore before, but the ones in the Mountains are apparently a mite bigger and we'd be pushing to go after a pair of them rather than ganging up on one like last time. (3)

    Giffins: A group of them can be dangerous on their own, but hardly rank a threat above what we've faced already. They'd only serve to be a moderately more challenging fight. (0)

    Beringels: A grimm that we don't see too often around Vale and can apparently manage a degree of stealth despite its large size. I can't help, but think that it's lack of flight and mobility would lead to a simple fight even against multiple of them. (0)

    Geist: A possessive type grimm, as long as we deal with it before it can join itself together with some rocks it'd be a cakewalk, but might provide a good fight if we let that happen. (0)

    We start our return to Vale with our eyes to the sky, keeping a lookout for any nevermore to take on, whether they be in pairs or on their own. Our preference is to find a pair that we can really cut our teeth on, figuring that they'd provide us with the most challenge on our return leg. Oobleck and Port are even enthusiastic with their approval of our plan and suggest that Autumn and I split up whenever we find a suitable pair to see how we stack up against one another. I guess during all this excitement we really haven't had the chance to compete directly and this is as good of a time as any.

    Regardless, it takes us some time until we come across a suitable pair; most of the ones we found prior to this one had too large of a difference in size to make the competition 'fair.' Even the pair that we find has a sizable difference between the two, but it's the closest of the ones that we've come across thus far. I'm certain that we've taken care of enough nevermores to fulfill the requirements of the bounty by now, but no one on my team has been satisfied with the fight they've put up. Well, aside from maybe Kelly, but she hasn't voiced a complaint so I assume that she's on board with the plan.

    We have, however, run into the bottom of the Dust supplies Oobleck provided for the expedition. All of the fighting that we've been up to going far beyond what he generously estimated. I'm sure he'll press Goodwitch for some compensation since it's due to her accepting of missions that led to an increase in Dust usage in the first place. We still have our personal reserves that we brought with us and with economical usage of our weapons it shouldn't be too much of an issue if one at all.

    We track our pair of nevermores to their nest close to two mountains connected by a rope bridge. As a precaution we all share a set of coordinates that we'll meet up at in case our fighting separates us for whatever reason and we split off into two teams. One has Oobleck, Marina and I. The other has Goodwitch, Port, and the twins. The teachers are going to stay out of this mess unless we need some help. It may be more preferable for Autumn and I to take each of these beasts one on one, but I allow him this handicap since it would be a little unfair to him with my fighting style. Plus, I don't think Marina would forgive me if I made her sit out another fight like this one.

    I also have the pleasure of dealing with the slightly larger nevermore by right of team leader dibs. Unfortunately for Port I'm not planning on any crazy maneuvers this time, instead focusing on how to deal with a nevermore conventionally and with Marina to assist with grounding the thing. I'm not sure what Autumn's plan is for that, but I'm sure I'll get the story out of him once we're through with this.

    Ochre Combat: 5.04+2.07 (Mobility) + 1.58(Grimm) + 1 (Dust) +1(Marina)=10.69 vs 9.5(Giant Nevermore)

    Final Modifier: +29

    Marina Combat: 3.93+ 2.07(Mobility) + 1.47(Grimm) +1(Dust) +1(Ochre)=9.47 vs 9.5(Giant Nevermore)

    Final Modifier: -1

    Dice: 1d100+29
    92 + 29 = 121

    Dice: 1d100+29
    63 + 29 = 92
    Dice: 1d100-1
    72 - 1 = 71

    Dice: 1d100-1
    59 - 1 = 58

    Autumn: 4.16 + 1.72(Mobility) +1.94(Grimm) +1(Dust)+1(Kelly)= 9.82 vs 9.3(Giant Nevermore)

    Final Modifier: +13

    Kelly: 4.23+1.64(Mobility)+1.63(Grimm)+1(Dust)+1(Autumn)=9.50 vs 9.3(Giant Nevermore)

    Final Modifier: +5

    Dice: 1d100+13
    17 + 13 = 30

    Dice: 1d100+13
    41 + 13 = 54

    Dice: 1d100+13
    36 + 13 = 49
    Dice: 1d100+5
    34 + 5 = 39

    Dice: 1d100+5
    18 + 5 = 23

    Dice: 1d100+5
    19 + 5 = 24

    Dealing with a nevermore in flight isn't the easiest of prospects when one doesn't have high-powered long range weaponry at their disposal. Even if they do, like in the case of Ruby and her High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe the larger varieties of the creatures are often too tough to take down with simple munitions, at least on an economical or time-based metric. That isn't to say that there are no options available to Marina and I.

    While it would be safer for the grimm to stay in the air and attempt to pelt us with its feathers, the beasts are somewhat compelled to try striking at us directly. Not even advanced age has done enough to quell nevermores from attempting those kinds of maneuvers and I have to assume it's something intrinsic to its nature as a grimm that it can't simply ignore us or give up on direct confrontation altogether.

    With this in mind Marina and I set up on the side of a cliff with enough space that our target could swoop by and attempt to attack us; the key-word here being attempt. When the beast swings low to swipe at us with its claws I take one side and Marina takes the other and each of us attack one of its wings to ground the beast.

    I with a salvo of shotgun shells and a swipe at its thick wings and Marina with a sickening crack as she slams her anchor against the mountain side catching the nevermore's wing in the middle. It only takes her a moment longer for her weapon to shift and shoot a harpoon at the wing I skewered, sending the bird-like grimm into a death spiral that has her chain wrapping around it. Fortunately it drifts into the cliffside and doesn't drag my partner off to an ignoble fate.

    During its final moments of flight its lack of control has it spinning so its belly is facing upwards as it crashes into the mountainside with appreciable speed, burying its head into the structure and leaving its vitals open. Not that I think grimm have vitals, as far as I'm aware they're a mostly amorphous blob of grimm stuff on the inside, but they certainly act like they have internal organs for us to skewer. Seeing the opportunity, I hop onto its exposed belly and ready my Wit's End to pierce its hide.

    Its struggles underneath the rubble increases and it swings its claws at me in a feeble attempt to dislodge my presence. I block one claw with a casual, almost contemptuous, flick of my wrist, opening up my buckler at just the right moment to add the force of it opening up into my deflection. The other claw is dealt with by Marina pulling herself in and swinging her anchor downwards, smashing the claw into the ground and absolutely destroying the wing attached to it while clipping the side of the nevermore.

    My partner's enthusiasm causes the bird-like grimm to tilt on its side slightly and I shift my foot over to the side for stability. Honestly that does more to unsettle my footing than anything the nevermore has done on its own.

    It isn't enough to delay the inevitable and with both hands on the hilt I stab downwards into the nevermore's exposed belly and open fire. After the fourth pull of the trigger it stops moving and I shift my head towards Marina for her to follow up. She swings her massive anchor right at the creature's throat and as if it knew about its inevitable decapitation it weakly struggles to free itself one final time.

    My finger is on the trigger ready to fill it with more shells, but my preparation proves unnecessary as it has no chance to escape with how it ended up buried. Marina, for her part, is smiling past the bits of grimm ichor staining her clothes and face. It'll fade soon enough so I'm not too concerned; I'd have been more worried about the teachers taking her enthusiasm the wrong way, but if any of them have made any mention of her habits they haven't brought it up with me and I haven't overheard them talking about it.

    I take a moment to survey the Misty Mountains and see if I can find my teammates. I can't spot them through the fog and the peak that they were heading to has a new coating of frost and earth telltale of the twins' semblances. I figure that their own encounter likely went a bit more poorly than my own, but they have Goodwitch and Port looking after them so I'm not too concerned. We'll have to meet them up at the rendezvous point and that's not too much of a bother in the end.

    It's a few hours of walking until we pass by onto the Vale side of one of the cliffs and start our descent. We aren't out of the mountains fully, but this was determined to be our best route back since we couldn't guarantee that any of the mountain passes are still up after a lack of maintenance and grimm encounters. For a brief moment I receive a CCT signal and my scroll is bombarded with messages before it suddenly cuts out. I don't think I got them all and I can't check them while I'm on the move but it is a heartening sign of civilization.

    The twins, Goodwitch, and Port are awaiting us at our meetup point with my two teammates arguing with one another. They're at least keeping their conversation quiet enough that I can't hear it, but the occasional disapproving glance from Goodwitch tells me that she isn't impressed with their performance or how they're behaving.

    "I take it things didn't go according to plan for the two of you," I say as I enter the clearing, both to give them the chance to open up as well as to put their argument to bed if they don't want to make it a team matter.

    Kelly seems to have no hesitancy on the matter as she readily speaks up, "You could say that Ochre. Do you want to know what this genius' plan was?"

    "At least it was better than your plan. All you wanted to do was lure it in close and trap it with your semblance," Autumn fires back, turning towards his sister with indignation clear on his features.

    "You mean a sensible plan that would have worked?"

    "It would have defeated the whole point of picking a fight with that oversized bird in the first place. We were supposed to be pushing ourselves not going through the motions to eliminate the grimm in the safest way possible!"

    "Okay, let's say that I agree with you, how exactly was your plan supposed to accomplish that," Kelly questions before turning to me. "Do you wanna know what he did? The last thing he said to me was, 'hey sis, catch me if I miss,' and then he jumped with his semblance as the nevermore just started its dive."

    "And I didn't miss, I scored a hit on its side didn't I," Autumn rebukes confidently.

    "Well duh, I'd have been surprised if you fucked it up entirely. Most nevermores don't expect their opponents to throw themselves at them like a human cannonball. Full offense Ochre. It was dumb both times that ya'll did it and it'll remain dumb until the end of time, simple as that."

    "How did I get dragged into this," I grumble good-naturedly, recognizing that Kelly is taking the opportunity to wind the conversation down.

    "Well, you are the leader. You have to be at least somewhat responsible for the harebrained ideas that my brother picks up on. At least half of them I'd say; he wasn't nearly this bad back on the farm," she finishes with a wide grin that she shoots at both Autumn and I, ensuring that she's drawn the appropriate amount of our ire.

    Marina, meanwhile, seems entirely oblivious or uninterested in the byplay that went on between us. A look of mild confusion is on her face and her next statement clears up where her mind is at the moment, "You dealt with it in the end, right?"

    "Ah, my lass," Port cries out, "Glynda and I stepped in after their showing to ensure their safety. Not that they should be disappointed with their showing; a couple of first years being able to hold their own with an elder nevermore is an applaudable feat already and with the proper planning I'm sure they'd have managed it on their own." Despite his jovial tone I can tell that he's a little disappointed at least with how Autumn performed. Some of that may be because of how Oobleck has a grin that's slightly too wide to be entirely non-confrontational.

    Marina nods quickly and then after a second nods again more slowly. Like she was processing two entirely separate emotions and instead of dealing with them at the same time dealt with them in sequence. It isn't too hard for me to speculate on what it was, she's probably heartened that she isn't too far behind the twins, if at all anymore, while simultaneously upset that they weren't as successful as we were. It's not anything that I should have to deal with as she seems to have it well in hand.

    "That's enough children," Goodwitch cuts in, having enough of our discussion. Though, I don't miss how she throws a look at my mentor as she says it. "We have a rough week ahead of us to arrive at Vale on time and I don't want any of us getting distracted. Do I make myself clear?" After a round of nods she continues, "Then check over your bags and get ready, we have a few hours before nightfall and we best make the most of them."


    After a day of trekking through the wilderness I finally have some time to check the messages I received on my scroll. Only a few of them are from Weiss, I suppose she figured out that I wouldn't be able to answer for some time and her final message to me is, 'Wish me luck.' That was sent the day before she was due to arrive in Atlas so I can only hope that things are going well for her. She should already be back at Beacon by time that me and my team arrive and with any luck we'll be able to squeeze some time together before the semester starts.

    Moving on, I find a number of reports from the Union. Blake sent a few as well, but they abruptly stopped at around the same time as Weiss' final message. If I remember right it's probably because she went to Patch with Ruby and Yang. I frown at that, she should be able to connect to the CCT and keep an eye on the situation from there. I guess I can't fault her too much if she wants to spend some time relaxing before tackling the next semester, but that also depends on if nothing is on fire.

    As for the contents of those reports they suggest a generally positive picture of what's been going on in my absence. There are a few holes where my scroll was unable to receive all of them from the network during my brief period of connectivity, but I have enough that I can piece together most of what's happened on my own.

    First of which is that in the absence of Torchwick the White Fang launched a broad assault on multiple stores and storehouses across the city to scrounge up whatever Dust they needed. Most of these ended in failure, but with the VPD stretched as thin as it was and with Atlas showing up a few weeks too late they were broadly successful. It, however, wasn't without its consequences for the Fang.

    According to the moles that we have the Vale branch has split into three groups. Only two of them are really relevant since the third was composed of moderates where this kind of assault was too much for them and they turned to the Union as an alternative. This boosted our recruitment beyond what I was expecting and ended up pushing our onboarding process to the limits. It seems to have died down by this week, so I suspect that there won't be any outstanding issues when I arrive or if there are I could leave it in the hands of my subordinates to handle.

    The second group are what I would broadly call loyalists, though their loyalty is to the Fang or Sienna and not Adam. They're still somewhat disorganized as they broke off from Adam's branch and are in the process of restructuring themselves. Broadly speaking they seem rather reactionary.

    However, they are attempting to reach out to the broader Fang, and Sienna in particular, for assistance. I can't imagine that she'll take this all lying down which might mean that I have to move up my own plans to prevent her from installing one of her lieutenants to the Vale area. I also can't guarantee that she won't do that anyways as I am taking a slightly combative and challenging stance against her, but only time will tell.

    The last group are the hardliners, those who fully agree with Adam's vision. It appears, on Tukson's behalf, that much of this group has been targeted by passing information off to the VPD or the occasional recruited mole. It's not too big of a surprise, but the people standing with Adam share his views on humans to a degree and seem to have no problem with his violent stance towards the city of Vale. Maybe there are a few that still have reservations aside from our moles amongst his men, though I doubt we'll have as easy of a time penetrating it after all this.

    On the topic of moles, our progress on that front has been largely stymied. We've had plenty of recruits from the faction of the Fang that split off to join us and a few recruited to give us a better idea of what the loyalists have planned. Unfortunately, we have a startling lack of growth within Adam's diehard faction, with only a handful. Thankfully, we have some of the people we recruited previously who had the stomach or inclination to stick it out after what Adam's branch pulled.

    The lack of growth is concerning so I look for a commonality between prospective moles as well as a few other recruits that were rejected. I find that most of them were discarded from the list by either Terra or Blake and Tukson either didn't notice or didn't want to challenge them on it. Their main relating feature is that most if not all of them have a past with or conviction for violent crime. Some of them

    I think could still be salvageable and I hold that against Terra and Blake a little bit. Then again with how we're pivoting our public perception it may be for the best that they decided to handle things this way. That and I had to accept that they'd bring their own idea of how to run the Fang when I recruited them so I can't be too surprised by what's going on.

    As for the Union itself, Terra has predictably taken up the lion's share of the heading of the projects I left them. Considering what they were I can't honestly say I was expecting anything different. Not that Tukson and Blake aren't helping out. Tukson assisted with the logistics of Terra's charitable works and Blake focused some of her efforts on helping the local watches.

    However, instead of contenting herself with background checks or the overall management of such organizations she took the initiative to assist with some of them directly and teach them how to de-escalate a situation or restrain a perpetrator. The VPD even, apparently, approves of her training and considers it a part of the watch's mandatory training hours. I have a suspicion that may be because they'd rather spend their resources elsewhere, but it has given us another in with these organizations that I didn't even plan for.

    More according to the plan, Terra focused the latitude and resources given to her in expanding her operations. Blake did something similar with setting up her resources on a way of helping faunus find their feet, receive training, and apply for certain jobs.

    I don't think it was intentional on her part, but her actions have been successful in seeding a number of faunus in places of business and low-level politics. Perhaps not the most useful right now, but having people who owe the union for their success could pay dividends in the future. Plus there should be the council elections starting up after the Vytal festival and we might be able to make a play there.

    Tukson on the other hand has kept his eye on the ball and focused his efforts on keeping up with what's going on with Adam's branch of the Fang. In fact it's thanks solely to him that we have any new members among that group. The screening process for them is a lot more difficult for their average member to pass, but from what he sent me I think they're trustworthy.

    They might also be the last people I can sneak into Adam's faction. Our previous efforts on recruitment has left plenty of people in his organization, but improving our infiltration will be a difficult endeavor of finding someone we can tolerate and getting past the newly instilled zealousness of his members. All in all, the situation is largely positive for us even if there are some downsides. The Union has grown over the month and Adam's branch is vastly weakened. Although the movement of Mistrali crime families has thrown a wrench into some of my plans.

    A few of the businesses that we were able to convince to support us over Adam have suddenly cut off their payments. Their locations seem to coincide with a few scant reports of Spider or Wave activity in the area. I don't have enough to go on to see that situation in full, maybe I'll have a clearer picture when I return to work with the VPD.

    I can't imagine that they've taken the whole situation lying down and I'm sure Torchwick could point them in the right direction on how to deal with the newest troublemakers. That is if he's trustworthy, but I think he knows who the winning side is right now. But, that doesn't preclude me from checking in on him later. Either way, I've spent enough time pouring over my scroll that I'm not going to turn up anything else until we get closer to Vale and I get a signal again.


    I step out of my tent to rejoin my team and find them all sitting across two logs we found in the forest. Oobleck and Port are off ostensibly to check the perimeter, but based on the bellowing laughter I catch from our large professor I suspect that it's more of an excuse for them to hang out and decompress since we reached the more relaxing leg of our journey. With the Vytal Festival going on the Valean guard understandably ranges out further in their grimm culling duties. Additionally an influx of Huntsmen means more nests can be dealt with so the roads are likely going to be the safest they've ever been for the next few months.

    It brings up some complicated feelings because I know the VPD is struggling right now, but sometimes there's no good answer or the pull of politics drags resources away from where they're needed. Once again I have to reluctantly admit that Atlas showing up to perform security during the festival is likely in Vale's best interests right now. Not that I have to be happy about it.

    Taking a seat next to my partner, and more relevantly with the rest of my team, I force such thoughts out of my head. We've spent quite a bit of time around one another, but just like Port and Oobleck we've understandably relaxed a little. Case in point, Autumn shuffles around his pack as soon as I take my seat and withdraws an instrument, a harmonica to be exact.

    Marina seems to perk up at the prospect of music, and presumably her joining in with her singing. It's that same excitement that catches Kelly's attention and she turns to her brother at first with slight interest and then with rapidly dawning horror. Quickly she snatches the object out of Autumn's hands, throws it on the ground, and buries it with her semblance as if it's going to explode at any moment.

    I don't even have to look at my partner to know that she's pouting. None of us are all that musically inclined so she usually doesn't have anyone to join in with and snatching that prospect out from under her has left her reasonably upset. That proves enough to convince Kelly against her better judgment to dig up Autumn's harmonica and hand it to him.

    At first he refuses and his sister lets out a huff of air at his obstinance. It's only after she washes off the harmonica with the water from her canteen that Autumn deigns to accept it again and gives it a few test blows before starting in earnest.

    It's bad, shrill, and it hurts my ears. I press down on my cap to block out as much sound as I can, but even then the piercing noise seems to go directly into my brain. I can only curse so much that I have four auditory orifices while shooting a death glare at Autumn. I turn to look at Kelly who is grimacing, as is Goodwitch. The only ones who seem to be enjoying the moment are Marina who I'm sure is trying to sing some sort of tune along with the music and Autumn who, given how he stops to lower his instrument and smiles at me, knows just how annoying he's being right now.

    I want to tell him to stop, but Marina enjoying herself is enough for me to have second thoughts. Instead I motion to Kelly with my head and the two of us go out on 'patrol.' Not even the promise of grimm is enough to shake Marina from her revelry and Goodwitch reluctantly stays behind to make sure the two of them don't get caught unawares as unlikely as that is to happen.

    Once we're out of the worst of it I gingerly uncover my ears and ask, "Is he always like that on trips?" I suspect his behavior is driven due to a lack of entertainment since we've been out here for long enough to have grown bored with whatever he brought with him. Normally he isn't so bothersome in the dorms so it's the only thing I can think of.

    "You think he's bad now, try living with him," she complains, but there's a lack of any real bitterness behind her words.

    "I do," I poke fun at her poor phrasing.

    "You know what I meant," she says, blowing a stray bit of hair out of her face. "Say, Ochre, I've been wondering. You've got this big ambition of yours and nothing seems to phase or shake you from it. I guess what I'm trying to ask is…aw forget that I even brought anything up in the first place."

    I narrow my eyes at that, normally I'd suspect that someone was trying to get me to open up with such obvious bait in the first place, but I know Kelly isn't like that. Likely this is an actual issue that she's been dealing with and she's too embarrassed to bring it up. The real question is how I should address it. I get the feeling going the direct route would have her shut down and avoid the inquiry altogether. Perhaps something more oblique and circuitous could work.

    "I'm gonna be honest, until recently I didn't really have a plan or anything that I was following to accomplish my goals. Like they were always something that I'd chase after if I had the ability to, but a concentrated effort to actually achieve them. I always thought that was going to take a few more years. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was fine with not knowing how I was going to do it, just the fact that I was going to try was enough for me."

    "What if I don't even know what I want to do," Kelly asks suddenly. "Even Marina has something and here I am still lost."

    "Not feeling the call of the farm life like your brother," I ask, already knowing the answer. More useful for my purposes is getting her to address that and open up about it.

    "Yeah…I know I should feel bad for not wanting to be the dutiful daughter, but it's just not what I want to do. I don't even know what I want to do, but it isn't that."

    "And you call me an idiot."

    That seems to break her out of her funk, "I implied that you were an idiot, idiot. I never said it directly." Still, it only serves to fix her up with a wan smile, the brief bit of banter enough to improve her mood, but is insufficient in solving her problem.

    "You want to do something right," I state more than ask. If she didn't aspire to do anything then I doubt this would be as big of an issue for her. She nods at that after a long moment. "Then stop being an idiot and deal with things one day at a time. It'll come to you before too long or do you believe that I just woke up one day with my dream for Menagerie fully conceptualized?"

    She stares at me for a long moment like I said something outrageous before breaking out into laughter. She attempts to say something several times, but chokes on her words each time until finally she catches her breath enough to say, "You're the worst Ochre. Was that supposed to be encouraging?"

    "Hey," I bite back, feeling some level of offense. "I never said I was good at this kind of thing, that's everyone else making that assumption." Though I can't deny that I've perhaps, maybe, put in more effort into resolving other people's problems than anyone else that I know.

    "I think I'll just stick by your side for a little while longer. Who knows what kind of trouble you'd get up to without me watching your back," she says like she's somehow doing me a favor and not pushing whatever thoughts she has to be dealt with further down the line.

    I don't raise any further complaints as despite everything else it seems like a weight has been lessened by our conversation and I'm not about to take that away from her. Maybe she'll find something to pursue while helping me and there's nothing stopping me from giving her some attention in the future to help her resolve this issue.

    The rest of our 'patrol' is spent swapping stories where she'd complain about her brother and his past antics while I'd relate some of my experiences among the Fang. It's a level of familiarity that the two of us don't often engage with, but it feels right to tackle something lighter after…whatever that was. We only return to camp after she finishes up a story that she was in the middle of when the haunting cry of Autumn's harmonica cut out, figuring that we've spent enough time outside and should probably get some sleep before another day of walking.


    The rest of the trip passes without much issue and only two minor detours. One to deal with a last second retrieval mission where, unfortunately, the object we were looking for is already gone. The second isn't a mission, but rather related to our teacher's jobs. Apparently they are regularly tasked with checking on the sensor network around Beacon and we're swinging by the southern reaches of the area they're supposed to maintain. I suspect that they'll have to deal with the area to the North within the Emerald forest soon enough since we didn't check that on our way out, but I can't be certain that isn't another teacher's responsibility.

    During this time I am graced with a stable CCT signal since we're nearing Vale. I'm able to ensure I'm caught up with events in the city, but it's not anything that I wasn't already aware of due to my previous messages. Well, aside from learning that Torchwick did in fact take a plea deal and is working with the authorities.

    I make sure to contact my friends and Weiss, who I share a short call with. Apparently she extended her stay in Atlas a few days to connect with her brother some more. She just got back in and is staying with the Clovers. However, the new residence and a pile up of work that occurred while she was away puts an early end to our call. She does promise that she'll be there to meet me when I get back to Beacon; as if I'd expect her to be anywhere else.

    The rest of her team are still at Patch and are taking the ferry into Vale in the morning. Blake and Yang are apparently too busy to do much else but send a short message. Ruby lightly complains that she didn't have anyone to show her hometown off to since Yang took up that responsibility with Blake. It isn't hard for me to pick up on her unspoken request, though I refrain from making any commitments at the moment. Nora and Ren don't have much to say since they didn't go anywhere and I suppose that's fair enough.

    Once the teachers are done checking in on the sensor network there's really no reason other than frugality to avoid calling in a bullhead. However, with our pace having us arriving the night before the next semester starts none of them appear too enthused with the prospect of spending Lien to shorten the trip.

    That and I suspect none of the three of them are that enthused to have to return to whatever work they left when we started this trip. Their workload has surely increased during the time that we were gone. The Vytal festival has a lot of moving parts and with Beacon as the centerpiece I can only imagine that it's worse for them.

    Fortunately their reluctance doesn't make us lose any more time and we board an airship at a reasonable hour in the evening. I send one last message to everyone that I'm firmly back in town and we're on our way to Beacon. Kelly seems to be the happiest of all of us to finally be back with Autumn sort of ambivalent and Marina a bit sullen that our adventure is over. I do my best to reassure her, but my thoughts are understandably elsewhere.

    Such as a certain girl with a long ponytail of white hair and blue-white dress waiting at the airship docks. Autumn rolls his eyes, but grabs my pack with a single hand, freeing me to deal with my girlfriend. The second my foot hits the pier she does an admirable job of holding herself back, only taking small reserved steps to meet with me. At first, at least.

    It doesn't take her too long to quicken her pace and when she's a few feet away she lunges at me and wraps her arms around my neck. I figure that would be the end of it and all I'd have to do is endure her grasp for a few seconds, but she doesn't let go. Not even as my team passes me, followed by my mentor, Port, and finally Goodwitch.

    "Mr. Rovere, enjoy the rest of your day. I'll be meeting with you after class," Goodwitch says and I give her a small nod. She could just be talking about something else, like those resources she brought up for out of Kingdom students, but I'm not daft enough to think that's the case.

    Seeing that my girlfriend is hanging off of me like a limpet I decide that I have to take matters into my own hands and haft her up with one arm under her and the other around her back. She giggles at me giving in to her whims and locks her legs around my midsection before pulling back and wrinkling her nose and playfully sticking out her tongue. I just roll my eyes at her, she's the one who didn't give me the chance to clean up first and it's not like that's apparently a deal breaker for her in any case.

    I make my way to my dorm after my team. I briefly think about throwing my girlfriend at her team so they can deal with her. However, I'll admit that I want to spend some more time with her. Kelly takes one look at the two of us before letting out a heavy sigh and stopping her motions. She graciously allows me the opportunity to get cleaned up first and I deposit my girlfriend on my bed while I do so.

    Weiss stares at me when I exit and get ready for bed. Normally I'd be a bit more circumspect, but the wilderness already wore away at my sense of propriety for the night and I have the important bits covered up at all times so it's not that big of a deal. The two of us cuddle up for a little while and make meaningless small talk; I'm too tired for anything more in depth and I think she just wants to luxuriate in the moment without adding anything heavy to the mix.

    When everyone finishes getting cleaned up, Kelly puts her foot down and kicks the Schnee heiress out of our room. Her team is back so she has no real excuse to stay with us and apparently Kelly isn't willing to risk that we won't get up to anything. Whatever, it's not like I won't have more opportunities to hang out with Weiss in the future, even if we do have a rather big day ahead of us tomorrow; or I do at any rate.

    Aura(Knowledge) raised from (5/150) to (26/150) Source: Glynda & Training

    Aura(Practical) raised from (290/625) to (330/625) Source: Semblance usage & Combat

    Combat Raised from (46/1250) to (146/1250) Source: Oobleck, Glynda, Port, & Training

    Culture raised from (67/150) to (77/150) Source: Oobleck

    Dust raised from (59/150) to (69/150) Source: Glynda

    Grimm raised from (50/300) to (94/300) Source: Port, Glynda, & Combat

    History raised from (271/300) to (295/300) Source: Oobleck & Actions

    Investigation raised from(11/625) to (51/625) Source: Oobleck, Challenge, & Actions

    Mobility raised from (82/625) to (163/625) Source: Oobleck, Glynda, Port, Training, & Combat

    Performance (Acting) raised from (17/150) to (27/150) Source: Port

    Survival raised from (102/150) to (112/150) Source: Port
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Semester 2 Week 1 (Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • Alright, we're back to the usual nonsense. First thing to vote on will be our electives, we have two choices for this one and our default class loadout will be training: Combat, Mobility, History, Grimm, and Aura(Knowledge/Practical). Write-ins are welcome although I will reserve the right to strike down any that I don't find fitting.

    After that we will have 3 Weekly actions available (Normally 5, but one is devoted to the VPD and another to Oobleck's training.) Organization actions will not be available for this first week as I'll be going over what has changed in story as well as figuring out a way to properly explain the new system and update the organization page.
    Archeology (Investigation/History) (2)

    Weaponsmithing (Craft(Weapons)) (2)

    First Aid (Medicine) (0)

    Debate (Law/Politics) (0)

    Drama (Performance(Acting)) (0)

    Foreign studies (Culture) (0)

    Dust studies(Dust) (0)
    Spider & Wave: Two crime families looking to muscle in on Vale is a recipe for trouble. The fact that they've already made themselves nuisances for the Union and the VPD only makes looking into them more important. (Investigation and Criminology Checks) (2)

    Woman in Red: It goes deeper: Apparently there's yet another layer to this conspiracy. Unfortunately I don't have much to go off of, but maybe I could trace Watts' or Cinder's path to see where they would have met with their collaborators. (Very hard investigation check) [Moderate circumstance modifier to the investigation check]. (2)
    Ozpin (QM)

    VPD: Flint: My original VPD contact; it wouldn't hurt to keep up with him from time to time. (2)

    Penny: The Atlesian robot girl is in fact attending Beacon. She does have a minder, but if there's one thing I have experience with it's evading Atlas security. (2)

    Ruby: As optimistic as ever Ruby is ready to tackle the next semester of school. She even has some plans for team activities that she wants to share with me. (2)

    Weiss: After the time that she spent back home it's probably in my best interests to make sure she's alright and check in to see what happened. (2)

    Pyrrha: I get the feeling that we're going to fight soon enough. Win or lose it might be a good idea to talk with her and ensure there aren't any hard feelings. (2)
    Combat (3)

    The morning after our arrival the whole campus is abuzz with strange and unfamiliar faces, not the least helped out by our new class schedule. We don't have much time prior to this to work it out fully. Thankfully I know my way around campus after many walks with Weiss and other friends, plus my explorations through my mirror world.

    With all that is going on it would be easy to dismiss a bubbling energy in my gut as simple nerves or getting used to so many strange faces. I know that isn't the case, however. Even if she never said it directly, the way that Goodwitch kept Pyrrha and I apart for spars despite our close scores means that a spectacle for the new arrivals is all but certain.

    Speaking of which, during the Vytal Festival Combat class experiences a bit of a shake up. No longer are we divided entirely by year, but rather there are the Vytal hopefuls and the less fortunate. Not to say that the latter group has been totally sorted yet, Cardin and his team of all people are in the same class as my team, RWBY, and JNPR and he certainly isn't anywhere near our level. I guess he has a few weeks to get his shit together and show that he belongs in the arena, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

    When class starts I have the brief thought that Goodwitch will drag this out and build up to a real spectacle. However, she subverts that expectation by calling Pyrrha's name first followed by mine. The Invincible Girl is met with raucous cheers especially from the Mistrali students. While my announcement meets a much smaller applause from the crows and even some boos from the Mistrali section.

    I don't know if they're just particularly attached to Pyrrha and her status despite leaving Mistral behind or if some of them take offense to certain features poking out from atop my head. Perhaps even worse, my supporters that aren't my friends mainly come from the Atlesian students. I guess they're supporting me to support Weiss or the Schnees indirectly.

    Either way I pay them all no mind, my team gives me well wishes and Marina shares a vicious smile with me like there's no doubt that I'm going to win. I wish I could say that I had her level of confidence, but I know even with all of my training that this will be a close fight regardless of what I do. On a similar note team RWBY is largely on my side with only Ruby looking like she's conflicted on which side to support. I get the feeling she's just going to cheer for both of us and be happy regardless of who wins.

    Blake is even getting into the spirit of things in her own way. She isn't vocal but she does pull out a tiny green flag on a stick with my name spelt out in orange letters. I-I wasn't aware that such a thing even existed, did she make it herself? I don't know whether I should be touched or concerned.

    Not even a minute passes before Pyrrha and I walk towards each other in the ring. Goodwitch is giving some sort of speech, but I tune her out in order to focus solely on my opponent. Pyrrha's giving me a kindly smile as she shifts her weapon in her hand, rubbing the hilt of her sword with her thumb and fingers and keeping her eyes off of the crowd. It is slightly infuriating that she's giving them more attention than myself.

    Soon enough Goodwitch gives us the signal to start and we begin circling each other from the outer edges of the arena. Just like last time Pyrrha makes no attempt to take the first move, ceding the initiative to me. Unlike last time I'm sure I'll be able to give her a bit more of a workout this time.

    Ochre Combat: 5.12+2.13(Mobility) +1(Duelist) -.5(Semblance)=7.75

    Ochre Aura 5/5

    Pyrrha Combat: 5.12 +2.02(Mobility) +.5(Semblance)= 7.64

    Pyrrha Aura 5/5

    Final Modifier: +2

    Dice: 4d100+2

    Options: Individual.

    25,71,84,21 + 2 = 27,73,86,23

    Dice: 2d100+2

    Options: Individual.

    16,43 + 2 = 18,45

    At this point one more loss would call the match in Pyrrha's favor as the cut-off point is 20% aura

    Dice: 1d100+2

    64 + 2 = 66

    Dice: 1d100+2

    67 + 2 = 69

    At this point either side can win with one additional hit. Pyrrha is notably on the edge as her semblance usage and incidental damage does drain aura even if I handle that on the back-end. Either way I decided to roll two dice for any cross-counter shenanigans.

    Dice: 2d100+2

    20,88 + 2 = 22,90

    I start our fight by kicking off the ground and dashing towards her with the assistance of a few shots from my Wit's End. It may have been long enough for her to forget how I opened our previous fight, but I'm unwilling to stake my opening move on another feint. This time I prefer raw aggression. From what I've seen of her she likes to control a fight as much as she can and the best way that I have of disrupting that control is to press her every chance I can.

    She swings her sword at me and I duck under it in my blind charge. I raise my gauntlet shifting into buckler mode to stop her retaliatory shield-bash. Even with that preparation it still sends me spinning. Fortunately I close the gap enough that I can use the added momentum to my favor. I stick out my leg and hook it around her ankles as I turn into a tumble to recover myself.

    Pyrrha does an admirable job in adapting to the changing circumstances. Somehow she turns her sudden fall into a handstand that she pushes off of the ground with while inexplicably maintaining a hold of her weapons. As she bounds away she shifts her sword into rifle mode and sets to take a few shots, but I'm too fast and already on her before she can properly shift her weapon for defense.

    She tries to block with her shield and she does stop my first strike, but then I grab the rim of the shield with my gauntlet and headbutt her. She stumbles back and with my grip on her shield that only opens her up for me to strike with my Wit's End. A strike that should have been at her center barely scores a solid hit as I struggle to get the blade under my control and Pyrrha contorts her torso in an attempt to dodge. I'm only able to manage that one good hit before she's able to recover enough to use her leverage to force the shield out of my grasp and defend herself and she wastes no time in rejoining an assault on me with her sword swinging.

    I take a step back and let the first swing fall short before rushing in and getting too close for her next swing to do much damage. I take that hit with aplomb, it coming from the wrong side for me to block with my buckler and leaving her right side undefended as I've blocked her sword arm from returning to its proper position.

    Before she can recover from the position I wrap my left hand around her back and punch with my right, not having the room to properly use my weapon. It serves well enough as she brings her shield up for protection regardless. I have to put a lot more force into it than I was expecting to, but I'm able to use the resulting leverage and combined forces to send her to the ground again. I start to back away to take potshots while she recovers. Unfortunately she gets me with a swing of her weapon, briefly deployed as a javelin in order to hit my legs despite the distance I put between us.

    It isn't a bad hit, though it's enough for me to stumble as she gets to her feet. I have her on the backfoot momentarily, but I'm not recovered enough to press my advantage. That and I'm trying to process some of the things that are happening throughout the fight.

    My eyes briefly drift to the crowd where I spot Weiss on her feet probably screaming her heart out. I can't hear her over all the noise and my heart pounding in my head. It does give me an idea; it was something that we talked about for the Vytal Tournament in case we were still serious then, but knowing my girlfriend she probably has her preparations done ahead of time.

    I turn to Pyrrha with a hand held up and fortunately we're good enough friends? Acquaintances? Whatever. That she allows me a brief moment to pull off what I have in mind. I raise my right arm while looking directly at Weiss and give her a nod. Her cheers stop for a moment as she takes a moment to process what I'm trying to say and realize that I'm being serious about it. She brings her arms in close and does a little dance of happiness before digging into her bag for a strip of light blue cloth that turns white around the edges. Thankfully it doesn't have her symbol on it as we both know how that would look even with context, much less without it.

    She tosses it into the ring and Goodwitch, having noticed the lull in the fight, both allows this bit of showmanship and doesn't stop the bundle from reaching me. Not that she looks too happy about it, but I think she resigned herself to this fight being a spectacle no matter what. I'm just adding more onto it, though that seems to have been something she expected. Tying the cloth to my arm I prepare myself to rejoin the fight, but Pyrrha's distracted by sending a look to her team leader.

    To Jaune's credit he picks up on what his presumed girlfriend is requesting and withdraws what I think is a yellow headband. He seems much less enthusiastic about the public show than Weiss is, but he tosses it to Pyrrha who affixes it to her shield arm in short order. I guess that's one way to reveal your relationship, but geeze Pyrrha you guys shouldn't be this serious already. You've been dating for like what two-three-four weeks tops?

    Goodwitch doesn't say or do anything to stop that either, but I can tell that we're testing her patience with this little display. The crowd doesn't receive the lull in the action much better. Well, most of them anyway, some of them go even crazier at the display, but it all is drowned out as simply more noise with so many voices speaking out.

    I, however, don't pay them that much attention. It's not like this bit of showmanship is purely self-aggrandizement or to make Weiss happy, I can multitask after all. No, what I'm really after is time to re-examine the previous bout and see if I can figure out Pyrrha's semblance.

    I know for certain that she's been using it throughout this fight. There was the moment where she recovered a bit too quickly when I had her shield and the throw felt like I was fighting against a force when tossing her on the ground. Plus her handstand-hop couldn't have left her with her weapons under normal circumstances. However, I already suspected that she used her semblance on her weapons and with the new information I have probably her armor as well.

    The new thing that I pick up on is how sluggish some of my own movements seem. She has to be doing something to mess up my flow, but that brings the question as to why she hasn't been using her semblance to mess with my footing. That would be a much more fruitful endeavor in my mind. Perhaps it's based on line of sight or there's a touch trigger? I don't quite have enough information to piece it all together, but I feel like I'm close and it's not like it matters too much; now that I'm aware of it I can account for it.

    We return to our stances to clearly show that we're done with that distraction and unlike the last two times Pyrrha takes the initiative. I guess she's finally taking me seriously and I can't help a feral grin that forms at that thought. Unfortunately she shows me exactly why ceding the initiative to her is a bad idea.

    She starts off by throwing her javelin which lands distressingly close despite my attempt to dodge and the Dust in the tip going off for a small explosion doesn't help with that sentiment. It, however, is not the extent of her assault as her shield finds its way just over my buckler striking me in the head. I lash out blindly in an attempt to stave off her assault, but she's already on me. With sword in hand and without the ability to see clearly at the moment I more clearly feel how she's pulling away my Wit's End and buckler so she can score another hit.

    Thinking quickly I gamble on her not being able to influence my legs to such a degree and strike out with a sweep. Instead of easily dodging it by a fraction like she just did my sword strike she jumps back entirely, likely not wanting to get caught up and sent to the floor again. I file away that piece of information for later, but don't give her the chance to re-set her stance and instead charge at her.

    She takes a step back, but soon finds herself at the edge of the arena. She doesn't have enough space to dodge around my charge and I have enough aura that she can't deplete it before I'd send her flying. Just like in the Vytal tournament a ring-out is considered a loss in class, but that's not how I'm planning to win at any rate. No, I want to force her between giving up her position and having to get by me or taking that ignoble loss and I already know which she's going to choose.

    As soon as her feet leave the ground I do my best to hop back and match her trajectory. Looks like she went with sailing right over my head instead of trying to jump around me. Her weapon is in its rifle configuration to fire pot shots at me while she sails across the air. Her first few shots are off-mark because of my sudden change and the next few are blocked with my buckler until she realizes that she'll have to change back to defend herself properly.

    She's able to bring her shield up quickly enough to stop my Wit's End from piercing her, but she's unable to stop my left hand from grasping her sword and preventing that from coming into play. While she's preoccupied with that I step on her foot and I draw a wince out of her from the unexpected blow.

    She throws her shield arm forward in an attempt to bash me once again, but I pirouette with my other foot and use my hold on her sword to assist with spinning around to her backside. I only score a grazing hit against her torso as she quickly turns to keep me within her field and I tsk as that is just barely not enough to call the match in my favor. I put some distance between myself and her, but I know she's going to come after me as soon as she notices. With our aura at the levels they are, it would only take a few shots for me to squeak out a win and that's not something she'd be ignorant of either.

    I use the brief moment I buy myself to fiddle with my gauntlet before she's on me with her sword swinging wildly. I force her blade away with my own and while normally I'd be glad to exchange a few blows like this, her semblance makes that a losing proposition for me. I'm also too low on aura to just tank a proper hit from her and so I have something else in mind. I reach out with my left hand to grab her weapon and I don't miss the way she smirks or the slight pull around my hand that would leave me barely missing my target.

    I pull my hand back, but my gauntlet doesn't follow. I loosened the straps so I could pull off this stupid stunt. It's a bit of a gamble, but with how she hasn't affected any other part of my body aside from my weapons I have to assume that's simply a restriction of her semblance. Maybe it's as weird and conceptual as them being weapons, but I suspect it's more likely that she's restrained by material rather than anything else.

    Even with Aura, grabbing a sword isn't the best or even that sustainable of an idea so I try pushing it out of the way while I use the opening to strike at her. My hit lands squarely on her chest as her eyes widen at my trick. Unfortunately, my plan isn't entirely successful with how her weapon ends up striking my side.

    We both know that after a hit like that that the fight is as good as over and we stop without Goodwitch having to call out or separate us. Rather than a defeated or upset look that I'd expect, Pyrrha instead has a radiant smile that isn't diminished by her labored breathing or the sweat dripping from her brow. I'm probably not much better in that respect, but I also can't bring myself to care when I decide to look at the aura gauges displayed on the screen in class.

    Both of us are in the red, having passed the threshold with our final attacks. She barely has a sliver of aura left and I wouldn't be surprised if it broke accidentally from some over-enthusiastic fans wishing her well. Meanwhile I have a rough ten percent or so remaining. In a real fight it's clear to me that I'd have the upper-hand especially since she wouldn't have access to her semblance anymore. I wish that I'd performed a little better, but it's easy to console myself with the progress that I've already made.

    The crowd, however, falls silent from their previous jubilation as they try to process what this result means and it's technically up to Goodwitch to declare a victor. She ends up declaring it a tie, but I don't miss how she ends up putting me at the front of our shared ranking in class when the screen swaps over to the leaderboards. The crowd is mixed on how to deal with this revelation with a great number of boos and cheers yelled out in equal measure. It's as if for some the prospect of a tie is the worst possible outcome while the rest were just here for the spectacle.

