General Ironwood splayed the reports out across the surface of his desk. A myriad of topics and issues to be handled yet, some of them even related to matters of Kingdom security. Many of his specialists were tracking Grimm movement surrounding the Atlesian capital. There'd been an increase in activity recently, but nothing yet beyond projections. The General could chalk it up to the beginning of campaign season. Given the candidates who were gunning for the seat on the council, it wouldn't surprise him if people were riled. Any of his specialists that weren't presently handling the rise in activity however, were elsewhere on Remnant, scouting and performing reconnaissance at his behest. The General had not a clue where their enemy hid, the sooner he did however, the sooner he could formulate a better plan. 'Search and Destroy' was sound when dealing with mostly mindless monsters like the Grimm, but something greater required a degree more of tact.
But, increasingly, the general had been finding his desk to be consumed by reports from the techs in the R&D department. Interest in the continued development of his kingdom's technological systems had never waned. Recent events had, however, stoked and renewed the fire to push forward. He'd only seen a fraction of what awaited, and could only marvel at what was to come. Marveling that was, naturally, tempered by a small degree of experience-driven desire to be prepared. The double-edged sword of the unknown, a wondrous and worrisome prospect.
But, in that moment, for the general, the wonder outweighed the worry.
In the week it had taken him to travel from Atlas, the technicians hadn't been wasting time. Synthesis was still outside the realm of feasibility. That, however, had not stopped technicians from continuing their attempt to decipher their recently acquired 'items'. Most of the science and technical information was beyond the general, for lack of knowledge rather than interest. His realm of expertise lay outside the breaking of chemical chains and deciphering of compounds. Though the technicians knew this as well and had explained it to him as best they could.
While many of the chemicals were clearly man-made in some nature, there were several that appeared to be derived from more 'naturally occurring' sources. Many of which were what enabled the chemicals, or 'chems' as the techs had taken to calling them, to have the effects they did. One of the most egregious of which was the inclusion of what appeared to be a form neuro-toxin prevalent in a substance known as 'turbo'. A particularly nasty toxin at that.
The general continued sifting through the papers at a steady pace, ensuring he wasn't missing anything of importance. He could not expect the techs to create solutions overnight. But the better he understood what was at play, the better chance he held at keeping them ahead of their enemies. All of them.
His sifting was interrupted, however, by the chiming of his scroll. The general glanced down to it, and smiled to himself. With a motion, he brought the image to a display at his desk's personal terminal.
"Ozpin." The general said, giving a friendly smile "I wasn't expecting to talk to you again so soon."
"Nor was I." The professor answered, sipping from his standard drink.
"I take it that something has happened then?"
"In a most sudden and unexpected fashion. I had an unplanned conversation with our 'visitor'."
The general's eyes widened. "Does that mean…?"
With a nod, the headmaster raised an object into view of the monitor. Its shape was reminiscent of a handgun, not unlike the ones the general himself employed. But it did not look like any weapon he'd ever had the pleasure of seeing, which was no small feat. Where there should have been a receiver or cylinder, there was a translucent tube, coursing with what appeared to be bottled lightning. Where there should have been a barrel the tube extended, coursing with lightning and housing machinery too fine for him to make out from the screen. The 'trigger' was guarded by the style of safety switch used in larger machinery. It was an odd device, sleek and dark.
"According to our friend, this is the device that brought him here." The professor confirmed "He referred to it as the 'Big Mountain Transportalponder'."
"… That's certainly a mouth-full." The general said, smirking.
"Indeed."
"What do we know about it?" The general asked, wasting no time.
"Beyond explaining its function, our 'friend' didn't elaborate." The professor said, setting the device down. "He didn't explain how the device worked, though I'm sure it would have been a confusing conversation if he had. Suffice to say, he said it did, and that aside from its 'time-traveling' capabilities, it was also originally a teleporter."
"Teleporter… as in teleportation, correct?" The general asked.
"The moving of distances with near instantaneous speed, yes." The professor nodded "Something that, as a semblance, I have only seen in a few exceptionally rare individuals."
"Often with great limitation as well…" The general agreed, pausing "… I believe, then, that I should send someone to collect it. The sooner I can have work begin on it, the sooner we can move along."
Another pause filled the air between them. The general had expected the professor to agree, albeit with some degree of reluctance. He knew their 'friend' some degree better than him, and had expressed caution before. He had never been easy to read either.
But looking at the professor in that moment, the general could see the professor's hesitance with ease.
"… Is something wrong?" The general asked.
"… I had a brief conversation with our 'friend' before receiving this."
"I would be more surprised if you hadn't." The general chuckled.
The professor on the other hand, did not, maintaining a serious air. "He told me how reluctant he was to part with the device. Told me that something such as this was too great a threat to give away so easily."
"And?"
"… He promised to bring ruin upon myself and anyone who touched it."
"That shouldn't have been unexpected."
"It wasn't." The professor confirmed "But the level of conviction he spoke with made it clear he wasn't simply posturing."
The general remained silent. Choosing to hear out the concerns of the professor. If what their 'friend' had said was enough to give the man pause for thought, then the general was wise to do so.
