I'm back for real this time with a canon chapter! (Can it really be considered canon in a fan work?) EITHER WAY WE'RE BACK WITH MAIN STORY!
On to comments. (Yes, they were in the update chapter but just in case I delete it later.)
Guest: Sweeeet. I don't know who you are, but the comment very is much appreciated.
Merendinoemiliano: Thanks once again for your support. Not gonna lie the idea for the previous chapter came late and I cut some corners since I wanted to put it out before Christmas was over. I just wanted to have some fun so I'm aware it wasn't my best work.
Raychii521 and RandoFox. I'm aware you won't see this anyway, so this is more for anyone else that was bothered with it but was willing to continue regardless. Sorry if Nickelback and the five-person team ruined it for you. I chose that particular Nickelback song because I thought it would work for a nice clam down song that eventually turned out to mean something for the characters. For those who stuck around. I replaced the artist in the first chapter for someone who did a cover of the same song. Don't know if it'll work, but I figured a placebo effect might work to trick people to keep reading past that part. The song's message works for the story and it wouldn't be right to change it just to appease those who hate Nickelback. As for the five-person team… Well those who stuck around know what happened with that. A product of having no plan when I started.
Two final things before we start the chapter.
In case you didn't read the update chapter. (I don't blame you there's times I skip them too.) I put up a pole on my page if anyone wanted a side story focused more on Crimson's time at Beacon fleshing out his relationship with Weiss better. Then I realized I'm pretty sure polls don't show up on the app. So, if this is something you'd like to see, leave a comment or message me.
Finally, I wanna once again give a quick shoutout to a newer author and friend of mine Keyblade Guardian Ace. I think he's got potential so if you could please give him some support.
Okay that intro went longer than I expected. On with the chapter!
With the last of our things packed up the twelve of us headed to the Argus Limited Train Station. Neo had once again donned her Carol Church disguise minus Lilly's ears. Velvet had decided to come with rather than heading back to Shade.
When we arrived Velvet and Ruby went looking around the Gift Shop while Yang went to load her bike up. Nora, Skyler, Oscar and Ren went to the waiting platform. Blake, Lilly, Neo and I went to see off Ilia.
We made our way to the upper platform to wait for her.
"She does remember what time we're leaving right?" I asked.
"She'll be here. Its Sun I'm more worried about." Blake said.
"You've probably got a point." I said.
"Since we've got some extra time. I've been kind of preoccupied that I hadn't had a lot of time to do this before now, so I do apologize." Neo said turning to Blake. "I know we started out knowing each other on really bad terms, but I want to make it up to you and everyone else. I know it will take some time before any of you could come close to trusting me and I accept that."
"You tried to kill one of my best friends. My teammate. I should have no reason to forgive you, and before Crimson mentions it. Unlike Ilia, you and I don't have a previous history of being on the same side." Blake said.
"I understand…" Neo started.
"However, helping stop the attack on Haven was a step in the right direction. You also have Lilly and Velvet working in your favor. It'll take some time, but I'm willing to give you one chance." Blake said.
"I appreciate it." Neo said smiling.
"If it makes you feel better, Ruby already seems convinced you're on our side. Not that it takes much. Nora is still skeptical, but Skyler has convinced her to give you a chance. Ren is kinda hard to read, at times so you'd have to talk to him. I don't know about Ozpin and Qrow, but they were willing to let you come along so don't mess it up. Yang is going to be the hard sell. She isn't happy about you or Crimson being here." Blake said.
"I know… I heard her yelling the first night after the attack…" Neo said.
(Flashback Neo's POV)
"I think he's finally asleep." I said.
"We should probably give him some space." Ren said.
"I… think I'll just stay here… might be the only way I get to stay with him…" I said.
"I think you're being a little hard on yourself." He said.
"Somehow I doubt it. I appreciate you helping me with him though…" I said.
"We should give him some space. Come down with me and I'll make some tea." He said.
I looked at Crimson scared of what would happen if I left him alone. Ren put his hand on my shoulder causing me to flinch.
