A/N Finally we are getting more action. I am curious who noticed a certain name in previous chapter. Be careful: sad parts ahead.

My deep thanks to Akakiru for the idea for first pairing, to be seen in this chapter most likely.

White

Percy blinked. Even after he opened his eyes, he still saw only darkness. No. Not only darkness. He felt something around his head covering his eyes. As his sight adjusted, Percy noticed that someone put a sack on his head. He tried to remember, but last memory he had was going to sleep in his room in Atlas Academy. His father was supposed to work late night and asked him not to wait for him. Percy tried to take the sack off, but he then realized his hands were bound as well. He knew he was still wearing his pajama. A dark realization dawned on him: someone kidnapped him. In fear, Percy started to trash around in hopes of maybe loosening the ties. It worked in cartoons. A chair creaked under him, but it nothing more. He then heard a small whimper, followed by near-silent crying.

"who's there?!" He screamed. Percy tried to sound confident, but the fear was still overwhelming.

"Percy!?" Wait. He knew this voice. But... she couldn't be.

"Weiss? Is that you?" He didn't need to scream. The voice came from very near him. She was probably also tied on the chair.

"Yes. Where are we?"

"I don't know. Someone put a sack on my head."

"Me too. Why..." She was interrupted as a wave of fear hit them. Suddenly Percy remembered how his mother died. Grimm attacking her. But then there was also another image. It glimmered just for a moment, but he remembered sitting in a car with his mother. They were driving through the forest. And then a Grimm charged at them and memory ended. He had no idea about this and he couldn't dwell on it, because more fears formed. He had no idea who kidnapped him or where they were. For all he knew they taken him from Solitas all together and he would never see his father. Or maybe he was right under his nose and he would still not find him. The kidnappers might have demanded from his father something awful in exchange for Percy's life. Maybe even to kill someone innocent. Would his father still love him after because of Percy he had to do something so awful?

Weiss didn't feel better. She was scared. In only her nightgown and with sack on her head, she had no idea what was going on outside. She was tied and couldn't move. Someone must have taken her from the manor while she was asleep. If they slipped through the security, it meant they must have been really good. Thus, the chance they would be rescued was low. While usually logic was a good defense against fear, now it proven her only right to be afraid. But there was also another fear. If they taken her, they most likely would demand a ransom. With her sister now practically estranged to their family and stripped of her heiress status, Weiss was the most important of the Schnee child if someone wanted to earn money. But Percy was also there. A dark realization dawned on her. They took him away so Ironwood would not do anything to free them. General might have risked only her life, but surely he would not risk his own son. It meant that Percy was in danger because of her. But there was one more thing. Her father would not pay any ransom. He was too selfish to do anything. Her father would let her die and then use the sympathy he would receive as a opportunity to increase the sales. The man she called father was cruel and didn't care about her. He only needed her to look pretty.

The surge of fear that enveloped them soon attracted Grimm. They could hear the beasts somewhere below them. Finally, the fear diminished and they could think more clearly. Someone yanked the sacks and two kids suddenly got blinded by the lights shining straight at them.

"As much fun as it is to play with you, I don't have whole night." The voice sounded a bit familiar to Percy, but he had hard time connecting the dots. He looked around, slowly getting used to sharp light. His finally fell on a man in Atlas Military uniform. But it wasn't a standard uniform. Percy recognized it immediately. It belonged to someone from Ace Operatives, his father pet project. With that in mind, young boy could finally put the name to this voice

"Mr. Yuma!? Is that you!" Percy's eyes finally adapted to the bright light. He could now take in more details. His ADHD, while pain at school, proven to be one of greatest assets once he started combat training a year ago. They were in a cave. Not just any cave. He noticed veins of dust on the walls. Someone took the to the mines. The light that was so blinding came from standard lamps that were used by SDC underground teams. He also noticed three more people behind him. They all wore masks that looked like Grimm. "Wait. What is going on?"