    There's no way to reasonably follow up on the results of that fight and instead of going into her usual breakdown and critique of the fighters Goodwitch instead launches into a speech addressed to the rest of the class.

    I'm pretty sure no one is paying her any attention at this point, but she stresses multiple times on the importance of training. Maybe her speech would have more impact if she could point out how much I've improved. However, she seems content with never bringing up the previous fight I had with Pyrrha and honestly it's to my benefit that it stays that way. Once she's done with that she dismisses the rest of class unceremoniously despite all the time that's left assigned to the class on our schedules.

    Pyrrha and I aren't even given the opportunity to get dressed back into our school clothes and remain in the arena with Goodwitch until she finishes her announcement. We're only saved from being swarmed by the crowd due to Goodwitch staying behind and shooting a withering glare at the milling masses until they eventually disperse leaving behind only our friend group and team CFVY. I guess Vel was in the crowd and I didn't notice her, then again I guess I just got so used to her sitting next to us during class that I didn't even think that she'd stick with her team when that option became available.

    I don't have much time to ponder on that as I catch the sight of a white-haired missile coming my way from the changing rooms. I don't have enough time to tell if it's Marina or Weiss, but given how I feel a pair of lips on my own shortly after I damn well hope it's Weiss. Either she got really bold and needy while I was absent to the point she doesn't care about the scene she's making or, more likely, she's still caught up in the grand display I pulled off.

    I catch Goodwitch rubbing at her temples and when she notices my eyes she nods to me and departs. I know where she'll be heading, but she appears to be letting me celebrate with my friends and trusts that I'll show up in a timely manner. A part of me feels like she could have been clearer with the whole meeting up after class part as I figured it would be later on in the day. Although it's not like I don't have a newly created hole in my schedule that I need to fill.

    But first is dealing with the fallout of everything, which isn't much admittedly. Aside from Juane who only gives me a short look before rushing up to Pyrrha everyone else seems exuberant as they slowly fill into the arena. Ruby is sprinting between the two of us with assistance from her semblance gushing over the fight, but I only ever get one half of the conversation at a time as she's constantly cutting herself off as she flits between us.

    Ren and Nora are with their teammate and I overhear Nora's enthusiasm for violence. Marina, meanwhile, has a satisfied grin like I won even if that wasn't the official result and the twins are entirely irreverent of what just went down preferring to smirk at me and how Weiss has attached herself to me once again.

    Yang is looking on to the whole scene with fond eyes, but is otherwise hanging back while everyone else crowds around us. Blake, surprisingly, approaches me with her dinky little flag still in hand. She doesn't say anything; she simply presses a hand against my chest and slots the flag between the buttons on my combat outfit before disappearing. The action at least draws a giggle from Weiss who reaches down and retrieves the object only to swish it about in front of my face.

    Unfortunately as much as I would like to join in with their revelry I have to cut myself off after the first few minutes. Also to my girlfriend's disappointment I have to return her band. It was fine to wear it as a favor of battle and symbol of our relationship, but we simply aren't at the point where we should be incorporating each other's colors on a consistent basis. Pyrrha doesn't reflect my action this time and, uh, I guess that's going to be their problem to deal with and not mine. I don't have to involve myself with everything my friends get up to after all.

    I return to my dorm room to get changed and pick up a few things before heading to the CCT tower. Ozpin's office is at the top and after clearing with the receptionist that I am expected by the man I'm directed to an elevator that will supposedly take me to the top. Once it stops it doesn't open up immediately, instead taking a few seconds before the doors slide back. If I had to guess that's another security measure on the doors that requires the headmaster to approve of visitors.

    The sight that immediately greets me is a clock-faced window that overlooks Beacon and Vale along with a rather barren desk in front of it. It only has a terminal for CCTS access and none of the paperwork scattered about that I've come to associate with offices. Sitting at that desk is the silver-haired bespectacled headmaster of Beacon dressed in a green vest and unzipped black suit with a green cowl around his neck. Goodwitch is standing slightly off to the side with her arms crossed and impatiently tapping her arms, but otherwise seems in good spirits.

    "Ah, yes. Mr. Rovere do come in and take a seat. Is there anything I can get for you? Something to drink perhaps," Ozpin says as I enter the room and take the seat offered opposite of him. I shake my head for now, I'd rather get a measure for how this meeting is going to go before I do anything. Even something as innocuous as asking for a drink.

    Ozpin nods, accepting that as my answer, "Before we start let me assure you that you are under no obligation to share anything with us. Despite there being some grounds for concerns I understand that my students can get a little…overzealous or led astray at times. If you feel yourself capable, or simply desire to maintain your privacy I, and the rest of Beacon, will respect that." Goodwitch shoots him a look at that, but he keeps his eyes firmly on me.

    I can't tell how sincere he is with his offer as it's the kind of thing that I've heard before or seen in action. Convincing someone that you aren't after secrets is a valid way of getting some to open up and I can't imagine that Ozpin would be entirely blind to the possibility that I could be up to something nefarious. Likely he's fishing for whatever information I can give him and what he can glean from this conversation to determine if it's something worthy of him looking into.

    That's assuming that he hasn't done any of his homework and knows nothing about what I'm up to which I don't give good odds on seeing as he would have had a whole month to do so relatively unopposed. Maybe he's been busy enough without Goodwitch around that he hasn't given it much thought, but I don't usually predicate my plans on the lack of preparation from my opponents.

    Under that assumption the safest course of action would be to give him something to work with. Something that would explain what I've been up to and maybe put any fears to bed. Fortunately my investigation into Torchwick and the White Fang would work. There would be a few inconsistencies there that I'd have to cover up and I might have to fudge some of the details on the Fang to prevent him from moving in too quickly, but with how the Vale branch has splintered that might even be to my benefit now.

    Of course that brings my mind back to the wider conspiracy. It's definitely big enough that I could and probably should bring it to his attention. It might sting no longer having it be something that's completely mine, but I could conscript his help with dealing with Cinder and her lackeys. I could even make it seem like she's the tip of the iceberg so to speak, as no one knows that Watts is alive and even that is based on circumstantial evidence.

    Even worse would be to bring up the mysterious Her from Cinder's messages. It certainly implies that there's someone even higher up, but that's hardly solid proof and might make me come across as crazy for even suggesting if I didn't have the proof. Showing said proof may also draw some scrutiny, but this might be one of those situations where it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

    Lastly is the matter of my divided loyalties. Now, I am sure I could get by without ever mentioning my current association with the Fang or my plans for the Union. I am, however, under increasing pressure to make some sort of move with the Union and reveal myself as the head of it for my plans to continue outside of Vale. It might be worthwhile to at least mention the possibility even if I don't mention how I was and am an agent from the Menagerie branch. Honestly this whole mess is going to be hard to explain no matter what I do, but it might be the best play.

    If I decide to keep things close to the chest I'll simply talk about my investigation into Torchwick and go into how that led me into other pursuits while not giving them much of anything to work with. How successful that would be would depend on how much they already know, but if I absolutely can't risk them knowing anything it's better than simply clamming up and drawing suspicion on myself.

    Disclosure: There isn't much of a need for me to withhold my information. Sure there may be some more ground to cover with the fracturing of the Vale branch, but gains there may be minimal. (4)

    Moderate: I could mention that there are some plans in the works by the Fang that threaten the security of Vale. Not enough for any specifics and it should give me a little time to get my affairs in order before they start making their moves. (1)

    Minimal: only tell them enough about my investigation into the Fang as far as it relates to everything else that I'm going to tell them. (0)
    Third Layer: Even if I don't know much about it there's a mysterious 'Her' that's probably at the bottom of this conspiracy. There might be a lot of questions that I can't answer about her, but bringing it up couldn't hurt, right? (4)

    Secret: There's no need to tell them about my suspicions or about Cinder. I have things well in hand and it might be a better idea to deal with that when I'm in a better position. (0)

    First layer: Cinder and her cronies being behind the recent instability of Vale must be news to him, plus getting her out of the way will make dealing with Adam much easier. (0)

    Second Layer: Watt's is alive as are some co-conspirators under the referred monikers of T and H. This seems like the kind of stuff Ozpin should be concerned with as a headmaster. (0)
    Union: I could bring up my plans to change and improve the White Fang. We're largely turning away from violent means so it shouldn't draw too much ire. (4)

    Secret: As far as they need to be aware I'm a former member of the White Fang and any actions I've taken after the fact are entirely my own. It's not too far from the truth, but I also know they wouldn't appreciate being lied to if they found out. (0)

    Disclosure: Depending on what I bring up with them there might not be much risk in revealing my status, as conflicted as it is, up. It might be best to wipe the slate clean so to speak. (0)

    The seconds tick by in the clock-themed office of Ozpin's while I formulate how exactly I'm going to approach this. Previously it just wasn't the right time or there were enough potential benefits to stay my hand from reporting this like an upstanding individual would. Some of that was prompted by how ineffectual the authorities were in the face of Torchwick, but since that particular problem has been dealt with I don't have such a compunction. Still, it might be best to start off with something smaller and a version of the truth.
    "I don't suppose there are any questions that either of you would like to ask to get them out of the way," I ask both as a delaying tactic and to have something to go off of.

    Ozpin, without missing a beat, replies, "I speak for the both of us when I say we'd prefer if you decided what you wanted to tell us. This isn't an interrogation after all." I turn to look at Goodwitch since I'm sure she disagrees, but am met with her steely mien. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she's willing to follow Ozpin's lead on this. Plus he gets to keep his cards close to the chest and not give any inclination of what he knows about me which I doubt is unintentional on his part.

    "It goes without saying that both of you know about my past with the White Fang. Well, I knew a few people in the area that were in a similar situation or thought in a similar way and I decided that I should help them out. One thing led to another and, well, I don't know how much you've kept up with current events, but the Vale branch of the Fang has split up and I'm sort of in charge of one of those groups," I end with more nervousness than I actually feel, trying to project the feeling of a kid slightly out of his depth rather than my more deliberate actions.

    Ozpin chuckles at that, "I do try to keep up with the events of my city and the…distastefulness of the White Fang's actions has been hard to miss as well as the fallout that followed. Though I do hope you are the leader of the faction I think you are and don't have a second surprise for us."

    "I may have some more surprises in store, but that isn't one of them," I say before fully thinking it through. I realize after the fact that I just gave him some more information, but since I was already planning on revealing pretty much everything that I have it doesn't bother me too much. I catch a quirk of his lips as soon as I finish that thought and while I could attribute it to the answer he gained I feel it in my bones that it's due to my reaction after the fact.

    "That's good to hear, but it does bring up a secondary concern." He pauses for a moment as if to invite me to ask the question, but I refuse to. He takes a short drink from his cup, "Now, I may not be as well-informed about the intricacies of the White Fang, but there was no mention of any of this fracturing from anything that I can find before the very moment it happened. I'm not accusing you of anything, but consider me curious about what exactly your 'group' as you claim was up to in the prelude to all of this."

    I could offer him some sort of platitude about how these things take time to form, or that I was trying to keep a low profile, but they either wouldn't answer his question or simply invite more of them. Thankfully I have an easy avenue to go into that this leads into. "To put it simply, sir. They were infiltrating the Vale branch of the White Fang on my behalf."

    Ozpin leans forward, clasping his hands together and holding his chin just a bit above them. "So you're saying that you intended to help others get away from the White Fang and ended up sending them right back." He doesn't state a question explicitly, but it's hidden in his tone. About what caused me to do that and how willing I was to do so.

    "They knew the risks," I say neutrally, "besides when I found out what Adam Taurus was planning I couldn't exactly risk sitting back and doing nothing." I attempt to move the conversation onwards to gloss over exactly how involved my men were in the acts that the Fang perpetrated and how aware of all that I was. Perhaps it's a minor concern, but I'd rather not draw any more attention to the shadier aspects of the Union especially since we're shedding ourselves of most if not all of them.

    For the first time in the conversation his eyes actually narrow in on me with a piercing stare as if he's attempting to divine the truth merely by how I'm sitting. After a long moment he says, "I take it that the robberies and his more recent assault were not his ultimate plan," ending with a questioning note.

    "That's right," I say, pulling out the board that started this all and setting it on his desk. I didn't know if it would be worthwhile to bring, but the one board wasn't too difficult even if I got an odd look or two. I have some more as my investigations diversified, but he and Goodwitch will just have to be satisfied with what I pull up on my scroll. "This should be able to explain everything if you want to take a look at it."

    That comment seems to be enough to draw Goodwitch closer to Ozpin's desk as she makes the attempt to follow along with everything I collected. She doesn't let it show too much, but her brow furrows in concentration. Ozpin merely glances at the construct for a few seconds and tilts his head inquisitively, puzzling through it all at his own pace.

    "Very impressive young man," he says after a moment. "Though I would prefer to hear about it in your own words if you don't mind. I find that not everything can be conveyed in such a clear cut and dry way."

    I nod at that, his words making sense even with his flat delivery, "Well the biggest thing is that the White Fang are planning to attack Vale using the rail line leading to Mountain Glenn and causing a breach in the wall." I lean over to point out specific spots on the board, "You see all of the Dust they've been stealing has found its way outside of Vale and I know it's going to Mountain Glenn. That place is only recently a base for the White Fang so there has to be something there that has caught their interest. That combined with the purchase of some supplies leads me to believe that they're repairing the line in order to get all of the Dust underneath the wall."

    I wait a moment for that to sink in and Ozpin continues staring at me before briefly looking at the board again. Goodwitch on the other hand can't help herself and questions, "Why?"

    "I don't actually know," I admit reluctantly. Try as I might I can't hone in on a reason for why Adam would do this aside as some form of payback for the humans. Maybe he's being entirely coerced into doing this by Cinder, but everything I know about Adam is telling me that it was only a matter of time until he tried something like this. It wouldn't have been as large of a scale and that might have been the determining factor.

    "What I do know, however," I start, not wanting to backslide on my momentum, "is that Adam isn't doing this without help." I pull out my scroll and project the pictures of Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. I point to the center picture, "This is Cinder and I have credible evidence that she's been not only involved in the White Fang, but has been bankrolling their operations for her own ends."

    I wait for them to ask what evidence I have as I scramble to pull it up in a way that doesn't incriminate myself immediately. The question doesn't come for a few seconds and I look up to see Ozpin staring at the images as if looking past them and not properly observing their features. His previously flat hands are balled up and Goodwitch next to him has her eyes thin and full of hostility.

    "Ochre," he says with an air of heaviness. "How certain are you with your accusation?"

    "A hundred percent sir," normally I wouldn't say it with that amount of certainty, but all the evidence points in that direction and this isn't the time to quibble about how there could be an insane series of events where she's somehow not culpable in all of this.

    Just to put any worries of theirs to rest I pull up the relevant evidence, how she was seen in Vale and her connection to Watt's charity as well as the flight logs from the bullhead Torchwick was loaned that puts her in contact with the White Fang. That last one seems to catch their attention the most, but if there's anything that they know about it they aren't sharing and I move on.

    "I'm still trying to piece it together, but she's in contact with a man by the name of Arthur Watts, you might have heard of him." I mean that honestly, apparently Watts is a scientist of some renown even after his death. Ozpin seems to recognize him, while Goodwitch does not at least immediately.

    "I suppose this is another one of those surprises that you had in store for us Mr. Rovere," Ozpin says with a heavy air of resignation and a tinge of bitterness. Goodwitch has a severe frown and widened eyes and I think I catch her hands drifting towards her weapon, but pay it no further mind.

    "It's a bit circumstantial, but I have reason to believe that Watts is alive, the footage from the Paladin incident was altered, and I have the message history of Cinder to prove that she was in contact with him. If given some more time I'm sure I could piece together the rest and where he's hiding, but I'm willing to forward that information to you as well."

    "If you would be so kind," he says with a wave of his hand. "Though, I must admit you've done more than enough young man. Really I should be indebted to you and it might not seem like much, but if there are any questions or concerns you wish to bring up with me I will see them resolved as soon as I can. Within reason of course," he finishes with a slight grin.

    Evidently he took my lack of finding Watts and the promise to do so as that being the extent of my information and his offer to answer questions is his way of dovetailing away from the topic. Maybe he doesn't like the fact that I found this all under his nose or that he has a problem with one of his students involving themselves in something so big. Regardless, there is one further thing that I have to bring up.

    "That's not all," I say, fidgeting in my seat. The reason for which is that I have less to go on here than anywhere else, but if I'm going to disclose this much with them I might as well go all the way even if it diminishes their opinion of me slightly. Goodwitch can't help herself and lets out a 'goodness' as Ozpin sighs and motions for me to continue. "I don't know too much about this person, but there's apparently someone above even Watts. All I know is that she's a woman and they refer to her as simply 'Her.'" I pull up the messages between Watts and Cinder where this mysterious person is mentioned as my proof, however shaky it is.

    Goodwitch takes in a breath at the news like it's some sort of revelation and Ozpin sits still. But not the same kind of still where he's in control, but rather a stillness borne from trying too hard to not react to the news. I narrow my eyes at this, but before I can speak Ozpin cuts me off. "Yes, I'm sure you have even more questions now, but let me assure you I will address it in due time. I believe that we could all use a moment to process this new information."

    "You can't be serious, you can't just-" I start to argue until he puts up his hand as if to stave off my complaints.

    "Make no mistake, you will leave this room with answers. I just believe we should take a step back for the moment. I must admit it's hard for me to formulate how exactly to explain all this and if there's something else we could discuss while I gather my thoughts, I would be most appreciative."

    I still frown at that, but it seems like he isn't willing to budge on the matter and I doubt I'd be able to wring anything out of Goodwitch with him right there. Plus I did have some questions or my own that he might be able to help answer. Regardless, they'd have to fight me to get me to leave without answers. Not that that would be too difficult of a prospect since my aura is still low, but it's the principle of the matter.

    Atlas: While it hasn't been my main concern, the presence of three Atlesian airships has been hard to miss. Normally Ozpin is supposed to be in charge of security to Vale so surely he has some thoughts on their presence. (3)

    Vale: By his words he hasn't been entirely unaware of the happenings in Vale. I could ask why he hasn't taken any direct action until now. (2)

    Associates: Ozpin is definitely already aware of the conspiracy and while he'll stonewall me until later I could press the issue and maybe find out who else already knows. (1)

    Tower: According to Oobleck, Ozpin used to be much more involved in the daily happenings of the school. I could ask what exactly caused that to change or if he's even aware of it. (0)

    "Fine," I bite out impertinently. I swear he has to know what he's doing by dangling potential answers in front of me only to snatch them away. "Well if you're going to be forthcoming with answers then do you mind telling me what a small Atlas fleet is doing here?"

    I don't have to specify how odd their arrival is. Most of the time a Kingdom would have one, maybe two Atlesian airships show up for peacekeeping duties and while on paper they're here to deliver the rest of the students from Atlas Academy, but that's an obvious lie to see through and I'll point it out to him if I have to.

    "I fear it may be related to what you've already brought to my attention. Now it wasn't by my request, but the rest of the world is hardly blind to the dangers present. James just so happened to go a bit…overboard in his response. Trust me when I say that I want them in my city no more than you do."

    I don't miss how he said 'my city' and that's pretty indicative of where some of his thoughts lie. His words themselves also rub me the wrong way like he's trying to dance around the topic instead of giving me a straight answer.

    "Could you stop beating around the bush? I doubt that Atlas is here because of the actions of Torchwick and the Fang." Especially since they weren't aware of the Fang's greater plan and I already handled Torchwick.

    "Ah, apologies. It's hard to let go of old habits I suppose," he says while covering his slip up with a slow draw of his drink. Maybe I'd even believe that he was being genuine here if he hadn't been so in control of his emotions and expressions until now. It might be the truth, but I have enough experience with twisting the truth to know that you can lie with it just as easily as with falsehoods.

    As if he notices my growing suspicion Ozpin speaks up to cut through my thoughts, "You're right when you wager that isn't what has drawn James' attention. While our information hasn't been quite as in-depth as yours we were aware of the issue to a certain degree. We merely had a disagreement on how to handle it and James took matters into his own hands to see the issue resolved. I'm sure he'll enjoy it when he finds out that our biggest problem has been thwarted without the use of any of his fancy airships, don't you think?"

    He ends his speech by sharing a conspiratorial smile with me that I have to fight back in returning. It'd be all too easy to take satisfaction in tweaking Atlas' nose once again, but I have to keep myself focused on the answers that I actually want instead of getting distracted right now. However, if he's still trying to distract me then he's probably not ready to share whatever answers he promised me so I switch to a different tack of questioning.

    "And I'm guessing it's this problem that prevented you from helping out in Vale. You know, where they were operating right under your noses."

    Perhaps it's unnecessarily hostile of me to point that out and the scowl on Goodwitch's face promises trouble, but Ozpin holds his hand up to defuse the situation. "You would be correct Mr. Rovere and I can admit that an error was made. We made the best decisions we could with the information we had on hand. Perhaps if you shared your knowledge with us prior to now things would be different but the past is the past and there's no use in complaining about it."

    "But you still ignored the problems in Vale," I point out again since he danced around the issue. "Even a little bit more due diligence would have had you delaying their plans or picking up on their trail. If you were so concerned about the fate of 'your' city then why didn't you do anything?"

    "Because I have to worry about the fate of far more than just Vale, Mr. Rovere," he says quickly, his tone making it clear that he's not going to entertain that line of discussion any further. Just as I'm about to argue with him some more when he abruptly interrupts, "Do you believe in fairy tales?"

    I want to tell him no flatly and get angry that he's trying to deflect from the subject once again, but something tells me that he's actually going somewhere with this. "There's usually a kernel of truth to be found somewhere in them," I venture cautiously, my studies with Oobleck hammering that point home into my head.

    "Exactly that, and while not all of those truths are useful or relevant there is one that's particularly pertinent to our discussion. Tell me, are you familiar with the tale of the four maidens?"

    "Just get to the point," I respond impatiently.

    "I'm sorry, it's just that it's usually easier to ease people into this revelation with a bit of build-up, but if you're willing to take my word for it: magic is real and it is passed down in a lineage only ever held by four women at a time."

    For as much as he blustered about it being easier to ease people in with a story his line about magic comes off to me as practiced. That immediately sets my senses on him hiding something further behind it. Heck it'd be even easier for him if he dressed up the surroundings with a shroud of mysticism and folklore which doesn't help the impression of him being honest with me.

    "Alright," I start slowly, "let's say that I believe that and it isn't the responsibility of some crazy semblance that gets passed down. What exactly does that have to do with what we were discussing?"

    "I'm glad you asked, Mr. Rovere," Ozpin taps a few buttons on his desk and a map of Sanus pops up with two x's on it. One is on a meandering rural road and the other is close by hidden in a forest. "One of those maidens was attacked on a road not too far from where that bullhead landed and we've been looking for that perpetrator for months. Now tell me, do any of these students look familiar to you?" He presses some more buttons and the image of Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder pop up with the three of them dressed in Haven Academy uniforms and their student ids displayed in the lower left-hand corner.

    He's already made his point, but he makes a show of waiting for me to say something and I oblige him, "I guess you could say that I recognize some similarities."

    "Precisely. These students were already on my radar when I had to call Leonardo and ask him why their team only had three members for the Vytal Festival. I won't go into too many of the details, but he assured me that they were his students and had been attending Haven up until their departure. I'm sure you can see where the discrepancy lies."

    "And I'm guessing whoever did it ended up stealing the power or something." It's the first thing that pops into my mind. Marcus Black apparently had a semblance stealing semblance so his son might have something similar. That's going under the assumption that Mercury is Marcus' son of course which is still somewhat murky in my mind, but good enough for this conversation.

    If either Ozpin or Goodwitch are surprised by my deduction neither of them show it. Instead Ozpin drains his cup and sets it to the side before speaking up. "Exactly that. Now normally the powers of a maiden only passes upon death and to a young woman that is the last person in their thoughts. There are some caveats to that, but I can imagine you can see how the system could be abused by those that know of it, thus its secrecy.

    Unfortunately that wasn't the case here, the maiden, Amber, faced an opponent who both knew about her being a maiden and had a way to steal the power at least to a degree. Fortunately one of my agents was able to stop the process before it could complete, but a portion of the power was lost and presumably is still in the hands of her assailant."

    "So," I question suddenly, not seeing the issue. "It's still just one person. I can't imagine that they're so mind-bogglingly powerful that a couple of well-trained huntsmen couldn't deal with them."

    "I can see that you're still under a misconception. When I say this is magic I don't mean that it's an esoteric semblance or something we don't fully understand. I know full well what it's capable of and unlike with semblances it isn't restrained by a person's aura, magic is far more plentiful. It isn't limitless, but the amount of destruction that a maiden can command if properly motivated is significant, as if calling upon nature's wrath herself. I would advise that you would do well to not engage with a maiden if you can ever help it, not even your impressive skills would be a match for one that's had time to hone her craft."

    I tsk at that, not fully accepting it, but willing to cede the point. I'll believe it when I have some proof to look at and not a moment before. Maybe I'd be more charitable if Ozpin didn't approach this conversation the way he did, but I can't shake the feeling that he isn't being entirely honest with me. It also leaves me with the big point that he hasn't made any attempt to address yet.

    "I can't help but notice that you haven't said anything about who's in control of all of this."

    His lips thin at that and he stands up to look out his window. "Yes and there's a reason for that. There's no easy way to say this and truthfully it's the part I'm more reluctant to speak about. Tell me, what would you think if I told you that there's someone who can control the grimm, not just some of them but all of them, and that she has the goal of destroying civilization as we know it?"

    "I'd say you're full of shit," I say bluntly to the surprise of Ozpin and Goodwitch. "I know the statistics and just how many grimm are out there. If there was someone who could control them and had a vendetta against the world there wouldn't be much stopping her from just assaulting the Kingdoms until we break."

    There is, after all, only so many supplies and firepower available within the Kingdom walls. While they're defensible even they can be worn down with a sustained assault and the grimm, as far as I'm aware, are limitless or near enough so that there's little point in debating the difference.

    "Normally you'd be right, young man," Ozpin allows after a heavy few seconds of silence. "In this case the maidens have acted as a deterrent of sorts and that is why the news of the Fall Maiden losing her powers is so grave." I move to speak up and ask how that can be the case when he cuts me off, "I'm afraid I can't go into the details.

    You have already proven far more observant than most your age and I'm afraid I've said too much. Now, I'm not trying to imply that I distrust you or that you haven't earned these answers, but I have to be completely sure that you are trustworthy. I'm sure that a man who has experienced what you have could empathize with that decision, so please let us first verify your claims and take care of this problem before worrying any more about this issue."

    "I'm sure if you knew where she was located you would have already dealt with her, grimm or no grimm. Seeing as that clearly isn't the case that only leaves finding her or waiting for her to die of old age I guess."

    "Not the problem I was referring to, but one I should address. Her name is Salem and I'm afraid that she'll continue to be a problem for generations to come. Much like the grimm she hasn't withered and died under the march of time. Unfortunately we'll have to deal with her much like we've dealt with the grimm for centuries." Like before, his mention of Salem comes across as practiced to my ears. It might be me looking too far into things, but delving into a worldwide conspiracy tends to do that to a person.

    "Wait," I say dumbfounded as a thought suddenly strikes me. "You mentioned Ironwood and Lionheart, who all are a part of this group?" I'm able to refrain from adding a follow up question of 'and how influential are they' despite my excitement. Goodwitch and Ozpin regard me with odd-looks and it, admittedly, takes me a few seconds to realize that I stood up at some point. That realization has me filled with a nervous energy as I start pacing back and forth across the length of the table.

    Sure I don't have all of the pieces yet, but arguably the three most powerful men in all of Remnant are involved in a conspiracy that I just so happened to encounter. Or is it considered a counter-conspiracy because they formed in response to an apparently immortal being with her own conspiracy and plans for world destruction or something? I'll need to interrogate on that a bit further because the motivation Ozpin provided still doesn't sit right with me.

    I'm only brought out of my thoughts by the crack of Goodwitch's riding crop. "Ochre are you alright," she asks suddenly in my space and with wide caring eyes.

    "Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" Distraction addressed I start thinking about all of the implications of what I just learned and my eyes fall onto the board I brought with me. I see a few areas where I need to add more strings. Maybe I should add in a color to solely denote this worldwide conspiracy for clarity's sake.

    "Mr. Rovere," Ozpin speaks up and I give him my attention for a bare second before it drifts off again. "I'll leave you to your devices later, but I fear we have to address the issue of the Fall Maiden and as you're the one with the most insight on her assailants I would have your input on the matter."

    His words make sense and I reluctantly draw back my attention from the far more interesting prospect of uncovering a second world-spanning conspiracy. I suppose I should finish up my business here and with the rest of the school day before delving into this project. Though, it's only one day of class so it can't be that big of a deal to miss. I shake my head at that, I'd get an earful from my team and Weiss and as worthwhile as this endeavor is it isn't worth that.

    "Now, my plan is to call back the asset that first engaged with these assailants as well as a few other trusted individuals before we make our move. I trust that you can keep quiet about this matter until the time is right." I nod at that. "Very good, it will take a few weeks for them to be ready and I don't want you involved in the operation itself. That being said, any suggestions that you have for the plan would be appreciated."

    That is the question huh, I do know that one of them likely has an illusion based semblance or something to help disguise themselves based on my previous investigations, but I must admit that I'm rather blind on any other details about them. Well any that would assist with any operation to take them down, but maybe I can think of something.

    Tell them one of Cinder's minions has an illusion semblance. And while your experience fighting Neo isn't super definitive, Ochre's semblance has a chance of being a counter. (4)

    AN: I don't run these very often, but this was an opportunity for chat to chime in about anything Ochre could have possibly missed. This was the only thing they brought up as an actual option to vote on.

    I think it over for a few seconds, I might not have any suggestions exactly but I can inform him directly of some of my information and suppositions to paint a clearer picture. "First off is that one of them has to have some sort of disguise or illusion semblance. I'm not sure which one," I admit begrudgingly, "that being said I have some experience dealing with semblances like that and my own might prove useful in countering theirs."

    Ozpin frowns at that and leans towards me with his hands pressing his cane into the ground. "You know, I did just say that I didn't want you involved in this operation for a reason. It's going to be highly dangerous and I can't promise that you won't be hurt during it." Normally I'd say that his attempt at excluding me is entirely because he doesn't trust me, but that feels off the mark.

    "I'm just making sure that you're fully informed sir," I glib easily. If my words just so happen to convince him to keep me updated or give me a larger role in whatever he's planning, well, that would just be fortunate happenstance.

    "Quite," he says slowly, unconvinced. He sighs, "I suppose you would like to be kept informed on this matter. I can understand the sentiment and though it goes against my better nature I'm willing to allow it. However, like I said, it will take a few weeks to have the necessary people to assist with this."

    I nod at that, accepting the minor victory for what it is. The fact that he felt the need to repeat himself on waiting for backup is likely his attempt at convincing me to hold off any plans or interacting with the suspects. Thinking back on it, it's likely a motivation behind most of his statements, like that one about not engaging a maiden.

    After a beat of silence that makes it clear that he has nothing more to say on the matter I bring up the only other major bit of knowledge that I have about the trio. "Mercury likely has some relation with the assassin Marcus Black." I'm ready to elaborate on how Marcus is somewhat well known in criminal circles with his semblance-stealing semblance, but with how Goodwitch and Ozpin nod at that news I know that they're already aware. I can only hope that I'm right on that guess as I have far too little evidence to say with any certainty that Mercury is in fact related to Marcus and the fact that he kept the surname Black does nothing to help on that issue.

    Doing so seems amateurish to me; like if he was really the son of an assassin then surely he must have some idea of subtlety and its needs. No, I refuse to believe that he'd be that stupid, at least normally. What this screams to me is that he has something that he feels he needs to prove.

    I shake my head; it's not like this is going to matter for much longer. I have better things to think about than the issues and inner workings of enemies that have been dealt with. Though, I suppose until he is actually captured that I'll keep that thought in the back of my head. Who knows, it might prove useful, although I doubt that.

    Ozpin looks at me, patiently waiting for anything else I can say or elaborate on, but I have to shake my head. He lets out a small exhalation at that, part theatrics and part genuine frustration, but with the ease of experience he quashes down on it before addressing me. "That isn't a whole lot to go on, but I will commend you young man it's more than we had going into this mess and for that you have my full gratitude. I'm afraid to admit that I can't offer you much more than my thanks at the moment. If it wasn't for the secrecy necessary in this affair I'd imagine that James would want to give you a medal for your contributions," he finishes with a smirk.

    I pull a distasteful face at that. Recognition is good and all, but coming from Atlas would only make me feel slimy just for it being brought up and even worse if I actually accepted it. My feelings, however, aren't powerful enough to fully distract me from what he said. It might be true that he can't offer me anything more than thanks right now, but if he's a part of a shadow cabal of the world's strongest leaders then I can't imagine that there's nothing that he could offer me. Maybe if I held onto some more of my cards I'd have a chance to negotiate further, but there's no helping what's already been done and now isn't the time for that conversation at any rate.

    Instead of focusing on that missed opportunity I move on to finding out how we're going to deal with Cinder and her gang. "So, what's our plan on how to deal with our troublemakers?"

    "Unfortunately without being sure which of them took the maiden's power we can't formulate a plan in detail. One of my agents had interrupted their plans once before and with any luck he'll be able to pick out which of the two of them it was. They are rather distinct from one another so I don't foresee any issues there, but it does preclude us from making anything concrete until then."

    I frown at that, with what I know from their relationship Cinder is the more likely of the two girls to have whatever power they stole. If their agent can't point out that for certain I'll bring it up. "But you still have a general framework that you're working on," I press. With how careful and controlled he's been I can't imagine that Ozpin doesn't have some sort of plan that he's workshopping right now.

    "You are correct, Mr. Rovere," he allows. "While there are many parts that are still up in the air I do have some general guidelines for how to approach this situation. Naturally the first would be to separate them as much as possible and focus our efforts on the maiden. More importantly is that secrecy is paramount; even if knowledge of the maidens getting out wouldn't be disastrous. An open attack on Huntsmen in training during the Vytal Festival, regardless of the reasoning, is likely to incite a panic across Remnant. Huntsmen have become more than warriors, they have become a symbol of safety, guardians if you will. And knowing that your guardians are just as fallible and corruptible as everyone else isn't something that inspires confidence."

    I can see where he's coming from, but by the same token I can't help but notice that it's at odds with his previous positions. If he was so worried about the potential fallout of these actions then why wasn't he more concerned with what was going on in Vale in the first place. The only thing that makes sense to me right now is that he's looking at a much bigger picture than most would instead of worrying about the people that would be caught up in the suffering in the interim. It's an attitude that I can work with and is refreshing when compared to the usual short-sightedness of others, but something about it just sets me ill at ease.

    "I wish I could answer in more detail, but I hope that's satisfactory to you Mr. Rovere," he says after a moment of me being lost in my thoughts. It isn't but I nod anyways, knowing that it's likely the best I'm going to get at the moment. "Wonderful, now while I'm sure you have more questions to ask I do believe your next class will be starting soon enough. I'll call you up for a meeting two to three weeks from now, I'll be sure to keep you informed of exactly when, but if you wish I can spare some of my time for a more casual conversation later on."

    I take his clear dismissal with a slow nod and a mumbled word of thanks for politeness' sake before making my way to the elevator and back to class. There is a lot left unsaid between the two of us, more on his end than mine and I'm not entirely too sure on how to process it. On one hand I achieved pretty much all of my objectives that I had in mind when I went up the tower at first, but on the other I'm left with more questions than I arrived with, a whole new conspiracy to map out, and a distinct sense that I'm not being provided the full picture by Ozpin.

    That latter part is fully intentional on his part, I'm sure of it, and if I were in his position I'd be working my hardest to either minimize the impact of the new piece on the board or recruit it to my side. I find him attempting to recruit me more likely, but he's oddly reluctant even more so than I believe not fully trusting me would entail. It also brings to mind how exactly someone gets recruited into this organization and its structure.

    Ozpin made it seem that he had the authority to bring me up to speed. Which is something that was reflected by how Goodwitch acted. But somebody had to recruit him in the first place, right?

    Then again, if I take the revelation of magic and all this at face-value, maybe there's an alternative explanation available. There are more than a few legends about immortal figures or people being reborn across timelines, but separating fact from fiction there is a difficult task and might be leading me in the completely wrong direction.

    I'll either have to do my own research on this matter if I want answers or wait until the next time that Ozpin and I meet to see what I can squeeze out of him. Neither of which seem like enticing options, but they are what I'm left with. Instead of pondering on that conundrum any longer I make my way to my next class and get on with my day.
     
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    • S2 Week 1 (Part 2)
  • Threadmarks
    • After class it's a hard decision not to just spend some time with Weiss. She got back from her trip to Atlas less than a week ago and I'm sure that the experience wasn't the most pleasant of ones. However, I hold myself back. She still seems to be riding the high of what occurred during combat class and I figure that she's strong enough that one more day won't be too big of a deal. If it is, I'll have to make it up to her somehow later, but I figure it's more important to get on top of a potential issue than one that's already passed.

    Naturally I'm referring to Pyrrha and my fight with her. Now, I haven't hung out with her enough to know if her reaction after our fight was something to be concerned about, but most people don't smile and act that happy after being handed what could be considered a loss. Especially with how easily she thrashed me the first time we fought. For me to end that in a tie in my favor would leave most anyone else unsure of themselves and maybe panicking over their position and competence.

    Pyrrha hasn't been anything like that, in the afternoon classes that I've had with her she's been acting more upbeat than normal, more free. Like there was some sort of weight that was holding her down that's no longer there, or at least lessened. It leaves me understandably confused and while there are a number of explanations available I find it best not to speculate on them until I have some more information. I never thought that missing a month of someone's life would leave me at such a loss on their new behavior, but I will also admit that Pyrrha and I were never particularly close which is the more likely culprit behind my lack of insight.

    The last class of the day is once again history, but without Vel to impress on my time I have no issue catching up with Pyrrha and asking for a moment of her time. She agrees easily enough, and we all walk back to our dorm rooms. The campus has been crowded out with the influx of students from other Kingdoms and upcoming preparations for the Vytal tournament that finding a private place to talk requires either odd hours, one of the reserved rooms, or one of the dorms.

    Her teammates disperse once we reach our hallway with Prryha and I heading into my team's room. Ren and Nora break off without issue while Jaune gives me a sideways look before deciding that Pyrrha can handle herself. I get the feeling that he'll question her about what happened after the fact, but I can't begrudge him that, I'd likely do the same in his shoes.

    Kelly and Autumn are with their mentors with Marina apparently being invited along for Goodwitch's lesson leaving our dorm room empty save for when Pyrrha and I enter it. She looks around the room for a few moments inquisitively before the words, "I don't know why I thought it would be that different," fall from her mouth.

    I suppose I can see where she's coming from. My team and I hardly changed up the layout of the room and given her comment the same is likely for her dorm. Not that I have had the chance to check, not being on the best of terms with their leader and Ren and Nora being rather active outside of their dorm most of the time means that there's been little reason for us to interact there.

    "If you were wanting that you should see team RWBY's room," I joke, figuring that a bit of levity wouldn't go amiss since we aren't that particularly close. I put her wanting to meet like this as more her avoidance of crowds rather than because of the extent of our friendship. I pull up a picture on my scroll for good measure and she blanches as she sees the state of their room and their haphazard bed placement. She shakes her head after a moment and I suppress a laugh turning it into a slight grin instead.

    During her moment of stunned silence I can't help my eyes drifting to the band of yellow that's still around her left arm. Evidently she transferred it from her combat outfit to her school outfit and Jaune hasn't seen fit to either discourage her or ask for it back. I don't know enough about her to say if it's a bold statement on her part or if she's taking things too fast. The only thing that I could possibly link back to is the absolute certainty she felt when she had her first fight at Sanctum. She might just be the kind of person who jumps into things easily or she feels a greater calling at this pairing. Either way it's not really something that I want to get stuck on,

    "So about the fight," I start, not really too sure how else to approach the subject.

    "Right, I wanted to thank you for that," she interrupts me, a smile forming on her face.

    "What," I say flatly, unable to stop myself.

    Pyrrha doesn't laugh or giggle or anything, but I can see the amusement play across her face with how it lights up her eyes and her lips twitch upwards for a second. "I said thank you, Ochre," she repeats and I can definitely tell that she's taking more pleasure in this little exchange than I think is appropriate.

    "I heard you, I'm wondering why you're thanking me." Her mirth slowly drains away as it's evident she's thinking about a topic she finds distasteful.

    "I've been put up on a pedestal for so long that I thought it would be impossible to form any meaningful relationships before coming to Beacon. My team has been wonderful as well as yours and Ruby's, but everyone else still saw me as that symbol that they can admire from afar and never reach the same level as. Today you proved that isn't true and maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I believe that now people won't see me as just the Invincible Girl and perhaps maybe Pyrrha Nikos; student of Beacon and Huntress in training."

    I'm not sure I agree with her assessment. Maybe if they knew how poorly I performed against her in my first fight they'd put some stock in it. Not that I think that's the actual reason she's this elated. If I had to guess I'd say that title was weighing on her more than she realized and associated it with how she couldn't act the way she wanted to or form relationships how she liked. Even if her fans still call her the invincible girl, in her mind that's no longer true.

    "And I don't suppose enjoying the fight itself had anything to do with your mood afterwards," I ask in an attempt to lighten the mood.

    With the way she blushes I imagine that she's thinking more about what happened in the middle of the fight than the fight itself, but she recovers quickly enough. "I-uh, I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy it, but not because we fought each other. Rather it's just enjoyable being able to push myself and having that uncertainty of if I'll win or not. So, thank you for that as well."

    I nod easily enough at that sentiment. I felt it enough myself during our travels and while fighting for my life isn't the funnest thing I can admit having that risk of failure no matter how slight was exhilarating the few moments it occurred. Regardless, our conversation has proven that I had nothing to fear from how Pyrrha would react. Her fans and other students from Mistral might be a different issue, but she can hardly control them. Still, there's no reason not to talk with her some more since we have the time.

    Personal: She did just mention how she felt like her skills and reputation prevented people from connecting with her. It might be prudent to make the effort to get to know her more personally, maybe ask about her hobbies and such. (3)

    Fame: She's had her issues with her fame and I can understand that to a degree, but maybe it would be prudent to dig into the issue a little deeper. (2)

    Vytal: I don't think she gave the tournament much thought, seeing it as routine. I could see if that's changed and maybe encourage her to train more, even suggest we train together since there's a lack of on par opponents that we trust (1)

    Destiny: She's mentioned the concept of destiny before and some of her comments make it seem like she believes in it very strongly. I could ask about it and get more insight in how she thinks. (0)

    It irks me a little bit that she's thanking me so much, especially since it wasn't my intention to do anything positive for her in that fight. I was fully ready for her to hate me or be anxious with me afterwards and this positivity sits ill-well with me. It also brings into contrast how that's different from how I would have felt previously.

    Before my meeting with Autumn on the subject I'm certain that I would have just chalked this up to a fortunate happenstance or a lucky break on my part. Now there's a sense of wrongness at even attempting to hold that opinion. It likely doesn't help that my curiosity to probe her on her issues with fame and how she deals with it is flaring up and something that I want to talk with her about before she leaves.

    I'm able to put away that discomfort under the aegis of pragmatism, reminding myself that I have to deal with being a public figure soon and I should prepare for it. Technically I already was a public figure. Although with my biggest claim to fame for the longest time being that I was the guy dating Weiss Schnee it hardly seemed important and I was barely bothered by it. Additionally with my capture of Torchwick I wasn't in Vale long enough to receive the acclaims that followed that aside from some respect from the boys in the VPD.

    Unfortunately such a state of affairs isn't tenable with my plans and reality. Even if I didn't plan to reveal myself as the head of the Union I'd still have to deal with blowback from tying with Pyrrha as well as whatever acclaim I'll get from Oobleck's findings. Theoretically I could ask Weiss for her advice, but the Schnee family is rather reclusive and has their own PR wing in the SDC so it wouldn't be terribly applicable.

