A Semblance of Hope

by Vimesenthusiast

After a unlucky moment with the gang back in time, Ranma's forced to seek out the then-present day Happosai to steal his Namban Mirror to get home. When an explosion cracks the mirror, he's flung through time and space to land on Remnant, but he isn't alone. And what are these weird white and black creatures? Pairing undecided but will be either Yang or Pyrrha not a harem or multi!

10. Chapter 10

Not Roosterteeth or Rumiko

Here is the major winner of the small story poll!

Here on fanfic, the votes went thusly: In first place (in terms of the small stories) was Fate Touched In Middle Earth with 334. In second place, Anything Goes Game Changer, with 228. In third place, Gods and Devils and Wild Horses Oh My at 192. And in last place, Semblance of Hope, with only 183.

HOWEVER, on Patty R on the poll went very differently again. So differently that Semblance took in the most votes, 890 votes. Since it has been four months since it was last updated, I gave my last 100 votes (used the other hundred on Magic of the Force) to Semblance as well. This gave it a total of 1180 votes, making it far and away the winner of the short story poll.

In total Fate Touched came in second, bringing in a total of 701 votes. Game Changer came in third, with 441 votes, and Gods and Devils came in last with 414 total votes.

Thank you all once again for taking part in these polls, and look tomorrow for November's! - have work so need to head to bed, LOL.

Warning! this has not been betaed except by myself doing a quick run through!

With that said, on with the show

Chapter 10 Schemes in the Shadows

Deep within her hidden palace Salem shrieked in rising rage and fear as one after another the pieces she could use to follow the action around Waypoint died. The Dryder's death was particularly galling, as that particular creature was among the most intelligent of it's breed. He would have made a fine general for her armies given time. Not the most dangerous of her tools or the smartest, but nonetheless a injury to her overall resources. The rest of the losses, even the rather idiotic breed the humans called Hydra were barely a drop in the bucket of her resources, but even so it was maddening that so many had been lost for so little return.

After a few moments taking out her rage on the walls surrounding her throne room, Salem turned, moving back to her throne as her hard won intelligence and control came back to her. Yes it is a setback. It will take months to rebuild the numbers that territory has lost, and years, decades even to regain the lethality their predecessors had. And my initial goal of redressing the loss of the Goliaths near the city of Vale has obviously failed. Yet on the other hand, this seems to have drawn out one of the Maidens, so the actual cost is somewhat cheap for that information.

Salem scowled, leaning her head back in her throne and crossing her long, almost human legs. I could wish I could see through my knights as well as I can sense the auras around them. If I could, I would be able to sense who it was. It felt like the Power of Spring, but Spring was not a combatant, not a frontline combatant at least. There is however a simple way to check that, I have long known the area where Spring was hiding herself. I had thought her powers would die with her, but if that is not the case, perhaps investigating her home could be enlightening. I will pass that on to the Queen.

Yet it is very strange, Salem raised one hand to her forehead, kneading the bone of her mask, the mask so thin and fine it almost looked like skin, but not quite. And while my ability to actually look through my pawns is limited, it almost looked as if the Dryder was fighting a man as it died. An effeminate man, but still a man…

OOOOOOO

Ranma sneezed then scowled irritably. That was a type fourteen sneeze. That means someone somewhere just called me a girly man. Damn Taro and his wisecracks!

"Are you alright lad?" Port asked.

The two of them had begun to make their way toward Waypoint proper, slowly given their wounds but surely despite the Grimm still around the area. They weren't coordinated any longer, and their numbers were barely a hundred or so around the city by this point. All that were able to realize the battle was lost had fled the rest had mostly died already. As Port was turning to Ranma he lashed out almost absentmindedly, smashing a Creeper into dust with a backhand.

"Meh, I'm fine, just got something up my nose is all." Ranma said, scowling irritably as he rewound his hair into his pigtail. His hair was a longer now, but thankfully the rest of his appearance had changed back to normal after his use of Spring's power.

"Hmm… yes you are looking rather back to yourself at the moment. Might I ask what that was?"

"It's a side effect of my Semblance I suppose you could say," Ranma hedged, unwilling to say what it was, which would lead into a discussion on how a man was using a power that had always been solely usable by women. And he honestly had no idea how that discussion would go even with Port. It was a pretty incredible story after all.

"Hohoho, very well then keep your secrets my young friend, it doesn't make you any less interesting." Port replied with a bellow of laughter, before turning a slightly more serious eye on Ranma. "You realize questions will be asked yes? Not just of your Semblance but of you in general. And not just from Ozpin, but from the media. We have done something incredible here, and it will draw attention both good and bad. There will always be those who wish to tear down heroes rather than build them up."

"Yeah? Meh, never had much to do with the media really, stalkers, creepy voodoo bastards, and picture taking Ice queens yes, but not actual media. Is it really as bad as they say?" Ranma asked.

"Hmm, well I never had any problem with them except for the fact that anyone interviewing me seemed to fall asleep!" Port laughed as several Beowolves tried to get out of their way, their faces showing as much terror as Grimm faces ever could. They failed.

OOOOOOO

Cinder and her associate Emerald had been able to infiltrate the outskirts of Beacon with relative ease, only beginning to encounter problems as they made their way deeper into the school's environs. Both of them, even Cinder, could pull off students relatively easily, and Emerald had scoped several of the students out on purpose over the past few weeks, so could cover them with illusions at need.

It was only the two of them for this operation. Emerald would normally be partnered with Mercury Black, but the mercenary was not, despite having been trained as an assassin, the best at sneaking around. He was also arrogant and only truly loyal because Cinder was paying him and he feared her. His lack of morals and skill made him a valuable tool it did not make him a trusted one.

In contrast, Emerald had been with her both longer and her loyalties were much less based on fear and money. Emerald never wanted to go hungry again, and Cinder had promised her that, had taken her from the streets fed and clothed and educated her. Cinder would never say it aloud, but it was nice to be around someone who wouldn't stab her in the back or followed her because of fear or ambition.

At the moment the two of them were sitting in one of the school's control rooms, which helped to control the various computer, video, and networks of the school. It was one of several but this one controlled the internal security cameras in the main tower, a secret that Cinder had only been able to discover by researching the original plans for the school. Emerald was standing by the door while Cinder worked, both of them on guard for one specific reason, which Emerald gave voice to as the download of the virus which would give them control of the cameras at need. "Why is Ozpin still here!? I'm sorry to ask Cinder, but wasn't the plan supposed to call for him not being here?"

"It was Emerald, and if I knew he was still here, I would have of course told you to expect his presence before we arrived." Cinder replied tartly, though even doing so was a sign of her own irritation. Ozpin had nearly come across them outside with no-one near enough for Emerald to use to shift attention to. "Now please be silent!"

Emerald 'eeped' but obeyed. And because she had, she heard voices coming down the hallway. "Two voices incoming!" she hissed, swiftly backing away from the door she raced over, sliding to hide behind the desk that Cinder was working at. Cinder joined her there, and Emerald began to concentrate, looking out the windows in one side of the wall to some birds. Not the best but they will do!

"I know your concerns my friend, but what would you have us do? Where else on Remnant could Amber be hidden but here? Where else where we could be certain she would not be experimented on?" Ozpin was saying as he reached the door to the control room.

The door swung open, and keen eyes peered in, analyzing everything in an instant before they were drawn to the sound of a bird smacking itself into the window. Turning back he continued to address his words to the other man standing with him. "We have too little knowledge at this point, and this Grimm attack, it is unusual enough to make me concerned both its nature and the timing."

"I do not deny the oddity, I just worry that we are too much on the defensive," interjected a man Cinder recognized as Oobleck, his rapid fire voice distinctive. Little to no threat on his own, he was an excellent support type Hunter. "We need to be doing more to support our ongoing espionage efforts. And I am worried that without you, myself and the other teachers there we will not be able to hold Waypoint."

"Ahh, on that point have no concern. Word has already been passed on to me that Waypoint has withstood the Grimm assault. Information is scant as yet, but that much is certain." Ozpin replied. He remained standing in the doorway looking around for a moment, before turning back out into the hallway, leaving the door open behind him.

The two young women remained hiding pressed together under the desk for a time, making Cinder nearly snarl in embarrassed rage. She was a queen damn it, a power in the world! She had promised she would never again need to hide like this, feel this… not defenseless, but off-balance certainly. But the idea of starting a fight here in Beacon with Ozpin, with Oobleck there and a few other teachers still around the place… there was no way they could win that fight. Get away maybe, but not win. Ozpin would be more on guard afterward, and I would have lost my anonymity.

Emerald quickly removed herself the moment the two women realized the coast was clear, knowing Cinder didn't like being close like that to anyone for very long, especially if she hadn't initiated the contact. Cinder shot her a grateful look at that, and waited, still crouched there until Emerald signaled the all clear. The green-haired girl eventually did so then stood with her head to one side, unwilling to speak with the door cracked open as it was.

Her question however was easy to understand and Cinder moved to the doorway, looking out. It was evident they had overstayed their welcome here. Yet even so, we did hear confirmation, the Autumn Maiden is here! That is worth the aggravation. She nodded once to her younger follower, gesturing with a hand toward the window. "Let's get out of here."

OOOOOOO

Though the shelters had yet to officially open to let out the majority of the townsfolk, several reporters had escaped during the battle to record events as they were happening. Now several of them had gathered together, putting aside their normal animosity in order to work together. None of them had any real idea what had occurred to dissolve the fear the Grimm had created among them or the rest of the town's population, but felt it had to do with the Hunters. The question was then, who to approach in order to get the best, not really the most complete, but the best story.

"I think we should look for the younger set, the students who were brought in, I'll wager they will be a lot more open about everything," one reporter opined.

"And that will let us get some video footage of the Invincible Girl." Another reporter said, his eyes gleaming. "We were able to see some of her fighting earlier."

The other reporters all nodded and began to break up, heading to different sections of the city with their targets in mind. So it was that Team RWBY and team JNPR found themselves with several people waving video scrolls in their faces barely fifteen minutes after the last Grimm had been cleared out of their area of the city. "This is Scott Burgundy of Vale News Network standing here with some of the valiant defenders who apparently have done the impossible and turned back the Grimm assault on Waypoint! That's rights viewers, the Grimm have been stopped cold! Not just stopped, but smashed to pieces, a full-scale assault led by at least one S-class Grimm was defeated! Let's see what the Hunters and Huntresses who did the job have to say about itTTTT!"

At that point he was interrupted by Ruby and Yang getting in his face staring into the video scroll. "Hey Dad!" They both shouted, Yang grabbin gthe man's hand to keep him still as Ruby went on. "Isn't this just awesome, not at Beacon for even a year and here we are, part of the group who saved Waypoint! It's like one of my stories come to life, Good has triumphed over Evil!" Ruby grinned, giving a peace sign to the camera before going on to talk about the fight some.