"It's called justice." Yuma spoke with venom. "This..." He waved his hand around, "is an SDC mine. Grimm infected it some time ago. Maybe you remember the news report? Oh... right... There was none!" He shouter last part in anger. "Hundreds died here, when instead of calling help they just sealed the entrance. All because Jacques preferred to let all his workers here die than allow hunters to investigate. And you know why?" He turned to Weiss, who was cowering in her chair. "Because if they did, he would now be in prison." He walked over and grabbed the girl in his hand, squeezing her cheeks. "That's right girl. Your father is a criminal."

"Leave her alone!" Percy screamed. Last four years Weiss became his first and closest friend. Even now that he recently started to attend to combat school, she was still his closest one. There were few other people there, but no one he would rather spend time with than Weiss. And he would not let anyone treat her like that. Especially not someone who he considered almost an uncle. Ace Ops were close to his father, and by extension to him. It even went as far as him calling Mr. Eli 'Uncle Clover', even though he was not his blood.

"Oh! I think not. But don't think I forgot about you or your father!" Yuma was now fuming with anger. "Do you know what was so special about this mines? Jacques manned it almost solely with Fanus. Fanus that he enslaved. First, he bought their homes and increased their rent. Then, once they were behind with their payments, he gave them choice: either work this out in his mines or get evicted. And once they signed contract... no escape! My parents ended like that. They used to work at a dust store, but then Jacques forced them into lifelong sentence in the mines. They dies, sealed away from the world to cover up his schemes!"

"So why didn't you report it?" Weiss asked. She was irritated with her captor. Sure her father was cold, but to accuse him of such bestiality... She wouldn't believe it.

"I did. I told it to Ironwood." He sent Percy a spiteful glare. "He promised to look into it, except he did not. All was swept under the rug, ignored."

"My father wouldn't... ugh." Percy wanted to defend his father, but Yuma punched him in the stomach. Percy's aura flared around him, stopping any permanent damage, but it still hurt.

"Your father is a honor-less liar! But it doesn't matter. For today, we get our revenge. Most of the miners died from the Grimm before monsters retreated to the lower parts. I think it's time for you to meet your first beast. Shall we see how well this combat training fares in real world?" The last words were underlain with mockery. While Percy was not the worst fighter, he still didn't find a right style for himself. Weiss only learned some basics from her sister and it was only before she had the fight with their father and broke all contact with Schnee family.

Percy wanted to question what was that supposed to mean, but an angry roar from the bottom of the chasm behind them explained everything. "At least give us some weapon. Or untie us so we have a chance."

Yuma thought for a moment. "Fine. I will let you die in fair battle." On his nod others untied them, but nobody handed them any weapon. "Tell my parents I am so sorry..." was the last thing he said before two kids were pushed into chasm full of grim.

As they were falling, Percy moved closer to Weiss and hugged her, moving her above him. She did not have her aura unlocked yet. While his father trained him to fight, she was only taught how to be a proper heiress and as such had almost no combat training. As they landed, his aura flared, but it stayed on. There was maybe half of it left. She groaned and got off of him.

"Thank you... I might have died from the fall. That was like fifty feet." Weiss was grateful she didn't perish in the fall, but then she noticed several dozens of red spots in the darkness. Only small amount of light reached them here. "But I think we are done anyway." She said in much higher tone. Fear yet again started to overtake her, only this time it was not caused by weird semblance of bat fanus but the dire situation she found herself in.

Percy jumped on his feet and took a look around. He also saw the Grimm lurking in the darkness, calculating, measuring them. They seemed like no threat. Just two kids in their nightwear. He looked around to find something to defend himself with. There was no chance of winning against this much monsters, but he would go fighting. And maybe buy Weiss some time...

"Do you know the basics of your semblance?"

"Well, I know a bit from Winter, but I don't even have my aura unlocked..." She drifted out as Percy placed his hand on her shoulder.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee." Percy groaned. He never did, nor planned on doing such thing, but he remembered the formula. His aura flared around him and he could feel that it was almost entirely depleted. He might have had ten percent left. Weiss on the other hand was now surrounded by light-blue glow, as opposed to Percy's dark-blue.

"What... But... When someone's unlocks other's aura, it drains them..." She noticed how tired Percy appeared. He was bound to be close to passing out. He was only eleven for gods sake.