    Ruminating over those thoughts only takes me a few seconds, but Pyrrha doesn't make a move to say anything or take her leave. Likely she's in just as awkward of a spot on how to deal with me as I am with her. Out of our major interactions two of them have been fights and one of them was a conversation that, while enlightening, didn't do too well to establish a base of friendship. Perhaps it would be best to start from the beginning and work my way up.

    "So," I say leadingly and throw out my hand to the board sitting on my bed. I didn't have the time to hang it up before getting back to class, but it serves well enough as a lead in to my next topic. I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned to all of my friends that my whole investigation into Torchwick started as a hobby and even if I didn't, word of that had to have spread to the rest of them. "You already know about some of the things I like to do in my free time, so consider me curious about what Pyrrha Nikos gets up to."

    It's not the smoothest possible opening, but one would be remiss in thinking that with how quickly she lights up at the inquiry. Though, her reaction is soon smothered by a wave of apprehension. She liked that I was taking a personal interest in her, but that was cut down by either her thoughts relating to the matter or her answers, maybe both.

    "I didn't really have much that I'd do for fun before coming here to Beacon. Hanging out with my team and you guys have been the best part of my life." I nod at that, trying to subtly encourage her to continue, but she stops dead.

    "Okay," I start slowly, not wanting her to pick up on what I'm thinking and feel self-conscious. "And what do you do together that you enjoy?"

    "We hang out," she says in confusion. "I mean sometimes we'll watch a movie or a video together and that's pretty enjoyable." She doesn't strike me as an extrovert like Yang who can have endless fun just by being with other people and even Yang has her own hobbies that she partakes in. The fact that she isn't giving me a definitive answer either means that she's like Ren and didn't really have any hobbies before getting to Beacon or that she's embarrassed by the hobbies that she does have. If I take her at her word it would be the former, but I can't help but feel that it's the latter.

    A part of me just wants to let the matter go and allow her this fig-leaf of a statement, but I can't help myself. I don't even have an excuse as to why I'm doing it this time and I guess that's a point in favor of Autumn and Ren's argument. "Cool, and what do you do on your own then? Surely there's something that you like to do when the rest of your team is busy."

    Pyrrha stares at me for a few moments and starts to squirm under my gaze. I try lightening it up, but I don't think I was that intense to begin with. It's probably the case that her apprehension is coming internally rather than anything I'm responsible for.

    "I do like writing," she says after a long few moments, "poetry specifically, and reading it as well." That took her an awfully long time to answer despite it being a simple question and while it may be honest it isn't hard to see that she's trying to obfuscate something. This time I don't hold back a look, but otherwise I don't do anything further. If she really doesn't want to tell me that's fine. Apparently she only needed that further bit of prompting or was looking for an excuse to admit the next bit. With a weak voice she says, "…training."

    Despite the soft volume I'm able to hear her perfectly well and don't feel the need to ask her to speak up. I do wiggle my upper ears a little as a signal that I did in fact hear her. Her eyes lock on to the slight movements, and given how she lets out a breath that I don't think she realized she was holding, I take that to mean that she got the message.

    I'm not sure why exactly that was so hard for her to admit. Maybe it has to do with it feeling like work and her feeling guilty that she enjoys it. Just as likely it might play into her invincible girl persona and admitting that she likes training would be an admission that she is different from others and might make connecting with them harder.

    I don't press her on any of the details right now, if I want to I can do so later and it's not like it's some great sin to enjoy training. I do to some degree even if I can only take so much of it at a given time. Regardless, she seems much more relaxed right now and there's hardly a better time to ask her about what I wanted in the first place.

    "How did you deal with it? Before coming to Beacon I mean," I clarify. I don't need to expand on the topic any further than that. Her eyes grow downcast at the mention of before Beacon and I know she's picked up on what I'm asking, but still doesn't want to address it. Whatever rapport I've struck with her over the past semester seems to compel her to give some sort of answer.

    "I didn't really. Mom and I got an agent and after the first few wins in the arena it was nothing but going to school, the arena, meetups with the fans, and training wherever I could squeeze it in." She brings her arms closer to her chest, a physical move reflecting how she's closing herself off from this line of inquiry. She might be willing to still answer my questions like this, but I feel it would be better if I established some common ground with her.

    "Any advice," I ask with a bitter tone, it's a bit affected, but I don't enjoy the prospect of dealing with fame any more than she does. "I'm gonna find myself in the public eye soon and I could use it."

    She looks at me with wide eyes as if seeing me in a new light for the first time. Her eyes dart back and forth in thought, likely connecting a series of events together culminating in her bringing her hands in front of her mouth as if in shock. "Ochre, I'm so sorry. If I knew-"

    "Please! Don't flatter yourself, it was going to be something that I had to deal with without you helping matters," I bite out before she can continue having the wrong idea. "I have big plans for the world and even if our little match has me in the spotlight sooner than I would have wanted it was always going to be something I had to deal with."

    That seems to do the trick of calming her down and her posture returns to something more normal for the girl. "Well, first thing. I would suggest not getting an agent," she says in a tone that makes me think she intends it as a joke. "They'll pack your schedule so full of events and coaching and sponsorships that you'll hardly have any time for anything else. And they don't like taking no for an answer, always going on about how you'll 'disappoint the fans' or 'miss a big opportunity to do some good.'"

    Despite her tone continuing to be vaguely joking I can tell the latter part is a genuine complaint. No wonder Pyrrha didn't like that life and escaped to Beacon as soon as she could. It also makes me wonder how aware her mother was of what was going on and how her daughter felt. I shove that thought away for the moment, no need to dwell on it any more than I have to.

    "As for how to actually deal with the fame, I'm probably not the best to ask about that. I do have some advice for how to deal with crowds. I'd suggest ignoring them as best you can whenever you can do so and whenever that's not an option to be unfailingly polite. Oftentimes they're looking for a reaction of some sort."

    I have a feeling that her advice is more how to suffer a crowd of fans than to use them for my own benefit. It's not worthless in my circumstance, but if I'm going to have to suffer for my cause I might as well have some option available to advance it at the same time. Maybe I'll have to have a talk with someone on how I should represent myself to the public, but Pyrrha's advice will at least keep me in a neutral position until then. It also is likely to serve me well against my more hostile detractors on both sides of the issue.

    Next I would have asked how she used her influence to help promote her ideals or causes, but I quickly stop myself. With her previous statements and my lack of knowledge of any cause she promoted aside from sponsorships I realize that she likely didn't and perhaps didn't even think that was a real option available to her. With the way she talked about her agent that very well may be the case and maybe her aversion to her fame only made that a bigger issue for her.

    I could press her on the subject regardless, but in the end I decide not to. Our friendship is still a tenuous thing and I don't think I could get through the topic without implying that she could have done more. Instead I thank her for her advice and she leaves my room with a slight smile and easygoing steps. Maybe if we were closer I'd have felt comfortable pushing for more or getting her to be aware of what she could do with her fame, but for now I'll have to content myself with the small rapport I've built up with her.


    After a busy first day I decide to take the next one a bit more slowly and relax a little. Well as much as I can relax after the revelation of a worldwide conspiracy to prevent the destruction of the civilized world as I know it. So really not all that much and with a newfound awareness of my surroundings. It pops up most during combat class as it's impossible for me to not notice a certain trio sitting together now that I've taken the time to look for them. With my state as it is I know my eyes would be drawn to them too much so I instead distract myself by spoiling my girlfriend with some attention.

    She might not know or like why I'm doing it, but at the moment she certainly appreciates the attention and it keeps my mind off the trio so I don't set them off. Goodwitch doesn't even respond to me other than with a half-hearted glare. Likely realizing what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and being too busy with the rest of class to spare me her attention. She's using the first few weeks to re-establish the leaderboards with how the classes have been mixed and the new arrivals.

    By the time classes end that day Weiss and I make plans to meet up later, but the two of us have our own business to attend to before then. She's still dealing with the backlog that piled up during her trip to the Schnee manor and I have a nervous energy that I have to bleed off. At first I'm tempted to dig into the trio some more, but I hold off on that. It would likely only worsen my tendency to want to look in their direction and that's the last thing I want with victory so close in sight.

    Instead I begin my investigations into the crime families that have made the jump over from Mistral to Vale. Fortunately I'm not doing so entirely blind as there's a helpful dossier and primer on the organizations that has been made during my absence for distribution amidst the VPD. I'm even given a preliminary copy that's been marked up with Torchwick's notes and corrections as well as being signed off 'R. Torchwick' on the front.

    Apparently that's a courtesy and sign of thanks from the boys in the VPD for convincing him to work with the authorities, something that he was apparently adamant about for some reason. I imagine it's so whatever headache he causes I'll have to deal with, but spite is hardly a motivator that I'm unfamiliar with. I decide whatever his reason is that the thing will make a nice keepsake regardless and plan a space for it next to the dinky little flag Blake gave me. It's not quite a curio cabinet, but I get the feeling my collection will only grow with time.

    Cracking the documents open I find a table of contents that has a majority of its space dominated with topics relating to Spider with a smaller section on Wave and an even tinier one on other crime families. According to one of the notes Torchwick left this is because he was one of the higher ups for Spider, something that I could have guessed regardless, though he avoids saying how high up he was. Maybe I could do some more poking around and get a more exact answer, but I'm not here to investigate Torchwick anymore.

    Spider is an organization that's headquartered in the city of Mistral and the surrounding area trafficking in primarily information, gambling, and a variety of small-time operations. At least that's how they like to present themselves. Like many other syndicates they're involved in a wide variety of rackets and illegal activity and only focus on the 'softer' crimes to avoid drawing too much scrutiny from the Mistral council and Haven academy. They also have a wide pool of manpower that spills out from the city with enough power that they could give the city's police a run for their money and easily take over some of the surrounding towns.

    Evidently that manpower is being sent over to Vale in order to scavenge the operations that Junior was previously running. According to another note from Torchwick this is something the leader, Lil' Miss Malachite, has been planning for years now after her previous failed attempt of overtaking the criminal underground. Not much is written about what that plan was, but Torchwick's note goes on to say that he was responsible for foiling her plan. I'm not sure if I believe him. However, without a corrective note from the VPD, who must have had someone go over this information if only to ensure Torchwick wasn't sneaking out any messages in his notes, I'm willing to at least entertain the notion.

    If it is true then I'm sure Torchwick is playing up his gentleman thief persona and how he had no idea that the White Fang were planning anything overly violent. And that if he had found out he'd have stopped them just like he did beforehand. Maybe that's a little uncharitable, but I don't imagine that there are very many principles that man holds other than what's most beneficial for him and his.

    Focusing too much on that would be a distraction, however, and I return my attention to the documents with a question on my mind. If Spider is recovering the remnants of Junior's operations and have been planning this for years then they must have known about them, right? My answer comes from the next page where it details what is known about Lil' Miss' twin daughters and happens to come with a picture of two familiar faces.

    They happen to belong to the twins that Yang fought when we busted up Junior's operations, Melanie and Militia Malachite. Surely Junior had to be aware of who they were when he hired them right? They certainly acted like bodyguards, but based on this they were something more like spies or informants. Was he aware that he was essentially living on borrowed time or was this his way of dissuading Lil' Miss from pulling anything? The latter seems implausible as he had no one that could have contended with the twins to stop them from escaping and his own strength left much to be desired.

    Either way, they were rolled up during the operations against Junior that I wasn't a part of. Torchwick's note about how Lil' Miss does care about her daughters might explain one of the reasons why she's throwing so many resources to Vale especially during the build-up to the Vytal Festival where performing her operations would be the hardest.

    As for what's known about the other group, Wave, that's much lighter and has far fewer notes from Torchwick. Apparently they were a group that operated in or around Argus, mainly with smuggling and protection rackets. This all changed when they grew bold enough to steal an Atlesian Military shipment which sent Atlas after them as well as bounties for Huntsmen to capture them.

    The overall campaign was successful in driving them from their area of operations, but evidently hasn't been enough to squash the group completely. Unfortunately it's not known whether Atlas recovered whatever the group stole and I assume Ironwood and his fleet will attempt to take over any operations against them.

    With my background on them finally informed I move on to the actual meat of the issue which is finding out where and how they're operating in Vale. With any luck I'll find something that I can pass onto the VPD, but at the very least I should be able to find some leads to investigate and can figure out how to deal with them later.

    Investigation Check: Rank 4.08+1(Primer)=5.08 vs Challenge 3/4/5

    Final DC: Autopass/23/48

    Criminology Check: Rank 2.08 +1(Primer)= 3.08 vs Challenge 2/3/4

    Final DC: 23/48/73

    Dice: 2d100

    84,36 = 84,36

    Even with the primer there are certain intricacies of how the two groups operate that I don't fully get. I'm able to work around this limitation somewhat by being thorough in my investigation but that doesn't entirely off-set the drawback. I still find plenty of usable information, more about Spider than Wave, but seeing as how Spider has the bigger presence in the city I don't particularly think that's a loss on my part.

    The first thing that I find out is that, while, yes, they are eating up the remains of Junior's empire they are also making some moves of their own. I know this particularly with how they've run the Union out of some of our arrangements with businesses particularly in the commercial district. Checking the dates of when certain stores stopped paying us or responding to our inquiries as well as reports of certain individuals in the area paints a picture of the group spreading into the commercial district.

    However, rather than spreading from the industrial or residential district like many other groups, I would've been able to trace their spread back to the upper-class district or its border. It will take some work to narrow down exactly where, but I'm confident that they're operating out of a house or business in the area and it's simply a matter of investigating the area properly.

    Following up on that train of thought I look into some high-class establishments in the area and run into a few clubs that fit into the operational profile of Spider. Although Spider's establishments seem to be on the classier end than what Junior operated, Torchwick's notes made it clear that she ran more than one scam involving places like these though the most common is underground gambling.

    The next thing that catches my attention is actually something that caught my notice when I first arrived in Vale, the Heaven's Delight teahouse. Now I don't have any concrete proof that they're involved with either group, but something tells me there's a connection. Even if there isn't then they probably have a vested interest in ensuring Spider doesn't get a foothold considering the conflict of interests.

    After that I decide to look into Wave's operations if only out of fairness' sake and run into a bit of a wall. I'm able to trace them back to operating somewhere within the industrial district, the place making sense based on their past behaviors and with a string of robberies with no known culprit being roughly the same distance from various entrances into the commercial district from the industrial. Any cameras or other forms of surveillance are found destroyed and with the suspects gone or missing by time anyone arrives on scene. Most of the stores deal in high end goods like electronics, jewelry, and occasionally Dust.

    This provides three broad avenues of investigation into Wave. The first is trying to locate exactly where they're operating out of in the industrial district, but with the absence of Torchwick and much of the Fang due to Adam's actions there's a lot of potential ground to cover and no real reports to follow up on. Second is to figure out where they're selling these items in Vale or if they're shipping them out to be sold on other markets. Wave has a past with smuggling so the latter is just as likely as the former, and with the increased traffic due to the Vytal festival it's possible they can manage it despite the eyes on Vale.

    Lastly is figuring out how they've kept their presence so hidden, both during jobs and while hiding out. None of our footage has much more than a vague glimpse of humanoid figures and I would expect more mentions of suspicious individuals given the amount of crimes and where they've taken place. Either they've gotten a lot better at covering their tracks since their run in with Atlas or there's something else going on.

    Going by what I've found, Spider is more likely to be a danger to my plans and the Union, but I'm able to map out their progression better and warn my men and the VPD of where they're likely going to be next. It's possible that Torchwick already figured out where they were targeting next and passed that along himself, but further confirmation never hurts. Wave on the other hand seems a lot less methodical and big-picture focused than Spider which gives me the impression that this is a target of opportunity for them.

    It should be easier to push them out of the city, at least motivationally speaking, but they are also a lot less present than Spider and our lack of information on them makes them more difficult to deal with. If I were willing to have the Union dirty our hands, so to speak, I suspect that they'd be amenable to the arrangement, but I'll have to give a lot of consideration to that before I entertain that notion.

    Before too long I'm sending off most of my findings to the VPD, though with their manpower shortage I don't expect many of them to be followed up on in a reasonable timeframe. The most likely in my mind is narrowing down on Spider's base of operations now that I've narrowed down the area. Unfortunately I think that there would be far more than just the one as well as a few backups. Especially with how long they've been preparing for this and the number of assets that must have been left behind from Junior's enterprises.


    My work for the day concluded, I move on to meeting with Weiss. This entails crossing the hallway and knocking at her dorm room door and being let in by Ruby. With how late it is the rest of her team is also there and Ruby finds this to be an excellent time to run off and find some sort of board game for us to play. Weiss rolls her eyes at this move, but I know she was looking forward to a quiet night in and indulging Ruby is hardly the worst thing to do.

    Given the lack of much furniture in the room Ruby rearranges Weiss' discarded luggage into a makeshift table for the five of us to sit around and plops the game atop it while hastily explaining the rules. The game is apparently called World of Remnant, which is a bit redundant. It's like calling something world of world, but I guess it sounded catchy to someone.

    By the end of Ruby's explanation neither I, Weiss, or Blake have any real clue what the game entails aside from world domination and cards. The fact that a good number of the units, armies, and cards are grimm related doesn't pass me by and is darkly humorous in the face of the revelation that there is someone out there controlling the grimm.

    Fortunately, unlike my gaming with Kelly, this game comes with an official rulebook and with the help of my semblance I'm able to get Weiss and I caught up to speed. Sorry Blake, but it looks like you're losing this one. Unfortunately, the game only has room for four players and despite Blake's insistence that she can sit this one out everyone aside from myself protests that action.

    I'm sure each of them have their own reason for doing so and the show of team solidarity is enough to convince Blake to take part in the activity. Not like I think Yang or Ruby would allow me and Weiss to play at the same time. It appears that this game can only have one winner but that wouldn't prevent us from teaming up against the rest of them. Plus it's not like my girlfriend is going to complain about the opportunity to sit on my lap instead of across from me so I resign myself to helping her win as much as I can. Within reason at least, I might not be above cheating, but it seems terribly unsporting to do so for a friendly game.

    Once the game starts it's clear why no one was concerned about the sisters teaming up against the rest of us with how the two of them exchange dramatic over-the-top banter with each other as they take their turns. Blake, try as she might, is unable to stop herself from smiling though her turns pass without much commentary on her part. I thought Weiss would be similar and she is at first, but soon enough she's turning just as dramatic as Ruby and Yang much to their approval. Perhaps I should be a touch concerned with how enthusiastic and loud she is at the prospect of even fictional world domination. But a light touch here and there or a whispered word in her ear soon has her dragged back to reality and a blushing stammering mess for a few seconds.

    The game drags on for way longer than I think is reasonable, but eventually Weiss and I are eliminated. We lasted longer than Blake, but Ruby and Yang have far too much experience and knowledge of the game to make our struggle anything more than prolonging the match. The two of them are still going at it with Blake sitting next to them, usually looking at each of their hands and working out how best to play them herself. I swear she does so with Yang more often than Ruby, but then again I don't blame her. Ruby is playing as Atlas in this match and I imagine she's rooting for Yang's Valean forces to win out.

    They are all in their own little world while Weiss and I retreat to her bed. Well she retreats to her bed while I sit on the ground at the edge of it and is probably the reason why the rest of her team isn't trying to keep an eye on the two of us. They've noticed that I won't so much as sit on Weiss' bed while Ruby's hangs overhead and with the lack of space there isn't any room for us to get up to anything.

    I do my best to comfort her despite the awkward position and pull her back out of her shell as she sulks with puffed out cheeks. She really shouldn't be this distraught over losing a game, but I know she's playing it up more than a little so I'll continue to give her attention. Eventually I give in and succeed in my endeavors by allowing her to play with my ears a little. Ever since our conversation about it she's been a lot more ginger with them and happier whenever she gets the chance to do so since she knows how reluctant I am about it usually. Like for her it's a sign that I'm still committed and she seems to luxuriate in that assurance.

    "You know I wouldn't have minded if you kept it on," she whispers quietly. It in this case refers to that band of cloth she threw my way during the fight.

    I roll my eyes at her comment and not so subtle suggestion. That earns me a sharpening of her eyes for my troubles and I speak up, "I know." Her whole face drops at that and I quickly rummage through my pocket before her mood can plummet too much. When I pull out a strip of orange cloth with a green oak tree in the center on one side her eyes widen in disbelief and her hand hesitantly reaches out to take it.

    I allow her even though I'm not entirely sure if this is the best idea. She did, however, put herself very much out there with the spectacle the two of us pulled and I thought it would be unfair to not at least reflect the sentiment. After a moment of looking it over she rushes over to the other side of her bed and reaches into her bags there exchanging one band of cloth for another and placing the blue-white band of hers into my hand clasping her fingers around mine with the band between us.

    We stay like that for a few moments, ignoring the noise of a screaming Ruby as her sister pulls off some sort of crazy move during their game. I don't think Weiss intends or expects either one of us to wear it, but the showing of faith and having the option seems to set her mind at ease. I know she'd be more than happy to just spend the evening basking in each other's company while occasionally tuning in to the antics of the rest of her team, but I admit that I'm curious about how her trip went since we haven't exactly had time to catch up with one another and it's probably for the best if I don't let that issue linger.

    Contact: I haven't had any contact with Weiss' family or the people she's close to. With my plans it might be best to get this out of the way rather than letting it fester. (2)

    Coral: She spent some time with Coral when she arrived in Vale. It might be prudent to ask about her time there. (1)

    SDC: I'm sure that with the break over she has some plans for her company. I could ask what they are and see if there's anything that I can do to help out. (0)

    Since this is going to be a difficult topic to broach even if her trip went well I decide to recount my own adventures in an abridged format. I have to leave out the part about being a provisional Huntsman for now since I don't want her team to overhear. That might be a small worry, but Goodwitch was insistent that I don't go spreading this around and while I'll tell Weiss later it's best not to take many chances. Especially since if that secret leaks out it might make them less inclined to trust me with information about the conspiracy that's going on.

    My talks on Stygia, what we found there, and travels go by easily enough with Weiss listening while staring me in the eyes and giving my hand the occasional squeeze. When I get to the village we stayed at my words slowly stop. The only thing of real note that happened there was the exploration of the caverns underneath the town. That happens to touch on two topics that I know she wouldn't like to have brought up but I've gone too far and promised that I wouldn't keep things from her.

    So, I start with how I discovered the caverns underneath the town and how they were filled with grimm and had a breach where more could come in. That fills her eyes with a sad resignation and she moves to reassure me until I mention how we already resolved the problem. It takes her a second to process that and then she starts fussing over me running her hands along my head and arms as if to check for some injury that somehow stuck with me despite this happening over a week ago. I get the feeling that if we weren't in the same room as her team she would take things even further.

    Eventually her examination stops and I can tell she's holding back a comment about how I shouldn't have risked myself like that. We're both Huntsmen so we know the sort of risks involved with the profession. That doesn't stop her from latching on to me and holding me close to her for several long seconds. It's more something for her to reassure herself than me, but I let her have it and whisper some reassurances back to her while trailing hands along her back.

    It's almost anticlimactic when I bring up the Dust deposits in the caverns and that is done with some reluctance as well. I know it'll set her mind towards work which will make her feel bad for having such thoughts during our time together, but at the same time it's not really something that I should put off for too long. Weiss surprises me during my follow up explanation of how I started preliminary negotiations with the Headsman by stopping me with a finger pressed against my lips

    "Ochre, you don't have to convince me. If you think something is a good idea you know you can go ahead with it, I trust you." I wasn't trying to convince her, at least I don't think I was doing so. Maybe bringing up how the town would be doomed without the assistance made it seem that way or something else about how I presented the subject. Regardless, I don't want to bring the mood down anymore than I have so I nod as if accepting her answer. I know that she'll do something or look into the matter now and that's enough.

    She waits patiently for the story of how the rest of my trip went, but aside from the Nevermore hunting in the Misty Mountains nothing really happened. With the conclusion of my recounting of events I fall silent and look at her meaningfully. She's aware enough to realize the unsaid request for reciprocation and I hope that's enough for her to open up without having to press her some more.

    She starts, much like I did, from the beginning and how her team stayed with her at Beacon until she had to leave for Atlas. For the most part they stayed in school doing quiet activities, team training, and occasionally hanging out with JNPR. Apparently she also had a front row seat to Jaune's grand display of affection for Pyrrha involving a banner and Jaune playing guitar while singing a cheesy song he wrote. It isn't hard to tell from my girlfriend's tone that she's utterly exasperated by why Pyrrha accepted, not understanding the appeal.

    I don't say anything, merely staring at her while her face heats up and she states that we're different without elaboration. I let her have that one, but there's no mistaking that from an outside perspective our relationship doesn't seem all that likely. Well unless one considers this all an act of rebellion on her part, which is an alien thought as far as Weiss is concerned. Her act of rebellion was going to Beacon in the first place and her plans to redeem the SDC. Once she gets over that brief stint of embarrassment she starts recounting her stay at the Schnee manor.

    "Klein was the only one to greet me when my ride touched down at the estate," she says in a complicated tone. Like she was hoping for more, but knows how vain that hope was. "We talked for a while and I think he approves." She grabs my hand once again and I don't miss the way her lips turn upwards at that, likely in relief that someone she cares about supports her decision. "Then I went to meet with Whitley."

    "And how did that go?"

    "It went-it went," she starts and then stops rapidly not knowing how to express how the meeting between her and her brother went aside from conveying that whatever occurred left her conflicted on what exactly happened. I give her hand a squeeze and that starts her up again, "I thought that it would go better. That there wouldn't be such a big distance between us, or that I could close it so easily, but despite my attempts he keeps himself largely polite and cautious. It's like he doesn't realize how big the gulf is between us and how much it hurts and how much I'm trying to mend that rift."

    Without meeting the boy there's only so much input I can have, but her words have me thinking that the situation is just as complicated on Whitley's end. Likely he's being so cautious because he's afraid of the rug being pulled out from underneath him. He doesn't have the same relationship with Weiss that she has with her sister and it's clear to me that's the comparison in her mind.

    "But the distance between the two of you didn't grow, did it," I state more than ask, assuring her that she achieved a victory even if it was smaller than she would have liked. I don't ask about how her meeting with Jacques went. If something important happened I trust that she'd tell me and I know it would only worsen her mood without providing much catharsis. I'm happy with just moving on, but Weiss clutches my hand with such pressure that I know she's working through it on her own and I stop any half-formed statements from escaping so I can give her my full attention.

    Even then it takes her a long moment to say anything and when she does it's with a certain hollowness in her voice. "Do you think I've done anything wrong, I mean not necessarily wrong, but immoral or taken things too far over the past few months?" I'm not sure what brought about this change in topic, however, I can tell it is important to her.

    Honestly she probably could have taken things further and I wouldn't have batted an eye, at least as long as she kept things professional and with her goal in mind. I've done worse things than a little blackmail which is what Weiss has kept herself to and even then she's made it a point not to target smaller businesses or those keeping to ethical practices. While I could explain that all to her I go with a much simpler, "No, not at all," and punctuate my statement with a kiss.

    Hopefully that'll help with her mood and the reassurance that I'm fully behind her isn't something that she'll miss. Following that she relaxes, like she was carrying a lot of tension that's suddenly unraveled. Fortunately for my curiosity I don't have to prompt her on why her thoughts drifted towards that during our conversation.

    "Father…approved of what we've been doing with the SDC. He even praised me," she bites out with enough emotion that even I feel second-hand disgust at the prospect. "Then he made my position with the Vale branch official and warned me off of expanding into Atlas and Mistral. Speaking of which he's giving Whitley a position in the SDC," she adds at the end like it's an afterthought in comparison to the rest of the conversation.

    That's admittedly a lot to unpack, but aside from the whole praise thing and Whitley's involvement isn't too far off of what we were expecting. The former at least informs me of why Weiss' thoughts drifted to the introspective there. If there's one thing that she fears more than anything it's turning out like her dad. It's one of the reasons why she's so hesitant to let work come between us, among others, and having the possibility practically waved in front of her face obviously didn't do her any good.

    Still, there isn't much more I can do for her that I haven't already done. I could take her mind off this matter further by asking about her time with Coral and while I'm interested in that I have to discard it in favor of attending to something else. We've put off actually introducing me to her family for a little too long. Family in this case being Winter, Klein, and now Whitley. I already know that she has no intention of introducing me to either her dad or her mom. Not that I necessarily blame her for that.

    Unfortunately with circumstances as they are I won't be able to meet them face to face like I'd prefer. I'm not going to have the opportunity to travel to Atlas anytime soon. Additionally with how my plans are progressing it's better to get this out of the way before I end up revealing myself as the leader of a movement within the White Fang. I'm not sure when exactly that will happen, but I get the feeling that it will have to happen soon. Too much is dependent on me increasing my influence for it to make sense on putting off for too long.

    Regardless, this room isn't the best place for that kind of conversation, especially over a call. Yang and Ruby are still being rambunctious with their game and over dramatically acting out their turns against one another. Plus I doubt that Ruby would pass on the chance of introducing herself to Weiss' family and that doesn't get into how Blake or Yang would react. That leaves us with only one other real option for privacy, that being my dorm room. My team will be there, but at least they know when to keep quiet even if I'll have to deal with Autumn and Kelly afterwards.

    I quickly explain my reasoning to my girlfriend and while she's convinced she makes a big show of being reluctant to leave her bed. The rest of her team are still absorbed in their game and I think if we were actually trying we'd be able to sneak out without any of them noticing. At least for Yang and Ruby, Blake catches us immediately,

    However, she doesn't say anything until we announce we're leaving for a few minutes. That prompts a knowing grin from Yang who has otherwise kept her expression unreadable as she stares at a hand full of cards while Ruby presses in on her city of Vale. Ruby on the other hand stops her monologue mid-sentence to give her approval followed by a second where she processes the potential implications before shaking her head as if that would make the idea not exist anymore.

    Instead of getting bogged down in an explanation I drag Weiss over to my dorm room. She wants to correct the record immediately, but we hardly have the time to waste. Atlas may not be that far ahead of Vale on time, but it's still rather late after we got dragged into that game. I'm sure she'll set them straight when she gets back.

    My team is in the middle of their own activities when we get back. Autumn with a comic, Kelly with one of her woodblocks, and Marina with her book. They look up for a second at my entrance before everyone except Kelly returns to their hobbies. Kelly looks in askance of what exactly is going on and Weiss sheepishly holds up her scroll which seems to be enough for Kelly to drop the subject, though she continues looking up at the two of us from time to time.

    The first person that Weiss tries to call is Winter, but we receive no response. She sighs at this, but it's with the weight that she was expecting this outcome. We leave a message and I'm sure I'll have to deal with her sister at a later date, but we move on to the next person on her list, Whitley.

    The call rings for a few seconds and I can tell she's resigned herself to him not answering as well. Fortunately just before we give up on that prospect he answers with his scroll displaying a video of himself and the room he's in. There's a big four poster bed and dressers off to his right and a desk off to his left with him obviously in a seat in front of what is presumably another desk. The desk in frame has two books open as well as a few others strewn about his desk and an open notebook with a pen resting atop it. Evidently he was in the middle of something, likely his studies, when we called.

    As for Whitely himself, his features are youthful enough that I think he's younger than Ruby. Not by much, perhaps only a year or two. His hair is the same stark White as Weiss' though much shorter and combed off to the side. His scroll is pointed in such a way that I don't get to see much below his neckline, but can tell that he's only in a white dress shirt. The angle is a little awkward which makes me think it's intentional on his part. I guess he's a bit self-conscious about how he's dressed and maybe his appearance in general.

    While I'm busy analyzing my target and waiting for Weiss to introduce me Whitley has decided to take the initiative. His eyes scan on his scroll, likely zeroing in on Weiss, then me, then back to Weiss. "Sister, do you know what time it is? I'm not some sort of show pony that you can prance in front of whoever you like."

    My girlfriend huffs at that and I know she's either fighting back or about to make some sort of comment when I decide to jump in and bring some much needed levity. I stare back at the scroll with the most dead behind the eyes expression I can muster and flatly state, "Don't worry you get used to it."

    Weiss immediately turns towards me while crying out my name and giving my shoulder a push. I'm sure she's blushing a bit as well, but I have to play my part and continue looking at the scroll like I'm unaffected. Whitley meanwhile stares blankly at the byplay going on, likely not connecting how his sister is currently acting to anything he's expected of her. His eyes shift again, likely looking at me on his screen and I notice the slight twitch of his lips.

    "I would certainly hope not, I have a reputation to uphold. Just imagine the things people would see if she paraded me around like some sort of-" he stops himself suddenly and with how his statement was progressing I can likely assume what his next word was going to be. Good on him for having enough tact to know when to stop. It still does what it was intended to do as Weiss ducks her head a little, likely reflecting on how she's done exactly that with myself.

    "Ochre Rovere," I introduce myself, "it's a pleasure to finally talk with you." With a groundwork of camaraderie, or at least mutual suffering shared, I figure that we've teased Weiss enough.

    "Whitley Schnee," he reflects with an ease of practice, "charmed." Any previous glee that he may have gained from seeing a new side to his sister quickly vanishes after our mutual introduction. A calculating glint in his eyes is the only indication to me that he's searching for why exactly we're calling him. Likely some of that is due to Weiss not being overly involved in his life beforehand, but in this case there is somewhat an ulterior motive regardless and I don't know how much of that he's picking up on.

    I already decided that this has been put off for too long, but the question remains on what is the best way to deal with this. On one hand it might be best to explain things like I did with Weiss and be completely honest and open about my connection with the Fang and my plans for the immediate future. On another, I don't know how much Whitley would share with Jacques and it might be best for me to dance around the topic and allude to it so it isn't as much of a shock when the news does come out. Finally I could keep mum on the topic and focus on trying to ingratiate myself towards him, which may be difficult with how closed off he is.

    Allusion: It's probably best that I make an announcement of some sort, but subtlety and tact is paramount here with the possibility of otherwise interfering with my plans. (3)

    Impression: There's no reason to make this any more complicated than it needs to be. I should just focus on making the best impression that I can. (1)

    Honesty: It's worked out a lot better than it probably should have in the past and maybe it's worth taking that gamble one or two more times. (0)

    For the first time in a long-time I listen to my cautious nature. It's worked out well ignoring it for the most part with the friends I've made in Beacon, but Whitley is just too close to Jacques for me to risk revealing the whole truth. It's possible that Weiss may take issue with me leaving him in the dark while filling in the rest of her meaningful family, but that's a risk that I'm willing to take. Besides, it's not like I've decided what exactly I'm going to tell Winter. For Klein I'll likely reveal a little bit more, Weiss trusts him enough that I owe her that much and he doesn't have the connections to the Atlesian military that makes the prospect of fully informing Winter a dangerous prospect.

    It also brings to mind that I haven't told Weiss about that particular secret yet. Hopefully she'll understand that I had a good reason for doing it and it's something that I'll have to give mind to for the next time we meet up. Either way, my promise to her was to inform her before the Vytal Festival was over and I'll have to keep my word on that one way or another.

    All that thinking took me a few seconds, but Whitley has been content or wary enough that he hasn't tried moving the conversation forward and Weiss is still trying to puzzle through some thoughts of her own as well as what just happened. "I like what you've done with your hair, I can tell that you've put effort into it," I compliment, figuring that it would be best to play to his ego since he cares about his appearance.

    "Oh this. It's just a thing that I do in the morning. Barely any trouble at all," he responds with false-modesty while running one of his hands along his hairline, pushing an errant strand of hair back where it should be. The action of which causes him to still for a moment before darting his hand behind his back out of frame. "I like how you've dealt with that criminal in Vale, a jail cell is far too good for his kind, am I right," he replies quickly with an even tone. Like it's just expected that he has to reciprocate with a compliment of his own.

    If I had to guess, that sort of behavior has been instilled in him by either his teachers or Jacques and reinforced by any meetings he's had with the Atlesian upper class. Furthermore I think my compliment snuck by any of his usual defenses since it struck at a part he's self-conscious about without attacking him in any way. His response on the other hand comes off as vacuous and perfunctory, barely saying anything about how he feels on the matter and providing a pithy comment that he probably thought reflected my own sentiments.

    "I'm sorry could you repeat that. You cut out for a moment there," I lie after a moment of deliberation. If he's smart he'll realize there's likely no way that actually happened; Beacon is host to the CCT tower of Vale and I doubt the Schnees have skimped on providing the best CCT connection money can buy. I also incline my head towards Weiss, which can be taken any number of ways and how he responds will tell me a lot about him as a person.

    He opens his mouth at first to simply repeat what he just said until he thinks it over. I get a front row seat to him thinking over the same things that I just did as well as how to interpret my actions. "I…appreciate that you've been helping my sister."

    His statement is just as vague as the last one and I would suspect that it was entirely disingenuous, something that he thought I wanted to hear, if it wasn't for the air of heavy reluctance in his voice when he admits that. It still seems like he was doing it to curry favor with me or his sister or as a trained part of his behaviors. However, with that reluctance I'm sure there's something genuine lying underneath it all. He might not realize it himself, but it's there nonetheless.

    Weiss doesn't miss what just happened, but aside from dabbing at her eyes and a slight smile she makes no move to react any further. That wasn't necessarily my intention though I have no problem taking the credit here. Unfortunately I'm not here to play counselor entirely and I doubt that I'd be able to sneak something like that past Whitley again.

    I make a noncommittal noise as a way to close out our previous line of dialogue and say, "So I'm not sure what all Weiss has told you about me," inviting a response from him.

    "She's told me plenty," he answers evasively and I fight back a frown. After having to deal with Ozpin's evasiveness I'm not much in the mood for it. Though, like Ozpin and unlike my other friends, I can't exactly pin him on his evasiveness and compel a straight answer from him. Some amount of my frustration, or perhaps his own vindictiveness, compels him to elaborate, "Why I could scarcely go a day in the manor without her saying something about you or your relationship."

    His comment passes over me since I doubt Weiss would be very vocal about what we have. She prefers to show off our relationship, but otherwise likes to keep to herself on private matters. His comment, however, wasn't meant for me it was meant for her and she's about to respond in a firm denial of that's not what happened. That would lead into a whole tangent that I'm not willing to deal with so I cut in again.

    "Yes, well then I'm sure she's told you about how I've been working with the VPD for my investigations and to improve faunus relations. I'm even working to de-escalate the situation with the White Fang." None of that is a lie, though it is a misrepresentation of the facts. While I never connected my two statements directly the implication is there and I know most people would pick up on that over looking for a deeper meaning. A touch of false bravado to my performance should assist with that as well.

    "I'm not sure you should bother," he offers neutrally. I can tell that he has further thoughts on the subject but is holding them back on account of some amount of respect or rapport that I or Wiess have built with him. Weiss is still glaring at me for interrupting her again and I do feel a bit bad for freezing her out of the conversation. I'll make it up to her later, but for now I have to focus on the conversation at hand and Whitley gave me the perfect opening to follow up on.

    "And I respectfully disagree, Whitley. I used to run with a bad crowd, so believe me when I say the possibility is there for something more amicable to be present." I finish my statement by throwing a meaningful look Weiss' way. She tries to keep up her stern facade, but it slowly breaks down as time goes on.

    That's about as blatant as I'm willing to get with him and I have no doubt that he'll put the pieces of that statement together. It's not really a part of my past that I feel any need to hide at this point even if I recognize the usefulness of approaching the reveal tactfully. It's not even a secret at Beacon and it's only a matter of time until the information would leak out of the campus and to either the media or the Atlas Military. Either would be a surefire way of him finding out in the end and it's best to deal with it now.

    "I- Weiss," he starts off with a panicked voice. I guess that's further confirmation that he's still concerned about her despite any complicated feelings he might have on the matter.

    "Whitley," she cuts in, "I know. It's alright."

    "But, he-"

    "I said it's alright," she announces, her voice imperious and brooking no disagreement on the matter. "Everyone at Beacon already knows about Ochre's past and Professor Ozpin is personal friends with General Ironwood. If they had a problem with him and what he's done they would have done something about it. They trust him enough to be here. I trust him."

    "But what about Father," Whitley continues rapidly, the reassurance only slightly dampening the mess of energy within him. "What will he think about this when he finds out?"

    "I don't care what Father thinks and neither should you Whitley. He only cares about himself and we need to stick together," she snaps and then after a moment of thinking it over continues. "Even if you don't agree, I'll be there to help you out whenever you need it."

    I'm not sure that's as reassuring to Whitley as she thinks it should be. Likely in the boy's mind there's no real way for Weiss to stand up to her father and that's wearing at him. He probably believes it would take an act of god or some superior power to bring Jacques low, though his response leads me to believe he fears his father more than respects him which is something we can work with in the future.

    "I-I should go to bed, it's late enough as it is." His attempt at evading the issue is obvious and neither Weiss nor myself feel the need to try to catch him out on this. He stares silently for a moment, probably deliberating on saying it was nice to meet or talk with me as politeness dictates. Eventually he ends the call without further comment, the turmoil he must be feeling winning out over his need to keep up appearances. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but what's done is done.

    The conversation wasn't only taxing on him, however. Weiss has one of her hands balled up due to the reminder of her Father. Additionally how skittish Whitley was at the end there likely hasn't helped things either and has set her mind back to her time at the manor. If we didn't have one more person on our list I'd be fine with comforting her for the next little while, but alas we have to keep our momentum.

    "At least Klein already approves, so the next call can't be too bad right," I joke, hoping to lighten the mood a little. My girlfriend just shakes her head at me then leans in closer and sets her head on my shoulder in an act of commiseration. I run my hand through her hair as my own act of reassurance while she gathers the strength to go with making one more call for the night. It sort of makes me glad that we couldn't reach Winter at this time because I'm sure that would have worn on Weiss more than the conversation with Whitley.

    It barely takes her a minute to be ready to call Klein, likely due to this being a far less charged conversation than the previous one. In fact she's practically giddy at the prospect of talking with the man again. I get the feeling that she only delayed this long in the hope that Whitley would call us back.

    It only takes one ring for him to answer and reveal himself as a balding man with brown hair at the side of his head and a bushy brown mustache that covers the top of his lip and extends a bit further to the sides. He's dressed in a white sleeved shirt and black vest with a blue tie. Despite taking the call he hasn't stopped his tasks as shown by how the frame bounces with each of his steps and the surroundings passing by in the background.

    He takes one look at the two of us together and immediately says, "Miss Schnee, and this is Master Ochre I presume."

    "Just Ochre," I correct, not liking that level of deference.

    "Of course Master Ochre." I don't miss how his mustache shifts at that statement and I have to assume it's mostly performative. He seems like the type to be able to pull off a deadpan if he really wanted to. Plus how I can practically feel Weiss glow up next to me at his antics has me thinking I'm right on the mark.

    "I think you can guess as to the nature of this call," I venture cautiously.

    "Of course," he states, his voice perfectly level, "should I transfer you to Master Jacques immediately?" Unfortunately his attempt at a joke falls flat since I don't react in a meaningful way for him to build off of. I'm not the one who has a problem interacting with Jacques, I'm sure it'd be an…interesting conversation. That's hardly the reason why I'm calling and I doubt I'd want Weiss with me at the time.

    Seeing that line of inquiry has met a dead end he coughs into his fist and carries on like nothing happened. "It's a shame that you couldn't come over this Winter. Should I be expecting your company this upcoming Summer?"

    That's a probable occurrence in my mind, I doubt Weiss would allow me to slink out of another break without spending some time with her and if she goes back to Atlas I'd at least follow her to keep her company. I could answer that and be fine with this conversation, but that's not what he's actually asking here.

    "If she's willing," I say instead and send a meaningful look towards Weiss who nods happily at that. When I turn back Klein's eyes are a bright yellow, which is a little confusing. Probably a semblance of some description. I know Yang's affects her eye-color, but that begs the question of what his semblance does and why it affects him like that.

    "Well, thank you for calling and I must apologize I-" he starts.

    "Actually there's more that I needed to tell you," I say before he can end the conversation. He pauses allowing me to take my time and formulate what exactly I want to say. While one part of me wants to keep things as vague as I did with Whitley, another has to respect the amount of trust Weiss puts in this man and I have to hope that trust is well-placed.In the end I settle for a middle ground of sorts, more blunt and explicit than I was with Whitley, but I'm not going to reveal all of my cards.

