No, I'm not dead even though it's been almost a whole year since the last update. I'm not intentionally trying to make you guys wait this long and I want to thank all of you for the continued interest and support in this story. Life has been... interesting and challenging that has required me to shift focus on immediate priorities to put it simple. I'll save the TL;DR for the end author's note. Let's do this.
Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Journal Entries/Flashbacks
Adam's footsteps echoed around the hall as he continued his march to the storage room. He had finished revising the chain of command Cinder had sent him for Ironwood's team and was ready to give the plan to Kokuto. As he continued his walk, his mind wandered to the possibility of capturing Winter Schnee. Having her could give him a lot of leverage towards the SDC and Ironwood to possibly cater to what he sought. The only issue would be trying to capture her. She would have a team at her disposal and that would be an obstacle itself, but the other matter was her skill. He knew that she didn't get her position as Ironwood's right hand for nothing.
He cracked his neck as he turned into the storage facility. There he found dozens of his brothers and sisters moving boxes to the nearby trucks. They were making haste with getting them to their designated areas around Remnant and whatever remained by the time Ironwood and his team got here would be used to wipe them out.
His eyes landed on Kokuto who was pointing at the next truck to load the stolen dust on.
"Kokuto," said Adam as he came up to him.
His lieutenant turned around and straightened up.
"What do you need, sir?" Kokuto asked.
"I have a mission for you. Let's step outside," said Adam.
The two of them made their way out the side door to step into the early night. The air was muggy which gave the potential for storms later.
"Cinder's given us some useful information to end our little problem with that Atlas team that's been following us around," said Adam as he pulled out his scroll.
He opened it and revealed the pictures of the team for Kokuto to see. Although he personally had only laid eyes on one of the teams team recently, Kokuto had seen the other a few times before. If anyone knew what they were capable of, it was him.
"How'd she get this?" Kokuto's eyes looked up from the scroll.
"She has a plant on the inside that managed to pull this for us. Bottom line, they are sending that team to Crystal Harbor to tail any SDC supplies that leaves port," said Adam as he attached the files to a message to send to Kokuto.
"Huh, that's almost kind of her. She must be feeling threatened if she's giving us this much help."
Adam nodded back. Kokuto had been sharp at reading people, even just from hearing about information being passed around. The fact he was able to sense that Cinder was feeling pressured was something that left him very impressed. A ghost of a smile came to his face, but it disappeared as quick as it had come.
"I recognize all of the faces here, but two of them were killed at the Schnee Estate," said Kokuto.
"What can you tell me about Winter Schnee and Connor Blackburn?" His finger pointed at their pictures.
Kokuto gave a lighthearted shrug.
"From what I can tell, they are partners and both are strong in their craft, but Winter Schnee is the main threat of the two of them. Blackburn has brains and brawn, but he is the weaker of the two. He's persistent and that makes him a threat as long as he's breathing," Kokuto said with a cross of his arms.
"Any weaknesses?" Adam asked.
"From what I can tell, they rely heavily on each other. Take one down, the other will break. That much I can promise you."
Adam rose a brow at that and his eyes met Kokuto's. He stared at him for a long minute after hearing the bold claim. These two were professional soldiers and were trained to finish the mission at all cost. Sure, they may be close from working together, but being that close? That sounded like a hindrance more than anything.
"Are you sure about that?" Adam challenged.
"Positive. Blackburn needs her to last in a fight and she needs him to keep her cool," said Kokuto.
"I see. Then this makes my decision easier."
"I'm listening, sir."
Adam pocketed his scroll and rested his hand on the hilt of Wilt and Blush.
"We're going to lure them into a trap so we can capture them. I'm sure Ironwood is expecting that, so let's give him what he's looking for," said Adam.
"You want me to lead them to us?" Kokuto tilted his head.
"Yes. I want you to get them into the forest in familiar territory. Once they are out of range of reinforcements, swarm in on them and capture both Winter Schnee and Connor Blackburn."
Kokuto nodded at his words.
"Capturing Winter Schnee I can understand, but Blackburn? I don't see what value he has to you," said Kokuto.
"If what you are telling me is true, his value is being Winter Schnee's friend. We capture both of them, bring them back here and make her talk," Adam answered.
Hearing the firmness of Adam's statement was more than enough for Kokuto to put two and two together. Winter Schnee would know more about Atlas operations and any information pertaining to their plans for the Vytal Festival and the White Fang as a whole. Blackburn's well-being was the key to making her break. All it would take is some force.
"When do you want me to take my men to find them?" Kokuto asked.
"From the timeframe we're looking at they will be here by tomorrow afternoon. They'll be leaving from Beacon tonight," said Adam.