"Yeah. But now you have a chance at escaping. I saw Winter create a row of glyphs in the academy once. She ran on the wall with them. You can too." He was tired, in no shape to fight.

Once the light around her faded a bit, a roar pierced their ears and first Grimm charged attracted by the soul she now had exposed. Acting on pure instinct, Percy dodged to the right and rolled a bit. But sadly he underestimated his remaining strength and rolled too far. With a splash he landed in small pond of water. It was strange. He could swear it wasn't there before. The cold water caused adrenaline to flood his body. He wanted to stand back and fight, but he noticed a faint glimmer. Not really thinking, he grabbed it. Now he held a sword with leaf-shaped blade. It felt surprisingly okay in his hand. There were some symbols on the guard which he had hard time deciphering in the darkness, but it looked a bit like 'Andromeda', so that's what he called it.

Now armed and flooded with adrenaline, Percy turned to see Weiss holding a large glyph in front of her. She was struggling and it was only barrier between her and a Grimm. More were circling her and some walked to him. Percy started to feel greatly overwhelmed by the situation. he might have had sword, but he was still mediocre fighter at best, with little training. But it wouldn't stop him from trying. He lunged at the nearest Grimm and plunged his sword into surprised beast. Immediately, it dissolved into black nothing. Seeing this, other turned to him. Some (probably younger) charged immediately. With a firm grip on his sword Percy waited for the first one to come. When the Sabyr jumped, he swiftly got under him and cut through the exposed stomach. The next one, who was directly behind found a blade stuck in the underside of his upper jaw.

And just then his luck run out. Percy did not anticipate another sabyr to attack from the shadow on his left. Too late he noticed a pair of red eyes closing fast. Grimm slammed into him and he landed on the wall, creating a crack. His aura flared once more, barely holding. His sword flew in some unknown direction. The wall creaked and some rocks fell, but instead of hitting Percy they crushed the Sabyr that was about to kill him. Percy stood up, but he felt dizzy. In the corner of his eyes he noticed Weiss, now on one knee, trying her best to hold the glyph that was stopping Grimm from tearing her to shreds. He noticed some earth dust fell from the wall as he hit. He decided to grab them and use them as a weapon. It was easier to beat the monster with a dust chunks than with fist. But just when he grabbed the earth dust, three things happened simultaneously: a wave of energy from unrefined dust entered him, Weiss finally succumbed under the pressure and her aura flared before shattering and whole cave started to shake. To Percy's surprise, hew was unaffected by the earthquake. He felt a strong tug in his gut and water from the pond flew to him, splashing him and giving him another shot of adrenaline. Not really thinking, Percy jumped to Weiss. He could feel the strength escape him, but it was not over yet. He got there and grabbed her. Then, the tremor slowly concentrated around him before it suddenly launched him high in the air.

Back outside the chasm, Yuma and his companions were planting the explosives. White Fang would make a statement later about what happened here, but for now they had to make sure to retain anonymity. He could hear sounds of fight from below. They sure have spirit inside them... Suddenly, the whole mine was racked with a tremor. Yuma and his companions were taken by surprise and fell on their knees. It lasted for maybe ten seconds before a scream followed from the chasm and suddenly two people flew out like someone kicked them out.

Yuma could not believe what he was seeing. Perseus and the Schnee survived and somehow escaped. He noticed that the boy was holding two chunks of unrefined earth dust. So Ironwood junior unlocked his semblance... He looked at his companions who were now starring in awe at the kids. Weiss stood up, but Percy was too weak. She looked at the bat fanus with defiance in her stare. How dare she. After all the evil her father did, she still dares to look at me like that?!

Yuma pulled his weapon. It was a dust rifle with small rocket launcher at the bottom. If needed, it could transform into sniper rifle for long-range attack and the stock was a detachable handgun. He flicked the switch to activate the most devastating mode. "I hoped you would die from the Grimm like my parents did, but you defy me even this justice. But I will finish you myself then!" He pulled the switch and a projectile left the barrel. A white-hot ball of special mixture of several dust types. It would tear the Schnee apart.