    "I've worked with the White Fang," I say, keeping my tense deliberately in the past, but not mentioning anything about breaking away or no longer being with them. "Now I'm working to normalize relations as much as I can and help people get away from the more destructive elements. I guess you could say that I'm leading the charge on that here in the Vale area."

    I'm not sure how up to date he is with the going ons of Vale, but it wouldn't be hard for him to connect the dots there if he really wanted to now. That's already more than I'm willing to say normally and it's only Weiss' presence at my side that prevents me from thinking I've done something wrong.

    Klein remains silent for a moment, digesting what I just told him and his eyes returning to their normal(?) brown. "That is a noble goal," he says in his previous level tone, though with a hint of hesitation following it. "As long as you and Miss Schnee remain safe I suppose there's no harm in it. But, I worry that you may get in over your heads."

    I get the feeling that he isn't saying the full breadth of his feelings on the matter, instead remaining deferential in support of Weiss and her choices. If I end up putting Weiss in danger because of my actions I think that tune will change rather rapidly, but that was already something I suspected regardless of who I was talking to.

    It appears that this conversation will be a much shorter one than the one with Whitley as I don't have to get a hold of Klein's measure nearly as much, already informed on him due to my conversations with Weiss. Additionally he is much more, not accepting necessarily, but willing to go along without needing much convincing. I suppose he does trust Weiss to look out for herself and is trying to be supportive in his own way.

    Just as I'm about to say my goodbyes so I can return Weiss to her room and get some sleep myself Klein interrupts, "With that business out of the way I have a request that I'm afraid I must make." The seriousness with which he says that catches me and Weiss by surprise. At worst I was expecting something like a general request to look out for her or maybe make sure she's safe, but this feels like something more grave. Still it wouldn't hurt to at least hear him out so I wave with my hand for him to get on with it. "You see I was just bringing a drink to one of Miss Schnee's parents and I felt it would do them a world of good to have a conversation with you Master Ochre."

    Something about the way he's phrasing all of that has my suspicions twigged, but before I can think it through or say anything Weiss speaks up. "Klein, it's late. There's no reason for us to bother Father with this." Once again it's not as terrifying a prospect to me as it is to Weiss, but I don't think Klein would be callous enough to inflict that on her with what I know of the man.

    He looks down and then back up with almost hollow eyes, the light behind them having faded several notches. "I wasn't referring to Master Jacques," he says simply and lets the realization sink in. "I'm sorry snowflake. I know how you feel, but it's my duty to at least make the attempt."

    Weiss doesn't bother listening to his explanation, halfway through getting up and putting as much distance between herself and the scroll resulting in her ending up next to the twins with Kelly setting aside her woodblock to deal with the Schnee heiress. Autumn does the same with his comic, but is content with letting Kelly handle the matter

    A part of me wants to stand in solidarity with my girlfriend and refuse to be a part of this procession of events while another part knows how much it would mean to her if I could somehow help repair the relationship she used to have with her mother. Even with the hope of that possibility being practically miniscule I can't convince myself that it's the best course of action.

    "What makes you think this is even a good idea," I eventually ask, both out of curiosity and to help make up my mind on the matter. If I was in his position I wouldn't think bringing in an arguable stranger to talk with a person not in the best state of mind would be anything other than a horrible idea.

    "I know it must seem strange, but Mistress Willow does still care for her children in her own way. She was happy to hear that Miss Schnee was visiting and equally distraught when the two of them never spoke to one another."

    "I'm not sure I agree," I respond with carefully maintained neutrality. It's hard for me to imagine that anyone who cared about their children would treat them the way Willow has, essentially ignoring them. Then again my only frame of reference is my own dad. Well that's not entirely right, there is also Taiyang, Yang and Ruby's dad.

    The topic of him hasn't come up too terribly often, but he took the loss of his second wife especially hard and refused to tell Yang about her mom until his hand was forced. Despite that he still cared enough to threaten me for even possibly being involved with his daughter and otherwise I've heard good things about him. I suppose that it's not impossible that something similar is going on with Willow even if I think that I'm not the best choice.

    "I have to ask for you to extend me a little bit of trust. I've been in the employ of the Schnee's for decades now, so this request isn't being made frivolously. I fear that rekindling a connection between her and any of her children is currently impossible, but I have hope that her making a connection with someone else, someone close to her children or one of them at any rate will make the process viable in the future."

    "So it's a longshot and you're desperate for any sort of solution," I surmise.

    He bristles at that and his mustache shakes back and forth as he reigns in his emotions. "I wouldn't put it that way myself, but it isn't inaccurate. Even then I have to have faith that something will work and I have faith that Miss Schnee's trust isn't misplaced. Is it misplaced Master Ochre," he questions with a raised eyebrow. I don't miss his attempt at manipulation here, associating me declining this request or bumbling it as a sign that I've abused Weiss' trust. Something that makes my personal opinion of the man go down even as I have to offer him some begrudging respect for going that far for his charges.

    "Fine," I bite out, still not entirely happy with this series of events. I'd much rather be comforting my girlfriend right now or getting ready to sleep. His stubbornness on the matter convinces me to give this a shot no matter how vanishingly unlikely it is to actually help.

    He nods at that and it's the last coherent thing I'm able to pick out of the video as I hear him open a door to a room followed by mumbled conversation. The camera finally stabilizes with a wide frame of the room with half of it being covered by Klein's up close face. Likely setting it on a surface within the room which doesn't lead to the most promising picture of Weiss' mom's capabilities right now if she couldn't handle the responsibility of holding up a scroll throughout a call.

    A moment later Klein takes his leave and exits the frame revealing the rest of the room which I largely ignore in favor of focusing on the woman within. She has the same white hair as Weiss and Whitley pulled off to her left-hand side and some age lines underneath her blue eyes. She's dressed in a nightie with a bottle of wine in her hand and no glass in sight.

    From what I'm seeing and what Weiss has told me she likely drinks herself to sleep each night. I know it started as a gradual thing that led into this current sorry state, but I still can't square that away with how Klein was adamant that she cares for her children. Even if I were to accept that it wouldn't do anything to diminish what I feel towards the woman who's ended up hurting Weiss as much as her father did. Even the obvious and pitiable depression wafting off her isn't enough to turn me sympathetic.

    The more I think about it the more I think this is a terrible idea, but refrain from turning off my scroll. I resolved to at least make the attempt and I can rein in what I feel for a few minutes without too much issue. Anything after that seems like a pipe dream and I doubt that without someone reaching out to her that Willow would find the motivation to keep anything up long-term. Heck, she might not even remember this conversation by time we're done.

    Fortunately I have a few more moments to get myself under control as Willow drags a chair in front of where the scroll was placed in order to take a seat for the conversation. During this set-up Marina puts down her book and walks over to see what has my emotions so stirred up. She's confused as to what could have caused it and ends up standing next to me in order to see what's going on the scroll. I keep her out of frame because I doubt seeing another girl with white hair would help Willow's mental state right now and I'm not nearly vindictive enough to force that on her, at least not yet.

    It takes a few more moments until Willow is properly situated and she stares at the scroll for a moment before dragging her gaze to her bottle and then back again. I'm still trying to formulate what exactly I'm supposed to say while keeping my emotions in check. A task made only harder because I don't want Marina to pick up on anything and that leads to a lot of thoughts being terminated before they could reach their conclusion.

    "So you're the man that my daughter is dating," she asks, her words hardly slurred. Either she isn't as drunk as her state would otherwise indicate or she has had the practice of keeping her poise and speech in check regardless of her state of inebriation. I, still not having the words to respond, simply nod. Willow stares off in the distance for a few seconds before setting her bottle next to the scroll and out of frame. "How is she?"

    I can't help myself and my eyes drift upwards to see how Weiss is reacting or if she even heard what was said in the first place. Given how she's frozen up and her arms are inching inwards upon herself it's a safe guess to say that she heard and isn't taking this well. Before it was easy for her to dismiss her mother as simply uncaring or neglectful, but if she actually cared even a little bit and still ignored her that makes it worse in her mind.

    I'm of a similar mind to agree and I struggle with not just ending the call immediately. If that's the kind of woman Willow is then she isn't worth the hurt that Weiss is going through. I stop myself with some effort and with a few seconds more I'm sure that I'd have my emotions under enough control to give a proper response.

    "She's sad," Marina says, pointing her finger at the screen before I can get my thoughts in order. She announces it with a heaping of pride in her voice like it's some great accomplishment. Which, admittedly for her, it is. She still has difficulty telling emotions without the help of her semblance so it isn't surprising that it required Willow, who's almost the picture of a depressed woman with how her eyes are sunken and her limbs remain limp and defeated when not holding something, for her to pick up on that basic of an emotion.

    It does, however, massively complicate things as Willow looks on in confusion until I tilt Weiss' scroll to include Marina in the frame. Fortunately Marina and Weiss are different enough that she doesn't confuse Marina for her daughter which could only be disastrous. "You're right, little one," she says with measured gentleness. "But where are my manners? My name is Willow and yours is?"

    "Marina," she chirps back happily, utterly uncaring about any sort of tact. "Why?"

    That question is addressed to me, but she takes it to have been addressed to her and I'm unable to get the words out before she answers. "My daughter left, she left me." Weiss is standing up to leave the room and I'm already all but shoving her scroll into my partner's hands.

    Marina ,as focused as she is on the scroll instead of the room, still doesn't seem to see anything wrong with this series of events. Instead she asks, "Why," again.

    "Because she'd rather go to Beacon then spend another day at this house." Weiss has made it to the door and I'm following quickly after her.

    A moment of silence followed by another "Why," from Marina. Weiss is already in the hallway and I strain to hear the last response before closing the door after me.

    "Because she's better off without me."

    I think I see Kelly and Autumn moving to assist with Marina, but I can't worry about that right now as I have a different responsibility to attend to. It's hard not to immediately blame Klein for the whole situation, but he had no way of knowing the limits on our privacy or that even Weiss would stay in the same room as me while I talked with her mom. If it were last semester I can't imagine this would have happened this way, but the die has been cast and all that's left is to pick up the pieces.

    Fortunately Weiss hasn't gotten too far and is standing outside her team's dorm fighting back quiet sobs and trying to make herself presentable before facing her team. I don't hesitate coming up behind her and wrapping her in a hug. She stiffens at first, but when she realizes that it's me she lets herself go almost limp while still trying to fight back her emotions.

    I can't do much aside from be there for her and while it's tempting to use my semblance to give her more time to pull herself together or process what just went on she quickly gets herself back under control. Not normal by any stretch of the imagination, but under control and I can tell she just wants to go to sleep and forget everything she just heard. It probably isn't the healthiest way to deal with what just happened, but I can't find it within myself to deny her this bit of escapism. Without much more thought she opens the door with a plastic smile on her face and I resolve that I'm going to have to put in a little bit more effort than just a comforting hug.

    I follow her in, to the surprise of the rest of her team who are in the middle of putting up the game and the luggage we used as a makeshift table. It takes them a second of looking at Weiss to realize that something is up and think better of addressing the matter for the night, but I'm sure we'll have to answer questions in the morning.

    Weiss is so out of it that she doesn't even notice that I followed her in until we get to her bed. I'm still not climbing into that deathtrap and I think it'd be a step too far for team RWBY regardless and resolve myself to sleeping on the floor next to her bed. Close enough that she can hold my hand or reach out to touch me which is all the comfort I can provide her for now.

    Out of respect for the rest of team RWBY I end up covering my eyes with the cloth Weiss handed me as a makeshift blindfold. It probably doesn't offset all the awkwardness of having me stay in the room, but I can at least assure them that my intentions are pure. While the rest of them prepare for bed, which I can only tell by the sound of ruffled clothes and running water, Weiss is content staying at the side of her bed and either holding my hand or running her hand across my upper ears. Eventually her motions still as she drifts off to slumber and I get myself as comfortable as I can manage despite the awkward circumstances.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • S2 Week 1 (Part 3)
  • Threadmarks
    • The next day is a more somber affair with Weiss quiet for most of it. I'm not there to keep her company when she wakes up; getting kicked out by Yang so I'd have enough time to get ready for the school day instead. Marina on the other hand goes through the rest of the day with a confused or complicated expression on her face. I guess she doesn't relate what she did to how it affected us, at least not completely. Otherwise she would provide a token apology at the bare minimum like she did when she realized she upset me the last time.

    Speaking of which, I'm still missing a bit of context from what happened last night with Marina and Willow, but from what Kelly has told me after her and Autumn set the conversation back to a more neutral ground the two of them kept talking. Primarily of Marina bombarding Willow with questions until the latter couldn't answer them any more. Honestly it sounds like a bad time for Weiss' mom, but I'm not sure I care too much about her right now and Marina doesn't seem to be negatively affected by their conversation.

    I file that away as something to deal with later as I turn my attention to the state of the Union. I let out a sigh as it feels like I've had to work much harder this first week back at Beacon than I've had to before. Although I content myself in the knowledge that this state should be temporary and things will be back to normal soon. Unfortunately that does nothing to resolve the problems that I have to deal with now.

    Blake, Terra, and Tukson did a good job managing things in my absence, or about as well as could be expected and they expanded both Terra's charitable works and our presence within the local watches to such an extent that they're taking up half of our manpower and our coverage extends to the majority of the watch associations now.

    Most of these are new recruits which have strained the organizational capabilities of the Union with the managers and directors taking on nearly double their usual workload. Fortunately things have died down on their own and things are winding down as we find people ready and willing to take up the responsibility of leading their fellows.

    That's at least one problem that I won't have to deal with, but we have unfortunately grown to such an extent that the main branch of the White Fang wouldn't be able to miss our presence. That's only further exacerbated by the rather public split that the Vale branch has done in my absence.

    It isn't a problem, per se, but it does introduce some difficulties as we'll have to establish proper communications with Sienna's branch at least. A further complication is that the Vale region is the primary source of Lien and material for the broader Fang and now that we don't have the option of hiding away our income we'll have to decide how to deal with the matter.

    Since we've already decided to stay with the Fang and make our schism an internal matter, the logical course of action would be to give the rest of the Fang their due in order to maintain positive relations. It would make it easier to keep in contact with the other branches and if we appear to be on the same side it should make recruiting within the ranks of the other branches easier if not something that could be done entirely in the open.

    It would, however, be a bad look for the Union to be providing funds that would almost certainly end up being used for criminal or terrorist purposes. There's really no way around that if we provide open funding as with the current structure of the Fang it's inevitable that one of the cells will do something shady or outlandish and that bad press would splash back on us. This would make it more difficult to interface with the more legal side of things that we've been trending to, but the trade off could be worth it.

    Of course we don't have to provide the broader Fang with the funds they seek without any strings attached. The easiest to implement would be a rudimentary check that the funds can't be directly linked to funding the Fang's worse behaviors. It would be foolish to think this would stop all Lien we send them from ending up in such operations, but it would be a fig leaf of neutrality that we could wave to outside parties as a show of our ideals. It wouldn't fool everyone, but it might fool enough of them to be worth the trade offs.

    Said trade-offs would include focusing more of our personnel on checking where our Lien is going as well as worsening relations with the broader Fang. They aren't going to appreciate all the hoops they have to jump through and might think the Vale branch as uppity or rebellious for insisting on these checks when before we'd simply provide them the Lien without asking too many questions.

    Additionally, tying up our personnel would mean that our capabilities will be more strained for the immediate future. Especially since the people needed for this are either among our management branch or have skills that might be better off used elsewhere. In addition to that strain it would also make expansion slower as some of the new recruits would have to be forwarded to this operation in order to keep up with our growth.

    Lastly is just refusing to fund the operations of the broader Fang unless their methods or organization change. Or for as long as we see fit really. The power of the purse might encourage the rest of the Fang towards moderation and is a valuable tool that we could use.

    Unfortunately it would certainly cause the rest of the Fang to regard us as adversarial at best and mutinous at worst. Even if we keep calling ourselves a part of the Fang the rest of them are unlikely to think that's the case. Plus considering my relationship with Weiss it'd be easy for uninvolved faunus to think this is all some sort of operation on the behalf of Atlas or the SDC to starve out the White Fang.

    It also wouldn't last for too terribly long in my opinion. While Vale is the main sort of income for the branches, Mistral isn't completely bereft of funding either. They might have to cut back on their operations or work more closely with the crime families in Mistral, but they have options other than capitulation to the Union. I'm not sure what exactly Sienna would choose to do, but I doubt she'd take it lying down and seek some solution to her problems.

    Regardless of what I choose, it's probably in my best interest to open up a dialogue with Sienna in the near future now that I've secured a position of power. Exact terms for any of my more restrictive arrangements can be discussed then or I could use the opportunity to ingratiate myself to her if I go for the less restrictive option.

    Restricted: Unfortunately the previous relationship the Fang had with the Vale branch is no longer tenable. Institute some restrictions to make it more difficult for the funds to be misused, but we'll have to deal with scrutiny from both sides. (5)

    Freely: Providing funds to the broader Fang is going to be controversial, but it will provide the best relations and the greatest level of access to the Fang. Most useful if I think most of the Fang can be talked into our position. (0)

    Cut-Off: The power of withholding funds from the broader Fang is too useful to pass up and will give us a large leg in potential negotiations. The exact terms would have to be discussed with the Mistral branch or Sienna, but it's sure to make us some enemies. (0)

    With the question of funding out of the way the next thing I have to deal with is what to focus the efforts of the Union on. While it's tempting to just continue on our course of improving the community of Vale and further integrating ourselves within the available power structures, that might not be the best course of action. Especially with the changing circumstances. Additionally it's no longer required for me to take an active hand in all of the Union's operations and we've expanded to the degree that we can focus on more long term prospects.

    The ones that immediately come to mind are the ones focusing on expansion particularly in any of the four Kingdoms. While we've already made a good amount of progress in Vale we're still vying for control of the White Fang's assets here and additionally the prospects of the upcoming council election provides a juicy target for the Union if we can establish ourselves enough. On a similar note Atlas' elections should also be occurring next year and while that's much more of a long-shot the comparatively smaller council of Atlas would grant our candidate more power if they were to win.

    Unfortunately the other two Kingdoms aren't having an election during that time. That doesn't make them any less valuable of a target, for example, Vacuo. While it normally isn't known for anything special nowadays, it is the logical progression for our expansion. Plus with Weiss having to funnel her own expansion efforts in that direction there's a certain appeal in supporting her there.

    As for Mistral, it is the seat of the White Fang for a reason and winning over what is arguably the most influential branch of the Fang would be monumental in furthering my goals. Unfortunately, depending on our choices it may be hard to establish a foothold in the region and it's not like we'd be free from predation by the crime families that call the Kingdom home.

    There is also one last option that I can think of and that's assisting Menagerie. I wouldn't expect to gain much influence or expand the capabilities of our organization by doing so, but leveraging the resources we have available to help my homeland has always been a goal of mine and with the opportunity now available I can't dismiss it out of hand. This would largely involve sending supplies to the island and trying to get it up to speed with the other Kingdoms. I suspect most of the resources would go to the CCT relays and a rudimentary airship dock.

    This, of course, comes with the caveat that the Albain brothers would be brought onto the world stage of the White Fang quicker as well as shoring up their position. That may be worth it as I might be able to get their support for my ambitions, but that relies on their own plans not interfering with mine. Something that I'm not completely sure of just yet. On the other hand, it would also make the area easier for Weiss and her portion of the SDC to set up operations and that may help her out and subsequently myself further down the line. It just won't have as much benefits towards my influence in the short term and introduces further complications that I have to deal with.

    Maybe there are more long-term prospects that I can consider, but those are what come to mind and it's not like that's all I have to decide on. The projects that I left in the hands of the Union were only supposed to last for the month I was gone and now they're ready to redirect those resources to where I best see fit. Naturally my lieutenants want resources directed to their own projects, though I've been able to keep final say on what we're doing.

    Naturally all of the projects that were available before I left on Winter break are available now, though there are some diminishing returns to focusing on expanding our influence into the local watches. We don't have complete control over all of them, but we have enough influence over the majority that any issues should be an outlier to the project.

    It isn't without benefit though, as I suspect those within these watches that have done well will either have a similar relationship with the VPD going forward or be a choice pick for the next batch of officers if they wish to pursue that path. It may, however, send off the wrong message to be focusing so much on this area if we're trying to present ourselves in a more open and welcoming light as I'm sure the implications won't be lost on everyone.

    In addition to these previous projects there are a few new ones that have popped up, mainly due to the presence of Spider and Wave as well as the recent revelations I've received from Ozpin. While merely investigating the two new crime syndicates is still on the table it may also be beneficial to show them that we aren't willing to be pushed around. Without much pushback I imagine that they'll grow bolder with their plays. While the VPD and Atlas will try to come down on them I doubt this issue is going to be resolved anytime soon. This will naturally focus more on Spider than Wave as Spider is the one that's encroaching our interests.

    It does, however, do little to paint us in a good light with the authorities or the public at large. It'd be easy to construe that we're fighting with them for influence over the city, which isn't an inaccurate sentiment, instead of merely defending ourselves. It also comes with the risk that Blake and Terra might disapprove. I find that to be a low possibility as I'm sure the two of them would understand the need to stand up to criminals, but it might be something that weighs on them and makes them more cautious in the future.

    It might also behoove us to expand our influence more directly and focus our efforts on converting or pushing out the rest of the fragments of the Vale branch before they can get too entrenched. Those loyal to Adam or extremists in general will have to be pushed out of the city or turned over to the VPD while the rest could potentially be recruited. Unfortunately this will certainly push our administrative capacities past the straining point and issues will pop up. I'll probably have to spare some of my time attending to these issues and with the current obligations I'm under that's a difficult prospect to face.

    Lastly is focusing on the information that Ozpin has revealed to me. Now I won't be revealing what I've learned to anyone under me, but that doesn't mean that I can't leverage their resources and expertise to find things out on my own.

    The first thing that comes to mind is verifying his claims that someone is controlling the grimm. I'm still holding a healthy amount of skepticism and historical records on grimm movements should show some level of deviancy from their normal behaviors if there is a controlling intelligence behind them. Heck if I'm lucky enough it might even point us towards where she's operating and that would bring us one step closer to bringing this to an end.

    Next is to look into the Mistral area, particularly with the headmaster Leonardo Lionheart. He has to be involved, either unwittingly or otherwise, due to Cinder and her crew being registered with Haven Academy. It's possible that's the extent of his involvement, but if I were Watts, or Salem in this case, I wouldn't leave such a valuable piece on the board when I've already have an in to suborn him. I imagine that Ozpin would like to do his own investigation into this matter, but an extra set of eyes never hurts and I may get results faster.

    The final bit related to Ozpin is to have my agents come over folklore and fairy tales while trying to find the historical events that inspired them. I'm not sure how exactly I'd sell this to the other members of the Union, but as long as I keep expenditures on this matter relatively low I think I could pass it off as a bit of eccentricity on my part. A little damaging to my image, but nothing that I can't deal with.

    The only benefit that comes to mind is I might find something else to follow up on. If some of those tales turned out to be true that doesn't preclude others from also being true and I suspect Ozpin has been hiding quite a bit of what he knows so finding out for myself may be the best course of action here.

    As a part of the organization revamp there are now short-term, medium-term, and long-term options. Short-term work as previous organization actions did and represent the flex potential of the organization able to react to immediate circumstances and changes. Medium-term takes place over the period of a month, usually, and represents the various directives and pulls of the organization. Long-term take place over three months and are mainly focused on the big-picture elements. The amount and ratio of these actions is dependent on size and structure of the organization.
    Vacuo: The next logical choice for progression. We have easy access geographically and no real opposition in the area. Plus being able to support Weiss' actions has an appeal. (5)

    Menagerie: less of an expansion and more of an assistance to my homeland. It would mean they're ready for the world stage sooner while also bringing the brothers to the forefront. (1)

    Atlas: Probably the hardest, or second hardest, Kingdom for us to expand into. If we were able to pull it off though it would be a whole new sector of resources and influence at our disposal. (0)

    Vale: Our position in Vale could be better and focusing on expansion there is easier than anywhere else. Plus with the upcoming council election it might be the best choice for gaining legitimate influence. (0)

    Mistral: The seat of the modern White Fang and Sienna's domain. It'd be difficult to break into here, but if we were able to get enough influence that would make expanding into the other branches easier. (0)
    Community Policing: While we already have a controlling influence over most of the local watches, going even further can still provide some more benefits as well as tying us closer to the VPD. (3)

    Chasing Tales: A bit more of a longshot, but there may be more tales that have a ring of truth to them and having someone else sift through that dross will help me separate fact from fiction. (2)

    White Fang Absorption: With the other two splinter groups of the Vale Fang still recovering now is probably the best time to capitalize on their weakness and expand our own influence. It will almost certainly come with some problems that I'll have to resolve in the future. (1)

    The Cowardly Lion: Leonardo Lionheart has to be involved in the conspiracy to some degree and having some of my men look into him would help uncover whatever he's been up to. (1)

    Terra's Projects: We already have a stable base of charity works across Vale, but another push when we're getting ready to reveal ourselves could be a boost to PR that we sorely need. (0)

    Woman in Red Investigation: While Cinder may be out of the picture soon Watt's whereabouts are still largely unknown. Plus I imagine this rabbit hole can only go deeper so having more resources helping me may be the best course of action. (0)

    Underworld Watch: With Spider and Wave expanding into Vale now it's more important than ever to stymie their advances. Having some extra men scouting out their operations and forwarding that to the VPD will certainly be helpful in a number of ways. (0)

    Underworld Pushback: So far our forces have largely kept non-confrontational. Getting into a scuffle with the crime families has been a disagreeable prospect, but if we keep giving ground they'll keep taking it. (0)

    Grimm Tracking: If there really was someone controlling the grimm then I'd expect that there'd be some indication of it somewhere. Mostly this would be my men collating historical accounts and records of grimm while I put the pieces together myself. (0)

    It is with an air of cold pragmatism that I send out my orders to the rest of the Union. While I may be in a position to help out my homeland I'm not in the best position. There's still too much up in the air and chaos occurring for me to worry about them right now. Plus with the knowledge that there's a force out there that could endanger them I can't bring myself to divert my resources to assist them at the moment. Hopefully that will change soon, but for now I have to take the hard road and hope this is the best course of action.

    With that out of the way I move onto the next item on my agenda, filling in for my time at the VPD. Fortunately my schedule has aligned in such a way that I can make my way down to the station and catch a conversation with Flint before my meeting with the task force. I find him in his office, like usual, with a pipe in his mouth and his eyes darting between two papers he's holding up.

    The station is strangely barren today, but with the influx of people coming into the city I assume we need as many people on the streets to keep the peace as we can get. That's left fewer people to tackle the pile-up of cases. I assume there will be many cases from this time period that get left by the wayside due to not getting the evidence or following up on leads immediately.

    It's a bit of a callous waste, but I understand the VPD's position here. With an Atlesian fleet overhead there's a greater need to project the image of strength despite the understaffing we're currently going through. The last thing any of them want is to be the reason that Atlas has to put boots on the ground in order to keep the peace. It is also a stark reminder that despite the Vytal Festival being a celebration of peace and unity between the Kingdoms each are very much proud of their individualism in spite of Atlas' seeming attempts at hegemony.

    "Ochre," Flint says, his eyes looking up at me while I enter the room. He sets down one of the papers and grabs his pipe with his free hand, blowing out a ring of smoke and freeing himself to talk. "I hope you enjoyed your vacation. In case you didn't notice things have gotten a little hotter here." I nod at that, he should already be aware of the findings I sent to the VPD on Spider and Wave so he's probably going somewhere with this.

    "Now I know you're a busy man and you have your own studies to return to, but the council has been breathing down the chief's neck. If we don't turn up concrete results soon, I fear that we'll have to deal with Atlas' brand of justice." His comments confirm my earlier suspicions.

    "And why aren't we working with them," I ask, mostly out of curiosity and courtesy's sake. I'm the last person who'd want Atlas to have another excuse to expand their influence like the peacekeeping forces of a Kingdom being unable to do their job. He chuffs at that, he already knows my feelings on the snowy Kingdom. Not like I keep them hidden for the most part. So, he understands that my question is more about what's the official line in the station as well as his personal thoughts on the matter.

    "If we can't keep the people safe then why should they place their trust in us. We have to look forward to the future and not just this current crisis. We can't have Atlas watching out for us all the time, or at least I certainly hope we don't. That being said, I think we should have taken their help already. At least then it'd be on our own terms and so many people wouldn't have to suffer."

    "And Frost is against that?" A bark of laughter follows my question.

    "More like the council had a knee-jerk reaction and left us holding the bag. They were too worried about quelling whatever panic the citizens would feel about an Atlesian fleet of that size showing up and promised that we'd deal with the problem. Now that they realize it's a much bigger problem they're having second thoughts."

    "Ah, the problem of unreasonable expectations," I nod along in commiseration. "I'm assuming this is where I come in?"

    He lets out a heavy sigh like he doesn't want to have to pin his hopes and expectations on me, but has vanishingly few options available to him. "The information you already dug up has helped us and I have some of my boys checking out that lead you found in the upper-class district. We're ruffling more than a few feathers doing so, but it'll buy us some time assuming your information is good." That isn't directed as a question or aspersion my way, though I nod along regardless to reassure him. "So keep doing what you've been doing and hopefully we'll be able to ride out this storm."

    That isn't much to go off of and I have to make some assumptions about what's being unsaid. Given that I know Flint bends the rules a little and works outside of the law with how he helped my own investigations I can assume that he'll assist me here and help cover for me if need be. That might not be necessary, dependent on how I handle things, but it does open up some more options.

    Honestly though, this situation might just be untenable and something that the VPD has to fold on. I could direct the Union to help out as well as investing my own time, but the benefit might just not be there for me and I have plenty of other projects to work on. Everyone has a crisis and I can't help them all while looking out for myself after all. Still this level of desperation does allow me certain options that I wouldn't have before.

    I'll have time to think that over in the future. For now I focus my attention on if I should inform Flint about my position within the Union and more generally the White Fang.

    Realistically I only have two options here, to tell him or not to. Settling for a middle ground doesn't really offer me any benefits and would only make things worse when my actual position is revealed. With how things are progressing I'm likely going to take up the mantle rather soon, at least within the Union itself, but then it's only a matter of time until it leaks out. Technically I could stick to the shadows for a time longer, but it would limit me in a number of ways. The anonymity may be worth it though I doubt it.

    Assuming that I do reveal myself there is a further option of suggesting that the Union and the VPD work together. We've already been doing that on the Union side, but a further sharing of information would make both of our operations more efficient. Plus with how desperate the VPD is that may actually be a viable option. Unfortunately it may be too Mistrali for some people's tastes as well as cast an aspersive light upon myself. It'd be far too easy for people to assume this was something I planned all along and while that may be true to an extent that doesn't take out the sting of their criticisms.

    Yes: It's best to not keep this secret from him any longer. The potential benefits no longer outweigh the drawbacks. (5)

    +Suggest partnership(only compatible with yes): Tying the Union and the VPD closer together has benefits for both sides especially in this situation though it does come with some unfortunate connotations and assumptions. (3)

    +Don't (2)

    No: There may be more that I can do without causing issues between myself and the VPD, though I'll have to tread carefully. (0)
    Torchwick: Last I heard he's helping out with dealing with Spider and Wave. Aside from the primer I could ask about what else he's assisted with and what his current arrangements are. (4)

    Council: He seems to have some choice words about the council. I guess I could probe him about that and see what his thoughts are. (1)

    Atlas: With their fleet overhead it seems like a pertinent topic to poke him about his opinions on the Snowy Kingdom. (0)

    Vale: He's caught me up more or less on how the VPD are dealing with the situation, but it wouldn't hurt to ask him how he views the larger picture. (0)

    "I'll see what I can do," I say, not making any promises. It's going to be difficult enough to find any time to address this matter nevermind the amount of resources it'll likely require to prevent the VPD from failing to meet the council's expectations. Though I may be able to offer some help that won't cost me too much.

    Flint nods at my statement before returning his attention to the paper still in his hand. I doubt he's any less busy than the rest of the department. Unfortunately for him I'm going to have to impose myself on his time.

    "Sir," that catches his attention again and I continue. "I have something else I must tell you."

    "I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this news, am I?" His lips pull into a tight frown and I can tell he's fighting back revealing any more of his emotional state.

    "Perhaps," I allow, not entirely sure on what he'll think of my actions. I'll just have to hope the rapport I've built and goodwill I've earned is enough to stave off any negative reactions. "I'm not sure how much you've been able to find out about my past, but I worked with the White Fang before coming to Beacon."

    I give him a moment to digest that and instead of blowing up or demanding answers he pulls another drag from his pipe and motions for me to continue. "Since I've been in Vale I've met up with some like minded people who talked with those of similar mind. And, well, to make a long story short we established our own network separate from the Vale branch of the Fang."

    "And is it separate from the rest of the White Fang," he questions, probably having noticed my choice of words. This is probably going to be the real sticking point for most people, I just have to hope my explanation is enough to placate most of them.

    "No, it is not. The White Fang is more than what we've become over the past five years. While there are those that support what Sienna has done for us there are just as many if not more who can see that things have gone too far. However, this is a matter of the White Fang to be resolved by the White Fang. I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but just like how there are some things the VPD has to resolve in house the same is true here."

    He doesn't say anything for a moment, only setting down the paper in his hand to give me his full attention. "Most aren't going to see it that way." I could read into that as him saying that he doesn't see it that way, but Flint is blunt enough that if that's what he meant he would have just said it. It seems he's willing to give me the benefit of the doubt or at least the chance to argue my case.

    "They can see it however they want. We'll just have to prove them wrong won't we? It's not like we aren't making a return to form here, at least for the most part. Plus if I can convince Weiss of our good intentions it can't be that much more difficult to do it for the rest of Remnant."

    "It doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence if you have to trade in on your girlfriend's good name to convince me." Despite his harsh words his tone is joking, likely messing with me a little to take the edge off of the conversation. If I had to guess this whole situation and revelation has him more stressed than he's letting on.

    "Do you want me to provide you with an itemized list of all the good things we've done since we've formed?" I continue the joke with a light tone. Flint waves off my comment, accepting it for the joke that it was. Although, on second thought that is admittedly something I could provide if I really needed to.

    "No, no, that won't be necessary. After last time I half-suspected you were going to tell me that you stumbled onto a ring of criminals that we were only barely aware of." Oh if only he knew; I keep my expression neutral at that and if he reads into anything he doesn't show it as he continues. "Finding out that you've fallen in with a crowd of idealists is hardly the worst thing you could tell me even if you are connected to the White Fang."

    His words throw me off for a second. I guess he read into that 'return to form' comment to mean we were going back to how things were under Ghira. I could address that right now, but it's probably best to let the actions of the Union show him where we stand rather than explain it to him. Besides I have to correct his other misconception before it drags on for too long.

    "Saying that I fell into this crowd of idealists is vastly understating my level of influence within the group. It's more accurate to say that I founded a group that disagrees with the way the current Fang is handling things and more particularly against the former leader of the Vale branch." I'm unsure if it's accurate to refer to Adam as the former leader, but I certainly have a good claim to the title now and it doesn't hurt to puff up how influential my group is before making an offer.

    Flint fixes me with a hard stare for a few seconds, sets his pipe down, and runs his hands through his thinning gray hair. "Geeze kid, you don't do things by half-measures do you?" I can only shrug at that; I guess it's not in my nature to leave very many things half-finished or up to chance.

    "You're taking this pretty well…" I trail off.

    "Kid I knew you were up to something when you asked for access to the CCT Records. Now I trusted you to know what you were doing there and you pulled through for us in the end. That earns you some leeway in my books and if your goal is a more peaceful White Fang. Well, I had my suspicions that you were doing something about that; just didn't expect for you to stay with them to accomplish that. Seemed like you were trying to stay on the right side of the law."

    It isn't said as an accusation or a reprimand, but his words still strike at me. Like I didn't live up to some sort of expectation. I'm not sure how to feel about that, but I doubt this will be the first time I'm encountering that sort of feeling so I better get used to it. More importantly I have to address that last part of his statement.

    "We're separating ourselves from that past as much as we can. If everything goes to plan there shouldn't be much for the public to latch on to." I have to be careful with my words here as I can't promise that we won't be doing anything illegal. Plus with the plans to continue funding the broader Fang, with caveats, there will be ample room to argue some complicity with their actions.

    He nods, still skeptical, but willing to allow me that much. He doesn't make any further comment and it's up to me to push the conversation forward. "With that being said, I do think I might have a way of helping out with our current situation."

    Fortunately I don't have to spell out what I mean as Flint is on the ball enough to follow the implications of my statement. His brow furrows and his thin frown deepens into something further, but no outburst comes immediately. It seems like he's actually thinking the offer over. Not that he has the final say on the matter, but if it's anything like last time his word means a lot to Chief Frost.

    "Not a lot of people are going to like that," he says after a long time of deliberation. I suppress a roll of my eyes as he's stating the obvious. What that signals to me is that he wants my counterargument and is going to take that into account.

    "I know, but we don't have much of a choice do we?" He bristles a bit at my usage of the word 'we' there. I guess I'm straddling the line of insider/outsider right now. Hopefully that will resolve itself with some time, it would be a shame to lose the progress I've made within the VPD. "It's better to have our problem solved by Valean citizens rather than having to rely on Atlas."

    His face is still set in a frown and I doubt that I'll get an answer out of him today. The matter is simply too big for him to give any sort of agreement even if he had the authority to issue one. We'll have to work out the exact details later, but I doubt the VPD is going to pass on making their job easier with the pressure they're currently under.

    With his reluctance I figure it's best to change the topic. Focusing in on this issue would only do more harm than good now. I briefly deliberate on what's the best subject to bring up until I eventually fall prey to my curiosity. "I heard Torchwick took a plea deal," I say to open up the conversation. I'm already aware of most of the details, but finding out a little bit more and how Flint feels about the matter couldn't hurt.

    "He did," he bites out. "Then Atlas came and scooped him up. Ozpin hardly put up any resistance when his friend asked for his custody. All that in spite of the effort we put into capturing him in the first place. Now we have to wait on Atlas to pass us his analysis." The accusation isn't in his tone, but it's there nonetheless. He sighs a moment after saying that, likely thinking about what he said and deeming it unfair to take it out on me.

    "You know, I think I might be able to do something about that," I say and a snort escapes from Flint. He doesn't believe me, but with my knowledge on Ozpin and Ironwood's conspiracy I think I could work something out with them. That is if they don't trust my word to give the VPD the information as soon as Torchwick gives it. Likely the only reason why they're delaying is to prevent him from sneaking anything out to an outside contact, but I can't imagine there's anyone like that in the VPD.

    Seeing as Flint is still not convinced I throw in one last sweetener. "I could at least meet up with Torchwick and get you whatever he's working on." His gaze is still skeptical, but I think I'd be able to easily get that done. While Torchwick may be on an Atlesian airship I'm sure they'd make an exception for me if I imply I might be able to get more information out of him on the whole conspiracy business.

    "Even that much would assist us greatly. Half the time the information he's providing is given too late for us to do much but pick up the pieces." There's a moment where it looks like he wants to continue on a different tirade, but stops himself. Evidently thinking it's not the time or place to bring up whatever gripe he wanted to voice.

    "So aside from that, how much has he actually been helping?"

    "More than I'd care to say," he admits reluctantly. "While half the time his info comes too late, that primer of his has helped us track down more than a few of their lairs. That isn't even going into how he's been able to predict their plan for expansion for the most part. I'd say we'd be in a much worse position without his help. Gods help whatever poor soul is stuck working with him though."

    Hearing that isn't too surprising; it does, however, put a smile on my face that some poor Atlesian soldier has to deal with Torchwick's acerbic wit. Maybe that's a bit petty, but I don't really care. "I assume you heard about how he is from whoever talked to him, or did you take charge of securing his plea deal?"

    A bark of laughter comes from him. "Fortunately I didn't have to deal with him, but I heard plenty. Even backed into a corner he couldn't stop his tongue. I swear it's almost a relief that we don't have to deal with him ourselves. If it wasn't for the drawbacks I'd say it was a fair trade, but…"

    I give him a nod, recognizing his position. I could ask him about the arrangement Torchwick and the VPD came to, but the exact terms are unimportant to me and I doubt that I'm supposed to be in the know. That seems like something that the VPD wants to keep close to the chest because working with the premier thief they were trying to catch for nearly half a year plus however many attempts they made beforehand probably isn't the best look for them.

    I have to wonder how exactly Atlas was able to position itself in between that arrangement. If I had to guess it's probably the safest place to put him and Ozpin would agree with that considering he handed Torchwick over in the first place. It's probably too big of an issue for the VPD to address right now and they probably weren't expecting the delay in information. To be fair without knowing about the deeper conspiracy that's a reasonable assumption to make.

    Unfortunately it's just causing issues because Torchwick really doesn't know much about the conspiracy and I doubt Cinder or anyone else is in any hurry to help him out or that he'd reach out to them. He's thrown his lot too far in with us to be able to turn back now and while I'm sure he has his own thoughts on that it's immaterial in how it affects the situation.

    I also have to imagine that his partner, Neo, is being held in a similar arrangement as he is. Maybe I'll have to ask about her sometime, but I doubt she has anything useful to say. Plus she's probably not the most well-dispossessed towards me considering how our encounter went. Regardless, I've taken up enough of Flint's time. I have my own duties to attend to and the meeting with the task force is coming up soon so I'll have to prepare for that.


    Preparations for the task force meeting don't take up too much of my time and I arrive at the meeting at its start time. Unfortunately I have to wait there alone for over five minutes for the rest of the members to arrive. Cobalt is the first followed by Rouge, both have heavy bags under their eyes. Rouge nurses a cup after she sits down and Cobalt holds up his head, staring down at the table, while we wait for the others. Sandy is next to arrive and rubs at her horns compulsively, probably a tick she's picked up for whenever she's stressed or nervous.

    With them here I'm about to start the meeting until I hear the pounding of feet outside the door which is soon thrown open by Alabaster who's winded though not out of breath. He's also not in uniform, instead wearing a white tank top with a gray vest over it and revealing his faunus trait on his now bare arms. That being row after row of small white feathers that seem to have replaced the hair on his arms. He holds up a hand as he takes a seat and I decide to hold off on starting the meeting for now.

    With how late we are already another minute isn't going to hurt and everyone seems like they could use the break. Plus I'm interested in how Alabaster is going to handle the meeting without my prompting. If his state is anything to go by he hasn't been spared the crunch that everyone else is under and he's had to set up these meetings during my absence which has only added to his workload.

    I have to wonder how anyone convinced him to work more, but he may not have had much of a choice. I'm pretty sure everyone who isn't in a special circumstance like myself is working overtime and from what I can tell Alabaster likes to keep a certain level of professionalism. He won't go above and beyond, but his work usually meets some minimum standard of quality so that others can't really complain about him other than his work ethic.

    Ruminations on my technical leader aside, the current issue that we have to address is related to the wave of organized crime flooding the city. With the absence of Junior's empire and Torchwick's operations the vacuum has incentivized a mix of new arrivals and homegrown criminals to try and step up. While the rest of the VPD is mainly focused on Spider and Wave, the faunus relations task force has been assigned the areas that we've largely pulled out of and instituted the local watch programs.

    Fortunately these areas are also less valuable to Spider and Wave and thus don't have much activity from either of the two groups. Unfortunately this absence has resulted in a multitude of other groups seeking their niche in the areas. Doubly unfortunate is that the local watches do not have the training or powers required to effectively police against these threats. This is due to a multitude of issues which this meeting seeks to address and possibly rectify.

    It isn't really the fault of the watches; their establishment was always meant to keep the peace and catch more petty criminals. It was meant as a temporary measure to supplement our manpower while we waited for the cadets to graduate.

    Well, they graduated over the course of the break, but most of them have been moved out into the same areas we're already patrolling as a show of strength and to help combat Spider and Wave. Thus leaving many of these communities in the same position that they were previously. Classes for the next batch are already in session at an expedited pace and will be for the foreseeable future. This most recent graduating class will probably be the last fully trained cadets for at least a year.