"The time our next shipment is leaving Crystal Harbor would be tomorrow afternoon. Okay, I'll have a scout team head out tonight to watch for them tomorrow and the rest of us will be waiting for them in the forest."
"Good. I'm relying on you, Kokuto. Get it done."
With that, Adam gave a hard pat to Kokuto's shoulder and made his way back to his quarters. Now it was time to sit and wait.
Winter's eyes flipped between the blown-up HUD in front of them and the occupants that had filled the room, specifically Blackburn. He had arrived with Team CFVY and RWBY at the behest of General Ironwood to be briefed the plan for their infiltration of White Fang compound in Mistral. Her mind was torn between the mission as well as the task Ironwood had appointed her before they left on the mission. She had to talk to him and diffuse any tension they had after the attack at her father's mansion.
From what she could tell he seemed focused and determined much like he had been every time they were getting ready for a mission. Was he still thinking about what happened at the mansion between them? Was he mad at her distancing herself from him and all but ceasing any interaction they had? For a brief moment his eyes met hers and she immediately turned back to the HUD. She could not meet his gaze. Not yet, anyway. She would talk to him once the brief was finished and it would give her more time to come up with what she wanted to say.
The door opened behind the group and they turned to see Ironwood enter the room with Glynda and Ozpin. They continued their stride to the opposite side of the HUD to face the rest of the group. Once they were ready, Ironwood cleared his throat.
"I want to thank all of you for coming on such short notice, but it's urgent," he began.
"It's okay, General!" Ruby beamed back at him. "Does it have to do with the map in front of us here?"
Ironwood smiled back at the little reaper and gave a curt nod.
"Yes. As all of you know, you have been working with my soldiers on joint operations in support against the White Fang and ties they have to two criminals we've been searching for known as Queen and Lotus," said Ironwood as he clicked the remote in his hand.
The click brought up three separate profiles, two of them were silhouettes and the third as a picture of Kokuto Daichi. The three profiles hovered over the map with indicators pointing to their known areas of activity.
"We've received intelligence from sources in Mistral in regards to White Fang activity. It has been confirmed that large amounts of stolen dust and SDC supplies have been shipped from Crystal Harbor to a White Fang hideout located in the forest near Ashwood Station, here."
Ironwood highlighted the portion of the map where Ashwood Station was located. It was surrounded by a lot of hills and dense forest before giving way to farmland to the north. He went on to explain that their mission would only have them interacting with the local population at the harbor and Ashwood Station. They would be fortunate to avoid any collateral damage with the lack of villages in the forest.
"Our main objective of this mission is to capture this man, Kokuto Daichi," said Ironwood.
All the eyes in the room shifted briefly to Yatsuhashi who managed to remain stoic as he looked at this little brother's portrait.
"He is the acting field commander for the White Fang you've encountered on your missions so far and is the key to finding Queen and Lotus. From what we know, he is a cold and ruthless fighter which makes this mission dangerous. We want to bring him in alive for questioning," Ironwood said as he clicked the remote again.
Blake raised her hand and garnered the general's attention.
"What support will we have on this mission? If we are heading into the White Fang's territory to capture him, we will be outnumbered. We would be walking into a trap," said Blake.
Ironwood sighed and nodded back at Blake.
"That brings us into the biggest problem. I can't send my forces into a kingdom without authorization from its ruler and council as that can be interpreted as an act of war. Ozpin is working on getting clearance from Mistral, but we have yet to hear anything from them."
There was a long pause that lingered in the air after he finished. The weight of the situation was clear for all of them. This was going to be a high-risk operation that had a good chance of failure. Their operations up until now gave them high success since they had more power with the Atlas military given their clearance to operate in the areas they conducted their missions.
"Understand this. We intend to put you in harm's way to accomplish this mission. You will be outnumbered with the high possibility of walking into a trap. However, you were all chosen because of your competence and involvement with this matter," Ozpin finally spoke
The old man took a long sip from his coffee.
"With that said, I also understand if any of you wish to opt out of this. After talking it over with James, we believe you should know what you were getting involved with and given the option to choose to go through with it. This mission will be considered A-Ranked given the importance and danger," he said while looking at his students.
The words from the old man and the look that accompanied them was more than enough to show he was not jesting. He was dead serious. The headmaster was now revealing his true nature. One that had seen and experienced far more than one could imagine.
"Miss Rose, Miss Adel, I will give you five minutes to think this over with your teams. Once your time is up, I expect an answer from both of you on what you wish to do. None of us will hold your decision against you," said Ozpin.
The headmaster looked at his watch as he began their time limit and turned on his heel. His footsteps echoed around the silent room as they carried him to the window to allow him to look over his kingdom and the Atlas fleet that stood guard above it. His words finally broke through to the two leaders who brought their teams together to talk it over.