"... I told you of my belief that, when he's given cause, our 'friend' is capable of great things. We did not speak long, but with the words we spoke, I noticed something change about him. I cannot say what, but the words he spoke carried a greater deal of weight than I expected."
"You think there's going to be a problem?" The general asked.
"… No." The Professor refuted "As I said, I do not fear him… But when he spoke to me, it didn't sound as much as him making threats and more… cautionary, more warning. Speaking of how technology such as this brought his world to heel. Of the risk that some in our world would be driven to do the same."
"You said as much before." The General confirmed.
"… The way he spoke, the warning, the understanding of our plight… he wasn't making threats, James. I believe, in some round-about manner, he was making a promise to me. That if this device were to wind up in the wrong hands, or used in some fashion, he would do what he believed necessary to prevent things from escalating. A promise, I believe, he may actually be capable of fulfilling."
The general fell silent again, mulling over the professor's words. Perhaps the professor was over thinking things, and their 'friend' had just made a bold-faced threat. Their 'friend' wouldn't be the first person to make dumb threats once they realized they were in over their heads. Even if he was though, one thing that was certain was that the professor believed that they were capable of it. Something that warranted caution on its own.
"… I will be discrete." The general affirmed.
"I suggest something more than discretion James. But I know there is only so much that can be done. Whatever it is you must do; I ask that you approach it with great caution."
"You know that I do not take unnecessary risks Oz, I'm of no mind to start either." The general shifted his attention to his scrolls, fingers flitting over keys and screens. "… I have soldiers regularly entering Vale for shore leave. I'll have an out-of-uniform squad return to Beacon and collect the device. That should at least keep our 'friend' from being suspicious."
"For now." The professor nodded "I'll have to concoct an explanation if he comes looking for it. But that shouldn't be too great a task."
"With any luck, we'll have the device figured out in no time. I can think of a few of the technicians who were feeling left out."
"Then I leave it in your hands." The professor nodded.
Without another word, the conversation came to an end, the call between them terminated. After a moment, the general smiled. It appeared things were finally moving forward.
…
"YANG XIAO LONG!" Ruby belted, jabbing a finger at her sister "PREPARE YOUR KINGDOM FOR BATTLE!"
"BRING IT ON!" Yang retorted shaking a determined fist.
The two sisters, plus my other two teammates were seated at a table on the upper floor of the library. They were huddled around the board game Ruby had apparently received from her father. My analogy of comparing it to checkers hadn't been too far off, though it was more in the neighborhood of chess. Mixed, bizarrely enough, with some form of Caravan and Craps. Though that comparison mainly came from them collecting cards as 'resources' and using dice as… well, dice.
Ruby sprang to her feet "I DEPLOY THE ATLESIAN AIR FLEEEEEET!"
Yang gasped, taken aback.
"Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursi and attack you walls directly!" Ruby said, sounding self-assured.
This could only end well.
"You Fiend!" Yang gasped, returning the finger Jab her sister had previously given her.
"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts… one turn." Ruby said, given a satisfied smirk.
It didn't last though, melting away with a chuckle from Yang.
"Pretty sneaky sis~" Yang said, a smirk of her own rising on her face "But you just activated my trap card!"
"WHAAAAAAT!?" Ruby squeaked.
"GIANT NEVERMORE!" Yang shouted, slamming her fist on the table.
"You two mind taking it down a notch?" I asked "I'm tryin' to read."
I was leaning against a bookcase, set behind Yang's side of the table, giving me a good view of the game. Of course, I was only giving it partial attention. I'd discovered that the library had, perhaps unsurprisingly, a good deal of fictitious literature on hand. Plenty of books spanning time tested genres and plots to capture the imagination. Using little more than printed words on paper.
I went with 'Navy Hale: Vacuo's Finest bare-chested hippie hunter.'
It was better than I'd thought it would be.
Yang and Ruby gave me a sideways look, before turning back to their theatrics. Rather than just stand there listening to them though, I walked around them and pulled up a chair at a parallel table. Which was, at least for the moment, blessed with the sanity of team JNPR. Something only possible because Nora had fallen asleep out of boredom. Some people just can't appreciate the classics.
"Mind if I pull up a seat for a bit?" I asked, not really waiting for an answer.
"Of course." Pyrrha said with a smile, taking a comic book from Jaune and replacing it with a textbook. Which, in turn, she promptly began reading.
"Careful, those'll rot your brain." I said, continuing to read my own pulp rag.
Pyrrha responded with a skeptical smirk, which I returned in kind. "A little 'fun' reading won't hurt you on occasion." She said.
"I'm not reading for fun; I'm doing it for practice. Easier to understand words when you can marry them with actions." I said, turning a page as Hale broke a beowolf's neck over his knee, Making some comment about hot sauce.
"Oh! I'd forgotten you'd only just learned how to read." Pyrrha said, nodding.
"You couldn't read?" Jaune asked, looking up from the textbook.
"Not Sanusian, anyway." I clarified "I'm working my way up to bigger books, but comics work. Plus it lets me do research."
Pyrrha gave me a puzzled look "Research?"
"Mm, you'd be surprised at the things I've picked up from reading comic books. The people making 'em have to draw reference from somewhere, I just work on filling in the gaps."