Time seemed to slow down for Percy. He saw Yuma fire his weapon and Weiss standing there, right on the line of fire, stunned and unable to move either from fear or because she was too tired and slow to comprehend what was going on around her. Making split-second decision, Percy tossed the earth-dust chunk at the projectile and then jumped at Weiss to push her away from explosion. He already drained all of his aura on other things, but he was willing to get hurt if it meant saving his best friend. When the ball of fiery energy connected with earth dust an explosion rocked the cave, creating more tremor. At the same time Weiss was suddenly moved away from the fire that soon engulfed everything. She noticed that Percy was pushing her away, using his body to shield her, even if he didn't have any aura left. Rocks started to fall all around them, burring the terrorist underneath. One of them just happened to drop a scroll and it landed next to them. Neither Weiss, nor Percy noticed what happened with Yuma, but it didn't matter. They landed near the wall just as the whole cave started to go down around them. Neither had any aura, but then a miracle happened. Rocks around them did not fall, but instead formed a kind of cocoon. She had no idea how to explain it and by all the rules of physic they should squash them, but it didn't. But then the ringing in her ears stopped and she heard a pained cry. Looking back at Percy she noticed that his left arm was caught under a very large rock. He was wriggling in pain and she was starting to panic. But then a scroll in her hand buzzed. She noticed a notification: 'connection restored'. Instantly she called alarm number and informed them about their situation. She was panicking, noticing a small puddle of blood forming near Percy's hand. She wanted to do something, but she couldn't.

A small stream of water fell from between the rocks onto Percy's crushed hand. Weiss was slowly passing out, but she could swear that water started to close his wounds.

Far away, in underwater Palace, Poseidon faced two dragons. One resembled an Asian dragon with long body. He was gold in color and his mere presence created aura of majesty. The other one was mostly typical European dragon with large wings and head similar to school. He was in purple color, which only added to his aura of might.

"You interfered again!" Purple one accused Poseidon.

"I had to. My son was dying." The sea god tried to defend his actions, but he knew this was a weak justification. "I couldn't just watch as he perish in this mines."

Purple dragon chuckled. "Then you should've stopped watching. We left this world alone, to see if humans could live in peace and thrive without us. Then, and only then we would return." He continued.

"While I disagree with my brother, we can't let you jump in every moment your son is in danger." The golden dragon tried to mediate.

"I already abandoned him once. Maybe I can't be there for him, but I can watch over him discreetly."

"No." Golden dragon stated with complete confidence, leaving no place for argument. "We allowed you to watch and you can still do it, but there will be no influencing the world. And this," he produced a leaf-shaped sword "Belongs to you, not him."

"It was my gift, he was supposed to receive it once he got to camp." Poseidon mumbled.

"Magic does not belong on Remnant. Be glad we agreed to let him go there in the first place" Dark god argued.

"I will not abandon him to his own fate." The sea bottom shook, responding to the anger of it's king.

Older brother nodded his head. "While I admire your devotion, We ask you to refrain from interfering more. He is in good hands and he will survive anyway. Think what would happen if they learned he is more than just human. His adopted father might be influential, but not even he can protect him from everyone. And you will not be able to save him at all times."

Poseidon huffed. He could see the reason in this, but it pained him to leave his son like that. Finally, he relented for the good of Percy. "Fine. I will not meddle again unless it is absolutely necessary."

"And take this sword away." God of darkness snarled, tossing Poseidon Riptide before two dragons disappeared in the flash of light.

Black

Blake Belladonna sat on the rock in the middle of Forever Fall forest, absentmindedly starring at the treetops. She had pale skin and wavy black hair. Her eyes were the color of amber. A large bow on her head covered pair of cat ears. She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails and single silver button on the front. Underneath she had a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg. Completing her outfit was a pair of black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles. On her left arm was a black detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons were wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose, black scarf was wrapped around her neck, and a gray magnetic backpack hid under her hair.

Adam Taurus approached her. Most of his hair was red, but he had streaks of brown. A noticeable trait of his appearance was the mask he wore, which obscured his entire upper face above his nose. His Faunus heritage was a bull, as he had two reddish-black horns, one on each side of his head, also seemingly slanted back. Adam wore an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted stylized high-collared blazer with slit sleeves along with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest that lined up on his left shoulder. His suit jacket had crimson lining atop his red shirt, with red thorn sigils atop a black flap attached to the bottom of the left hem and his wilting rose emblem on the back over an emblazoned white sigil resembling the curved stems and flower of the deadly nightshade plant. His blazer was half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it.

