"I'm coming up with nothing." Oobleck said looking over the whole table of bowls and plates with strange designs.
"Maybe the designs themselves are significant?" Another research says.
Oobleck shakes his head as he tries to come up with combinations. "No, I'm not coming up with anything."
"Can I?" Alfarr asks walking in.
"Be my guest." Oobleck says.
Alfarr brings out his guardian book and starts looking through it at the symbols of each guardian until he stops and does a double take.
Oobleck raises an eyebrow at his reaction. "What is it?"
"Gar-ghoul." Alfarr says.
Everyone at the table looks confused. "What?" Most of them ask.
"This is the guardian Gar-ghoul's symbol." Alfarr says pointing it out in the book.
"You have to be kidding. So where is his materia?" Oobleck asks.
"I don't know, but I will leave this here for you to refer to." Alfarr says leaving the book behind.
"Hello you two." Alfarr says leaning onto a bench from behind it as he looks to Emerald and Cinder.
Emerald raises an eyebrow as Cinder smiles. "Hello my fun boy." She said now smirking.
"Well played." Alfarr says smirking at her.
Cinder chuckles. "Well played with what?"
"Beating us to the guardians." Alfarr says with a slight twitch knowing Emerald had already done her thing.
Cinder hums. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Alfarr chuckles. "And I suppose you decided to get a tattoo on your neck just yesterday."
"Oh he is mad." Emerald says smirking.
Alfarr laughs as he stands up before them before they all take out their weapons at each other and stop. "Just so you know, I hate you guys. If you haven't got it yet."
"Oh, I like you too." Cinder says.
Alfarr frowns and shakes his sword at her a bit. "Shut up. You even make a dangerous event happen. So…whoever gets the next one will decide a lot."
"Oh willing to bet for it?" Cinder asks.
Alfarr huffs. "Next materia and whatever you have left. Everything you took."
"How about a bit of the treasure in exchange you put up yourself?" Cinder says pushing his swords down and moves up and strokes his cheek.
Alfarr keeps frowning as he sheathes his swords as Emerald puts her guns away. "Only if you keep your end of the bargain."
"Oh, then you agree to be mine huh?" Cinder asks smirking.
Alfarr slaps her hand away. "I'll never be yours. In any way, unlike your boy toy." He said smirking a bit.
"Ok, I like that joke you started and never say never." Cinder says smirking.
Alfarr raises an eyebrow. "You will never get me. Grimms and guardians maybe, but never you."
"We shall see." Cinder says smirking, sending a shiver down Alfarr's spine.
Alfarr scoffs and quickly walks away. "Stupid woman."
"Whoa, you really want him?" Emerald asks.
"With him, it's so much easier with his knowledge on guardians." Cinder says.
Emerald raises an eyebrow. "You sure he would even go for it?"
"I have ways to convince him. One of which is you." Cinder says.
Emerald looks a bit shocked. "Wait, what?"
"You have sex appeal if you would use it." Cinder says.
Emerald says nothing, trying to figure out whether she was joking or being serious.
Cinder chuckles. "Well, go on and strut yourself to him."
"I can't tell if you are being serious or not…are all who use the bow like this?" Emerald asks.
Cinder raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure you aren't reading comics again?"
"Roman stole mine." Emerald admits sadly.
Cinder shakes her head. "Just get him."
"Yes ma'am." Emerald says sighing.
"Okay, all these surprises have to stop and just give it." Yang voiced for everyone as they stood in front of a warehouse looking building that was still being constructed.
Alfarr raises an eyebrow. "I was just here. They have all equipment and treasure here. Strange they would bring us here for those. They have enough people here."
"Where do you keep getting this info from?" Jaune asks.
"Junior." Alfarr says getting Yang to look at him.
"How the heck are you paying him? I doubt that these guys are you an allowance." Yang asks.
Alfarr holds up a gold coin.
Everyone stops and looks at it with some greed and surprise. "How…?" Someone asks as Weiss sighs and shakes her head.
"This is common currency in my village." Alfarr says as a few start smirking.
"Don't." RWBY team and some of the other close girls say to the others with glares.