"That doesn't seem like a sound way to learn to fight." Ren said, looking up from his own, absolutely massive, book.
"Not just fighting, plenty of other things too" I corrected "- and just because I haven't hit you with the Hale Heartbreaker yet, doesn't mean you'd live through it."
Ren quirked an eyebrow, then shook his head and went back to reading.
"Though I will admit-" I said, turning back to Pyrrha "It does help that they're entertaining."
Pyrrha gave an assenting nod, and returned to reading her confiscated comic. Something titled Xray and Vav. Beyond that though, I took it as a cue to keep reading.
As I did, I continued to hear the sounds of dismay behind me as Yang continued dismantling whatever Ruby had planned. Followed by Yang chucking the pieces over JNPR's table to thoroughly ensure their removal from the game. Ruby's dismayed cries indicating how thoroughly Yang was trouncing her. This went on until I could practically hear Ruby weeping over her losses and swearing vengeance.
I tried to focus on my comic as the battle came to a close. But, just as I did, Weiss apparently decided to pull herself into the line of fire. Though she clearly had all the experience of a greenhorn, since she also made it clear she had no idea what was going on. As I turned the page of my comic, I heard Yang snake her way behind me and begin picking apart Weiss' cards. Which, quite frankly, wasn't just a rookie move, it was bad decision making 101. Yang had clearly just torn apart her sister without even knowing what she had to work against. This was like a mama bird pushing her babies out the nest while they were still eggs. By the time Yang finished screwing with her cards, Snowflake was so pumped full of hot air she was liable to take off.
"… Ah ha, ha HA- HA HA HA!" Weiss laughed, a touch maniacal "Yes, Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower, as they pillage your homes and weep as they-"
"Trap-card" Yang interrupted
"Wha-?"
Cue the Hindenberg.
With a flurry of motion, Yang disassembled Weiss's army before they even had a chance to leave Vacuo.
"Your army has been destroyed." Yang said with what was undoubtedly a self-assured smirk.
The wind left Weiss's sails instantly as she slumped back into her chair. "I hate this game of emotions we play!"
In response to her partner's sobs, Ruby embraced Weiss. "Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together~."
"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss sobbed, immediately returning the embrace.
For a moment the commotion died down again as Yang shifted her sights to the only person she hadn't destroyed yet: Blake. I continued parsing through my comic book as Yang went over the basics with our Faunus friend, who had apparently spent the entire time so far in la-la land. I drifted back out of the conversation myself and tried to focus on my comic book. Unfortunately, as I was doing so, Jaune decided now was the time to ditch studying and walked around the table. I did my best to block him out as he tried to weasel his way into the game. But ignoring these people was like trying to write with a broken pencil, pointless.
"H-hey, can I play?" Jaune asked.
"Sorry Jaune" Ruby said, almost immediately "But we already have four people."
"Besides, this game requires a certain level of… tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess." Weiss said, dismissive.
An amused snort escaped from me before I could stop it. Though that was mostly because I was busy trying to not fall to laughter. Which, judging from the silence, probably had not gone unnoticed.
"Bring it on, I'll have you know that I've been told I am a natural born leader." Jaune said, standing his ground.
"By who, your mother?"
"A-and Pyrrha!"
"Hello again!" Pyrrha said, giving a small wave.
"C'mon~" Jaune said, pleading a little "Let me play your hand for a turn!"
"I'm not trusting you with the fine citizens of Vacuo!" Weiss said, sounding offended by the thought.
"Why not!?" Jaune asked exasperated "You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean you guys told us that Blake and Six are- ACK!"
I pivoted sharply in my seat, driving my elbow in the small of Jaune's back. Right around the area of his right kidney. I wasn't sure how much of it Jaune felt, but judging by the way he jolted, I knew he had.
"Oops, sorry Jaune." I said, teeth gritted "Didn't hear you back there, maybe you should try being a little louder. I don't think the people on the ground floor can hear you."
"R-right, sorry." Jaune grunted, clearly in pain "… enjoy your battle."
Jaune gave a small bow, rubbing a hand where I'd hit him. I turned back in my seat and looked at Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. They were fixing me unamused, judgmental stares. Well, Nora was still asleep, but Pyrrha made up for it.
"… What?" I asked "It was an accident."
I ignored them and tried to settle back into my comic book again, but then-
"'sup losers?" A new voice said.
In irritation, I turned away from my comicbook and looked over my shoulder once more. Standing on the far side of my teammates table, near the railing of this floor's overlook, was Sun. The blue haired guy he'd had with him at the cafeteria still stood by his side.
"Hey Sun." Ruby said brightly.
"Ruby" Sun greeted, smiling "Yang, Blake, Snowflake."
"Why do people keep calling me that?" Weiss whined.
"Because it fits." I said, turning to face Sun more directly "'Sup Sun, you got my money yet?"
Sun stepped back a little in surprise "Oh, uh, hey Six… you were serious about that?"
"Any reason why I shouldn't have been?"
"No, just wasn't planning on it, I was just showing Neptune around and figured I'd introduce him to everyone… This is Neptune by the way." Sun motioned to the blue haired boy.