OOOOOOO

On a small island called Patch a large, blond-haired man stared at the TV screen, his eyes slowly burning red with fury. He reached out, grabbing up his scroll and looked somewhat bemused as the device shattered in his grip. He stood up abruptly, growling and cursing to himself as he marched out of the room. Ozpin you better have a good reason for putting my babies on the line like that, or else I'm going to put you through a freaking wall!

Elsewhere in a bar a dark-haired and a dark clothed man the same age as the blond-haired man looked between his drink, then the TV blaring out the news, his face scrunched up in an almost comical mix of suspicion and shock. Then the look faded into such a look of cold rage that several men nearby flinched back. The man, who most of the bar had thought was drunk, stood up abruptly, moving to the door.

OOOOOOO

At odds with the two sisters, Pyrrha and her team had mostly backed away for various reasons upon spotting the cameras. Pyrrha had lived far too much of her life in front of cameras and had no wish to encourage more of the same. Jaune was worried about is family's reaction to his being involved in this fight, and Ren, who was almost falling asleep on his feet, simply couldn't care less. Nora on the other hand was actually posing for the cameras waving and kissing her hands as if she was a star.

Weiss had easily the best, or at least most controlled reaction to the reporters. Ignoring her exhaustion for now she strode forward, one hand cocked on her hip as the other flicked her hair back over her shoulders, causing many of the girls to wonder how the heck Weiss had somehow kept her hair so pristine throughout the battle. And to go along with her physical presence, Weiss actually began to field questions about the battle after giving an overview of what their plan had been and her team's part in it. She made no mention of why students had been a part of that, simply sending a smile of all things towards Ruby and replying with a no comment.

What the Schnee heiress was thinking was anyone's guess, but she seemed happy, or perhaps proud of having taken part in the fight. Yang doubted that it would last, Weiss' usual regimented, rule-abiding mind would come back soon. But her desire to help people, and to prove herself if Yang was any judge, had come to the fore for now, and she was happy to see it.

One member of their team was noticeably missing and had been since seconds into Yanga and Ruby's little stunt. Now where is my partner hmm… ah there she is, wow she is really quick when she wants to be!

At that moment Ragnar led his team down from the walls nearby and despite being nearly dead on their feet immediately began to push the reporters away from the younger students, forcibly separating Ruby from one of them. Ruby had taken over the man's scroll and had been reenacting a lot of the fight, complete with those martial arts noises she made that Yang found so adorable. Nora too had to be convinced to stop posing though Yang was amused to note that Pyrrha had quickly retreated from the cameras, with Jaune and an utterly exhausted looking Ren moving to stand between her and them. that, and Ruby and Nora had formed an effective shield around the camera-shy Invincible Girl.

With this scene seemingly under control Yang nonchalantly sashayed over to the head of an alleyway. Once there she leaned against the wall, blocking the view of the alleyway as she spoke to the air. "You can come out now Blakey, the vultures have been scared off for now."

For a moment Blake didn't answer, still hiding in the shadows of the alleyway before slowly moving forward to stand directly behind Yang. "You're not going to ask why I made myself scarce?" she asked hesitantly, her body tense, ready for flight. Normally it would be fight or flight, but not with Yang or the rest of her team, never fight with the three of them.

"Meh, I figger it's got something to do with your other secret, my little alley-cat of a partner." Yang said, not turning to look at Blake until the last reporter was forcibly led away, cocking her head around to lock eyes with a visibly startled Blake.

Blake's yellow eyes had widened, and Yang reached out lightly taking Blake's hand before she could run away. Despite the gentleness of the grip though, Blake could tell that any attempt to run would fail. She might have still tried though if not for the look of amused understanding in Yang's eyes. Seeing that she calmed down, looking down at the ground beneath them. "What gave me away?"

"Two things: your eyes and your reaction to being in a sunbeam. You stay up too late and read with way too little actual light. And I saw you taking a catnap once in the library." Yang smiled, letting Blake go, happy she wouldn't try to run. "Don't worry, I doubt anyone else has realized it, Ruby and Icy don't stay up late enough to have seen you reading at night."

Blake nodded, looking at Yang closely. "So, what now?"

"What, you don't want to be my purrfect partner anymore?" Yang quipped, eliciting a groan from Blake. "If you're asking me if I'll out you to the rest, I'm not going to do that. If you're asking whether I'm curious about your past, heck yeah! But I know that curiosity killed the cat, so I won't ask, not until you're ready."

"How many of those damn cat puns do you have?" Blake asked, shaking her head in mock despair while fighting back a real, honest smile at Yang's response. "So sad that you can't be more original."

"Hey, I'll have you know my jokes are the cat's meow!" Yang retorted, grinning at Blake before pulling her into a hug.

Blake let Yang hold her for a few seconds before hugging the taller girl in turn and then pushing her away. "Thanks. I, I'll tell you and the others, I swear I will. But, but my being a Faunus isn't the whole of my secret."

"Yeah, I figured. So long as you're here of your own free will, so long as you want to be a Hunter and let whatever it was behind, that's all I care about Blake." Yang replied, her voice unwontedly serious. Then she grinned, pulling back from the hug. "On the other hand, so long as you try to keep your Faunus heritage a secret from the fun-sized pair, I get to use my cat puns on you."

"Gah no! I don't know how much of that I can take." Giggling and now arm in arm the two girls moved over to join their teams. As they approached, Blake whispered, "I'll tell them the first night back in Beacon. Will that do?"

"Yep. And don't worry Blakey, I don't honestly know Weiss enough to guess her reaction, but I think this fight and how her response to it have shown the girls got depths beyond the Weiss-cold exterior. And as for my sister, heh, the only problem with her will be once you show us your ears." At Blake's look Yang smirked. "I bet you'll have to stop her from trying to pet them all the time."

"…I can so totally see that it's scary." Blake muttered, shaking her head as they joined the others, moving to stand with Pyrrha and Jaune.

OOOOOOO

Beni and Glynda met up with Ranma and Port about hallway between Waypoint and the circle of burnt ground that marked the fire line. The two of them had been hunting down every group of Grimm that seemed to be too stupid to run away. They'd flushed out a few from the scattered farmhouses around the walled town, shot a few still trying to hide here or there behind a few surviving bushes or ditches, but that was all.

Beni strode up to Ranma, poking him in the sternum with a hard finger. "You've been holding out secrets from your dear sister," she said caustically, belying the wide smile on her face.

"I trust you sis, but I don't know yet if I trust everyone you trust if you see what I mean." Ranma said with a smirk, but then he sobered somewhat. "Besides which, some secrets aren't really mine to keep, or I'm keeping because I was asked to."

Glynda heard all of that as she strode up behind Beni and frowned but decided not to get involved with it. She liked Ranma, almost against her will really, the young man grew on you like a weed, and his ability to teach and fight were things she could respect even if she didn't really like his general anti-authoritarian attitude.

So if he wanted to keep secrets, well, that was fine by her. Everyone should be entitled to do that if they wanted. If Ozpin wanted to pressure him after her report on the battle that was fine, but Glynda wouldn't do it for him. Not after this, she thought, staring out over the battlefield, where a hoard of Grimm larger than any she had faced before had died. Where at least three S-class Grimm had died. Port killed two, Ranma killed one. I certainly hope they don't try to make it into some kind of odd challenge in the future.

As they move towards the city, they saw Tacticus team GRNG and two older retired Hunters moving out of the city on small bikes, heading out into the distance. At Ranma's quizzical look Glynda explained. "They'll harass the retreating Grimm as much is possible, as will Brutus, Ragnar and their teams tomorrow along with any reinforcements that arrive. The objective will be to wipe out as many Grimm in as large an area as we can before they recover from the shock of their S-class brethren's death enough to be effective."

She gestured to the southwest up into the mountains which separated Vacuo and Vale. "I've already sent the two armed bullhead to do the same to the remaining avian Grimm. Most of those had faded away faster than the rest of the attack force, but the more Grimm we kill, the safer this area will be in the future and for longer too."

Ranma nodded. It took centuries for a Grimm to evolve from its lowest form to an S-class, decades to evolve at all between one state and the next, which was why killing Grimm in the main portion of Vale and Atlas in particular was a full time job for Hunters and the Atlesian Army respectively. Not so much an issue in Mistral thanks to it's unique geography, and it was a practically impossible task in Vacuo's desert.

Still that wasn't Ranma's main concern right now. "What happened to the Hydras? I didn't see what went on there."

"One of them died on the walls, the other one was able to breach the city, of but younger Ms. NiKos and Ms. Xiao Long dealt with it apparently." Glynda replied, shaking her head slightly as she remembered what little of that action she had seen. She and Beni had been to busy dealing with the Arachnoids to do much against the rest of the horde, knowing the spider-type Grimm would have meant death for the defenders.

Ranma whistled. "Really? Just the two of them?"

"Apparently yes, the rest of their teams were busy guarding their back from other Grimm," Beni explained. "As we were coming out I heard Coco mutter about Pyrrha having some issue with the Hydra and challenging it on it's own, not certain about that one or what it means."

"If she wants to tell us she will," Ranma said philosophically, her tone and meaning almost echoing Glynda's earlier thoughts about Ranma's secrets. "So long as it doesn't get in the way of her being able to work with her team anyway," Ranma went on, cocking an eyebrow at Glynda the most senior teacher there.

She however simply nodded, and the four teachers crossing the remaining distance between them and the town's nearest gate. There Brutus greeted them along with his teammate Naomi. The other two had been moved back to the small hospital in the town, the girl Weiss had called Trixie having taken a blow to the head that had knocked her out for a time, her Aura having been exhausted. She under concussion watch for the rest of the day.

Brutus saluted Glynda with a deep bow from the waist but she merely rolled her eyes, lifting her riding crop in something of an acknowledgment. "Three dead Hunters, and some 50 civilians missing." Brutus reported. "Most of those hadn't heeded the initial warning when we spotted the incoming Grimm. The Hunters died keeping the town cleared of burrowers."

"I've got Naomi here running the communications network," Brutus went on gesturing to the large cannon-wielder beside him.

She nodded and immediately took up the tale. "We've got bullheads coming in from all over," she reported quickly. "Two from Vacuo, one more from deeper within Vale. The Vale team is B-rate but willing and the two from Vacuo are both damned good. We also have the Vale Council on the line."

As Glynda let out a groan Naomi shrugged apologetically. "The newsies have already sent out a lot of video recordings and attempted to interview the youngsters, but Ms. Schnee was actually quite eloquent for a time, and then Ragnar and his team forced them to back off. The Council knows we've won, and they want to talk to you professor," she went on, looking at Glynda.

She rolled her eyes then looked down at her somewhat less than pristine condition. "I suppose I should meet them in the communications tower," groaned once again.

"They can wait until you have a shower at least!" Beni said disapprovingly. "And then while you're talking to them, I'll put on a spot of tea."

