Remnant DxD

by Dessel Ordo

When an 11 year old Jaune Arc wandered out into Forever Fall hoping to become Remnants youngest huntsman, that should have been it for the foolish kid. Luckily a passing devil saw potential in him and re-incarnated him. Now, 6 years later House Bael has sent him to attend Beacon Academy to learn more about his homeworld, and establish his own peerage. What could possibly go wrong?

27. Chapter 27: Sounds Lost to the Squall

First off, I dont own RWBY or Highschool DxD, or eanr a single red cent off of this. Dont earn a green, blue yellow or any other color of cent, just to be clear.

Second, after looking at how big this chapter has gotten, I was a very foolish fool to think it could live as part of Chapter 26. Holy hell did this one run away with itself. So, heres to hoping all of you amazing people still with me on this wild journey enjoy what I've got for ya this month!

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((Saturday Morning))

Weiss slowly feels herself waking up.

Still in the dress she had worn to the dance. One cheek wet from drool, and the opposite eye slow to blink out the sleep crust that had formed on it. She spares a moment to wipe the disgusting filth from her face. A handful of familiar voices are trying to be unobtrusive not too far away, and she just wishes they would cease and desist. What happened last night…?

She spent all week finishing Velvet's plans for the Vytal Dance. Then she got up nearly before the sun rose to get the set-up finished in time with a little help from her team. Then she had actually attended the dance, which had still been going strong after midnight.

Finally, she and Ruby had noticed that shady looking—

With a sharp inhale, Weiss jerks upright, eyes shooting open, left hand darting to—Agh, her abused ribs when the rapid motion sends a knife of pain through her torso, her attempt to sit up freezing mid-motion with a grimace and hiss. She drops back down to the bed, not wanting to risk further aggravating her injuries.

"Easy, Miss Schnee. Your ribs are still going to be tender." A warm female voice grates against her too-sensitive ears, an interesting paradox. The Schnee heiress shifts her off-hand to wipe her eyes and mouth clean. Her wrist rubs against her scar awkwardly, and when she moves to wipe her hand clean on the hospital bed, she can feel her bare shoulders pressing against the plain plastic headboard. Casting a squinted glance to her side, she can see the gauzy back of her dress' upper 'back' dangling in tatters.

She shifts her gaze to the other side, noticing that her sword-hand has a vibrantly red mark on her wrist in addition to throbbing painfully against her aching ribs, and an uneven, smaller counterpart to the swath of translucent fabric that is dangling off the right side of the dress she had worn last night. "What–what happened?"

"You n' Rose noticed an intruder on campus, chased after her and got your asses handed to ya, that's what happened." A gruff voice asserts. Weiss blinks, and finds a worried looking nurse clasping a clipboard to her chest, and a scowling hulk of a man in the dark green dress uniform of the VSPRD with a quartet of stars on either shoulder, and a breast laden down with medals. Chief Drak? Why is—

"Damn glad yer still alive, Schnee." After Drak finishes his crude statement, the nurse shifts to scowl at the mountain of a man. He only rolls his eyes, raising his hands half-heartedly and takes a step back.

Apparently mollified, the woman turns back to the white-haired girl. "Miss Schnee, do you know where you are? What is the last thing you remember?"

Of course...The fight last night... Weiss looks around, recognizing the hospital room as one in Beacon's Infirmary quickly enough. "I'm in Beacon's Infirmary building. One of the private rooms." She pauses as she parsed the second question, "The last thing I remember…Is something snapping when I got kicked, while Ruby—"

[[Blood arcing from every cut that connects—]]

"Where's Ruby!?" Weiss demands almost wildly as she weakly pushes herself up.

The nurse places a calming hand on her shoulder. "Steady, dear."

"Yeah, pipe down! She's right over there," Drak barks, notably louder than Weiss, jerking a thumb over his broad shoulder.

She looks in the direction indicated and spots her. Her partner, team leader and bes–Her best friend, Ruby, who has General Ironwood looming over her much the same as Chief Drak is herself. The silver-eyed girl gives a weak wave at her along with a small, slightly forced cheery smile in turn, telling her she was all right. For the most part, at least. Thank whatever gods are listening for small favors.