While this was going on, Winter felt another presence beside her and saw Blackburn. His arms were crossed as he looked at the map. She waited for him to say something, but his lips remained sealed. With the amount of talking he did to bring her out and converse since they first met, it was now her turn to be the one to do so.
"What do you think?" She whispered to him, sparing a quick sideways glance to their possible teams.
"I think we're going to have our hands full," he answered back.
"Do you think they'll agree to do the mission?"
"Yeah, I do. Ruby and Coco are strong and stubborn. They'll see this as a challenge and a duty to follow through with. They'll agree to it."
Winter's eyes drifted to the two teams and took in their body language. None of them looked anxious or eager, but calm and professional. Seeing this filled Winter with pride. She knew then and there that her requisitions of both teams was the right call and gave her a much needed boost in confidence in the wake of what happened at the Schnee Estate. Ruby and Coco were not going to let her down.
"What about you, though?" Blackburn whispered to her.
"Excuse me?" She asked back.
"You heard me."
Her eyes finally met his stern look. He was challenging her resolve, but she knew it wasn't in regards to the mission. Her lips twisted into a small scowl as she glared back at him. Her hand took his arm in a firm grip and she guided him over to a more secluded corner away from the ears of the rest of the group. It seemed they would be clearing the air earlier than she expected.
"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry?" She put her hands on her hips.
"That'd be a welcome start," Blackburn answered back.
"Oh, excuse me! I needed some time for myself after I lost two of my soldiers!"
"So, you shut out the guy who could best relate to you and help you? Solid plan."
Winter crossed her arms and felt a growl coming from the back of her throat. He was now talking to her exactly like Qrow would. No playfulness like he usually had that made their banter fun. This time it was filled with bitterness and spite. Her eyes shot a quick look at the teams who were still discussing their decision and from the corner of them she could see looks coming from both Weiss and Ironwood.
It would take every ounce of restraint she had to not snap at Blackburn with the way the conversation was going and do what it took to keep it from escalating any further.
"I don't appreciate your tone. This was something I had to deal with on my own," said Winter.
"That sounds like a bullshit excuse to me," Blackburn said back with a shake of his head. "Now you're being the hypocrite. You told me to open up to you if something was on my mind, but now you're the one clamming up? Get the hell out of here with that."
She took a step forward towards her partner, eyes narrowed. She managed to bite back a yell as she stared angrily into his hardened eyes. The anger that was flowing through her was begging to be unleashed. The last time she recalled having such a heated talk with the man before her was when he defied her order to capture Shadow so long ago.
"Do not use that language with me, Connor!" She hissed.
"Seems like the perfect time and place to make my point, so why not?" He challenged.
"Because I see you as a man of respect and integrity, not acting like an uncivilized fool!"
Blackburn let out a dry laugh.
"I'll start showing respect the second you return it, LT. You shut me out and completely dismiss the matter without thinking about the way I was feeling?"
Winter almost winced at the nickname he gave her. She had gotten used to him calling her by her name and using the nickname sparingly for teasing. This time it carried a mocking weight that pierced her heart.
"It wasn't just you who lost Doyle and Green that night. I did, too. I've spent most of my time when not teaching students with you, them and General Ironwood. They reminded me of my boys from my squad back home," Blackburn whispered.
She blinked and some of the anger that had built inside of her vanished and instead twisted into shame. She could still remember what she talked about with Coco and the younger woman's conversation with her partner about his previous experience with heavy losses from those he served with.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Blackburn pressed further.
Winter shifted uncomfortably.
"I already told you why," she said as she met his eyes again. "I was dealing with their loss my way. For that note, I didn't know how badly their deaths affected you. Even if I did, I didn't know how to go about talking to you about it."
Blackburn took a deep breath through his nose and it came out in a long sigh. His frustration was gone and his glare was replaced with a look of sympathy. It seemed as though he had come to an understanding that they were both being unfair to each other in this whole matter.
For Winter, her answer felt appropriate but incomplete in a way. Was it because she didn't know how to talk to him about the loss of Doyle and Green, or was it something more? Her mind raced to find a logical answer for why she was feeling the way she was, but it was coming up short.
The two of them were forced to return their attention back to Ozpin and Ironwood after a clearing of the former's throat. Time was up and a decision had to be made. A quick look to the two teams gave Winter no doubt about the answers she would hear from them.
"Miss Adel, Miss Rose, I need an answer from you two before we proceed," said Ozpin as his spectacled eyes shifted between the two of them.
The senior student was the first to speak up.
"My team and I aren't backing out, Professor. We want to see this through to the end," said Coco.