"That will be immensely satisfying thank you," Glynda said with a sigh and a grateful look to her friend. "Politicians. There is a reason why I'm not the headmaster and dealing with that particular brand of necessary evil is it."

By that point they had exited out of the tunnel through the wall, and came upon the battlefield where the Hydra had fallen, where team RWBY and team JNPR were still milling about. Yang was the first one to spot them, and ignoring the other teachers she shouted "Ranma!"

She moved towards them but Ruby racing forward with her semblance leaving a trail of petals behind her to halt right in front of Ranma, before scaling him like he was a tree, her words coming out in a staccato rhythm so quick that Ranma and the others could barely separate them into distinct words. "Ranma that was awesome you were so cool! How did you do that blue fire thing, what happens to that spider-man, man-spider whatever, that thing out there, what the heck was that!?"

Ranma laughed, ruffling Ruby's hair affectionately, as he tried to answer questions and the other students crowded close before heaving Ruby up onto one shoulder as he looked around at the other students proudly, taking it upon himself to say something. "Well done everyone! While I can't say I like the fact that all of you were here in the first place, from what I hear you all did great!"

The other teachers all nodded, adding their own words of praise somewhat cautionary in Glynda's case as she didn't want to encourage the students to stow away again in the future. But despite that, all of the students stood a little straighter, a little taller at the praise.

Yang took a moment to look at Ranma closely, but her looks were back to normal now. So she shrugged, putting it down to a side effect of his Semblance. Looping her one arm around Ranma's, she leaned in, deliberately pressing her chest into run his arm. "That was fucking awesome Blue she said, whispering into his ear over the cacophony of all the other voices asking questions, or just generally cheering now as Nora was.

"B, blue?" Ranma asked turning to look Yang in the eyes before looking away flushing slightly as he had accidentally allowed his eyes to stray further down from Yang's face into her chest.

Internally pumping a hand up in the air at that little victory Yang replied. "Well yeah, from that blue fire you put out. And calling you Fireboy would just sound so tacky!"

Ranma laughed, shaking his head but still making a point of not letting his eyes wander again. "Meh, we'll work on it, though I think it doesn't fit as well as yours Bad Girl."

"And I still say that sounds sexy," Yang said happily, still holding onto his arm.

Seeing this Pyrrha frowned a little, feeling some unusual emotion inside for a moment, before she too moved in front of Ranma smiling at him, noticing for the first time intellectually that she and Ranma were equal in height, something she realized she liked for some reason. "You truly did an amazing job out there, we were losing until he killed that Dryder. When it died, the horde lost all its cohesion. Indeed, I would say you turned the tide when you activated your Semblance."

Not even asking a single question about the nature of that Semblance Pyrrha added. "And you to professor Port," turning to send a slightly blander smile the older professor's way. "Those two large bear creatures, they were very formidable from what we could see from the wall."

"Most formidable indeed! It was a fight for the ages, why they even broke through my Semblance a few times," professor Port said with a loud laugh. "Yet we prevailed, as I always have. The Juggernaut is unbeatable!"

Brutus chuckled, smiling at the professor who had more than any other helped him up discover his Semblance and then modify his personal style to fit. "Exactly, lets here it for tanks baby!"

"Here, here!" Yang and Jaune shouted, while the other students all rolled their eyes, even the just-arrived Yatsuhashi from his place on the team.

"So what's the plan now professors?" Ren asked, his knees looking like they were going to give up on him any moment with Nora's arm around him protectively. "Are we going to stay here or what? Because I am about to fall over."

Weiss spoke up before any of the teachers could, flicking out her wallet and pulling out a single credit card. "I," she said haughtily am buying us all the top floors of the best hotel in this town, and we are going to crash for the rest of today and all of tomorrow! My legs feel as if they are either about to fall off, or start a revolt! I demand to be pampered!"

Every girl there looked suddenly looked lost in thought, and then nodded as one. "Pampering!" Nora said firmly. "Definitely pampering, ooh, pampering and pancakes, the perfect 2P!"

"That's actually not a bad idea Ms. Schnee," Glynda said with a chuckle. She too was having a fond thoughts about getting a nice massage or a manicure-pedicure. But you won't have to pay for the actual hotel rooms, Hunters get special privileges during operations like this."

"Awesome!" Ranma said, his own exhaustion slowly coming back to them as he stood there. "Anyone object?"

There was a roar of approval from all around them, and the group, marched through the city to the hotel. As they did, they saw members of team SAIL here and there, along with several hundred townsfolk, the first let out of their bunkers/evacuation points. Many of them cheered the Hunters, those in training and not as they saw them, but didn't mob them thankfully, though there was a moment when they nearly did as someone called out, "Hey isn't that the Invincible Girl?"

Hearing this Pyrrha ducked away, hiding behind Yatsuhashi's bulk for a moment. Ranma fell back through the crowd with Yang still hanging onto him for the moment cocking his head at the redhead. "If you want, I bet you could take to the rooftops and meet us at the hotel."

Walking next to his partner Jaune nodded as he saw several dozen people looking in their direction now, including more reporters. Glynda had barred the reporter's way, but the people around them had simply flowed around the blonde teacher. Behind them however, Jaune saw the perfect thing to grab the crowds attention "We'll cover ya Pyrrha, just wait for it okay?"

Pyrrha nodded quizzically then Ranma noticed what Jaune had seen and laughed quietly. "You are a brave man Jaune."

"Thank you. Never let it be side that I am not willing to sacrifice myself for my team." Jaune replied seriously, then raised his hand and yelled out, his voice even louder than the man who had shouted about noticing Pyrrha. "Hey sis, over here!"

Through the crowd another blonde head could be seen turning from looking towards Port and Glynda her eyes lighting on Jaune in shock and rising anger. "Jaune Arc what do you think you're doing here young man!"

Lilla Arc was a tall woman who took after her father in height and her mother in everything else, with the Arc family's habitually massive aura reserves matched with a Semblance that her teammates had dubbed the All-Seeing Eye, an ability to change her eyes to that of a hawk only even more powerful. It made her possibly the best sniper in the world, and those eyes were now locked on her younger brother, glaring with all the intensity of a small sun.

At her back stood two other girls and a single boy, all of them dressed varyingly in Hunter's garb. The boy had a massive cannon and a robot arm, while the two girls, both Fox Faunus had wicked smirks on their faces and even more wicked scimitars on their waists as they too looked at Jaune.

All four of them began to push the small crowd out of their way, disrupting the move to surge forward and crowd in among the younger Hunters. Pyrrha whispered a quick thank you to her partner, then bolted, racing to a nearby alleyway then up onto the rooftops and over them towards the hotel a few blocks away.

"In my defense," Jaune said, holding up his hands, "I'm only here because I couldn't let one of my new teammates head itno this fight alone. Lilla Arc, meet Nora Valkyrie."

"Hello~!" Nora caroled, popping up from her place over by Ren, who was quickly propped up by Ruby, who zipped over from her original place at the head of the column, staring at Lilla in interest as were the other freshman.

Lilla glared at first Jaune then Nora, who actually quailed as Lilla's Semblance-changed eyes glaring at her from barley a few feet away. "Explain." She ordered tersely. She didn't have to add the words 'or else' to that.

Jaune hurriedly did so, and Ruby 'eeped' as he mentioned her having stowed away as well, but her team, even Blake, who was busy hiding herself as far away from the camera-scrolls as she could, stood up for her, moving between the older Arc and Ruby.

After a moment Lilla's Semblance deactivated, and she smiled pulling Jaune into a hug. "In that case I'm proud of you Jaune. My team and I have to take a turn on the wall for a few hours, but I'll come by your hotel room to pick you up so we can hang out. I haven't seen you in months after all! Er, sorry I missed your graduation party, I was hip deep in a culling mission."

"No problem sis," Jaune replied quickly, squeezing back. "Just don't call the parents until after I have some time to recover okay?"

Crisis averted for now, the group got going soon after that, marching into the hotel en-masse, joined by Pyrrha who jumped down from a nearby rooftop. She thanked her partner profusely, while Beni, who had left Glynda and Port behind to talk to the reporters, strode up to the desk.

The person by the desk looked up and sneered at Velvet. "We don't keep allow animals here! She'll have to…"

That was as far as she he got, before Beni had slammed her palm down on the desk in front of him with a sound like a gun shot. At the same time Ranma stuck out a hand, snagging Brutus by the back of his shirt where he had been about to charge forward.

"Velvet Scarlatina is a Huntress in training who came to the aid of your town." Beni said her voice a controlled fury that went well with the near-Glynda level glare she was giving the man. "You will treat her with respect, or the Vale Council will hear of this! If that is actual policy, your company will be fined heavily. If that is your personal policy, I will make it my personal mission to see that you are never able to find work in Vale anywhere!"

Behind Beni, Velvet was frowning at the man, but making no move to either hide or attack, she simply looked sad as did Naomi, happy her teammate wasn't there. On the other hand, Coco was being held back by both boys on her team, though Yatsuhashi seemed like he wanted to reach over the table and pop the man's head like a melon. Blake and Yang were also great glaring at the man, and Weiss had drawn herself up into such an expression of high-class dungeon that Ranma might well have been able to feel the cold radiating off her if not for the bonfire that was still in possession of his arm.

The man looked almost ready to piss himself in fear, and began to sputter, backing away and actually running off into the back of the concierge office.

Coco laughed, calming down instantly hopping up over the desk before some other worker could come out to take his place. "So, that will be the penthouse suites and the three wedding suites?" she asked.

"That will do us nicely thank you Coco," Beni replied with a smile at the girls antics. "Now if you could get a bellhop to help us with our bags" she said, cocking one eyebrow at Coco, who laughed.

One of the other workers hurriedly came out and began to finish their check-in quickly, looking utterly terrified at Coco standing beside him, whistling cheerily as she watched him work. The fact she was twirling her handbag, which had been recorded as changing into a giant Gatling gun might have had something to do with that.

OOOOOOO

While the students were getting settled into their rooms, Glynda continued to work, calling in Port quickly. Port went around the town, making a tally of the damages for later, linking up with the mayor of the town, and taking updates from Tacticus and the teams still out in the field harrying the surviving Grimm. Leaving Beni to make arrangements for the two of them, Glynda contacted the Vale council and immediately began to remember why she was so happy that Ozpin normally talked to them for the school instead of her.

"I assure sirs, I am not lying or downplaying events. The battle was very much in doubt, the Grimm horde the largest I have personally seen. I would wager it was as large a horde as that faced during the Fall of Semaphore, or during some of the Grimm Days back during the wars." Glynda said coldly. "Have you ever heard anything to tell you that I am given to hyperbole?"

Grimm Days were the name given to battles between the countries which had ended by gathering Grimm in such numbers the combatants were either forced to retreat or join forces. It said something, in Glynda's opinion, that the armies would join forces so easily on the unit level, but if you got the generals or higher ups involved such went out the door.

