Chapter 8: Weekend Warriors Part 1

Beta: Shad0wReaper133


While the city of Vale was still firmly in the hold of the wicker hours, an extremely fit woman of mid-twenties was headed through the commercial district of the city on what most would probably see as a normal morning jog. After all, her attire of a black sports bra, loose gray tank top, sweatpants, and sneakers would seem to say as much. Her short black hair was tied in a lazy ponytail, complimented by a light pink ball cap of a popular Vale sports team. Yes, just the average jogger, trying to get some exercise in before the sun came up.

Which is why it was so strange that when she happened upon a recently broken in Dust store, she didn't hesitate to go take a closer look. There was police tape around the area, but otherwise, nothing seemed disturbed about the crime scene. It could only mean that while the police had already been here, there hadn't been any detectives yet.

Good. They'd have contaminated the evidence.

After making sure there was no one around, the women walked underneath the tape and into the store, avoiding any bits of broken glass. Her crystal blue eyes scanned for anything that could be considered important. Meticulous as ever, she systematically searched all of the most offending spots that could contain clues to the White Fang's intention. First, she took note of all the broken glass and smashed bits of the counter. Yet, not one single speck of dust was to be found. Which meant in the presumed haste, they still made sure to not spill anything. Not even a drop. Impressive. Another thing that wasn't present was the drops or puddles of crimson she'd expected near the cash register. Which meant they hadn't killed or more than likely even injured the owner here.

Walking around the counter, the women removed a latex glove from her pocket and pulled it on before opening the surprisingly still intact cash register. More surprising was the fact there was still money left inside. Meaning the criminals clearly wasn't after monetary gain in their endeavors. A scary thought. More scary was it could mean the ones who pulled off this heist knew there was a possibility some of the lien could be marked so rather than take the risk, they left them here. Either way, these were the acts of a disciplined and well lead group. Not one just out for wanton chaos.

Dust though. Is there some deeper meaning behind Dust being targeted? I know it can't be Roman's idea… a black market dealer he may be, but one that albeit stays in the shadows or just works with distributors.

The undercover soldier began making her way out the store until something caught her eye. Pink. It was a little tuft of something pink snagged onto the broken glass of the doorway. She walked closer to it and removed a pair of silver tweezers from her pocket along with a small glass vial. Though playing the part of an average jogger, didn't mean she was any less prepared than usual. The seemingly insignificant piece of material was quickly and carefully stored away. Not a second too soon either.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing in there?" An authoritative voice called out from the street, making the girl freeze for a moment. However, she quickly calmed down and took on the face of an innocent, slow, overprivileged bimbo. Then she turned to face the two officers, thanking the heavens that they were male.

"Yeep!" She jumped in mock surprise and then forced pinpricks of tears to for at the side of her eyes. "I-I'm sorry mister officer! It just looked so interesting, and I watch Law and Order, and I was on my way home, and I-"

"Wow, calm down there," spoke the older of the two VCP officers, looking at bit flustered. The "jogger" continued to squirm in place, very clearly insinuating her breast in the process while pouting subtly. The act fulfilled its purpose with remarkable success. "Listen… I think we can let you go with a warning. Just don't do it again, understand?"

Specialist Schnee held back a sigh at their single-mindedness and smiled brightly instead at the two young men. "Thank you very much!" To seal the coffin, she added a little bounce to the 'thank you', which shook her best conversational assets. The act felt disgusting, but it certainly did the trick. The two men wished her a good day and began their own work. Winter cringed at the sound of glass being crushed underfoot as they walked through the crime scene, bumbling like morons. No wonder Vale was in such a dire state. If what Ms. Xiao-Long said is correct, then there were apparently a few members of the police force working with the White Fang and Torchwick. Though the rest aid the Fang effort by simply being incompetent.

Winter jogged back to her townhouse located in the Upper-Class area of Vale that she'd been stationed in by Ozpin. The fact it was such a nice area was pure coincidence, as she'd surely not asked to be placed in the location for comfort purposes. When she initially asked why the headmaster had plainly told her the position was advantageous. She took his word on the matter.

Now that I think about it, the fact that two teenagers that weren't even students were able to make more progress than me in a single night is shameful. The leader of them being deaf no less. And having never been to Vale at all.

Winter picked up the pace as the sun began to slowly peek over the horizon, scattering light all over the land. She wasn't concerned with calling Ozpin today, as he had instructed to not be called unless she discovered something. Of course, that didn't mean she wouldn't leave at least a message to say that she was still alive. Anything could happen after all. She still hadn't received a partner yet, as apparently, the Vale huntsman population was rather strained at the moment. Not to mention this assignment was secret even to the other council members of Vale, who would have never allowed an Atlas agent to be tasked with this. The damage it would do to the Kingdom's perceived abilities could be potentially catastrophic. Thus finding a Hunter who was simultaneously free and had a certain level of clearance was nearly impossible because Winter could only really think of one person like that. And he's a pain.

The undercover Huntress sighed at the task she had ahead of her, picking up the pace in her jog. Finding the hideout, at least the main one would be a task and a half. This was such a change from her usual day in Atlas, which would be spent in an office. On a good day, she would maybe lead a few troops on a detail against Grimm or some criminal group. Right now though... being out of the stuffy rooms and doing street-level work... it reminded her of being a Private again. Felt nice. Almost liberating.

Winter looked around suspiciously as if the General thousands of miles away might hear her thoughts and reprimand her. However, there was no commanding officer to be found. Just the tired faces of storekeepers and first shift employees making their way to work. A few waved at Winter as she passed by, wishing her a good morning, others simply nodded. It was a refreshing change from the rigid greetings only given out of respect in Atlas. Hmm.

Hopefully, today would be one of success.

/-/

Blake wasn't a particularly early riser, but she'd been conditioned to wake up at the smallest disturbance. So when her eyes snapped open, she knew something must be wrong. Slowly, she sat up, her extra pair of ears flicking slightly towards the sound of the premature waking. It was still dark in the room, meaning the sun hadn't risen yet, but that hardly mattered thanks to night vision.

