A/N:

Hi friends!

Welcome back to RWBY: The Selection!

I hope everyone enjoyed the adorable board-game-playing-Jaune chapter that was last time :) Poor Jaune honestly, trying to navigate this maze that is everyone's intentions. Also Jaune and Pyrrha's warm-and-fuzzies ACK I can't :D

Today we take a slight turn from that romantic comedy to Atlas Academy, where Tyrian has been sent to find more information on the Winter Maiden. This is also taking place Thursday night (a remarkably long day in this fanfiction XD) and it is the same Thursday where Yang and Watts had an argument in Princess Lessons. The next chapter takes place on Thursday night as well, and it should come up immediately after this one.

Thank you to all those that reviewed the last two chapters!

To MadoScientisto, thank you very much! I love and truly, truly miss Port and Oobleck and the rest of the Beacon staff. The level of nostalgia that came while writing that scene was so immense. I similarly ship Snowbird, no worries, but that's the only thing I'm going to say on the matter for now ;) ;) Nora is one of my FAVORITE characters of all time! I'm so glad her portrayal in this fic, and I'm so glad that the humor made you smile! :D INTERESTING thought on that Jaune playing Vacuo meaning ;) I think there's definitely something to that theory. Yes, that game was certainly meant to be more than meets the eye...

To RavellAqim, wow. Just wow. If my chapters were as long as your reviews, this fanfic would be an absolute *novel*. Thank you SO much for all of your thoughts. Your review on Chapter 52 was super interesting! I loved the takes on monarchies and absolutist regimes, as well as your theories on Jaune and his sisters. I won't tell you *which* possibility is true, but I will say that the answer (and more of Salem as a character) will be revealed later in the fic ;) as will the "where is Ozma" question... but wow, honestly, this review made me go back to my planning document and dig even deeper into the politics of what's going on here because wow. Your thoughts on Arkos were also amazing. Arkos brings out the shipper in us all XD

Once again, please review with any thoughts/comments/questions/concerns/suggestions/anything else that strikes y'all's fancy! Another chapter should be up tomorrow night as well, but, as Pyrrha put it, "we've got time."

Without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 54: Tyrian

Time was of the essence as Tyrian Callows snuck through Atlas Academy's pristine halls, staining them with bloody footprints. There were few things that Tyrian liked more than a bounty mission. Violence and destruction rivaled the thrill of hunting prey, as did receiving praise from his goddess, and, of course, a call from the esteemed (though somewhat pretentious) Dr. Arthur Watts.

"Tyrian," Watts's voice, drawling, tired, slightly bored, came from the earpiece connected to Tyrian's scroll.

"Yes?" Tyrian whispered. He had to keep his voice down. Through much bloodshed, he had made his way into Atlas Academy and now wandered the halls, creeping past dorms and sneaking through classrooms. Watts may have visited Ironwood's office on official business many times, but to Tyrian, there was something so delicious about popping in unannounced.

"Do you have a minute? I need an ear to complain to…"

"Complain away, my dear friend," Tyrian giggled. He darted up the stairs, silent as a scorpion in the dead of the night. Stealth was important, but it wasn't everything. After all, there were guards scattered throughout Atlas Academy. He had already met a few, but they had been no match for his bloodlust, talent, and tail.

"It's these pesky girls in the Selection. Queen Salem wants me to teach a class on the Capital Report, to give them media skills. I was expecting to receive respect and gratitude from these under-privileged students, but all I've gotten is sass."

Tyrian giggled again. "Sounds like a recipe for an… accident,"

"Don't get carried away. I can't hurt any of them directly. It would look bad. I might even lose my status as a One, and Salem needs my technological prowess,"

"The decisions of the Queen should be trusted without question," Tyrian agreed. He finally rounded the corner to Ironwood's office. If anyone knew where a Winter Maiden was hiding, it was the General. Five guards stood outside his office: the famed Ace-Ops. Tyrian licked his lips.

"But I'm going to hurt them indirectly, Tyrian, I promise," Watts continued as Tyrian crept up on his prey. "Today, this one girl told me the caste system was shit." He darted out from his hidden corner and slashed at one guard with his blade. "Imagine the nerve…" Watts continued as the other Ace-Ops jumped on the offensive. Tyrian grinned, resting on his tail and spinning around, kicking them all back. "I'm going to have her globally humiliated on the Capital Report and subsequently sent home."

"Be careful!" One of the Ace-Ops cried. "He's dangerous. He's with the Queen,"

Tyrian's eyes narrowed. They could insult him all they wanted, but they could not insult his goddess. He raced towards the man who had spoken, slashing at him and forcing him to the ground.

"Clover!" One of his teammates called, and thick, yellow arms wrapped around Tyrian's waist.

"I can control which questions get called in, and I'll be sure to choose one that will rile her up. She has quite a temper…" Watts mused.

Tyrian threw off the man's arms, gnashing his teeth. He made to slash at this man too when a woman with a large hammer flung him back. "He's with the Queen?" she demanded to the first man, Clover.

Clover nodded, throwing out his fish hook, which caught Tyrian by the tail and dragged him to the floor. Tyrian lay there for a second, allowing his aura to break so they would think him defenseless.

Watts' voice continued speaking into his earpiece. "Now, her friend and partner in princess training, Lady Blake, also needs to be eliminated in a humiliating way…" he mused. "I'm still working on a plan for that one. She's an Eight, so it shouldn't be too hard, but she's less likely to run headfirst into a trap…"

Clover stepped above Tyrian, who feigned unconsciousness, and addressed the rest of his team. "As soon as we take him to the General, we should let Ciel know. The maiden could be in danger."

Tyrian's heart pounded. Ciel. Ciel Soliel? The contestant on the Selection? Did she know the Winter Maiden? Was she with the Winter Maiden? Was the Winter Maiden also a contestant?

Clover reached to bind his hands, and Tyrian's eyes shot open. He reactivated his aura and leapt to his feet.

"Hey!" One of the Ace-Ops exclaimed, and he took a step towards the scorpion.

In a blur of flesh and exoskeleton, Tyrian pierced the boy with his tail. His hands flew to his side as his aura broke and the poison made contact.

"Marrow!" Shouted another Ace-Op. She raced to his side.

The other three Ace-Ops held up their weapons, and Tyrian looked from one to the other, cocking his head.

"I'm thinking if I can just find some dirt on her..." Watts suggested, but his voice seemed far away as Tyrian's heart raced. "Maybe I'll hack into her scroll, just to see what I can find. And then, of course, there's Lady Ruby..."

He considered poisoning them all, but shook himself out of his bloodlust. He had what he needed. He could now return to his goddess with the joyous news. Ciel Soliel knew who the Winter Maiden was. And maybe, just maybe, the Maiden herself was a contestant in the Selection. Oh, how delicious that mystery would be.

Just as Clover stepped towards him, Tyrian lunged away. He leapt through an open window, scampering down the walls of Atlas Academy and landing on a snowy roof.

"Tyrian, have you been listening to me?" Watts asked, irritated.

Tyrian smirked. "Of course. You need a way to get back at all the girls who have been sassing you. Don't worry, we'll have ample opportunity. Soon, you'll even have a partner in crime who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty." Tyrian chuckled. Then, his chuckles turned to giggles. His giggles turned to squeals, and his squeals turned to high-pitched shrieks of laughter.

Yes, there were few things that Tyrian Callows liked better than a bounty mission, but a bounty mission filled with violence and destruction, under the watchful eye of his goddess and with the assistance of the esteemed, somewhat pretentious Dr. Arthur Watts took the prize.

Oh, this was going to be fun.