"It's alright." He said.
"Alright." I said.
We stepped out of the room and as soon as we closed the door, I could hear Yang shouting.
"Have you all forgotten she tried killing us and was working for Torchwick and Cinder?! We should be calling the police out here to arrest her not letting her stay under the same roof as us!" Yang yelled from downstairs.
It was hard to hear what the rest of the group was saying. I slumped down next to the door.
"You can't seriously believe for one second she's on our side now! For all we know she's gonna finish us off in the middle of the night when our guards are dropped!" Yang yelled.
Ren knelt down next to me and put his arm on my shoulder again. This time I could feel my negativity dissipate.
"The only thing I know about you is what I've heard from team RWBY. However, from what I've seen with how you act around Crimson I have a feeling you aren't the person they made you out to be. I'm giving you a chance to prove to me that I can trust you." He said.
"I appreciate it, but there's no way I could go down there. Not like this." I said.
"On the contrary, I think this would be the perfect time to go down." He said.
I looked at him confused.
"If you go down there in the state you're in, it'll show them a different side of you. With how hard she's arguing it, that means someone must be arguing on your behalf. I'm not asking you to engage with them. I'm asking you to have some tea with me to help calm you down." He said.
I took a deep breath and accepted. The two of us stood up and headed downstairs. As soon as we made it down Yang immediately headed upstairs. Pushing past me on the way up.
(Back to Crimson POV)
"I don't expect Yang to ever trust me. Honestly, I don't blame her. I did a lot of things I regret when I was with Torchwick. That's behind me though. I wanna make up for the things I did." Neo said.
"You will, I know it." I said.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Ilia said joining the group.
"Not at all." Blake said.
"Nice to see you again." I said.
"Yeah, Glad to see you're okay." Ilia said.
"With everything I've been though, it'll take a lot to finally put me away." I said.
"It would help if you didn't jump into situations like a pile of bananas." Lilly said.
"She's got a point." Neo said.
"Don't encourage her." I said.
"Aww you know you'll miss me." Lilly said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I'm staying to help out with Blake's family." Lilly said.
"Did you tell anyone else?" I asked.
"Nah, never really got a chance to anyone get to know me other than the three of you and Velvet. I made a mention to the drunkard just so whoever wouldn't get me a ticket on this thing." Lilly said.
"Well it's been an interesting experience getting to know you." I said.
"What made you decide to stay?" Neo asked.
"Mostly the work I did before we left Menagerie. I felt like my skills were more needed with that. Plus, no offence to your parents. They don't seem the most technologically adept. So, I figured they'd need someone like me helping out." Lilly said.
"You're not necessarily wrong. They'll need all the help they can get." Blake said.
"Speaking of which, I still don't feel like I deserve the freedom you and your family granted me." Ilia said.
"Well, you're going to have to get over it, Ilia. Saving Haven had a huge impact on how Faunus are seen in Mistral. Now it's up to you all to take the progress and keep running with it." Blake said.
"Besides, you've got me by your side now. We're just getting started." Lilly said.
Ilia nodded. "Right. The White Fang may have been a failure, but with your father starting up a new movement, I've got more faith than ever before." Ilia ran up and gave Blake a hug. "Thank you, Blake, for everything. I wish you didn't have to go." The two separated.
"I know, but my team needs me. We're going to track down the people responsible for the attack on Haven and the fall of Beacon." Blake said.
Ilia gave a small laugh. "Always trying to save the world."
"More than you realize." Blake said smiling.
"Hey, I know your parents already saw you off, but where's…" Ilia started.
"Sun? Oh, he's right here." Sun said joining the rest of us with Neptune behind him.
Blake walked over to him
"What? You didn't think I was gonna miss your big send-off, did you?" Sun asked.
"He definitely overslept and absolutely almost missed this." Neptune said.
Sun tried shushing him causing Blake to let out a small laugh Neptune then shoved Sun forward.