Weiss then notices a nurse going through the process of pulling an IV lead from the prodigy's arm. The sole bag dangling from the rack at Ruby's bedside has 'B+' emblazoned on it in big block letters. Apparently Ruby had needed a transfusion during the night. Looking a bit more closely, Ruby's dress is nearly ruined by the number of gashes on it, white bandages poking through each one.

She turns back to her attendant, calm–to a point–but deciding she'll fuss over her reckless friend later. Then again, who is the more reckless one, Ruby or herself for following her?

"That sounds about right." The woman nods to herself, and scribbles something down on whatever is behind her clipboard. "Now, regarding your wounds: The snapping you felt would have been your short ribs, Miss Schnee. Your Aura set those up nicely, but you do need to be more mindful of blunt force. Your frame isn't one built to take much punishment."

Weiss's eyebrow twitches. 'Yes, I know. Thank you sooo much for reminding me…' She mentally replies.

"'Kay then. Before you get the full once over; Can you describe the intruders, Miss Schnee?" Chief Drak asks, voice more professional and a bit softer after having been glared down by half of the medical professionals in the room for his booming outbursts.

Weiss blinks again, mind swiftly clearing, throat feeling dry. She notices a glass of water on the nightstand, swiftly grasps and drains it. The motion allows her to check back on Ruby, which is not her being overly protective, not at all.

The white-haired girl looks back towards the Chief, and spots Professor Goodwitch standing near the room's entrance, arms crossed under her ample bosom, riding crop in hand. On the table next to the seasoned Huntress sits a pair of unnecessarily large revolvers, and oversized tonfas that look to have shotguns worked into them. Upon a closer inspection of their persons, she notices that both Ironwood and Drak have empty holsters on their hips and backs respectively.

And an angry red splotch on one of their cheeks. Each shaped like the tip of the Deputy Headmistress's riding crop.

Weiss represses the tiniest urge to snicker. Ruby's condition and the overall seriousness of the situation make such levity entirely uncalled for. "I–Somewhat. It was a man and woman. The man was in a suit and wore a plague doctor's mask to disguise himself. He was a tall, lightly tanned and…" Weiss pauses to think on which word would best describe the man who had nearly killed Ruby's build. He certainly hadn't been a hulking brute, but hadn't been out of shape either. "Wiry, I suppose, and he wore his black hair in a topknot. The woman was slender, wearing–not exactly a catsuit–but something close to one."

Part of her wants to comment on the indecent amount of cleavage the woman had had on display. A smaller part of Weiss even pricks with jealousy. However, the capacity to buy appropriately sized clothing, or use zippers, is not something an officer of the law can use in a criminal investigation and she doubs Drak would have the patience for such frivolities. "She had long dark brown or black hair, pale skin and was wearing a masquerade mask, so I couldn't exactly place her either. She had golden eyes," Weiss pauses, scraping her memory. "I couldn't make out her partner's eye color through his mask."

The chief nods as she speaks, tapping a few notes out on his scroll as he does so. "They say anything to you? Do anything that hinted at what they wanted from the CCT Tower?"

Weiss shakes her head, the motion pulling at the knots that had worked their way into her hair from having the scrunchie that had been holding it in a tail being pulled out, and nothing else done after having been brought to the hospital. "Not a thing, sir. We tried to–well, Ruby tried to–Goad them–her, into saying something, but..." Her normally sure and concise manner of speech failing her, but Drak just listens, waiting patiently for her to find the right words. "It was just the woman who first emerged from behind one of the consoles. I think she was hiding in case it were a more… experienced Huntress or Huntsman. When we walked out of the elevator, she just stepped out. We fought her for a bit, but couldn't pin her down, she was too good. Then her partner showed up and from there…"

She pauses, biting back the bile that rises in her throat at the approaching admission. Weiss Schnee had trained herself for years to carve a better legacy out from the tainted shadow of her father. The first step along that path is her ability to protect what is important, and yet when she had needed to rely on her own skills the most—"They were toying with us, sir. I'm not sure how we survived."

"We'll get to that in a bit." Chief Drak informs her. "Was there any sign of the security detail while you were in the Tower?"