Peering over the bed adjacent to her own, Blake spotted the problem. Weiss was breathing extremely hard, soaked in sweat, and was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Blake idly looked around the room, seeing that everything else was in order. Jaune was missing from his bed, but the teen had already explained his training regimen to them, lest they wonder where he went. Ruby was blissfully unaware of anything happening at the moment, blankets were thrown askew and drooling slightly.

So taking it upon herself, Blake slid out of bed and silently walked to Weiss' side. The girl hesitated, in waking Weiss, a flurry of different arguments coming into her head why she shouldn't. Though a pained whimper from the heiress shattered Blake's resolve. Carefully reaching out, she gently shook Weiss' shoulders. "Weiss. Weiss," she whispered to the girl's ear, cautious not to wake the team leader.

Blake also prepared to step back quickly if Weiss threw a punch or something upon waking up. It was a reflex many Hunters had after years of trauma and while it was hard to see Weiss as any more than pampered and protected, it was entirely possible she'd have a similar reaction. This fear was unneeded, however. Weiss' eyes, which were completely bloodshot, snapped open and stared into the yellow ones of her partner. After five seconds of silence, Blake began to become a bit more concerned.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Whispered Blake. Weiss continued to look at her with a blank stare, the expression not giving away anything. She's shaking like a leaf. "Weiss, what's wrong?" She asked, rephrasing the question because at this point it was pretty damn obvious she wasn't okay. The white-haired girl began shaking even harder before, finally, her eyes glazed over with moisture and tears started to leak out the sides.

"Bl-"

The heiress stopped herself mid-sentence, her voice watery to the point of near unintelligibility. After making a few pathetic attempts to clear her voice, she finally gave up and turned on her side facing away from Blake, still quietly shuttering out tears. Blake frowned and moved in closer, though unsure where to go from here. She wasn't really one for impromptu physical contact and she wasn't sure of Weiss' boundaries either. It wasn't like they particularly knew it each other all that well. Still, it felt like something should be done other than watch. So she reached out in hesitation before placing a hand on her partner's shoulder, just as a sign of being there and little more. Despite this gesture being somewhat of a formality, it did actually seem to calm Weiss down a bit, enough to stop shaking anyway.

This is so bizarre.

They stayed in that position for a few minutes, with nothing but breaths passing between the two. Finally, Weiss spoke, her voice much clearer this time. "Is Ruby awake or Jaune back?"

"No. Just you and I."

It was only then that Weiss turned around and faced Blake again, wiping away tears from her eyes and just generally attempting to keep up a facade of emotional difference. The reason for this was completely lost on Blake, seeing as she'd seen the girl cry already. Maybe it was just habit. "Good," muttered the Schnee. "In that case, can we keep this matter to ourselves then?"

"Of course," responded Blake instinctively, seeing the pleading look in her partner's eyes. At this moment Weiss could have asked Blake to take off her bow and she might without thinking. Weiss nodded and slid out of bed, landing on wobbly legs. Whether she'd fall or not wasn't left up to fate, as the Faunus took it upon herself to support the girl. Comfort zone be damned. Weiss' white nightgown was still slick with sweat, however, making the light material slightly translucent. Blake looked away with a slight flush, grateful for the low light.

Once at the bathroom door, Weiss detached herself from Blake and walked in. She almost closed the door, but apparently thought better of it, turning around to face Blake instead. "Thank you, Blake," she whispered, forcing a smile. Blake nodded curtly in response. Weiss closed the door softly.

Blake's train of thought had derailed and exploded during the short time she'd spent with Weiss Schnee this morning. As the sun's light began peeking through the curtains of the windows, Blake reflected on all the things she'd heard about Schnee in the past from her compatriots in the Fang.

"I hear their blood is blacker than coal."

"My cousin met one once… apparently, they can't feel emotion. Just fake it."

"More machine than human really…"

Consciously, Blake was aware most of the rumors were just that. However, hearing stuff like that constantly as a child still left subconscious biases. Right now though, she didn't really know how to feel about the white-haired beauty. The past week had been enlightening. Today most of all. It was entirely too early for any of this.

"Whatcha thinkin about?" Asked a soft voice. Blake jumped in surprise and turned towards the source, being greeted by the sleepy-eyed leader of her team. Apparently, she was so deep in thought she hadn't noticed the girl wake up. Despite this surprise, however, she managed a deadpanned response.

"Nothing. How did you sleep?" She asked, sidestepping any more questions focused on her. So ready to change the subject, she even forced a cheaply composed smile. "Ready for a fun day of activities?"

As awkward as it was to do, Ruby didn't seem to notice. She smiled and gave a hearty, "I'm ready!" Once again Blake wondered how this adorable girl was a huntress, much less the leader. Though wasn't like she wanted the role for herself. She vaguely wondered if the others felt the same.

"Gosh Blake, you must be really excited to be smiling in the morning."

Blake jumped again, this time being startled by the voice of Jaune, who had apparently arrived at some point unnoticed. How someone who couldn't hear sound was so quiet upon entering was beyond her. The swordsman was dressed in his standard attire, his blade hanging at his side. "I'm sure I don't know what you're implying."

Jaune shrugged and walked over to the curtains, grasping them dramatically and throwing them open. He basked in the sudden burst of illumination and seemed to glow with the light source. On the opposite end of the spectrum, said dramatics blinded Blake for a good second, having always been sensitive to light in general. Thank goodness her involuntary hiss was missed by both Jaune and Ruby. The partners began chatting about what they were going to do today, giving Blake a moments reprieve. Or that would have been the case if she didn't pick up on the soft voice of Weiss cursing from behind the door.

"Blake," was the next thing she heard come from behind the door. It was a mixture between a hiss and a whisper, but Blake's better than average hearing had been doing her all sorts of favors lately. With Jaune and Ruby still in the throngs of discussion, Blake shuffled towards the door and spoke back.

"What's wrong Weiss?"

There were a few seconds of silence before she got an answer. "In the... rush... this morning I forgot to bring a towel or a change of clothes." Another stint of silence followed where Blake thought she heard a large sigh. "...could you retrieve those from my belongings and hand them to me."