"Hey, Blake. Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan?" Neptune said. Neptune looked up to our group. "Oh, I didn't know Ilia was gonna be here. I'll, uh, I'll give you two a moment." Neptune started walking over to us. "Hey, almost didn't see you there, cause, you know, the camouflage?"
"Wow, suddenly I miss Yang's terrible jokes." I said.
"That was one of the worse pickup lines I've ever heard." Lilly said.
"Hey, Neptune, right?" Ilia said.
"Correct." Neptune said. He seemed to have noticed Neo. "I don't believe we've met. Neptune Vasilias."
"Carol Church." Neo said.
"Pleasure's all mine." Neptune said.
"Anyway, I think you mentioned something to Sun about a trip?" I asked.
"Yeah, we're gonna be leaving for Shade Academy. Come to think about it, isn't that where you went after the Fall of Beacon?" Neptune asked.
"Yeah, Cerise and I transferred there. That's where I met Lilly and Carol." I said.
"C-Cerise is there?" Neptune asked.
"Yeah, since she couldn't go to Menagerie, we traded her with Velvet." I said.
"Great…" Neptune said dejectedly.
"I think I know a couple people there you'll get along great with though. When you get there look up Ryoutarou. I'm sure the two of you will get along quite well. Oh, and this girl Scarlet She was a real cut above some of the other student there." I said.
"Really? I'll look into them." Neptune said.
"Yo, Neptune. Let's go." Sun yelled.
"Now he wants to go. Ladies, Crimson. Take it easy." Neptune said before joining Sun.
"Why did you tell him about Scarlet? Knowing he'd probably try hitting on her?" Lilly asked.
"The better question is. Why didn't I warn either of them that Reese was with Cerise?" I said.
"They used to be on a team at Haven, right?" Neo asked.
"Yep and from what I understood those two and who knows how many others were terrified of their team. Till they disbanded like a week or so later." I said.
Blake walked up to the rest of us.
"We should probably get going too." Blake said.
Blake and Ilia shared one last hug. I pulled out a tiny piece of lightning dust and hid it in my left hand.
"Ilia." I said holding out my left arm. "No hard feelings?" She stuck out her hand to shake it. As soon as our hands met, she got a small shock.
"Ouch." Ilia said.
I smiled and showed her the dust. "Now we're even." I extended my other hand and showed her it was empty. She accepted again for an actual handshake. "Take care of Lilly, she can be a handful."
"You're one to talk." Lilly said before turning to Neo. "I'm gonna send you some instructions for when he ends up breaking his arm again."
"Thanks, hopefully I won't need them." Neo said.
"Good luck you guys." Lilly said.
"Same to you." I said extending my left hand out to her. She insisted I use my right hand.
With that Blake, Neo and I left to reconvene with the others. Just in time to get on the train. Ruby, Blake, Yang and Velvet ended up with one cabin while Skylar, Nora, Ren and Oscar got their own as well. Which left Neo and I with Qrow. Once we got our things in our cabin Qrow finally spoke up.
"How you holdin' up kid?" Qrow asked taking a seat on the bed.
"Trying to stay positive. Not the easiest thing right now, but I hate everyone thinking they need to watch over me. So, if I gotta fake some positivity then so be it." I said.
"Never expected this to be your life when I dropped you off did ya?" He asked with a slight laugh.
"You know if I didn't already have bad luck before I'd met you, I'd have been blaming you since that day." I said sitting across from him with Neo sitting next to me.
"Speaking of bad luck. I think it's time we discussed the goliath in the room." Gesturing towards Neo.
"Yeah, I knew this would come up at some point. I figured some wouldn't be too thrilled about this, but I've heard some are taking it better than others." I said.
"Let's just say you're lucky you brought some character references with you or she wouldn't be here." He said before turning to Neo. "And you're lucky Oz knew about you when he chose your brother as Shade's new headmaster."
"I know. I don't expect anyone to trust me." Neo said.
"It's definitely gonna take a lot. Maybe start by explaining how you went from being with Torchwick to becoming the kid's bodyguard." Qrow said.