"Uh, aren't libraries supposed to be for reading?" Neptune asked, eyeing the board game my teammates surrounded.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Thank you!" Ren, normally so reserved, practically shouted. Guess he was annoyed by all the noise too.
"Pancakes!" Nora belted, snapping awake finally.
Sun gave Neptune a play hit on the arm. "Shut up, don't be a nerd."
"Up- bup-hup." Neptune said, silencing Sun "Intellectual, ok?... Thank you."
'Fuckin' nerd.' I put my comicbook away.
"So Neptune-" Weiss asked "Where are you from?"
"Haven…" Neptune answered, looking to Weiss. The moment he did I saw something change in his demeanor, and a suave grin spread across his lips. "…and I don't believe that I've caught your name… Snow Angel."
If I didn't know better, I could've sworn Weiss started blushing. "Umm… I'm Weiss."
"A pleasure to meet you." Neptune smiled.
"Are you kidding me!?" Jaune hissed, leaning on his team's table for the support of his poor kidney.
I had to side with Jaune, being brained with a nine-iron would be less painful than this schmaltz.
"I never took you as the board game playing type." Sun said, leaning down to look at Blake's hand.
For her part, Blake gave him a look that was equal parts melancholy and irritation. "Right… well, I think I'm done playing, actually." Without pause, she rose from the table, brushing past Sun as she began to walk away. "I'll see you guys later." She said, voice rife with subdued sadness.
Sun looked as though he wanted to stop and talk to her, but he let her go all the same. Only giving a confused shrug.
As she walked out of sight, I took that as my cue. I needed to talk with her anyway, and I 'd been trying to figure out when would be the time to do it. Now wasn't perfect, given the fact she was in a mood, and had been for some time, but it would have to do.
I pushed out from my seat and stood up, weaving behind Yang to avoid the clutter.
"Where're you going?" Yang asked.
"To take care of some business, don't worry about it."
"I think Blake wants to be left alone right now, Six." Ruby said, clearly picking up on what I was doing
"I know, but that just makes it all the more important to do this. Sittin' and stewin' in your thoughts for too long rarely does you any good."
"We can talk with her after we're done playing." Yang said "It's not like she's going to do something crazy between now and then."
Clearly, she'd forgotten about what'd happened all of two weeks ago.
"Pretty sure the game is over, given one of your players forfeited" I said, gesturing to Blakes hand and pieces.
"Not if someone takes over for her." Yang said, giving me a smirk.
I eyed Yang for a moment. She may have been inviting me to play out of kindness. But I got the impression she was only insinuating I should play because I, like Weiss, had no idea how to play.
Supposedly.
But I wanted to get on with helping Blake.
I eyed the board for a moment. Most of Yang's army was dispersed across the board. She'd done well in fending off the two armies her comrades had 'thrown' at her. But her forces had been scattered for it. Likely, she had some means of recovering quickly if need be. Meaning I was pretty much walking into a trap myself.
What else was new?
Playing along, I flipped over Blake's cards and examined what she'd had in her hand. She hadn't really been paying attention to the game too heavily, so maybe-
-Why hello there.
Blake had some interesting cards alright. She must've been really out of it to not see what I had.
"… Alright" I said, picking up Blake's cards but not taking a seat "I'll play a hand." I looked over Blake's available units. I wasn't going to need something large, quite the opposite in fact. I needed something that could cover territory quickly and weave through Yang's army. Ergo, the smallest craft available in Blake's army.
"Prepare for battle." I said, sliding the piece up to the edge of Yang's army.
Yang said nothing at first, simply smirking. "Trap card."
"Oh no, how unexpected." I deadpanned "I guess I have to use a resource to engage my faction's special feature."
Yang blinked. "…What?"
"Vale's special feature enables my forces to avoid traps when I first engage in combat." I said "Meaning I don't have to worry about somebody pulling cheap shots on me."
"… What?"
I slid my piece deeper into Yang's territory, artfully maneuvering around Yang's porously spaced forces. "Since my craft is small as well, you've basically left me a road map into your territory."
Yang's eyes widened as she realized what was happening "What?"
I ran out of movement a few paces away from Yang's capital. That was not, however, an issue, as I had not yet used an action and Yang's forces were too far to be of use.
I was also well within sieging range.
"I use 'coordinated strike' to call for fire support." I said, flipping a card out of my hand. It didn't mean much, just that I could summon a more combat oriented unit on my next turn.
Yang paled, suddenly realizing what was about to happen.
"I believe it's your turn." I said, confident.
Yang stayed frozen for a moment, clearly processing what'd happened. Then she began moving her pieces in a fervor, boxing in my ship. "You think I'm going down that easy!?" She growled slamming a card down "I use 'Unending Salvo' to-"
"Trap card." I said smugly, flipping around a card labeled 'Swarm of Rapier wasps'. "Your communications are disrupted, removing any attacks you could make this turn."
"But that also stops you from attacking!" Yang groused, frustrated.
"You're right, any ships present when the trap is played cannot attack until their next turn." I nodded, placing my battle barge into the clearing next to my smaller craft. "Except this guy wasn't present for the trap, so he's in the clear."
Yang blanched again.