"Blake, May, why are you defending him?" Weiss asks confused.
They both shrug. "He's respectable and it's almost kinda of the team's job to protect their friends and family." Blake said.
"We going to talk about that or we going to see what they gave us this time?" Alfarr asks.
They all try to head in while trying to get the idea of a cheap money grab out of their heads before they all stop at the sight inside. "Whoa. That's big." Jaune said as they see a large arena with some tables around the sunk in arena. "This is amazing."
Alfarr whistles looking around. "Take a look at this place plenty of space." Alfarr says looking around and walking around.
"Oh Charedon is going to have fun busting up others." Yang said looking to the arena.
"Also we can train without fear of some students or unauthorized people seeing us summon our guardians." Alfarr says.
Coco smiles. "Yet it can't be just for our new friends. I'm thinking it has to include us as well. We aren't just going to stand still while they duke it out."
"I don't know about you, but that isn't my style." Alfarr says seeing a weight training machine. "How much weight does this have max?" Alfarr asks.
Most of them looks surprised at the chance of seeing Alfarr trying a lot of weights. "Um…based on that…about five hundred pounds. Can try to balance a thousand with some extra parts." Sun points out.
"Then I best begin. I have been slacking on my training lately." Alfarr says.
"How many can you lift?" Reese asks hovering by and looking at all the little things left on the ground.
"I should train my endurance." Alfarr says picking out a few five hundred pound weights and sets them on the ground before removing his swords, bow, and shoes.
Ruby blushes hard as Yang snickers at her and Ruby glares at her snickering. "Shut up." She hissed.
"Wanting to see his muscles dear sister?" Yang teases.
Alfarr then throws all six into the air before doing a handstand on just his palms and three weights each land on his feet.
All their jaws drop as they keep watching. "How…?" Qrow tries to ask.
Alfarr sighs. "Don't you guys have training to do?"
Winter shakes herself out of the trance before throwing a firecracker up and catches everyone's attention when it exploded. "Alright everyone. Either grab a sparring partner or get to weights or running around this place."
"Um…how long you going to stay like that?" Qrow asks as everyone took off.
"Hours at least. Till I collapse at most." Alfarr answers.
Qrow raises an eyebrow. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"To become stronger, you always run the risk of hurting yourself." Alfarr says.
Qrow hums as he grabs some little weights and starts bending his arm to lift it. "So…what else do you do?"
"I cannot do my usual training so I must improvise as best as I can." Alfarr says.
Qrow nods. "And what do you normally use?"
"We have specially designed training…in fact, now that I think about it, not enough weight. Please add more to both legs." Alfarr requests.
Qrow looks shocked. "You have to be kidding."
"No, this is nothing compared to the training I endured under my godmother." Alfarr says.
Qrow then becomes his normal self again and goes to get some weights. "Oh. Well then that explains a lot." He said before grabbing some heavy weights and starts stacking them. "How many?"
"Double the weight of each leg and we will go from there." Alfarr says.
Qrow sighs and takes a quick swig before he keeps stacking them and then backs off. "Well…how's that?"
"That should be fine." Alfarr says starting to do push-ups with as little movement as he could while trying to keep balance for all six on each foot.
Qrow whistles. "Hope I get that good."
"Is he even using aura?" Pyrrha asks.
Nora hums as she dodges Pyrrha's punches. "I don't think so."
"I am kind of scared to ask what training he went through then." Jaune says blocking Ren as all who heard that let their imagination run wild with that thought.
Ruby keeps watching Alfarr as she runs around the arena with Yang. "So…you think he can get half a ton?"
"Without aura, that is pushing human endurance…he isn't using his fingers at all." Blake says.
They look to see that Alfarr was actually standing on just his palms. "Wow, nice balance." Yang said.
"Why is he doing that way?" Weiss asks.
Winter smiles as they run past. "Maybe because he uses an element."
"You mean like how in school we had to keep that ice from melting?" Weiss asks.
Winter chuckles. "Well, it does teach control. His training right now probably helps with how much to send out and keep it that way."