    Any further thoughts on the matter are stopped when Alabaster speaks. "Alright everyone. Does anyone still need a few minutes?" He actually looks disappointed and sighs when all that's returned are tired stares, but no actual request to further delay things. "Fine, let's get into this then. So the first order of business, the local watch program has been declared a nominal success by the higher ups. Congrats to everyone for helping out with that."

    He says the last part while looking directly at me. His gaze isn't accusatory and holds no resentment, rather it's like he knows something, but isn't willing to share it with the others. Having the Union focus on expanding our efforts into the local watches was simply too big of an endeavor to have completely avoided notice it seems. Though I don't know if he's not speaking up about this because it saved him some work or if he has another reason for doing so.

    "Still think that things have gone way too smoothly," Rouge grumbles. I don't know enough about her to know if this is a legitimate issue for her or if she's just still upset that her preferred option didn't win.

    "As much as I hate to say it, I agree," Sandy pipes up. "We expected some clashing between the groups or arguments on how to handle things, but for the most part they've been working well together. That doesn't even get into how quickly some groups organized themselves and how similar their rules and procedures are. Are we sure that there isn't something or someone behind all that?"

    "My, my," Alabaster drawls. "I've said it before, I've already checked in on this and everything is in order. I thought everyone would appreciate that the whole endeavor turned out to be less work than expected." His eyes briefly lock onto mine for a moment. "Though if you all want to double check my work I'm more than happy to send you what I have." The room is dead silent at that, Rouge and Sandy evidently unwilling to add any more to their workload though they both still seem unhappy with what's been said.

    "Even so," Cobalt says, breaking the silence. "We have to recognize that it was the best choice. Could you imagine where we would be otherwise." It isn't difficult to see his logic. With the private security companies we'd have a larger presence of these groups in Vale as they'd have been able to expand unopposed and the waystations would have left the VPD even more spread out than they already are. Though a large part for how good of a situation we're in is due to my interference with the Union. I shudder to think how the situation would be without that.

    "Yes, yes. No need to rub it in." Rouge shoots back defeatedly.

    "Yes, well, our topic for today is on those same areas. We still don't have the resources to take over policing in the area, thanks to recent events, and our absence has been taken advantage of with more criminals staking a claim. So any suggestions on how to address this?"

    "We could push for a larger budget to be made available and hire some more trainers or Huntsmen to patrol the streets to free up our own men to get the watches up to speed," Rouge says off-handedly, like she doesn't have much to contribute and is just throwing the idea out there.

    It isn't entirely without merit, but it would be more playing at addressing the issue rather than actually addressing it. Any benefits would take a while to show up and this is an issue we need to resolve in the short-term. It would, however, prove very beneficial for the Union to have access to that training.

    "That doesn't solve the issue," Cobalt barks out. "It isn't merely a matter of training, the watchmen aren't unaware of the problem and need help finding the signs of criminals. It's that the criminals have adapted to the limitations of the watches. What they need is an expansion to their powers. Let them request and execute warrants and relax a few of their other restrictions."

    That's a rather bold plan by him, essentially turning the watches into discount policemen rather than the peacekeeping community watch they were envisioned as. Something that criminals have been taking advantage of as if they aren't caught in the act it's incredibly difficult for the watches to collect evidence or follow up in any way that doesn't have them infringing on privacy rights. Therefore this solution would likely solve a good portion of the issues, though combating criminals directly like this is likely to involve the watches involving themselves in more dangerous situations. Something that gives me a little pause seeing as this would be my men on the firing line, but also something that I dismiss easily enough.

    Aside from that it's also not going to be a good look for the VPD to essentially cede control of these areas even to the community. Additionally if it weren't due to the efforts of the Union this would likely be a terrible idea as it's very open to corruption. Even then it just puts that power more or less in my hands.

    "Absolutely not," Sandy yells, "We don't let fresh faced rookies take part in raids or let them handle crime scenes on their own for a reason. And they have more training than any of these watchmen. If we absolutely have to do something then let's round up a few officers and detectives that can handle the search warrants and investigations. Let them deputize a few of the watchmen to help them out if we really need the manpower."

    That's a far more middle-ground option, still keeping the power within the hands of the VPD while addressing the issue. The downside is also obvious with how it would be taking away the few officers that we have in order to more or less babysit the watches. Additionally it might provide some friction or further insight into how deeply the Union has penetrated into the local watches which is something I have to keep in mind. After my conversation with Flint it might not be likely to cause me much trouble, but it will rub officers the wrong way especially after all the effort to get rid of Junior and his influence.

    "Are you really suggesting that we spread ourselves thin again," Alabaster comments, more amused than anything. Despite his comment Alabaster hasn't brought up an alternative of his own. I'd expect him to offer up some sort of option where no one has to work particularly hard, but I guess he can appreciate the seriousness of the matter even if he doesn't have much to say on it.

    "I suppose," she grinds out, "but if we have to do something I'd prefer if we were still in control. What's the point of the VPD if the community can do our jobs better? Besides, it's just asking for problems later. The watches may get along well now, but who's to say that's going to be true in the future? Factionalism can happen at any time and they don't have the legacy of the VPD to fall back on. Not to mention how suspicious their coordination has been thus far."

    There is something else that I could bring up which would be to expand the watch program further. Either into more of the residential areas or even some of the commercial ones. It would be a bit beyond our remit and put them into contact with Spider and Wave forces, but it would also free up some more officers to help out elsewhere. It doesn't really address the current problem, so it would have to be in addition to one of the options. Plus it would pair well with the Unions' continued focus on the watch program.

    Training: This isn't much of an address to the current issue, but it would be a relatively low cost way of appearing to deal with it while more focus is put on the bigger problem of Spider and Wave. Plus the additional training wouldn't be entirely worthless. (4)

    +Expand: With the program being a success we could theoretically argue that it should be expanded. With the state of things this might even go through, though it would draw more attention and there is some danger involved. (4)

    +Don't: There's no need to expand out any further. This will keep my men relatively safe as well as not expanding out the problem of having an influential faction of faunus spread out throughout the city. (2)

    Empowerment: Giving the watches the power of search and seizure upon approval can do a lot for providing them the tools necessary to combat the infestations of crime popping up in the area, though it's not a great look for the VPD. (0)

    Seeding: Putting a few officers in charge of each watch would help ameliorate the problem at the cost of spreading the VPD even thinner and putting officers close to members of the Union. (0)

    "Well," I start slowly and all eyes lock on me. Having been the only silent one throughout the meeting and the only person not to antagonize anyone else I'm immediately looked to as a mediator for the discussion. I throw a look towards Alabaster who's doing his best to appear bored. I get the feeling he set that all up so I'd resolve this issue, but once again I'm questioning if there's another motive behind that.

    "As much as I'd like to address the problem more directly, we have to take into account the realities of the situation. We're stretched too thin to seed men throughout the watches, not to mention the type of message we'd be sending. It would seem too much like we're trying to take credit and we are supposed to keep in mind how that looks for faunus relations." Sandy doesn't look too upset at my dismissal of her proposal, but neither does she look happy.

    "By the same token we also have to understand how this looks from the outside. The majority of members in these watches are faunus." A fact largely due to mine and the Union's interference. "A lot of people are going to be uncomfortable if it looks like the faunus are gearing up to replace the police as well as some having issues with the faunus getting any privileges at all." Going by the grim faces this is something that we're all distinctly aware of

    "So what do you suggest," Alabaster asks quietly, ceding the initiative back to me.

    "We need to be seen doing something," I allow. The battle that the VPD is in right now is more PR than anything else, though the situation would still be dire without it. "With that in mind we should go with Rouge's plan." Rouge blinks slowly at the prospect of someone going with her idea before her lips form into the shape of a smug smile, more than happy to lord her accidental victory over Cobalt in response to their previous banter.

    I can tell that the others are still hesitant so I elaborate, "It won't solve the problem immediately, but it should return some dividends as they already have an incentive to clean-up their communities, they just need the tools to do so. Plus this allows us to retain much of the status quo and let things build off of that naturally." That gets a reluctant nod out of Cobalt and a more rapid one from Sandy. Off of that I can assume Cobalt actually wanted their powers to be expanded while Sandy was more oppositional to that and didn't much care if her position won as long as Cobalt's lost.

    "Right, so we're decided then? Great, I think we can spend a bit more time getting caught up on how the program is doing before-"

    "Actually," I say, interrupting Alabaster and getting ready to provide my more controversial opinion. "I think we should also expand the watch program." Sandy looks ready to protest, but I speak up and she backs down. "It'll free up more officers for critical duties and should help convince the higher ups to shake out a budget for the expanded training." I could have said this earlier, but by presenting things in this order I've already gotten everyone's approval making it more difficult for Sandy or Cobalt to fall back on their previous positions.

    "That isn't our decision to make," Sandy protests, likely looking for an easy excuse to shut down the option. I merely look at Alabaster hoping that he can provide some support on the matter.

    Alabaster brings a hand to his chin, "That's true, but there's no harm in making the proposal. That is if you're confident in your plan?" He stares at me and an unspoken conversation takes place. Knowing him he's asking if I'll take charge on writing the proposal and sifting through the recruits. Those are both things I'm willing to do for this so I nod back and a wide smile breaks out on his face. "Great. So, unless anyone has any objections-"

    "I object," Sandy yells out, her voice tinged with barely restrained fury. "Are we really suggesting expanding the program when the watchmen can't handle the minor gangs occupying their districts? Spider is going to eat them up and if we're so concerned about doing something and looking good how is it going to look when watchmen end up dead chasing after serious criminals?"

    That's a bit of fear mongering, but she does have a point. Some of the areas the watch program can expand to easily are districts where Spider or Wave are currently active or soon to be. It's all but certain that they'll have a run-in with the organizations and it's unlikely they'll fare much better than the VPD. It, however, does little to dissuade me. I already assumed that I'd be responsible for people's lives in the future. I can't back down from the course of action just because I find it distasteful or didn't think it would come this soon.

    There is only so much I can argue for the option without revealing the assistance that I and the Union will be providing that makes this idea more viable. Still, even without the merits of an argument on my side the politics of the situation all but ensures the proposition will pass. With me backing Rouge and bribing Alabaster I already have enough votes to force the issue through. Still it's best that I make some sort of effort to resolve her issues.

    "We're only taking volunteers and we can ask for people to help out who've been with the program for the longest or show the best aptitude for the matter. It isn't a perfect solution, but we have to do something to help with the overall situation." That doesn't seem to set her at ease at all.

    It makes me think that, while present, her concern for the well-being of the watchmen and their efficacy isn't the primary motivator behind her argument. If I had to bet, she probably places a lot of value on the prestige and pedigree of the VPD, so with the current plan freezing them out of more and more areas it's understandably rubbing her the wrong way. Unfortunately it's a fundamental issue that there's no real way that I can resolve. I'll have to take this as a reminder that there's not always a way of satisfying everyone and that I might have to make enemies of people that are otherwise after the same things that I am.

    The vote is called and it's four to one in favor of the proposition with Sandy seething as the only dissenter. She remains silent and professional, but it's clear to everyone that she's unhappy. There isn't much I can do about that right now, nor would it be the right time to do so. We spend a few more minutes discussing the finer points of the program and tossing around minor changes or ideas for the future before we end the meeting and return to our normal duties.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • S2 Week 1 (Part 4, End)
  • Threadmarks
    • After having to deal with all that it's almost a relief to have a mostly normal day at Beacon. Classes are still picking up so it's a largely lazy affair where I can spoil my girlfriend and keep her mind off of what happened earlier in the week. It also helps keep my mind off of Cinder and her group until I can scratch that particular itch over the weekend. Even if they aren't going to be a problem for much longer, finding out about how they got mixed up with Watts and furthermore Salem is too useful of information to pass up on.

    At the end of classes for the day Ruby rushes over to me adamant to talk about something. I give a nod to the rest of my team and they break off for their own activities and the rest of class does something similar. Oobleck gives me a small nod as he makes his own exit, evidently trusting me in his classroom, which is probably somewhat prompted by our training session happening in half an hour. Still, I'm free to pursue my own activities until that time.

    Once the room is cleared out Ruby slams her bookbag on the table with a heavy thud and slowly opens it up to retrieve an oversized binder full of tabs. I quickly read the title 'Best Day Semester Ever Activities,' but it's the original title and particularly the bit below that reads 'property of Weiss Schnee' underneath that catches my attention.

    "Ruby. Why did you steal Weiss' binder?"

    "That's not important. What is important is that with Torchwick put away and you not needing to stress yourself out so much we need to get you caught back up on having some fun. Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a whole bunch of events for the rest of the semester." That's actually a bit touching and shows a level of forethought that she doesn't display that often. I reach out my hand to start flipping through the pages when she slaps my hand away.

    "Up-bup-bup-bup," she chides. "It's best if these are a surprise, but I assure you you'll love them. I included a bunch of events for our teams to do together, like hit up the fairgrounds or see the parades." I get the feeling she's including JNPR in the phrase 'our teams,' but I hardly fault her for that. She's tried to get our teams to get along and resolve the enmity between Jaune and I for the last semester and it seems she has no plans to stop now.

    "I appreciate the thought," I start.

    "No," she interrupts and I blink slowly at her. I stare at her waiting for her to elaborate until it becomes clear that she's waiting for me to say the cliched line.

    "What do you mean no," I sigh more than ask.

    "I mean no. You pushed yourself so hard last semester and you deserve to take a break. I mean you tied with Pyrrha of all people and caught a criminal the police were chasing for months. You didn't even do anything relaxing over the Winter break. Don't you think you deserve some time to yourself after all that?"

    "It's not about what I deserve, I'm just not going to be any less busy this semester than I was last one. I'll be sure to take breaks as necessary, but please trust me when I say what I'm doing is necessary." Even that's likely an optimistic estimate on my part although I'm wise enough not to say that to her. Unsurprisingly she frowns at my words and her hands run over the cover of her binder as if to say that the level of effort she put in should alone be enough to convince me.

    When that fails to win me over she complains, "You probably think I'm acting like a little kid aren't you? I'm not, I just think that you should have some fun while you're at Beacon. Don't get me wrong, doing real Huntsmen work is a lot of fun, rewarding, and something you should do, but there's more to life than just being a Huntsman."

    It is more than a little ironic that the girl who's self-proclaimed dream was always to be a Huntress like her mom is telling me that there's more to life than just that. I could just as easily turn her words against her and attack her ideals, but that would be needlessly cruel. Especially since she's just trying to help out in her own way.

    She stares at me defiantly even as her feet shuffle about nervously, a strange mixture of anxiousness and resolve permeating about her. I can tell she's wanting reassurance, a promise of some sort. I can't give her that and even if I could I don't know if I'd want to.

    Activities: She'll be happy to show off the fruits of her labor and talking about what she had plan might take some sting out of my refusal. (4)

    Workload: Perhaps it would only make things worse, but properly explaining where my time is going and why might get her to back off from this issue. (4)

    Huntress: While her mom is somewhat responsible for her dream, I suspect there's more to it than that. It might be something I can relate to and use to explain my behavior. (1)

    Maturity: She has a tendency and a need to act more mature than she actually is. It wouldn't be the worst thing to talk about and it distracts from the issue at hand. (0)

    I take a deep breath, readying myself to give Ruby the level of seriousness she deserves. "No Ruby, I don't think you're acting like a kid." I know she's only concerned but actually explaining that would make her feel like I'm talking down to her. "It's just that this semester is going to be really complicated for me."

    "Even more complicated than your time in the White Fang," she asks. I can't tell if it's supposed to be a joke, but I laugh at it anyway and she smiles; apparently happy enough that she can raise the mood despite the serious topic. If only she knew how complicated that statement really is, but I suppose that it can't be a secret for too much longer.

    "Yes, even more complicated than that. First is the VPD," I hold up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "I know you're not asking me to drop that, but there's a crisis going on." I figure that she's ignorant of what's going on, I can't rightly expect her to keep up with current events. Especially with how far removed from the city Beacon can be. Not to mention the news is likely downplaying the severity of what's going on in the name of keeping the peace, though not fully. It doesn't stop a small rise of indignation at having my struggles indirectly ignored, but it's an easy emotion to suppress.

    "Over the break, crime families made a push into Vale and are trying to establish themselves. It's gotten to the point where the VPD can barely keep up and if I don't help out lives may be in danger."

    "Can't Atlas help? They brought a whole fleet with them," she asks and I give her a look. She knows well enough the animosity I hold towards that Kingdom and she has the wherewithal to adopt a sheepish expression.

    "They could," I allow, "but no one wants it to come to that. Not only would that cause a panic, but it would destroy the trust that the people have in the VPD." I don't mention how that's because of the politicking of the Valean council. There's no need to bring that sort of jadedness to Ruby right now and it'd distract from the subject regardless. "Even then that's not the only thing I've been up to," I say to distract her from following that line of inquiry.

    It works and I get her curious silver eyes on me until she snaps her fingers. "Right, you've been helping Weiss manage her company haven't you?" She waves her hands in front of herself as if to ward off any sort of retort on my part. "Uh, not that I'm saying you should stop doing that either. It's just uh, maybe do it a little bit less."

    That wasn't what I was going for, but it's good to know that my girlfriend has been giving me some extra cover for when I've been dealing with the Union. At least that's what I think is going on here. I could run with that explanation, but I figure it's best to inure Ruby to the idea of what I've actually been doing.

    "Well yes, but that's not what I was referring to. I've been leading a group of faunus in Vale. Mainly helping improve living conditions, but also with the purpose of advocating for equal rights."

    "Like the White Fang? I mean before they got violent of course."

    "Yes, exactly like the White Fang," I say levelly, but I allow myself a slight smile, finding some humor in the situation. I briefly bounce the thought around of mentioning that Blake has been helping me. Ultimately I decide not to, that's her secret to share whenever she wants and it's not like it's as major as the one she was keeping at the start of the school year.

    Ruby thinks that one over, likely thinking that she might have better grounds to argue against it before deciding to let it lie. Her shoulders slump and her face turns pouty, "Fine. I guess I can see why you're so busy," she admits petulantly, not liking that she has to concede here.

    Now I know Ruby and I figure she'll bounce back from this in an hour tops, but even letting her wallow in a sense of defeat for that long doesn't sit right with me. "What did you have in mind for activities anyway," I ask as I take a seat in front of the binder; my way of indicating that I am interested and not merely asking out of politeness' sake. That apparently confuses Ruby and I have to elaborate, "I'm not promising anything, but I figure I'll have enough time for one or two of these. I do like hanging out with all of you, you know that right?"

    "O-of course," she replies and the way she says it makes me think that it was a tiny worry in the back of her mind. She grabs at the binder and starts flipping through the pages until she comes to a stopping point that satisfies her. It's a schedule for next week, but it's located nearly halfway through the binder and Ruby pulled the whole thing towards herself so that I couldn't see what she was flipping through which sets my suspicions off.

    "Ruby," I say pointing at all the pages we just passed by, "what all did we just skip over?"

    She sits straighter at that and turns her head away from me like that would make whatever she's about to say any easier. "Nothing, just, uh, Weiss' notes for the Vytal Festival." She obviously thinks over what she just said and the potential implications, "I swear I didn't read anything where she mentioned the two of you."

    As amusing as it would be to bust her over the breach in privacy I think I'll leave that up to my girlfriend. Hopefully neither of them take things too hard, but that isn't something that I can just ignore. Fortunately for Ruby she'll have a few hours before she has to face that wrath and I have a more interesting topic to pursue. "I'm not sure what your deal is whenever Weiss and I are together." It hasn't been anything major, more just an avoidance or playful displays of disgust, but it is curious that she has that reaction at all.

    "I just don't like thinking about it! Like Weiss is my partner, practically a sister in all but name. I didn't like thinking about it with Yang and some of the boys she hung out with and I don't like it here, but like I'm not against the two of you or whatever, I just don't want to deal with it." She continues looking away, red in the face, and I get the feeling that she's feeling self-conscious about her reaction and let the matter lie.

    We pass the next few minutes going over the various activities she had in mind. Multiple times the fairground on Beacon is included as we have free admission as students and there are a variety of events available as the semester progresses. In addition to the games and prizes that are able to be won there are other competitions that students are encouraged to sign up as a team for which has Ruby's attention. Most of them seem to be displays of athleticism or skill based games and come with prizes for the highest placing teams.

    On a more minor note are the activities in Vale which broadly includes partaking in the cultural celebration. Among these is potentially designing a float which Ruby already has a design ready for. This turns out to be a large platform with a mock-up of a forge and a replica of all our weapons displayed at the top and along the sides. I'm not sure why I'd ever expect anything else from her, but I let her talk about it and the materials she wants to use until it's time for me to meet up with Oobleck.


    When the weekend rolls around I finally have the chance to indulge my curiosity and figure out how Cinder, her crew, and Watts all fit together in this web of conspiracies. At first I thought that Cinder had to be working under Watts, but with the revelations provided by Ozpin, if I take them at face value, that is no longer tenable as a theory.

    I have a hard time believing such a man would allow her to use his resources in order to steal a power that would have no way of being transferred to him. It weakens his position and doesn't accomplish any of the goals that I imagine the man has. Maybe he needs the power of a maiden to pull off his plans, but something about that just doesn't feel right. I shake that thought off, if I reframe the situation as them being colleagues along with the unknown T. and H. then things make a little more sense.

    This relies on what Ozpin told me actually being true though that seems like a safe assumption to make right now. I still have my doubts in certain areas and hopefully my men turn up something that either confirms or puts to rest those suspicions. Either way my men were able to turn up more evidence for me to look over during the break. Not as much as if I'd had them focus on it, but it's better than nothing.

    Investigation check: 4.08 +1=5.08 vs Challenge 6

    Final Modifier: -23

    Dice: 1d100-23

    32 - 23 = 9+50(Crit)=59

    Spend a Crit?

    Yes (6)

    No (0)

    QM Note: Chat finally remembered how practical crits were supposed to work after they complained about failing the roll.

    My search starts in Atlas, understandably enough. It's the only real lead that I have considering that Emerald and Cinder are unknowns. Mercury is a little better as we can track sightings of Marcus Black and extrapolate his potential whereabouts from there, but we'd still have nothing concrete. So our search starts with Atlas following in the footsteps of where Watts had to have gone in order to escape the city. There's no way that he would have remained holed up in Atlas following the Paladin incident, simply too much of a risk with no real reward involved.

    Unfortunately it's hard to trace his exact path throughout the city. We're able to track that he made his way from the facility where the Paladin incident took place into Atlas proper, but that's where we lose track of him. His familiarity due to designing the security system for both Atlas and Mantle allowing him to obfuscate his presence resulting in several false trails. Perhaps if we had greater access to the security records we'd be able to piece together his exact path, but with how much time it requires to get access to anything usable from that long ago it's not the most efficient use of resources.

    Not that we don't find anything useful from the footage we do recover as one particular set of footage proves useful to the overall investigation, but that's something to look into a little bit later. I might not be able to trace Watts' exact path, but I have a good guess as to where he went. Thanks to the records we pulled from his charity we know that one of their first purchases was a lease for a building in Mistral, an odd choice for a scholarship foundation in Atlas and locations in the other Kingdoms lagged behind this for a few months.

    This makes me think of Leonardo Lionheart and how he's connected to all of this. It's possible that he and Watts met up at some point and it would explain why Watts would choose that of all places to go to. Something about the timeline though doesn't feel right to me, and it's hardly like Watts would need a reason to go to Mistral other than it being easy to hide in the area.

    I continue searching what we have for further clues and come across a number of airships being purchased by the charity during their wave of expansion into the other Kingdoms. While most of these are accounted for or have a reason for their disappearance two of them were lost to the grimm according to official reports with no confirmation of any wreckage. Not an unheard of event, but one that has my attention.

    Then the charity is mostly business as usual for the next few months before making another set of purchases including a number of supplies that were presumably delivered to the safehouses Watts set up. That indicates to me that something happened during that time period and so naturally I have to check it out. Official sources don't turn up too much aside from a series of murders by a serial killer in Mistral that I highly doubt was Watts especially since they caught the guy after this time period.

    With official sources failing me I turn to the unofficial, dusting off my account on conspiracy message boards to satisfy my curiosity. It's a bit amusing that I haven't had too much time for these sites nor an inclination to fall down a rabbit hole chasing new theories when I have more concrete ones to work on. Maybe I'll have some fun and post up stuff that I know to be real, but in an outlandish way just to see how people react. Regardless, fun isn't what I'm after and after a few hours of trawling I have something.

    It's a report from a pilot during a late night trip to Atlas from Vale. Supposedly he encountered an airship that was moving in a Northwesterly heading, but his in-flight computer never logged an encounter leaving only his visual confirmation that anything happened. This sighting has been dismissed by many as the result of exhaustion from multiple long flights and I struggle with not dismissing it out of hand. The only thing in that direction is the dark continent and it almost seems too obvious.

    While it wouldn't make much sense for Ozpin and the rest of his conspiracy to come to the conclusion their enemy has to be hiding out on the one continent without a civilized presence I also have to consider that Ozpin is hiding things from me. This could be one of those things.

    However, that brings up the question of why they haven't done anything about it. It could be argued that just because they know Salem is on the dark continent that they still don't know where. If that was the case I'd imagine more expeditions being planned and carried out to map the dark continent on Atlas' behalf. There are a number of ways they could justify that behavior so the utter dearth of it is telling.

    While this may not be immediately useful to me it also reminds me that the usual paradigm that I'm used to operating on is something that has to be thrown out completely. If Salem can really control the grimm like Ozpin says then who's to say she can't designate some people to be free from the grimm's wrath.

    The prospect of that alone opens up so many logistical possibilities that it would be impossible to look out for, much less track them. It also helps explain how something like this could potentially be hidden. There are a number of routes that can be used if one isn't afraid of the grimm and subsequently due to the grimm presence there's less of an awareness of who travels these routes. Plus even if they were spotted the first thing most would think of are smugglers, perhaps bandits, rather than the conspirators for a world-wide conspiracy.

    With that in mind I almost regret not having my men look into odd grimm behavior. That could be very telling of the conspiracies movements in the past. It doesn't mean that I can't look into it a bit on my own.

    One thing that I find stands out in particular to me, mainly because it happens shortly after the flurry of activity from Watts' charity. It's a report on a prisoner transport that encountered a sudden swarm of grimm on a route that had been scouted not even a day prior and found to have a minimal presence of grimm. The transport was for the Mistrali serial killer Tyrian Callows and was transporting him to Atlas due to an agreement made by the task force that captured him. I don't know why they would take the risk, but the sudden appearance of grimm on a supposedly safe route raises my suspicions.

    This is further confirmed when I try looking into it some more but find records on Tyrian Callows have been restricted at the behest of Mistrali and Atlesian authorities. I could gain access to them if I were put on a white list or were a Huntsman in good standing, but as a student I have nothing. Maybe I'll have to see about pressing Ozpin to allow me a greater access to the information he has, but that's a concern for another time.

    From there the trail gets too complicated to follow so I fall back on some of the footage I found earlier. One in particular being from a hotel called the Glass Unicorn and more importantly featuring Cinder as one of the staff members. She's years younger in the footage than she is right now, but there's no mistaking that it's her. Though she seems a bit young to be working at a hotel and really doesn't do anything to explain how she ended up where she is now. I make an off-handed order to some of my men to continue looking into this and pulling more footage, but am unsure if I should bother.

    Regardless I focus on the history of the hotel to see if that provides any further information and discover that it has since been rebranded. This followed the murder of the proprietress, her two daughters, and a Huntsman that frequented the establishment as well as the disappearance of the proprietress' adopted daughter who happens to match Cinder's description. It was ruled an assassination/kidnapping since not many believed that a girl who hadn't even been to combat school would be capable of taking on a trained huntsman.

    This was also influenced by a string of murders of influential huntsmen and random passersby that took place around the same time. Now it might be a bit of a stretch to assume that Tyrian was responsible for those, but I don't have a lot to go off of and it makes a certain amount of sense to my sensibilities. Plus it explains how Cinder might have fallen in with this crowd.

    Trying to keep up the momentum I keep up my search, but I don't find much on the mysterious H. of the group. That has me thinking he was brought in under different circumstances from the rest. Unfortunately that does little to tell me what those circumstances could be, but given how I can't imagine there's a way Ozpin was unaware that T. was probably Tyrian it's possible that he's already aware of who H. is.

    That's more than a little annoying as having to redo his work due to a lack of trust irks me. I put myself at ease for that by reminding myself it's always better to verify the information I have. Plus it might give me a bargaining chip to use in the future since I've given away most of my leverage already.

    I keep at my investigation for a few hours after I start running into dead ends and eventually have to call it quits. Despite my findings a lot is still shrouded in mystique and a lack of information. It isn't helped by a lack of understanding of just how far Salem's reach of the grimm potentially extends to. Like is a small town being attacked by a grimm far outside of the norm in age and strength a sign of bad luck and negativity drawing them in or some insane plot in this little shadow war. Chasing questions like that, while interesting, hardly present anything that I can follow up on.

    With my efforts stymied I decide to take a walk around campus and clear my head a little. On this journey I find a sight that's oddly nostalgic. It's Penny sitting on a bench staring at people as they pass by and asking her partner the occasional question.

    It's a bit different than what happened between Marina and I. For one her partner, Ciel I believe her name is, isn't nearly as engaged with the activity as I was. She's standing just off to the side and only responds in short clipped answers. It might be my imagination, but it seems like Penny is disappointed by this, however she isn't allowing that to stop her.

    Ciel's presence does make it more difficult for me to approach. I imagine there are some things Penny and I would like to talk about that would either be too awkward with her there or shut down for straying too close to Penny's nature or any other Atlesian secrets. However, the whole situation reminds me that I have access to more resources than just myself. I decide to message Marina and ask her to swing by, perhaps the situation will be nostalgic for her as well, but even if it isn't I still have a use for her.

    She arrives a few minutes later, meets up with me, and takes in the scene. She stares hard at Penny and I don't know if she's seeing something with her semblance or the familiarity of the scene is striking at her as well. While that would be interesting to talk about, it's something we can do later. For now I instruct her to go over and make conversation with the two of them and even join in with their people watching. It'll let me get a measure of how Ciel takes her duties. Plus, I will admit the idea of inflicting Marina on a poor Atlas stiff is appealing in its own right.

    Penny and Marina seem to fall into a steady rhythm in their people watching. From what I overhear Marina pulls out what people's emotions and explains them to Penny while she corrects Marina's rather odd stories as to what those people are doing with much more reasonable ones. Both girls nod rapidly at each other's explanations which I guess means they're getting along well.

    More beneficially for my plan is Penny trying to include Ciel in their conversation which Marina takes to mean Penny asking about the girl and Marina explaining Ciel's current emotions and coming up with a crazy story to explain why. This gets more than a few laughs out of Penny much to Marina's confusion which is the only indicator to me that she isn't intentionally doing this. Just as well because otherwise I think Ciel would have snapped at her already, not that the comments and fact that Marina can't take a hint aren't getting to her.

    Several times she has stated that it would be best for Marina to move on or for Penny and her to not be disturbed. Each time Marina looks at Ciel, nods, and then continues on like nothing happened. The only reason why Ciel hasn't done anything is likely a pride in her discipline or trying to follow her orders. I keep waiting until she's more visibly agitated before making my move.

    I walk into her sight-line and can tell the instant she recognizes me by how she nearly jumps to get my attention. She's able to restrain herself to merely flagging out her hand to catch my attention and with myself playing my part I nearly walk by her pretending not to notice until she calls out to me.

    "Yes," I question, already knowing what she wants to talk about.

    "Could you take care of your partner? She's been bothering us." I look past her to the two girls happily chatting away to clearly demonstrate that I know she's lying though that doesn't phase her.

    "Sure, sure," I say and her face lights up in relief. "I'll get her out of your hair, but I was hoping to talk with Penny myself if that isn't an issue." The implication to my statement should be clear. This is a favor for a favor, even if the solution I'm providing is to a problem I caused. Not that Ciel has any way of being aware of that aside from some suspicions.

    Still, that appears to be a problem for her as a complicated expression passes her face. "I can allow you a few minutes. Now," she gestures over to Marina, "please." It almost felt like that was too easy though I try not to let my mild surprise show. I don't know if she's just that desperate or if I've done something to earn a small measure of trust. Either way this isn't all that I was hoping for and her response only emboldens me to push for more.

    I stare at her for a few moments waiting to see if she'll give us the privacy I want on her own and it's a delight to see the moment of realization that I have more than that one stipulation in mind. She, however, doesn't pick up on my unsaid request so I have to verbalize it. "I was hoping we could have some privacy." I could explain myself more as to why, but that would only raise more questions and I just want her to go along with my plan.

    It takes her a few seconds to come to a decision, looking between Marina, Penny, and myself all the while. "Fine," she bites out reluctantly. "I'll be over by that tree. Don't even think about leaving my sight."

    With that she walks off a short distance away and keeps her eyes locked on Penny. If I didn't already know about Penny's secret I'd find that behavior extremely odd and I'm sure more than a few students do. It's not like her behavior is at all the norm for the rest of the teams from Atlas. Sure they may be able to keep Penny's secret a secret like this, but it's hardly discrete.

    I'm not here to critique Atlas' attempts at subterfuge though and I give a nod to Marina to let her know her part in all of this is done. That might be that, but then the thought of how well they were getting along bounces back in my head and I figure I might as well extend the offer. "Did you want to stick around?"

    "Nah Captain, I think that's enough for one day," Marina says before bounding off to do whatever she wants with her free time. Likely going off to write about this encounter or maybe play around with her scroll some more. She's been using it a lot more recently since we got back although I haven't had a chance to really dig into why that's the case.

    I fill the now vacant seat next to Penny and as soon as I do the robot girl turns to me with her face distressingly close to my own and practically vibrating. "Does that mean we're friends now?" Her excitement is clear and I think she's learned a bit more about human interaction since we last met considering her statement. She didn't outright ask Marina if they were friends, instead picking up on the context clues even if she isn't fully certain.

    "Maybe, Marina is still trying to figure out the whole friend thing herself," I answer truthfully. I would hesitate to say that Marina has friends as much as she has our crew and a few people she's on good terms with. I don't know if that's just something she can't get past or if she needs more time to have a separate category of people that she's close to, but not as much so as our team.

    Penny's expression drops slightly at that before she nods in commiseration, likely connecting the event with her own struggles. That buoys her mood a little, but I should move this conversation on before we get too stuck on that one incident.

    Friends: Given her struggles with Ciel I imagine she's still trying to reach out to people. I could ask how she's handling that and maybe even invite her to join up with our group. (7)

    Creator: She mentioned that her father built her which implies a certain relationship between the two of them. Admittedly with how she's been treated thus far I wonder what kind of man he is. (6)

    Experiment: We weren't able to get too much into it last time, but I'm still curious. How exactly did Atlas create her in the first place? Is she one continuous project or have there been previous prototypes of her and how does she feel about that? (2)

    Ironwood: I remember her mentioning the general rather casually last time we met. Maybe she has some insight on the man that would be useful to me. (1)

    "You know Ruby and I are still your friends." I let the statement hang in the air and she immediately brightens, giving me a megawatt smile.

    "I know and you're the best friends I could ask for. It's just…" she trails off, but her mouth stays open and moves slightly as if she's searching for what words should come after and failing to do so. Even without my experience dealing with Marina I would be able to pick up on what she's trying to convey. That she's failing to do so is unsurprising from what I know and gives me the impression that her problem is a lack of understanding herself and her feelings rather than Marina's lack of understanding certain concepts and norms.

    "I understand. It's normal to feel that way," I reassure her. My mild words are somehow enough that she relaxes at that. Maybe it was a bigger issue for herself than I first thought. It wouldn't be too surprising that she's still adapting to things and even if Ruby and I don't really care about her artificial nature she's likely still struggling with what it means to be a person and all the complications that come with it.

    To distract from that I keep going, "How about the rest of your team? I can't imagine they're as…" I wave off vaguely in the direction of Ciel who narrows her eyes at the gesture and Penny's resultant giggling.

    That only lasts for a moment as her face falls. "I don't think they like me. Either of us, actually. Our team was thrown together at the last minute by Mr. Ironwood and I think my teammates were hoping to go to Beacon with their friends."

    She doesn't say it directly but I'm able to pick up on some of the unspoken context. Likely Penny and Ciel replaced or supplemented the other members of the team. Plus with how Penny is participating in the tournament they might feel that their opportunity to shine was taken away from them as I doubt they'd receive anything other than orders to have Penny as their finalist. Naturally they aren't going to be inclined to her and Ciel has likely been shutting down her attempts at reaching out to people outside of her team.

    Just as naturally that's not a state of affairs I want to continue. "You know, Ruby and I wouldn't mind if you hung out with our teams." I let the offer stand for a few seconds, but aside from a small twitch of the lips that only lasts for a second her mood doesn't improve. If anything it gets worse and I give her a nudge on the shoulder hoping that'll get her to speak what's on her mind.

    "I can't," she hiccups. "I mean, I wish I could, but-" her eyes drift to Ciel and I refrain from rolling my eyes. I already suspected that she'd be the issue, but I might have a solution to that.

    "She has orders to shadow you right?" Penny hesitates for a moment before nodding shallowly. "From the General?" Another nod. "Then leave it to me." She looks at me in confusion that quickly morphs to skepticism and finally hope.

    No pressure right? I just have to convince the famously stubborn Ironwood to change his mind. Hopefully my cooperation with Ozpin has earned me a bit of leeway and failing that, maybe he'll be swayed by concerns for Penny's well-being. If that fails I might have to consider more drastic options. The bright-side to this course of action is that I'd have to talk to him about Torchwick anyway so this isn't going to take up too much of my time.

    "Sen-sational," Penny cries out, having resolved that my offer was genuine and placing her faith in me. "Oh it'll be so great, I won't have to pretend I don't have any friends." She stops herself suddenly thinking of something. "I could tell my father about you and Ruby and any other friends I make. I can't wait."

    "About your father," I say, taking advantage of Penny's mention of him. "What can you tell me about him?"

    "His name is Pietro Polendina and he's a scientist for Atlas. He specializes in robotics if you couldn't tell." A smile stays on her face, but I can't help feeling that if she were a little more well adjusted she'd finish her statement with a wink. It also doesn't tell me anything about him that I didn't already know aside from his name, which is a bit familiar. Although I set aside that thought for the moment to pursue my line of inquiry.

    "And how do you feel about him," I venture, trying to sound out her opinion on him.

    "He's my father," she says, obviously not understanding what I could be getting at.

    "How does he feel about you? About you going to Beacon," I ask, taking a different tack at the question. It should get her to open up a bit more and possibly explore her actual feelings.

    I notably leave off asking about how he feels about her future. I can't imagine that if Atlas was confident enough to sign her up to the Vytal tournament that they don't have some sort of plan for her in mind that revolves around that skillset. I only leave off the question because she might pick up on the implication and overreact. Perhaps she's already thought about it herself and come to terms with it, but that's not a risk I'm willing to take.

    "He loves me, as for Beacon. He said he was happy, but I don't know. I replay that memory every once in a while and I think he wanted me to stay in Atlas, with him." I nod at that, it's understandable enough for a parent and reminds me of my own dad in a way. Unlike my dad Pietro may have not had as many years to come to terms with it, but that sense of protectiveness is still there; maybe just tempered with a bit of a controlling personality.

    "Would you say that he's controlling," I ask, not seeing any reason not to seek clarification.

    "Not at all, he hasn't used that feature outside of testing." Well that's go-wait what? Something must show on my face as she tilts her head, wondering what has caused me to react that way.

    "What do you mean by that exactly?"

    She leans in close and whispers into my ear, evidently finding this to be a big enough secret that discretion is required. "He can remotely control my body. I have to give him permission of course and he's never used it outside of testing, but it's a part of my systems. Do you not have something similar?"

    "No!" That seems to confuse her for a moment. After which she nods happily, considering the matter closed. It isn't the same for me as that's disturbing on multiple levels. Plus, regardless of her assurance that she has to give permission I figure that if there's a way for an outside force to control her then it could be done without her permission. Even if she has defenses or safeguards against it, those can be bypassed, especially since she's made of electronics.

    Which, how exactly does that work? She's clearly a person and I chalk most of that up to her having a soul unlike the AK-130's or other Atlesian robots, but does she still have the same weakness to hacking or a need for a central comms hub? It also brings to mind Watts and his specialization in digital systems among his other doctorates.

    The thought of Watts has my mind running and I quickly remember where I've heard Pietro Polendina's name before. He's one of the scientists that worked alongside Watts. Due to that association he might have some more insight on the man that I'm otherwise lacking. I think for a moment if I should ask Penny what she knows before discarding it. Even if she does know of Watts the information would be second hand anyway. Plus I'm not sure how versed she is in the conspiracy and need to hold off on spreading that information for at least a little while longer.

    "Penny, could you send me your father's contact info?" A complicated expression passes over her face and I'm unsure exactly what she's feeling, but it ends in happiness. I'm sure she's misconstruing why I'm making the request, but she sends the details to me anyway.

    Before either of us can restart the conversation Ciel coughs into her hand to get both of our attention. Then she taps her wrist making an obvious motion to time and Penny reluctantly gets up to follow her. I guess she was serious about only giving me a few minutes and I get the feeling she won't be as easy to bully into this position again. Good thing that I'm already planning on working around her then.


    I wish I could say that the end of the week is free from the chaos of the rest of it, but that is unfortunately not the case. Chaos reigns in my dorm room as Autumn and Kelly quietly freak out with one another. This is due to the payment from the missions we took on our expedition coming through and it is rather substantial to them. In the grand scheme of things it's not that much, but there is the very real possibility that we were all just paid more for those missions than the twins' parents made that month.

    Most of their talk is about what to do with the Lien and it's clear that some of their ideas are running away from them. I don't stop them, they need to get it out of their system. Plus having something to lord over them after all the shit they've put me through may be weighing on my decision making here. Marina on the other hand takes the news with a shrug, not really understanding what the big deal is. That solidifies that I'll have to take her out into the city someday soon so she can at least be aware of what she would like to buy in the future and how much her Lien is worth.

    As for myself, the payment is nice, but between my discretionary account and the new level of funding for the Union I have my personal needs well secured. I might be able to excuse buying some more exotic Dust soon if this kind of payment keeps up, but it's still a rather large expense. There's a reason why the exotic forms of Dust are kept largely to veteran huntsmen or the Atlesian military. Even then I have more important things to worry about than any potential plans for expanding my arsenal.

    I have to plan out my week to some degree and I happen to receive an offer that I have to give some consideration to. It's an interview request, supposedly for my contributions on Oobleck's expedition. Though I can't help correlating the offer to my tie with Pyrrha. It could be completely honest, but the offer is from a network that covers current events with a mix of sports and politics. None of those are particularly along the lines of archeology and I can't imagine their viewers are that hungry for an interview with an amateur archeologist. Especially since I checked with Oobleck and he never received an offer from them.

    There are benefits to accepting this offer. The first is expediency, I don't have to have me or my men reach out to find a favorable offer if this was something that I wanted to do. Which leads into the second, it's a good way for me to broadcast myself and put out my message. Especially since they're coming to me and I can use that as leverage for how I want this interview to go. Additionally while the network isn't as large as the VNN they still have decent viewership numbers. The only thing that it would cost me is some time, but not enough to majorly impact my schedule. Most of the minutiae has already been worked out or can be finalized by my men, I just have to show up and decide what to say.

    Aura(Knowledge) raised from (26/150) to (29/150) Source: Class

    Aura(Practical) raised from (330/625) to (361/625) Source: Semblance usage, Class, & Fighting Pyrrha

    Combat Raised from (156/1250) to (258/1250) Source: Oobleck, Class, Training, & Fighting Pyrrha

    Craft(Weapon) Raised from (2/150) to (8/150) Source: Class

    Criminology Raised from (12/150) to (16/150) Source: VPD & Challenge

    Culture raised from (77/150) to (82/150) Source: Oobleck

    Grimm raised from (94/300) to (100/300) Source: Class

    History raised from Rank 3 (295/300) to Rank 4 (14/625) Source: Oobleck & class

    Investigation raised from(51/625) to(74/625) Source: Oobleck, Class, Training, & Challenge

    Law raised from (20/50) to (24/50) Source: VPD

    Mobility raised from (163/625) to (189/625) Source: Oobleck, Class & Fighting Pyrrha.

