"Lupa, this is Fumentarius Picus, we have a situation, over." A familiar sounding voice barked.

'Gotcha now you son of a bitch.'

After my little conversation with Silus, I got right to work on tracking down his purported 'officer'. I had Hsu waiting on standby to drop the news about Caesar's 'condition', so I needed to work fast. He'd sent me to work with Captain Ronald Curtis, who'd been assigned to discretely figuring out who was leaking intel. I would've stayed with him too, if he wasn't an obtrusive and obstructive jackass. He demanded that any information I find come directly back to him. So naturally, I made it my business to ditch the man at the first opportunity and follow any leads he'd gotten on my own. There weren't many, but the few that there were turned out to be invaluable. One of his leads would've had me talking to Contreras, but I chose to avoid talking to him.

Something told me he hadn't gotten over the last time we'd met yet.

The rest of them however, pointed to someone breaking into the control tower with the McCarran airfield in the wee hours of the morning. Most damningly, I got confirmation of this from a member of first Recon, by the name Sterling. He and the few lingering elements of his unit had been about to head out for Forlorn hope when I tracked him down. When asked about it, he'd pointed out the control tower as being up for suspicion. It wasn't uncommon for the privates and cadets around the base to sneak off and get up to mischief. He'd assumed that's what it was, and asked me to go easy on whoever I caught there. After learning that, I went back to Boyd and Hsu.

Boyd confirmed that break-ins were common around the base, and it normally never amounted to anything other than 'mischief'. Which is probably what had made it so hard to notice anything awry in the first place. But, if Silus had been telling the truth, then it was also the only place the leak could be coming from. Regular radio access, relative seclusion, and a good view of the surrounding area in case you needed to keep a look-out. Probably the only reason no one had thought to check it is because no one would assume they'd be crazy enough to use a place so obvious.

Well, the cat was out of the bag now.

Though we weren't a hundred percent certain it was the place, it was the only reasonable one we had. So we ran with it. Hsu and Boyd left to make the announcement, having given me access to the tower, and Boone and Me watched the tower intently. Like a pair of Geckos eyeing a lone Brahmin calf. We were gonna get the son of a bitch if it was the last thing we did.

No sooner had we heard Hsu's press announcement, than about half an hour later did we catch someone enter the tower. It was still early in the afternoon, far sooner than they should've been reporting in, which meant we were playing them like we wanted.

Boone and me followed them in quiet, staying hidden so we could overhear hear anything of potential value. Thankfully the distance between the tower's control room and the bottom of the stairwell was small.

The voice fell silent for a moment.

"… The NCR broke Silus." The voice continued, likely speaking through a headset. "I don't know how, but they've also discovered Caesar's condition."

Another stretch of silence.

"… No I'm not certain to what degree they have, Lupa. But there's no telling how deeply we've been compromised. They've got that piece of shit courier tearing through our work faster than we can fix it."

I felt a small spur of pride from hearing that. Good to know I was annoying them.

"… I don't know if I've been compromised yet, no." The voice continued "As far as I can tell, no one suspects me yet. I've done well to keep them going in-"

The voice stopped speaking, as whoever they were communicating with seemed to cut them off.

"… I'm sorry Lupa, can you repeat that, I don't think I heard you clearly…"

Silence.

"… Lupa, you can't expect me to-"

Yet again, silence. This time by far the longest stretch. I looked to Boone, and found he was just as confused as I was.

"… Why are you telling me this?" The voice asked, followed by another small break. "… I understand, don't know how yet, but consider it done."

I gave Boone another look. I didn't know why, but I couldn't shake the feeling we'd just heard something bad take place. We began to creep up the stairs towards the control room.

"… Yes, I've done as ordered." The voice continued "The bomb's been planted on the monorail. I've rigged it to detonate when it reaches the embassy."

Boone and Me stopped mid-way up the stairs. Looking at each other, I knew what we were both thinking in that moment.

'Crap.'

We immediately stopped sneaking in favor of charging the rest of the way up the stairs at full speed. We both reached the top of the stairs and drew a bead on the spy.

"What the-" The spy said, turning to face us.

Surprise surprise, a lot of things made sense now.

"Afternoon, Curtis" I said "Don't mind me, just plugging a leak."