"No, sir." Right, all those missing men. Had the man in the mask been moving them before he arrived? If so, to where, and why? There is a moment before the warnings Chief Drak had given her team, compounded by Weiss' fear of falling short of what she and those in positions of authority's expectations, gets the better of the Schnee heiress. "Chief Drak, Ruby and I, we aren't—?"

The large man waves her off. "You're both fine, Schnee. Called it in, this time; good for you. Start making it a habit. But y'know what you need to stop making a habit out of? Rushing in half-cocked." Weiss looks away at that, chastened, but not exactly contrite. She might only be a Huntress-in-Training but what sort of coward would she be to just look the other way when others may be in danger? Ugh, she's spending entirely too much time around Ruby. Maybe. That part of her feels a lot like when she has to put on airs for her Father or the Atlesian upper-class, so maybe she shouldn't feel too badly. Grandfather and Winter, however….What would they think? Not just about what had happened last night, but, well, all of the extra-curricular activities her team has been getting up to.

Chief Drak regains her attention by clearing his throat. "Ahem. Before you ask, the Doc cleared ya both to leave soon as the General and I've asked our questions right before she left. And I'm pretty much done here." He glances at the nurse who only sighs and nods to confirm his words. The chief slides his scroll back into his pocket but pauses after half turning towards where Professor Goodwitch is still waiting. "The four Huntsmen and Huntress rookies that pulled you and Rose out of the fire are waitin' in the corridor. Already gave me their statements. Real motley crew, a lot like your team."

A frustrated groan draws both of their attention as Weiss is being helped out of the hospital bed by the nurse. "Again, James?" Professor Goodwitch half-shouts, knuckles white on her riding crop. "Has it really been that long since you put in the time in the field needed to earn a position in the Special Operatives Unit?"

Ironwood shoves one of his guns into its holster, glaring back at Professor Goodwitch. "And you don't find it at all suspicious that they lost all of their ID's and scrolls? Including the proof of apprenticeship for the girl, who may I point out is even younger than Miss Rose? Surely that is enough to warrant a second glance, Glynda!"

Chief Drak rolls his eyes, muttering 'at it again.' He gives Weiss a soft-ish tap on her shoulder as she finally stands. "You take care of yourself, y'hear? No more stupid stunts." He finishes turning fully away from her and striding away with a lazy half-wave.

Ruby is caught up with her by the time they get to the entrance, where Chief Drak has joined the General and Deputy Headmistress. "If they've spent as long in the field as they claim they did, accidents of that nature are hardly as uncommon as you seem to think. Your I.D. and Scroll are small things to lose, especially for licensed Huntsmen who know what Aura depletion feels like instead of having to rely on their scrolls as students do. It only takes one unlucky swipe or close call to shred a wallet or break a scroll." The statuesque blonde dryly counters as Ironwood holsters his second, black-lacquered revolver, and catches the leather flaps holding both of them secure.

"The Huntsman Guild's 'long' patrols can easily take three months or more, if you'll recall, General." Drak adds. "It isn't that unlikely." He snorts a chuckle, "Hell, the central courthouse has half a floor given over to getting replacement IDs, reimbursing scrolls and processing insurance claims for the gear Huntsmen lose doing government jobs like that."

"And you aren't at all suspicious about them claiming that they were just trying to find the duty-Huntsmen at Beacon to check in for their night watch job at the CCT?" Ironwood presses, now blocking the door with his gesticulation.

Goodwitch flicks her wrist, flourishing her crop as she plants her hands on her hips. "If you'll recall, James, you're the one who insisted on Atlas taking over guard duty at the CCT when you arrived last month, upsetting a guard rotation schedule which had been settled half a year ago and would have carried us through to the end of the year by doing so. You even went so far as to use the override function to insert your schedule on the towers guard log." The Deputy Headmistress' glare is intense enough that Weiss feels herself flinching away from her teacher, despite knowing that the older woman's ire isn't directed at her. Ruby inches sideways to partially hide behind her.

Ironwood opens his mouth, but Glynda cuts him off, her left hand's index finger digging into his chest as she squares up to him, her emerald eyes boring directly into his gray, noses nearly touching. "Vale. Does not need. ANY more Atlesian assistance with the protection of our CCT Tower."

The towering chief only stares tiredly, clearly having been dealing with this since he'd arrived in the infirmary.