The training continued with sparing and exercise for several hours. Alfarr hadn't stopped that entire time.
"Okay seriously, how long can you keep going?" Qrow asks resting up for the final time.
"Till I collapse or have to go." Alfarr says sweat dripping from his forehead onto the floor.
Qrow raises an eyebrow unamused. "So basically until you are out yourself or just bored?"
"I have to start making up for all the slack I have been having on my training." Alfarr says simply.
Qrow shakes his head as he gets up. "Well I'm done. I'm going to end. Enjoy the rest of your training guys." He said walking away.
After hours, Alfarr stopped and lower his legs to behind him, letting the weight fall onto the floor with a clatter.
Yang yelps as she snorts awake. "Geez Alfarr." She said checking the time sleepily. "Wow, a whole six hours holding that up and with wind. Not bad."
"Not exactly, but it is related to wind." Alfarr says.
"Oh, how?" Weiss asks.
"Can anyone wearing a skirt, hold it?" Alfarr asks.
All the girls with skirts blushes as they hold them down and frown slightly at him.
"That is one of the basics taught to wind users of my village as it leads to learning this the first technique of our style." Alfarr says before pushing his hands forwards and creates a gust.
All the girls with skirt yelps as they held down the skirts. "Alfarr." Ruby scolds.
"I gave you a warning when you asked, didn't I? Anyways the lesson usually requires us to walk around on our hands like that for weeks to months." Alfarr says.
Everyone stops and looks to him. "Weeks?" One asks. "Months?" Another ask.
"Depending on the person. Basically it teaches you how to push with your palms completely flat, allowing you to push the wind evenly." Alfarr says.
"Doesn't that take like…maybe a few days?" Rebecca asks.
"How so?" Alfarr asks.
Rebecca shrugs. "Just that making your palm flat is kinda easy…unless your people doesn't have it that easy."
"It must become second nature to you to always keep your palms completely flat. That is what I was taught. It preludes the next phase of the technique." Alfarr says before thrusting one hand forward Towards a punching bag across the room and the wind puts a hole right through its center.
Winter shakes her head. "Yeah…let's try and keep the damage to the arena please."
Yang whistles seeing that. "So wind is very attack oriented." Yang says.
Alfarr shrugs. "Actually, it can also be this." He said before making a gust below her and sends her hovering above the ground.
"Hey!" Yang yells trying to reorient herself.
"So the better you become, the more balanced the wind school becomes huh?" Ruby asks before Yang falls into Alfarr's arms.
Alfarr nods. "Yep, for the most part." He said before looking to Yang. "Sorry for using you as an example." He said before putting her down.
Yang smirks before pulling him into a kiss. "All is forgiven." Yang says letting him stumble back.
Sun chuckles. "Not bad man. You're getting all the ladies…that I'm not getting." He said slouching at the end.
"I thought you were hitting it off with Octavia?" Alfarr whispers to him.
Sun looks to him with dead eyes. "A bit boring." He whispers back.
"What was that?" Octavia asks making Sun jump a bit.
"Nothing." Sun said quickly.
"Good boy." Octavia says scratching his head.
Sun smiles as Alfarr raises an eyebrow. "Huh, so faunus qualities has some of the animals. Wait…doesn't that mean for females it is…" He stops as he looks the girls blushing a bit.
"Not another word." Blake warns.
"I said nothing." Alfarr says quickly.
Blake huffs. 'Great…but he's part fox as well so does that mean his people…'
"Do what?" Yang asks.
Alfarr sighs. "I rather not say." He said feeling some glares on him.
"We are getting off topic." Winter says.
Alfarr nods. "Well…since we're done. We might as go back to our rooms and rest up. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to really worn us out."
Winter nods. "Well we are getting close to our research getting back to what it once was. You are all dismissed and if you want they left didn't they?" She asks not missing a beat as only a few people remained.
"Any luck figuring out now they now what to look for?" Alfarr asks.
Winter frowns. "It's like an encoded message and we are missing the cipher to it."
"Gar-ghoul is what the legend of the gargoyle was based off of." Alfarr says.