I shot him in the knee. Surprisingly, and simultaneously, Boone shot him in the other. I'd honestly been expecting him to just kill him where he stood. Hooray for small miracles and duteous marksmanship.

Curtis' legs went out from under him, and the now outed legion officer howled in pain. He writhed on the ground as Boone and Me closed in on him.

"Guess you weren't so slippery after all, huh?" I asked, kicking the son of a bitch. "Been on you less than a day and I've already got you beat."

Curtis glared daggers at me, baring his teeth. That changed when Boone and me started pointing guns at his head.

"Where's the bomb?" I growled.

"Fuck you!" Curtis spat.

I responded by kicking him in the lower ribs. I didn't have time for this.

"Shoot him if he tries to get up." I told Boone "I've got a train to catch."

I bolted back down the stairs and slammed into the door at the bottom of the tower. I ran across the tarmac separating the control tower from the concourse at full speed. I couldn't tell how much time I had, but given the Monorail made regular trips back forth to the Strip, a safe bet was 'not much'. I didn't have time to waste getting the specifics out of Curtis. Not to mention I didn't know much about explosives either. For all I knew the bomb would detonate the moment it reached the Embassy. Or it could be on a timer, and go off regardless. Either way, not a time for chances.

I finished crossing the tarmac and came crashing through the terminal doors. I'm sure it drew some people's attention, but I didn't care to stop and find out. I continued my mad dash through the interior of the terminal building, dipping and weaving around the various troopers and rangers that were milling about. A few of them even saw me coming, and had the sense to get out of my way. Though whether or not that was due to the Ranger veteran armor I was wearing, I had no clue, but I wasn't complaining.

As I rounded the corner and began ascending the stairs, I almost barreled into Hsu. I managed to get around him though, and kept running. Seeing me running, Hsu quickly kept pace with me.

"What's wrong?" Hsu asked.

"Curtis is the mole." I spat, not losing focus "There's a bomb on the monorail!"

"… Shit!"

Almost as if on cue, Hsu fell in step with me, and sprinted to the monorail. We rounded into the corner of the upper level and ran past the security checkpoint. Seeing Hsu though, they scrambled to get the door open. Give them credit, they at least were aware enough to recognize when something was wrong.

"Where is it?" Hsu asked, as we stepped out onto the platform.

"No clue" I answered, quickly scanning the exterior of the monorail "Didn't have time to beat it out of him."

The platform was busy. Hsu's little announcement had attracted the attention of some Vegas representatives, who'd in turn come to get the information themselves. Even besides them though, there were plenty of soldiers who were headed into Vegas and Freeside to enjoy themselves. Even the bomb hadn't been heading straight for the Embassy, this was prime time for mass casualties. This many dead troopers from an oversight in command would be a hell of a blow to morale.

"… He wouldn't have put it on the outside." Hsu said "Too visible."

"Then we need to board before-"

The doors of the Monorail began to close.

"Shit!"

I leapt for the gap, and scrambled inside as the cracked in clouded glass partition closed. I came to my feet and had a moment to look Hsu, still on the platform and opposite side of the door.

"Open it!" I shouted, hurrying to find an emergency release "Hurr-"

With a lurch, the monorail leapt away from the station. Hurtling myself, the passengers, and an incendiary payload towards Vegas. The station blurring past, and leaving me to watch as we began to loop around the outskirts of Vegas' walls. Immediately passing the Aerotech Office park.

'… CrapcrapcrapCRAP-'

I turned and examined the interior of the monorail. It was practically full to capacity. Most of the seats along the walls of the monorail were taken, and there was next to no standing room. Leaving no feasible place that I could see for Curtis to put a bomb without being spotted. I didn't have long; the monorail made the trip from McCarran to the strip in a little under two minutes. If I couldn't find it before then, well… boom.

I got some strange looks from the passengers as I began frantically searching the cabin of the monorail. There weren't many places Curtis could have hidden the bomb onboard the monorail. But that didn't change the fact that the bomb was here somewhere, and we were hurtling towards Vegas. The unfortunate fact of the matter was though, Curtis ran the bomb sweeps. He'd have to know the monorail like the back of his hand to know where to hide it where it wouldn't be seen. But as we raced past the East Pump Station, I couldn't find it. The monorail banked to the left, and we were on the final straight towards Vegas.

