Sorry for the slow update guys, but I decided to wait until Episode 8 came out to finish this. All I want to say is that I feel really proud of the fact that I guess Team Juniper's name correctly, as well as Nora's weapon, and anyone else who did should give themselves a pat on the back. Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews! They really help me to continue writing this story! Please, enjoy the continuation of The Other Guys.

Chapter 3

"So let me get this straight, you think that you heard that Beowolf talk?" Jaune asked incredulously, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Pyrrha pursed her lip, knowing exactly ridiculous her premise sounded. After all, one of the first lessons of biology class was a detailed explanation of the difference between humans and Grim. Obviously, there was a difference in the anatomy of the two races, with the chief difference coming in general muscle tone, as well as the length of appendages. Grim were, in general, much faster, stronger, and just plain bigger than humans. However, another difference that was heavily stressed was the fact that Grim did not possess souls, which did not allow them to use Auras, nor utilize speech. This was the area in which humans possessed an advantage, because they were able to formulate solutions and create plans with the power of speech. And what she was saying now challenged that notion, one that had been held for years upon years. As far as the scientists were concerned, Grim did not have souls and humans did.

"Look, I know it's hard to believe, but I'm sure that I heard it talk." Pyrrha insisted, not really expecting Jaune to change his opinion. She understood why he was reluctant to leave the premise that their world was built upon.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but it's just a little hard to swallow." Jaune replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Pyrrha was taken aback by his answer. Well, she definitely wasn't expecting him to accept her theory so readily, and she was definitely prepared for him to blow her off and leave her without bothering to listen any further. But then again, that's where Jaune was different from most people.

"So you think I'm right?" She asked giddily, glad to know that at least someone was on her side.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "Well, I trust you Pyrrha, so of course I'm going to believe you."

She smiled softly. Somehow, without even realizing it, he always had a knack of saying the right thing to make her feel better about herself, "Thanks Jaune, that's nice to know."

With that, she pushed the door to Professor Ozpin's office open. It was a rather plain room, all things considered, with a large wooden desk in the middle of the room, paired with an expensive leather chair. The rest of the room was consistent with Beacon Academy's architecture, with a worn look that gave the impression that the office had been in use for many years, which it likely had been since Ozpin began his tenure as Headmaster. It was filled with various artifacts, from shining blades to stoic suits of armor that stared at her and Jaune with dark indifference. And of course, there was a small, Dust-powered coffee machine in one corner, supplied with a large basin of cups for repeated use.

Ozpin himself was busy at his desk, evidently working on some important documents with his quill, taking the calculated and smooth strokes expected of someone of his demeanor. However, as soon as he noticed their presence, he ceased his writing and sat up a bit higher in his chair, dropping his quill to look up at them, "Jaune, Pyrrha, what can I do for you?"

Pyrrha swallowed as she heard his bemused tone. What would he think if she told him that she had lied to him earlier about the mission? Would he be angry? Would he even care? From what she had seen so far of him, it seemed that nothing could ever perturb the placid man, no matter how grave the concern. Despite all circumstances, he was always just standing, taking occasional sips from his mug without a care in the world.

"Professor Ozpin, I have to tell you about something that I left out of my report earlier." Pyrrha spoke, forgetting her earlier fear as she allowed the words to blurt out of her.

"Oh really? Do tell." Ozpin coaxed, calmly taking a swig of still steaming coffee, not even so much as wincing at the scalding liquid. At her side, Jaune quietly whimpered, probably imagining the unpleasant sensation for himself.

"The den mother spoke to us before we engaged it. And it mentioned someone called Samael. Do you think you have any idea of what that's about?" Pyrrha asked, searching for any hint of recognition to pop up in Ozpin's eyes as he heard her explanation. However, there was nothing but the normal flat emotion that he displayed in every other situation.

Ozpin sat back in his chair, crossing his legs to enter a more comfortable position, "Well, I can't say that I recall, but if I were to think of anything that could be of use, then I would check the library first for a book on the mythological origins of the Grim. But of course, that's a strictly hypothetical situation, given that I do not remember anything about such a person."