    Semblance(Knowledge) raised from (6/300) to (23/300) Source: Fighting Pyrrha

    Personal funds raised to 11625L Source: VPD & Mission payout
     
  • Threadmarks
    • S2 Week 2 (Part 1)
  • Threadmarks
    • Yes (6)

    No (0)
    Combat (4)

    Mobility (3)

    Investigation (2)

    Dust (1)

    As alluded to in story this was something that should have been given to Ochre, Blake, and Marina to help catch up with their peers. Mechanically it offers a +10 progress to the top skill (in this case) each week.
    Meeting the Khan: Sienna isn't just someone that I can call up and talk to. There are a series of checks that I have to make in order to get in contact with her. I can leave most of that up to my men however. (Additionally costs 1 social action) (6)

    Rising Wave: I can have some of my men look into Wave and their activities. There's no need to confront them just yet, but any info we get will be useful to the VPD. (4)

    Absorption: The remnants of the Valean White Fang are still weakened. It might be best to make a token effort to weaken them further and absorb what members we can. (4)

    Spider's Web: I can have some of my men work to undermine and investigate Spider. They might not be able to get as much done without more dedicated resources, but they should be able to do something. (4)
    Winter (QM)

    Torchwick: The thief-turned consultant is hosted on an Atlesian airship. Fortunately I have the connections to reach him. Maybe he'll have some insight to share. (6)

    Yang: It's been a while since the two of us just hung out. It's always an option as far as I'm aware. (5)

    VPD: Rouge: The red-headed squirrel woman from the task force. I really don't know much about her. (4)

    Marina: She's been spending a bit of time on her scroll lately. I could see what that's about or just talk with her. (3)

    Blake: We've picked right back up into the swing of things. It might be worthwhile to check in on her and see how she's doing. (2)
    3x Dust, 1x Combat, 2x Investigation, 2x Mobility (4)

    In weaponsmithing I more or less stick close to Ruby as she bounces between various workstations. She helps me with whatever I'm doing whenever she has to wait for a machine to free up. The first week was spent entirely on reviewing safety and how to properly use the machines. Understandably Ruby is even more wound up than usual now that she has the opportunity to run amok throughout the shop floor. It's probably even worse for her due to the influx of new students who take up some of the limited time on the machines even when class is over, making her limited time with the machines even more valuable.

    It's honestly a little cute how energetic she's being and how she's using her semblance to zip across the floor before anyone else can claim a newly freed up machine. Mr. Cumulus, never professor, has had to yell at her a few times, but that's done nothing to stop her and I'm pretty sure this is a recurring issue between them. I think he might be showing her a slight bit of favoritism due to how enthusiastic she is about weapons, but I can hardly speak out about any favoritism considering my arrangement with Oobleck.

    Whenever I'm not busy with Ruby's antics or the odd time that I have to help her with something I'm working on my projects. That being replacement parts for the new weapons Vel is working on. When she found out I was taking this class she sent me the schematics and a rough instruction of what I'd have to do to get parts that would work. Cumulus grumbled at me not designing it myself, but otherwise approved it as far as getting credit in the class was concerned. The grading in the class is a lot more dependent on showing improvement rather than mastery unlike most other classes in Beacon.

    While I'm in the middle of working someone taps my shoulder. At first I think it's Ruby asking me to help carry something or steady a machine, but when I turn around I'm met with a man who barely comes up to my chin. His skin is a moderate brown with his hair being a few shades darker and is staring up at me with bright green eyes.

    "Yes? Can I help you," I question while looking him over. He looks a little young to be here at Beacon, but maybe he just has youthful features. He's also a student from Shade which explains why I haven't seen him before, but does nothing to explain why he's bothering me.

    "Um, you're Ochre right? Ochre Rovere," he asks with a small voice. Considering what happened last week I'm ready to consign myself to having to deal with a fan or someone else asking me how I was able to match Pyrrha. So it comes as a surprise when his next words are, "My brother said he helped you in Vacuo."

    That causes me to squint as either this is a con or he is related to Olive. I guess I can see a resemblance though that doesn't fully clear my suspicions. I haven't had the pleasure to have an in-depth chat with him in a while, but I vaguely recall that he said his brother was coming to Vale for the Vytal Festival before I left for the Winter.

    I don't figure that it would have killed him to have been a bit more specific. Then again this is the same man who tried to convince me to leave the Fang by linking me to statistics. Oh well, there's no harm in humoring him and I can check in with Olive after the fact to confirm things.

    "I am, and you are?" I stick my hand out and he grabs onto it quickly.like it's a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. That indicates a certain level of nervousness though I don't know if that's because he's anxious about meeting me in particular or if that's indicative of a more general social anxiety. I try looking around the class to see if that provides me any clues, but am met with a sea of people flitting to and fro at their tasks. With how preoccupied I am I only barely catch his response of 'Lime.'

    "Why did you seek me out," I ask, unable to stop myself from voicing my curiosity.

    He lets my hand go and shuffles his feet about. "I thought this class would be a lot of fun and my partner signed up with me, but he ditched me after the first week to sign up for a different class. I'm just looking for a friendly face and you know my brother so…" he trails off as if his explanation is all I need to understand what's going on. I nod, if only to set him at ease so he isn't so anxious.

    That does confirm to me that he has an anxiety of some sort he's struggling with. A stark contrast to his brother who was outgoing enough to help a complete stranger suffering heatstroke. He might be like Ruby where he has a difficult time interacting with people at first, but when he opens up doesn't hold himself back. It's too early to say if that's the case and I have a feeling I'm not quite on the mark anyway. Not like it's a big deal, I don't necessarily have to interact with him outside of this class, though the prospect of picking his brain on Vacuo is a little enticing considering my plans in the area.

    Just as I'm about to shrug my shoulders and get back to work Ruby swings by which presents a good opportunity of introducing the two so I can ease my own burdens a little. If he thought this class was interesting then I'm sure he could find something to talk about with her and Ruby is one of the friendliest people I know. A real win-win, or so I think.

    "Hey Ochre, could you- hey who's that with you? I'm Ruby," she says excitedly, the energy from working with weapons is enough for her to push through any initial bout of awkwardness.

    Unfortunately Lime appears to be utterly bereft of tact at the moment as the first words out of his mouth are, "Aren't you a little young to be at Beacon?"

    Instead of taking that as a reasonable inquiry, Ruby immediately fires back, "Aren't you?"

    "I'm a second year," he yells back, offended. Likely a sore point for him like Ruby's age is for herself. He crosses his arms and looks away. He quickly thinks better of his actions and tries to say something only to stop himself. Apparently unable to find the right words to express himself or being unwilling to do so and resumes his recalcitrant behavior.

    Ruby in response grabs my arm and drags me away to help her with whatever she wants my help with while mumbling 'jerk' under her breath and probably hoping that I don't hear it. I try to fight it back, but can not fully prevent a smile from forming as I take some humor from the situation. With how much she's tried to get Jaune and I on good terms it is refreshing for her to find someone she isn't willing to get along with, at least for now.


    Ruby has a sour mood for a few minutes after weaponsmithing, but it seems to all go away as soon as she meets up with her team. Not that she doesn't complain to them, but her comments seem to fall on deaf ears as Yang says something back to her that has Ruby swatting at her sister. Aside from that mishap not much else of note happens in class. Goodwitch is still cycling through the tournament hopefuls trying to re-establish a ranking and the rest of our classes are just getting into the swing of things.

    Almost too quickly it comes to an end and I find myself with a rare bit of free time. My time with the VPD isn't until later in the week. The same with my interview and meeting with Sienna. Weiss is busy with team exercises for the day and I have to wait on reports and updates from my men while I'm overseeing their operations. All things that will take up time, but none that I need to attend to right now.

    I start browsing the CCT for something interesting and have to stop myself from going back to the conspiracy boards so soon. I know if I do I'll start banging my head against the wall trying to get answers about Salem and her minions from half-literate rambling posts and I don't have that much time to spend on the endeavor. As I'm doing so I get a call from someone and without Weiss sharing her info I would never know it was Winter calling and I'd just hang up on her.

    Fortunately that disaster is avoided and I answer the call in my dorm revealing her face and light blue eyes staring slightly down and directly at the camera. Her white hair is swept off to her right with a strand of it curled off to the left and the rest held up in a bun at the back. I can't see below her neckline, but what I can see indicates she's wearing a white coat held together by a red jeweled brooch.

    She's in a room with blank walls behind her and the whole set-up and angle makes me think that she spent quite a bit of time preparing and framing everything so it would be just right. It reminds me of Whitley and his fixation on his appearance, especially with how her shoulders are rolled back like she's holding her arms behind her back like he does. I suppose it isn't too surprising considering that they grew up in similar circumstances, but that makes me wonder why Weiss turned out different.

    It's not like my girlfriend is entirely ignorant or callous about looking good. She doesn't approach the situation with the same level of seriousness as her siblings. I know that well enough from how shameless she can be in public. However, thinking about Weiss, as endearing as that is, isn't going to help me with her sister who's trying her best to stare me down imperiously. It sort of loses its impact when it's over a screen, but I'll give her points for trying.

    "Winter," I greet in a clipped manner. From what Weiss has told me about her sister she's likely going to appreciate short answers that get to the point. It gives me a bit less room to work with than normal, plus I have to word things carefully so she doesn't get the wrong idea, but I can manage.

    "Ochre," she replies just as clipped with the rest of her body unmoving. "You wanted to talk so let us talk."

    "Yes. Weiss wanted to be a part of this discussion as well. So, if you don't mind, I could go get her real quick." While I could give in to her notion I can't stop myself from pushing back a little. Delaying will give me more to work with and determine how Winter truly ticks. Plus I might have a bit of an issue with merely rolling over to the whims of an Atlesian soldier regardless of their relation to my girlfriend.

    "I am well aware of what my sister desires. That does not change my approach. This conversation is about you, not her." My eyebrows creep up and I only just keep myself from reacting any further. Bold of her to assume she can just dictate the terms of our discussion.

    I get the feeling she's too used to browbeating her way to what she wants. Or maybe she's taken to military life a little too well and sees me as in a position under her since I'm not a full-fledged Huntsman yet. Plus her comment definitely indicates that she's planned this out to a degree. It doesn't escape me that she called while Weiss is otherwise busy.

    All of that gnaws at me more than a little and I want to fire back with something petty. I only stop myself because it wouldn't make the situation any better and Weiss would be upset if I didn't at least try to get along with her sister. Instead I take a steadying breath and cede the initiative back to her. She seems unfazed or otherwise entirely unconcerned with the unsaid byplay, though oddly enough I think she approves of my reaction, at least a little bit.

    Then like she's moving onto the next item of a list she says, "Before we go any further is there anything you would like to say? About your past, perhaps?" I can recognize a leading question when I hear one.

    I have to imagine that her duties make use of her combat skills, or her managerial training from when she was heiress rather than her investigative or interrogation skills. All she really did was reveal that she doesn't know enough about my past to make any determination one way or another. Maybe she was hoping her intimidation would carry her through, but it lost its effect due to the distance and the fact that I know I have nothing to fear.

    My position at Beacon is well-secured, Ozpin already knows about my past and he's probably shared that with General Ironwood as well as my contributions so I have little to fear from the Atlesian military. That might change if they find out about the CCT relay plans I stole, but I've kept that card close to the chest and it hasn't caused any problems yet. The only thing she can threaten me with is her disapproval and while that would impact things with Weiss I'm certain our relationship could survive the strain.

    Still, the whole reason we called her family in the first place was so I could explain myself; so that they won't fear the worst or think I kept secrets when news about my affiliation with the White Fang eventually gets out. Additionally, with how seriously Winter is taking this I suspect that she's concerned about Weiss and her connection with me, someone she can't find much information about. I can understand the sentiment, but that combined with her overall temperament means I have to be careful how I approach this. I almost want to go to the absurd and start with the most bombastic reveal I can think of to shake her composure.

    I knock that thought out of my head. It's just as unhelpful as being vague with her, although I'm not completely without options. I have more than enough experience obfuscating the truth that I'm confident I'll be able to survive her little 'interrogation' without giving up any more than I want to. Thus the question is how much I want to tell her about my affiliation and plans with the White Fang.

    Unfortunately I get the feeling if I don't give her a complete story that she'll keep pressing at things until I do or have to hang up on her so I rule that out right away. I could do a mostly full reveal similar to what I've done with Weiss, though there's hardly a need to go too in depth.

    Alternatively I could get her caught up with my current situation while glossing over some of the things I've done to get there. With the latter she might suspect that I'm hiding something from her and subsequently Weiss, but I'm also hesitant to admit how entrenched I've been with the White Fang and some of my misdeeds during my membership to a member of the Atlesian military.

    Of course since she doesn't have much to go off of I could continue to play dumb, but I'm hesitant to consider that the best idea with how cold she is. She isn't like Whitley where I think I have a chance of sweet talking and making a good impression. I have the feeling that she already has some preconceived notions of me and there's little I can do to combat that while she's interrogating me.

    Full: I can reveal as much to her as I've done with Weiss, though obviously not as in depth. I know Weiss will appreciate not having to keep things from her sister. (4)

    Majority: There are certain things that are better left unsaid, but getting her accustomed to how things are going to be in the near future is prudent. (1)

    Not at all: She doesn't know enough about my past to make any accusation and I don't really feel like letting her know anything. She can find out with the rest of the world. Hopefully I'll be able to defuse this situation a little in the meantime. (0)

    I briefly consider just not telling Winter anything. The whole way she's approached this situation has sort of rubbed me the wrong way and I have very little doubt that her timing was anything but intentional. I'm sure Weiss would have something to say about her sister doing things like this. With that being said I still have to deal with the hand I've been dealt. That doesn't mean that I can't have a little bit of fun with it in the meantime.

    My mind drifts back to how I wanted to start off with the most bombastic and outlandish reveal I could. While that's still detrimental I can't say that the satisfaction I'd get out of it doesn't appeal to me. Plus since I'm already planning on letting her know about most of what I've been up to there is much less for me to lose by going all out. I just have to be careful with how I build into it.

    "There is a lot I should probably tell you," I allow and her lips twitch upwards at that, likely reveling in what she thinks is a victory. "Though if there was anything that you wanted to know in particular you should have just come out and said it."

    I let my rebuke hang in the air for a second, it's the bare minimum that my pride demands of me. It doesn't matter who they are, letting someone demand things like this is something that I can't let pass by. If Winter is as competent as Weiss claims then she won't miss my suspicions that she had nothing to go off of.

    "I was born and raised in Menagerie," I continue before she can respond. I'm sure Weiss has already told her this, but going over the information again will let me see how she reacts and where her suspicions lie. Maybe not important since I'm going to be clearing up any misconceptions, but it will also allow me to see how much the Atlesian military knows about me and my prior activities.

    "My dad is one of the few humans there and I think you can guess what my mom was." Winter nods impatiently at that, likely having heard that much from Weiss as well. I don't miss the skeptical look she has in her eye and I can't exactly fault her for that. It's the sort of unverifiable claim that a charlatan would peddle for sympathy and it doesn't very much match the popular image of Menagerie.

    "I first left my home almost five years ago," I state simply. There's no need to elaborate too much on that point. The timing involved will make her naturally think of the Fang and set the ground for the actual reveal later.

    Her frame tenses up at my admission, coming to the conclusion I've led her to. The fact that she isn't jumping at me immediately makes me think that she didn't find anything concrete connecting me to the Fang which is a relief. The only other explanation I have is that since I'm still talking she wants to see how far I'll go. It's possible that she's putting some trust in Weiss and allowing me to argue my case, but her behavior thus far hasn't given me any kind of confidence towards that being her motivation.

    "And if we're talking about my recent past, I've been taking over the Vale branch of the White Fang since attending Beacon." A slight stretching of the truth on my part, but it's not like anyone would be able to counter it. Even if the Albain brothers revealed that I came to Vale with orders from them that doesn't preclude me from chasing after my own objectives. Her eyes narrow in on me and her eyebrows furrow as if she's attempting to project the image of fury more than feeling it.

    Not exactly the reaction I was expecting from her but her words soon clear up why, "Please do not make light of the situation. This is a serious conversation and it would be best if you kept any of your 'jokes' to yourself." I take a moment to recover, disbelief isn't the most outlandish reaction and it's definitely something I can work with.

    "There is no joke, Winter," I let out pointedly, with a bit more heat than I was intending. "I've been a part of the White Fang for five years now. I have my reasons, I assure you, but you don't really care about that do you?" She might, but from what I can tell her behavior has been prompted by a concern for her sister and that's not something I can really fault her for. Doesn't make her behavior any less annoying to deal with thus far, nor really engender me to her, but I can understand and use that. "Weiss already knows all about it," I say with an air of finality.

    I brace myself for more disbelief and she scoffs at first, clearly finding the prospect ridiculous. Then she opens her mouth and her face slowly begins to drop. Like she's reviewing all the disparate pieces she knows and realizing what they mean. By the end of it she's looking rather lost, as if she can't quite believe that Weiss would go along and keep quiet about this, but is unable to argue against that even to herself. Especially since this is the thing that Weiss and I wanted to talk to her about in the first place so naturally Weiss had to have been aware.

    Exacerbating this is that Weiss was previously overwhelmingly open with her sister, seeking out the kind of support the rest of her family wouldn't provide. I also know she kept my status with the White Fang hidden as much as she could, but I don't imagine such secrecy passed by Winter unnoticed. Perhaps she thought I was responsible for that or that I was being a bad influence. Maybe that's still the case, but she isn't accusing me of lying or anything of the sort; I guess she has some faith in Weiss' abilities and character judgments that she isn't thinking of the worst case scenario.

    Not to say that it looks like she's in a good headspace right now. I didn't think this reveal would affect her overly much with the front she was presenting. Though, it's clear that she cares about Weiss and maybe she's the kind of person that liked being looked up to or relied on. Or maybe she was comfortable with where her relationship with Weiss was and realizing that might be changing with how Weiss has grown has sort of hit her all at once.

    It almost makes me want to sigh as I've dealt with far too much drama from Weiss' family recently. I'm able to restrain myself as I focus on the issue at hand. I could probably get away with ending things here, but I've already resolved myself to answering any of her inquiries in full.

    Our little interrogation resumes after a few quiet moments and I answer her questions as truthfully as I can. Only omitting the occasional detail that strays a little too close to the CCT relay plans I stole. Despite this I can tell that her heart isn't really in it and it's more like she's going through with it because she's already made the effort and thinks it's something she has to follow through on. I don't doubt that her curiosity would have come back after this conversation, so it isn't entirely a detriment for me to humor her.

    Things come to a close after her final question and my response, only indicated by the aftermath where she remains silent for a moment before shaking her head slightly. Likely thinking better of saying something or asking anything further. Winter reaches for her scroll to end the call and I speak up, "She still loves you. Give her a call and it'll make her day, I promise. Though, maybe you should add in an apology as well."

    Winter nods at that and I think I hear a muted 'Thank you' before the call is ended. Hopefully she takes my advice as it'd be a pain otherwise. Far be it for me to care overly much about an Atlas stiff, but she's important to my girlfriend and Winter being upset wouldn't make her happy. Speaking of Weiss, I should probably spoil her a little after this to make sure she doesn't think I hold her sister's behavior against her or anything silly like that.


    After class the next day I have to get head into Vale for the interview. I'm going in my combat outfit as it's not only linked to my fight with Pyrrha, but my attendance at Beacon without it being official. Ozpin might not like having the implicit statement that his establishment supports my aims, but leveraging the reputation of Huntsmen is something too great for me to pass up on. Also, considering the position the Union is taking, I briefly toss the thought around of having Weiss come along for the interview. I'd appreciate her support and it'd strengthen our overall message.

    Unfortunately it's something that I have to turn down. I'm already going to be facing enough accusations of being a puppet of Atlas and the SDC for associating with her and having her present for my first real outreach to the rest of the world would only strengthen that assumption. Plus she has to deal with some complications herself.

    While she was happy when Winter called her, finding out it was because she spoke to me without her didn't help. Not to mention that Weiss had apparently provided her sister with her schedule specifically so this wouldn't happen. The whole start of the semester hasn't exactly been kind to my girlfriend, but our schedules mean that it will be some time before I can really help her destress or work through all this.

    Putting that out of my mind I walk into the studio; some of my men amble about with the production crew. They're here as a part of the concessions I was able to wring out of the network. Likely they weren't expecting a relative nobody like myself to have any sort of outside help aside from maybe Weiss and her money. The fact that the men assisting me are all faunus is a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed.

    Truthfully it isn't an implicit threat, but the way one of the executives looks about the set with wide eyes and all but runs away has me thinking they knew something that the rest of the crew does not. It wouldn't surprise me if they finally caught wind of my 'former' membership with the White Fang from the word around campus. It would also explain why they wanted to seek me out for this as well as why they wanted to keep some of the interview questions hidden. It works just as well for me because I have plans of my own and some of them would involve going heavily off-script.

    Fortunately the interviewer is one of the investigative journalist types that takes their job very seriously instead of a studio mouthpiece. He was more than a little upset at the prospect of me knowing the questions ahead of time as he's looking for my genuine reaction rather than being fed a line. He in particular was the one to push for keeping as many questions hidden as he could and it wouldn't surprise me if he's the one who found out about my connection to the Fang. Going by that I don't think he'd mind if we went off-script for something more genuine.

    Regardless, I have to focus on what message I want to be sending with this interview. I'm confident I can drag it wherever I want, but I have to keep in mind what goals I'm achieving here as this is more to me than just an interview. Additionally, I have to be mindful that this is my first real broadcast to the public and possibly what most people will think of first when they think of me. Thanks to my unique background and position with the Union, the VPD, and a certain someone I have a few options available to me.

    The first of which is to reveal my status as the head of the Union and overall Vale branch of the Fang. The latter part will be rather unstated, both because I haven't cleared it with Sienna yet and because of the connotations behind the title. It's something that I should probably do before too long, but it would unfortunately detract from any other message that I could bring. It's a lot easier for headlines to focus on that bit of bombastic news than anything I have to say on other matters.

    Related to that I could mention the Union as well as our general intent, but instead of mentioning my position focus on advocating for the message behind it. My relationship with Weiss when combined with my past makes me somewhat of a sterling example for this and keeping the complicated aspects out of the press for the time being will allow that message the chance to spread. Unfortunately, when or if it comes out that I'm the head of the Union there will undoubtedly be some accusations that I was being duplicitous or disingenuous, but that may be worth it.

    Next up and perhaps more importantly is related to my position in the VPD. The state of Spider and Wave's push into the city is rather dire even if the council and everyone else is trying to downplay things. Now it would be reckless to reveal that to the public or make any calls for vigilantism, but those aren't my only options. It might not help overly much, but making people aware of there being a problem and imploring them to be vigilant would provide a variety of tip-offs that could help in combating the crime syndicates' expansion as well as smaller time crime.

    Of course there's also my personal soapbox, that being the state of my homeland. The cynical part of me assures me that speaking on this wouldn't do much. The state of Menageries isn't anything new and after decades of not helping out I'm not foolish enough to think my voice would be enough to change that. Then again with the Vytal Festival in full swing now might be the best time to bring up the subject and I can't say that I would mind overly much if the thing people associate me with is the cause of my homeland.

    I've already made preparations to ensure that the network won't try twisting my message, whatever it ends up being, into unrecognition or portraying it in an overly bad light. I can't control how they'll react to it after the fact or the public's reaction, but I've done enough to ensure that it will at least get out there relatively unscathed. The only question is which to commit to.

    A grand reveal: The pieces are already falling in place. I might as well take this opportunity and make the most of it. Reveal that I'm the head of the Union as well as our aims. (4)

    Call to Action: The VPD is in a tight spot and every little bit could help. It might not amount to much from any individual, but if enough people are moved we could have real intel that could help us out. (3)

    Menagerie: Not many people are personally aware of the state of Menagerie and maybe making that point will get some people to do something. (2)

    Message of Tolerance: I'm not ready to reveal my status just yet and think spreading the aims and goals of the Union is more important than ensuring that I'm recognized as the leader. (0)

    It takes a few more minutes for everything to be ready as both myself and the interviewer, Sebastian Sterling, subject ourselves to a round of touch-ups for make-up. I'm sure I'll receive some shit from Autumn for doing so, but I'm not about to appear on television in anything but my best and we keep things to light touches only. Before too long the studio is ready and the two of us take a seat next to a table.

    Our seats are open to the camera, but we both have our focus on each other. That was probably a decision by the set people or a producer and neither of us care much for the decision. If anything I'm paying more attention to the optics of everything while Sebastian looks ready to pounce on me for the sake of his own curiosity.

    We receive a countdown during which he runs his hand over his slicked back silver hair and otherwise readies himself for when the cameras start rolling. When they do he launches into a brief introduction of the bit as well as myself before thanking me while sticking out his hand. I play my part and take his hand while thanking him for letting me on. With that bit of theater out of the way it's time to get to the meat of the matter.

    "You were born in Menagerie, correct?"

    "Yes."

    "If you don't mind me asking why did you leave," he asks, the question not being one of the ones on the approved list. There is some commotion from the background, but I ignore it. I could use this as an opportunity to launch into my main point although it's a little too early for me to consider that, I'm sure I'll have an opportunity to later.

    "That's a bit complicated," I admit heavily, the weight behind my voice not affected in the slightest. "Part of it was wanting to come to Beacon, yes, but as much as I love my home there are some problems with it."

    "Such as?"

    "We've been left behind," I state deliberately. That isn't entirely the fault of the Kingdoms as most people in Menagerie are more than fine remaining isolationists, but I can massage the facts here a little to my benefit. "We were never given a CCT tower or even a relay like the other Kingdoms and while they're fine with that state of affairs my home languishes without many of the things people consider a necessity of modern living. We lack the technology, a steady supply of Dust, sometimes even medicine is in short supply."

    That last bit is hard for me to get out. Feels too much like leaving myself bare to too many people but I managed it. Still, Sterling nods like it answers his question, hums, and moves on.

    "Your father is a human, right?" I nod; I'm still not entirely sure if I should have kept this question in, but I figure it's best to get it out of the way and not hide anything. It may make things awkward with Clover and some members of the Fang, but I can only imagine it would be worse for the truth to come out later. Sterling follows up on that with another off-script question, "Did you ever experience any discrimination growing up?"

    "No, despite our troubles there's not any disunity like that." It's one that I was expecting so the lie rolls easily off my tongue. "I guess you could relate it to how Vacuo handles things." That should get some people making comparisons between the two and wondering if Vacuo is a Kingdom with all the benefits that entails, why isn't Menagerie?

    Things settle back into the on-script questions mainly revolving around my time at Beacon, my team, my position as team leader, and our trip over Winter break. The last of which having the fewest questions overall, Sterling clearly wants to get back to what he thinks are more interesting topics. I almost think that he's going to segue into my fight with Pyrrha when he asks, "You are proud of your faunus heritage, are you not?"

    "Of course I am," I reply, barely able to bite back any more bile that I could throw at him.

    "And you are aware that you are covering up your faunus features?" He points at my combat outfit, particularly the sleeves and the hat on my head. He doesn't wait for me to answer. "Doesn't that send a mixed message?"

    "It's a habit," I reply reflexively and know that I'm going to have to follow up on that with something. It's as good of a time as ever to get into my business with the Fang and the Union. "I've been a member of the White Fang for five years now and, well, let's just say that it was easier to get around passing for a human than as a faunus in most of the Kingdoms. That being said, we don't agree with the current state of the White Fang and are trying to show that there's a better way by example."

    Stirling sits up straighter at that, finally finding the meat in the interview he was searching for. At this point we've left the script far behind and I get to deal with Sterling's questions. "You said we. Could you expand on that?

    "Are you aware of how the White Fang has recently fractured in Vale," I ask rhetorically. He nods but I'm already onto my next statement. "I'm the leader of the moderate faction, we call ourselves the Shallow Sea Union, though we are still a part of the White Fang. Of course we have our disagreements on how to handle things. That we have to work with humans if any hope of equality is to come to pass is just one of those."

    I have to be careful with how I word things. I can't be too disparaging to the Fang in the interests of future relations and I also can't portray them in too good of a light for fear of the Union getting tarred with the same brush by association. It's difficult enough for us to differentiate ourselves as something other than a less violent White Fang.

    "So, are you saying your movement is a return to the roots of the White Fang? Like how it was under Ghira Belladonna?"

    I shake my head at that, no matter how accurate it is or how much it would appeal to some faunus, accepting that would make it all too easy to discredit the movement for those within the Fang which is something I'm trying to avoid. "No, as much as I respect Ghira, we have our differences. We have the right to defend ourselves like anyone else and recognize that we'll have to do more than have our voices ignored if we want to pursue equality. Although violent options are obviously not considered."

    He doesn't press any further on that, likely assuming correctly that I'd dance around the topic if he sought more explicit answers. It is somewhat surprising to me that he hasn't brought up his personal opinions or tried to make anything more than a neutral counterpoint. I don't know if he's keeping his views to himself out of a professional courtesy or if he's genuinely neutral on the topic, but either way it's helping get my message out and he seems all too happy to help out with that.

    "You said you were the leader of the movement, what do you mean by that exactly?"

    "I more or less founded it after arriving in Beacon. The White Fang isn't a monolith and many people agreed with my views. They just needed someone to rally around and organize them and that's been my role for the past few months. We're still trying to find our feet, but we believe that our message will resonate with people and bring about the change we're looking for."

    He nods at that without comment, already preparing his next question, ""And was Beacon aware of this affiliation? The same for the VPD." I get the feeling that he wanted to ask for how long as well, but refrained. He still has a calculating glint in his eyes and I nod to him, an unspoken promise that I'll give him an answer to that if he doesn't make it an issue here.

    "Beacon and the VPD are aware of it. Admittedly we were a much smaller movement before my expedition with Dr. Oobleck and I did not think things would deteriorate so much in my absence." The ball is now in Ozpin and the VPD's court. I know Flint will back me up for this past week at the very least, but I might have to play ball a little more for them to be willing to stake much of their reputation past that. Still it's the best I can manage in the current circumstances.

    I'm ready for us to move on and so are the rest of the crew given that some of them are signaling Sterling to carry on with the interview since we got stuck on this unexpected topic for longer than they're comfortable with. Before we move on though, he has one last question on the topic. "The White Fang has been criticized in the past for their actions and protests. Even under High Leader Belladonna there were those that said their actions increased negativity and drew in the grimm. What would you say to those people?"

    "I'd say that the inequality of the faunus generates as much if not more negativity than any amount of attention drawn to it could. In an ideal world maybe we could be able to achieve equality without causing any harm, but just because that isn't the case doesn't mean that we should give up on striving for equality." Autumn might not appreciate how much I butchered his saying for my own purposes, but I think I kept the sentiment intact.

    "It's a goal worthy of being pursued in its own right," I continue. "All we can do is attempt to minimize the harm that comes from actualizing it. And it isn't entirely up to the White Fang or even the faunus to make that attempt. Humans can reach out their hands and make this process easier just like anyone else. It's the Vytal Festival after all, a time for the celebration of unity and peace, if there was any time to reach out and help it's now."

    I feel a bit corny making the appeal, but hopefully maybe it'll do something. I'm not too confident that it'll amount to anything, but it doesn't hurt to make the attempt and I can deal with some people thinking I'm a bit of an idealist in return.

    The interview goes back to a more normal pace and goes over my fight with Pyrrha and the aftermath. Most of it is boring to Sterling, but it's apparently what the executives were looking for as they back off on directing him. We get through all the questions on the topic with a little time to spare, which I think was his intent all along as he pops another more pointed question.

    "You worked with the VPD to take down the criminal Roman Torchwick. However, you've kept an official position within the VPD both before and after that along with participating in their faunus relations task force. Do you believe that there's a conflict of interest there?"

    Of course there is, but it's not like I can just say that. I may be doing good work with the VPD, but I'm not unaware that what I've been doing would be sketchy to anyone not in the know and plenty of people who are. "Not at all. I do my work just as well as anybody else and my unique perspective allows me to provide some insight during our meetings with the task force. Even then I'm just one voice at the table and everything comes down to a vote."

    "But the potential remains doesn't it," he asks, the closest he's gotten to rebuking one of my answers.

    "Our group of the White Fang isn't involved in any criminal activity so there should be no conflict there. That being said if the VPD ever wants me to recuse myself from a case or a discussion I have no problem doing so." The concession comes easily to me as it's not like I'd be able to resist if they made that decision and I have plenty of ways around it as is.

    He nods at that and I don't know if he accepts that as a truthful answer or just the best he's going to get out of me. "Aside from that, how has your time working with the VPD gone? It's my understanding that such an arrangement is odd for a Huntsman, much less a Huntsman in training."

    "It's been going as well as it can," I respond with a sigh that's only slightly affectatious. "Recent events have had us strained for one reason or another. So if I could make a request of anyone at home, please report any signs of suspicious activity. Even if you think it's not that big of a deal; the smallest of clues could help us out at this time and it only costs a little bit of effort." I have to keep things brief because of time and because I can't reveal too much of what's going on with the situation.

    Sterling looks like he wants to interrogate me on that statement, likely with questions as to why the VPD is stretched so thin or why we need the help of the public, but he gets a signal from the crew. His lips turn downward for a split second and he gets on with an outro to the segment, the interview already running a bit over long. Once that's done the crew disperses and I answer a few more of his questions now that the camera isn't rolling anymore.

    That ended up being a bit tougher than I thought it would be, but I made it through relatively unscathed or about as well as could be expected. All that's left now is to wait and see what the response is as well as deal with the aftermath.

    With my interview concluded I make my way back to Beacon where I have to watch the whole thing again with Weiss. Ostensibly in an exercise to see where I can improve in the future, but in actuality as an excuse for the two of us to spend some time together. It isn't too big of a deal as I have some of my men dissecting the video to see where I can improve and I have enough to deal with in my dorm room. Autumn already has the interview pulled up and on one clip in particular.

    That of course being the one where I used a version of the sentiment he expressed to me before the trip. He has a shit-eating grin all the while and it takes more effort than I'm willing to admit not to immediately deck him. Kelly takes a more moderate approach of critiquing and adding context to my answers as well as throwing the occasional accusatory look whenever I lied or danced around a particular issue. It isn't done with any malice, but it is another reminder that people close to me will see through some of the obfuscations and bending of the truth that I did.

    Marina for her part watches the interview, but with the occasional glance thrown at me. As if that would help her figure out how I was feeling in the video and it only leaves her more confused by time everything is done. Of course then I have to explain it all to her while she pulls out her logbook and asks questions of her own. If that inquisitiveness could be pointed outside of our team I might be able to use it, but as it is it's another thing to add in the daily ritual of staying at Beacon.


    The day after, things hardly change in class. I guess not many of them like to keep up with the news and it'll take a day or two for the interview to breach its bubble of seclusion and leak out on other networks. I have no doubt that it will blow up soon enough. An interview with a leader of the White Fang is all but guaranteed to, especially with how open it was. Not to mention my other accolades such as tying with Pyrrha, catching Torchwick, or my relationship with Weiss. I'll have to enjoy my peace while I can.

    With that in mind I decide to get what may be the most stressful part of my week over and done with. I'm of course referring to dealing with Torchwick and more relevantly the Atlesian military. Dealing with Sienna may be a pain, but it doesn't come with having to interact with so many Atlas stiffs all at once.

    It's a whole procedure to get clearance to board one of the airships as well as deal with the bullhead crew on the ground and convince them that yes I am the person they're taking up even if I'm a student. When those issues are resolved and we dock with the airship I'm escorted throughout the halls until I arrive at a small room where I'm told to stay put. There's a long table with multiple chairs as well as another desk with a terminal on it and an accompanying chair. If I had to guess this is where Torchwick has been doing his work whenever Atlas lets him.

    A few moments later the door behind me opens and instead of the orange-haired visage of Torchwick I'm met by the stony-faced General Ironwood. He's in his Atlesian uniform, a broad shouldered white overcoat with gray underneath. The opposite of his hair which is short and black with a few gray spots.

    I figured that he would want to talk with me at some point and I have to give him some credit, this probably counts as subtle to his sensibilities. I'd normally expect more out of someone involved in a world-wide conspiracy, but my opinion of Atlas is already low and he did think the best move in a shadow war was to bring a whole Atlesian fleet to Vale.

    Either way we're alone in the room and he's the first to speak. "First things first, I would like to congratulate you young man. Not many would have the skills, or courage, to do what you've done. If it was solely up to me I'd give you the Star of Atlas."

    "I'd rather you didn't sir," I reply, unable to keep the distaste out of my words or expression. The Star of Atlas is the highest honor that can be given to a non-military serving personnel and comes with honorary citizenship. While some may be honored with the gesture I have to keep in mind how damaging to my credibility it would be to accept. Especially among the faunus and the White Fang. Plus actually wearing that piece of Atlas jewelry doesn't sit right with me no matter how much I think about it.

    My response causes him to laugh, a low-rumbling thing that's more restrained than free. Like he keeps himself in check even when expressing mirth. "Oz said you'd say something like that. The offer is open if you ever change your mind. Though with our enemies I can understand the need for anonymity."

    I wait for a moment and when he doesn't move or otherwise react I ask, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

    "Truthfully no. I have a lot of questions for you, some bigger than others, but I recognize now is not the time to second guess ourselves. Oz is willing to trust you and I will as well, I just hope that you'll trust us when the time comes."

    There's a lot that can be read into that statement up to and including viewing it as a subtle threat. That doesn't strike me as within the General's character, however. If he wanted to threaten me he would make it clear. Rather I get the impression that he's being entirely genuine here and I'm not sure how exactly to deal with that.

    Instead of pondering on that any further I get to the questions I have for him. "If it isn't too much trouble there are a few things that I need to ask you about." In less than a second he goes from semi-relaxed to all business, somehow standing straighter and giving himself a few inches over my own frame. "The first is about Torchwick and the VPD."

    "Is it about us delaying his reports," he asks before I have the chance to elaborate. I nod and he follows up, "Can you guarantee that he isn't reaching out to any of her servants." I nod again, more readily. Torchwick doesn't know enough about the conspiracy to even begin attempting Salem's agents aside from Cinder much less doing so through reports to the VPD. "Consider it done. He hasn't been that helpful with our investigations anyway."

    Just like that it's done and I feel more than a bit underwhelmed that it was literally as easy as asking and providing a minor assurance. I honestly don't know how to feel about that. I thought I would have to work a little harder to get past his famously stubborn nature. He must trust me, or more accurately Ozpin, a lot to go out that far on a limb over something as simple as words.

    I will admit that it does rub me the wrong way that something so significant could be dealt with over a few words when everything else in my life has required so much struggle. However, I tamper down on that before it can get out of hand. I'm sure my next request will be a little more difficult for him to grant anyway.

    "The second thing is Penny-," I start.

    "How did you learn about that," he asks with narrowed eyes while looming over me. I remain silent only staring back at him unbowed. After a few moments he seems to relax. "I'm sorry, your knowledge of that project is concerning to say the least. It seems the security of Atlas has been tested more than a few times and found wanting in recent years." He rubs at his temples, "What did you want to ask about the project?"

    I bite back an immediate retort that she's a person not a project. It wouldn't be helpful and there's not really a way for me to achieve my objectives here without his approval. With the VPD I might have been able to convince Ozpin to strong-arm him into agreement, but I doubt he'd go that far for a single student of Atlas. Especially given Penny's robotic nature and I'm not sure what Ozpin's feelings on that are.

    "I couldn't help, but notice that she's rather…under-socialized," I say, trying my best to present my findings in a deferential and hopefully convincing manner. "I don't know what your plans are for her, but I think it would be best if she learned how to fit in. I have some experience with helping my partner do something similar." I leave off any direct request or further statement. Ironwood is perceptive enough to put together what's unsaid and even if he isn't I've positioned myself as a trustworthy expert on the matter.

    He takes several long seconds to think over the matter. Clearly not happy that he has to consider the option, but viewing the benefits as potentially worth it. "For the sake of an old friend I'm willing to consider this," he says and I have to stop myself from celebrating early. "But! I'm going to need some assurances. Penny knows nearly as many secrets as you do. I need you to promise me that you'll prevent her from sharing any of those. Not to your friends, your team, or even yourself. Although the last one may be unnecessary soon enough," he flashes me a smile like he didn't just make a demand of me.

    Still that isn't an onerous demand and it's one that he has no way of enforcing so I nod easily enough. He doesn't need to know that Penny has shared one of her secrets with Ruby and I and that knowledge might even make him reconsider the whole prospect.

    "Secondly, related to the first, you cannot let her out of your presence or the presence of her team for longer than a few minutes. She's been known to run away before and we'd rather not have a repeat of those incidents, not to mention what she could get up to without supervision." That one's harder to swallow and I can hardly believe that he could say 'she's been known to run away,' without thinking over how that sounds or what it implies.

    I nod somewhat reluctantly which he takes as agreement and he pulls out his scroll, probably to send out the orders as a sign of good faith. As he does so someone bangs on the door to the room, but it remains unopened. By straining my ears I'm able to hear Torchwick's voice.

    "This is ridiculous, locked out of my own room. How do you expect me to work in these conditions? And would it kill you guys to get me some decent coffee. I've stolen better swill than you've brewed and I damn near monopolized all the coffee in Vale. The least you could do is-"

    The door opens, cutting him off mid-rant as Ironwood makes to leave the room. "Ah General," Torchwick says with false sweetness in his voice. "I didn't realize that my accommodations were so princely you had to see them for yourself. I'm sure you would be gratified if we were to swap arrangements for a day or three."

    "No need, Torchwick, I was only here to ensure your guest was settled in."

    "My guest," he says dumbfounded and almost hopeful. He shoves his way past the Ironwood and when he spots that it's me his face falls, his hope replaced with indignation. A trio of Atlas technicians follow in after Torchwick, one holding a scroll, another with a folder of papers, and the last with a tray of coffee. They rush past me to set their things on the table working in a steady rhythm of familiarity. I somewhat pity them for having to deal with Torchwick on a regular basis while also taking a not small amount of pleasure in their suffering.

    To Torchwick's credit he doesn't let any of that slow him down as he immediately sticks an accusatory finger at me. "You! That was a dirty trick you pulled. Making me think I was going to rot in that cell for a whole month. What do you have to say for yourself?"

    "It worked didn't it," I reply cheekily, not really caring if I get on Torchwick's good side. It's not like I don't have enough leverage over the man to force compliance, at least in his mind. I doubt he's picked up on how much Ironwood already knows about what's going on given that they apparently haven't interacted too much based on what was said between them.

    He looks at me with a critical eye before he sighs and admits, "It did, I'll give you that. Don't think that means everything's alright. I'll get you back for that one of these days." The threat comes off as rote, like he has to say it otherwise he fails some sort of preconceived notion in his head. Likely trying to maintain his rep even while incarcerated. Granted it could be a legitimate grudge that he's holding, but I think he can respect another person's competency even if he doesn't like them.

    Neo: With how hopeful he was upon hearing about a visitor I have to imagine the two of them have hardly interacted. It might be a good idea to ask about that. (4)

    Spider: Really the reason why I bothered with all this paperwork in the first place. I could ask what he did in the organization and if he has any insights he'd like to share. (4)

    Crime: While not exactly my first pick, I do admit that I'm curious how he fell into this kind of life and what he's picked up over the years. (0)

    Agreement: I know he and the VPD came to an agreement, but I can see how he's taking things. Maybe even reassure him that he's chosen the right side. (0)

    It takes me a few seconds to think over how exactly I want to approach this. All the while Torchwick moves about the room, circling me as if I am some sort of animal he is hunting. "You know I've looked into you while I've been locked up here. I thought you'd be a proud faunus like those other mongrels and yet you let yourself get leashed to a Schnee of all people. How many of your kind would skin you alive for that?" His voice is dripping with malice, I guess even if I have a little bit of his respect he's more than a little bit upset with my role in his capture.