I took a second and stopped to think. We were racing to oblivion, and panicking would be the thing to ensure we got there. I opened VATs and slowly scanned the cabin. If Curtis would have to know this place like the back of his hand that would mean more than just the cabin was open for searching. The monorail was an unmanned vehicle, running off computer programming to know when to move. Meaning there wasn't an operator's room to search. Maybe a small panel for the wiring and computer bits. Plus a ventilation system, to keep everything cool…

I turned to look at the far walls of the monorail. The one closest to the current 'head' of the monorail had a vent on it.

'… It can't be that simple.'

I left VATs and scythed through the crowd like a hot knife. Reaching the far end of the cabin, I ripped the vent cover from the wall. Immediately behind it were five remote charges, wired in sequence with a salvaged alarm clock.

'…'

I shook my head and focused, I'd found the problem, but there was another now.

I didn't know how to defuse it.

Explosives had never been my forte. Too much guess work with timing, distance, and power. It was much simpler just to use literally anything else. Now it meant I had no clue how to defuse the bomb.

I spared a glance to the window, the walls of Vegas were a hundred feet out and closing fast.

I did the only sensible thing I could think of in that moment.

I knocked the person sitting in front of the window out of the way, and unloaded That Gun into the glass. If people hadn't gotten the message before then, they did now, as a wide circle opened around me.

I reached into the vent and grabbed the explosives. I ripped them out of the wall and gave them a running throw out the window.

We passed the walls of Vegas a second after.

The explosives collided with the walls and exploded in a thunder of fire, smoke, and force. The back half of the monorail caught some of it as we raced past, and the windows shattered into brittle fragment. Pelting and cutting anyone in that part of the monorail.

But, as far as I could tell we were all alive. I leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths and shaking as I urged the adrenaline to go away.

The monorail pulled to a stop in the Embassy station, and a moment of silence followed. Then the automated attendant chimed.

"We have arrived, please exit the monorail in orderly fashion."

"… Hold him down!" One of the soldier shouted.

I was then promptly tackled by every soldier on the monorail. Who'd apparently assumed I was some sort of terrorist.

'Figures.'

…

My alarm got a few chirps out before I hit the switch to turn it off. My eyes popped open reluctantly as I took in my surroundings. It took my still half-asleep brain a moment or two to remember I'd begun rooming with my teammates. When it finally clicked into place though, I unrolled from my blanket and sat up on my cot.

It was early yet. The sun hadn't quite risen which, given it was summer out, made it probably around four-thirty to five in the morning. About the time I'd set my alarm for.

A cursory glance around the room showed that everyone was still asleep in their bunks. Ruby dangling precariously from her bed, Weiss looking the picture of perfect serenity, and Yang snoring like a chainsaw. Probably the strangest was Blake though, who appeared to have fallen asleep while reading, as evidenced by the book partly covering her face and her reading light still being on.

As quietly as I could, I got up from my cot and stretched, working out any stiffness. I grabbed my uniform and some supplies, then gingerly walked out of the room. Doing my best to make sure I didn't disturb my teammates. Once outside, I took my uniform to the wash room, and threw them into one of the machines. I hadn't had time to clean them the day before, and would rather not spend the day covered in dried food and drink.

While that was going, I left to go retrieve my leather armor from my locker in the sparring area. I was going to have to keep it on hand until I had time to go collect more clothing. Because I'd be damned if I was forced to wander around the school in my pajamas more than once. After that though, I returned to the dorms, and did a few basic morning exercises. Just some things to get the blood pumping and ready for the day. I did that for a little while, then took my supplies and went up to the roof of the dorms. I was starving, and that was probably the most privacy I was going to get if I wanted to eat.

I set up on the roof, and fixed my simple breakfast. Just some leftovers from last night mixed with a few extras. I lifted my helmet up enough, and began shoveling the food into my mouth voraciously. Even being cold leftovers, it was still delicious. After a few bites though, I got tired of not being able to see the world around me. I took my mask off the rest of the way, and let my head bask in the early morning breeze.

Just in time to see the sunrise.

I hadn't taken the time to watch it before, at least not on Remnant. Always more of a hassle to wake up and do it. I'd seen it plenty of times in the Mojave though.

Strange part though? It never stopped being beautiful. No matter how many times I saw it.