Ozpin nodded and his eyes fell on the silver eyed junior. The young woman's eyes were alight with determination and a confident grin was on her lips.
"We're in too! If we can help stop this then we want to do it!" Ruby nodded.
The old man looked at both of them again and a small smile came to his face. Whether it was pride to see his students accept their duty or relief of them willing to comply with the request he and his old friend made was another story. As of now, the mission was a go with both teams agreeing to help.
"As I said earlier, we can't send in anything more than a squad sized element until we receive clearance from Mistral. Regardless if we do hear anything before six tonight when we step off, we will carry on with the mission, but we will be operating on the belief we won't hear anything from them," said Ironwood.
With that point, Blackburn raised a hand.
"I want to bring up a concern, sir," he spoke.
"Of course," Ironwood said with a nod.
"Given that information and the fact we cannot afford to fail this mission, I am concerned about one member of our team."
The assistant professor's words garnered everyone's attention. With him and Winter being the key leaders of the mission, his words would be taken into heavy consideration. No guarantee of reinforcements and in the heart of enemy territory could be a death sentence if precautions and contingencies were not in play.
"Which member would this be?" Ozpin asked.
"Blake Belladonna," said Blackburn without hesitation.
The girl's name was more than enough to make her eyes sharpen as she looked at the young professor who returned her stare.
"May I ask why?" Ozpin continued.
"Professor Ozpin, with due respect, the last mission I led with her under my command she defied my orders in a similar situation. We were outnumbered and we were lucky that none of us got killed. The biggest difference is we had reinforcements at our disposal. This time we don't," said Blackburn.
"And you're afraid she'll do the same thing again?
"I'd be lying if I didn't think it was a concern, but I refuse to endanger the rest of the team because of one individual."
Blake opened her mouth to retort, but was silenced when a warning tap came from Ozpin's cane as it rang against the floor. Another came in the form Yang's hand gripping her shoulder firmly.
The headmaster turned his gaze to Blake who straightened up after giving another glare back to Blackburn at the reminder and the accusation.
"Miss Belladonna, Professor Blackburn's words do have credibility. Although your last mission did turn out well in the end, it was foolish of you to break protocol of your superior," said Ozpin.
"I understand, Professor, but…" Blake attempted to respond, but the old man's narrowed eyes forced her to be quiet.
"And given the importance of this mission, we cannot afford you to undermine either him or Lieutenant Schnee. It's too late to change the past, but I will not tolerate disobedience this time. Should you defy either of them and act irrationally again, I will have you expelled."
The tension that had built from Blackburn's point seemed to double with Ozpin's declaration. Immediately the look of protest and anger from Blake's face vanished as she went pale as a sheet. This was the first time any of the occupants had seen the headmaster be that blunt and direct with a student and his tone once again suggested he was not bluffing. The rest of Team RWBY had been equally surprised at the man's words and although they wanted to defend their teammate, there was nothing any of them could really say. It would be just as much on them as much as it was on her if she went outside the orders she was given again.
"Do you understand me, Miss Belladonna?" Ozpin asked with a tilt of his head.
There was a long pause before Blake nodded in return. This appeared to satisfy Blackburn enough for now as he turned his attention back to Ironwood.
"Moving on with the plan," Ironwood clicked on the remote and the large HUD shifted again to take in an overview of Anima.
Crystal Harbor was surrounded by a red circle and there was a trail leading from it back towards the sea. This would be their entry point, coming in from the southwest. Leading east out of the harbor was the train tracks that would take shipments to Ashwood Station a few hours away.
"To reiterate, you are in neutral territory the moment you set foot in the harbor. There will be scouts in the area watching your movement. They will not engage in the harbor because of local authorities and the possibility of my forces not being far off," Ironwood continued.
The HUD's display had an additional screen pop labeled rules of engagement, or ROE. Given the sensitivity of the situation and the potential for collateral damage, they were under strict guidelines until they got away from Ashwood Station. For Blackburn, it was something he was more familiar with as they were no different from what he had to follow for stability operations back in Afghanistan. Straightforward and to the point. No engaging the enemy unless attacked. Observe and report as necessary to keep real time intelligence going to shape future operations.
The plan was after landing in the harbor through the Bullhead transporting them, they would then board a small train that was to leave shortly after the supply train that was carrying the stolen shipments. A small break in between the trains, but not enough for them to lose the shipment entirely, just enough to tail them safely.
"Once you reach Ashwood Station you are to send up a SITREP so we can continue tracking you all. I shouldn't have to say this, but unless you are told otherwise, Lieutenant Schnee and Professor Blackburn are leading this mission. No deviating from the plans or any order they give you," said Ironwood, his eyes staying on Blake longer than everyone else.