Ruby, emerging from her spot behind her, nudges Weiss' side, understandably awkward in the room's tense atmosphere. "So, umm, do you think we should say something?" Weiss shakes her head. There's no way that them interjecting into that conversation will end well. Weiss had no idea that the General whom Winter admires so much has such a…Complicated, history with the Valean Huntress. If she's reading the interaction between the two right, that is.

Goodwitch presses on, tone brooking no room for argument. "Moving on, General. Those four absolutely could be some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses whose contract was broken and pay missed on our end for a political nicety extended to you. If you'll recall, again, Ozpin spent the better part of a week after you arrived working through that clerical nightmare with the Huntsman Guild, and still has a backlog of forms requiring his signature to disperse the funds owed." Glynda's face softens almost unnoticeably. "And the girl... I hate to say it, James, but Semblances can manifest at a younger age than any of us would like. She wouldn't be the first young prodigy I've seen arrive orphaned and desperate at Beacon, and others may not even formally attend any school before they reach adulthood and go on to become quite capable. Atlas is the only Kingdom to have legally outlawed the old Apprentice Huntsman programmes, and even that is just a technicality. James, while Vale is appreciative of Atlas' help, the regular implied slights on the competence of our military and security forces is beginning to approach the point of causing an international incident. Please, try and understand that."

The General nods stiffly, a momentary flash of hurt giving way to resigned understanding. Whether that look is honest, or he's simply bowing out of the argument is unclear to Weiss. Given what she'd heard of him from Winter, it's probably the latter. Glynda rolls her eyes at, something in his features that Weiss can't quite pick out. "That is the 'official' viewpoint of the Valean ruling council, though it doesn't go beyond censure currently, James, not my personal opinion. I know you mean well, despite how terrible you tend to be when it comes to expressing that care."

"Speaking of Atlas, if you need something to do that much, care to come down to the VSPRD HQ to help coordinate the search for your missing troops, General?" Drak interjects, face still looking somewhere between amused and exasperated.

Ironwood inhales, frustration plain on his face, looking torn as he shakes his head. "As much as I would love to, I'm afraid I can't. Headmaster Ozpin and I are due to meet the first visiting dignitary for the Vytal Festival this afternoon." He holds up his hand to forestall any questions "No one truly important. Just a Vacuan noble with enough money to buy an official welcome from the Headmasters in attendance. I–I trust you and your men to find my people, Gol. If things go smoothly and end more quickly than Oz and I are anticipating, I'll be more than happy to take you up on that offer." The general nods at his peers, bidding a final farewell before turning and striding out through the door.

Finally able to leave, Weiss moves to follow the General out the exit—Until her partner's voice turns her back around. "So, umm, Chief Drak, I umm, well..." Ruby's bouncing her pointer fingers together, shrunken in on herself and glancing nervously between the Police Chief's face, the floor, and the pair of enormous tonfas now crossed on his back. "You didn't have your weapons on you back when you were talking to us back at your Headquarters and we were kind of in trouble so I didn't want to ask then, but do you think I could maybe look at Big Fine and Iron Law, maybe, a liiiittle bit? I know you know my sister's kind of a fan of yours so I saw a lot of the stuff about you on TV and your weapons just seem so–Guh!" She gags as she's cut off by Weiss who had grabbed her dress by the collar to start dragging her away.

Honestly, how does this girl even breathe sometimes?

"Don't mind my Dolt of a partner, Chief Drak. We know you have more important things to do with your time than humor a child's curiosity." To his credit he only waves them away, bemused. Ruby splutters and whines, heels dragging on the tile until they are halfway down the hallway, and within earshot of an interesting quartet. Three blondes alongside a raven haired young man with his hair done up in a knot perhaps a bit too similar to that marauder from last night for her to feel especially comfortable.

Before either can think to acknowledge the quartet's presence, let alone greet them, they are assailed. "Oh my gosh! They told us you'd be okay, but I just had to see it for myself!" The first to approach them, practically teleporting from the wall to inches from their faces, from the group of 'professional' Huntsmen, is a girl perhaps a year or two younger than Ruby, like General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch had mentioned.