That applied to the sunrise here on Remnant as well. It's an odd thing, watching the light start to creep over the horizon. Throwing hues of gold and red across a canvas of black and blue. There was a quality to it that couldn't really be put into words. I knew what was, I knew what caused it, and I shouldn't have been impressed after seeing it so many times. But I was and it did, in a way I couldn't really understand.

And sitting there, eating breakfast as the sun poked over the horizon, I got a rush of nostalgia. For the briefest moment, I felt like I was back in the Mojave.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"… Think on this: We only require to see the machine that brought you here"

Then the moment passed, and I was struck again by the reality of my situation. I was still here, and going to remain so for the foreseeable future. I was already pretty powerless over my own situation, and that was infuriating to no end. But now Ozpin expected me to hand over the TPPT. Maybe they had nowhere to start, but under no circumstance should any of the Big Empty's technology be left unattended. Or, worse, put into the hands of people who would likely have to reverse engineer it to get me home.

But, staring at the sunrise, I felt really tempted to take the chance. As well as inexorably tired. Nearly four months had passed. How much had I missed in that time? Had the NCR come rushing in while I was missing? Had there been another war? Did the machines finally rise up and overthrow us?

Honestly, I didn't know, and it just made me feel even more tired.

Even worse, if Dala was back there, the question wasn't 'what'd I miss', it was 'why am I still wasting time?'…

"If you truly wish to return home, then you must be willing to show some trust."

I shook my head, and focused on the dawn. I had enough problems to worry about without all the 'what ifs' cropping up. I needed to make a choice on it, and fast, but it all came back to: could I trust Ozpin? Because I'd be handing over a piece of technology that, in the wrong hands, could change the world in the literal blinks of an eye.

I looked down to my pip-boy, and check the 'Quests' section. Nothing new had come up yet. Though there were still quests marked for Yang and Blake, respectively. Taunting me.

'… Why can't you ever just do something useful?'

I lowered my pip-boy and looked out to the sunrise. I needed to come to a decision, and soon. Either hand over the TPPT, or don't. There was nothing certain about any of it, but I needed to do something. I couldn't even fix the mess myself either. Not only did I lack the equipment to do it, I wouldn't even know where to begin. It was a time-machine for fuck's sake. Maybe if I could take a look at how it worked I'd have a place to start, but that was a moot point.

I was going to take the day for what it was. Fresh, new, and full of work to do.

I took a deep breath and lied to myself.

'Today is going to be a good day.'

…

*KsSHZzzk*

"SON OF A BITCH!" I shouted, recoiling as electricity arced through me "NOT AGAIN!"

I dropped my tools, and fought the involuntary reaction to pull inward as my muscles tensed uncontrollably. That was fourth time now I'd shocked myself trying to fix my Cattle Prod. Though it did cause my teammates and JNPR to jerk back in surprise. Guess my outburst caught them off guard. We were all standing at a large work table, working on our individual weapons.

"Patience Mister Six!" Port Boomed "Shouting will not aid you in fixing your tools!"

Today's 'special' class was Weapon Maintenance. I'd assumed it would be the best time to try and make the necessary repairs after they'd failed last week. Unfortunately, every time it seemed I'd fixed it, something else would come undone and correct that notion. First it had the soldering for the wires, then the terminal for the power cells, then the dial for regulating the output. If one more thing gave out and shocked me, I was going to find the nearest hammer and pound the Prod into scrap. I had something else I wanted to focus on, but until I got the Cattle Prod fixed, I wasn't going to be able to focus on it. If only because I couldn't stand the idea of this thing sitting here taunting me.

I ignored Port and smacked the power cells out of the Cattle Prod and began disassembling it for the umpteenth time. I slid the main body of the Prod off and examined what was wrong with it this time.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Yang asked.

"Yea, Yang." I growled "Not my fault the damn thing keeps breaking someplace else."

"Perhaps you should consider testing it before re-assembling it." Weiss said, opening the cylinder of her revolving toothpick.

"Maybe you ought to cork that toothpick of yours before you stab someone." I snarled.

Weiss just gave me a deadpan look, as if asking I really needed to be rude.

I ignored her, grumbling to myself as I began diagnosing the issue. I poked and prodded through its guts for a moment or two, and found what I was looking for.

Another wire had broken.