"But in that case how in the world did you do it!? How did you stop such a massive force from overrunning Waypoint? I've been there, the defenses aren't very much, and a Grimm force that size…" one of the councilmembers said, his voice somewhat whiny. Despite the anonymity the communications software enforced, some differences in personality still came through.

"Cut off the head, and the body is far less dangerous. One of my fellow teachers was able to counter the arrival of the controlling S-class Grimm, a Dryder, engage it, and kill both it and the large majority of the Tarantkillas which would have been able to ignore the wall." Glynda paused, then decided it would be best for them to hear it straight from her rather than from the news. "The student teams we brought in were able to counter and eventually kill one Hydra, while myself and another teacher killed another. After that, the horde lost cohesion and the battle ended swiftly."

"As I already explained to you counselor, it was a matter of tactical brilliance and skill. You do not always need gigantic robots and numbers to turn the tide," Glynda said coldly. She recognized that voice is one of the Vale counselors who was a little too close to Atlas for her presence of mind. Ozpin didn't see a problem with it, but she did.

Glynda was firmly of the belief that Hunters should be used to hunt and that the idea of using robots against the Grimm might seem a good idea, but then who controlled the robots? Who made certain that they were not turned against humans? She trusted General James Ironwood, but she didn't really like his policies at all. He was the type to use a cannon when a simple needle would work just as well. He was also the ruler of Atlas in all but name, and that didn't sit well with her either.

We have the Atlesian Air Fleet incoming. They just crossed our airspace, as we had asked them for aid," said another counselor, seeming to glare at the first one for a moment. It was very hard to tell with the software covering their figures of course. "Are you truly in the clear Professor? Can we turn them back? If we can, I'd like to turn this into a PR moment for our methodology, not one of cooperation and togetherness with Atlas if we can help it."

Politics again always politics with this group, Glynda thought coldly. Yet she had to agree with the man. Considering that many of the counselors had begun to ignore Vacuo, and even Mistral in favor of Atlas, adding more seeming closeness to that dynamic was probably a bad idea. "Yes, you can tell General Ironwood to turn around," she said coldly. "We have handled it, more robots are not necessary. More Hunters are, in order to harry the shattered Grimm and broaden the new safe zone I mean to create here."

But surely more air cover would be good?" said another counselor, his tone more thoughtful than the first one who had spoken up, but certainly leaning in that direction. "And I still contend that it would be an excellent PR moment even if we brought in the Atlesian forces, we could hit two high notes rather than one in that manner."

"And lose the emphasis on the first. You know we've already been asked a lot of questions about how close we are to Atlas, especially since their own counsel has yet to reform after their civil war." The second councilor countered. "I don't know about you, but I haven't forgotten that a lot of our crystals and ores come not from Atlas but from Vacuo!"

The civil war he mentioned was a very low-key civil war, more of an anticorruption campaign than anything else, with only a few pitched battles. At the time Glynda had been very much in favor of General Ironwood's rebellion, as some called it. Say what you would about James, but his morals were not in question. His methodology on the other hand was in Glynda's eyes, and the fact that he had yet to actually call for a general election as he had promised was another point against him in her eyes.

"As I said counselor, more Atlesian goons in the street, or robots on the walls would not help at this point!" She said, unconsciously taking on her Professorial Voice™ and slapping her riding crop down into her hand.

The counselors all jolted a little, and she hid a smile with the ease of long practice, pointing out a nearby window though of course the counselors couldn't see the window, just the gesture. "We have two Hunter teams from Vacuo arriving even now, and I know for a fact that we have another team of Hunters from Vale as well. Once those three teams arrive, there'll be literally nothing that Atlas can do other than saber-rattling in the streets. More construction teams, and perhaps some medical aid would be helpful, but I truly doubt that Atlas's military fleet has such things."

"Very good," said a fourth counselor, his voice somewhat shaky, but nodding all the same. They all looked at one another and this time their movement quite was visible as they seemed to have a discussion which they had muted her out of before that last one turned back to her. "Very well, we will turn the Atlesian Fleet back, but we will require several things from you Professor. We want a full public announcement in the next 24 hours, as well as a detailed report for ourselves."

"I've already given a few statements for the public, as you no doubt are aware," Glynda interrupted dryly. "And as soon as I get off the line with you, I will start the official after action report counselors."

Even politicians could get that hint, and they began to sign off quickly. As the last left Glynda allowed herself a tired groan then stretched before she began to contact the other teachers still in the field. There was still work to do after all, at least until the two Vacuo teams arrived.

OOOOOOO

General Ironwood frowned, crossing his hands behind his back as he stared at the pickup. "Counselors I assure you, my fleet will help regardless of the situation on the ground. To my mind, putting politics in front of military necessity is a step towards arrogance we cannot afford when dealing with the Grimm. I do not mean to denigrate Professor Goodwitch's expertise, but there could be a follow-on wave of Grimm, there usually is unless you have completely done away with the feelings of fear and hate that call to them." That this would have allowed him to see Glynda in person again was just a bonus.

"If there is, there will be more Hunters in place to deal with it. The battle is over, the crisis averted, or rather crushed by the initial media accounts," said one of the Vale counselors dryly. "We have no need of the, what was it that one media man said, oh yes, the Atlesian cavalry racing to our aid at this moment. Turn back general, Vale is pleased with the speed of our ally's response, but has no need of your aid at this time."

"Very well, I will turn the majority of my fleet around although I would like permission for my flagship to continue on to Beacon. I'd like the opportunity to catch up with old friends if that's all right." James replied, giving up that battle quickly in favor of opening a new avenue of attack.

"That is fine. We will tell our security Bullheads that you have been given permission," said one of the other counselors nodding his head and ending the discussion.

Ironwood sighed shaking his head, but gave the orders to turn his fleet around, while also ordering his personal pilot to make for Beacon. After that he continued to stare out the forward viewport, his thoughts rather bloody as he wondered if this political move would cost lives. There was no way that the reports of this sheer number of Grimm killed were accurate. There would be a follow-up wave. But if there was, he and his flagship at least could get their swiftly enough. The idea of this barely known teacher killing an S-class was well, that was probably propaganda.

Unless they had gotten it wrong and Glynda was the one who engaged the S class. That I would find believable. Hmm, but there were some reports that this Ranma fellow was the Azure Warden of Semaphore fame. I never actually believed the rumors about his action during that battle, but I suppose it could makes sense. Nevertheless, this whole fiasco can still be turned to our advantage against this hidden enemy Ozpin has warned me about given what my ship contains. It's time to talk to the Wizard, and bring him his requested toys.

"Sir," A voice from behind him interrupted James's thoughts and he turned to look at his aide Winter Schnee. She was a tall, attractively built woman in her late twenties (he knew this because he had access to her military file, not that he had ever asked, James wasn't stupid after all) with the white hair characteristic of her family. On top of her family's habitual cold, aloof demeanor had been aided the stiff control of a soldier.

At his nod, Winter went on. "Sir, Huntress Danville is requesting clearance to take a Bullhead out, she wishes to continue heading to Waypoint."

"Tell Miss Danville that her request is granted," Ironwood said after a moment. It wasn't as if we could stop them anyway. The team was not under his command after all.

Winter stiffened at that, and Ironwood hit a faint smile. The oldest daughter of the great Schnee family always prided herself on her self-control, but it was a fact that Charlotte rubbed her the wrong way. It was quite amusing to see the younger girl, with her accent and her almost shy nature get under his aide's skin so easily, though he couldn't deny the fact that Charlotte, with her barely hidden contempt for Atlas' military, sometimes got under his skin as well. The small island Charlotte came from did the same with startling rapidity, its citizens being the most vocal in demanding that a democratic administration be allowed to take over Atlas' governance.

But until he was able to guarantee that handing over control of his country to a democratic government would not see the return of the old boys' networks that he had dismantled, James would not hold general elections. He had given his word to make certain that such elections occurred the moment he could be certain that they would truly give voice to the people, not a moment before.

OOOOOOO

Ozpin held the scroll away as Qrow shouted at him. "I am going to hurt you for letting my niece's go into that kind of action so soon," the expert Hunters said coldly as soon as the scrolls connected.

There was no drunkenness in his voice at all, and Ozpin felt a moment of fear as he thought of Qrow and Taiyang joining forces against him for a moment. "It is not my fault as I just got off the scroll telling Taiyang," he said swiftly. "I had no knowledge of their involvement until the reports came in. According to Glynda Ruby stowed away, and her team of course followed." Ozpin allowed himself was faint smile at that. Their closeness and camaraderie was actually quite gratifying to see so quickly. It took some teams years to build that kind of friendship.

Qrow glared through the pickup for a moment then sighed. "Yeah, that's just like her always wanting to pitch in always wanting to punch above her weight class. It doesn't mean I'm not going to spank that girl when next I see her."

"Be my guest, though I understand from the few reports I've gotten from Glynda, you understand of course that she is rather busy at the moment, that certain punishments have already been place for her and for her conspirator Nora. Would a spanking really add anything to being denied cookies for a week?"

"Oh that's evil, that's true evil!" Qrow said admiringly. "Nice to see that Glynda hasn't lost her touch."

"Saints forfend she ever does," Ozpin said, chuckling quietly. "I doubt Beacon would ever be the same if she did." A second later he sobered, staring at Qrow in turn and when he spoke there was no humor in his voice, only cold authority. "Now, tell me about your search for the Queen."

OOOOOOO

Yang was just about to enter the bathroom for a glorious, glorious shower and hair pampering moment when her scroll went off. Growling irritably, she glared as Blake slid past her with catlike grace, pausing at the doorway into the bathroom winking at her for a moment. "Sorry Yang, but you snooze, you lose."

"Fine pussycat! Be that way, though I didn't think cats liked water all that much." Yang growled back, whispering the words in such a way that only a Faunus could have heard them.

"That's stereotyping and you were doing so well there for a moment," Blake said with a faint sigh as if she couldn't be bothered to care, waving her hand as she closed the door firmly, only the faint uptick at her mouth showing any further reaction.

Yang rolled her eyes, but couldn't fight her own lips turning up into a grinned as Blake shut the bathroom door. Oh, I am so going to milk this for all it's worth! There are just so many puns I can do now that Blake knows I know her little secret. Or at least one of her little secrets anyway. There's something else going on it there, though what it is I've no idea.

At that somewhat somber thought Yang set that minor mystery to one side to answer her rapidly beeping scroll. "Hello! You've reached the beautiful and mag-, oh, um hi Daddy!" she said, some of her forced cheer going out of her voice to be replaced by the real thing.

"Don't 'oh high Daddy' me, young lady! What the heck did you think you were doing! You and your sister are not trained Hunters yet, heck you're not even seniors at Beacon, you should never have gotten involved in a battle that large!" The equally blonde-haired man on the other end of the communication growled.

"Don't blame me for this one! This is all Ruby!" Yang said, having no hesitation whatsoever to throw her sister under the bus.