"That's fair…" Neo started.
Neo then explained how she ended up meeting Roman and everything that led her to meeting me.
"I've heard people do worse after going through something like that. Hell, I've seen it. Explains the personality difference too. Ruby and her team explained you in a much different way. Not only that but it seems like you had about as much bad luck as him." Qrow said.
"Still I know that explanation more than likely won't be enough to prove myself." Neo said.
"Geeze you kids need to learn to lighten up. You're startin' to bum me out." Qrow said standing up and heading towards the door. "Don't get me wrong you're right. That story alone, no matter how true, isn't gonna change things with some of them. Not to say I don't believe it. With all I've been though nothing surprises me. Take it from me though. Sometimes it's better not to worry about those who think negatively of you. Saves on headaches and heartbreaks." With that he exited the cabin.
"He's got a point. We've been through a lot the last few years. Yet here we are still going. They've all got mixed emotions about us. Some better than others, but I mean we got each other so we'll be fine right?" I said.
Neo finally smiled. "Yeah I suppose you're right. I know you'll be on my side. Regardless of how hard I tried to push you away."
"Glad I didn't let you now, aren't you?" I asked nudging her arm.
"Yes, you know I know this might be weird to say, but sometimes I like to think you're like how Roman would have turned out if he hadn't become a criminal." She said.
"Except I'm pretty sure I couldn't pull off the hat." I said laughing.
"I don't know, you did look pretty convincing that night." She said laughing with me.
"I know I bring it up a lot, but it's uncanny just how similar the two of you are. I mean you're a lot kinder than he was and you aren't a criminal. Your personalities just match up so much. Not to mention your intelligence." She said.
"Is that a compliment or an insult? Cause I'm fairly sure it's the latter." I said.
"Both actually. You both can come up with great plans. If the situation doesn't change. Once you start winging it you both end up doing stupid things." She said.
"Okay that wording sounds more like a compliment, kinda." I said.
"I'm almost afraid to bring this up, but your tempers when something goes wrong is similar too. That's what worries me the most. After I had taken Adam out came in to help. I saw Weiss and got worried. Then I saw you going after Jaune. I was glad I made it in time to stop you, but when I tackled you… I saw the same anger I saw in his eyes. I don't know if losing his ex is what pushed him to that life or if it was something else. Regardless I don't wanna see you turn out like him." She said.
"There's a big difference between me and him. I have my friends behind me. I know I complain about them being a little overprotective at times, but at the end of the day I know it's because they care about me. On the other hand, I'm not gonna deny that I've been more okay with taking drastic measures. It's like I told Blake though. We don't have the luxury of letting them go. I knew it back them and its only been proven further by what Qrow and Ozpin told us. Salem and her underlings aren't gonna hesitate to kill us. That's been obvious with Cinder, Adam and Hazel. This isn't some fantasy comic world, where we can just beat up the bad guy and hope they learn a lesson. If we don't stop them, they will kill people. How many innocents are we going to let them kill? How many more friends do we need to lose?" I asked.
"I'm not disagreeing with you. I still blame Cinder for what happened to Roman, and I want revenge on her. She's gone and I still want payback on her. However, if all you think of is revenge and killing them, you can dress it up with whatever reasoning you want. That doesn't make you any better than them. I've been on both ends of this. Believe me when I say death has an impact on more people than you realize. You should know what I mean." She said.
I sighed. "I know… I just don't wanna lose anyone else."
"I know. I'm wondering if this doesn't have something to do with what you told me back at shade. About your mental health. Maybe going to Atlas isn't the best idea." She said.
I sat for a bit in silence. "I've been trying not to think about that… not that it's been easy. We didn't have a lot of time to make a decision since we were getting kicked out. Atlas recalled most of its military right? So, in theory the only place that could be safer now is Shade academy. Depending what Carmine ended up doing to it." I said.
"No offence, but I'd rather deal with the guy who wants me dead over Atlas." She said.