I took a deep breath, blowing out my frustration. The wire wasn't so much broken as 'frayed'. The casing had worn away and contacted the outer wall. Not too hard to patch, compared to the other issues. I twisted the broken copper ends back together and covered them with electrical tape. Not a perfect fix, and would probably give out after enough abuse. But I wasn't breaking the soldering iron back out to replace another wire.

I snipped the tape and set everything aside again. Despite my sour attitude, I took Weiss's advice and tested the prod before completely re-assembling it. A hum filled the air surrounding the bits of potential scrap. But not a bad one, this time it actually sounded like it was supposed to. I cranked the voltage to maximum, but the hum stayed constant and steady.

"…Did you fix it?" Ruby asked.

"…"

Using a screwdriver, I moved the business end of the cattle prod across the table. The electrode contacted Weiss's toothpick. Electricity must have been arcing through it quite strongly. Because not a nano second after contact Weiss yelped and tensed into a tight little ball.

"Yep, seems like it."

Weiss grit her teeth and shot me a scowl.

I chuckled and turned the electricity off, re-assembling my cattle prod at long last. It was about time the thing was fixed. I was about ready to go find that hammer.

"Aight, glad that's done. Be right back."

I got up from the table and walked back across the room. In the wall was a small hallway that lead to the locker room we used to change for sparring. At least someone had thought about ease of access when placing everything.

I returned my Cattle Prod to my locker, exchanging it for a pair of disturbingly similar guns. One was a .45 Submachine gun from my time in Zion. The blacked steel and stained wood still marred and nicked from all the use it'd seen. The other, was the submachine gun I'd nicked from Junior's club before burning the place to the ground. By contrast to the Submachine gun from Zion, this one was still new and clean. The barrel and assembly being a polished stainless steel, while the grips and stock were some black synthetic compound.

I took the both of them, plus my .45 pistol, and headed back to the workshop. It was time for some analytical reverse-engineering.

I walked back across the room and set my guns on the table before into Stepping to where I'd been.

"What're those for?" Ruby asked.

"Analysis." I answered.

"Where'd you get them?"

"One's from back home" I answered tapping my .45 "The other I- um- borrowed from Junior after Yang and I went for drinks."

"Junior gave that to you?" Yang asked,

"Gave is a bit of a strong word." I shrugged "Try… borrowed with no intention of returning."

"… so you stole it?"

"Again, stole is a strong word. But are you really complaining if I did?"

Yang thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and went back to working on her gauntlets.

I began disassembling Junior's SMG with what felt like a practiced hand. The gun wasn't an exact match for mine, but it was in the ballpark. The magazine released the same, and the barrel assembly disconnected from the stock and trigger in similar fashion. The most immediate difference was Junior's seemed to have been made without the idea of 'ease of maintenance' in mind. Rather than a compression clip holding things in place, they were actually screwed together, savages. Once it was free though, I began disassembling the bolt. My main objective was the recoil spring.

Ruby continued watching me in fascination. I gave her a sideways look, and she shrugged.

"I like to watch." She answered "But why are you taking it apart?"

I considered my answer for a moment, but found no harm in telling her. "If you must know, I'm disassembling them to compare their internals."

"Cool… why?"

"Well, as I have discovered, everyone around here uses Dust instead of gunpowder in their bullets, right?"

"Um… yes?"

"So, rather than continue being left out, I wanted to begin making bullets that include some dust in them, just to see what happens."

"And that involves stealing and disassembling someone else's weapon because?" Weiss asked.

"Well, first off, this is one of the few times I've actually seen a gun that resembles one from back in the Mojave." I said, tapping my .45 submachine gun "So I thought if I spent some time disassembling it and comparing it to what I know, I could better understand what I was walking into."

"Umm… is it really that big a deal?" Jaune asked, dragging himself and his team into the conversation.

"Considering you've probably never built or worked with a gun… yes." I answered bluntly "If I get the measurements wrong, I run the risk of damaging my weapons, or destroying them outright. So I'd rather test them and be sure."

I plucked the recoil spring from the bolt and gave it a quick flick. Yep, it was springy.

"Alright, now just to figure out how to measure its tensile strength, then I'll have a better idea of the force I'm dealing with."

"Which ones?" Ruby asked.