Ashwood Station would be the last neutral ground with local authority before they would truly be in hostile territory. They had a five-mile radius from the station before the possibility of encountering the White Fang, they could not afford to drop their guard at all. The shipments would have to be located quick after arriving to the station so they could identify the vehicles being used by the White Fang for transport and any possible deterrents they could use to throw them off trail and into a trap. All they could go off of to keep that from happening was the direction of the hideout and the terrain.
Ironwood clicked his remote again and another screen popped up beside the ROE titled objectives.
"You have three main objectives for this mission. Locate the White Fang compound, prepare to sweep and clear it for any intelligence and stolen dust shipments and SDC supplies, and finally, capture Kokuto Daichi," said Ironwood.
Kokuto's portrait took center of the HUD with a handful of notes under it listing his known skills, criminal record and connections.
"Kokuto is known to be highly dangerous and a strong fighter, he will not come quietly. Your job is to subdue him so we can bring him in for questioning. My recommendation would be to come at him with numbers as opposed to one or two of you. His Semblance allows him to form a hardened defense that can repel many attacks," the general continued.
More pictures popped up of Kokuto, this time with him holding his weapon and his body being covered in his defense to paint a picture for the group.
"I know I am telling you to bring him in alive, but unless absolutely necessary, do not kill him. The information he has is vital enough that it can prevent a possible attack from Queen and Lotus down the road. Something big that we believe is coming soon."
The remote clicked again and the HUD vanished and the lights in the room brightened up causing them all to blink and adjust to it. General Ironwood cast a quick look at his watch before standing at parade rest.
"Unless you have any outstanding questions, you have two hours to prepare and make your way to the landing zone where my pilots will escort your teams to Crystal Harbor," said Ironwood.
There was silence between the teams and finally after a few seconds, Weiss raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Schnee?" Ozpin looked at her.
"Professor, do you know how long it will take for Mistral to get back to you on the clearance for General Ironwood's forces?" She asked.
Ozpin was silent as he took a sip from his coffee and after he swallowed it, he spoke again.
"I do not. I have yet to hear a response from Leo Lionheart regarding clearance. He gave it last time when your team and Professor Blackburn went in a while ago, but he had more of a head's up. This is a last second request and it takes time to assemble a council for a decision like this. My hope is you will hear something before you step off."
Weiss frowned but nodded back, clear she wasn't fond of the answer but would accept it for the time being. Seeing no one else raise their hands to inquire for more, Ozpin sat down at his desk and folded his hands in front of him.
"If that will be all, you are dismissed to make your preparations. Lieutenant Schnee, Professor Blackburn, take charge," said Ironwood.
"Yes, sir!" Winter and Blackburn answered back firmly.
The teams departed the office with Winter and Blackburn close behind them.
Blackburn did another check of his gear as he waited at the landing zone for the rest of the group to arrive. Everything was in order. Loaded magazines. Blood type patch on his IOTV. Mustang had been cleaned and was ready for any firing or close quarter battle that would come. The blade shot from the depths of his rifle as it split open after he flipped the switch.
Gripping the weapon with both hands he gave a couple of quick and controlled swings. The metal whooshed loudly through the air. It felt lighter than when he first started using it, showing his muscles had gotten stronger for handling the blade itself and he could barely feel the aching that had plagued his body after the Schnee Estate. That was good. He would be able to move more freely now that he was feeling better.
The blade retreated back into the rifle and he slung it over his shoulder just as footsteps caught his attention. Turning around his eyes fell on Weiss. She had arrived ahead of her team, possibly hoping for some time with Winter before the mission started.
"Where's the rest of your crew?" He turned to her.
"They'll be here shortly. I just wanted a chance to talk to Winter… and you," said Weiss.
Blackburn rose a brow.
"Me?" He parroted back.
"Yes, you," said Weiss with a fold of her arms. "What was going on with you two in Professor Ozpin's office?"
He eyed the younger Schnee and watched as her eyes remained sharp as she stared back at him with crossed arms. She sought answers and she would not tolerate any form of diversion that threatened to throw her off her purpose.
"Honestly? We were arguing about our lack of communication since the attack on your dad's banquet," said Blackburn.
Weiss tilted her head with a perplexed look on her face.
"You two haven't been talking since then?" She asked.
"Sporadic, really," said Blackburn with a shrug.
"Why?"
Blackburn let out a sigh and shook his head.
"She's been shaken up after losing two of her soldiers. They were friends of mine as well."
"Oh…" Weiss looked down and bit her lip. "Well, did she at least talk to you about it?"
The young professor let out a dry laugh and followed up with a comment riddled with sarcasm.
"You mean back in the office? Yeah, perfect timing before a mission. Just seemed right, you know?"