Weiss can't lie to herself; the blonde is an absolutely adorable little slip of a girl with large, elaborate curls resting atop her shoulders. She is dressed in a white vest, a black and lavender tartan skirt, and an ankle length ocean blue cape decorated with pink flowers with a white inner lining. If Weiss is being completely honest with herself, the blonde makes her think of a younger, cuter version of Rias' friend, Asia. Though, she'll also freely admit that having met both girls exactly once, that may well be far from a fair comparison. The girl is definitely on the way to full womanhood; Weiss idly notes with a small twitch the girl's more… developed than Weiss had been at her age.

The girl quickly reaches out to clasp a surprised Ruby's hands into her own. "I am so, so sorry!" Earnest blue eyes glance between the pair. "The quality of our emergency Phoenix Tears was terrible; you both should've been right as rain! We were sure to tell Georg and Cao Cao. But, I suppose it was better this way. You see, when the security guards caught up with us they were so surprised that I had such an 'advanced healing Semblance'—" Weiss furrows her brows at that, the way she says 'Semblance' feels uncertain, testing the word on her tongue, even. Also, Phoenix as in Ravel Phenex…? "—when I was so young, so we kinda just ran with it. We didn't want them to ask too many questions, so, of course, I had to look exhausted afterward—But that's not important, I really am sorry you apparently had to have a blood transfusion. That should not have happened."

Shooting a hapless glance at Weiss, Ruby is clearly flustered at the way the shorter girl had invaded her personal space, but true to her helpful nature, now only wants the blue puppy eyes to take on a happier expression. "I-it's okay, I'm sure you would've done more if you could." Her words start out unsure, but steadily grow more confident as she realizes that the girl really does just want to help the pair. "I'm Ruby, by the way. Ruby Rose."

The blonde girl's face brightens up a bit at that as the two shake their hands before letting each other go. "Oh, we know. We heard from the staff. And your sister, but she didn't stick around long enough for us to really talk, they sort of had to kick her out." Ruby winces at that, and Weiss can sympathize, knowing how Yang can get. As does the girl, if her smile is anything to go by. "And my name is Le Fay. Le Fay Pendragon. I'm so pleased to finally meet you in person, Miss Ruby." The little blonde then performs a neat, polite bow, her hands clasped together at her waist as she tilts herself forward.

Weiss glances over the now-named, definitely foreign 'Huntress.' 'Le Fay' and 'Pendragon' did not seem like a name you'd expect to find in Atlas, Vale, Mistral or even Vacuo. Neither word remotely reminds her of a color, sound or anything even slightly expressive. At least not anymore than, say, Rias Gremory or Ravel Phenex.

Speaking of…"Excuse me, but Phoenix Tears?" Glancing upward, Weiss notes that during Le Fay and Ruby's exchange, the other three youths had started to approach.

Distracted, the blonde elaborates. "Y'know: 'Out of the ashes rises the phoenix, reborn.' Or something like that. Well, like the bird, Phoenix Devil family scion tears have healing powers that can restore someone to full strength instantly, unfortunately they don't restore blood or recover lost organs. The ones we had didn't even accomplish closing a tenth of your wounds. Adding to the fact that they were still bleeding so much…" The caped girl cuts off the last statement mulishly.

What.

Ruby and Weiss boggle at the foreign blonde in bafflement. Weiss can't help but feel suspicious, and the fact that Ruby only looks cautiously intrigued irks the Schnee Heiress. Magic as in teleportation circles and summoning, perhaps, but the tears of a mythical resurrecting firebird? Granted, Ravel's magic circles had seemed fiery the handful of times she'd seen them; especially compared to the metallic sheen of Jaune's...More importantly, if Ravel had such an ability, and her family had went so far as to monopolize it, why hadn't she told her? Weiss may not have asked the girl she would like to think of as a friend exactly what her family does, but creating a miracle cure-all is the sort of major fact you don't simply leave out when getting to know someone!

Their staring causes Le Fay to awkwardly fidget in place. The blue-caped girl's next words showing that she doesn't understand the reason behind their expressions. "I'm sorry. I know. I would've just healed you two myself; I've mastered more than a few magic styles. But Healing Magic is... just too tricky. And there are so few people able to truly use it that even trying to learn it is next to impossible."

What!?