"Combustion rate and maximum pressure output mostly. This submachine gun appears to be the same or a close enough caliber to mine, so I can probably ballpark it."

"… What caliber are they?"

".45 auto pistol, I think. I know mine is anyway, and the dimensions look right for the other one."

"Auto pistol?"

"Uh… specified variant of the .45 caliber. 11.43x23 mm if that helps." I explained "-Typical charge backing it is probably about… actually, how do you measure dust in bullet charges?"

"Grains, duh~."

"Oh, good, glad that stuck around too. So, about four to five grains is standard. If you're feeling frisky you can go Six, but no larger than that. Once I get an idea of the pressure I'm dealing with, I can start-"

".07 feet per second." Ruby said.

"… what?"

"Dust, it burns at .07 feet per second. That's what you wanted to know, right?"

"…" I put my head in my hands. I was an idiot. "I could've just asked you, couldn't I?"

"Yep." Ruby answered, smiling.

"… Well, that makes this pointless then." I said, gathering the disassembled smg and passing it off to Ruby "Here, something to play with."

"Yay!"

Ruby accepted the parts, and I began doing some mental math. Given what Ruby had said, what I read would be about accurate then. Gunpowder burns closer to three times the speed of dust. But that also lead to another issue, even if it wasn't necessarily important: how effective were dust rounds. .07 feet per second may not seem like much, but condensing that force into the space of a bullet made a world of difference. Gunpowder burned closer to .2 feet per second, but even that's fairly slow unless you know how to use it.

"… Say Ruby" I started "I got a question for you: how effective are the dust bullets you use?"

"Effective?" Ruby asked, removing the stock from the assembly.

"Yeah- um, let's say There's a Grimm down range, and I've got one bullet."

"Ok~"

"If I place my shot well enough, what are the odds that the one shot would be enough to kill the Grimm?"

Ruby's face twisted up in thought. "Depending on the Grimm… dunno, pretty ok I think."

"Just 'ok'?"

"Yeah, I mean there's a reason why we don't just shoot the Grimm. Dust isn't strong enough."

"… Then why do you use it?"

"Because everyone does." Ruby shrugged.

"That's not a valid reason." I answered, then shook my head. I knew gunpowder had existed, but it had fallen out of favor a long time ago. I was sure there was a reason for it. But it just didn't make any sense to me. "… Alright, well aside from the obvious, is there any other reason why everyone uses dust?"

"Umm… The elemental effects I guess."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those… what exactly are they?"

"Have you not been paying attention in class?" Weiss asked, looking up from her toothpick.

"I have been, but I've also been maintaining an unhealthy amount of skepticism regarding what I hear. Did you believe everything I told you without question?"

"… Fair."

"So then-" I continued, with Ruby "Dust has elemental properties, what does that specifically mean?"

"Umm… It lets you shoot lightning and fire?"

"… This is outside your forte, isn't it?"

"Sorry." Ruby said, shrinking.

"S'alright, can't expect you to be a know-it-all. Snowflake on the other hand…"

I turned to look at snowflake, and look up from her toothpick again. She looked between me and Ruby, then gave us a glare. "Do I seriously need to explain dust to you?"

"If you do, it'll prove that you're smarter than me."

"…" Weiss set aside her toothpick for a moment, and gave me her attention "I'm only going to explain it once." She said haughtily.

"Aight, I'm listening."

"Dust falls into a number of different classifications, based on their uses and derived elemental effects." Weiss started "There are numerous subsets among those classes, each with their own intended purpose and designation."

"Are there any main ones I should keep in mind?"

"Fire, Lightning, Ice, Gravity, Earth, and Wind." Weiss listed "Each has their own subsets beyond that, but those are the most commonly used varieties."

"Interesting, continue."

"Fire Dust, and its sub-type Combustion, can be used to generate large amounts of heat and fire. Depending on how it's used you can create anything from as small as a candle flame, to a river of fire hot enough to melt steel."

"Ooo~"

"Lightning dust can be used similarly to generate electrical currents and charges."

"Can you use it to stun people and shoot actual lightning?"

"Yes, you can."

"Very cool."

"Ice Dust can also be used in a similar way, coating individuals in ice. However its better reserved for the generation of ice itself. I have found it useful in generating walls in the past. If you remember?"