Weiss frowned and her eyes narrowed a little.
"That was not necessary, Professor. I don't condone that she did it late, but there's no reason to throw shade about it now that it's happened."
Blackburn shook his head and uttered a small apology. He knew he was being childish with his answers and his attitude towards his partner, but it had left him very sour. No excuse by any means, but he did want to let her know it pissed him off.
"I know. I know. You're right, okay? This is just frustration and me bringing past issues into it," he said.
"Past issues?" Weiss asked, now curious. "Issues with Winter?"
"No, not your sister. Shit my ex did that added to our split. Just feels similar with her not talking to me and I thought she was better than that."
"Oh, I see."
It wasn't so much a violation of trust between the two soldiers, it was a matter of vulnerability. One was comfortable with the issue and wanted to address it, the other was experiencing it again and did not want to confront it. Winter would rather bottle up the incident at the manor and losing her soldiers instead of venting it and releasing it in a healthy way to come to terms and recover. She would never grow as a leader if she continued with that and that was the issue he was trying to get into her head.
"Then make her feel heard and comfortable," said Weiss.
"What?" Blackburn rose a brow.
"She doesn't feel comfortable talking about it with you, clearly. Make her feel comfortable and she will talk."
"What do you think I've been trying to do?"
"I'm not saying you haven't, but you obviously have not done it in a way that she feels she can be vulnerable about it with you. Your method of getting her to talk about it, pardon the language, sucks, Connor."
His lips twisted into a small scowl at the lecture and he sighed as Weiss gave him a sharp look. She was giving him some important advice, that much he knew. Maybe that was why some fights he had with Winter blew up in his face because of his refusal to communicate in a way that best suited her and rather as soldier to soldier. While it got the job done, it did not mean it was resolved in the correct way without damage to their relationship overall.
Glancing over his shoulder he could see the rest of their team making their way to the landing zone. It was time to get going.
"Just keep what I said in mind. Find time when it's appropriate and talk to her about it properly. I believe she wants to tell you how she feels about all of this," said Weiss.
"Yeah. Thanks, Weiss," said Blackburn.
"Professor would do nicely after this lesson and knowledge I gave you."
Blackburn eyed the young heiress and could see the trace of a teasing smile. She was letting him know that despite their conversation she still respected him as a man and a professional. That was enough to make him roll his eyes lightly and retort back.
"Beat Yang and Pyrrha, then I'll start calling you professor."
Weiss shook her head and walked back to meet with her teammates. As she was leaving, Blackburn faintly picked up on her trailing words and learned more about the younger Schnee.
"What an ass."
She may be dignified, carry herself and speak like a mature woman when around others, but she potentially had the mouth of a sailor if hit with the right amount of sass. Something that hadn't been there before. He was getting through to her, too. Something that Winter would kill him for later.
His thought of the lieutenant vanished when he spotted her coming up behind the rest of Team RWBY and CFVY. They locked eyes for a moment and Winter stopped in her tracks. She stilled herself and shifted her course to make her way to him. Her break from the group only attracted the attention of Weiss who sent him a quick glance and a curt nod. Winter opened her mouth to speak when she got close, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"Look, as far as I am concerned, we need to have a talk later. I'm willing to put this on the backburner since we have a more important job in front of us," said Blackburn.
Winter's mouth closed and she stared at him silently for a few seconds before nodding in agreement.
"Very well. After the mission," said Winter.
"And when we do, full transparency. None of that dog and pony, tiptoeing bullshit. We owe each other that much, Winter."
A small smile graced her face and she nodded again.
"All right." She held out her hand.
Blackburn reached out and took her hand. Her smooth palm graced his calloused hand and it was a welcomed touch. Similar to Alison's whenever they spent time together. The gentle touch hardened into a firm handshake and broke him from the thought and he shook her hand for their truce.
"We still haven't heard anything from Mistral's council for clearance, but I'm hoping we hear something by the time we reach the harbor. I don't like the idea of going in enemy territory without some form of reinforcements," said Winter.
"Neither do I, but all of us knew the risk with this and if this actually is what we think it is, I'd say it's worth it," said Blackburn.
Winter was about to speak again, but another voice interrupted her.
"If you two have kissed and made up, let's go!" Coco hollered over the Bullhead's engine powering up.
The pair of them sent the brunette a flat look and got a cocky smirk in return before she ducked back inside the aircraft.
"Well, shall we?" Blackburn smiled at Winter.
Omake: Tone Deaf
Blackburn was humming one of the many tunes that were stored on the abyss of his scroll that he transferred from his now useless phone. It was the downtime moments that he enjoyed if he couldn't find something to do in between classes he had to help Glynda teach, but he also knew it got him in trouble if he was bored for too long. He would never be one to boast about his singing capabilities since they would make the most amateur influencer sound good, but he always enjoyed it to take his mind off of anything bothering him or to occupy his time.
