A large mob stampeded through the bustling streets of Vale, an amorphous blob comprised of raving fanatics, enthusiastic news reporters, and parasitic paparazzi members all bent on fulfilling one goal: find Pyrrha Nikos. Though they all shared a similar goal, their motives in doing so differed from person to person.

Fans only wanted an autograph, and/or have their photo taken with the famed champion of Mistral, while the creepier types sought out something much more, eh, unique, so to speak. New reporters and members of the less than reputable paparazzi were keeping an eye out for the next big scoop. The former adhered to their journalistic instinct, sniffing out a story that would be worthy of their audience's attention, while the latter merely did so to sate the masses lust for juicy, and more than often false, gossip like the bloodsucking leeches they were.

It had been half an hour now since the people had learned of Pyrrha Niko's presence in Vale, and they were still no closer to finding the elusive celebrity ever since she bolted from the scene with some other girl. The paparazzi wished they could've snapped a quick picture of the two moments before they left, it would've at least given them something to work with. They could just see the headlines that would rake in the dough,

'Pyrrha Nikos. Gallant gladiator going out with gangly girl?'

'Champion of Mistral found fleeing the scene with mysterious lover after being caught in a scandalous position.'

Hoo, boy. They would've had loads of fun with that.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all the chaos, two fashionable looking ladies carrying a set of shopping bags carefully navigated their way around the mob, making sure to act an inconspicuous as possible without being weird about it. Once they were sure to be out of view, and earshot, the two removed their sunglasses and hats, revealing themselves to be none other than Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos, looking absolutely fabulous as ever.

"I can't believe these disguises worked," Pyrrha spoke in wide disbelief.

"I can't believe these clothes were so cheap," Ruby smiled.

In order to lose the mob that were chasing the two of them, Ruby suggested changing their appearance and laying low for a while. So, they ducked into the nearest clothing store they could find, hoping no one there would recognize them, and made due with the selection. Although Pyrrha initially had her reservations about the idea, the results spoke for themselves so she won't argue. Not to mention they managed to snag some great looking clothes at only the fraction of the cost.

Ruby practically foamed at the mouth when she saw how ludicrously low the prices were, in spite of their situation. Five lien for a neat hat? Ten lien for a stylish dress? fifteen lien for a pair of designer sunglasses!? Goodness! It was almost as if the store was ran by a deranged lunatic!

Actually, come to think of it... they did hide out in a store called 'Crazy Carla's Bargain Bazaar: Home Of The Most Insane Deals,' emphasis on the word insane. The owner of the store, Carla herself, looked like she belonged in the loony bin. Bedraggled hair, twitchy bloodshot eyes, screaming in eldritch tongues when processing their purchases at the counter. They quite possibly missed all the telltale signs of Ruby's eventual transformation given how much they've gotten for so little...

That being said, the girls looked simply stunning in their new apparel, if a little... foreign.

Ruby was dressed in an excessively frilly Victorian era-esque gown with a trumpet hem, similar to her usual outfit but much more extravagant in nature. It was a rich sapphire blue in color, and hugged at her body firmly like any good gown should. As for accessories, she wore a pair of cat's eye shades, contrasting nicely with her snow white long brimmed sun hat. Simply put, she looked and felt like a fancy rich lady participating in one of those equally as fancy 'luncheons'.

As for Pyrrha, she wore a flamboyant dress inspired by middle eastern designs. It was colored a dark red, maroon if you're a stickler about the specific shade of red, accented with a bright golden trim. There were innumerable gilded rings sewn into the dress itself, with several pink ribbons coiling her body like a flowing mist. To top it all off, she wore a pair of rounded sunglasses and a moroccan style headdress decorated with all manner of gleaming trinkets. At a glance, one could mistaken her for a princess of some faraway kingdom of the shifting sands.

With these brilliant disguises, the two safely eluded the mob and all of its watchful eyes, hiding in plain sight until the excitement died down. Though that had yet to happen, they were free to walk around and continue their search for Jago all without drawing attention to themselves... well, more than they already have with their ridiculously garish outfits.

Regardless of their flashy fineries, the girls had been reduced to looking for Jago the old fashion way. They'd tried calling him through their scrolls, but he never answered. Either his scroll died or was broken when he got mobbed, they had no way of contacting him directly. Why he hadn't contacted them through any regular payphone though, that was the real mystery. It worried them, if only slightly.

Ah, well. At least they had no fear of him being mugged in broad daylight...

A/N: A very short chapter, I know. Just a quick scene starring our two favorite protagonists and their annoying dilemma to set up the next chapter. The next one is guaranteed to be longer, and will finally conclude the Jago Arc (pun not intended) which I feel has arguably stretched on for longer than it should have.

Have a great day everyone.