I thought back to initiation for a moment. Snowflake had technically saved both me and Ruby from being shishkebab-ed by a deathstalker. I'd known nothing about Dust then, but now it made some degree of sense. It was still B.S. but I could live with it.

I nodded, and Weiss continued.

"Gravity dust, however, is completely different from any of the three mentioned. Rather than produce the described element, it instead exerts force."

"So technically it does work the others?'

"The force exerted can act in a number of ways. Typically by being used to lock a target in place or Launch them in a desired direction."

"Hmm, that'd be very useful for physical strikes." I noted.

"Only if you're exercising extreme caution." Weiss added "May I continue?"

"Go right ahead."

Weiss nodded "Earth dust functions in a similar fashion to ice dust, producing rock and dirt at a moment's notice. Allowing you to create geological formations as ne-"

"Wait, time out." I said interrupting

Weiss stopped, looking at me.

"It creates dirt and rock… from nothing?"

"Not nothing, the crystal consumes itself."

"Ok, but that's still got to be violating some law of physics."

"Law of… physics?"

I stopped for a moment, and reminded myself that she probably had no idea what I was talking about. Either that or was just unfamiliar with the term. "… Basic idea: Matter and energy cannot be destroyed or created, only transformed. Ice and fire dust, for example, are just chemical reactions being played out. Creating rock from nothing, however, isn't and should be impossible."

"Again, it's using the dust crystal."

"… Alright, then before we continue, let me hit you with a question. If I have a dust crystal the size of a finger nail, can I produce a rock the size of my fist?"

"Yes, but how does that-"

"It means I'm creating matter from energy, Snowflake. That should be next to impossible."

This was of course, knowing full well that the think tank had developed a machine that could convert casino chips into whatever item you wanted. I knew it wasn't impossible, but the fact that something naturally occurring here on Remnant could accomplish the same thing was mind boggling.

And yet they tell me magic isn't real.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know how to explain it Six, I'm not a Dust physicist. Do you want me to continue or not?"

I took a deep breath and found my focus. This needed more investigating, but I could let it slide for now. "… Continue, please."

"… The last major type of Dust commonly used is Wind. Which is used to generate gales of wind. Some even use it to produce small scale tempests and tornadoes."

"Alright, interesting, is there anything else?"

"Aside from some minor variation, no."

"You can also use Dust to augment your aura and semblance." Yang piped in. "I use fire dust to light things on fire."

"And, as you've already stated, it's commonly used in bullets." Weiss continued "In the case of myself and Myrtlenaster-"

"Myrtle-what now?"

"… My sword." Weiss said, annoyed "In my case, I can use it in conjunction with my semblance to produce a multitude of different effects."

"Like shooting fire balls and lightning?"

"That's… one use, yes."

'still magic.'

Weiss concluded her explanation and I sat in silence for a moment. Now knowing what I did, things were slightly clearer. People didn't use Dust in their firearms and weapons because it was good at slinging lead, but because it turn the lead into things that weren't lead.

Which lead to another issue.

"Launching lightning and fire out of a gun barrel." I chuckled, shaking my head "I can't imagine the kind of damage that's gotta be doing to the weapon."

"… Why do you think we have a class for working on our weapons?" Ruby asked, now having fully disassembled the smg.

"… Hadn't really thought about it." I shrugged "But now that all of that's out of the way, I guess it explains a few things."

It had also completely dragged me off topic. I'd started this so I could try and put Dust into my bullets. I had a better idea of what they were used for now. But that didn't change that I hadn't actually gotten around to making or testing any cartridges.

But I still had time, maybe I could-

"I'm afraid our time is at an end, students!" Port boomed "Please begin making your way to your next classes, and remember, stay vigilant!"

'… perfect.'

…

The afternoon sun beat down on me as I shoveled mulch around the various bushes and flowers of the school grounds. Classes had continued on after maintenance and stayed mostly uneventful. I'd have gone back to the maintenance room to begin experimenting with Dust, except for one small catch. I was still being blackmailed into providing manual labor. If I didn't make what amounted to a nominal effort, Peach would probably go blabbing about my stimpack experiments to Ozpin. Assuming she hadn't already which, if that was the case, was going to be most unfortunate for her.

But, as of that moment, I was willing to play pack Brahmin.