Ruby, who had just come into team RWBY's room from the main sitting room of the penthouse suite stared at her in shock, and Yang rolled her eyes at the girl's expression of horror. I'll make her cookies later. Considering the upcoming punishment, she'll no doubt want to squirrel away a few. That'll get me back in her good graces easily enough.

"Besides," Yang went on looking back down at the scroll. "You raised us to always do our part, to always pitch in against the Grimm wherever we could. You can't just go back on that the moment you think the fights too big for us. And I have to say I think we did pretty damn well! I took out a freaking A-class Hydra for God's sakes! And Ruby, Ruby killed at least three dozen giant death stalkers, and one or two Triceraraptors. We did brilliantly! I won't hear anyone say different."

"Judging from what the news agencies are saying you did," her father said softly, "but you shouldn't have had to. This isn't a game, Yang, Ruby" Taiyang said, looking at his younger daughter who had just pushed her head into the pickup. "And in that news video you're acting as if as if it was all fun and games!"

"Because the fight had already ended," Ruby said simply blinking as if she was trying to comprehend what the problem was. "The serious stuff was over with, and we could celebrate our victory. Is that so wrong?"

"It's not wrong baby, it's just you shouldn't have been there in the first place!" Taiyang said again, almost wailing the words.

"But we were, and like Yang said we did our part very well." Ruby stared through the pickup that her father, her eyes wide and innocent, but her voice very serious. "Dad, this has been my dream since the moment I started reading about Hunters. To do my part, to fight the good fight, to follow in yours and moms footsteps! I'm not going to back away from it even if you think I'm still too young."

Taiyang stared at them as Yang grinned proudly at her little sister, resisting with difficulty the urge to pull her into a hug. Then he sighed and began to cry. "AH, my little, my little girls growing up too fast!"

"Well, not so much," Yang said patting Ruby on the head. "It's just that in this one area we're both advanced for our years!"

That caused Taiyang to chuckle and he regained control of himself quickly. "All right, but no more of this stealing away to get sent on dangerous missions Ruby, I mean it! I don't want to hear about such things in the obituary okay?" he said staring at them both earnestly. They both nodded, and he sighed and signed off.

"That went better than I expected," Yang said after a moment.

"Maybe" Ruby replied, waving one hand up in an up-and-down motion. "We'll see what happens when we get back to Beacon."

"Besides your punishment of course~~," Yang caroled, pulling Ruby into a hug, a gentle one for her.

Ruby growled, pushing at Yang's stomach to try and break her grip with no avail. Her sister was far too built for a push from Ruby to do anything but amuse her. "Yours too, or have you forgotten that you won't be allowed hair care products?" the younger sister asked snidely.

"And here I was about to make you cookies," Yang said with a huff releasing her sister and turning away, only to stop and be dragged back into a hug.

"I'll be good I'll be good!" Ruby pleaded. "Please make me enough cookies to squirrel away, pleeeease!?"

Yang chuckled, rubbed Ruby's hair and gestured her to follow her out into the rest of their room. "Fine, but for now, see if you can find a restaurant that's open. Let's get some real food before we start on the desert."

Having missed out on being first into the shower thanks to her father's call Yang moved into the penthouse's kitchen to find Ranma already there. He shook his head at her before she entered the kitchen pointing over his shoulder. "There's nothing here."

"Ruby?" Yang asked looking over her own shoulder towards Ruby.

Ruby, whose speed dialing was practically legendary already among the freshman class put her scroll down, and was that smoke coming off it or was that just Yang's imagination? "Nothing," she reported. "None of the restaurants are open yet, though there are a few pharmacies and convenience stores that have reopened quickly but that's all. Most of them had a rote message saying they would return to their regular schedules tomorrow."

"The pharmacies and such are open to probably to help with the wounded," Ranma said with a nod, before looking over at Yang. "We could cook? Ruby did say once that you're a good cook."

Yang nodded, thumping her thigh against his as she winked coquettishly at him. "This will be a good time to see what you can do in the kitchen up close too!"

With that the two of them bent over a pen and paper and began to write out a list while the other teams came in from their own rooms to flop around the suite's main area. When they were done, Ranma, Fox and Yatsuhashi were sent out for supplies, since they didn't need nearly as much time in the bathroom to recover from the days exertions, as Weiss put it. They had thought to also bring Ren, but he was already dead to the world in one of the beds in JNPR's room.

OOOOOOO

Sitting out on the balcony of the room that she had organized for herself and Glynda, Benzaiten spotted Blake on the balcony to one side of their own, setting down on a chair there looking out over the town. From what the redhead could see, Miss Belladonna was looking rather angry and sad, almost listless. Moving over to the railing, Beni asked softly, "Do want to talk about it?"

Blake looked up sharply, and was about to shake her head when Beni cocked an expressive eyebrow at her. "I can tell something is bothering you, don't try to deny it. And it's more than just being tired from the fight. Talking about your problems often helps you solve them."

"I am kind of tired after the fight, it's just that and some other things I suppose piling up. I just wanted some peace and quiet to think, my team can be sometimes a little too much," Blake said, trying halfheartedly to both acknowledge Beni's words and get out of actually talking about it.

But it didn't work. "Come over then Blake" Beni almost ordered Blake. "If you want some peace and quiet, you'll get that more here in our room then you will in that suite I'm sure. If you don't want to talk we don't have to."

Blake actually smiled gratefully at that, and soon enough was ensconced in one of the sofas in Glynda and Beni's room. She had told Yang where she was going, and after looking at her searchingly for a moment Yang had simply nodded, showing once more there was a mind beyond that blonde mane of hers. Some people just needed some alone time after a fight like this that had never been Yang's scene of course, but she understood.

While Beni moved around the room preparing some tea Blake simply sat, staring down at her hands. She looked up startled as Beni asked softly "Were you able to stay out of the cameras view?"

"H, how!" Blake stuttered and Beni smiled softly at her.

"Ozpin allows the teachers to see any and all information on every student at Beacon that isn't medically related. Did you really think that he of all people was unaware of your past?"

As Blake began to panic Beni went on unhurriedly. "Trust me, I understand the need to start over. I could not stay in Vacuo after the fall of Semaphore, and that is nothing comparison to the need of leaving such a… storied past as yours behind. I'm not about to judge you for it. If I was a Faunus, I would be of a mind to take up arms myself. On the other hand, I'm happy that you were able to see the steep slope that you and your fellows had begun to fall down."

Blake flushed in pleasure, looking away slightly. "Thank you," she said softly, one hand reaching up to her cat ears, hidden behind her bow. "It's, it's hard, hard leaving that kind of thing behind, but… but we had stopped fighting the good fight, we had become almost as prejudiced as what we were fighting against."

"So if it's not concerns about being seen on TV, what is bothering you?" Beni asked.

"My partner, Yang. she knows about my being a Faunus, and I, I want to come clean with my team, I'm just not… I don't…" Blake stuttered to a halt, looking away. She was utterly unused to discussing feelings like this, and fighting a growing urge to simply run away. That had always been her solution to every problem she couldn't' overcome, to use her Semblance and escape, to run and fight another day.

"You're afraid of being rejected," Beni said softly. "Again totally understandable. I don't think you need to worry about Yang turning her back on you, or Ruby. As for Weiss I think if you come clean soon, it will be far less hurtful to her then later. You also have to understand her own position."

That brought Blake up short and she glared at the older woman. "Her position! She's a pampered little princess! Her entire family's fortune is based on exploiting Faunus workers! Have you ever seen what those mining camps are like!?"

"I know that," Beni said calmly, moving over to sit across from the angry young woman. "However, I can also see it from her point perspective. How much control do you think she has over her company?"

At that question Blake paused, then seem to subside, some of her anger leaching out of her. "None I would think," she answered reluctantly.

"Exactly. She doesn't make those policies. All she sees is the loss of life from your attacks on them, on the higher ups she might have known, indeed Weiss has lost several uncles, aunts and cousins to the Black Fang. I have no doubt that she thinks the Black Fang as a terrorist group, because that is what it has become."

Beni looked at Blake intently, almost daring her to say different, and Blake could not, not after seeing such from inside the beast itself. Nodding Beni went on. "However, I also do not think that she sees all Faunus like that. She would not have stood up for Velvet as the rest of you did in my little test, she gets on relatively well with Velvet, and has kept her temper around Ragnar since that first meeting."

"I don't know Blake said sighing deeply. "I don't know how to go about it, I don't know how I'll react if Weiss spouts out about the Black Fang being evil. I know what we've become, but, there was a time when we were fighting the good fight against people like her and her family."

"Then stay here for the night and think about it, prepare yourself for what it could be. Just remember to keep an open mind, and don't go into it with preconceived notions. Weiss is just as much of a product of her family than you are from your experiences. Okay?"

"Okay," Blake said after a moment. She opened her scroll and texted Yang her plan for the evening, getting back a large emoticon with cat ears and a grinning face, which caused her to roll her eyes even as her lips twisted into a smile. Beni hummed inquisitively and Blake replied. "Just thought of a major reason to go forward with telling my team: Yang has promised to lay off the cat puns if I do."

Beni laughed returning to her tea as Blake pulled up a book on her scroll, sighing and leaning back comfortably in the chair.

A few moments later the door to the suite opened and Glynda trooped in, closing it with a final thump before moving over to a chair. She glanced quizzically at Blake, but decided not to question the quiet student's presence, instead leaning back in her chair and putting her feet upon the coffee table between them with a faint sigh. "The political maneuvering and everything is organized for the day, I have to do a formal after action report, but that can wait until the morning. The last Vacuo team has arrived, and we are all formally off-duty."

"You shouldn't fight in high heels," Beni said mock sternly, handing over a cup of tea to her friend as she sat down next to her. Would you like a foot massage?

"Glynda cocked one eye open at to look at the younger woman, then nodded gratefully as she took the cup. "I would love one please.'

Beni nodded, and slowly removed Glynda's high heels, before putting her hands first on one foot then the other, kneading the arches of her feet with both hands. "I've already set up an appointment for the both of us at one of the town's beauticians, we might have to have some pictures taken afterwards, but that is a small price to pay I think. Still, this should do for tonight."

"Oh my word," Glynda muttered, her head lolling back as she fought down a slight moan as Beni got to work on her feet. "Oh yes, that is just what the doctor ordered, oh that feels good!"

Watching this Blake blushed, staring at the two teachers before shaking her head rapidly and turning her attention to the book in her hands. No, don't let your imagination run wild, just don't! They're just good friends, and fighting in high heels is no doubt painful, that's all there is to it. Glancing up, she caught a look in Beni's eyes before looking back down. Right?

OOOOOOO

As Blake was enjoying the peace and quiet while fighting back some salacious thoughts about two of their professors, the other teams were looking to blow off some steam. Most of them anyway. Ragnar and Brutus's teams had simply crashed in their rooms, only Brutus having any kind of energy to spare.