What the hell is up with this morning?

/-/

The morning had been a rather awkward set of events for Weiss as it pertains to her partner. First, and worst of all, having to be comforted by Blake after a nightmare. A nightmare she thought she'd finally dispelled for good after the week with her sister. Then the same morning, she was forced to swallow quite the copious amount of shame and ask the girl to retrieve the clothing Weiss had foolishly neglected to bring in with her. Very private articles of clothing that no-one should be privy to.

Yet Blake acted as nothing was the matter at breakfast, keeping the same indifferent expression and even idly chatting, meanwhile she'd been too embarrassed to look at the dark-haired girl. Weiss turned and looked at Blake, who was sitting in front of her on the Bullhead headed to central Vale. Maybe I'm overreacting about the whole thing. She sure doesn't look affected.

Blake looked up and locked eyes with the heiress, her expression staying impassive. Weiss gulped and looked away, immediately mentally slapping herself at the action. She even began to feel heat coming to her face, which made her anger at herself, causing more heat to rise to her face. A vicious cycle. Blake must think I'm a fool. Today might as well be an anomaly. She couldn't even manage to muster a convincing poker face.

"So Weiss, where do you think we should go?"

Composing herself, Weiss turned to Ruby, who was sitting two seats away with Jaune. "I don't mind either way. I haven't seen much of Vale since I've been here, so it would be nice to visit anywhere."

Her leader nodded and turned to Blake, asking the same question. The black haired girl was quick in her response. "There's a bookstore I'd like to go to. Other than that, I'm fine wherever... though I wouldn't be opposed to visiting the docks either."

"Sure thing!" Exclaimed Ruby gleefully. "Jaune and I were talking, and it turns out we need to visit the same area of the commercial district. So I guess somewhere in between we can pick up lunch or something as the day goes by."

"Sounds okay with me," commented Weiss before looking away, this time out the window of the aircraft. The buildings of Vale hardly provided a stimulating distraction, though they would do. At least they were something different. Atlas' spirals and pristine appearance was something she took pride in as an Atlas native. Comparatively speaking, this city was rather drab, however, she'd save judgment for after the grand tour of the city. That being if she could pay attention.

"... yeah, though that was when the Commercial District was under maintenance after the fire."

Weiss turned her head slightly towards the conversation she'd spaced out one between Blake, Ruby, and Jaune. Though it seemed they were done talking on the subject and were moving on to preferred types of colors. She opened her mouth slightly to comment, but closed it just as quickly and turned to face out the window yet again.

Something itched in the back of Weiss' mind at the mention of that terrible night. It was something truly important that Glynda had mentioned rather offhandedly. When asked about the kidnapping scheme in detail, which Weiss had done in earnest, the Deputy Headmistress had told her how it was planned and how it subsequently failed. Two Hunters had picked up on the plot and took down Torchwick's stolen airship, then proceeded to beat back a large portion of the White Fang resistance, giving time for help to arrive. She'd asked what their names were of course, but Ms. Goodwitch had responded that the two wished to remain anonymous, not even being mentioned by name in the official report.

Understandably of course. The White Fang was a large group and even the strongest of Huntsman doesn't want to be targeted directly. Though something was definitely off about the whole thing but Weiss couldn't place her finger on it. It was something she'd overheard…

The lurch of the Bullhead jarred Weiss back to reality, and she instinctively grabbed at the chair for stabilization. A sick feeling rested in the bottom of her stomach as the turbulence continued and she chastised herself for being scared for the slightest instant.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Asked Ruby.

The heiress turned around to see her teammates staring at her in concern. Gods, I must look like a nervous wreck. "I… I simply have some anxiety about flying on Bullheads is all."

The admission of weakness was hard, but it was the quickest and easiest lie she could come up with at the moment, and best of all, it wasn't entirely untrue either. Regardless, Ruby excepted the answer, taking on a concerned face immediately. "Ah, I didn't know! We could have taken the ferry to the city instead."

Weiss shook her head. "It's truly fine." To prove that statement, she even let go of the upholstery tentatively, though Ruby still didn't look completely convinced. "Honestly I'm-"

The Bullhead shook again, interrupting her and deepening the pit in her stomach, though she kept a neutral face when it counted. "...Fine."

Ruby squinted her eyes at Weiss one more time before accepting the response. Jaune and Blake seemed to let it go easy enough as well, though that could just be because the Bullhead had already begun its descent and they were preparing to leave. As everyone headed to the exit, Jaune did come over to her though and placed a hand on her shoulder, sporting an easy smile.

"Don't worry Weiss, I have trouble with Bullheads too sometimes."

She wanted to roll her eyes at the comment. And she did. Though not without a small smile etching its way onto her face after he'd turn to leave. Weiss stood from her seat and walked to the exit as well, finally feeling in a proper headspace.

\-\

Being a proper leader meant setting a good example for the other teammates. That much was obvious. So it was no wonder that Team Raven, despite the fact the sun had risen, was still knee deep in the seas of dreamland. It wasn't Ren's fault he was sleepy. He was born sleepy. He almost chalked it up as a side effect of his semblance. Thank goodness the yin to his yang was always there to remind him of his leaderly duties to his team.

"Ren… Ren... REN!" The boy opened his eyes with belabored speed, the morning slapping him in the face and leaving behind a frown.

"Nora, it's two in the morning…" moaned Yang from her bed, a hand resting over her face in exasperation. "Plus it's Saturday~. The Sandman works overtime and I sleep in."

Finally, someone speaking sense.

Ren felt his eyes shutting again under the weight of his own weariness. Though Nora would simply not be defeated on the matter. She stood up and walked to the window, grabbed the extra thick drapes Ren had put up in preparation for today, and threw them open. Instantly the room went from moderately dark to unholy levels of radiating brilliance, the likes only found in heavens uppermost level. Ren went temporarily blind, Yang screamed, and Pyrrha fell out of bed in shock.