"Given what little I know about you I would believe that." Ren said standing in the doorway. "To be fair I thought coming with us wasn't the best strategy for you."
"Well like I said, I didn't have a lot of time to think over all my options. I'm guessing that's not the only reason you came by?" I asked.
"You may be correct. I also thought you'd enjoy the company of someone who's still on your side." He said.
"You're not wrong. Thanks for helping Neo out while I was… mourning…" I said.
"It was the least I could do. Although now I require your assistance with something." He said.
"What's up?" I asked.
"You need to have a talk with Skyler. She thinks you're upset with her for coming with us rather than sticking with you after the fall." He said.
"Really? Cerise told me she even brought up the fact we talked about her leaving the team during their fight." I said.
"She did. Admittedly neither her nor Cerise handled the situation very tactfully. With everything else that happened I'm sure both their minds weren't in the best place. A couple days after their fight she admitted she should have at least gone to make sure you'd survived. I got her to talk about what the two of you talked about regarding her leaving the team. I tried assuring her that you wouldn't be upset which I'm guessing you're not." He said.
"I mean a little more warning would have been nice but given the circumstances I'm not worried about it." I said.
"I figured. I think she was starting to come around until; you showed up the other day. Not to say I'm blaming you." He said.
"No, I get it. I'll go have a talk with her." I said standing up. Only you get knocked back down by something hitting the train.
"What was that?" Neo said rushing to the window.
"I don't know, but some days I swear Qrow transferred part of his semblance to me." I said getting up and grabbing my weapons.
Neo grabbed her umbrella and my sniper. The three of us left the car to join up with the others. We met up with Nora and Skyler first before finding Oscar.
"What's happening?" I asked.
Before Oscar could respond another crash came from the back of the train. The six of us made our way to the outside of the train.
"Crimson I want you to stay back." Neo said.
"You can't be serious." I said.
"You trust me, right? Then trust I have a reason for asking you to do this." Neo said sternly.
I looked into her eyes and saw how serious she was and nodded. "Alright. I'll try calming down some of the passengers. Just be careful."
Neo smiled and nodded before heading up with the rest of them.
'Alright, Time to fake over confidence.' I thought before returning to the passengers. "Ladies and gentlemen, I promise you have nothing to worry about. The Argus Limited's best huntsman are up top dealing with a small Grimm problem, and they are being assisted by the finest huntsman I've ever known. The trip may get a little rocky for a bit, but I promise everything is gonna be fine. I know it's not gonna be the easiest thing to do but if you wanna help them you need to try staying as calm as possible."
Most of the passengers were still worried, not that I blamed them. I had to keep moving to the other cars to try calming them down at least some. The less negativity the better at this point. Just as I was about to go to another car things sounded like they'd calmed down outside.
"See? What did I tell ya? Nothing to worry about." I said. I looked out the window to see we'd entered a tunnel 'That explains why things got quiet. Hope everyone's alright.'
Shortly after everyone came though and we moved to a car towards the front of the train where one of the huntsmen was sitting on the ground in a lot of pain.
"This is why I wanted you to hold back. I case something like this happened." Neo said standing next to me.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Ren told me you can amplify a person's aura. That you tried doing it to save Weiss." She said.
I stayed silent and watched as Qrow started yelling at the injured huntsman.
"You were fighting Cinder. You'd already lost some of your aura. The task you had was too demanding for what aura you had left." She said.
"It won't work…" I said.
"Because of the demand. This doesn't have near the demand. All I'm asking is for you to try." She said.
Ruby walked up and grabbed my hand and nodded towards the two. I looked back at Neo to see a look of confidence in me. I nodded at Ruby and the two of us moved towards Qrow and the other huntsman. She put her hand on Qrow's shoulder having him step aside. She looked at the huntsman.
"Please just shut off the turrets." Ruby said.
She looked to me and nodded at the huntsman. I stepped closer and put my hands above his wound.
'Please work' I thought as I tried channeling my aura to his arm. My hands started glowing white as well as his arm.