Winter hums. "We are to need more. I doubt it's as simple as placing a plate over a book."
"Oh, can I?" Ruby asks. "I like puzzles."
Winter shrugs. "Any help is appreciated."
"What do you think Ruby?" Alfarr asks.
Ruby smiles. "Maybe it's something special with the bowls. Sometimes the initial picture will lead you to what the goal is, while the next part can lead you to it."
Alfarr blinks surprised as does everyone else for a bit. "I think know what she is talking about. Excuse me." Alfarr said walking away.
"I'll go too. I am interested." Blake says following.
"Whatever you want to do Neko." Alfarr said the last part in a whisper.
Blake smiles before turning into a glare. "Don't mention that part of faunus again, got it?"
"What? It is cute." Alfarr jokes after they were far enough away from the others to hear him.
Blake rolls her eyes. "Don't your people have cycles?"
"Yes and no. Not nearly as strong since we are only half faunus." Alfarr says.
Blake shakes her head. "Then you don't even know the real problems we have sometimes."
"I see." Alfarr says before holding her.
Blake pushes him off. "What are you doing?"
"That isn't what is bothering you. It's the white fang again." Alfarr says.
Blake bites her thumb. "They are disrespectful to my kind. I just want it to end."
"They are the same for me if not worse for doing what they did to the ruins." Alfarr says.
Blake sighs. "What idea do you have?"
Alfarr shrugs. "What Ruby said. A second image."
Blake raises an eyebrow at that.
"Okay, this whole entry, I've been at it up and down. Nothing else is pointing us anywhere." Someone said as they read from the book Alfarr left behind.
Oobleck sighs. "Keep looking. We are not losing this next materia."
"Let me see this." Alfarr suddenly said picking up a bowl and looks it over.
Oobleck blinks. "Ah. Alfarr and Blake. Come to help speed up the research?"
"Yes, something Ruby said got me thinking. There were originally five type of hints that were generally left and each had so many sub categories. One of which can be puzzle pieces." Alfarr says looking at the symbol for Gar-ghoul closely.
Blake hums as she picks up one herself. "How far are you?" She asks as Alfarr taps the bowl a bit to get rid of some of the rust.
"Well we found hints to the gargoyle legend and starting to look into that and its origins." Oobleck says.
Blake nods before hears something and her ears flicks toward it. "Alfarr, tap that part again." She requests and he did as she walks over. "It's different." She said taking the bowl and taps around the bowl before hearing not a hollow sound. "This has something in it." She said before smashing it to the ground.
"Miss Blake!" Oobleck yells as he gets up out of his chair.
Blake only moves through the debris and picks up a stone piece. "Here." She said giving Alfarr the piece. "Does this help?"
Alfarr was genuinely surprised as he looks it over. "An…old picture of a tree?" He asks confused at the triangle piece. "Wait…Oobleck." Alfarr says showing him the piece.
Oobleck blinks confused as he looks it over. "This is completely different than the bowls."
"Can we X-Ray them to see what is inside?" A researcher asks.
Blake chuckles nervously as someone somehow got a machine. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"No need, the gold is not as valuable as this. Alfarr, can you read this?" Oobleck asks pointing to an inscription.
Alfarr takes a close look. "Water system."
Blake hums. "Maybe a map…blueprint?"
After starting to X-Ray more pieces, they found more stone pieces.
"Okay, this is definitely a map." Blake said as some of the researchers start to piece them together.
"In the east where the sun rises, lies the winged guardian of water in the water system of the jewel city of Anquiza." Alfarr reads, making the researchers stop.
"Well…this is going please a lot of women." Oobleck observed.
"Jewel city sound familiar." Blake says.
Oobleck nods. "It should. It was one of the most famous touristic spots in the world. I have a feeling we need to set aside time after we get this materia."
"Though it is mostly abandoned now." A researcher comments.
Oobleck shrugs. "Well there are still people who are keeping the city alive…but failing miserably as they are not recognized as a real city any more than a ruin."
"We have our course set." Alfarr says pointing to Minstrel's territory.