"Now assuming I roll high enough, meaning a critical strike, I have a clear shot on your kingdom's capital with my most powerful warship. If everything goes my way, I can wipeout your capital and remove you from the game."
Yang tried to summon her anger again, but as she began to rally, I put another thought into motion.
"Or, you could play that trap card of yours, 'Wrath of the Leviathan' I think it was." I said, thinking back on the cards I'd seen in her hand "Which, if you roll below an eight, wipes out all units near the epicenter of the trap, including your own."
Once more Yang's anger faded, replaced with realization. "…You cheated."
"Of course I did." I said smoothly "Just like you A. looked over Weiss cards, B. Walked her through the effects, and C. told her how she could win if she 'stuck to the plan'."
Now Yang looked absolutely pissed, her hair practically catching fire, as I noted it was wont to do. Funny how irony works.
"But hey, I've still got to roll, so let's see what happens." I picked up the die which, confoundingly, had ten sides, and gave it a roll. "… Well, I'll be damned." I smirked "ten outta ten. Full Monty."
Yang went completely still, save for a small trembling motion that came over her. Every instinct I had was telling me she was one wrong move from absolutely losing it. But that was only fitting, since she was.
I took my battle barge and used it to knock over the marker for Yang's capital. Planting my ship in its place with a *pop*. "Check mate."
I set the cards back down and stepped away from the table. "I think that'll do it for me." I said, beginning to finally walk after Blake. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go see what's bothering your partner."
…
Blake had managed to make it quite far in the scant few moments she'd had to move. Either she was in a rush to get away, or I'd taken longer than I'd thought in handling Yang. I caught up to her in the end, but it was a surprise nonetheless.
She made tracks back to the dorms - one of only a few places she could go and not be disturbed. I followed through the building and up the stairs from a safe distance, not quite sure whether or not I how I should start things off. Before I could come up with anything though, she was already outside our room's door.
"… I know you're following me." She said, not bothering to look and audibly annoyed "Can you please stop?"
I was standing openly in the middle of the pathway. I hadn't exactly been trying to hide the fact I was following her. "Afraid not, we got things to talk about even if you don't want to, Blake."
"… I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Hmph, right, like I can't read through the whole 'quiet, mysterious, and aloof' bit."
Blake gave me a soft glare.
"I'm not going to pretend everything's hunky dory, Blake, so let's cut to the chase. What's up?"
"… I don't want to talk about it."
I approached Blake, she didn't make any efforts to leave the conversation, so on some level she did. Even if she consciously would rather just stew on it.
I also had a pretty good idea of what it was.
"… It has to do with you and Tukson's former association of 'friends', right?" I asked.
Blake gave a non-committal shrug, which pretty much meant 'yes'.
"I figured as much." I nodded "They weren't exactly deterred by our intervention at the docks."
On the occasion that I had the radio on while working the past few weeks, things had only continued to get worse in Vale. There hadn't been many more major events like the one at the docks, aside from Me and Yang's escapade, of course. But that didn't mean things had calmed down much. Dust robberies were still a regular occurrence, and worse, but they weren't being as picky now. From what I'd been hearing, they were beginning to incite panic in Vale. Not a good thing, with Grimm being attracted to suffering. It was small now, but small things tend to get more dangerous if given time.
At the center of it too, was the White Fang. Blake's old 'friends', as it were. A big plate of crow she was already trying to shovel down, just to be served another helping.
"… Why?" Blake finally asked.
"Why what?"
"Why is everyone so… calm?" Blake asked, practically spitting the word. "I don't understand."
I shrugged "If I had to guess, they probably aren't looking at what it could be in the bigger picture. With the Vytal festival around the corner, they've probably got enough to deal with without trying to focus on the…" I looked around, taking note of anyone who might be overhear our conversation, thankfully, we were basically alone. "…robberies."
"But that just makes it worse!" Blake intoned, practically on the verge of shouting. "The police don't know them like I do, there's something much worse going on, and they're treating it like it's not even there!"
"I know!" I said, placating in both voice and gesture "I know! Take it down a peg, last thing you need is to start attracting attention to yourself."
Blake stayed on edge for a few moments, then closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath.
"Cooler heads need to prevail here Blake." I said "Freaking out isn't a solution."
"… I know… But I'm frustrated, Six." Blake shook her head "I just… I've got to do something. This is why I became a huntress."
"You told us." I confirmed "There's nothing wrong with wanting to make up for things you've done. But Blake, that doesn't always mean you've got to shoulder it by yourself."
"He's right, you promised us you'd say if something was bothering you."
I turned to look and found the rest of my teammates approaching, Weiss taking point.
"Oh, now you choose to talk to her about it?" I grouse.
"I'd been planning to do it when we returned to the dorms." Weiss huffed "I just wanted the opportunity to display my tactical brilliance first."
I tried and failed to suppress a laugh, having it come out as another snort. Weiss paid me no mind though as she walked up to Blake, followed close by Ruby and Yang. The latter of whom was giving me an appraising look.
"… I underestimated you." Yang said, with all the seriousness of a mortician "You are a worthy opponent, and I should have known better."
"It was just a board game, Yang." I said, looking lazily towards her "No need to be so serious about it."
