A/N: Hello friends, it's been a while (again). Once again, I'm sorry for the infrequent updates, but life happens. Recently it's been hard to get the motivation to write, especially with only a small amount of feedback. A new semester at university has started as well, so I may be uncomfortably busy. We'll see though. On a happier note, I can't wait for patch 4.1! It looks really good so far. Return to Ivalice soon! RWBY volume 5 will be releasing at a similar time, so October will be a fun month.

Anyways, here's the chapter!

Chapter 16

The Town of Laden – Weiss

"Can't help ya here, miss. Sorry."

The former heiress sighed, and muttered out a tired thanks to the shop owner.

This isn't working.

For several hours now she had been scouring the town for any hint of smugglers or airship owners who could help them leave the continent. So far, she had absolutely no luck. She checked a map, received from the owner of the inn. Laden was a fairly advanced town, and not having any vehicles to help them navigate was quite the detriment.

Weiss ruffled her hair under her hood, hiding her identity once again. It wouldn't do to get spotted by any SDC informants. She groaned and checked the time on a nearby clock. It was almost time for her and Elway to meet back at the inn. She sighed, having nothing to show for her efforts. Elway suggested she investigate the middle of the town, which seemed to be the more well-off part. He claimed that she'd have an easier time connecting with the citizens here, but she knew he was trying to keep her from the potential dangers of the shadier outer district.

It'll be a while before he can make it back from the outskirts of Laden. Maybe I'll try looking for him first?

The map indicated that she was fairly close to the outer district of the town already. A short walk and she'd be there already.

"I suppose there's nothing else I can do for now." Weiss sighed to herself. She began walking towards the outskirts, mentally fatigued from the day's unfruitful efforts.

Unbeknownst to her, a suited figure watched her movements closely, closing their scroll.

The Town of Laden – Elway

"Anything that needs a strong arm or a quick wit, I've got your solution, free of charge!" A man in red shouted on the streets of Laden. "Simply put in a request for tomorrow here!"

A gathering of people had surrounded the man, curious and excited whispers about the stranger who took up any odd job scattered throughout the streets. All in one day, he had already gathered a small following of children and satisfied merchants claiming that he was "the real deal."

Elway smirked to himself.

The first step of gathering information was to create a solid network, after all.

He smiled to the small mass of people, passing them a blank list for them to put their requests in. Among the crowd were small business owners, some children, random employees and a few suspicious men, possibly trying to involve him in something illegal.

Just what I was looking for.

Elway watched carefully as each of the suspicious men took the list, writing down contact information. He committed each of their faces to memory. The mob began to disperse as their requests were written down. At the very back of the crowd, Elway made eye contact with a pair of narrowed blue eyes.

A pale, hooded girl, tapping her foot. Who seemed to be somewhat irritated. She walked forward, each step conveying her irritation clearly.

Oh, seven hells. Did I miss our meeting time?

"You missed our meeting time!" Weiss growled at him.

Ah. Knew it.

"Right. I apologize, but I was a bit busy." Elway could only bow his head apologetically. Weiss sighed, clearly tired.

"You're lucky I was coming to meet you, but oh well. What's done is done." Weiss shook her head softly. "More importantly, what's this? You're doing odd jobs? Don't we have more important things to attend to here?"

Elway motioned that she come closer, and spoke quietly.

"About that. I wasn't getting anywhere simply asking citizens about something clearly against the law. If anything, it seemed people would raise their guards around me. This is simply a way to find more potential leads."

"Well, okay. I can understand that much." Weiss nodded. "But won't it take time to get their trust and figure out who can help us?"

"Well, for that I have a task for you." Elway patted her on the shoulder. "There were a few suspicious people in the crowd just now. Perhaps one of them has the means to help us. Could I ask you to help me handle the odd jobs and watch any suspicious characters as they leave?"

"I see. So we can tell in advance if they have any means of transportation." Weiss concluded. "In particular, I suppose I should look out for any large compounds or hangars nearby?"

"Yes. That'd help us greatly. I am sorry to put you in potential danger, but you're capable. And you will be not be easily identified at the moment."

"You don't need to be concerned." Weiss said confidently, putting a hand on her hip. "Of course I can handle myself. Sounds like a plan."

"Alright then." Elway smiled. "We start tomorrow."

Laden Outskirts – Weiss

"I-I swear I'll pay for the job-"

The man's sentence was cut short by Elway's fist colliding with his face, sending him flying into a dumpster at the back of the alley, instantly blacked out. Weiss could only shake her head as Elway turned around to address her.

"That's the third flop today, Elway." Weiss sighed. "Are you sure this will work?"

"It has to. Otherwise we'll just be chasing our tails. Hell's bells," Elway cursed, slightly annoyed with the unfruitfulness of today's endeavors. "Do these men have no work ethic? Asking me to be their mercenary to kill off someone. If you've such a massive problem with them, do it yourselves!"

"Tell me about it…" Weiss digressed, also annoyed. "They could at least be subtle about it. They're not even trying to hide their selfish intent. How barbaric can you be?"

