This takes place in an AU where the events of RWBY Vol. 1-2 happened as shown, albeit with more thoughts going on inside people's heads. The story starts part way through the events of 'Vol3, Ch1 - Round One', but will bounce around throughout the entirety of Volume 3 - I'll even throw some Flashbacks in

Cover Image Source: . /rwby/images/c/c1/VytalFestival_ /revision/latest?cb=20151008172726

"Hey! Might be hard to eat without this." Ruby frantically patted around her outfit, panicking and audibly denying to herself that she had dropped it, causing Emerald to genuinely laugh for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Good to see you, Ruby." The cloak wearing girl took the wallet back from her friend and put it away.

"Oh! Thanks, Emerald! Oh. Guess I dropped it. Girl pockets are the worst!" she replied, slouching as she said so. Her sister Yang spoke next.

"What's up, Em?"

"Just left the stadium after your amazing fight! You guys were awesome!"

Ruby blushed – she was very easily embarrassed. But that's what happens when you're younger than basically everyone in the school by a couple of years. The girl mumbled something akin to "Oh, shut your stupid little face...", which Emerald barely managed to make out over her Faunus teammate's reply.

"I heard your team progressed to the next round too."

"You know, I feel that we haven't seen your other teammates." Weiss chimed in.

"How'd they do in the fight?" Yang spoke again. Emerald tilted her head up in thought, remembering how she blasted opponents with her revolvers, then slashed behind her as Mercury Black kicks out a shotgun blast with his boots. Cinder did the same with her own target, landing the poor soul at the feet of Neo, who was in disguise as to not draw attention to her unmistakeable everyday pallet of strawberry pink, chocolate brown and vanilla white. Whilst she was trying her best to play her part, Emerald felt so bad watching as people she had grown to trust be so violent towards a bunch of kids who basically were there for fun – whereas they were there for one sole purpose with the outcome being grimmer than anyone at this festival could possibly have imagined would have happened. She came back to reality, nodding.

"Really well" she replied almost dismissively, trying to push the topic away from her team.

"That's great" the Beacon team leader chirped. "Why don't we all go and get a victory food together?" The mint haired girl was taken aback slightly. Of course, she'd loved to go and have food with them! Years of stealing and scavenging force you nigh on impulse to jump at the opportunity of free food. With people she genuinely considered as friends, as well. Win-Win, right? But she had to play her part…

"Oh, gosh, that's so nice of you, but my teammates are all kind of..." the five girls looked back at Mercury as he sniffs the inside of a boot; he thought nothing of it, just checking to see if it was a good quality leather boot. "...introverted. Really socially awkward" she finished, her lies flew from her tongue into the ears of the four girls standing opposite her.

The brawler was the first to speak what Team RWBY seemed to be thinking "Ooh, yeah, I could see that." Emerald giggled at their responses. For once she seemed content with this idle chitchat and she was happy to go along with it. God, she wanted to go along with it. Ruby Rose honestly thought of her as a friend, and the rest of her team showed no objections to her being there either. It was such a nice feeling. A feeling of acceptance that she hadn't felt in so many years.

Emerald, knowing full well that she had a script she needed to follow to get information out of the team, decided to make her own decision and cut their conversation short. "Alright, well Merc and I going to catch some more fights." As the rest of her team turned and walked off to find a food stall, Ruby waved her arm at Emerald, yelling "Have fun!" as they turned and almost parted ways with each other. But once again Emerald went off script, hesitating before she walked back to the leader grabbing her shoulder to get her private attention. "Ruby?"

"What is it Emerald?" The innocent little girl's inquiry made it so difficult for her to keep composed. Had she not been so disciplined and had not spent years learning to hide her true intentions behind several walls of lies, the plans would have very easily spilled right out of her mouth there and then:

'There is a plot, of which I am involved in, which ends with the tower being destroyed and Beacon overrun with Grimm.'

She wanted so bad to tell her friend to get away and be safe. But in the end, everything would be traced back to her and she would end up in a worse position than she was in when she was found by Cinder. She could not tell all and run from them at this point, it felt that there was nowhere on Remnant she could hide. And going through with the plan is out of the question – so many lives interrupted and ruined all for one woman's selfish desires for power. In the end, all she managed was:

"Whatever happens, promise me that you won't think badly of me."

"Emerald, what are…?"

"Promise! " the girl demanded, placing both her hands on the other girl's shoulders abruptly and speaking in a forceful whisper in her best efforts not to alert her own partner, still sniffing away trying to find a decent pair of boots. Sadly, her whisper was still loud enough to be picked up by Faunus ears as Blake's bow twitched and her eyes glanced back at the pair.

"Okay Em, I promise." Silver eyes met red as an air of trust formed over them. Emerald instinctively smiled and hugged the smaller girl as her way of saying thanks, which she responded with by reciprocating the show of friendly affection. Blake grinned and turned her head back, continuing to follow her buxom partner and the Heiress towards the smell of food.

"Oh, by the way, who've you got moving up to the doubles round?" Emerald asked, releasing the hug at a natural point and asking out of genuine curiosity.

"Well, we voted and it ended up on Weiss and Yang. I voted for me but, y'know… can't win 'em all." The taller girl giggled at the fifteen year olds infectious optimism even in her own disappointment.

"No, you can't Rubes. Good luck. I'll see you later!" She smiled again as she turned and walked away, reality sinking back in as she left the aura of the cloak clad girl who was running to catch up with her team. Red eyes sank to the floor as she wondered away completely missing Mercury as she passed and only realising he was there when she heard muffled metallic clunking in the footsteps beside her.

"So, how are the new friends?" he enquired, sarcasm oozing from his voice. Emerald scowled at the floor, no wanting to really acknowledge the fact he was there. Mercury just shrugged. "Orders are orders." He was right. She had to play along. There was more than enough time for her to come up with a decent enough plan to get away from this mess, and it couldn't be rushed. She and Mercury have been working together (against their better will, mind) for long enough to know what the other would do on impulse. The sliver-grey haired knew that she'd try to hit him in the face, confusing him and then she'd use her semblance to trick him into thinking that she had started running, he'd run after that imaginary construct whilst she sneaked away. Emerald mashes her fingers together angrily as a grimace grew on her face as she put on her façade.

"I just... how can they be so happy all the time!?"

"Did you at least get what we want?" Emerald realised that she did. Barely , she thought as she waved his question away, smirking to herself that her little persona worked on him. Were she not truthfully curious with Ruby in wondering who was moving forward for Team RWBY, she wouldn't have this information. Cinder and Mercury may have grown suspicious and she'd be stuck in this nightmare forever – unable to escape.

"It's the heiress and the bimbo." God, she hated being so forcefully derogative about them like this.

"Hmm, alright. At least we know who we're working with."

Hope y'all enjoyed this introduction chapter. I'm gonna try with a multi-chaptered story as opposed to a one shot.

As always, feedback - good or bad - is most appreciated :)