"DUSK is more than a board game Six, it's war. Next time, I'll make sure you can't piece together a victory."
"… Seriously, war? No game is that serio- wait a minute."
Yang's serious façade crumbled as a smirk crossed her face.
"… You never stop, do you?"
"Nope!" Yang answered brightly, walking past me and putting a hand on her partner's shoulder.
"So then, Blake Belladonna" Weiss said "Before we continue discussing private issues in public, can we please get behind closed doors?"
A moment of silence followed as Blake, and myself, remembered we could've just gone into the room to talk.
"R-right."
The five of us piled into the room and shut the door behind us. We stood more or less huddle in a circle at the center of the room.
"Before we keep going, how much did you girls hear?" I asked.
"Enough." Weiss answered "It sounded like you were trying to tell Blake not to go gallivanting off after the White Fang again. Which might be one of the most sensible things you've ever done."
"I was actually just trying to get a handle on what Blake was thinking, actually." I clarified.
"Either way, while it's a noble sentiment, you have to remember, we're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."
"…" I turned and gave Weiss a stare, trying to convey some level of incredulity. "... I'm sorry, foiling a high-profile robbery, learning aliens are real, and surviving Goodwitch are well within your wheel house, but doing a little pre-emptive career building isn't?"
"We're not ready!" Weiss snipped.
"And we may never be ready!" Blake practically screamed "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around, waiting for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is- but it's coming! Whether we're ready… or not."
A silence settled over my teammates for a moment. Blake's words having apparently had some effect on them.
Sadly, the experience was lost on me, since I already knew what Blake meant. But it at least made it easier for me to offer what I'd originally wanted to.
"… You know, I didn't need a license or have to go to school to do this shit back home."
Blake turned to regard me as did the rest of my team.
"Before we were so rudely interrupted, I was trying to work out how to approach you about this, Blake." I rubbed the back of my neck "I made you a promise that I'd help you figure out what was going on, in not so many words. The past two weeks were a bit… odd, but I keep to my word."
Blake gave me an odd look, one that simultaneously understood and asked where I was going with my rambling. "Are you… trying to ask how you can help?"
"… Yeah, pretty much." I shrugged "… Back in the Mojave, this is what I did. Before some… political issues happened, I was the guy you'd call when you had a problem that needed solving."
"Like some kind of handy-man?" Yang joked.
"Handy-man, repair-man, Private investigator, Exterminator, Civilian contractor, bounty hunter, Field doctor, Medic, Animal handler, explorer, and a whole host of other things."
"…"
I shrugged again "It paid the bills. The point I'm trying to make is that, I made a promise, I've got the skills, and I'm as ready as I've ever been to go kick some doors in and remind some ne'er-do-wells what happens when you screw with people for the hell of it."
"… So your saying-" Blake said.
"That I'm going to help you kick some doors in and drag Torchwick, and everyone with him, kicking and screaming into the light."
Blake fell silent, appraising me again. As were my other teammates. A sense of unity settled over me that I'm pretty sure they felt too. Which meant one thing: we were all in this together.
"… Okay" Ruby said, taking a deep breath as a nearly-manic grin on her face "AllinfavorofbecomingtheyoungesthuntressesandhuntertosinglehandedlybringdownacorruptorganizationconspiringagainstthekingdomofVale… Say 'aye'."
"YES!" Yang exclaimed pumping her fist "This is gonna rock."
"Eh, it could be fun." Weiss shrugged, though I could see her giving an amused smirk.
"Mhmm." I grunted.
"… none of you said 'aye'." Ruby pouted.
"…" I gave a heavy sigh "… 'aye.'"
"YEAH!" Ruby whooped.
"… so how are we going to do this?" I asked "Before anything else, we should come up with a plan-"
"Ah!" Ruby squeaked interrupting me "I left my game at the library!"
"… Really?"
"Be right back!"
Ruby quickly turned and sprinted for the door. Without a moment wasted, she blew it open and was gone with the wind. I couldn't imagine it would take her long to get back though.
…
It took her five, maybe ten minutes, tops. Which honestly wasn't a small feat, the library was on the opposite side of the campus. Girl came back and she didn't even look winded.
Aside from that, her little absence gave the rest of us a chance to gather materials, plus a map of Vale, and set up a small work area.
"… Alright, now we hatch a plan!" Ruby said, putting her game onto a nearby bookshelf.
"Actually, we should examine our options first." I corrected, flipping a pencil over my knuckles "Then we can worry about planning something."
"What's there to think about?" Yang asked "We go to Vale, find some people who know something, and start kicking butt until we get what we want."
"… That's not how that works Yang." I shook my head "… Ok, sometimes it is, but best results require a bit more forethought than that."
"We need to be smart." Blake agreed "The White Fang may not be what I remember anymore, but we wouldn't be the first people to try flat out assaulting them."
"Which is why I'm saying we need to examine our options first." I said smoothing the map of Vale "Once we know what they are, we can figure out what the best course of action is. I think I already have an idea, but before I say anything, I want to hear your thoughts."
"If you've already got a plan, why not just say it?" Ruby asked.