Elway kicked up a cloud of dust, frowning. He pulled up the list of people who had requested something of him. The next meeting with a suspicious character was in an hour. Enough time for a meal, he supposed.

"How about we settle down for a meal before the next?" Elway suggested with a smile. Weiss gave a relieved breath in response.

"Please. Between the requests we've been doing and the odd characters, I need a break." Weiss let her shoulders droop. Elway chuckled at her expense lightly. He closed his eyes as he smelled a delicious scent wafting from a nearby street. A quick glance told him that the scent was coming from a small café down the road. He recognized the place as one of the locations for a request earlier.

"Mmm. That smells great. Let's go there." Elway pointed out the café, and Weiss nodded eagerly, following suit.

"You know, you're quite the busybody." Weiss pointed out as they walked. "I figured it would have been easier to do those odd jobs halfway, but you made sure that each of their requests was satisfied to the letter. Minus the suspicious ones of course."

"But of course. Any job is worth doing well." Elway held up a finger, as if teaching a lesson. "And it will never hurt to serve those in need. You'll never know when the favor may come back around."

"True. I'm not used to it just yet."

"You'll get there, I'm sure." He gave Weiss a bright smile, pumping his fist.

An image of a girl in red smiling went through her mind.

They're really similar, now that I think about it.

"Of course I will!" Weiss smirked at him and brushed her hair back. She stopped in front of the open café door, peeking inside. "Ah, we're here."

The door opened abruptly, slightly startling the two.

"Oh, the two who helped up earlier today!" A motherly woman with brown hair in a ponytail greeted them. "Thank you again for helping us with deliveries, we've been shorthanded ever since those new laws have been driving people away from traveling."

"It's no problem at all." Elway bowed his head and laughed. "We're here as customers, this time."

"It would be my pleasure. Have a seat anywhere you like."

Elway and Weiss sat down by a window, observing the rather gloomy streets. A young waitress stopped by their table to place glasses and a pitcher of water down, and took their orders. The two discussed the various requests they had done throughout the day, until the owner of the café stopped by with their meals. She placed them down smoothly as their mouths began to water, and put down an extra plate.

"This one's on the house. Enjoy now!"

Weiss looked at the extra plate after thanking the owner, and a melancholy smile was instantly on her face.

Freshly baked cookies. Ruby would be ecstatic. I wonder how everyone is doing…

"Is something the matter?" Elway asked, about to dig in to his food.

"Nothing, really." Weiss answered softly. "I guess I was missing my friends a bit." She carefully picked up her utensils, fiddling with them.

"I meant it when I said Team RNJR was safe, you know." Elway took a small bite of his sandwich. "I can tell they're worried about you as well."

"That's slightly reassuring." Weiss smiled wryly. "It's just…"

"Would you like to rest longer?" Elway suggested, food put to the back of his mind for now. "I can handle the rest of the requests for today."

"No, I…" Weiss' hands balled into firsts, tightly gripping her cloak. Her face twisted in frustration, at odds with herself. "Actually, I think I do. Thank you."

"Take as much time as you need."

"It's just…" Weiss mumbled. "About them."

"Is it about the circumstances leading up to your separation?" Elway prodded. Weiss only gave a small nod.

"I've never felt so powerless. When…" Weiss whispered, struggling to find the proper words. "When Beacon fell, I ran away. When we should have stayed together."

"You had no choice in the matter. You were forced back to Atlas."
"Still, I could have done something!" Weiss countered. "With Yang, Blake, and even Pyrrha…"

"You mean the girl from Team JNPR?" Elway recalled the vision he saw with the Echo through Ruby. A girl who sacrificed herself for her friends. So that they may fight another day.

A hero.

"You knew about her?" Weiss' anguish was written on her face at this point. "None of us could do anything except for Ruby. And for that, I can't forgive myself."

"I know this may sound cold, but eventually you'll have to learn to live with it." Elway reprimanded her. "She gave her life for all of you. Do you intend to waste that sacrifice?"

"Of course not!" Weiss cried indignantly. "I just want to be stronger. I want to make a difference."

In response to that, Elway smiled brightly at her.

She said the same thing to her father. I know what I can do for her, then, Elway thought to himself.

"There you go." Elway ruffled her hair as she protested lightly. "Your life will change."

"How do you know?" Weiss asked softly.

"For one, the first step to change is the will to do so." Elway stated firmly. "And secondly, I'll make sure you obtain that strength. I swear it."

"Huh? You mean…"

"I'll show you personally. Prepare yourself, Weiss." Elway punched his palm with a gloved fist.

"I do have confidence in my skills. Idealistic as it may be, I can teach you what it means to be a hero."

Chapter 16 – The Will to Change

A/N: And that's it for this chapter. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I didn't want to leave you readers hanging. Here we have Weiss outing her insecurities, as well as Elway taking an active role in her growth. One part of the first arc I was not satisfied with was that Team RNJR didn't fight actively alongside Elway. Here I hope to change that with Weiss.

Honestly I'm hitting a big wall of writer's block at the moment. Again, it's hard to get the motivation to write with so little feedback. So please leave a review, even if it is short. Thank you for reading!