This time around, he was feeling the urge to listen to some old nineties hits. Grunge had been a big genre he was exposed to and now he was humming along to Stone Temple Pilots. He was broken from his little activity from a firm knock on his doorway. After cracking open an eye he was able to spot Weiss.
"What's up?" He took his feet off of the desk.
"I came here to talk about that paper you didn't give me full marks on, but now I'm more concerned with your tone deafness."
Blackburn rose a brow at the wicked smile on the girl's face.
"You do realize I can dock you more points from your assignment if you continue roasting me, right?" He asked.
Weiss' face quickly soured and became one of restrained anger, almost as if she would have a stroke then and there.
"You can't do that," she answered firmly, but there was an air of uneasiness with her statement.
He simply responded with booting up his screen and pulling up her grading file.
"So, you want me to take you from an A- to a solid B?" He met her stare.
"I swear, if you do that..." Weiss briskly made her way to his desk.
He laughed when she lunged forward and swiped at his board and he held up a hand, closing the window.
"I'm just messing with you, take it easy. By all means, if you want to argue your grade you can. If you convince me why I should boost it, then I'll do it."
The anger from Weiss vanished and a look of determination came to her eyes. She stood up and straightened out her clothes before taking a seat in front of his desk.
"Fine. Then what do I need to convince you of?" She asked.
Blackburn leaned back in his chair and sucked his teeth.
"I know you and your sister downloaded all of my music, so let's do this. If you can convince me which grunge band is the best, I will boost your grade."
Weiss only blinked and a grin came to her face.
"Fine. Show me which ones I'm comparing here," she answered.
Blackburn fished up the screen again brought up the main ones he had on the scroll being Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nirvana and Days of the New.
"Choose one and tell me why. I'll give you five minutes to think it over," said Blackburn.
Weiss gently cupped her chin and her eyes flicked to each of the choices before. As the time went by, Blackburn kept an eye on the young woman to see where her decision would land. Her eyes had been going between Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots the most, but would briefly trail to the other four. A small ping sounded later as the timer went off.
"Well?" Blackburn silenced the alarm.
"This was not easy, especially because all of them are good in their own way and fit different moods. For me it's between Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots," said Weiss.
"Why is that?"
"Their frontmen each have unique voices and can fit different moods."
"Ah, okay. I was wondering if you would be like most women I knew and go for Soundgarden with Chris Cornell."
Weiss offered a small shrug.
"He's great too, and I would have chosen him if we were talking solo records like I heard from your playlist as well, but we are talking about a group. So I would have to say Alice in Chains. It strikes the perfect balance of powerful lyrics and vocal range that fit anger or melancholic tones. The melodies and rifts are amazing."
Blackburn nodded in agreement.
"I respect that decision. Your sister would debate otherwise. She's got the biggest lady boner for Chris Cornell I've ever seen."
Weiss blinked and her cheeks reddened from the comment, but it shifted to irritation.
"You really can be an insufferable ass," she uttered after calming down just enough to speak.
"Yeah, I know. I crossed the line with that one," he offered back.
"I'll forgive you so long as you never say something like that about Winter again and as long as I don't catch you singing or humming out of tune like you just were."
Blackburn gave her an amused look and the younger Schnee crossed her arms in defiance, not settling for anything other than an agreement.
"What, I can't enjoy my private time?" He asked.
"If your voice sounds like a dying animal, then no. I would have to teach you how to sing before you dare do it again," said Weiss.
"Oh, you're on fire today. Put your money where your mouth is."
"The difference is unlike you, I actually can and should use these songs and release them so Remnant can experience them firsthand."
"That's illegal."
"I would give credit to them and release them as covers. I have respect for fellow musicians."
"Arrogant much?"
"It's not arrogance if you can back it up."
The two of them stared each other down. Their conversation had spiraled into a more friendly and fun debate with a moderate amount of smack talk that long surpassed the point of the conversation in the first place. Now it was just who could one up the other with wit or burns.
"Maybe you do, but you better do them justice. I sure as hell don't see you dressing up like Scott Weiland did and dancing your ass off on stage. Anything short of that is disgraceful."
Weiss leaned forward at the prod and took a deep breath through her nose before opening her mouth. What left was a clean and soothing, yet powerful intro to Dead and Bloated. When she finished she looked back at him with a cocky smile of her own.
"See? Way better than your pitiful attempt with that humming." She cast a look down to her nails.