"First of all, it's eleven in the morning, not two. Second, the Sandman may work overtime, but he still clocks out at 10:30 on weekends to spend time with family. So there are no excuses!" Nora declared in a booming voice as if any of that last part made sense.

Yang moaned, still massaging her eyes. "Drat, she's got me there."

No, it would seem there is still no one speaking sense.

His body acting on autopilot, the teen crawled forth from his bed. Seeing as sleep was currently out of the question, a bit of nourishment from the five-star cuisine downstairs sounded nice. They could all go and eat, then maybe a nice wal-

"So, didn't we agree to train at some point today?" Pyrrha asked, stretching out the kinks from the night. Even with a loose t-shirt on, Ren could see the cut muscles and powerful latent energy in within them. No wonder she excelled in battle so often.

"Yeah, we did agree to that. How about now? The training rooms are probably empty at the moment and afterward, we can get an early lunch? Late breakfast?" Suggested Yang, to the like-minded females of team Raven. They all agreed, which brought a tiny smile to Ren's face.

"Sounds like a plan."

As they got ready, Ren realized he still didn't know what it truly meant to be a leader. Honestly, it seemed that the team moved and acted without his guidance. Of course, on a mission it would be different, they would look to him for leadership and it was only the first week of school after all. Still, the weight of future responsibilities rested on his shoulders with an unrelenting pressure.

Though, it wasn't like this was the first time he'd felt such stress. Now there was just more people and an official title. Unconsciously his eyes fell on the blonde haired girl getting dressed. He'd barely talked to her this past week despite her being his partner and efforts on her part. It was something he'd have to work on.

"Perhaps after we eat, we can go out into the city," spoke a soft voice. Everyone turned to the quietest one on the team, Pyrrha. She almost seemed a bit shy to voice her opinion, though continued regardless. "I haven't seen much of Vale since I got here, I'd like to explore a bit."

Ren smiled politely. "Then it's a plan."

"Yeah, this city ain't really nothing to look at, but I can show you some stuff that will make you do a double take. Stick with me P," spoke Yang, giving Pyrrha a flirtatious wink. One that actually roused a blush on the champion and a giggle in Nora.

"Get a room you two," joked Nora, whose grin only widened at Pyrrha's embarrassment.

"Technically we are already in a room Nora, so we can skip straight to the fun stuff. Come here Pyrrha!" Yang chased after the blushing girl with hands stretched out, doing a groping hand motion. "Your melons are mine!"

"Yeeep!"

Ren skillfully avoided the antics in favor of actually getting dressed. Now that he thought about it though, today was the first time Pyrrha honestly asked for something personal, like going out into the city. That was something he'd have to keep an eye on as leader... Sigh, it's going to be-

His thoughts were interrupted briefly when Yang tripped and barreled into him, throwing the two teenagers to the floor. "Whoopsie, sorry Ren. That Pyrrha is a slippery one."

The thought of Yang and Pyrrha being "slippery" together in any context was quickly deleted for his own sanity. Similar to the feel of the soft orbs pressed into his back. It's going to be a long four years...

/-/

"Okay, so we fight until the thirty percent aura mark?" Yang asked, more through confirmation than actual confusion. Ren nodded, walking onto the large round stage with her. The team leader fiddled with his scroll until he was finally able to connect with the large screen, which showed the amount of aura he had. The others followed suit one by one.

They had retrieved their weapons from the lockers earlier and already stretched. Now all there was to do was actually spar. Ren couldn't speak for anyone else, but he was rather nervous, despite the emotional benefits of his semblance. Unlike everyone else on his team, he wasn't picked to fight in Glynda's class all week, thus this would be the first real-time Pyrrha and Yang saw him in action. Maybe that would have been fine any other time, but Ren was a leader. Maybe some expectations for himself came with that.

"Okay, it will be me and Yang against Nora and Pyrrha," spoke Ren, taking in a deep breath. The others took their positions, each with varying levels of confidence. Yang was exuding swagger, engaging and deactivating her gauntlets to the beat of some song only she could hear. Nora was bouncing from toe to toe, looking right at him, a sinister grin on her face. Pyrrha was the only real outlier, appearing confident but a little sheepish.

The boy attempted to come up with a viable strategy to possibly defeat his best friend and champion of Mistral. Of course, he knew Nora's move-set, but Pyrrha would be near impossible to defeat. The boy became so deep in thought, the seconds began to stretch into minutes.

"Yo, Remnant to Ren. We going to do this or what? You've been staring at the floor for like two minutes?" Yang asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yes." He said upon looking up, putting his scroll away and taking on a fighting stance. "I guess I was just still a little sleepy. Let's begin."

Ren didn't have a single moment to converse with Yang about staying close, as Nora blitzed from the other side of the arena towards him. Meanwhile, Pyrrha fired upon Yang with her weapon in rifle mode, goading the girl to dodge and take cover.

The leader of team Raven lost sight of his partner as Nora filled his vision, forcing him to retreat and avoid the full might of her hammer. Their eyes met briefly before her weapon once again filled his vision. She wasn't holding back. Though she never did.

A swing to the right, an overextension next, now a downward smash into grenade spike…

Ren had an advantage in this fight, that being he knew Nora's moves better than he did his own. Moves that seemed erratic were telegraphed and exploited for negligible amounts of damage. It was like trying to kill an Ursa with a butter knife. Was it possible? In theory, but certainly not probable. However, Ren was one hell of a butter knife.

Nora, unlike most humans or just living things in general, seemed to only get stronger and quicker as she kept on. Every move might as well have been sudden death. Seeing that her best friend had thus far managed to evade any melee attack, she quickly switched to mid-range and fired off a hot pink grenade. Ren pretended to back step away from the attack, prompting Nora to move in closer. Predictable. Ren coated the same leg that fell back and brought it around in a powerful crescent kick, which connected with the grenade and sent it directly into Nora's face.

The resulting explosion served to throw Nora backward out of surprise more than anything else. Seeing that the move also took a rather impressive chunk of aura out compared to his other attacks only gave the teen further vigor. Ren could barely keep up with his own body movements, capitalizing on the opening and hitting Nora with his strongest aura palm strike to the face, which actually did throw the girl off her feet and to the floor in a daze.