Ruby looks absolutely gobsmacked, and Weiss is becoming increasingly certain that teleporting when summoned is just a parlor trick to Jaune and Ravel. Or this girl could just be a delusional child playing pretend. The latter seems less and less likely as she considers more of what she has learned, and been exposed to.

Le Fay's expression shifts to one of focused determination that Weiss thinks wouldn't be too strange to find on Ruby's face. "But what happened last night has given me incentive to try even harder! We can't rely on magic healing medicine all the time. I'll get right on it, just wait!"

"Le Fay…"

The second of the 'Huntsman' group to speak is an older young man with the same shade of deep blue eyes and blonde hair as Le Fay. Mildly adjusting his glasses, he directs a fondly exasperated expression at the younger 'Huntress.' Weiss can't help but note his hair is done in a tight braid hanging off his face's left side to his chin. He has an air of sophistication about him, but there's also something… more to his bearing that she can't yet place.

"Huh?" The older blond simply raises his eyebrows at her when she turns back to him, while the other two are amused and uncaring respectively. After a drawn out moment of silence, Le Fay's words catch up with her and her hands shoot to her mouth as she looks back at the red and white duo. "Oh. Oh! Oh, darn. I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to talk about that yet. It's just, I was worried I screwed up and with everything else around here, it's easier to forget we're supposed to ke—Agh. Sorry, Brother." The girl clasps her hands in front of her again and once again offers a polite bow to punctuate how apologetic she is. Maybe she's a distant relative of Pyrrha's?

Talk of magic and phoenixes aside, they had clearly found the "Ruby" of the group. Then again…Considering Jaune, Ravel, Rias and most likely her entourage as well, are Devils…She would have to play this very, very carefully if she wants to get to the truth. From her talks with them she knows that members of whatever community they are part of place great importance on remaining a secret to the rest of Remnant.

Le Fay is given a calm, brotherly smile. "What's done is done, Le Fay. You did everything you could last night, our new friends have walked away, recovered, and I know you'll learn from this and excel going forward." The youth pats her shoulder, earning a beaming expression in turn, before turning to Ruby and Weiss.

"Arthur Pendragon," he introduces himself with a courtly bow, his rather old-fashioned black suit and deep blue neck-tie rustling slightly. Hmph, between his sister's mannerisms, and now his, they must come from a nobler background. And not one of Atlas. She hasn't heard of the Pendragon family from any of the foreign upper-class families her Father entertains either. This only adds further confirmation to Weiss's suspicions that this group shares a common origin with Jaune and his own upper-class, foreign friends. "And my sister," the glasses-wearing blond inclines his head at the youngest girl, "did indeed attempt to heal you with Phoenix Tears. What she said about their deficient quality is regrettably true. You would not have needed to be kept overnight at this medical facility otherwise."

"Oh, uh... Poor quality items are a terrible thing to deal with. I sincerely hope your friends—So So and Gay-org?—Find you a better class of, ahem, medicine?" Ruby replies, in that abominable voice she uses when she's trying to sound like she thinks those of noble birth do. Having experienced it once had been bad enough. Hopefully, the Dolt won't try it on any of her—actually, she can try it on Whitley or Jacques for all Weiss cares, as long as she doesn't embarrass her in front of Winter with it. "We appreciate your aid, all the same." As much as Weiss would like to be cross with her team leader for missing the subterfuge, she didn't grow up amongst Atlas' high society, so expecting her to notice when manners and tradition are being used as anything but is, less than fair.

Fortunately the group seems more amused than scandalized or annoyed, mostly. The second, darker blonde girl whose face is framed by two strands of hair that end level with her chin steps forward. She has a pair of intricate braids ringing her skull like a crown, several long ponytails teased free of the braids to lie on her back like a mane, and two longer strands teased free from her temples to frame her face, with two more falling behind her ears and resting on her shoulders. A complex hairstyle, perhaps indicative of coming from a wealthy family as well? Or Brothers forbid, she's just another Yang.