    "Probably as many as humans who have a problem with our relationship. I've found most racists to be terribly unoriginal." His smile only widens at that. It's an unusual reaction since my implication is that he's unoriginal. Either he doesn't consider himself a racist or he's just glad that he got a rise out of me.

    "And yet you've come crawling back to me. You must want something that only I could provide. Why, I wonder what that could be. Could it have anything to do with Spider laying its web about the city? Or maybe it has something to do with that girl nobody asks me about? You know the one," he finishes while standing right in front of and trying to loom over me. It has a diminished effect when we're nearly the same height and I don't let it get to me.

    It speaks to the size of his ego that he thinks he has any leverage here, or maybe he's desperate to reassert some measure of control in his life. I imagine that his trio of helpers have to deal with his tantrums enough on their own. Speaking of them they're trying not to look like they're eavesdropping, but aren't doing too good of a job of it. Regardless, I'm going to have to pop Torchwick's bubble if I want this conversation to go anywhere.

    "I already got what I wanted out of the General," I say with a shrug of my shoulders. It may not be entirely true, but it's true enough for my purposes. If he really thought about it he might see the holes in my story with how I'm in his room and not Ironwood's, but I'm banking on the blow to his ego to be enough for him to overlook it for a few moments.

    "You what," he replies with strained credulity and I smile as I make my move.

    "I think you vastly overestimate your usefulness, so let me make it clear to you. I don't need you, never have and probably never will. Don't get me wrong, you're useful and your info has helped a lot of boys on the ground, but need is not a word I would use in any context around you. Now I want you to cooperate and I'm sure there's a lot you could tell me about Spider, but let me make it clear: this is not a negotiation."

    I let that hang in the air and Torchwick fumes for a few seconds before taking a step back. Both backing down from his argument and allowing me my space. He takes a few steps off to the side as if starting to pace until he stops himself, then he jerks his arm as if he was bringing that up out of a nervous habit before stopping himself once again. If I had to guess he's trying not to show any weakness, but a month of a lack of control and being separated from his partner has done a number on him.

    When he finally gets himself back under control there is a subtle air of defeat in his voice, "Lil' Miss had me working in Vale to pave the way for their expansion. Her and I had our…disagreements, let's say. One thing led to another, she wanted me dead and I very much didn't want that and to make a long-story short I ruined her plans and made it unprofitable to try to expand into Vale. At least until someone came in and messed that up."

    I allow him that bit of pettiness. It really isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things and as long as he doesn't allow that vitriol to come between a working relationship I'm willing to endure some of his biting comments.

    The lack of a response from my part seems to both embolden and calm him as he continues, "Some of the details have changed but it's largely the same. Establish an information network and slowly push all other networks out of the city until only she has a complete view of what's going on. Anyone that would want to deal in the future would have to pay their respects and a portion of their profits to her and all the while she'd be setting up her other rackets."

    "What would those be?"

    "First she's going to set up her gambling rings, she'll target high-class areas for that, it's where the real money is at and the clientele are usually influential enough that the cops ignore it. She might be in for a surprise here in Vale after what you've done, but I don't think it'll take her long to adapt. After that she'll start taking over the underworld in earnest, seeding the place with her own pickpockets and fences forcing poor honest thieves such as myself out of business." I smile at his joke, it's decent enough and while I might not need it, ingratiating myself to the man doesn't really come with any downsides.

    "I don't suppose you had any plans on how to stop her?"

    He scoffs, "Of course I do. I've even pitched a few to these toy soldiers and the pigs on the ground, but it's 'too dangerous' according to them." He actually leans in towards me and makes the air quotes with his fingers, evidently enjoying the chance to be a bit theatrical.

    "I'm all ears," I say while stretching out my upper ears a little just to mess with him. I ready myself for whatever comment he wants to bring to bear, but he cuts himself off. I guess he can learn respect eventually although I don't think it's entirely genuine just yet.

    "I'll spare you the details on most of them, but you have her girls. That's a way bigger chip than I think any of you realize."

    "Really," I question skeptically, my eyebrows raised. "It certainly hasn't stopped her thus far."

    Torchwick waves his hand off to the side, dismissing my concern with the gesture. "That's because you aren't going to do anything with them. Right now they're sitting in a cell twiddling their thumbs. Hardly the most comfortable arrangement, but they aren't in danger and she'll be able to get them released when she's taken over the city. Their jail time is probably being looked on as a learning experience for the brats."

    "And what are you suggesting? It's not like we could threaten to execute them or anything."

    "Transfer them to Atlas," he says as if it's obvious. "Don't give me that look, you know it's a viable plan." If he didn't point it out I probably wouldn't have fixed my expression right away. I'll have to keep a better watch on that in the future with him; it wouldn't do to give him an easy subject to poke me with.

    "Yeah, we could turn their transport into an ambush, but wouldn't they realize it's a trap? I'm hardly one to rely on the stupidity of my enemies." I don't miss the way his smile widens at that. I guess it could be considered a roundabout compliment in a way and I see no need to correct him.

    "It doesn't matter if they know it's a trap," he says with a smile that's all teeth. "Lil' Miss would tell them to go after them anyway and no one in Spider is willing to disappoint Lil' Miss Malachite."

    "Not anymore you mean," I say, sharing a conspiratorial smile that Torchwick returns.

    "Yes, she could never stand someone as independent or ambitious as herself. More's the pity really. If she wasn't so draconian with her handling of Spider, maybe they'd be able to avoid the bloody nose you're going to give them," he finishes with glee. I guess getting back at his old boss has him looking past whatever problem he has with myself. Or maybe he's just glad that his plan might be the one to do it I can't tell quite yet.

    I refrain from commenting on it. I'm sure there are some caveats that he isn't telling me and I have to consider the risks involved. Considering the location Spider would have to attack the transport before it reaches the ocean which gives it a large chance of being attacked while still in Vale and endangering civilians. That doesn't even get into all the people I'd have to convince to go along with this plan, but it would definitely weaken Spider. It might go nicely along with my future plans depending on how my talks with Sienna go, so I don't discount it entirely.

    Regardless, Torchwick is in a good mood and I move to keep pressing that advantage. "While we're talking, I did want to ask about Neopolitan."

    The change in his demeanor is as sudden as it is telling. His previous mirth evaporates and he barks out, "I'm tired of all these questions about Neo. No I don't know about her past and even if I did I'm not telling you. Neo is Neo, end of discussion."

    I wonder if he's even aware of how much he's defending her or what that implies. Maybe that arrangement worked while they were partners in crime, but here it's a different matter. He certainly doesn't want to display weakness while he's locked up but his reactions towards Neo proves that she is one for him. I think if I pointed that out he'd have a crisis of faith.

    Additionally, the fervor of which he made that defense makes me wonder if Neo had a part to play in whatever grand plans Cinder had. That brings my mind to Cinder and her team being down a member. I almost laugh at that, it would be entirely too convenient for me to have inconvenienced her so much by complete happenstance. If I ever get the chance to lord this over her I won't miss that opportunity, but right now it's distracting from the matter at hand.

    "I was more wondering about her arrangements, if you've met with her, stuff like that," I respond slowly and softly. Truthfully I could request the reports and find out myself, but this allows me to figure out Torchwick's perspective as well as endear myself to him for acting concerned. I doubted that he would tell me anything about her past or what she's been up to and this is the next best thing.

    He looks at me with narrowed eyes, searching for what my ulterior motive could be because there's simply no way that I'm asking out of the goodness of my heart. I could explain my motivations to him and he might even agree with them, but he's smart enough to come to that conclusion on his own. Even then I don't miss the way he relaxes when he realizes I'm not coming after his partner.

    "It isn't great," he admits as if the words physically pain him. "Her room doesn't look that much worse than mine, but we only get a single call to each other once a week. These tinmen don't even have the decency to give her a scroll, making her write out her words to me on a whiteboard. Won't even let her expedite things with her semblance," he adds on with a shake of his head.

    I get to listen to him complain for a few more minutes about the situation and how bored Neo must be since she has nothing to do. Halfway through I think he realizes that I'm a captive audience and not really enjoying the discussion, but I brought it on myself and don't have the heart to tell him to stop. Even if he's taking far more enjoyment out of my mild suffering than I think is necessary.

    All the while I think over their situation. It's unlikely to change unless I do something and I'm not sure that I want to get involved. Even then there's only so much I could do, Neo is simply too much of a flight risk. With her semblance and her behavior it'd be easy for her to disappear and her lack of a past before turning to a life of crime isn't helping to convince anyone. They might just have to tough it out for a few months. At the very least their arrangement will change when Atlas calls back its fleet, they are still supposed to be tried in Vale and I doubt the city or the VPD wants to give that up regardless of the current situation.

    Eventually the door to the room opens with two Atlas soldiers ready to escort me back to Beacon. I only had a limited amount of time to talk with Torchwick and while that may get relaxed in the future, Atlas is a stickler for its procedures. I make my exit and my upper ears strain to hear something that Torchwick says under his breath. I can't make out the exact words, but I think I can guess the sentiment he's expressing.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Interlude 4, James Ironwood
  • Sidestory

    • James Ironwood

    ​

    I make my way to the bridge, having just wrapped up my conversation with Mr. Rovere. Meeting with a student from another Academy like that is sure to draw some attention, but the sacrifice is necessary. I had to confirm Oz's assessment as well as a few of my suspicions. He may not have included it in his assessment, but he and Mr. Rovere are quite similar which makes watching over the young faunus all the more important.

    I don't know if Oz has or ever will be a faunus, he has always been reluctant to talk about his past, but I don't see why that wouldn't be the case. Our technology has proven that our auras, our souls, are remarkably similar if not identical; discounting the differences between individuals. Hopefully this precaution proves unnecessary, Oz still has a few decades in him, but preparation and redundancies never hurt. If only that wasn't a subject of debate amongst us.

    I brought my fleet to keep the people of Vale safe and stop Salem's agents. No matter how much Oz has counseled that it's unnecessary I know that Mr. Rovere's discoveries and inclusion is nothing more than fortunate happenstance. Oz, or at least Glynda, would have said something when I met up with them otherwise. Even if things turn out well this time, all it takes is one mistake for the whole system to come crashing down. I will do everything in my power to prevent that.

    I've already made decent steps in doing so. Even before knowing of Watts' survival I ordered our technicians to do a full security update for the CCTS after the break-in. Officially the perpetrator was never caught, unofficially I know there is only one possible suspect.

    I don't know how Mr. Rovere got his information or the credentials to download the specs of the relays in the first place. However, he has proven himself quite adept at discovering information and accessing Atlas systems. His information about project P.E.N.N.Y. only proves both points even further. That and the timing of his arrival in Vale matches up too well with what the investigation turned up.

    I will admit, at first I thought the break in was courtesy of agents from Salem. They had been too quiet for too long and it wasn't until the attack on the Fall maiden that I learned why that was. Still, the thinking wasn't flawed per se, the White Fang had little to gain from disrupting the CCTS or any attempts at sabotage. Plus their organization runs largely off of the infrastructure of the Kingdoms so stealing it for their own purposes was also discounted. Perhaps that was putting too much faith in the organization with what was planned for Vale.

    Regardless, I had the investigation officially closed and sent a more covert agent to tail our little runaway. Always at a distance, I didn't want him getting spooked and finding the identities of Salem's collaborators was deemed worthy of the risk involved. When it became clear that there was nothing more sinister afoot I still had him tailed, hoping that he'd lead us to the headquarters of the White Fang with a clear reason that Mistral wouldn't be able to object against.

    He did meet up with another person working for the White Fang, but soon departed. His contact wasn't handed anything and neither did she report back to her superiors so she was discounted as a dead-end and put under light surveillance. Mr. Rovere, on the other hand, boarded a ship set for Menagerie and that's when the pieces clicked into place. As a fellow patriot I can understand the desire, no need, of serving one's Kingdom.

    I could have set forth an airship to intercept him or wait for him at Menagerie, but ultimately decided not to. It was a surprise to find that he was attending Beacon of all places after such a brazen act, but I guess he thought he was able to get away with it. That and the same ship that departed from Mistral is the one he arrived at Vale on. There might not be a need to bring it to his attention and if I decide to do so I might as well thank him in the process.

    The burglary brought to my attention just how fragile the CCTS is and how necessary it is for Atlas' operations and our fight against Salem. The council would never agree to it normally. However, if it's the only way to regain control of the situation they would be amenable to some concessions for the people of Menagerie.

    There will be suspicions and accusations against me for allowing this to happen. I can deal with the scorn easily enough for Atlas. Bringing another Kingdom to the fore can only prove fruitful for the fight against Salem. We are stronger together than divided and we will need every ounce of that strength. I'm not about to let this problem fall upon future generations.

    The trouble has always been finding Salem and with enough forces to put an end to her once and for all. Large expeditions are too likely to catch the public's eye and bring too many people into the know, something that Oz and I have had more than one argument about. However, with this and with each passing day the shadows of Remnant get smaller and smaller. It's only a matter of time before she has nowhere to hide.

    Unfortunately that isn't the issue that I have to deal with today. I step onto the bridge having finally traversed the hallways and stepping up to my rightful place. Technicians and soldiers are at their stations and those on guard give a salute before I return everyone to rest. I look out at the city below us and read through what few reports there are of our activities here.

    There has been frighteningly little for our forces to do with the revelation of Salem's agents and Vale proving reluctant to allow us to assist them. Most of our efforts have been put forth showing off the new Atlesian Knight model and the Paladin in a bid to reassure the populace that they are safe.

    It is frustrating to have to sit back when there is so much help that we can be providing, but I understand the politics of the situation require that we take things far too slowly. Sometimes I wish I could bypass it altogether. I know it irks Oz as well at times, no matter his belief in these democratic institutions, and if I had any inclination it would be similar for Mr. Rovere as well.

    Heck, going by what we know he's been up to I doubt proper procedure has been much of a thought on his mind other than how it could benefit him. He's gotten his claws deep into the White Fang in the area as well as the police. That will be fine if he's willing to work with us, but a liability otherwise. I'm sure Oz is aware of that as well and has his own plans, still, I'm keeping some cards of my own in case Mr. Rovere proves recalcitrant.

    I already know that he doesn't have the greatest opinion of Atlas, something that was clear to me during our short conversation. While it would be better if we could join hands in cooperation, if I have to force him to do so I will. Otherwise, he has proven most helpful to our efforts and is doing his best to combat Spider and Wave while our hands are tied.

    I might have to impress on him how important it is to deal with Wave and that whatever materials they have stolen be returned to us first and foremost. It's still quite the embarrassment for our branch at Argus that they allowed that shipment to be stolen in the first place. While they assured me that Wave was dealt with, and unfortunately that most of the equipment was destroyed in the process, their presence and activities in Vale have put lie to that statement.

    I will have to have a discussion with Cordovin after the situation is resolved. All of the might in the world won't mean anything if my subordinates are lying to me. If only they could be as trustworthy as Oz and Winter.

    Ever since I offered her the opportunity to escape from Jacques' clutches, Specialist Schnee has been one of my most devoted and capable subordinates. Her talents are better put to use assisting the Kingdom of Atlas than serving that man's vanity anyway. While I would prefer to wait a few years more before bringing her on, Fria's condition deteriorating forced my hand. The promise has been made and I must admit that it will be beneficial to have someone who's fully informed at my side. Just like how Glynda is Oz's right hand, having one of my own will increase my capabilities and be comforting in its own right.

    However, I can't let myself relax at thoughts of the future. The Fall maiden is in critical condition and we have no way of knowing how the split in her power will affect her going forward. Not only that, but the Spring maiden is still missing and for all that we know dead. Leaving that kind of power in the hands of an unknown is obviously distasteful and if it weren't for this business in Vale, Qrow and my men would be tracking down her whereabouts.

    All of that: the maidens, Salem making her move, Watts being alive, the problems in Vale, and Leonardo's betrayal. It's all too much for one man to bear, but bear it I must. Oz will take things one at a time while I have to keep my attention at preventing all of these other situations from deteriorating. That is my duty. The same duty that Atlas has to the rest of Remnant and they will not find us wanting. No sacrifice is too big or too small with the prospect of final victory upon the horizon.
     
  • Sidestory
    • S2 Week 2 (Part 2)
  • Threadmarks
    • After I finish dealing with Torchwick I head into Vale to take care of my meeting with Sienna. I could theoretically do it from Beacon, either in a reserved room or by kicking my team out of our dorm for a few minutes. That wouldn't send the right message, however. I'm a relative unknown who has usurped control of the Vale branch of the Fang, at least from Sienna's perspective.

    She may know about my past activities or my relation with the Albain brothers, but I wouldn't count on her knowing about every individual agent or scheme that goes on under her watch. Especially since she created the structure that made it near impossible for her to keep track of all that and has made no real moves to fix that.

    Maybe that's a little too harsh to her and she's planning on fixing that. However, I only know so much about her and I have to go off of what I've learned due to her actions and not any sort of wishful thinking that she'd bring about a better future. I'm a bit too far involved in my plans to want to turn over that kind of leadership to someone else without any assurances anyway.

    Regardless, I head into Vale to meet up with some of my men. Both to project an image of power as well as to be ready to handle any sort of fallout from my interview and this meeting. I'm sure there's going to be more than a few rumbles in the lower ranks due to the reveal. Even though I forewarned as much of the Union as I could before the interview, we're going to lose some members. There are simply too many areas someone could take issue with me or my leadership and that's going to be the breaking point for some.

    It shouldn't affect operations too much, but I'm more or less the symbol of the movement right now and how people view me affects how they view the Union. In this case my tie with Pyrrha helps me. She is a symbol of strength in her own right and in particular for Mistral. The fact that I could tie with her, or even win considering the circumstances at the end of that fight, has earned me a lot of credibility within the Fang and with faunus as a whole.

    Remnant still has a very distinct warrior culture, it's part of why huntsmen are as revered as they are. For most people personal power correlates to leadership ability even if no such relationship actually exists. That's actually the reason why Adam was able to get so popular with the Fang and eventually claw his own branch of it. He may not have the most tactical of minds or greatest long-term strategies, but he can certainly hold his own in a fight. He can even give Huntsmen a run for their Lien and that's valuable enough to earn him his spot. This extends to politics as well, former huntsmen almost always poll better than their non-huntsmen counterparts.

    I think about bringing Blake into this, but dismiss that as a possibility as well. While many faunus and some of the Fang still remember Ghira well, Sienna definitely isn't one of those people. Not to mention the implication that could be read into doing that and the fact that Blake hasn't announced her position in the Union to the world. I know she's done so with her team due to Weiss telling me, apparently prompted to do so by my interview.

    Instead I have Tukson at my side as well as one of the tougher looking grunts. Terra would be better if I wanted to display how my branch of the Fang actually runs, but the idea is to project an image of power, not show off my leadership skills. Tukson works well enough as a second anyway and he's big enough to be at least a little intimidating even if he's not that much of a fighter.

    With everything set up we're finally able to connect with Sienna and start our meeting. Much like ourselves, and according to my prediction, she's seated in her throne at Mistral with two guards flanking her and a long red tapestry behind her with the symbol of the current White Fang out of view. I've only been to the throne room once before and the entire thing is an ostentatious display for an organization and leader that doesn't receive supplicants.

    I know that she uses such a position and dramatics to appear more powerful and in control than she actually is. One of the few tools that she actively uses to keep the Fang in line. Not that it's proven too successful with Adam's breaking away and my own usurpation of the Vale branch. Maybe it has a stronger effect with the criminals of Mistral, but all this pageantry just comes off as needlessly wasteful and counterproductive to me.

    "Ochre," she says flatly, her tiger-like ears at the top of her head twitching slightly. "Tell me why my people are claiming you're the new leader of the Vale branch and what happened to Adam." Normally I'd expect someone like her to try dragging out the start of a conversation and force me to state why I requested to meet with her in the first place. I guess she has a need to be the one to speak first and that works well enough for me.

    "High Leader Khan," I say, giving her the level of respect she desires. "Quite frankly, Adam is an idiot and without me our operations in Vale would be doomed. He's lost sight of the bigger picture and in his blind fumbling has decided the best course of action is to attack Vale. Even worse, he's conspired with humans to do it."

    Upon finishing my sentence, one of my men sends the relevant documents for Sienna to check over to ensure I'm being truthful. Some of it may be supposition, but it's enough to convince any rational person. Plus, I know Sienna knows Adam personally. The fact that he's working with humans is enough of a tell that something serious is going on all on its own.

    If my words reach or surprise her she doesn't let it show at all, keeping a vague look of disdain on her dark features. "You're one to talk about conspiring with humans. Some of my people begged for me to not engage in talks with a traitor, but against my better judgment I'm allowing you to make your case." I get the feeling this is more theatrics on her part. If she actually thought I was a traitor we wouldn't be having this discussion, though the concerns she's brought up are likely held by people close to her. Not too surprising considering my relationship with Weiss and the VPD.

    "A minor sacrifice for the cause," I say, pushing down the disgust at the lie. "Their resources were vital in combating Adam and preventing him from ruining everything."

    Sienna shifts about in her seat, grasping at the armrests with her striped arms. "And yet in doing so you traded in your fangs for short-lived praise from the humans, and if I'm not mistaken you want the rest of us to do the same." That is an uncharitable take on my position and I realize why she's phrasing it that way. I more or less challenged her with my reveal during the interview. Now I could rescind that and reaffirm my loyalty to her, but unfortunately for Sienna that's not what my plans are.

    "I think you will find me far from de-fanged Sienna," the slight disrespect may set her more against me, but it's helpful in proving my point. "Just because my methods are less overt does not make them any less effective, and violence isn't the only way to have the humans respect us. It's gotten us a seat at the table, don't get me wrong, but now is the time to capitalize on that. Turn that fear you've generated into something longer lasting. There's only so long we can keep up this behavior before the humans grow sick of it or we have another Adam with delusions of grandeur. If we want what's best for our people then changes have to be made."

    Her face goes through a series of expressions. First her lips thinning at my disrespect, then turning upwards when I recognized her achievements, and finally turning to something more complicated when I brought up the need to change. If I had to guess, Sienna is re-evaluating her position to some degree, likely because of Adam's insanity, and trying to figure out the best way to proceed. I can't imagine that she'd be fine keeping things the way they are, but if I had to guess her solution would be expanding her control over the White Fang rather than changing how we operate.

    It's also funny to me that Sienna is accusing me of losing my fangs when I'm about to press her on the matter of funding. Her choice of words may be her undoing in this particular instance as there's no way anyone aware of this conversation will assume that I'm not willing to fight and push back where it counts. If she chose a different way to rebuke me things might be different, but that's not the world we live in. Before I get too stuck into the conversation though, I need to think over what exactly I want to squeeze out of Sienna and what I have to be willing to give up in exchange.

    I have a few things that would be useful to extract from Sienna, but only one thing that's an absolute necessity. That being a way to ensure our funds can't be traced back to the more unpalatable acts of the broader Fang. It would tank the credibility of the Union otherwise and I've already decided that the potential benefits aren't worth it. I could push for even stricter controls to assist with that, but it would understandably put us further at odds with the rest of the Fang.

    Additionally I could ask for her assistance with the rest of the Fang in vale. Doing so would help us absorb the Loyalists with relatively little resistance, though it would still come with some growing pains in the short term. Of course as long as our relationship remains amicable I think she's fine with letting me take over Vale for the large part while withdrawing her forces to more useful areas.

    Speaking of which, Sienna is in a unique position where she could reach out to Adam in order to 'help' him. With his position being such as it is he might not be able to refuse or even welcome her troops within where they could meet up with my own infiltrators. This might be entirely superfluous with how I've already informed Ozpin about their base of operations and could get a team of Huntsmen to help out. Still the backup may be useful and I have to think of how this looks from the outside. The White Fang cleaning up their own mess or doing it alongside Huntsmen would do a lot to ameliorate our otherwise bad reputation.

    Those are the ideas for demands that I can think of as it's not like there's much that Sienna could offer me right now. She isn't going to give me carte blanche to recruit from her forces and I don't want to get introduced to her more underhanded contacts. It's best to keep things as clean as I can. That isn't to say that there isn't more that I can get out of her, but I'm sure I could pitch this idea as something in her best interest.

    Spider is expanding into Vale while also having significant assets in Mistral. With a few promises that I'm dealing with them and will be wasting their resources I'm sure I could convince Sienna to nip at their home assets and seize them. It would tie up a lot of her resources for a while, although I have to be mindful that it would strengthen her position to some degree which is why I'm not immediately adding that to my negotiations.

    I could also take this a step further. Torchwick's plan gives me a unique opportunity to weaken Spider even further and such a big move is likely to make it easier for Sienna and other crime families to move in on them. If I promise to go ahead with this and give her a heads up I'm sure I could push for a little more in our negotiations.

    Finally is an option that's a little more distasteful to me. Since she didn't immediately recognize me I can assume that Nettle never had the chance to announce our success to Sienna, a fact corroborated by how I haven't been able to contact them. Furthermore, while she might have suspicions on what the Albains are up to I doubt she'd think of what their actual plan is.

    I could demonstrate some loyalty by informing her of what's going on, though it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. It's possible she'd try to slow down their attempts or otherwise stymie the brothers, not to mention I doubt that my involvement here would go by entirely unnoticed by them, but the benefits may be worth it.

    Spider: This is more helpful for my plans, but I'm certain I can word it in such a way to appeal to Sienna. It would strengthen her position in the long-run, but the time I buy might be all I need. (7)

    Promised Support: Torchwick's plan allows me to easily cripple Spider's assets in Vale in a very public way. Something that Sienna could take advantage of as long as I keep her in the loop. It would obligate me to do it relatively soon, however. (6)

    Internal Division: I have information that the Albain brothers are planning to be more influential amongst the White Fang. While it is upsetting to use my homeland as a bargaining chip I can't deny that having my nominal opponents focused on each other is to my benefit. (4)

    All (2)

    —----- None Below this Line —----- (2)
    Stricter controls: The PR benefits of appearing to be a cleaner, better version of the White Fang can't be understated so ensuring that is in my best interest. (6)

    Endorsement: The Vale branch is already mostly mine, but there are a few major holdouts. Sienna giving me the official go ahead would make recruiting them a lot easier. (5)

    Infiltrators: I have some men inside of Adam's operations already, but they could always do with more assistance. Plus having Sienna show up as an alternative could cause an even greater split in Adam's forces. (3)
    Yes (5)

    No (2)

    How:
    Convince Sienna the Albain brothers are after her position/power while convincing her of Ochre's good intentions and loyalty. (5)

    +Ochre's loyalty to the cause of Faunus right and betterment, not to Sienna personally (3)

    "First things first," I say, catching her interest as I break the momentary silence. "I believe we should discuss the matter of funding." Sienna tries to remain disinterested, but how she leans slightly forward betrays her interest. With the shattering of the Fang in Vale I'm sure that their normal Lien supply has been disrupted for the past few weeks and that's sure to have caused problems for her branch in particular.

    "I don't see what there is to discuss. The Vale branch has the responsibility of providing their resources so the rest of the Fang can fight for equality all over Remnant." Her voice remains imperious and demanding although we both know I hold the leverage here. Still, if I were to refuse it would hurt my credibility and give her an easy way to discredit me.

    "High Leader Khan," I say, believing it best to be deferential for the moment before going into anything further; it strains my pride a little, but it's nothing I can't manage. She reclines in her chair with an almost pleased hum which tells me that was the correct decision and I move on. "It's true that the Vale branch has supported the rest of the Fang and I'm not going to change that, however, there are other factors to consider. Public support has turned against us and such a blanket policy no longer serves our interests in Vale. We'll be able to grow and support the rest of our brothers and sisters even further, but some changes will assist greatly with that."

    "And those are," she questions with a notable lack of hostility in her voice. It seems my presentation of future benefits has her willing to at least hear out what my terms are, though I have to be careful how I phrase them. Right now I'm walking a fine line between demanding and deferential which seems to be endearing myself to her and falling off that might not be something I can easily recover from.

    "The most important one is ensuring that our funds can't be traced to any of our more…questionable operations. It would cause a lot of problems here in Vale and I already have agents ready to assist with this, if you have no complaints with hosting them." I could expound on what the actual restrictions are in further depth, but Sienna doesn't strike me as the type to care about those details only how they affect her.

    Hopefully my offer to deal with the problem in her stead is taken in a good light. It could very easily be seen as me trying to usurp control from her branch or planting spies. It's not entirely wrong as I'd be choosing men loyal to me, but that's sometimes the cost of doing business. By the look she throws my way I know the possibility doesn't entirely pass her by. Her lips thin in such a way that I imagine she's biting her cheek while thinking over if she should accept that proposal or not. While she does that I decide to sweeten the deal.

    "I'm not asking you to consider this for nothing in return. There's an organization in Mistral, Spider is their name; I'm sure you're familiar with them." She brings her hand to her chin as a signal that she's thinking over my words and for me to continue. "Well, they've been expanding into Vale. Apparently it's been something that they've wanted to do for some years now and are throwing quite a few resources at the issue. Enough that Lil' Miss is certainly stretching herself thin in Mistral since she's encountering more resistance than she was expecting. I could up our campaign against them and get them to waste even more resources."

    She nods shallowly at that, more to herself than to me and I can tell that she's going to go along with it. Now to throw on the kicker. "On top of all that we have her daughters." Sienna actually looks surprised at that so I move on to explain. "Well, not us specifically, but rather the VPD. After their recent shake up and absence of anyone else to rely on, we've come to an…understanding." My tone makes it seem more sinister than what our actual arrangement is. It's also not finalized, but I don't think I'll have too much trouble convincing the relevant parties to assist with this endeavor. It'll still be terribly time consuming though.

    Sienna breaks out into a wide smile and looks at me with new eyes. If I had to guess she did legitimately believe that I was returning us to how things were underneath Ghira. While that's more true than not, Ghira would never so much as insinuate that the Fang should have an underhanded arrangement with the authorities, much less pull it off. I also differentiate myself from the brothers by being upfront about the arrangement rather than relying on an air of mystique and doublespeak to shroud my exact sources and capabilities.

    "It's true that Spider has been a pain for us here in Mistral. I would be glad to teach those humans a lesson and your men will be welcome to join us." That isn't a direct acceptance of my terms, but I can read between the lines. It's also an open invitation to send some men to assist more directly with combating Spider. That might be a good outlet for the more hot-headed members of the Union while also establishing a foothold in Mistral. I might not be able to directly recruit from there without earning Sienna's wrath, but the men themselves would lay a groundwork without me having to do anything else.

    Sienna looks at me like she's expecting me to say something more, which is a fair assumption. I did give her more than I think my demands are worth, but it also sets me up to segue well into my next topic. "It does us no good for us to remain divided and our brothers and sisters in Vale are still very much divided. While some of them follow Adam, a greater portion are still loyal to you; I believe I've proven myself capable and dedicated enough to the cause that there's no need for this split to remain.

    If you appoint me as the official leader of the Vale branch they'll fall in line and I'm sure that there are those that would prefer to assist you directly if they're unwilling to listen to me." She nods at that and opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "Furthermore, I believe we have to deal with the more rebellious parts of the Fang ourselves."

    Sienna's previous grin shrinks as she stares at me with hard eyes. "I can understand wanting to go after Adam, but after this he is no longer a part of the White Fang. And furthermore, I will not have our people fight one another so the humans can take advantage of us."

    "That is admirable High Leader Khan, and I couldn't agree more, but the circumstances are against us and Adam isn't the only problem that we have to deal with." I pause to leave her hanging for a bit, "I'm unsure if you know this, but I worked for the Albain brothers for years. They are dedicated to the cause, yes, but they also covet what they don't have.

    They may appear to be content staying in Menagerie, but they've seeded agents loyal to them throughout the various branches of the Fang as well as carrying out their normal operations." That shouldn't be a surprise to Sienna and given her reaction, or lack thereof, it isn't one. The only way that she reacts is with a change in expression that has me thinking of grit teeth. Likely frustrated that a possibility she always considered has some merit.

    I would have expected her to do something about it if she was aware of it, but it could have just been suspicions. Nobody wants to be the one to cause disunity in the Fang, but the brothers don't really care for that and it shows in their demeanor. They may not leave Menagerie very often, but I know they've met with Sienna a few times. I can't imagine that the feeling they give off was any more restrained with her than it is when I've dealt with them, but that's hardly proof.

    It also wouldn't be enough to convince me if I were in her position so I pull out my scroll and project the plans on it. "My last mission for them had me stealing these plans for a CCTS Relay. I did it to help out my home," I admit in a rare moment of vulnerability. I don't know exactly why, but I shake it off quickly enough. "But, the brothers don't have our best interests in mind, only their own." I could continue and elaborate why I did so or maybe try to convince her my assessment of the brothers is correct, but in this instance I feel that less is more.

    Sienna clearly has her own assumptions about the brother and while she seems convinced about my sincerity it appears she's holding back slightly. Likely hoping that I'm wrong, but doesn't have the evidence or motivation to argue against it. I get the feeling that she'll do something, but is probably going to focus her efforts on Spider first. The quicker we deal with them the quicker her focus will swing back onto the brothers and at that point I have no doubt she'll do something.

    "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It seems you were right, changes must be made to prevent this kind of infighting in the future." I only have a moment to process that concession before she continues on as if nothing happened. "First we must deal with the problems we have. I will think about how to deal with the brothers, it's my responsibility, but I assume you have a plan for how to deal with Adam?"

    "Adam still trusts you, and even if he doesn't he can't turn down men so willing to help him. I know where he's located and what he's planning, but having more men on the inside will allow us to take him down without too much damage. Such an act can show the people of Remnant that we're more than rabid dogs lashing out; that our violence is measured and necessary. Additionally, if you allow it, it could be a symbol of cooperation; I can easily acquire teams of Huntsmen or the authorities to assist us with this. It will make our losses negligible while being a great victory for those truly loyal to the cause."

    I expect her to think it over some more like she has with all of my previous proposals, but Sienna surprises me by nodding as soon as I'm done. "I trust that you'll handle this situation appropriately. Inform me as soon as it's taken care of and I'll have my men return. And Mr Rovere?" Her addressing me like that catches my attention and I can't help the slight quirk of my head. "I'm looking forward to seeing the results your methods will bring." With that she turns off the call and leaves me to process what she just said.

    That wasn't exactly what I was expecting out of this meeting. I was expecting more of a combative give and take, but it appears I kept to the right balance of deferential and aggressive to win her respect or maybe even approval. I also can't help but feel like her final statement there was sincere rather than the gauntlet being thrown down.

    It makes a certain amount of sense from that perspective, she may have been one of the first to advocate for violence, but she followed Ghira's teachings for years. Even then and shortly after taking over the Fang she cautioned not to take it too far. Given too far apparently doesn't include outright assassinations. However, I don't know if that's something she's let slide because it got results, she couldn't stop it, or if that's her actual beliefs.

    It is heartening in a way, one of the most important things with changing the Fang is doing so mostly peacefully. We have two previous peaceful transitions of power and Sienna being the least bit sympathetic to my position is a good sign that can continue. Of course I don't know how enamored she is with the position, but the spark is there and I might be able to capitalize on it in the future.

    However, my actions do bring up a distinct downside. With this I've more or less made the Albain brothers, if not my enemies, then very unhappy with me. It will take some time for their agents to learn about what exactly happened, but I doubt this is something that can be kept hidden from them. After that it's only the delay of getting news from Mistral to Menagerie that will save me. Or in this case my father.

    I'd like to think they wouldn't go after my family, but I know that's something the brothers aren't above. They have sent out their fair share of assassin's across Remnant that I don't doubt they keep one close at hand for other problems. The way I see it I have two solutions, getting him out of there or getting him protection. I know he'd prefer the latter, but the former has an almost childish appeal. I'll have to think it over some more, but with my next batch of letters I have to at least make him aware of the problem.

    On a similar note, I'll have to have a chat with Blake. Her parents may be more protected, but she deserves to know that my actions may have put them in danger. She may resent me for it, but I accepted that when I made the decision. I just have to hope she'll understand and do whatever we can to get through this as quickly as possible.

    It takes the rest of the night to work through all the necessary changes and knock on effects my meeting with Sienna had. Getting the people in place to make the trip to Mistral as well as ensuring we have a decent amount of people ready to onboard the loyalists who'll be joining up soon. That big of an influx will cause some problems in the short term and I'm silently thankful we won't be dealing with all of them. I don't doubt that there will be some that leave the Fang rather than serve under me. I'm sure they have their reasons, but it isn't really worth my effort to do anything to them, much less keep track of them.

    It might even have the benefit of showing people that the Union is a more open organization than the Fang. Not having to sign up as a member for life will do a lot to improve our image with the public and get people willing to sign up. Of course there are detriments, but those exist for any organization that isn't draconian and brutal.

    My late night does mean that I have to take an airship into Beacon in the morning and when I step on campus I'm met with more than a few stares. I suppose it would have been foolish not to expect word to have spread by now and my clear return from Vale has the rumor mill sparking up again. Aside from that no one really bothers me, either too wary, scared, or deferential to make the approach just yet.

    It doesn't extend to my friends and Penny joins us at lunch that day to much excitement and consternation of some. She has to make an excuse for why she isn't eating and Ruby largely covers for her, but I don't think she'll drop by during meal times again. A shame since it really limits when she can hang out with us, but it's not really something we can work around while keeping her nature a secret.


    With the news of my position already circulating around Beacon I have little hope that it hasn't already done so in the station. Those people have a lot more of a vested interest in keeping an eye on me and I'm sure they received a battery of questions all their own for my affiliation with them and what I said on air. Still, I'm there to do my job and hopefully that's enough to earn their respect.

    The station is quiet this week as well while I work, but the silence is more strained. It isn't hard for me to connect the dots, but at least I'm not encountering any outright hostility. Though that may be because of how few people are at the station and how tired they are than anything else. I know I've earned more than a few stares, but I haven't had the time or energy to decipher them. If I had to guess most of them are cautious now, likely wondering what I've been up to and what my plans are. It's hard to fault them for that and I just have to endure the awkwardness for now.

    Fortunately the task force doesn't have a big meeting scheduled for this week and Alabaster cancels the more minor one so people can focus on their police work. I don't doubt it was more because of the recent news and not wanting to inflame tensions. I doubt that Sandy would approve overly much of my relationship with the VPD now. Unfortunately that doesn't mean that I'm free from any drama of the task force.

    As I stop by the break room for some coffee, still running on the fumes of working an all nighter, I hear a feminine voice come from behind me. "You have a lot of nerve coming in here after what you did!" I turn around and see the red-haired Rouge in her uniform with her bushy red tail acting as a backdrop to the whole ensemble. "Nah, I'm just fucking with ya kid. I have to give you props though, doing what you did took a lot of guts."

    "You aren't upset," I distractedly reply.

    "Nah, I might have been at first, but then I looked into what you're people are doing. How come that stuff barely made it into the interview?" Now that she's asking me questions I force myself to wake up more. I really should have rested more before coming into the station, but it was easy to discount the benefits of resting in favor of having more time in my semblance to train and keep up with the Union.

    "Time constraints," I answer honestly and she nods like that answers everything. "They wanted to focus their questions on my past and my fight with Pyrrha. All of that stuff about the White Fang, that was all off-script actually."

    She lets out a whistle at that. "Damn, you were in the hot seat the whole time and you kept your cool? Neat! I know reporters can be real blood-hounds when they think they have a story and you handled yourself well." The air sort of ends in an awkward silence that I use to take a sip of my drink.

    Rouge seems to pick up on this awkwardness after a few moments and says, "look, kid, I don't know if you need to hear this, but we still appreciate all you've done for us. Some people are just a little…confused is all." I don't know why she feels the need to use a euphemism for that when I know she means betrayed, but I can appreciate the attempt if nothing else. "Ah, I'm no good with this mushy crap. Just know you still have friends in the station and we aren't gonna stop having your back anytime soon."

    Sandy: I might as well touch on the hot topic for me. Sandy already wasn't well inclined to me and my reveal likely hasn't done anything to help with that. (5)

    Union: She said she looked into what my people are doing. I'm not sure what exactly she saw, but it might be a good idea to get a groundside look of my organization. (5)

    Support: She's taking this rather well and while she provided a reason why I can't help but feel like there might be something else to it. (0)

    Task force: What made her sign up for the task force anyway. Not that she isn't a fit for it, but she doesn't seem to take it with the same seriousness as Cobalt or Sandy. (0)

    "Thanks, I guess," I say, not really sure how to respond.

    "Geeze kid I bear my heart to you and you can't even acknowledge that," Rouge grumbles and crosses her arms. "If you don't fix that attitude you're not going to attract many girls."

    "Weiss and I are pretty happy as is," I reply automatically. That brings her to a stop for a moment, as if struck by a moment of sudden realization.

    "That's right, you're dating the Schnee girl. Man, how in the hell did that happen? It's like something out of a storybook. Tell me, did she heal your broken heart and show you a better way out of the White Fang?" That's not accurate, but I guess from a certain point of view someone could see things that way. My silence, however, does nothing but embolden Rouge. "No way, this is too good! Don't you worry, Ochre your secret is safe with me," she says with more exuberance than I'd expect out of her considering the bags under her eyes.

    "Anyway," I announce loudly to get off the topic. "You know, you're actually the first person I can ask in the open about the Union, so I'm curious as to what your thoughts are." I carefully ignore my friends that I could have asked and Sun who I did. Their opinion, while valuable, is different from what's on the ground. Rouge looks like she wants to keep pressing on the earlier topic, but relaxes and folds her arms behind her head, pushing her whole outfit and assets outwards as she stretches.

    "Yeah, yeah, sure," she says, fully aware of what I'm doing. "I think you guys have been doing great so far. Really showing them that faunus can band together without it being a nefarious plot to bring down civilization." She winks at me and it takes a notable amount of effort not to react to how accidentally close to the truth she is. "Not sure I agree with the whole staying a part of the White Fang situation. I think I know where you're coming from, but I don't think too many people will. Looking forward to you showing them they're wrong, though I have to admit I'm not completely unbiased."

    With an ending like that she's all but begging me to ask the obvious question so I do. "How so?"

    "It's my lil' bro. Apparently he fell in with your group a few weeks back. Shoulda thought something was up with how cagey he got, but it was so adorable when he'd rant about how he's helping out with the community and then immediately shut his trap whenever I'd ask the tiniest question. Speaking of which, I got to get a photo with you, the look on his face will be priceless."

    "Is he why you found out about this stuff in the first place," I ask more out of courtesy than to make sense of all this.

    "Nah, I let him have his privacy. I just let him know that I'd be there for him if he needed it. It wasn't until after your interview that I started looking into things and I asked him if he knew anything about your little group. Seemed like he kept it all bottled up, cus he really let me have it and mentioned all these places he helped out at."

    I can't help my lips thinning as I hear that. Going by the timeline and what she's said he was recruited while I was on the expedition. It's the only reason why I would have missed him, and he's probably a recruit by either Terra or Blake. Tukson knew the importance of keeping things secret, but with how the Union's been operating that hasn't been terribly necessary.

    I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the previous culture of secrecy from the White Fang didn't survive. Then I have to wonder if it's even worth maintaining. It's not like we have that many operations that have to remain secret and for those we can select those with the right temperament.

    It might just be my paranoia gnawing at me for being worried over something so minor, but it wasn't that long ago that I followed those minor clues to bust down Adam's operations. Plus I might just need to do some house cleaning regardless. With making an enemy of the brothers and Sienna's loyalists joining up with the Union it might be best to make sure there aren't any spies in high positions.

    I shake my head to banish those thoughts, an action that causes Rouge's lips to quirk. I'm sure she's thinking something that I'd rather not know about right now. I almost want to interrogate her on how the rest of the force is handling the news, but think better of it. It's too broad of a topic for me to get anything other than generalizations and with how recent the reveal was it's likely not everyone has a fully formed opinion yet.

    "I don't know if there's a good way to ask this, but it's about Sandy-" I start instead, thinking it might be best to focus on one person in particular.

    Sandy's a bitch," Rouge cries out, interrupting me. I'm distinctly reminded of how Alabaster told me that the three of them didn't gel with one another. "Cobalt might have a stick up his ass, but at least he doesn't look down on you."