Team GRNG and team SAIL pulled off duty now that the last team from Vacuo had arrived, came together in one of their rooms in the hotel. Both teams had a shared passion for Cards Against Remnant, and this seemed a perfect time to have a major game.

CFVY, JNPR, and RWBY came together in their shared suite, minus Jaune, Ren and at first the other boys and Ranma. Jaune had been taken away by his older sister, both to remonstrate with him about being involved in the fight and to catch up after not having seen each other for so long. Team JNPR's other resident male was unconscious in his their room, with Nora nearby nodding off too. She had a lot of endurance, but when she reached her limit, Nora crashed hard.

Pyrrha and Ruby, who had beaten Yang into the shower as Yang talked to Ranma, were the first out of the showers. Pyrrha sat down in the sitting area, pulling out a scroll to send a message to her mother about what had happened, why she had been involved in a fight of this level despite only being a freshman and a short, concise report about her fight with the Hydra. She knew her mother would want to know, and would realize why she had challenged it.

Once that was done, she began to play with her hair, slowly stroking a brush from the bathroom down it, smiling fondly over at Ruby who had been telling her about how it had gone with her own father.

Nearby Coco and Velvet came out of their own room together, Coco looking as if she was ready to head out for a night on the town, while Velvet was dressed in possibly the cutest pair of sleepwear that Pyrrha had ever seen, a full body suit made of flannel with poufy sleeves and patches of different color here and there. "Where did you buy those? I have to get I pair for myself." Pyrrha asked.

"They are adorable aren't they?" Coco replied for her friend smugly. "I bought those for Velvet for the first birthday she had after we formed CFVY. We can go shopping when we are back in Vale if you like."

About 20 minutes of discussion passed through between the three girls about fashion before Weiss joined them, with Ruby only taking part in the discussion when it touched on pajamas. After a moment asking about Blake, Weiss joined the conversation seamlessly turning it into a discussion on the latest fashions in Atlas and Vale.

About five minutes after that, Yang finally finished her own shower, coming out dressed in nothing but a bathroom towel, tied loosely around her waist, so loose her chest threatened to burst out. As Weiss and Ruby stared at her in shock, the blonde bombshell flopped down into one of the sofas, crossing her legs and sticking them out as she stretched dramatically. "God there is nothing like a shower after a hard fight!"

"Tell me about it!" Coco said chuckling and making no comment about the girl's state of undress besides giving her an appreciative once over. Velvet was blushing a little, shaking her head at the younger girl's lack of shyness. "Although I could wish they had more beauty products here. The soap these hotels half is just so low-brow."

"I want some better shampoo," Yang said with a firm nod. "Is it too late to add that to the list we sent the boys out for?"

"Probably," Coco said sign sadly. "I know that my teammates would never agree to buy that kind of thing for me."

"Really, I thought you would've had them whipped after a year or so together," Yang said with a laugh.

"I like my boys feisty," Coco said with a chuckle of her own, insinuating something far dirtier which only Yang and Velvet caught. Velvet blushed brightly, looking away while Yang roared with laughter, reaching over to share a fist bump with the slightly older girl.

That was as far as their conversation to get before Weiss, who had been blushing ever hotter as Yang simply sat there shouted angrily at the girl. "Why are you just using that robe!? It's unseemly and the boys will be back soon! Get changed at once you, you shameless flirt!"

"Hey, it's not my fault the robes aren't big enough to cover all this magnificence princess," Yang replied with a laugh. "And I didn't bring any change of clothing, I'd have to get back into my Huntress garb, which is dirty and torn in place. In fact, how are you looking so pristine?"

"My clothing is always pristine, and unlike you I don't allow the Grimm to ever touch me," Weiss said, tossing her hair back arrogantly. "But as for clothing, I suppose I can help you out there."

Pulling out the same credit card she had flashed earlier that day Weiss stood up sharply, and moved towards the nearest phone calling down to the concierge. "Yes, this is Weiss Schnee in the penthouse, we need some clothing set up. Something simple and comfortable, send up a variety if you can in size… Yang, what is your size?"

Yang smirked, crossing her arms under her chest before reciting her three sizes, not just her waist size. Weiss recited them into the phone, her face blank before she turned to glare at the blonde. "You're how big!?"

To one side Ruby pouted, looking away as what Yang replied smugly reciting her sizes once again as Weiss glared at her. Even Velvet and Coco felt rather jealous at the younger girl's proportions. Her waist was actually thinner than Coco's and she was a full size chestier, a hard to beat combination.

Pyrrha on the other hand did not. She was not very body conscious like that, and saw no reason to feel jealous of anyone in that department. To her mind it was simply a pointless waist of energy.

With a sigh Weiss got off the phone, clicking it down swiftly. "They'll send a selection up."

"They don't have to on my account, I'm fine just like this," Yang said with a taunting little smile which segued into a more flirtatious one after a moment. "In fact, maybe I'll greet the boys like this. I'd really like to see Ranma's reaction to it."

"That is our professor you're talking about Xiao Long!" Weiss barked while Pyrrha frowned as some unusual feeling once more went through her. What is that I wonder, and why does it accompany the issue of me stabbing Yang in the hair with Milo?

"Yes, and if you flash my boy toys I'm going to have to hurt you. Foxy's mine, and I've done far too much to see Yatsu finally realize he and Velvet are a couple to let you derail things," Coco said mock-sternly.

As Yang held up a hand and protested her innocence, Velvet blushed so red it looked as if she was about to have a heart attack. "Coco! You know it's not like that," she squealed.

'Velvet, Velvy, my dear Velvet-cake, you know not what you speak. I've seen the looks you two shoot one another whenever you think the other isn't looking," Coco cooed. "Your naiveté is cute, but don't tell me you don't want to jump that hunk like you did that last carrot cake."

As Velvet's ability to speak degenerated into a series of stutters, Yang smirked. "Alright, so I won't push the boys to go full Neanderthal. Instead, maybe we should talk about how to give Velvet and Yatsu that final little push hmmm?"

Groaning quietly Ruby retreated under her ever present hood, something Velvet wished she could do as Coco grabbed her arm. "Now there's an idea!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and moved over to sit by Ruby, pulling out her scroll and shaking her head. "Here Ruby, there are a few weapons in here my aunt asked me to look at…"

Thankfully for the two redheads Weiss was able to head off any further discussion of the romantic nature, quickly engaging Coco in a discussion on sales and shopping in Vale. Yang huffed at that, before taking Pyrrha's brush which she had finished with and slowly working it through blonde tresses.

This religious moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. "That was fast!" Yang said, getting up to answer before any of the other girls could stop her.

Weiss shrieked, getting up quickly and moving past her to answer the door. "Darn it Yang have some modesty why don't you!? What if it was a boy out there!"

Yang shrugged. "They can look all they want so long as they don't try to touch. They try, they die," she said simply.

Thankfully for Weiss's peace of mind it was not one of the hotel workers on the other door side of the door. Instead it was a short girl, shorter even than Weiss with multicolored hair. "And who are you?"

Yang looked over the shorter girl's shoulder, and her eyes narrowed. "You were with that girl that stayed the night in Ranma's room right? What are you doing here?"

Neapolitan shrugged, gesturing around them as if to indicate the town, then her own two feet. After that, she reached behind her and pulled up off the floor a large pack of hard lemonade, before flashing dozens of movies in her other hand. You were in the area and wanted to help out, um, wait why are we talking in charades?" Weiss asked, before she was elbowed to the side as Yang reached for the hard lemonade.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! You're all right with me midget." Yang said, taking the heavy pack of drinks in one hand easily before moving over to the others.

Neo glared at the taller girl not at all amused by the nickname before shrugging and moving into the room despite Weiss still standing in the doorway spluttering. Coco looked up, her eyes narrowed behind her ever present sunglasses, staring thoughtfully at the multi-haired girl. "Nice hair," she said mildly. "And you come bearing gifts. What's your name little lass?"

Neopolitan pointed out her hair, then made shrinking signs with her hands "Politan or neo?" Coco guessed and the girl held up two fingers.

And why aren't you talking?" Coco asked bluntly. Neo looked at her, then shrugged her shoulders and made a gesture towards her mouth and throat with one hand.

Nodding Coco gestured her to join them. She did however keep one eye on the girl.

"She's a friend of Ranma's Yang said with a shrug. "Don't know how they met up."

With that Yang looked at the new girl who shrugged her shoulders, stood up quickly, and made to dance in place for a moment, pointing up then gesturing down with her fingers spread as if sprinkling something. "From the dance club?" Yang guessed and Neo nodded. "You're not friends with those two skank are you?" Yang asked seriously.

Neo rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, turning away from that discussion.

"Well whatever, now put one of those movies on, a romantic comedy. I'm not in the mood for an action flick I think," Coco ordered, gesturing to Pyrrha who was the closest to the TV. Pyrrha sighed but obliged getting up and moving towards the TV leaning over it for a moment as she recited the names of the movies already present, and the ones that Neo dropped to the floor beside her.

The girls voted quickly, finding an old-style Asian film that mixed up a bit of action with a lot of comedy, one that Velvet of all people swore by for its romantic scenes being "just hilarious to watch!"

About ten minutes into the movie they were interrupted once by a concierge coming up with a change of clothing for Yang, then again about twenty minutes after that as Ranma and the two boys of team CVFY came back. Ranma entered the room, moving towards the kitchen to drop off their foodstuffs, then stopped staring in Neo. Instead of questioning her very presence however he simply groaned. "And here I thought I bought enough ice cream."

The girls all parked up, but none more than Neo t those words, and Ranma pulled out several large tubs of different flavors of ice cream out of his aura space.

Neo immediately rushed to it, grabbing one of the tubs and moving over to one of the chairs closest to the TV, plopping herself down once more and stretching out so that no one else could join her there. "interesting friend of yours Ranma," Coco said softly, glancing towards the girl again. There was just something about the way she moved, he way her eyes looked at you that put Coco on edge.

"You don't know the half of it," Ranma said with a laugh, "Still, so long as you keep her fed with ice cream she's manageable."

Neopolitan glared at him for that one then shrugged as if to say 'okay yeah can't deny that'.

"Well that's nice and all but I want something a bit more filing than frozen dairy produce," Yang cut in, moving into the kitchen to join Ranma, swiftly joined by Ren, who had woken up as the boys trooped in.

He simply looked at them shrugging his shoulders and gesturing over to where Nora had followed him out of their room, slinking into one of the chairs and actually nuzzling up into Velvets side, before nearly falling asleep again. "Pancakes for Nora," he said simply. "She needs her fix."

Ranma rolled his eyes, but he and Yang quickly got the cooking. "Where are Beni and Blake?" Ranma asked. "I saw Jaune begin dragged off by his sister on our way back."

"Blake needed some quiet time after today, and Beni to I suppose." Yang replied, "She might've already been cooking for herself and Glynda."

"So what kind of movies are we watching?" Ranma asked, looking over his shoulder at the TV before grimacing. "A romantic comedy really?"