Disarming her, or trying might be too risky. One grapple and it's probably over. Ren instead withdrew Stormflower and in a split second decision, aimed his weapons at Pyrrha, whose back was turned at the moment. He rained fire at her and with her distracted with a more than competent Yang, managed to chip away at some of her aura. Once again, the damage was negligible, but it had the side effect of the Champion thinking her partner had been defeated and caused her to pivot believing Ren would now be on the attack. Though she realized too late that this wasn't the case, shifting her shield back to block a crushing strike from Yang. However, the hasty block was no match for the attack and left Pyrrha with another loss in aura and on the back foot.

That's all I can do to help my partner now I guess. Ren didn't need to look in Nora's direction to know she'd already gotten up from his string of damage earlier. Without looking, he pre-emptively jumped back, which saved him from the broad side of Nora's hammer.

"Ooh, you've been holding out on me Ren. I've never seen you act like this when we spar," spoke Nora, grinning dangerous and swinging her oversized weapon casually. "What's changed?"

Ren felt a small smile coming over himself as well. "Maybe I felt like winning for once."

No more words were exchanged as the two went at it again. Ren maneuvering out of Nora's reach, deflecting any grenades fired, and even managing to deflect a grenade near Pyrrha, giving Yang an opening again. However, as the fight dragged on, the teen felt his limit being reached. His stamina was by far the most glaring weakness in his battle power. The fight felt like it had been going on for hours, when in reality... well, Ren didn't know exactly. All his focus was concentrated on seeing through the sweat dripping down each pore of his face and breathing evenly. In contrast, Nora looked as fresh as she'd been at the beginning.

Though, that wasn't particularly true. Flicking his eyes to the scoreboard, he saw that it was currently ninety-five to fifty-eight percent. The five percent loss was actually because of the muscles he'd overworked healing through aura, so he'd taken no direct damage thus far.

Nora actually seemed to be analyzing him, eyes squinted in slight frustration. During their time together and the fights they'd had to win together, Ren had to use his semblance on Nora on countless occasions to calm her down during a battle so they could strategize. Without his semblance, she seemed to be having a tough time keeping frustration at bay. If he could hold out just a little more, he'd possibly pull this off.

"Dang P, you're one tough customer," spoke Yang from across the ring. Ren looked to see Pyrrha helping the blond girl up, both of them chuckling. It seemed Yang had been knocked out, her aura was at twenty-six percent. "You gotta teach me how to pull off that last move."

"No, no, you did excellently. To fake an overextension into a leg sweep was quite brilliant," praised the red-head. Yang let out a well-meaning snort and walked off the stage, leaving Ren alone. Though she did shout words of encouragement.

"You got this Ren!"

A butter knife cannot cut a mountain and the leader of team Raven surely could not defeat two tanks by himself. Ren, knowing it was futile to continue the fight, nevertheless fell into a ready stance again, his aura crackling to life. Pyrrha rushed forward, her spear mode engaged. Nora trailed behind her, ready to capitalize. Unlike his best friend, Ren was not aware of how Pyrrha fought, thus could not telegram what she'd do as easily or at all.

The emerald-eyed warrior came down with the spear, leading Ren to jump backward, however, this was a mistake. She switched to the sword form at the last second and slashed instead of jabbing, managing to strike him in the abdomen. An attack he could do nothing about, taking the damage in favor of taking a hit from Nora. Certainly not after he'd essentially teased her this entire time by not being hit once.

In an act of acrobatics, Ren managed to back-flip over a swing from Nora, only to be backhanded out the air by Pyrrha's shield and thrown to the ground in a heap. Though he had sixty percent left, it was clear there was little point in continuing.

"I... give."

The two girls immediately stopped their advanced, disengaging their weapons. Nora walked forward and helped up Ren to his feet, even going so far as to mock dust him off. "That was amazing Ren, you've never fought like that before. If Yang hadn't gotten out you might have even beaten me!"

"Unlikely... I was already quite low on energy. I doubt I could have lasted much longer."

"Though you had some mad assist though," commented Yang, who had walked up. "I probably couldn't have landed a single hit on old P here without it. Nice going."

Ren nodded in thanks but otherwise stayed silent. Soon the girls struck up a conversation on each other's techniques, even talking about how they could possibly work together. The sight brought a wave of comfort over Ren. Maybe this whole leader job wouldn't be as complicated as he'd thought. For now anyway. Only time can tell I guess.

"Reeeeeeeen!"

The boy looked up to see the girls were at the door to the sparring room. Wait, when did-

"We're leaving to get a late breakfast. Jaune just messaged me and said we can meet up with team Robbie. Let's gooooo," shouted Yang. "You were staring at nothing again by the way."

Ren nodded with a sigh and picked up the pace to catch up.

/-/

Winter rubbed her eyes, the strain of staring at footage for three hours already taking its toll. Using the power of news reports, she'd managed to get a hold of which shops had been robbed last night, so now all there was to be done was to look through all the security footage of those stores that captured the criminal activities. The modified scroll Ozpin had given her was connected to the database of all the cameras in Vale, and she was given unrestrained backdoor access to it all. All of which was behind the councils back. Ozpin was putting a lot on the line with this. Even someone like him could possibly be jailed for something like this.

Despite the vast liberties which had been taken, she'd yet to find anything vital to the mission. The film of the robberies were somewhat grainy, so it wasn't like any details would be sticking out. Nothing specific anyway. But, there had to be something. Or maybe she could just will evidence into existence if she hoped hard enough.

"This is asinine," she muttered, running a hand through her, sweaty, messy locks of foreign feeling hair. It was possibly time for a break. She looked over at the press pass on the table next to the couch she'd been perched on. Another generous gift she'd been handed by Ozpin to help with the investigation. One that she'd neglected to use thus far.

That was the one part of this investigation that worried her a bit. Absolutely everything she did had to be kept secret to the VCP because there was no telling who was being paid off. The fiasco with her sister had taught that to Ozpin, who simply wouldn't take any risk. Neither would Ironwood.