She blinked once, a bit taken aback at what Ozpin had just told them. Did he know something already about this topic? If so, then why wasn't he just telling them what he knew straight out? What was he playing at with these cryptic hints? The thoughts swirled around in her head, but before she could ask him more, his head was already down, attention back on the stack of documents that he had been working on earlier.

Ren yawned slightly as he leafed through a page in the novel he was reading at a table in the Beacon Academy library. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was its title, and at its core, it was essentially a novel of two souls grappling for control of one man's body. His current copy had been leant to him by Blake, and its extensive wear showed that it had been read from cover to cover several times by her. He found that they had some surprisingly similar taste in books, among other things, and that they got along fairly well, although he didn't know if being reading companions really counted for much. Most of the time, they would just mind their own business and occasionally trade quips about the books they were reading before returning to them. It wasn't a friendship per se, but it also wasn't animosity.

Beside him sat Nora, who was lazily scanning the pages of a fashion magazine, occasionally pausing on pages that had some products that she was interested in before moving on. She had never been one for books, or for any sedentary activities in general, for that matter. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy them, it was just that it was a tad difficult to sit still for so long. She believed that life had to be lived out in the world, not behind a desk, which was part of the reason she had begun her training as a Huntress. She wanted to live a life filled with excitement, so that when she ultimately had to face her fate, she could do it saying that she had lived a full life. She didn't want regrets, and she was going to make sure that things stayed that way.

Of course, she also didn't want to live her life without being at Ren's side. But that was another matter entirely that had less to do with the big philosophical questions in life.

Her eyes shifted over to watch Ren, who seemed in a state of complete relaxation, a calm smile on his face as he silently devoured page after page of his novel. She wanted to open her mouth and speak to him about anything to break the monotony of sitting in the library, but before she had a chance to do so, the doors of the library slammed open.

"My parents always told me that slamming doors open made me seem manlier." Jaune explained as he strolled in, not caring about the fact that he was disturbing the quiet of the room.

"I think that they were right." Pyrrha agreed with a nod, although in a soft voice, as she was aware of her current location.

Immediately, Nora and Ren set down their respective reading materials at the sight of their teammates. Neither of them knew exactly why Pyrrha and Jaune were currently in the library, as the two frequented the training grounds far more, and they were about to find out.

"Pyrrha, Jaune, what are you doing here?" Nora asked, slightly relieved that she now had an excuse to speak again.

"Professor Ozpin pointed us here after we told him about the Beowolf that spoke." Pyrrha elaborated as she made a beeline for the section of books on mythology, with Jaune following closely behind. Curious, but nonetheless confused, Ren and Nora stood up from their seats and quickly caught up to the red haired girl, who was now stopped at a particular bookcase, running her fingers along the various tomes located there.

"What are you looking for?" Ren asked, taking a look at the bookcase himself in an effort to somehow provide any assistance that Pyrrha might require.

"A book on mythology of the Grim…here!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she found a large book with particularly antiquated text on the spine, identifying as The Collection of Grim Legends in gilded letters that created a more flowery look to the title than most other books in the same section contained.

Nora frowned, "Wait, that book? But most of its claims were debunked by the fact that they were made without conclusive evidence to support them. Most of the so called research within was just theories made by the author, which is why we don't use it for class."

"I know, but Professor Ozpin wanted us to find it. I don't understand why either." Pyrrha muttered as she pulled it out of its space in the bookcase. Scrambling back to the table that Ren and Nora had been sitting at, Pyrrha dropped the heavy book onto the table with a thud. Exchanging a look with the other members present at the table, she flipped open the cover to the title page, which was adorned with an elaborate design that depicted the silhouettes of several known species of the Grim. Without hesitation, Pyrrha turned to the next page, which, to the interest of all gathered at the table, was a wall of text opposite of an illustration of a shadowy figure that was the very epitome of a demonic visage, with glowing red eyes and horrifically shaped wings that protruded from its muscular figure. Despite the fact that it was only a mere illustration, the very sight of it caused a shiver to run down Pyrrha's spine.

"Samael," She read aloud, "Also theorized to be the progenitor of Grim and similar creatures of the darkness. Although his true appearance has been debated and is subject to interpretation due to the fact that he has never actually been sighted by any reliable sources, there is a general consensus that he is not of human origin, and that he is bent on destruction."