"Well I suppose since you boys are here, we can have another vote," Coco drawled, waving her hand magnanimously.

"Good!" Said Ren, Ranma and Yatsuhashi, while Fox just nodded, staring with his blank eyes at Coco who huffed, but stared back just as intently.

The girls continued to watch their movie until dinner was prepared, simple fair for the most part and a lot of it to go around hungry Hunters, before they situated themselves in the sitting room to watch a new movie. This one was an action comedy, quickly made funnier as Ranma Coco and Yang seamlessly began to fall into an act like the three characters from Mystery Science Theater 3000.

This had everyone in stitches quickly. But after the day's exercises, most of them simply couldn't stay up for very long once they had full bellies and some alcohol in many of their systems, only Pyrrha and Ruby not having indulged. Most of them fell asleep where they were as the movie continued in the background.

None of them noticed how Neo had begun to question Ranma during the movie, or how swiftly she exited the room after they had all fallen asleep. She hadn't learned any real new information from Ranma, but the girls, Ruby especially, had been much more upfront about what they'd seen him do during the battle. That would have to do for now.

OOOOOOO

The next two days went by far too quickly for the young Hunters in Waypoint as Glynda, Tacticus and Waypoint's mayor worked together to put the town back in order. In this, Glynda's power of telekinetic control was invaluable. Lilla Arc led teams of Hunters out into the surrounding forest, though the teams of students were mainly left behind. Sometimes a few of the partner pairs were sent with the experienced teams, but for the most part they stayed in the town, ostensibly to guard it but really just to rest. Even the Aura monsters like Jaune and Yang were sore after the fight they had been in.

At the same time they also continued their training under Ranma and the other teachers' watchful eyes. Yang, Pyrrha, and Ranma began to train the next day, which also proved to be the first time Ranma had to deal with Pyrrha in the morning.

Pyrrha groaned, turning away and mumbling burrowing deeper into the pillow to one side of her, which oddly enough grunted in turn, pushing away slowly. Pyrrha wrapped her arms around it, and only began to wonder about her pillows actual nature when she head to fight back a sneeze as some hair got in her nose. A giggle from nearby and the sudden click of a scroll taking a picture made her open one bleary, bloodshot eye to glare in the direction of the noise, hurling a bowl which was the closest thing

It was at that point Yang realized she had been using a sleeping Ruby as a body pillow. She eeped, moving away quickly only to fall off the end of the sofa she, Ruby and Weiss had been using the evening before with a thump.

This caused Yang to laugh at her again, along with Ranma, who was standing by the kitchen counter which separated the kitchen area from the rest of the penthouse suite. On the counter next to him were several bags of bagels.

Pyrrha reluctantly pushed herself to her feet, moving over to the two of them so as to not wake up the others scattered all around the suite. The only ones missing were Ragnar and his team, Coco, Fox and Jaune. "What are you up to," she asked, only then noticing that Jaune wasn't there. "And where is Jaune?"

"Jaune stayed with his sister and her team last night, mainly to catch up with his sister and call his family. He'll be back this afternoon when Lilla's team heads out for their patrol. Port should be free by then. He's going to give Jaune some one-on-one training to see if we can help him activate his Semblance." Ranma explained.

"That makes sense," Pyrrha replied. "And I suppose you two are heading out to train? Would you mind if I joined you?" Despite the difficulty she faced in actually waking up most mornings, Pyrrha was really interested in starting to train with Ranma.

"Sure, if you didn't look like you were going to fall asleep on your feet," Ranma replied with a smirk.

"That is what coffee is for," Pyrrha shot back tartly, rubbing at her eyes with the back of one hand in a way that struck Ranma as being incredibly cute for some reason.

Yang hid a grimace, but couldn't think up a reason to block Pyrrha from joining them that wouldn't sound either made up or jealous, which she didn't want. The best she could come up with was, "Are you sure you're good to go from Yesterday Pyrrha? You really pushed yourself in that fight against the Hydra, and you don't have my Semblance's ability to turn damage into Aura."

Pyrrha grunted at that, but still nodded. This nod became a little too deep, and Yang and Ranma watched as her eyes closed once more as she stood there nearly falling forward. Rolling her eyes and feeling a little silly about her earlier worry, Yang put an arm around Pyrrha's shoulder, pulling her in the direction of one of the rooms. "Come on then Red, let's get you dressed."

The two of them returned soon, and found Ranma had made up some coffee and tea for them. "What no balaclava or Mame-daifuku, this morning? I'm disappointed." Yang teased, grabbing up the tea as Pyrrha took a sip from the coffee, becoming pleasantly surprised when she detected some chocolate in there, as well as quite a bit of milk.

"Meh, what'd you give me for pampering ya like that?" Ranma asked, keeping his voice down as Yang had. The others were still asleep, though he had been surprised that Fox and Yatsuhashi hadn't joined them yet. Or rather he had been, until he noticed Yatsuhashi asleep in the center of the suite with Velvet curled up alone on a sofa, while team CFVY's room was locked, a sock on the doorknob. Even Ranma knew what that meant.

"Hmm, how about a kiss~?" Yang asked, running a finger up Ranma's chest and then along the side of her neck. "I'm sure we could work out some kind of trade…"

"I, uh, I don't think so, no…" Ranma blushed but didn't move away, staring into Yang's violet eyes.

Pyrrha looked at them over her coffee mug. The sight of the two of them flirting should have at best amused her. Pyrrha came from a culture that was quite open about affection between couples. But for some reason Pyrrha felt herself… not irritated precisely, but disturbed at some level, just as she had the day before watching Yang cling to Ranma.

She set her coffee mug down resolutely, gesturing to the door. "Come on you've got me up now, let's get to it before I decide to just go back to bed."

Nodding, Ranma led them not out of the hotel but up to the roof. "I scouted this out earlier, and I thought it would be a good place to train. There isn't really any place in the town we could use really, unless we head out past the walls."

The two girls nodded, talking quietly to one another about the battle yesterday, commenting not on their own parts in it but those of their teammates. The consensus was that Weiss and Ruby were the real surprises of the day, though Yang had known how lethal her little sister could be going into the battle. To her, it was Ruby's ability to command that really came as a surprise.

"By the way, who won that contest?" Pyrrha asked absentmindedly as they exited the elevator and moved to the stairs leading up out onto the roof.

"I think it was either me, Port or Glynda, though since Glynda wasn't actually part of the contest, I suppose it's me or Port. Doesn't really matter though since we never set the stakes." Ranma replied.

Yang huffed. "I still say it should have been straight kills, no weighting them based on size."

"You would still have lost then. Or didn't Nora do a lot of damage with those grenades of hers?" Pyrrha asked innocently.

Yang mock-growled at the other girl as Ranma pushed open the door onto the roof. She moved forward past him, staring at the sun coming up over the horizon, a wide smile on her face as the first rays of the sun hit her. Beside her Pyrrha too watched, smiling. "So pretty…"

Beside them, Ranma bowed his head, praying to the Sun God Amaterasu before standing upright, pushing Pyrrha in the shoulder. "See, there are some good things about getting up this early, isn't there?"

"Mmmm I suppose so, though it isn't something I can see becoming a habit." Pyrrha replied, turning to him with a smile on her face while Yang laughed.

For just a moment as Pyrrha looked at him, her green eyes shining and a smile on her face, with the backdrop of the sun and her red hair, Ranma blushed, nearly struck dumb by just how amazing she looked. Holy hell, she is really gorgeous… just as much as Yang, if not more.

He shook it off quickly though and moved back, gesturing to the two girls. "Okay, let's get started. I think some stretches, then a few minutes sparring two on one to start, then I'll want to work some more kicks into your style Yang. At the same time, I'll work with you Pyrrha on using your Semblance in new and unusual ways. Sound good?"

Both girls nodded, moving into a few stretches.

Later that day the other teens woke up, and soon found themselves paired off with different teachers, with Fox and Ren joining Ranma's training. To her chagrin, Nora was not allowed to join Ren, instead working with Port along with Yatsuhashi and Jaune. Coco was dragged off by Glynda to help in the organization efforts. Ren joined Ruby, Velvet and Weiss under Beni's instruction. The older redhead taught them several different endurance exercises, as well as meditation exercises designed to get them more in touch with and help them enlarge their Aura reserves. Beni also went out of her way to help Blake get used to and even practice how she was going to tell her team about her past. Ren received much the same, but Ranma also started to train him in creating his own Aura space.

Pyrrha didn't get much in the way of physical that first day, but she and Ranma worked until she was nearly exhausted coming up with new ways to use her Semblance. They first tried metal filings. A cloud of small metal filings spiraled around Pyrrha between her and Yang who cocked her fist back expectantly. "Ready Pyr?"

"Ready!" Pyrrha replied, her brow furrowed in concentration, her Aura noticeably glowing around her.

The next instant she grunted as the first shotgun blast burst through her makeshift shield. Narrowing her eyes she concentrated even harder, condensing the cloud of metal filings to half the original size. That blocked Yang's next assault, but the shield exploded under the impact.

"Hmm, so metal filings won't work very well, unless you're able to hold them in place. I think we should give this one a miss. It takes too much concentration, and isn't really tough enough." Ranma mused.

Yang nodded seriously while Pyrrha gasped in deep lungfuls of air. "Yeah, I don't think that works as a defense. As an attack, I don't see it doing much either, not enough stopping power. Unless you used needles instead of metal filings?"

They tried to step up the size of the bits of metal, and found that ones of about a toenail's length worked best. Pyrrha could control them easily enough, and they could be used for both attack and defense. It did however take far too much concentration for Ranma to say it could ever be used in a fight. He frowned, staring down at the multiple heaps as he began to think. "Hmm… I wonder… I need to think about this some more Pyrrha, sorry. I think we might be onto something with the metal bits in terms of defense. Maybe come up with a way to install a holding spot in your shield then enlarge it using that method?"

Before Pyrrha could reply, Ranma went on. "However for now I think we need to work on your ability to concentrate on both maintaining your control over these objects as well as other things."

"Yes, it was rather hard to keep the scrap all together, I doubt I could do that in… what are you doing?" Pyrrha trailed off, looking as Ranma reached into his so-called Aura space pocket, pulling out numerous small, bullet shaped balls of rubber. Or at least she thought they were rubber, but then one or two of them evidently were clear rubber containers of some sort filled with liquid, which sloshed noticeably as Ranma rolled them in his hands.

Ranma smirked at her, then looked over at Yang, who had begun to chuckle evilly. She took a stance as Ranma addressed Pyrrha. "Well, the best way to get used to concentrating on that kind of technique while also doing something else is to, heh, practice it. So with that, dodge!" he suddenly shouted, tossing one of the paint balls toward her.