"Because it's not a plan yet, it's just an idea. Hearing what the rest of you have to say might help fill in the blanks. Besides, if we can't all agree on what to do it could just lead to problems down the line."
Ruby nodded, turning back to the others "Ok, so what are we doing?"
"I can check the Schnee family records for any other dust Robberies or inconsistencies." Weiss said "Though I would need access to the CCT."
"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members." Blake said, tapping a spot on the map. "If we can sneak in, we may be able to find out what they're planning."
"I still say we could just find the right people and get the information out of them." Yang said.
Ruby nodded, mulling over what we had to work with. "It definitely sounds like a plan."
"Hmm." I grunted, thinking. In terms of reconnaissance, what we had to work with was pretty good. But we could just put them together all slap-dash hoped it panned out. Especially if we were going to have to use options like what Blake and Yang had provided.
"… Well?" Ruby asked, looking to me "What was your idea?"
"… Less of an idea now, and more a frame-work." I said, rubbing the chin of my mask "The options we've got to work with are good, I've had to work with less in the Mojave and make do. That doesn't mean they're perfect however."
"Hey, you didn't exactly offer anything up either." Yang said, giving me a playful smirk
"Yeah, I know. But that's why I'm doing this instead…" I trailed off as I finished pulling the threads together in my head. "-Alright, here's what I'm thinking:" I reached out and tapped the map at the approximate point of the CCT tower. "To start we need to pull the manifests like Weiss said."
"Naturally." Weiss said, self-satisfied.
"It'll only paint a partial picture of what we're working with, but an important one. In the Mojave, Bandits only ever operate over a set amount of area. You spread too thin and you lose effectiveness. Even if the White Fang and Torchwick aren't wanting for numbers, the same rule applies. If you're too far apart for re-enforcement, you're screwed."
"So they'd need to be working in only a small area." Blake said.
"Correct, for a value of small anyway. If we can get an idea of where they've been striking, we can narrow the search down and, presumably, pinpoint where they're operating from. The problem with that is though-"
"It's going to take forever." Ruby whined.
"… again, correct. We would need data over a period of time to figure it out, and nothing says they aren't keeping on the move. Its viable, but something we should keep on the backburner."
"Then we can focus on the White Fang meetings." Blake said "If we can figure out where they're planning to attack, we can intervene."
"Good intentions Blake, but I'm afraid it won't work." I said.
"Why not?" Blake said, a touch heated.
"First off, they know who we are. Even more specifically, they know who you are."
Blake gave me an even look, but an assenting nod followed it shortly.
"Even barring that fact, they have an otherwise massive numbers advantage over us. While I know we can all hold ourselves fairly well in a fight, Numbers play a massive role in how a fight plays out. Aside from that, the only thing we'd be doing is drawing attention to ourselves. Making it harder to actively hunt them without having to keep our eyes peeled for any surprises they have waiting to stop us."
Blake gave another nod, followed by a bitter look towards the map.
"I think it's a possible option kitten, but at best it's a one-time deal. If we succeed with it, we may gain a massive advantage, but we'd lose any remaining surprise we would otherwise have. I'm not saying we should forget it, but it needs to be saved as a last resort."
"… Right."
"Don't get upset, you'd be surprised how far you can get by learning to pick and choose your battles."
Blake didn't say anything, just giving me a non-commital shrug. The girl already wanted to do everything she could to put the past behind her, and she was probably thinking this was the fastest way to do it. Maybe it was, or maybe it was just a quicker way to make things worse. Either way, I wasn't going to gamble it and find out.
"Lastly, that brings us to Yang."
"Hey, if you know the right people to hit, it'll work." Yang said, planting fist into an open palm
"You're not wrong, back home if you wanted known something, you could learn a lot by asking around. But just like with Blake, if you don't approach it with caution, you'll just go attracting unneeded attention and adding to our list of problems."
"… Y'know, you're shooting our ideas down more than actually giving any."
"I'm not shooting them down, just pointing out the flaws. Once we know them, we can better avoid them. Case in point, here's what I'm thinking-" I looked to Ruby "Feel free to veto me here too, since you've basically got final say here."
Ruby nodded, giving me an intent look.
I looked down at the map and began making motions. "I'm thinking we can approach this from Yang and Weiss' angles first. Starting with Weiss, if we can figure out where the White Fang is hitting, we can begin tracking them. Giving us a long-term end goal if nothing else turns up."
"Naturally." Weiss said, smiling smugly.
"Second, while we're trying to figure out where they're operating from, I try things Yang's way and hit up Vale's criminal element for information."
"Heck yeah!" Yang whooped.
"What about not trying to attract attention?" Blake asked, eyeing me.
"Clearly both of you missed the 'I' in that sentence." I said, looking at both of them "As in I'm going to hit the town. Alone."
My teammates all looked at me, skeptical.
"But what about doing this as a team?" Ruby asked.
"We are, otherwise this wouldn't be something we're discussing as a group." I said "But if we all hit the town together, we'll attract attention anyway. If only one or two of us are prowling around we'll be seen less as a threat and more as a nuisance. It also gives you girls time to prep if I can turn anything up. If I can't, then we can fall back on Blake's idea of sneaking into a White Fang meeting anyway."