'Bzzzzzzzzzt'

Winter looked at her personal scroll where it lay beside her press pass. It couldn't be anything related to the mission, or the call would have come through the dark black one in her hand. She idly reached over and grabbed the device, seeing the caller ID was from Jacques personal number.

Well, that's unexpected.

She didn't feel like talking to her father, though for him to not call through his secretary, it might mean there was something important that happened. Or was going to happen. Plus, she was an adult now and there was no reason for her to cower like a nervous puppy from him. She answered, but with audio only, lest he see an unfamiliar setting behind her and deduce she wasn't in Atlas. Something no-one was supposed to know except Ironwood.

"Hello father, may I ask why you are calling? I'm quite busy at the moment." She spoke curtly, using a voice she might muster to speak with a dignitary. He answered in kind.

"To be sure. I'm calling to inform you I will be punishing Weiss for her lack of communication effective immediately after the next allowance transfer."

Winter's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal. She expected this of course. How could she not when it was the exact same method he had been tried on her. However, not this soon. "Do you not believe this is a little hasty on your part?"

The snark in his voice was near pallettable. "Not in the slightest. If she refuses to return my calls after being nearly killed, then I suppose Weiss wants nothing to do with me. Including my generous funds."

Winter swallowed. Of course she wouldn't contact you. Your intention was to bring her back after the incident.

"And why are you telling this to me, Father?"

"It's the only way I can be sure she got it. Though whether you decide to warn your sister or not, the results will be the same," spoke Jacques, holding in a chuckle as if everything would go according to his design. Winter hated it. She despised it. Weiss was a strong girl, but right now she was still fragile despite the act she'd put on. Jacques could possibly succeed this time around.

"I'll be sure to inform her," spoke the elder daughter finally, feeling a crease forming on her brow.

"Excellent. I knew I could trust in your reasoning, Winter." The line went dead afterward. Winter sighed and placed the device down gently, thinking the matter over. Ultimately, warning Weiss would give her at least enough time to conserve funds before complete sequestering of future funds. Winter even mulled over the idea of sending the girl funds from her own personal account, but she exterminated the idea. If Weiss wasn't strong enough to get by alone, then the path she chose wasn't for her. Not to mention she was forbidden to use her personal account at the moment so as to stay hidden.

I'll have to call later today. It's the best I can do for now.

Having decided on that course of action, she went back to filing through the security feed, looking for literally anything tangible. Though instead, it was still only phantom touches of hints she couldn't quite connect. The video that displayed Torchwick was the one she pondered over for the greatest amount of time, though maybe that was folly on her part. Torchwick was the one least likely to give anything away.

"Mhmm." She ran a hand through her hair again, the action becoming something of a habit lately. What would the General say if he could see her. There was probably evidence staring her right in the face and she couldn't see it. Winter stood from the couch and walked to the large wooden desk she'd laid out physical evidence on. Papers, wood chips, pieces of clothing, and anything else she'd found at the crime scenes before VPD got to the scene. Her eyes naturally gravitated to the glass vial of pink fluff she'd found today.

Upon picking it up and opening the small container, she was hit with a sweet fragrance, one she hadn't smelled before at the crime scene. She took a larger wharf of the scent, enjoying its soft floral nature before closing the cap again. What is that? A perfume? If I figure out where it's from, maybe…

'Bzzzzzzt'

Of course. She walked back over to the couch and saw the scroll ringing, this time it was the black one Ozpin had gifted her. Winter quickly picked up, this time with both audio and video enabled. On the screen appeared the expressionless face of Glynda Goodwitch. Well, expressionless except for a single raised eyebrow.

"Going casual I see."

It took Winter a second to realize what the older Huntress was talking about. In her haste to answer, she'd forgotten she was wearing a tank-top with no bra on. Contrary to the belief around the army barracks, she didn't live in a uniform. "Excuse my appearance, I wasn't expecting your call."

"I assure you it's fine. This call was made simply to ask if you required anything. We've asked you to not use your personal bank account while on this mission and instead provided you with one. Ozpin was simply wondering if you needed any more funds."

"No, Ms. Goodwitch, you've been more than generous with the current amount."

"Excellent. That will be all-"

"Actually," interrupted Winter. "It was my intention to call later today. I have a question." Glynda stayed silent, waiting for the women to continue. Winter walked over to the research desk and picked up the mystery item she'd been investigating.

"Could you possibly identify this for me?" She asked, holding it to the camera. "I found it at a crime scene and thought it logical to trace its origins. The material appears soft in texture and gives off a faint but very sweet aroma. It also seems bio-"

"It's a leaf," deadpanned Glynda. "It's a leaf from Forever Fall, a large forest that borders the northern edge of the city. It's very likely it blew in from there."

"I see," spoke Winter, feeling a bit disheartened by Glynda's dismissal but nonetheless ready to follow this lead."Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch. I'll continue my investigation."

The blonde haired women nodded and the line went dead. Winter sighed, looking at the pink piece of organic matter. Maybe it really was nothing… but it couldn't hurt to look. Forever Fall would be her next location to visit.

/-/

"I'm attempting to perceive the situation from your perspective, I truly am, Ozpin, but look at our current predicament from my angle in turn," spoke a silvered haired man from behind a large oak desk. Ozpin, not nearly as used to being the one being spoken to as opposed to being behind the desk could only sit in discontentedness. Councilman Sterling was a man who greatly enjoyed being in charge. So much so he often refused to speak via hologram meetings, believing that face to face meetings left him with the upper hand.

"The police force is currently more attenuated trying attempting to quell every single robbery report within the city. Saul's already informed me his officers have been working graveyard shifts since the incident with the little Atlas princess. Do tell, then, why haven't I glimpsed even a singular Huntsmen, Ozpin? Is the purging of a vital commodity a low-level complication in their eyes?"

The Headmaster rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses, contemplating the discussions that allowed this conversation to even occur. "Jason, I'm positive you're cognizant of the reality that Huntsmen do not receive overtime, nor are the streets of Vale their jurisdiction. I'm positive you realize a Huntsman's job first and foremost is to control the population of Grimm. Not act as a defacto backup police force. I can assure you, however, my compatriots and I are aware of the problem and are working diligently behind the scenes where needed."