The huntsman looked between me and Ruby. "Fine."
"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!" Nora said.
"Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people." Ren said.
"Well, you've never had Crimson's help before." Ruby said.
"What?" I asked.
"He should be able to amplify your aura" Skyler said.
"Yeah, that's an alright plan." Qrow said.
"Don't I have a say in this? I mean a broken arm is one thing I don't know if I can do that." I said.
"It's not like you need to last all the way to Argus. Just long enough to get the Grimm off us." Nora said.
"I'm afraid there's one complication..." Ozpin said stepping forward. "The Grimm are also attracted to this." He said holding up the lamp.
"What's that?" The huntsman asked.
"None of your business. Oz, are you serious?" Qrow asked.
"Why wouldn't you tell us that!" Yang yelled.
"I…" Ozpin started.
"It doesn't matter right now." Ruby said causing Yang to cross her arms. "Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger." Ruby looked to Ren. "Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets... we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus."
I finished healing the huntsman's arm and walked up to Ruby "Just be careful."
"Got it." Ruby said smiling. She turned to the rest of the group. "Start getting everyone to the front cars."
Ren, Nora, Skyler, Neo and I started moving the passengers to the front cars while the rest of the crew got in position. Once we exited the tunnel Ren, Neo and I made our way to the top of the train. Neo had her scroll out with a call placed to Ruby waiting for the signal. Ren and I stood by waiting. Neo put a hand on my shoulder.
"You can do this. We believe in you." Neo said. Ren looked towards me and nodded in agreement.
"NOW!" We heard Ruby yell though the scroll.
Ren and I nodded to each other. He got down on one knee and I put my hand on his shoulder and started amplifying his aura. The train cars started losing color one by one. A few minutes later Ren and I both let up.
"We should be far enough away." Ren said.
"We should get back inside and check on the other passengers." Neo said.
We both nodded in agreement and headed back inside. Nora and Skyler had started acting like their normal crazy selves by the time we'd gotten inside.
"Normally I'd think they'd be crazy for celebrating this early, but the others need something to keep their spirits up. Those two are the perfect thing right now." I said.
"Indeed." Ren said.
Neo suddenly wrapped her arms around me. "I knew you could do it!"
"Barely. We're lucky we stopped when we did. I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept going." I said.
"All that matters is that it worked. Hopefully that gave you some extra confidence in case we need to do something like that again." Ren said.
"Gods forbid." Neo said releasing me.
"Using it isn't what's gonna concern me… Running out is. I understand there were special circumstances the first time I did it. The fear of another outcome like that is what I'm worried about." I said.
"If I may, I understand the specific reason you are hesitant to do it. However, although I do not know much about the relationship the two of you shared. I imagine Weiss wouldn't want you to hesitate. Even in a worst-case scenario it's better to try and fail rather than not try at all." Ren said.
"He's right, if you hadn't at least tried you may not have even gotten a chance to say goodbye." Neo said.
"Even if all you can manage is able to stabilize someone. It's still a victory." Ren said.
"You just need to have to go into it with the mindset you won't fail. I know it sounds easer than it is, but the more confidence you have going in the better. Same as a fight. If you go in expecting to fail, you probably will." Neo said.
I gave a small sigh and smiled. "You know I know I complain about it a lot, but I'm glad I have friends like you two."
"About that." Neo said.
"Why don't I like that?" I said.
"The next chance we get the five of us need to have a serious chat." Neo said.
"Regarding?" I asked.
"You." Neo said.
"She's right." Ren said.
"Why do I feel like you two were conspiring behind my back?" I asked.
"He was the only one of the group other than Lilly and Velvet that was willing to give me a chance from the start. He was also the most levelheaded that could give me advice." Neo said.
"We're not conspiring against you. We mainly just want to get a grasp on your mental and physical state. Neo informed me there had been some issues since the attack on Beacon." Ren said.
"I think the physical aspect is quite obvious." I said raising my left hand.
"Yes, but you know what I'm talking about." Neo said.
I sighed again. "Yeah, I know."