    That's a bit to unpack, so I decide to approach this directly. "I don't suppose you could give me a little more to work with than that?"

    "Ochre, look I get that you want to have some idea why she has a beef with you, but let me assure you she isn't worth the time." I stare at her and when it becomes clear that I'm not going to back down she sighs. "Whatever it's your time you're wasting. What did you want to know about anyway?"

    "Whatever you can tell me really." I'm not sure where to start, but hopefully Rouge can give me something to work with.

    "Aside from looking down on everyone for not regarding this job like it's the only thing in their life," she barks out sarcastically. I could ask about that, but I throw her a questioning look and that works well enough to keep her talking. "Look I haven't dealt with the bitch too much myself when I'm not forced to, but rumor has it her old man was a part of the force for the longest time. Didn't really get that high up in the ranks on account of being a faunus unlike Alabastard's. Personally I think he probably wasn't that great of a cop."

    That's a bit more for me to parse and I wait for Rouge to continue on, but she doesn't. Likely she doesn't know that much about Sandy other than rumors though I can extrapolate somewhat from what I've learned. I know from her previous behavior that she probably holds the legacy and prestige of the VPD in high regard. That combined with what happened with her father, or what she believes happens, has probably left her with a chip on her shoulder and a need to prove herself. Perhaps out of a sense of carrying on his legacy or achieving the things denied to him.

    When said like that it somewhat reminds me of Weiss; that same care for her families' legacy and wanting to take Huntsmen business seriously. Under that lens the best thing that I could do if I wanted to mend relations is to show that I'm serious about helping the VPD and possibly explain why I've taken the actions I have. That being said, after my reveal it puts into question some of the decisions I've made and likely makes this harder than it has to be. Additionally I doubt she's going to appreciate overly much the deal I presented to Flint.

    Thankfully if she's as serious as Rouge implies I probably don't have much to worry about from her other than her maybe calling for an investigation into me. She should be professional enough not to let her personal feelings get too in the way of things. Unfortunately I might just have to accept that as the state of affairs or put some effort into mending things with her.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • S2 Week 2 (Part 3,End)
  • Threadmarks
    • Unfortunately I have run out of edited backlog for tonight and I am live on the other site, so I can't guarantee a second update for tonight; at least within a timely manner. I will make the attempt, but I can't promise anything. Regardless, if a second post is put up tonight it will be up much later than is normal.

    When I get back to Beacon from the station I have a couple of things to attend to before I can call it a night. The first, and less important, is to check in on the Union and how our merger with Sienna's Loyalists is going. For the most part things are going swimmingly, although there are some holdouts even after Sienna gave her orders.

    Likely they sided with the Loyalists because they are ideologically opposed to the Union but not to the degree that they would stick with Adam's group. It isn't a big deal as without support they'll either have to fall in line, move, or give up on participating in the Fang altogether. There is the slim chance that they'll join up with Adam's group now, but that's unlikely to cause very many issues.

    Regardless, I mark all of those still reluctant for further investigation. Even if they come to their senses we'll have to moderate their views or influence to prevent much division within the Union. That isn't too troublesome as most of the people in the Union aren't well-disposed to their point of view, but it brings to mind that it's something I'll have to deal with regardless even if only peripherally.

    Factionalism is inevitable in any organization of appreciable size and the Union is no exception. People have their own thoughts on how things should be run and seek out influence in order to make that a reality. Fortunately for the Union we have options that don't rely on gathering up naked force or underhanded influence unlike the broader Fang. It does mean that I'll have to keep in mind the politics of my decisions both internal and external. Not that I didn't have to already, but this is another dimension to it.

    With my choice of lieutenants and my own stance I've done well to represent the interests of the members of the Union at a higher level as well as a lower one. Unfortunately with the influx of Sienna's Loyalists I'm currently lacking anyone that would cater to their point of view. Something that I'll have to resolve relatively soon or else they'll find their own leader to rally around and take the choice out of my hands. Even if I hold most of the power of the Union in my hands that doesn't prevent those under me from forming their own power blocs which would be troublesome to work around.

    The rest of the issues with the influx of new members is mostly managerial or logistical and there's not much that I can do to resolve that aside from time. It will mean that our resources aren't used efficiently for the next few weeks, but our growth should more than make up for that. Long gone are the days where I can have any meaningful impact on this scale of operations.

    Even if I end up doing the work of three people I'd barely make a dent in what's going on. Not to mention that my time is far too valuable to be spent on menial tasks. I still have a few of the high profile members sent to me for review to make sure they aren't going to be an issue for the Union, but it's largely perfunctory.

    With that distraction dealt with it's time to decide what I'm going to do about my dad. He's in Menagerie and easily within the reach of the brothers. They have access to a number of assassins that they send out to deal with threats to the White Fang and I don't doubt that they'd aim those assassins inward if they felt the need. While I've dealt with some of them on occasion, my reluctance to stick my nose in the dirtier side of the Fang for my ambitions means that I only have cursory interactions with them. That might be enough for some to have second thoughts, but I don't put much stock that it would prevent any incidents entirely.

    Thus I decide that I have to inform my dad of the threat as well as the Belladonnas. The latter is being done by Blake, the whole situation is enough for her to break her silence and finally contact her parents. I don't know if this is the best way of re-starting that contact, but I have effectively taken the choice out of her hands. I'm sure I'll have to deal with the repercussions of that later. Right now she's too busy figuring out what to say to her parents in her letter to be upset at me.

    My own letter doesn't come much easier to me. While I have years of experience to fall back on, that doesn't help if I'm undecided on what exactly to tell him. On one hand I don't want him to remain in Menagerie if there's a credible threat. On the other hand, I know that he would prefer to stay at home, not wanting to stray too far from where he raised me or where we buried mom. It's not like this would be a permanent arrangement anyway. But, I will admit I don't know when it'd be safe to return to Menagerie. Still, I have to push aside my personal feelings for the moment and view this a bit more objectively.

    He isn't in that much danger in Menagerie, he is a trained Huntsman even if the years have added a bit of rust to his skills. The only real danger he's in is if enough people gang up on him or whenever he's alone. Both can be solved by informing him of the dangers and getting him to rely on the generosity of the Belladonnas. With Blake vouching for me I have little doubt that they'd be willing to help and who knows maybe my dad will talk me up with them and make future endeavors easier.

    Inviting him to Vale is a little harder to justify. Pragmatically that is, it's easy to use the excuse of the Vytal Tournament to get him here so that isn't an issue. Rather I'm having difficulty finding how he can benefit me more by coming to Vale than staying in Menagerie.

    I'm getting to the point where his pointers wouldn't be the most useful and I'm unsure if I would have the time to spare for that anyway. He could be useful in proving my human heritage, but that's a minor benefit to shut up some naysayers and I'm unsure if it would be worth it. As much as I would like to see him again I have to admit that, from a practical perspective, I don't have much to gain from it.

    I shake off an ill-feeling. I don't much like thinking of him in how he can benefit me, similarly with Weiss. However, it's something that I have to do in this circumstance. I can't afford to make decisions solely fueled by emotion, at least not anymore. Regardless, I have one other thing I have to resolve before I can bring this night to a close.

    I have a copy of the CCTS Relay plans on my scroll. It wouldn't cost me much to copy them and send that copy alongside my letter. Naturally the only people they'd go to are the Belladonnas and specifically Chieftain Ghira. It would be a nice little backup to have in case the brothers act out of spite or somehow lose their copies. It would also rob them of some leverage over Menagerie as it should be possible to train some technicians off of the info.

    Unfortunately, I don't think it's something that would pass by the brothers unnoticed and would solidify that I'm acting against them. There might be some ambiguity from my meeting with Sienna, but this is the sort of action only I can do. That being said, it might not be much of a change from my current circumstances.

    I don't know how vindictive the brothers are or how personally they'd take my actions. With how aloof they normally act it's hard to ever get a good read on them, but they've been fine with playing the long-game thus far. They may be willing to overlook this transgression if I'm still their best bet for achieving their aims, but the more I set myself against them the less likely that becomes.

    +Send the Plans: It wouldn't sit well with me if I was the reason why Menagerie doesn't have a relay. I could send a backup to the Belladonnas and leave the rest in their hands. (4)

    Stay: I know my dad would prefer to stay in Menagerie and the Belladonnas should be willing to help. It still rubs me the wrong way to have him in any danger though. (4)

    Invite: It would be easy to disguise my dad's departure as him coming to cheer me on for the Vytal Tournament. Plus, I will admit, it would be good to see him again. (0)

    +Don't: There's no need to antagonize the brother's even further. Maybe they'll even see this as the cost of the game we're playing. (0)


    I send off the letter with no small amount of trepidation. What happens is no longer in my hands. While I've prepared myself for the consequences of my actions falling upon me and those I lead, the fact that it's hitting so close to home has me more than a little distracted. Something that Weiss picks up on throughout class the next day if how she acts is any indication.

    She knows better than to ask about it out in the open, but that doesn't stop her from getting my attention or giving me reassuring touches. It might be superficially similar to her usual neediness and desire for touch, but I know she's playing it up; trying to distract me from my thoughts by forcing them to be occupied with her.

    I can't say that it's the worst way to go about it and it's enjoyable in its own right. By the end of the day she tells me to get ready for a day about the fairgrounds. Apparently throughout the entirety of the Vytal Festival there is a small fair that takes place on the grounds of Beacon. For the most part it's contained to the usual walkways and paths, but it also has taken over one of the training fields.

    Something that is sorely felt by all the students as with the influx it's hard enough to get a place to train. An issue that I, and the rest of my team, thankfully don't have to deal with. With our relationship with Oobleck, Port, and Goodwitch we have more than ample access to the faculty training rooms which are rarely used enough that we essentially have free reign.

    Not that I entertain those thoughts for too long. They're useful in keeping my mind off of certain matters, but I know my girlfriend would prefer it if I gave her more of my attention. And I can't say deliberating on the unfairness of my position in comparison to the other Vytal hopefuls is all that useful.

    On that topic I meet up with Weiss outside of her room and offer her my arm like I usually do. She grabs onto it and instead of following along like normal she tugs on it a little pulling my attention back to her. She's looking up at me with pouty lips and a slight shuffling of her feet. I almost roll my eyes at her behavior, but lean down for a kiss anyway. When I pull back I feel the air running around my upper ears and immediately narrow my gaze at the culprit responsible.

    My girlfriend has taken my hat and put it on her head, the color not at all going with her outfit. Still, she looks at me defiantly as if daring me to take it. I get the feeling she'd relent if I actually requested it back, but after what she's dealt with I'm allowing her to have this bit of fun. I know there's more to it than just that, but I quiet that part of my mind not wanting to deal with it right now.

    With a sigh of long suffering I relent and the two of us walk hand in hand out to the fairgrounds with Weiss having a slight spring in her step. I meanwhile can't help but feel like everyone's eyes are on me. Intellectually I know they've been on me since they became aware of the interview and even before then I was the topic of much discussion. Now it feels like they're staring directly at me, their gazes unwavering, and my ears naturally fold down trying their best not to draw attention.

    Try as I might to not let it show I know I'm unsuccessful. Weiss, for her part, does her best to distract from that. Usually by pressing herself against me, drawing me into a conversation, or by physically dragging me to a booth of some sort to waste my time for a few moments. Eventually she gives up and drags the both of us away from the grounds. With it being the first weekend that it's available for students to peruse, not many people are off the beaten path like we are granting us an amount of privacy that still feels too small for me.

    "I'm sorry. I just- I didn't think…" she trails off as she takes off my hat and holds it out for me to take. I almost feel bad settling it back over my ears, but the shield from discomfort is enough to assuage that. It's not a major discomfort, I can deal with it at school easily enough because I have no choice, the school uniform not allowing me that option. However, it's something I prefer not to deal with; I was willing to deal with it at the pool with Coral and Jasmine just like I'm willing to go along with it here, but evidently my discomfort is too much for Weiss to deal with.

    I know she doesn't like me hiding my faunus features. She may have accepted that it's my preference and a habit I've built up over the years, but she obviously wants, or wanted, that to change. I can understand her position, she doesn't like having to hide away any part of herself and she even wears her scar with pride. Unfortunately it's not exactly the same for me. While I do take pride in my faunus heritage it isn't so easy to break out of a habit I've maintained for so long.

    I can ponder how to deal with that aspect of myself later. Right now I have to ensure that Weiss doesn't think I'm upset with her. I wrap her in a hug and even tickle at her sides a little. Those little touches my assurance that I'm not upset, but I add words just to make sure, "It's okay. I know you were just trying to help."

    I do question why she thought now of all times would be the best time to do so. It's something that she's been aware of for a while, after all. I guess the interview and Stirling's question about my covering up convinced her that she had to do something about it. There is a bit of annoyance that she didn't just talk with me about it, but I had just as easy of a chance of avoiding this situation altogether so I quash that feeling.

    After a few moments Weiss breaks out of the hug and tugs on my arm, leading back towards the grounds. "Let's just go back and have some fun. Forget all this happened," she says with more than a tinge of desperation in her voice. She desperately doesn't want to be the reason why this outing falls on a sour note and is trying to get things back on track. The recent events and her own mindset towards our relationship makes her want to avoid a 'failure' like that at all costs.

    I almost go along with it just because of that, but I stop myself. There are a few things that have remained unaddressed until now. Not just my aversion to uncovering myself, but she also hasn't brought up her conversation with Winter. I know that's partly because she doesn't want to burden me with anything more after all the work I've been doing, but I also know it's been eating away at her.

    Ask: Does Weiss want to discuss a more serious topic, or does she just want to enjoy a day together? (8)

    Fair: As much as these topics should be addressed I also recognize that me and my girlfriend need a bit of time to relax. The past two weeks have not been kind to our stress levels. (2)

    Winter: Her sister betrayed her trust and while she has been putting up a strong front it doesn't take a genius to realize that it shook her more than a little. (1)

    Coverage: Not really a topic that I want to talk about, but I guess it might be a decent idea to get it all out in the open with Weiss. Maybe just talking about it would help. (1)

    QM Note: This is actually the first time that a chat submitted option won in one of these social votes.

    I wrestle with what exactly to say or do for a few moments. My first response is to just go with the flow and make my girlfriend happy, but I discard that. Next is to try pressing her about something that I know she's wrestling with. That is thrown away as Weiss has already had a tough few weeks in addition to her time in Atlas and I don't want to add any more stress onto that pile. That leaves me with showing a bit of vulnerability and explaining my issues with revealing my faunus features. That has my attention for a while, but I find myself unable to commit to it.

    Ultimately the words that tumble out of my mouth are, "Do you really want to head back or do you think we should talk about this?" I keep my wording vague so she can choose what we talk about as I cede control of the conversation to her. Some might call it a moment of indecision or a copout and maybe they have a point. For myself, however, it's an extension of trust. I'm giving Weiss control of the conversation and she can choose to poke at my insecurity for a change. I silently hope that she doesn't or she takes the opportunity to open up, but it's there nonetheless. I do have to quiet the small part of me that points out that this allows me to see what Weiss prioritizes, however.

    Fortunately I don't have to deal with that intrusive thought for very long as she morosely walks back to me and bumps her head against my chest like an unruly kitten before nuzzling up against me. "I know which one I want. More than anything. But what I want isn't what's for the best is it?"

    Her question is rhetorical so I stroke her hair instead of answering it. In response she reaches one of her hands upwards and I have to still my immediate reaction. Her hand goes to my hat, then under it, and finally brushes against my ears awkwardly; the distance making her have to stretch herself out to reach them.

    "They're beautiful," she says softly, like her words are fragile and would break if she said it any louder. "You know that right?" I wouldn't say they're beautiful myself, but I can agree with what she's getting at so I nod. I also bring my hand up and trace along the scar over her left eye just to reassure her that I know where she's coming from and she leans into my touch. She holds onto that position and brings one of her hands to rest overtop mine, not wanting to break from the moment. She does, eventually, force herself to and pulls my hand away so she can stare into my eyes. "I don't ever want you to feel like you have to hide them because of or for me."

    "That isn't what's going on," I hastily correct.

    "I know, or I suspected that to be the case," she says with a huff of air. Despite her admission and petulance she relaxes. I think that's been something that's weighed on her for a while now, no matter how unreasonable of an assumption that is to make. I was covering up before we started dating and before I even met her after all. "Even so, I hear things, awful things, and I guess I wanted to prove them wrong. That I'm not like that. That you're not like that."

    Her eyes drift downwards and she doesn't go into details, but I can pick up on what's unsaid. There are only so many things that come to mind when people think of a Schnee dating a faunus. Not many of them are the type of thing to say in polite company. I didn't think such comments would affect her this much, but my girlfriend has always put more stock in her pride than I have.

    Even then, that doesn't explain things to my satisfaction. Weiss is more than capable of ignoring disparaging comments thrown her way; she's a Schnee and had to deal with that for most of her life. No, it has to be something else, but the only thing that comes to mind is how she mentioned some of the comments were thrown my way.

    That has me almost stopping for how I wasn't considering it beforehand. While I may be fine throwing away my pride when my goals call for it I think I'd have a harder time doing the same for Weiss. It would be foolish to think that it isn't the same for her to some extent. In a way it's reassuring to know that she cares so much. While I could just accept that and end things here I feel like I have to return her sincerity somewhat. With slow hands and a drawn out sigh I start rolling up my sleeves. Something that doesn't go unnoticed.

    "Ocre, stop. You don't have to do this," Weiss cries out while swatting at my arms as if that would stop me. Truthfully it almost does, but I've gone too far to back down now and I know she'd be secretly disappointed if I stopped.

    "I know, I'm choosing to do so. If it makes you feel even the slightest bit better than it's worth it." My face heats up for saying such a cheesy line, but it seems to have an effect on Weiss as she latches on to me and squeezes. I'm also not sure as to the truthfulness of my own statement, but it is true that I'm doing this on her behalf.

    She mumbles something, although I can't quite make it out with how she's buried against my chest. When she separates there is also a small spot of dampness that I can't quite ignore. She looks a little self-conscious about that, so I resolve that little problem by putting my hat atop her head and letting my ears swing free.

    I'll have to do a better job hiding my discomfort, but just like last time I'm willing to do so on her behalf. Hopefully she won't feel the need to drag us aside again to resolve that little issue. That feels like a natural stopping point and we could go back to the fair, but something compels me to poke at the situation a little more.

    "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" That causes my girlfriend to worry at her bottom lip, clearly thinking the question over. That action all but ensures to me that she does have something she wants to talk about, but is holding herself back. Likely because she doesn't want to drag the mood down any further than it has and just wants to try to have some fun during our limited time together. "You aren't going to ruin anything and we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," I assure her.

    She remains silent at that, thinking it over. Nearly a minute passes before I reach out my hand and grab hers, willing to accept she isn't ready to talk about it and head back to the fair. She surprises me by rooting her feet into the ground and saying something that I can't quite hear.

    I turn around to see if I can figure out what she said or what's going on and she says, "I'm not a bad person if I don't want anything to do with her, am I?"

    It takes me a second to put together who she's referring to. At first I think of Winter given her recent actions, but that doesn't fit. As upset as Weiss is with her sister I can't imagine she wouldn't want anything to do with her. That leaves her mother as the only viable option.

    With that resolved the words come easily to me, "No. There are a lot of words to describe you, driven, caring, beautiful, but bad isn't one of them." My sweet talking has her ducking her head with a blush on her face. However, I know my words haven't fully convinced her. "I might not be an authority on the subject, but I know that much and I know your team would agree with me."

    The mention of her team has her relaxing momentarily before tensing up again. "You don't think I'm a hypocrite then," she questions hysterically before I can figure out why that is the case. "With how I encouraged you and Coral to have the kind of relationship that I'm unwilling to rekindle with my mother?"

    Truthfully such a thought never occurred to me, although I know that's not what Weiss wants to hear. Instead I respond with, "I don't care if you're a hypocrite. You're you and I'm here for you regardless of what you choose. If you want to forget that woman entirely, I'm with you. You want to do the opposite, I'll try my best to help out." That seems to reassure her to the point where she doesn't look like she's about to unravel. Although knowing my girlfriend there's a deeper issue going on. "What's brought this on anyway?"

    That seems to be the final straw for her composure and any previous strength in her fades away replaced with despondency that carries through in her voice. "I don't want to be the one that has to put my family back together. I'm not the one who broke it, the one who abandoned it, or the one who left it to fester. I'll admit I made a mistake when it comes to Whitley, but I'm trying to fix that."

    It isn't hard for me to see why she didn't want to bring this up in the first place. While the two of us are willing to be more vulnerable around each other neither of us have exactly shown ourselves at our weakest to one another. We've opened up with one another to be sure, but there has been a certain amount held back out of fear of something like this. Admittedly that's more for Weiss than myself, but she's also had to deal with more personal issues.

    I could press her for more details, but I'm trying to help her with this, not satisfy my own curiosity. Although that has been plenty satisfied, as her response tells me a lot about how she feels about her mother and the burden she's placed on herself. Instead I simply ask, "What do you want to do?"

    "I just want a day to ourselves where we don't have to worry about any of this. Where I don't have to worry about being Weiss Schnee or you worry about what kind of image you're sending. Just a day to ourselves without having to worry about what comes after. I thought that could be today, but well…" she trails off and I get the feeling she thinks this is all her fault. With how she pushed me out of my comfort zone and everything leading up to this moment things could be construed that way, but I'm not about to let her wallow in that self-pity.

    "How about tomorrow then," my question is more of a statement. An open invitation for her to occupy my time tomorrow. It would be a bit of a pain for me to move around my schedule at this point in the week, but it's something I could do.

    My words bring a light to her face that unfortunately dims with the shake of her head. Apparently she has something planned for that time. Probably SDC business or something with her team if I had to guess. As unfortunate as that is, it doesn't rob me of all of my options. If more time together is what she's wanting then I have a solution to that.

    I sit down, pull her on top of me and activate my semblance. While I would prefer doing so somewhere more secluded for how long I plan on us being in my mirror world it's a small price to pay for the smile I receive. I can tell that going about the empty stalls isn't what Weiss had in mind for our outing, but she enjoys the gesture if nothing else.

    It's not the best date that we've had, but I would hardly say it's ruined or anything. The slight smile she has when we step out of my mirror world and return to the dorms is rather telling. Truthfully we could have gone back out and enjoyed the festivities, but Weiss had to clean herself up a little and that combined with the emotional conversation ensured that she'd prefer to stay inside for the rest of the day.


    It is with some reluctance that I turn my attention back to my duties for the Union. It would be greater if I could actually assist Weiss with her issues further today, but I have to restrain myself until she's available later. To fill in that time I go over the reports from my men on the ground about how we're dealing with Spider and Wave.

    Things are rather slow going on the investigative side, particularly into Wave. That group of criminals are adept at slipping away to a degree that has me certain there's some sort of trick involved. My immediate thought is a semblance of some sort, but I have difficulty finding any sort of commonality amongst the reports that could indicate their escapes being due to a single person. Plus with the timing and distance involved with some of their escapades I'm more and more convinced that whatever trick they have isn't constrained to a single person. Now that doesn't rule out a semblance, or multiple, being responsible, but it is a mark against that theory.

    Other than that, not much progress is made on finding their base of operations. Maybe if the Union had more of a presence in the criminal sectors of the city we'd be picking up more. Unfortunately that isn't the world we live in and the difficulties involved make it so little progress is made. Little progress is not no progress, however, and we've been able to eliminate some of the areas they've been operating out of.

    More helpful is that some of Sienna's loyalists have a decent idea where Wave has their main base of operations as well as the identity of some of the local fences they've been using. The latter is another lead that we can potentially follow up on, but I'll have to decide if the resources and time spent are worth it.

    Next up is Spider which has had more pushback than investigation. When the orders came down there were more than a few boys that took the permission to strike back and ran with it. Unfortunately their success doesn't match their enthusiasm. While this has been successful in pushing Spider's more militant members back and slowing their overall expansion it's done little to stop their more subtle expansion and has come at a cost.

    That cost would be a lot worse if it weren't for the deal I presented to Flint. While I haven't heard word back on if they accepted it or not I get the feeling that nothing official will be said. Instead it's a more quiet policy in place as some of my men were arrested and they were out a few days later without anyone else having to lift a finger.

    Unfortunately that isn't the only consequence for clashing with Spider. We sustained a few injuries as people overestimated their aura or stupidly went into combat without it. The latter is only sometimes excusable as the occasional non-combat member would join in when they saw our men skirmishing in the alleyways. Fortunately no one has died, but there have been more close calls than there really should be. The over-enthusiasm of the on the ground members, their direct leaders, and the lack of competent oversight being directly responsible.

    This has at least taken heat off of the local watch expansion that is also underway. While Spider is too busy beating back a wave of faunus they haven't been able to take advantage of the VPD being reorganized or the watch programs finding their feet within the commercial district. I doubt this state of affairs will be kept up for much longer unless we throw more resources at the problem, but the unintended benefit is a fruitful one.

    I put the reports away before too long, there not being much that I can really do about them right now. That might change as the situation progresses, but for now there are no critical points that I have to address and I can stick to giving out broad orders for next week. The time isn't quite right for me to deal with all that so I take a walk outside of my dorm room to kill some time. Coincidentally Yang steps out of her dorm at the same time with her helmet held under her arm. I suppose she's using the weekend to take Bumblebee out for a spin.

    When she spots me she stops in her tracks for a moment before recovering. "Hey, sorry if this is a bad time, but I was hoping I could talk to you about something." How she reacted paired with what she said is an odd combination. If I had to guess she does have something that she wants to talk about, though the reason why she's hesitant still eludes me.

    It could be that she doesn't want to impose, which doesn't fit her general behavior for the most part, but makes sense in certain contexts. Or she considers the matter minor enough that it isn't worth bringing up directly, only incidentally. If that's the case I'd have expected her to bring up during a conversation instead of right off the bat. Either way there's no need to analyze things too deeply when she'll likely tell me on her own.

    "Sure," I say, and Yang looks to her left and right, likely checking for if anyone is nearby and desiring privacy. That gives me some indication as to what, or who, she wants to talk about, but she's too hesitant to bring it up in the hallway. "Why don't we head to the garage, you can fill me in on the way there."

    That's enough to get her moving along a familiar route and I follow along at her side. She turns to me and with a cheeky smile says, "Sorry, but I wasn't planning on a plus one, so don't be surprised when we get to Bumblebee and I ask you to buzz off." I don't react to her pun, much to her disappointment, but she recovers quickly.

    "Oh yeah and before I forget," she says and without warning she decks me in the shoulder. It's not overly hard, but it has enough strength that the suddenness of it smarts a little before my aura patches everything up. "That's for not telling me anything. Seriously, I get Weiss and Blake to a degree, but why was I the only one on my team who had to find out through the t.v? I thought we had something special, Ochre." Yang finishes by wiping away a nonexistent tear from her eyes.

    "I didn't realize I was under any obligation to tell you anything," I growl out, more than a little annoyed. "Plus do you really think this is appropriate when you want to talk to me about something?"

    She brings her hand up to her chin as if she's giving my question a lot of thought when it's clear that she isn't. "Yeah I'm starting to think I didn't plan things through," she says, levelly almost deadpan.

    "You think," I yell back and the smirk that forms on her face tells me that was the reaction she was hoping to prod out of me.

    "See there's the Ochre I remember," she cheers while throwing an arm around my neck. There's a certain awkwardness in the maneuver that makes me think she's far more used to doing it on someone shorter than her rather than taller. Not that she's the one to suffer as I'm the one who has to stutter my steps so we don't collapse into a pile on the way to our destination. "Almost thought we lost you to some sort of emotionless robot doppelganger," she continues as if nothing happened. "I swear if it wasn't for Weisscream that theory would hold a lot more weight than it should."

    "Are you going somewhere with this," I ask pointedly. At this point there's no doubt in my mind that she's delaying the issue and privacy has little to do with it now. "And please, never call my girlfriend that ever again." My latter comment draws another smile, but it quickly fades.

    "I- it's about my mom," she starts. "Now my dad told me about her and I had to think long and hard about if I want to actually meet her. Well, I guess I'm stubborn because I'm going through with it despite everything. There's just one eensy weensy teeny tiny little problem that I thought you could help me with."

    "You don't know where she is." Is my flat and immediate reply.

    "I don't know where she is," she confirms much more cheerily than my own disposition. It makes me groan internally. Of course I couldn't have had this dumped on me last semester when I didn't have so much on my plate.

    "What's the timeframe," I ask and am unable to keep the reluctance out of my voice.

    That causes Yang to back up and wave her hand in front of her, "Hey if you can't do it or don't have the time I understand. But, uh, I was hoping by time Summer rolls around. I'll admit my first plan was to just grab Bumblebee and put tire to tarmac all over Mistral until I ran into her, but this is the better option isn't it?"

    As much as I'd like to grouse at that, I have to admit it's definitely the better plan. If only because her previous plan was so horrendous. Mistral is a big place and the odds of her running into her mom or any trace of her has to be vanishingly low. Then again I don't know all the details so maybe some fact of her mom would bring the search from near impossibility to plausible, though that still seems like a stretch to me.

    At the very least I can pass along any information I find out about her mom even if I don't put any other effort into it so I'm not going to turn her down outright. That being said, I'm not going to promise her anything either. I'm busy enough as it is and any time spent helping her out is time not spent on other matters. Either way it wouldn't hurt asking about Raven although how deeply I prod is another question.

    Family: While I might not be willing to betray Weiss' issues directly, Yang certainly has a perspective that might be helpful on this matter. (4)

    Tip-off: I know Yang and Weiss aren't particularly close. Still, knowing that there may be something eating at Weiss even if I don't tell her exactly what might help out. (3)

    Raven: I'm already going to poke around for all the relevant details I can, but I can try seeing why this is so important to Yang beyond the obvious. (3)

    Ruby: I haven't really kept too close of a tab on Ruby. I could ask and see what she's been up to and how she's doing. Yang would appreciate it to a degree and have an interesting perspective. (0)

    Taiyang: We didn't get the chance to talk about things, but I figure she had some complicated feelings towards her dad for keeping information about her mom secret for so long. Might be a good idea to talk about it. (0)

    QM note: Decided to try to work something out with the tie in the subsequent write-up

    "I'll see what I can do," I offer neutrally. With how stretched my time is I can't offer Yang any more than that, though that is enough to get her to nod quickly. "With that being said, anything you can tell me about Raven would be useful." I leave my statement open-ended so she can provide as much info as she wants to. It seems to be the best way to deal with Yang most of the time. Plus, after the recent drama I've had to go through I can admit that I'd prefer to have her provide whatever she's willing to instead of having to dig it up.

    In response Yang grimaces in a way that makes me think she expected that she'd have to talk about her mom, but was secretly hoping that she'd be able to avoid the subject altogether. I already suspected that whatever secret Taiyang was keeping from his daughter had to be a certain level of seriousness and it appears that she agrees with that sentiment. Still, she knows that she has to let me know something so she takes a moment to steady herself before speaking.

    "I always thought my-" she starts before correcting herself. "Raven left us because she had something important, something noble to do. More of a childish hope really. I kept telling myself there had to be a reason because why else would she leave us." She takes another breath and shakes her head, evidently thinking she got off track.

    "What I'm trying to say is that none of that is true. Turns out she and my Uncle come from a tribe of bandits. Although he left that life behind so he could do some good and be there for us…occasionally. While she left her family behind so she could lead the Branwen tribe. Sooo, yeah, not exactly what I was expecting, but I guess reality is disappointing."

    She doesn't elaborate on that statement any further, but it's easy to imagine she'd continue with how she wasn't expecting it to be this much of a disappointment. I'm also drawn to how she presented all of this and it has me curious. She clearly wants to distance herself from her mother as evidenced by her deliberately cutting herself off from calling Raven her mom, using her name instead. Not only that, but she almost fell into a tangent about her previous feelings for her mom before cutting that off as well.

    I don't blame her for doing so, we might have hit things off well during the first few weeks of school, but we've hardly hung out enough to be considered particularly close and it's obviously something personal for her. Still, that combined with how she's seeking out Raven implies that she hasn't entirely worked out how she feels about her mother and might even be holding out the tiniest bit of hope. Maybe not consciously, but someone doesn't seek out a person like this unless they hope to get something out of it.

    While I mull that over I decide to ask a question that pops in my mind, "Does Ruby know any of this."

    "No," Yang says with a shake of her head and I don't miss how she avoids looking directly at me. "As far as I'm concerned Summer is my real mom, not that woman, and I was foolish for ever thinking otherwise." She stops for a moment and if she wants to continue that train of thought it's interrupted by a nearby bird crying out, though it falls silent soon after.

    I don't know if Ruby would agree with the sentiment, but I recognize it as not really any of my business and shrug my shoulders. Yang lets out a breath of relief and that and flashes me a small smile as thanks. Unfortunately for her I feel like there is one more question that I have to ask in order to sate my curiosity. "Why exactly are you searching for her anyway? Were the answers you got from your dad not enough?"

    I could speculate on her reasons for doing so and I already have, to a degree. However, they don't tell me why Yang thinks she's doing this. It's easy to assume that she's merely after emotional closure, but I can't discount that there may be more at play here.She looks straight ahead as we walk for a few seconds obviously not liking the prospect of the question. Just as I'm about to move the conversation onto a different topic she speaks up with resolve in her voice.

    "My dad presented me with just one side of the story. He said that Uncle Qrow could confirm everything, but something about all this just doesn't sit entirely right with me. Like, there has to be more to this than her leaving in the middle of the night to go back to her tribe for no reason. She could have done any number of things, but that's what she chose to do and it still doesn't make sense. I guess I'm still looking for answers; they aren't going to be as noble or happy as I was hoping for, but there's something going on here that I'm not being told about and I'm going to find out what."

    That makes a degree of sense to me, so I nod. An action that causes Yang to sag a little in relief. I guess she puts a lot of stock in my deductive abilities and takes my agreement as a sign that she's on the right track. I wonder how long she's been thinking that over as it hasn't really affected her in her day-to-day as far as I'm aware. Then again I know she has experience carrying on with a burden on her mind as if nothing's wrong.

    With that thought sparking in my mind it brings my attention to how her family situation bears some similarities to Weiss'. Her dad didn't take the loss of Summer Rose too well and Qrow only occasionally stopped by, leaving Yang as the one who had to take care of Ruby and maybe reach out to her father. It's not exactly a match, but it's closer to Weiss' experience than anything I've dealt with so I might as well pick her brain a little.

    "You know," I start slowly, trying my best to ease her into this topic. By the way her eyes narrow in on me I guess that I've taken the wrong tack, but it's too late to back out now. "There was something I wanted to talk with you about as well."

    "Okay," she says, her voice hesitant before turning light-hearted. "You're already doing me a favor so I might as well pay you back, right?" She finishes her statement with a wink and a forced grin.

    "There's no easy way to say this, but I was wondering about the time your dad wasn't doing so well and how you handled it. I'm dealing with some…complicated issues right now and I think it could be helpful."

    "It's not too late to take back what I said, is it" she replies in a joking tone. I know it's also a genuine request, but it's not one I'm willing to entertain so I stare at her to convey my seriousness. She sucks in a breath through her teeth, but starts up again without complaint. "It was tough; I was just a kid and I had to take care of Ruby myself. There were some days where I had to scrounge up food because dad hadn't been out to the store for a few weeks. Kept forgetting or pushing it off. This was before he got a job as a teacher at Signal.

    Thankfully money was never a problem. We still had a lot from the jobs he and the rest of STRQ did and I think Qrow was giving us some of what he earned. Probably realized dad wasn't in the best state to take care of us, but didn't realize how bad the problem was." She looks ready, if reluctant, to continue talking and while this is a good insight into her past I can tell it's making her uncomfortable. It also isn't what I'm looking for.

    "How did you deal with it? The problem I mean," I ask, hoping that she has some sort of answer that would be useful here, but knowing that things can never be that easy.

    "I would rather not talk about that if I'm honest," she admits reluctantly, a guilty look passing over her features for a moment. "Besides, I didn't end up doing anything. It was Uncle Qrow who ended up fixing everything. Just swept in and set my dad straight. Even stayed with us for a few weeks to make sure everything was alright before he had to leave. It's the best thing he's ever done for us even if we had to deal with half our dishes breaking and more than a few scrapes."

    That last bit confuses me and I file it away as irrelevant for now. I don't miss that there's a certain level of self-recrimination in her tone. There's something that she isn't saying that she feels responsible and guilty for. I could press her on that further, but it would be unhelpful and if she wanted to share it she has ample opportunity to.

    It does give me someone that I could follow up on this situation with, but it's unfortunately a dead end. I know that Ruby and Yang don't have a way of getting into contact with their Uncle most of the time. He spends far too much time outside of the Kingdoms or doing jobs as a Huntsman according to them to have a stable CCT signal.

    As for the information I got out of Yang, I don't think that I could apply that to Weiss' situation. I'm not even sure how I would have phrased any advice I may have gotten, but with Yang not being the one to bridge the gap in her family I don't have anything to go off of anyway. All I'm left with is that Yang was in a similar situation which brings one final idea to mind as we enter the garage.

    "Hey, if it's not too much trouble, could I ask you for a favor?" My words come out slowly, still not sure if I should make this request for a variety of reasons, but committing to the action regardless.

    "No," she says immediately, and just as I'm about to argue my case she turns to me with a slight smile. "Just kidding. Though I'm not sure how much of a help I could be." It's clear to me that she's still feeling self-conscious about all of the stuff we just talked about so I throw in a little extra to my otherwise simple request.

    "Actually, I think you're uniquely well-equipped to help with the issue." I take a deep-breath thinking over how I'm going to word this. "Weiss is going through some stuff. I don't want to get into any of it, it's not my place to say. Just, maybe see if you could talk with her, get her to open up a little. I think it would do her a lot of good. Though, if you could do so discreetly and not mention any of this I would appreciate it."

    The last bit comes out of my mouth hurriedly and it's a struggle to keep it coherent. I know she's taking some amusement out of that, but I'm a little too preoccupied to give that my full attention. I know that Weiss values that I can keep a secret pretty highly, or at least I think she does, and this already scratches at more than I'd want to tell someone to begin with. Especially since Yang isn't oblivious or dumb, she's going to be able to connect the dots of our previous topic with this request, but there's not much I can do about that.

    She rolls her eyes, likely more at my roundabout way of requesting her help than any disagreement with my request. "Of course that's what you'd ask," she says with a bit of an edge, like it should have been obvious that I'd bring something like that up the way that I did. "I'll see what I can do. And loverboy, your secret is safe with me."

    She gives me a wink before putting on her helmet and I get the feeling she's mocking me with that statement, but I don't care enough to call her out on it as long as she keeps her word. A few moments later she starts up Bumblebee, gives me a nod, and goes out on her drive; likely thinking over what we talked about and how to approach Weiss.


    With the week coming to a close I decide to look into how my reveal has been received by the public and how that's changed the view of the Union at large. I still don't like that I have to pay so much attention to matters like this as it would be so much simpler to just focus on what I'm good at. Unfortunately it won't produce the results I'm looking for, at least not fast enough for my liking.

    Starting close to home I go over the changes at Beacon. For my friends things have largely remained unchanged. There is one big exception, but my team and most of RWBY already knew while Jaune and Pyrrha I wasn't close enough with for this to feel like a betrayal.

    Ren is keeping his feelings close to the chest, but going off of a nod he gave me after the interview aired I assume he's in the know and at least tolerates my actions. Nora on the other hand I can't imagine has too many issues with what I'm doing, but I may be ascribing too much to her airheaded nature. Blake and Yang were a bit more put-off by what happened. Yang because she was the only one on her team without heads-up, although her reaction was rather mild, all things considered, and Blake for obvious reasons.

    The big exception is Velvet. We may not have talked all that much or hung out since I got back from break, something I think she was secretly hoping for, but I'm not oblivious enough to think that my reveal wouldn't affect her. Especially with her previous interactions with the White Fang. Unfortunately I can't tell how much of her recent silence is because of the reveal or the missions her team have been picking up to make up for lost time. It'd be easy for her to simply forget to respond and just as easy for her to pretend that's the case.

    Not that I'll be able to get a hold of her this week anyway. Asking around I find that her team plans on picking up a series of missions that will take up most of their time for this week so any discussion will have to wait a little bit. I know that she'll keep her deal with me, that's just the kind of person she is, but it might be a good idea to reach out to her anyway.

    On a less personal note are the rest of the students at Beacon. The students from Vale are mostly split on the issue, although not many of them take an extreme stance, aside from those like Cardin. Most of this is because they already knew about my connection with the Fang and formed an opinion of me already based on my actions over the past semester. If anything the interview has done more to shift things in my favor than anything that I did the previous semester. On second thought that's probably more due to my tie with Pyrrha than anything else.

    Speaking of her, the students from Mistral are split on the issue though they tend towards the extremes. Either vehemently supporting or denouncing me and my actions. There are still the moderates like Sun and his team, but they are the minority. In this case my fight with Pyrrha has actually put me at odds with most of them. They still view Pyrrha as one of them and since I'm her natural rival at this point that earns me some enmity.

    Funnily enough it's actually the students from Atlas who I'm getting most of my support from, much to my displeasure. There are still a few naysayers, but my more moderate views, relationship with Weiss, and seeming approval of General Ironwood has most of them at least willing to be friendly with me or give a wave as they pass by. The students from Vacuo for the most part don't seem to pay much attention to the situation, likely not seeing why anyone would make a big deal of all this.

    I suspect that these sentiments are reflected across their home Kingdoms to a degree, though it is too early to tell that for certain. Obviously there are going to be some differences as Huntsmen aren't the most representative of the views of the general populace and there is a difference in the information people have access to. I imagine most of Atlas would dismiss my boarding of an Atlesian airship as mere rumor unlike the students of Beacon who were able to watch me be escorted on and off the craft.

    Either way the sentiment I can find is trending to the positive if extremely divisive. All of my previous activities are being gone over with a fine toothed comb. Especially my behavior and actions with the VPD. Surprisingly to me there is a sizable group of people, mainly faunus, who are critical of the VPD for not giving me a higher position in the organization.

    Apparently they dug up that I'm the co-lead on the faunus relations task force despite having the lowest rank out of everyone present. I can't say that I don't see their point, but I know my position is a weird one in the VPD and my recent deal with them hasn't done much to endear me to the force overall, much less my reveal as head of the Union.

    Additionally there is some more pushback within Vale than there otherwise would be, as the recent attack by Adam's men over the break is still fresh in people's minds. That is fading away with time, but it's a slow process and some will never let it go anyway. It also isn't helped by our recent skirmishes with Spider. Even if it's against criminals what some people see is my men fighting with humans and that's all the excuse they need.

    Overall, it isn't a bad situation and things are looking more up for us than down, but there are still issues that we have to be mindful of. Hopefully I'll get around to addressing some of them soon. Although, I have to be mindful that Ozpin will probably want to meet up with me after he's verified my information. It's the type of thing that I'd do in his situation and I'm not foolish enough to think he'd overlook that. Maybe I'll be able to get some more answers out of him then. Thankfully I uncovered some more of the conspiracy so I can make sure he's telling me the truth and press him if I catch him in a lie.

    Aura(Knowledge) raised from (29/150) to (32/150) Source: Class

    Aura(Practical) raised from (361/625) to (395/625) Source: Semblance usage & Class

    Combat Raised from (258/1250) to (306/1250) Source: Oobleck, Class, Training, & Assistance

    Craft(Weapon) Raised from (8/150) to (14/150) Source: Class

    Criminology Raised from (16/150) to (18/150) Source: VPD

    Culture raised from (82/150) to (87/150) Source: Oobleck

    Dust raised from (69/150) to (94/150) Source: Training

    Grimm raised from (100/300) to (106/300) Source: Class

    History raised from (14/625) to (33/625) Source: Oobleck & class

    Investigation raised from(74/625) to(100/625) Source: Oobleck, Class, & Training

    Law raised from (24/50) to (28/50) Source: VPD

    Mobility raised from (189/625) to (224/625) Source: Oobleck, Class & Training

    Personal funds raised to 12500L Source: VPD & Month End
     
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