"It's time." His words caused unease in her. She was not sure about this mission. 'The Saw', as everyone called the Vale branch leader, made it very clear that he would accept no discussion on the matter. This train was to be stopped. Adam, while less stained by this type of morality, was also not one hundred percent convinced. He wanted to do whatever it takes, sacrifice whatever he had to, if only it helped their cause.

In silence, they run to the nearby cliff-side, only to see a train speeding in the valley below. Without hesitation, Adam began to slide down the cliff, with Blake following his suit. They both bounced from the wall, only to land on the train. Two ninjas caught the train by using their swords as a impromptu grips. After springing above few wagons, Adam slashed the hatch open and they landed inside. Neither of them noticed series of red lasers that littered the floor.

Suddenly, the whole carriage was filled with red light. Over a dozen Atlesian Paladins activated and took battle stance.

"I think we'll be doing this the hard way." Adam gripped the handle of his sword with one hand and placed the other at the sheath.

"Don't be so over-dramatic." Blake deadpanned. She loved him, but sometimes he tended to... exaggerate.

Two Faunus stood back to back, ready to start fighting. One of the paladins twisted his arms into double machine-guns and pointed it at them. 'Intruders. Identify yourself!' Adam let go of his sword and turned to the robot. Suddenly, his sword was shot from the sheath and hit the machine right between the 'eyes'. Without wasting a second, he lunged at the disoriented clanker, grabbing the sword mid-air and slashing off the head of his opponent in one swift motion. Then, he followed through second cut to make sure the machine was in no condition to work anymore. Seeing this, other robots activated their blades and rushed at Blake, who was now closer. As they were about to hit her, she suddenly vanished, leaving behind only a feeble illusion. She appeared behind the two paladins who just slashed through her copy with her sword in her hand. Both bots fell apart as well. She and Adam then rushed to one another and met in the middle. They formed a defensive circle and proceeded to eliminate the robots that closed by, as well as some that kept their distance. Bull Faunus' sheath was in fact a gun, which he was not afraid to utilize in battle.

One of the robots stood back and opened his hands to reveal machine guns. He started firing at two Faunus ninja, but Adam jumped in front and deflected all bullets with lightning-quick slashes. Blake jumped from behind and took the opportunity to slash several other paladins, cutting their heads off and finally slashing the shooting machine in half. All the time she held her sword in back-hand grip. She then pulled the handle while at the same time holding tightly to the blade, revealing to have second, thinner sword inside. She then proceeded with cutting through several more robots, using her semblance to launch herself further and avoid any possible counter-attacks.

Adam was following her close by. He ducked under her and kicked the robot with enough strength to open the doors. They got onto large, open platform where more paladins awaited. In perfect synchronicity Blake and Adam proceeded to cut through them. At one point, Blake folded her thinner sword into a gun/kusarigama and threw it at her opponent. She then pulled the ribbon that was attached to it and gun fired, flying straight back to her. She cut through several enemies by swinging her weapon that way.

They got into the next wagon and Adam opened one of the chest. Seeing the content, he smirked. "Perfect. Move up to the next car. I will set the charges."

"What about the crew members?" Blake asked hesitantly.

Adam stopped. "We have the orders. They chose their fate." While he tried to put as much venom in his words, he actually had hos doubts about this. "Humans oppressed us long enough. It is time for us to retaliate!"

Blake frowned. She noticed his doubt, but also that passion she so admired in him was slowly turning into something else. Something darker. It only reinforced her plans. "But what about our kind? They also work there. Some not from their own free will!" She looked him in the slits of his mask. She could always tell what was on his mind even if she couldn't see his eyes. But now she wanted to be sure that he could look into hers.