Blackburn opened his mouth and attempted to sing, but the second the first word left his mouth and loud slam reverberated around the office. Weiss had smashed her closed fist on top of the desk and looked at him sharply.
"You're flat! Hush up and listen again!"
What would follow the next half hour of the sudden vocal lesson was a lot of abrupt slams and frustrated coaching from Weiss Schnee.
Slow and probably redundant for sure, but it will pick up with action and will be packed with it for the next couple of chapters after this. The story is getting close to the end, so this is just about to enter the final act. Again, I want to thank all of you who have stuck with the story despite the lack of updates and the constant support. It has meant a lot to me that it has been well received and liked enough to be inquired about in reviews and PMs and is something that has really been a pick-me-up within the past year which we can all say was dogshit and one that could be redacted. I've been busting my ass with 3 jobs and survived a furlough and was luckily brought back for one of them and been busy doing work as a company commander military wise, so my time has been nonexistent for the most part and it has left me drained. My goal is to finish this story this year and it may now be a possibility pending any other obstacles that may pop up. Stay tuned for updates and be ready for some more mature and darker themes because I am still trying to portray some level of harsh realism, but I will give firm warning for when those chapters come up for those who may be triggered. Thanks again and stay tuned. I will see you all next time.
Statements:
1.) Don't forget about the poll regarding a possible sequel to the story here. It will remain up until the end of the story and can be found on my profile. Be sure to get there and vote if you haven't yet!
2.) The story has fanart! I have done a lot of work with an artist on DeviantArt who has done work for my story here. You can find the art on my DeviantArt profile "CaptainPrice007" in my gallery and there is a folder relating to Displaced. Check it out if you're interested!
3.) Volume 8 has been fairly "meh" for me in all honesty. I utterly hate what they have done to Ironwood as a whole. Biggest highlight of the volume so far has been "The Hound" Grimm and its pursuit of Penny at the Schnee Estate. I have been so pissed at what they did to Ironwood's character this volume. I mean, I am legitimately pissed off to the point of borderline stroke levels of anger. Everything they did that made him great in Volume 7 means nothing and he has fallen victim to the curse of making good characters terrible. #NotMyIronwood.
Military Terms:
SITREP: Situation Report
HUD: Head's Up Display
IOTV: Improved Outer Tactical Vest
Review Responses:
TopHatGuy: Yeah, I'm back, kind of. I've seen your story pop up a couple of times on the feed. "Captain Arc" right? Yup, essentially a small scale raid setting up the final act for the story. Yeah, I'm reserves, currently acting as a company commander for a new unit that got stood up. Been very time consuming and tedious, but learned a lot from the position. Thanks for dropping in for a review, man.
Guest: Thanks. Yeah it has been a while.
Cchang3: Glad you liked the chapter and thanks for reviewing the story at the end of the day. I'm happy you liked it enough to say something about it. Now in terms of volume 3, this is supposed to be months before the Vytal Tournament and the start of Volume 3 which it will lead into depending if people want the sequel from the poll I put up. I know in the show that supposedly the events of the Breach and the Vytal Festival were a few weeks apart, but this is where the story takes place and in all honesty, I felt this would make more sense to build on characters and the story itself fit best in this timeframe with the premise I wanted, so in this story the events of the Breach happened just shortly before Blackburn arrived on Remnant and the tournament is coming up soon now where we are in the story.
OBSERVER01: Thanks for the welcome back and being a constant reader and reviewer, dude. It means a lot to me that you've been with the story this long and have stuck with it despite the lack of updates. Adam has been given a bad rep and I can't wait for a chance to write him in future projects.
Sunrayz: Haha, understandable, but that comment really made me smile, man. Glad you loved the story thus far.
TMarcus: Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm hoping so, too. I could use some upbeat momentum after these last 7 months.
Monster King: Thanks.
ThatOneFrakkingCommissar: Thanks for that review, I appreciate it. Good luck in boot camp, hopefully you are wearing your crucible with pride, Devil Dog. Oorah.
Guest: Thank you, been doing better, but still taking lumps as I try to smile each day. Honestly I probably won't search that fic up because even though I've delved into both fandoms, Gate was more of a guilty pleasure and fun anime than one I would be heavily invested in (solely because even though it is military centric, it gets kind of boring when they win against a world that is not capable of fighting them on a conventional level.)
Crazzytony: Thanks, I am happy you enjoyed the story this far! Well, you can still make your voice be heard if you haven't already if you go to my profile and vote for the poll regarding the sequel to this story here. Thanks again.
TheGamerMarine76: I must thank you for the chain of reviews you left on the story recently. I'm glad you like the idea of the sequel and hopefully you voted for it in the poll on my profile page if you haven't already. Well, it'll continue to the end, but not in the way you may think. Thanks for the review!