"We'll discuss this later with Skyler and Nora. For now, we should make a plan for what we're going to do when we get to Argus." Ren said.
"I may be in disguise, but it's probably not a good idea for me to go to the military base." Neo said.
"Then how about You, Nora and Skyler head there while Neo and I look for a place to stay for now." I said.
"Very well. I don't suppose either of you have been to Argus before?" Ren asked.
Neo and I shook our heads.
"Roman never operated outside of Vale." Neo said.
"The only tie I have to any part of Mistral is my sister. Even if I knew where she was living, I can't very well say 'Hey I'm your long-lost brother mind if me and my ten friends crash with you for a few days.'" I said.
"Argus is a big city. Perhaps we'll be able to find another house we can rent out for a few days." Ren said.
"Let's hope so." I said.
Not long after we finally made it to Argus. We made our way into town and went our separate ways as we'd planned. Neo and I immediately started looking for a place we could rent out for a few days. Most of the places we'd come up with unfortunately were gonna be too small for all of us. I got a message from Ren asking if we had any good news. Unfortunately, I had to tell him we'd come up empty. We decided to meet up at a restaurant do try to come up with a new plan. We arrived early so we stood outside waiting for them.
"I still say we should have just smashed our way in. They couldn't have stopped all of us." Nora said as they approached us.
"Nora, there was only three of us. They would have easily stopped us." Skyler said.
"Which is why I suggested we get crimson and Neo. There's no way they could have stopped us with them with us." Nora said.
"So, I'm guessing your part went about as well as ours." I said.
"If we hadn't held her back, I'm pretty sure Nora would have ended up in jail." Skyler said.
"Oh, come on, it wouldn't have gone that bad." Nora said.
"It probably would have gone worse." Ren said.
The five of us got a table and ordered. Luckily this place served faunus and wasn't very busy. Neo and I realized we probably should have investigated that first.
"So, we no way to Atlas and nowhere to stay. On top of that we don't know where half our friends are. Anyone have any good news? I'll accept someone found a shiny button at this rate." I said.
No one said anything.
"If we at least had Qrow he might be able to get some leverage by being friends with Ironwood." I said.
"That would just leave us with one problem." Skyler said.
The server brought us our food and we started eating.
"At least food isn't one of our issues." Skyler said.
"It's the best news I've heard so far." I said.
"I'd say the best news was blind guessing a restaurant that served faunus." Skyler said.
"Now if we could only blind guess a place to stay." Nora said.
"If it were just the five of us that wouldn't be an issue. We need a place that can accommodate the rest of us." I said.
"My apologies, but I couldn't help overhear your conversation." A voice said.
The five of us stopped eating and turned towards where the voice had come from. He had a dark grey cloak on and all you could see of his face was their bright green eyes and white hair.
"You're all huntsmen correct? I've got a place you could stay." He said.
"Well this doesn't sound creepy at all." Nora said with Skyler quickly covering her mouth.
"What she means is, no offence but this seems really shady." Skyler said.
"I'm not sure that was much better." Neo said.
"Your skepticism is warranted. However, I'm not the one offering. My boss is." He said gesturing towards three other cloaked individuals across the restaurant.
"How is no one questioning four cloaked people in a corner? That's like obvious bad guy cliché number twenty-six." Nora said.
"Not only that, but you were able to hear us from all the way over there?" Skyler asked.
"Indeed, and let's just say we have a special interest in one of you." He said looking directly towards me.
"How did you manage to cause an issue already?" Nora asked.
I shrugged. "As far as I was aware I hadn't. Who are you guys?"
"All in due time. For now, don't think of us as enemies. This of us as, acquaintances." He said.
"You know there is no rational reason we should go along with this." Neo said.
"I beg to differ. You're all in need of a place to stay. We have one available. Not only that I'm sure we have some information Crimson would find interesting." He said.
I looked at Neo before turning back to the man. "How do you know my name?"
He set a card on the table before looking to his companions and nodding. The other three stood up and followed him towards the exit.