Oobleck sighs. "I'll get the news sent. Why don't you two head back to your rooms and get some rest?" He said before walking away.
"Ruby was correct it seems." Alfarr says as they walk away.
Blake smiles. "Maybe you should kiss her for payment for the advice."
"Maybe, but Blake…seriously, it will be ok." Alfarr says hugging her again when out of sight of everyone.
Blake sighs. "Okay. Thanks Alfarr."
"You feel better neko?" Alfarr asks.
Blake nods. "Yeah, thanks."
"Come on. I'll carry you back if you want." Alfarr offers.
Blake shakes her head. "No. I'm fine."
"You sure?" Alfarr asks holding her closely.
Blake nods. "I'm sure. But you better go. I'm sure your girlfriends are waiting for you." She said smiling.
"Alright." Alfarr says letting her go and walking away.
'When did I start falling for you I wonder?' Blake thinks.
"I'm back." Alfarr said stepping into his room. "What did I miss?"
"Meep." Carby says, once more a little pudgeball.
"Ah, you got into the buffet again huh?" Alfarr asks.
"Meep meep." Carby says contently as he pats his stomach.
Alfarr chuckles. "So how long till Coco sees you like this?" Alfarr asks as Carby holds his stuffed animal mouse.
"Now." Coco said behind him as she closes the door. "You were right. He's a piggy."
"So you heard we cracked the first part of the mystery." Alfarr says.
Coco smiles. "Yeah, so an ancient city huh?"
"Yeah, we even know what guardian it is. Gar-ghoul." Alfarr says bringing her to him.
Coco hums. "Sounds like a gargoyle."
"He was the foundation of that legend." Alfarr says running a hand through her hair.
Coco smiles. "Getting a bit close, aren't you? You were never this type before."
"I like your scent and I am tired so I want to rest." Alfarr says leaning onto her.
Coco holds onto him and holds him up. "Alright. Let's get you to bed. Carby, in your own bed, now." She said leading Alfarr.
"Meep." Carby says obeying.
Coco smiles and places Alfarr on the bed. "Get some rest okay?"
"Will you stay?" Alfarr asks.
Coco stops and looks to him. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Alfarr says.
Coco sighs. "Alright. Just get in bed. I'll take the other end." She said walking around the bed.
"Thanks Coco." Alfarr says laying down.
Coco smiles as she puts her glasses and bag on the table. "Why do you want me to stay?"
"Because I love you." Alfarr says.
Coco chuckles and looks to him. "Nothing else huh?"
"Do I need another reason?" Alfarr asks.
Coco giggles and lays down as well. "Nah. But at least you're cute."
"You would know." Alfarr says letting his hood down.
Coco smiles as she looks to him. "And still like your looks." She said helping pull his cowl down.
Alfarr smiles and leans on her before he feels her rubbing his ear.
Coco chuckles. "So these are like faunus ears, right?"
"Not too sure about that. I never asked." Alfarr says rubbing her back.
Coco sighs in relief before stopping. "Really should spend more time with the others."
"I try too." Alfarr says as she leaned into him.
Coco hums and smirks. "So what are you going to do?"
"Race. Try to figure out Gar-ghoul's place before the white fang gets there." Alfarr says.
Coco nods. "And right now?"
"Sleep. Also Neko is high strung over the white fang. Can you get the others to help her and tell me, how is Sun doing with his girl?" Alfarr asks.
Coco nods. "I'll see about what I can do about Blake. As for Sun, he's really trying to enjoy his life now with her."
"She got monkey on a short leash?" Alfarr jokes.
Coco chuckles. "Oh yeah. You worry we will as well to you?"
"I'm harder to do that to. You know what they say about wind users." Alfarr says.
Coco grins as she wiggles her finger. "Slip through my fingers right?"
"No, we are more free spirited." Alfarr says before kissing her forehead.
Coco smiles and leans against him. "Good. More fun."
Alfarr smiles and covers them up. "Now it's time to rest."
Coco nods and sighs. "Night Alfarr."
"Night coco. Night Carby." Alfarr says.
Carby meeps sleepily as he was bundled up in his blankets.