Sterling ran a comb through his thick, gelled hair, muttering obscenities under his breath. The man hated to be referred to by his first name and Ozpin knew it. Whether undercutting the Council member's power trip was the smart move to make or not, it damn sure felt good. Sterling stood from his leather seat and looked out the large bay windows behind him, reminiscent of a Machiavellian schemer. "Oh Ozpin, how I truly wish your promises held any semblance of credence with me."

"I can as-"

"The citizens are cattle, Ozpin." Sterling nearly spat. "Skittish while also being biddable. Witless and nebbish though having the audacity to carp at every miniscule disturbance. The most detestable type of cattle imaginable."

The pure malice in Sterling's voice left Ozpin silent. The Councilman took it as an indicator to continue.

"Look at them all," spoke Sterling, still staring out the window, a busy storefront just across the street. Despite Sterling being the youngest of the Council at thirty-two, he already held an extreme distaste for existence. A dislike that had at least taken Ozpin a few hundred years to bloom with such intensity. "Their dullness will see us exterminated one day. Trust in that, Headmaster. I can already see it."

"I find your lack of faith unnerving, Jason."

That got a chuckle out of the younger man. He turned around to face Ozpin once more, though didn't sit down. "Tell me Ozpin, how far can you see?"

It wasn't a question of whether the Headmaster had 20/20 vision or not. Always the interesting one aren't we? You would have made a fine Hunter, Jason. "As far as needed."

Sterling nodded his head, finally sitting back down. "Then surely you've foreseen the future role of a scapegoat you'll play. When Faunus fecal matter hits the proverbial fan, and I guarantee it will, you can bet your maximus all the fallout will be heaped upon the head of a particular gray-haired gentleman. It's quite the simple matter to pin the badge of villainy on someone never seen."

Ozpin remained calm, an expression which could make a blank piece of stationary sweat. "Then I suppose this is my official admonition then? Why say anything, especially when the clues were anything but nebulous?"

"Because the time for action is nigh upon us. Contrary to how you fancy I feel for you, it's everyone's benefit that we work as a pair of associates. For my personal betterment of course and for Beacon."

"I'm listening."

Sterling took a breath before looking down at the sticky notes that lined his desk space. "Huntsmen are traditionally beacons of hope, cherry blossoms, and all such bilge. I believed so as a child and many feel similar. All I require from you is your word that when the situation plummets, you'll be there to deliver aid the way only Hunters can."

Sterling looked at Ozpin and the Headmaster gave a nod for him to continue. "Well, I propose the Beacon staff encourage the student population to go into the city more often, flaunt their weapons, and otherwise have a presence. Something everyone can look to as a physical example that things will continue to be copacetic. Meanwhile, I'll ensure any progress produced by VPD will be transferred to a Hunter or Hunters. Hell, your students are probably more equipped to combat the White Fang than the police force, so allow the kiddies to go mental if they'd like. I'll clean up any PR along the way. By the conclusion, the citizens will have something to look up to and trust in, something that is sorely lacking presently."

"Very… interesting, Mr. Sterling. And I suppose this scheme is to instill confidence in the otherwise spasmodic plebeians? Possibly even diminish a portion of Grimm spawned daily." Ozpin asked, warming to the idea. Sterling shrugged.

"You could say that. The ancient sets of skin and bones that is the Council of Vale are quite special in the fact that they are spavined enough to feel omniscient, while sheltered enough so that they know nothing at all. Particularly about Grimm. Unlike them, however, I've felt the blazing hot breath of a Beowolf on my neck."

"Quite. And here I assumed you'd all but forgotten your days as a Huntsman in training."

"Can it, Ozpin. Don't think I called you in here to save your ass just because you used to be my Headmaster. I simply have a lot to protect is all and I believe this is the best option. Not to mention this idea goes far beyond just Grimm. Though we can talk about that later. Do we have a deal?"

This is…

Ozpin stood up from his chair and stretched out his hand to the Council member, choosing to be more proactive about this currently unknown threat. "It's a deal."

Then the two shook on it.

/-/

Team Robbie had decided to kill two birds with one stone and get lunch near the pier, which consisted of the many maritime style food sold at the stalls that lined the boardwalk. All four of the teammates were sitting with their legs hanging over the side, eating, laughing, and pointing at the different types of aquatic life they could spot in the water below. Blake was actually in awe of the fact she was genuinely having a good time, considering she'd be completely prepared to fake everything.

"...all I'm saying is, I don't feel a seller of Dust should act that way with a customer," spoke the heiress to the blonde swordsman of the team. Weiss was referring to the female store owner who had "flirted" with Jaune, something that had been a bit surprising to everyone.

"Eh, I already told you why she gave me a discount, Weiss. I helped stop a robbery at her store. Plus, she was just being friendly."

"I'm sure…" spoke Weiss sardonically, looking back to the greasy fish sandwich in her hand she'd been nibbling on. Blake personally hadn't believed her eyes, or any of her senses when the pristine girl had ordered the hearty lunch along with her teammates with little more than an off-handed comment on the lack of presentation. The disbelief had only increased when Ruby suggested they sit on the pier and Weiss smoothed out her skirt and sat down on the wooden planks with little fanfare or complaint.

This day had been particularly tough on Blake's usual eyes wide shut routine. It had only been a week and well... it was starting to look like Schnee's might be regular humans after all. Such a revelation had left the feline Faunus stunned. Maybe a bit too stunned.

"Blake, you've been staring at me for three minutes, do you have anything to say?" Weiss asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm? Oh, uh... how's the sandwich?"

"I see... well it's quite good, if not a little greasy. I can see why you recommended it. Is it the only reason you wanted to visit the docks?"

"Not entirely. I just enjoy the atmosphere." And the smell.