I finished off loading the woodchips and hoisted the wheelbarrow up and began plodding along to the next portion of the grounds. Not that you could really tell any particular portion of the place from the other. After a while it all looked the same. But mulch needed moving, so I was. Not my problem if Peach couldn't be specific about where.

I pulled off to the next area and began shoveling more mulch. I didn't have much left to do, and after that I could focus on what I was going to have to make for dinner tonight. I was thinking desert salad, or as close as I could make given what was around me. I was also steeling myself for what was likely to be another conversation about the wasteland. In keeping with my current activities and plans for dinner, I was thinking about plants.

I continued sifting mulch around a bed of flowers with my shovel. The flowers were, if my knowledge of horticulture was correct, roses. I stopped spreading the mulch for a moment, and looked around. Taking a moment to enjoy my handiwork.

Which, alerted me to the fact that I wasn't alone anymore.

Walking down a nearby path, similarly enjoying the scenery, was a young woman. She might've been about the same age as Coco or Velvet, but it was honestly hard to tell. She wasn't dressed in anything particularly eye catching, just a uniform. Though judging by the darker coloring, I'd guess not one of Beacon's, so one of the ones traveling for the festival. Her skin was pale, and her hair a raven black to match her uniform. Her nose was small, her mouth was thin, and her features were soft, serene.

To say she was beautiful would be like saying a Deathclaw is dangerous. She walked with a confidence in her step, and a smirk on her face that didn't look out of place. But the most catching thing about her wasn't the way she looked or walked. It was her eyes. They were amber, warm and soft. But there was a light in them that turned warm amber to fiery gold. Unlike any I'd ever seen before.

"Why, hello" She said, taking notice of me "May I help you?"

I blinked and realized I'd been staring at her.

'Way to go dumbass.'

"Nah." I answered "Just wasn't expecting to see anyone back here."

She gave a warm chuckle and curious look. "Really? These are the grounds of a school, aren't they?"

"You'd be surprised how few people actually take the time to appreciate it." I answered.

She shrugged at that, and continued to look at the surrounding grounds. "I imagine it takes a great deal of time to maintain."

"No kidding?" I asked, motioning to the wheelbarrow still piled high with mulch "What gave it away?"

Another chuckle and tilt of the head. "True, Mister…"

I extended a hand "Courier Six. Just call me Six."

"Very well." She took my hand, and gave me a soft shake "Cinder, Cinder Fall."

"A pleasure, miss Fall. I take it you're here for the festival?"

"Festival, tournament, scenery, all the worthwhile things."

"Then might I suggest avoiding the cafeteria." I offered "Tonight's meatloaf night."

Another chuckle "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Are you a student as well?"

"In a manner of speaking, I'm probably not too different from yourself." I admitted "Where you from?"

"Mistral, I studied at Haven Academy. Can I assume you study here?"

"A safe assumption." I nodded, throwing down some more mulch.

The now named Cinder turned to stare at the rose bush I'd been working around. "Why are you tending the grounds?"

"Because the Janitor doesn't like to, and I'm being blackmailed to do his job."

Another chuckle for my honesty. Cinder knelt and reached a hand towards one of the rose blooms.

In a motion I can't quite define the cause of, I spun the shovel around and blocked her hand with the head of it. Cinder turned and gave me a confused, surprised look.

"Careful now." I said "Roses have thorns, and I would advise against taking that which doesn't belong to you."

The confusion and surprise left Cinder's face, replaced by a look of bemusement. "Do they belong to you?"

"… Not rightly, no. But I put in enough work to not want to see them cut early."

Cinder stared at me a moment longer, then shrugged and stood. "I apologize, I should not have assumed it wouldn't be an issue."

"And it's fine, since you apologized. Just bear it in mind, if you'd be so kind."

"I will try." Cinder said, checking her scroll "I believe it's time for me to go meet with my teammates. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mister Six."

"Just Six is fine, Miss Cinder."

"Then Cinder is as well."

With that, Cinder fixed me one last nod, and a little smile, then turned and walked back the way she'd come. As she walked away, I got a nagging at the back of my mind. The kind I got anytime I was walking through unfamiliar territory, and having to keep an eye open.

But, staring after Cinder a moment longer, I didn't have the foggiest clue as to why. So rather than dwell on it, I shrugged, and resumed my labor.

There was work yet to do.