"I..." He wanted to say something, but her arguments were more than valid. He did not consider that some of the workers might actually be Faunus. He wanted to say something, but then a giant spider robot dropped at them. He started to fire high-voltage projectiles. Adam immediately jumped forward to deflect and absorb them. Blake, like usually, used him as a distraction to launch herself up in the air. She tried to cut the robot, but his armor turned out too strong and she bounced off him. The machine walked to her with intend of disposing of this intruder, but Adam lunged at it, cutting it several times. He wanted to protect Blake, but robot finally kicked him away with one of his legs. Spider then bombarded bull Faunus with even more white projectiles, but ninja swiftly avoided them all. Seeing as this oversize clanker was about to crush his girlfriend, Adam darted and grabbed her. At last second, both escaped the gruesome fate.

Killer machine did not wait with pressing on. It formed it's upper limbs into one giant cannon and fired beam of energy that pushed both Adam and Blake out. They landed on another platform, with robot following them.

"Buy me some time." Adam shouted to Blake, who understood his plan.

"Are you sure?" Just because she understood, didn't mean she wanted to follow through with it.

"Just do it!" He shouted and started to already focus on his semblance. His hair, as well as red accents on his clothes started to glow dimly.

Blake rushed, dodging several attacks from the robot. She lunged at him, cutting him and dashing up in the air. She used her weapon in kusarigama mode to procure several slashes at the clanker. She then landed behind it, not even for a moment stopping her constant barrage of attacks. She used her semblance to lightning-fast dodge from one place to another and never allow killer machine to get a lock on her position. Finally, she jumped up, plunging her sword in the underside of robot's head and firing several times from the inbuilt gun, before bouncing off of the machine and landing next to Adam. The spider formed giant cannon yet again and charged his devastating attack. This time, Adam was prepared. He ordered Blake to move back and readied himself. At the last moment before the attack was about to connect, he drew his sword and absorbed the whole beam. He started to glow brighter while at the same time his opponent dimmed. Robot was still unfazed by this and charged the Faunus, trying to crush him under himself. Adam chuckled. The red light that was on him now turned almost white. He slashed at his adversary. For a moment world around him turned red as the effects of his semblance took place. The robot took strike of connected force more than his most powerful attack, supported by Adam's own inner power. In the end, all that remained was a trail of rose petals. He run back to catch with Blake, but she was on the next platform. She looked disturbed.

"Bye" With that, she used her sword to cut through the connection rod. Adam's part slowly began do distance itself from the train. Making split second decision he dashed forward, trying to get to her. He landed on the edge and almost fell back, but he kept his balance.

"Why?" Was the only word he could muster. Her betrayal was devastating.

"My parents left the White Fang years ago. I stayed, believing in the mission. But that's not it. I can't. I don't want to be a terrorist. A cold killer." She started to cry. Adam walked to her and hugged her, but she recoiled. "And you are changing as well. Before, we fought for equality. But now it feels like we are only trying to distribute vengeance."

The bull Faunus wanted to scream that they did the right thing, that the humans deserved what they got, that their kin was better. The last part opened his eyes. He wasn't speaking of equality anymore. It was domination. He was like the people he hated, only he tried to justify it by the wrongness others did. "You are right." He said in solemn tone. Pulling off his mask, he sat next to her. She barely spared one look his brand before focusing on his words.

"You... agree with me?"

"I want what is best for all Faunus. This mission... it was just to spite humans. I don't want to become the beast. Especially not the one you fear." He admitted.

She didn't say anything, but she pulled him into a hug. "I... I... I am sorry." She finally blurted. It was harder than she imagined it would be. "I should have confronted you about it. Instead, I planned to just run away and hide."

He chuckled. "We can still hide, but together." They both smiled.

"I think I know a perfect place." Her thoughts traveled to Vale capital and nearby tall building.

They sat at the edge of a platform in perfect silence, thinking about future that awaited them. Finally Adam spoke. "Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." He decided to make sure she heard it from him now. They both were past stating that, but he felt the need to reassure her now, that everything was about to change. After they left their previous life behind, he wanted to make it clear that this one thing stayed the same.

"I love you too." She smiled and snuggled into his shoulder.

Atlas - Dusty old Ironwood

"Jimmy! I need your help." After General Ironwood just got his sixteen-years-old son to go to bed (not an easy task since he was preparing for his entrance exam to Huntsmen Academy), he hoped to relax on one of this rare free evenings. No such luck apparently as Qrow was standing in front of his doors.