"Wait, what?" Jaune said in a shaky voice, not able to hide the fear that was now permeating his words. It was clear that the story had affected him for one reason or another.

Pyrrha continued, "Although it was previously stated that Samael was sighted at one of the last battles of the Great War, it cannot be confirmed as of the writing of this book because there are no surviving witnesses."

"Interested in what you found?"

Pyrrha's blood froze in her veins as she heard a voice suddenly speak up from behind her. As a part of her training, she had learned time and time again that she should not make any sudden movements that would provoke an outright attack, and her hands held steady. Instinctively, she slowly reached for her weapon, but she was stopped by Ren's sudden exclamation of, "Professor Ozpin."

Breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that it was only the headmaster sneaking up on them, Pyrrha allowed her arm to fall limp before she turned to look at the gray haired man, who stood at their table, calmly sipping from his omnipresent mug. The adrenaline that had been previously coursing through her body dissipated, allowing her heartbeat to slow to a normal pace.

"Yes." She nodded, not finding the words needed to articulate the rest of her thoughts. The scare had definitely not done her thinking process any favors.

Ozpin gently set his cup onto the table with a slight clink, "Then I should warn you that you aren't the first team to have stumbled onto this."

At his words, the entire group was subject to a variety of surprised expressions. Ren had a muted frown to his face as he comprehended exactly what was being said, while Nora followed his example with a more public display of unease. Jaune was practically cowering in his seat, and Pyrrha did her best to remain calm, despite the way that her heart dropped at the revelation.

"W-well, the other teams got out okay, right?" Jaune asked hopefully, a desperate plea in his voice.

"No, they all died." Ozpin replied bluntly, not choosing to mince words with his explanation.

"Of course they did." Jaune sighed, disappointed in the answer, but at the same time, not exactly surprised by it. Ozpin did have a knack for laying out the truth, no matter how hard it was to hear for him. Actually, he wouldn't have been surprised to find out that the Professor derived some sort of pleasure from seeing him squirm, but he couldn't be sure.

The older man cleared his throat, gaining Jaune's attention once more, "But you are the first team that has ever heard any Grim speak. The other teams that went in pursuit of the truth were inspired by the book you now hold in your hands, not because of hearing a creature of Grim's words."

"Wait, so does that mean that Samael's trying to reach out to us?" Pyrrha asked, slamming her hands on the table, no longer caring about the dirty looks that the librarian was shooting them. Fortunately, Ren noticed it, and mouthed an apology to the woman, who was appeased for the moment.

Ozpin shook his head, "Unfortunately, I do not know that. But, I do know where you can get more answers." He said, producing a small slip of paper from his pocket and handing it to Jaune.

"Wait, what is this for?" Jaune asked, finding that it was blank except for a small smattering of writing on one side. Taking a closer look, he realized that he was looking at a street address, although for what, he still did not know.

Ozpin ignored his question, "Please, don't disappoint me. I would very much like to see the four of you graduate from Beacon in this lifetime."

And with this, he turned to leave the library. However, just as he got to the exit, he stopped and tilted his head towards them, "I would hurry. The next train leaves Beacon in less than an hour."

Nora grinned excitedly as she swung her bag full of belongings back and forth, nearly hitting Jaune on several occasions. Of course, she would have preferred to travel by airplane, given that it was a much faster method of transportation, but knowing the way that Jaune handled airsickness, it was probably best for everyone gathered that they stayed on the ground for this trip.

"So, Ren, aren't you excited to head back to Mistral? I mean, we haven't been back in months, and probably everyone misses you, well, I mean, why wouldn't they? You are the perfect student and all that. Wait, do you think that we should call everyone else from school? They probably miss us, since we haven't seen each other in person, but then again, they're probably busy, and we're only going to be in town for a night before we leave. Oh, maybe we should ask them to eat dinner with us! That's a great idea, right? But what restaurant should we choose? We could go to the diner, but we'd probably have too many people to fit inside at once, and I don't know if I want to wait too long to find a place big enough for us all. Oh well, maybe we could just call them next time we come around, and just go eat by ourselves today. But not like it's a date! Unless you want it to be. Do you want it to be? Oh, you're right, what was I saying? That would be totally weird! Unless you want it to be weird, which is okay too. But it's not like I'm saying I want it to be like that! Actually, just forget I even brought it up, because it would just be weird for us to go on a date, since you've known me for basically forever, and I've known you for basically forever. Yeah, it would definitely be weird! Wait, am I starting to ramble?" She finished in one breath, surprising even herself for how long she had talked without pausing.