Ruby grinned, sticking her fork into the fish and chip bowl she'd gotten. "Well, I think it was a good choice. There's something about being near water-"

A burst of feathers and down interrupted the leader, who squawked in terror as her food was ripped right out of her hands. Squawking which was matched by the seagull that had taken off on the next breeze. Blake nearly fell over as Weiss slammed into her, attempting to put distance in between herself and the animal. Jaune fell backward, reaching nervously for his sword's hilt and letting out a shout of surprise. Though it would seem as if Ruby wasn't afraid to match the animal on its own turf.

"Give me back my food you birdie!" Ruby leaped into the air, hand outstretched, missing the hind tail feathers by an inch. Or rather she would have missed by an inch if she didn't burst into roses and bum rush the poor avian out the air. "HA! Got you!"

The moment of victory was quite hollow, however, as Ruby realized she was twenty feet above what would be a very cold, and very wet experience. She plummeted with the seagull still in hand, almost as if this was payback for the attempted thievery. However, not a second too late, a glowing platform appeared beneath the girl, which she hit with a smack just inches above the water.

"YOU DOLT!"

Blake turned to Weiss, noticing the girl had a glowing hand stretched out in Ruby direction. The brilliant white platform slowly moved towards the pier before disappearing and dropping the leader onto the wooden planks. "Honestly, I should have just let you fall, what were you thinking?!"

"Uh…" The girl didn't seem to have an answer, still clutching onto the bird like it was stuff animal. This seemed to only irritate the heiress more.

"And for goodness sake, put that bird down, they're infested with disease!" She then turned her head and noticed Jaune was down to only his boxers. A fact that sent Blake's mind to places it shouldn't and caused Weiss' skin color to imitate the color of a tomato. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The volume of her shout was probably enough to throw Jaune backwards, deaf or not. He seemed to catch on to the question in any case. "Oh, well I thought Ruby was going to fall into the water... so I pre-emptively stripped down in preparation to go in after her."

"Put your damn clothes on! And you!" Weiss turned to the crowd of people that had milled about the area to see the commotion. They all jumped back at her ire being turned on them. Particularly the Faunus fishermen who had recognized the girl. "Mind your own business!"

Weiss stood up in a huff, dusted off her skirt, and then proceeded to walk down the wooden planks. Blake watched her leave, not sure what to do. Everything had happened in about a minute, and that left little room to gather her bearings. It seemed her leader wasn't sure what to do either, still holding on to the now docile bird in stunned silence. The mini tantrum had been more like how Blake imagined being with a Schnee would be like. Although in this case, she couldn't exactly judge the girl.

"I should probably go after her," spoke Jaune finally, struggling to put his pants back on. How he got them off so quickly in the first place was beyond all reason. His voice also called attention to the fact he was still underdressed. Goodness, you could grate cheese on his-

"Actually!" Interjected Blake, interrupting her own thoughts. "I should go get her. You know, being partners and all." To make the point clearer, she kept pointing to herself and pointing in the direction Weiss went. Jaune looked at her, looked back at Ruby, then nodded for her to go.

Blake ripped her eyes off Jaune's body and walked after Weiss, glad to get away. However, it would seem she wouldn't have to go far, as Weiss came into view sitting on a bench farther down the docks, looking through her scroll. The scowl deep on her face probably wasn't a good sign. Maybe I should go back and say I couldn't find her. She still seems quite perturbed.

Yet Blake's feet carried her in Weiss' direction just like during Initiation. Hopefully, this wouldn't become a habit. Before Blake could even process what to say, she was hovering over her partner for the second time today. Weiss looked up at her and huffed a little, putting the scroll away. "In my defense, they were being idiots."

Blake quirked a smile. "Granted I suppose. Still upset?"

Weiss stood up from the bench and straightened out her skirt. "Not particularly… plus my wrath is more focused on someone else at the moment. It was not befitting to raise my voice in such a matter to my leader and teammate regardless."

"I'm impressed you accept Ruby as your leader so easily." Blake voiced her thoughts. It was a fact that had puzzled Blake to no end. She herself held no ambition about being a leader and Jaune was clearly friends with the girl and her sister, but Weiss…

The heiress sighed. "It's because I'm a Schnee isn't?"

Despite it being exactly the reason, Blake attempted to deny the accusation, though one look at the girl's expression killed the denials dead in her throat. "Sort... of."

"Well, I guess you usually wouldn't be wrong in your assumption."

Weiss didn't say any more, and Blake felt it too forward to ask. The two stood in a awkward silence until Jaune and Ruby appeared, walking up to them with sheepish expressions. They looked like children coming to apologize for hitting their sibling or breaking an expensive vase.

Ruby broke the silence, coming up to Weiss with pure earnest. "I... I'm sorry Weiss! I shouldn't have flown after the bird and it wasn't mature and well... I'm sorry I upset you. Also, Jaune is really sorry about taking off his clothes too." Jaune nodded behind the girl rapidly.

Weiss looked at the two clearly well-meaning teammates and sighed for maybe the 5th time in an hour. "It's fine. I'm sorry for yelling. Though do try to avoid any such behavior in the future."

Ruby nodded. Jaune nodded a couple seconds later, having apparently taken a while to figure out the words. Geez, sometimes it's too easy to forget about his disability. The four stood in semi-awkward silence for a few seconds before Ruby's eyes lit up, apparently remembering something. "Oh, I forgot to say, Jaune was texting team Raven and they agreed to meet up with us!"

"Then let's not keep them waiting," spoke Weiss with a casual smile, reviving the mood again. As they headed away from the docks, Blake couldn't get the girl walking in front of her out of her head.


A/N: Well, hoped you liked it. It felt odd writing a chapter without visiting Jaune's perspective but I feel it was the right choice. Weiss and Blake's relationship will come into play a lot later down the line so I wanted to dedicate more screen time to that this time around. Worry not, as Jaune will take precedence in Part 2. A lot of stuff was set up for later arcs in this chapter as well, as seen in the Winter and Ozpin scenes. Finally, Ren is slowly trying to figure out how to be a leader. I actually always thought that Ren would be a rather good leader if given the right motivation. Guess only time will tell.

Anyway, that's it for now.