"What is it?" James tried to hide his irritation, but it was too obvious.

"I think I might have found her!" This words revitalized Ironwood instantly.

"You've found the maiden?"

"Yes. I believe I might have a solid lead. But I will need your help." Qrow was even slightly sober, which meant it was something big.

"What do you need?" Ironwood was already putting on his coat and holstering his guns. This was the breakthrough they were waiting for.

"You, Tin man." Qrow said as he pointed his finger at James.

"What? As a backup?" Ironwood got confused.

"Nah. We are going to meet my informant in a bar and I need you to stand guard if something goes wrong."

"Okay..." James suddenly got his doubts about Qrow's 'solid lead. This better not be his attempt to get me laid or something.

Nevertheless Ironwood left with Ozpin's scout. The two huntsmen traveled to a bar in Mantle. It was nothing overly big, but also not a cheap drunkard pub the type James expected to find Qrow in. They walked inside and while Mr. Bad Luck walked upstairs to his prearranged meeting point, General sat by the counter. To not raise suspicion, he ordered a drink. After he downed it, he ordered another. If he had to sit here, he could at least try what specials they had in menu. It was rare for him to be in place like this. Qrow's informant was not showing up and both men were getting more drunk. For each glass James emptied, it was four times that for the Branwen. And he was drinking heavier stuff.

"What brings the almighty General Ironwood to such place." A new voice asked. He looked to the right to see a a young woman with tanned skin and violet eyes sit by him. Her light-blond hair was tied in a ponytail. She had a beauty mark under her right eye and another one on the left side under her mouth. The woman wore predominantly green colored clothes, primarily her coat and scarf, which was adorned with a bird brooch. She wore a red buttoned undercoat and brown pants, and sports archery gloves on both hands. James remembered her from somewhere, but he had hard time connecting the dots.

"You're Robyn Hill" He blurted. The alcohol he drunk was not strong enough to get him near the state Qrow was in, but he still felt a little bit light-headed. This things tended to happen when one technically had only half his body.

"Yeah. And you are slightly drunk apparently." She giggled.

"Nonsense! I am perfectly capable of drinking more." James smiled at her.

"Is that a challenge?" She teased, to which he chuckled.

"If you accept..." He didn't finish, because she ordered a whole bottle of Mantle Whiskey. He was about to withdraw when suddenly Qrow was right behind him.

"I heard something about a drinking challenge." The man was grinning. He waved his hand and immediately Barman came with two more bottles. Ironwood wanted to protest, but Qrow did not give him a chance, practically forcing him to drink directly from the bottle. After that, General just surrenedered and tried his best to out-drink his opponent. He could bravely admit, that he lasted quite long given that he had a head-start in form of several drinks already. But in the end, he didn't remember much from the night.

James woke next day in a bed, but it wasn't his. He felt his head ringing heavily. Still dazed, he wanted to get up when he felt something heavy shift on him. Looking down, he noticed a naked woman. He also noticed that he was stark-naked as well. I will kill that dusty old crow the first chance I get. He thought, but then the woman shifted again and he noticed who it was. From the storm of disheveled blonde hair came face of Robyn Hill. She smiled at the General. She didn't seem too unfazed by the situation.

"I... Did we..." he bit his tongue. The situation did not leave too space for doubt. Great. Just what he needed. He had to make sure Percy didn't hear about it.

Robyn stood up. She didn't really care about him seeing her. At least until she noticed a golden glimmer on her finger. James did as well. Great. He slept with a married woman. Could this get any worse. But there was something about her expression that unnerved him more. A terrible thought came to his mind and he checked his own finger. The fear was confirmed as he spotted almost identical golden band on his ring finger. There was also a certain specific detail that he noticed. An eye with cogwheel inside. To hell with waiting for a chance. I will hunt him down and pluck his feathers.

"So I guess I should now call you honey..." Robyn joked.

"I am sure we can... get a cancellation or something. Neither of us were in a state to make such decision." He reasoned. James quickly scattered to look for his pants. It was Saturday so at least he would have time to get it all sorted out before it ended. Then, he found a framed marriage certificate and letter from Qrow.