"Don't worry, it's fine." Ren replied succinctly, not bothering to embellish his answer with any unnecessary words. He had long since learned that trying to do so would only encourage Nora to ramble on longer, and as much as he enjoyed hearing her speak on about some topics, he also enjoyed a break every now and then.

"Jaune, are you all right with us doing this? I'm sorry for dragging us here without even asking you first." Pyrrha asked, noticing the way that Jaune was nervously fiddling with his backpack.

He nodded, "I'm fine, Pyrrha. Like I said, I don't want to be weak anymore, and I know that this probably isn't much, but I want to start being a leader that you guys can say that you're proud to follow."

Pyrrha smiled, "You already are."

"W-what? Stop joking around with me." Jaune stammered, feeling his cheeks heat up at Pyrrha's compliment.

Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm not joking around. Really."

Jaune didn't say anything, allowing Pyrrha to awkwardly retract her hand in defeat. Jaune's opinion of himself was really way too low, and she wished she could show him exactly how important he was to their team, but something held her back.

It was ironic, she supposed. The invincible Pyrrha Nikos who was the nightmare of every creature of Grim alive on the planet and was the idol of every aspiring Huntress in the Mistral region, was getting scared to talk to a boy because of a little crush. Okay, fine, it was a huge crush, but still. The fact was that she was rarely, if ever, reluctant to do anything, and yet, right now, she couldn't even force a sound to come out of her throat.

Nora spun around in a small circle as she felt her impatience growing with every minute that it took the train to arrive. Suddenly she felt her foot catch on the concrete of the train platform and, almost in slow motion, she felt her body hurtling to the rapidly approaching ground. With an equal amount of speed, Ren was instantly beside her, hands wrapping around her body in an attempt to catch her before she hit the ground.

Nora had her eyes closed, bracing for the impact with the concrete, but when several seconds had passed and she no longer felt a sensation of falling, she opened up her eyes to see Ren staring down at her, a concerned look in his eyes. As her senses came to her, and she suddenly realized the compromising position she was in, a blush seared her face and her breath hitched. For the first time in her life, Nora Valkyrie felt as if she had no words to say in that moment.

Strange, because she was the same Nora Valkyrie who had been brushed off as annoying all throughout her years at Sanctum for her ability to talk on and on for hours without respite. She had a gift for the gab, and everyone knew it, especially when coupled with the fact that she was well known as the second strongest girl in school aside from Pyrrha. And yet, here she was, completely silent and at a loss for anything to say. All she could do was to stare into Ren's eyes, observing the way that his chest heaved up and down as his breaths poured out of him, clearly having exerted a lot of effort to get to her in time.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly as Jaune and Pyrrha stared on in surprise.

Still dumbstruck, Nora could do nothing more than to nod in response, allowing Ren to pull her back up to her feet and let go of her body, which suddenly felt very cold without Ren's arms wrapped around it.

"Be more careful." Ren chided softly, a sly smirk on his face that told Nora that he wasn't being too serious. And still, she felt her face turn even redder, if that was even possible, as she nodded.

Pyrrha watched the entire exchange with awe struck expression plastered on her face. Not that she should have been really surprised by the way that Ren had rushed to Nora's aid. She had known that Ren would not allow Nora to get hurt, but still, the way that Nora had been speechless only confirmed Pyrrha's thoughts that Ren had been completely unexpected in the way he had protected her.

For a moment, the idea to follow Nora's lead briefly crossed through Pyrrha's mind.

As you can see, my story is starting to veer off in a completely different direction, if Roman's appearance at the end of Episode 8 means anything. Hopefully, this keeps things fresh, and you guys will enjoy the way that the relationships develop in my story as opposed to how they look to play out in the canon. Just wondering, would you guys like to see Ren end up with Nora? I can see them both as lovers and as best friends, so I'm conflicted either way.

Please, let me know your thoughts in either a review or PM. Thanks so much for reading!