"But you don't even know where to start." Weiss said.
"…Oh, drat, I forgot about that." I dead panned "Oh if only we knew somebody who made it their hobby to beat up criminals for information…"
I looked to Yang expectantly. She gave me a stone-faced look, before shrugging into a smirk. "I've got a few places that come to mind."
"So that's the plan then." I said, clarifying "I'll get the manifests for Weiss and do recon around Vale for leads. If and when I turn something up, I'll come back and you can hit it together. If I can't, you can hit the White Fang meeting. Even if all of that fails, we have the manifest data to fall back on."
"Umm, I think there's a problem Six." Ruby said.
"Which is?"
"Isn't this going to take too long if you're doing it alone? If we do it all together as a team, we could probably do it faster. The only free time we have to start the investigation is on the weekends too."
I shrugged "Maybe, but we come back to the issue of keeping a low profile. As for the time constraints, I have a way to work around that.
"Which is?" Weiss asked.
"I'll go to Vale after classes let out and stay there overnight."
That earned another look from everyone.
"Our biggest issue is finding the time to make this happen, right?" I asked "Well, if I hit the town at night, when things tend to go wrong most often, I'll be around at the prime time to learn things. It wouldn't be the first time I've pulled all-nighters either."
"But you'll be stuck there all night." Ruby said, appearing worried.
"So?"
"So if something happens, we can't back you up."
"… Fair point. I guess that just means I have to be extra careful then." I shook my head "This is the fastest way to handle it that won't immediately end with us getting pulled into the limelight alongside Torchwick. It's not perfect, but it's more efficient than wasting time, hoping for a free day to go chasing after him and the White Fang."
"And what if they catch you?" Blake asked.
"I'd like to see them try." I said, dead serious "If they think they can take me without one hell of a fight, they've clearly never dealt with a pissed off courier."
"… I'm not sure." Ruby said, pursing her lips
"… Think of it this way tiny." I said, patting her on the back "Something goes wrong, I know you girls will come running, and I've seen the way some of you treat people."
Ruby chuckled at that.
"It'll be alright, I'll catch the earliest airship in and be back before any of you wake up. Though the lack of sleep's bound to turn me into an even worse grouch than snowflake over there."
"Hey!" Weiss whine.
"… If the plan needs to change, it'll change, right?" Ruby asked.
"Obviously." I said, giving a nod "And I do expect you girls to keep your eyes and ears open, just in case I miss something."
"… Alright-" Ruby nodded in determination "Then let the Torchwick investigation begin!"
"Perfect." I agreed, turning for the door "I'll grab my gear and get going."
"Wait- You're starting tonight?" Ruby asked.
"Um, duh. Gotta work while there's still time. If they are planning something big, I'd rather not have it run to the last moment. Yang, Weiss, if you'd both be so kind as to pull together the info I need, I'd appreciate it."
Both of the girls nodded, and looks of steely determination washed over the team as a whole. We had a plan. We were going to take care of this. Solidifying that fact, my Pip-boy signaled our progress the way it normally did. I checked the screen.
What's New Pussy Cat
-Completed: Make things up to Blake.
-Collect the information and clearance from Weiss and Yang.
I smiled to myself. Things were going smoothly. I didn't know how long it was going to take for sure, but I was intent to throw myself at this problem with Torchwick and the White Fang headlong. They weren't any bigger of a problem than any gang of two-bit raiders back home, far as I could see. I had nothing better to do besides wait anyway, besides whatever 'work' this school threw at me too.
This, this was familiar territory to me. It felt… right.
I reached for the door, preparing to get underway. We hadn't even really started yet, and there was so much to do.
Then the door exploded inward. Smacking me square in the face.
"Gah!"
I back pedaled, clutching at my face in surprise. Standing in the door frame, leg and foot extended in a kick. Her teammates standing behind her, clearly nonplussed by her choice of entry.
"WE'RE HERE!" Nora squawked.
"… I can see that." I grumbled, lowering my hand "Why?"
"Dinner, obviously!"
"Questions actually." Pyrrha corrected "We were hoping to continue the conversations we've been having the past few nights. I'm sorry about the door."
I glared at the team in annoyance. "… You're joking, right? We have to do this now?"
"Well~" Yang said, joining the conversation "You did promise dinner for the rest of the week."
"Not helping, Yang."
Yang shrugged, motioning for JNPR to come in. "You've got time until the last airship still, so before we start- umm… y'know- we can at least do this first."
Yang's obviously vague reference to our plan did not go unnoticed by JNPR. But they didn't seem intent to press for anything.
"Yeah!" Ruby joined in "Team dinner first!"
"…" I rubbed the brow of my helmet in annoyance. But I considered how long it was going to take me to actually throw something together. On top of that, I was going to be in for a long night anyway, so by comparison this would be simple. "…Ugh, fine."
"Yeah!" Nora shouted again, running into the room and planting herself on a bed. She was followed shortly after by the rest of her team, who had to side step me.
"… Why do you guys have a map of Vale here?" Jaune asked, noticing the obviously relocated desk in the center of the room.
"Don't worry about it." I grumbled.
I then left to collect what I needed.