But to his surprise Ranma's assault didn't take Pyrrha from surprise. Pyrrha quickly summoned Akuo to her using it to block the rubber ball, while also dancing around Yang's charge. She laughed, rolling away further attacks as she began to concentrate, pulling the small metal bits around her arm like a floating suit of armor. "You're going to have to do better than that!"

"Oh you shouldn't'a said that…" Ranma drawled, tossing more and more rubber balls the redhead's way. Yang too laughed, that is until Ranma accidently tagged her in the hair with one of the small paint balls.

Both Pyrrha and Ranma stopped moving for a moment as Yang slowly reached up to the back of her head, where a bright green paint ball had smashed into and of course exploded against and into her hair. She then looked over to Ranma her eyes changing from lilac to red in an instant. "DIE!" she screamed, racing toward Ranma.

"Um, training over for now I thinkKK!" Ranma yelped, ducking under a furious punch by the equally furious blonde. Rolling away, Ranma then bounced up and out over the rooftops and away. Yang went after him with a bellow of rage, leaving Pyrrha, spattered with paint and exhausted, to fall to her knees laughing her head off as she watched her friends disappear over the rooftops.

OOOOOOO

Elsewhere in the city, Weiss had begged off of exercising for an hour. Instead, she was knocking on the door to the room assigned to Brutus' team during their time in Waypoint. It wasn't in the hotel, rather a small apartment designed for Hunter teams. She was actually quite nervous, the seniors having somewhat intimidated her the day before with their level of professionalism and lethality.

Thankfully for her, the person she was here to talk to answered the door. The girl she knew as Trixie stood in a plain black t-shirt and spats, her short spiky black hair, looking like she had just oiled it, her metal piercings from yesterday replaced by multi-colored ones. She cocked her head looking at Weiss, then sighed and gestured to the room behind her. "Suppose you better come in then Weissie."

Flushing slightly at the old childhood nickname Weiss bit her lip to stop her first response, following the girl inside, where she found the main room of the apartment had been converted to a room much like the dorm rooms back in Beacon. Naomi and Ian were still asleep, both of them simply flopped out onto their beds still sleeping from yesterday's exertions, though Brutus was gone. Trixie led through that area to the outer balcony, flopping into one of the chairs there. "So, you've no doubt got questions Schnee, why don't we just get them out of the way quickly?"

Weiss sat down primly across from the older girl, still staring at her. "Trixie, I, I know why you ran away from home. Trying to marry you off like Lime Brindenburg was trying, well that's just barbaric! I, my father will never win any rewards for, for being a good man or father, but even he would never try something like that with me or Winter. But, but you've changed so much! What happened!?"

The Trixie Brandenburg that Weiss had remembered from when she was younger had long black hair she always wore loose down to her rear, something she had always been very proud of. She had also been a, well Yang would probably have called Trixie Brandenburg a girly girl, if a somewhat athletic sort. It had been Trixie and her older sister who had kept the ponies that Weiss had told her friends about when they were talking during initiation.

But Trixie had run away from home several years ago and indeed all of Atlas when her cousin had gained control of the family. Lime Brandenburg was a chauvinistic asshole who made Cardin look like an understanding, empathic individual in comparison. Lime was very vocal about his opinion that a woman's place was in the home, popping out babies, but he was such a good businessman that the family tolerated his opinions. Luckily, Isapis Brandenburg had already been married by the time Lime gained control of the family.

"Well, I've been out and about on my own for four years Weiss, and it's been even longer since ya last saw me." Trixie drawled. "I had to look out for myself for a year, then entered Beacon, where I met Naomi, Ian and Brutus pretty much right off the bat. Since I have some anger fucking issues, I decided to pair with the three of them. My knowledge of computer work and rocketry led me to building my little gyros. Now if I didn't always fucking run out of them I'd be a happy girl."

Rolling her eyes at how she had gone off topic, Trixie explained some of how she had escaped Atlas, leaving several of her family's security guards behind her unconscious. Once she had reached a port she had force-activated her Semblance by the simple expedient of paying an Ex-Hunter to do it for her, and from there made her way by sea to Vale. "And my name's not Brandenburg anymore, my name's Andrea Furvus, got it?"

"I, I understand, and far be it from me to comment on how strange it is to see someone from our station as a Hunter. But, but your looks, and your hair! I , you were so proud of your hair, I never met anyone who was more proud of her hair until I met my teammate Yang Xiao Long." Weiss said, staring first at the short spiky hair and then at the number of piercings the other girl had.

"Our station? Hah, all that high end crap doesn't matter out on the pointy end Weiss, the faster you realize that the better. The Grimm sure as shit don't care about it, and I bet your teammates don't care about where you're from either, only what you can do." Andrea retorted. As for my looks, well, some of it came about as a way to hide who I was, the rest, the rest is all fucking me! Can you imagine how liberating it is to be able to curse and bitch and moan and drink and generally carouse without anyone trying to stop me or running to my family about it?"

Weiss gulped, looking away, somewhat distressed by how different Andrea was from Trixie. Was she really like that underneath all the time? Good grief, and I though my family was a pressure cooker. At least I always had my sister, and I knew that my father would at least not sell me off, regardless of his high expectations. "I, I've already begun to learn that thank you. But if you think I'm going to cut my hair like you have, you can think again."

"Hah, you wouldn't look good with short hair anyway, you're too short as it is. But tell me, what brought one of the Schnee daughters to become a Huntress?"

OOOOOOO

While the teams which had been involved in the battle of Waypoint were recovering, the Vale Council was busy using the publicity of the successful defense of the city far and wide pushing their pro-hunter training program. Ranma might not quite have understood how serious a matter this was, but Grimm attacks of this nature were so very rarely stopped without tremendous loss of life it was both a moment to celebrate and a mystery to those in power despite having Glynda's written reports to go over.

They also began to put pressure on Ozpin, not to follow their demands on Beacon's curriculum. Indeed, they were willing to give there, as well as enlarge the school's budget. But they had some demands for him in turn, which made Ozpin's eyes narrow in irritation behind his glasses. After having proven wrong in their hidden foes using the attack as a cover to find Amber, he was in no mood to give in to the demands of politicians who were so afraid they hid their faces even from their most important allies. "Out of the question councilors. I will agree to allow Brutus and his team to graduate early. They are already at a professional level, they only need to sit final exams and receive their licenses. But as for advancing the other teams, that is something I will not condone."

"Ozpin, you've seen the footage! Can you say that you can teach the likes of Pyrrha Nikos, this Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel, Yatsuhashi Daishi or any of the others anything they do not already know in terms of combat?" Asked one of the councilors, his image shaking it's head.

"Ozpin you know that after the fall of Semaphore in Vacuo the need for Hunters being visible throughout our nation and in Vacuo has never been greater. And that only one out of every three teams you graduate are good enough to operate out past human habitations. We lost seven ships recently on a cross ocean run to Mistral, all hands lost because they didn't have enough protection." Another councilmen said, his voice coming over as grim and understanding in turns despite the software muddying his voice. "On top of that, this has never happened before, a full Grimm incursion smashed to pieces with so little loss of life."

"We've been getting calls, hell demands from Mistral for us to send this team JNPR there thanks to a few recent incursions of Grimm in their northernmost valleys. Having the teams who stopped the Grimm at Waypoint on call and loaning them out to Mistral to help there would earn us some major clout publicly and politically." Another councilman chimed in.

"You pick out the best combatants among the teens with malice aforethought councilors," Ozpin retorted. "A team is like a chain, they are only as strong as their weakest link. Young Ms. Rose is also a minor. Her skills are immense, her youth and ability to plan a detriment. Ms. Schnee has already come a long way in terms of working with others, but her endurance and knowledge of the world is still far too low to consider advancing her team. Jaune Arc is unpolished, Lie Ren has endurance issues, and Nora issues with controlling herself. Not every problem can be solved by bashing it's head in with a hammer after all. No councilors, I will not allow the freshman teams, who should never have even been involved in the battle in the first place, be advanced beyond their abilities."

"What about the other teams, CFVY, RUST and the senior teams, GRNG and SAIL?" asked another councilman. "I agree with you about Ruby Rose, she is far too young to be advanced further. But that is not the case with the other teams."

"…Perhaps, though I would ask you wait on team CFVY. They are after all only sophomores themselves, there is much was can teach them still."

"Bah, not from what I saw, though I'll admit that the few videos we've seen concentrated on the Invincible Girl. And I still say we should be able to make better use of her and this Xiao Long girl at the very least, they took out a Hydra for goodness sake!" the first senator said again.

"I still think we should wait until after the Vytal Festival to do anything at least. Having those teams represent us would be a massive PR boon, especially having Nikos, a Mistrali native, competing for Vale instead of Mistral."

The conversation continued from there, with the councilors continuing to first cajole then pressure Ozpin to try and speed up the freshman teams' training. Cajolery didn't work, nor pressure of course, Ozpin knew where entirely too many bones were buried for any of the councilors to really have any leverage over him. That didn't stop them from flapping their gums uselessly for hours on end however, but he eventually had to agree to let them be sent on low-key missions, show the flag type of missions, so long as they always had a teacher nearby just in case. And he had not been able to completely dissuade their interest in Ranma either. It was a sign of a shift in the council that Ozpin didn't quite like, but he couldn't stop it. His power as head of Beacon was immense, but not that great in terms of how much power he could bring to bear against the councilors. He could manipulate them he could not entirely turn them away.

Later that night Ozpin leaned back in his office chair, sighing as one hand kneaded his bum thigh as he reread Glynda's report. Her report to him was somewhat more detailed than the one she had sent to the council, though that one had closely matched the final news conference she had given after the crisis had passed. Ozpin's went into detail on Ranma's abilities and the impact of his activating his Semblance, which the official line barely touched on, simply saying that a Beacon teacher had killed the Dryder soon after it had shown itself.

Fascinating. If not for the combat ability he showed, I would have thought this was Spring's doing. But that is impossible. Could Ranma really have some kind of emotive-response Semblance? Or could he have found some other kind of power out there in the Grimm Lands? I am going to have to question him very closely on that when they return. And of course I will also have to meet with James when he arrives, and see to Amber. Still, I think in many ways, the mystery around Ranma could be the most important thing to look into...

End Chapter

This is a transition chapter. I had actually written up a full battle between Ozpin and Cinder, but then I realized there was no way someone so cautious as Cinder would allow herself to be tricked into a confrontation with Ozpin at this point. Not when she can be so much more dangerous from the shadows, and had basically been ordered not to by her patroness. I had also written up some notes on a few more serious scenes, but couldn't quite hit the right tone in them - all the characters sounded the same to me. Argh.

However, I am generally speaking happy with the chapter - lots of interaction, Ranma realizing how attractive Pyrrha is as well as Yang, and Blake and Yang having a quick but rather deep heart to heart. I also set up a way to remove the main characters from the school in the future, which will let me both break further from canon, and explore the rest of the world. So there will be a lot more world building and character interactions outside of school going forward. Thank goodness.

Anyway, hope you all liked it, and as always please review!