"We're not seriously going to fall for this right?" Skyler asked.
"It's clearly a trap, and a lame one at that." Nora said.
"Trust me I know, but I'm curious how they knew my name." I said.
"We've been here a while maybe they just heard one of us say it and used it to try tricking us." Skyler said.
"Except no one has mentioned his name the entire time we've been here." Ren said.
"Maybe they followed us while we were going around town." Neo said.
"That does seem to be the most likely." Ren said.
"Oh, let's just go. Worst case scenario we have to fight a little. Not like we haven't had to do that before. Besides while it's an incredibly small chance, there is still a chance they are telling the truth. Plus, I could use a chance to blow off some steam after dealing with that shrimpy bitch." Nora said.
I took the card from the table and read the address on it.
"Anyone got a better idea?" I asked.
We looked at each other with silence as our answer.
"Obvious trap it is then." I said.
We quickly finished eating and paid for our meal. Before we left, I made sure to ask where we could locate the address on the card. The waiter gave us directions and we made our way there. The building was a decently sized house compared to some of the other ones in the area, but still looked to have a similar aesthetic.
"This is the correct place, right?" Skyler asked.
"It's the address on the card." I said.
"This doesn't seem like a place where a villain would plan something." Nora said.
"Unless the have some sort of secret base underneath." Neo said.
"Somehow I don't think that would be possible for a place like this." Ren said.
"Guess we'll never know until we go try." I said walking up to the door. I knocked on the door and shortly after the same person we'd already met answered the door.
"Really? You're still wearing the cloak? What do you answer the door like that for anyone? We could have been your neighbor or the pizza guy." Nora said.
"We were fairly confident that you'd be the ones at the door. Also, we have a window." The man said gesturing to the window next to the door.
"Doesn't change how weird this is." Nora said.
"Noted, if you'll all follow me." He said.
"Into the obvious trap." Nora mumbled.
The five of us followed him into the house. The inside looked like what I imagined Nora living on her own would look like. The place was moderately messy with a few clothes laying about and a few used plates lying around.
He stopped and opened a door to a basement. "Down the stairs please."
"I can't believe you called that." Ren said.
"Should have put lien on it." Neo said.
We descended the staircase until we came to a smaller room that looked like it was used for storage.
"Let me guess, now you're gonna lock us in here?" Skyler asked.
He walked over and pushed a panel on the wall revealing a hidden door.
"Please continue." He said clearly ignoring the comment.
"Secret dungeon. Really wishing I'd have put Lien on it." Neo said as we started heading down again.
"If we're going to be locked down here, I don't think it would have mattered." Ren said.
We soon entered a large room where the other three members stood on the opposite side. The room looked like a training room with a tv on the side that functioned as a scoreboard.
"Now, if the five of you are done accusing us of trapping you." He started.
"I could get a few more…" Nora started before Skyler stopped her.
"We'll explain why we actually brought you here. We're willing to give you a place to stay, if the three of you" He said pointing to Ren, Nora and Neo. "Can beat me and two of my friends."
"Only a three on three? Easy." Nora said punching her fists together.
"That's not all." He said turning towards me. "You have to beat our leader as well."
"So, if we only accomplish one of those things?" Skyler asked.
"Guess you're on the streets. Military isn't too happy about that kind of thing by the way." He said walking over towards his teammates.
"Well guys?" I asked.
"I don't have a better idea." Skyler said.
"The three of us should be fine. Are you gonna be able to take their leader one on one?" Neo asked.
"I don't know if my aura has fully recovered, but I should be fine otherwise. Besides, they somehow know about me, I wanna know how that's possible." I said.
"Very well." Ren said. The three of them stepped forward. "We accept."
"You know they could have just recognized you from the tournament, right?" Skyler whispered.
"Yeah, but most people probably would have assumed I'd died. So, it makes me question it even further." I said.
Three of their members stepped forward while the remaining one jumped up on a raised concrete block and sat down looking towards me.
'Who are you?'