'Jimmy.
If you are reading this, then I am already somewhere around Vacuo. I know you will want to kill me, but in my defense I was drunk too. And I did not expect her to actually marry you then and there.' Okay. This part started to worry Ironwood. Who exactly married them? They needed their signature for cancellation. 'She decided you were cute couple. If you really need to pluck all the feathers, start from her. But try looking on the bright sides. At least you got laid.

It's a bummer my trail proved to be fake, but maybe something good will come from it. I am now following another trail, which will hopefully prove more fruitful. Tell Winter I had to leave early. And for the love of the Brothers don't send her near me in foreseeable future. I have a bad feeling she will gut me.

Gotta go. Have fun with your wife.
Qrow'

"Pluck the feathers... Oh no!" The realization dawned on Ironwood. A hazy memory from the night came. He remembered meeting Raven Branwen. She was chuckling at his state. He was already hugging closely to Robyn as they were singing some song (it was so deformed that nobody would recognize the words). She offered to marry them, to which they agreed. She even produced a rings from her pocket.

"What is it Tin Man?" Robyn asked with a smile. Seeing how Ironwood wanted to cancel their marriage as soon as possible was hilarious. She would also want it, but it's not like she was in hurry. It happened.

"The cancellation suddenly became impossible, or at least really, and I mean really hard." He spoke in solemn tone. Then, he showed her their marriage certificate. She read carefully.

Witness: Qrow Branwen, Raz Tommie.
Officiated by: Raven Branwen

"So? Isn't Qrow your buddy?" She asked, but her smile flattered just a tiny bit.

"Yeah, but he is already on his way to Vacuo or who knows where. But the bigger problem is Raven. She is... pretty much impossible to catch. Her semblance allows her to create portals to different people she marks onto. And given that she kinda hates me, I think getting her to help us will be still not an option, even if we would catch her." He sighted.

"So we are stuck like this?!" Robyn dropped all semblance of merry attitude and instead got angry.

"Pretty much." Ironwood started pacing around, only half-dressed. He scratched his chin trying to find a solution. It was a Mistral certificate, so he couldn't even get it cancelled in Atlesian court. He also remembered that this particular kingdom was pretty strong on tradition and marriage was an important part of it. Gods damn you Qrow. "We are so screwed..." He sighted.

Robyn was angry at first, but then she thought more about it. Maybe they could make it work somehow. Stay married and just live their lives like they weren't? Ignore each other and never speak with one anther? That certainly were options. But there were still many documents that required signature of the spouse and other legal obligations. The separation might have proven harder than just staying together. Ugh. And this hangover is giving me a bigger headache.

"Well... What now then?" She finally asked.

"Honestly? I don't know. I need to get back to Percy soon. It's Saturday and I promised him to go fishing with him and Clover." Ironwood said. "would you wish me to... meet him? Percy I mean. My son." His tongue was getting a bit sloppy, but she only giggled.

"I think I would like it." She finally said. Then, she took a second look at James. He was actually good looking. She could also see he was caring and had some sense of humor. His morals, from what she heard were also strong and he was devoted to those he cared about. Maybe staying with him will not be exactly all that bad. She then remembered last night. Yeah. Not that bad.

A/N. Well, that sums up first two trailers. I've shown several things here: Percy discovering his semblance (you will learn more how it exactly work during the initiation), his accident, Poseidon getting scolded for helping him. Also Adam. I said he is younger, still in the stage of passion and not total prick just yet. I hope I showed it nice here. He still hates humans, but he will not be so evil.

The pairing Ironwood x Robyn (drunken marriage) was suggested by Akakiru and I loved it. I know it could be written better, but I am more of action guy than awkward couple relationship type. Still, Robyn is to play a crucial role in the dynamic on the Percy-James line. It doesn't mean she won't fight against her husband if he goes mad or just knock some senses into his head.

I am not fan of the OC, but for the beacon plot I need two so they will get some spotlight next chapter. I really tried finding some canon characters to use and develop, but I couldn't. So I created some. Time to put all my experience with RPG to use.