"Oh, it's fine." She is slightly taller than Weiss and Ruby, and probably a few years older, and definitely doesn't carry herself like someone born to high society, merely giggling at Ruby's apparent mispronunciation. She is wearing a deep orange and gold breastplate and pauldrons over a dark navy blue-almost black, knee-length dress with red trim, knee high armored greaves, and a single matching gauntlet on her right hand. "Cao Cao and Georg will get right on that. Let's just say they know the right people. Either way, we appreciate what you've done for us by revealing how poor the quality of our Tears are!" As Weiss takes a moment to process that, the armored girl leans over slightly to look Ruby in the eye. "You two cuties should be proud you're so helpful to others."

"Erm, happy to help?" Ruby asks more than tells, probably not knowing what else to say to that. What had started as a mild blush on her face at getting called a 'cutie' is becoming increasingly prominent.

Weiss remains silent as she sizes up the other girl with narrowed eyes, not exactly sure if the girl is being facetious about their injuries being beneficial, or actually underselling the importance of their well being. Noticing the look, the girl meets her gaze unflinchingly, in fact she still seems more amused than anything, before offering her hand. "Ruby and Weiss, right? Sorry for being rude, I'm Jeanne."

That… Almost sounds like Jaune. Has to be a coincidence. After a beat, Weiss shakes it firmly before deciding to test the group's knowledge in a different way. "Yes, Weiss Schnee. Of the Schnee Dust Company." She'd learned just how aggravating most people find her throwing her name around thanks to her friends, and honestly has been trying to get better about it, but…

"Neat!" Is Jeanne's incredibly underwhelming reaction. Brothers, she looks more clueless than Ruby and Jaune had on their first day at Beacon. Something is definitely amiss, she just doesn't have all the information she needs to figure out what is amiss.

The fourth member of the other group finally speaks up. "Ugh, I still can't get over that. What kind of name is Dust for a magic crystal?"

Le Fay plants a fist into her free palm at the still unnamed mans quip. "Right. I've been meaning to look into that. I wanted to get some books to read through, see if anything hidden between the lines will tell if there IS any magic involved. There are SO many possible applications for Dust. Those Semblances and Aura are so intriguing too. So much to study, I can hardly wait!" She is certainly...enthusiastic. On top of her excitability, if Weiss hadn't been imagining things, the youngest of the people in the hallway has been trying to peek at Ruby's eyes ever since she rushed the two of them, squinting curiously at them on and off. What, has she never seen that color before, or does she just think they're pretty? Weiss mentally shrugs and leaves it be. Ruby's love life is her own to see to, after all.

Weiss scrunches her brow as she turns over the pair's words in her head. The way they're talking, and acting, you'd think Dust, Aura and Semblances are entirely new concepts to them. And Jeanne, at the very least, is clearly entirely unaware of the SDC's purpose and importance. Ravel had at least known those basics when she had talked with her.

"Whatever, makes no difference to me. Name's Connla." This young man was the dark haired, ponytailed youth clad in a dark blue, gold-brownish trimmed uniform. And a sleek pair of sunglasses. He is either unfashionable, perverted or uncivilized enough to think wearing sunglasses inside is okay. Then again, Coco has the same habit, and is quite fashionable, capable of interacting perfectly well in any social circle and far from perverted from what Weiss has heard that wasn't blatant gossip or hearsay stemming from sources Weiss believes are dubious at best, since meeting the older girl. "Not that anyone cares…" He grouses as he turns away to scowl at the wall.

Okay…? Where did that come from?

Ruby, bless her heart, weakly offers. "Um, I care. Nice to meet you, Connla?"

Connla waves her off with a sigh, "It's fine, kid. Your scythe was pretty badass. Almost pegged you for a Grim Reaper. Definitely not Ultimate-class, but still, not bad." He compliments her partner, seeming pretty sincere about it to boot. The longer they talk, the less surly the dark haired young-man seems. Maybe he just needs someone to coach him on making a better first... Hold on, what was that about Grimm Reapers? Ultimate-class? Those definitely aren't just archaic or regional terms for a Huntress.

Her friend shrugs back with a mild giggle, ever the modest one. "Kinda am, but thanks." Ruby chirps, seemingly ignoring the acknowledgement of yet another, apparent, supernatural species that Ravel had failed to inform her of. "As for my scythe, her name is Crescent Rose and she's my Sweetheart! I made her myself." Because of course Ruby would prefer to enthusiastically gush over her weapon, typical. Fortunately she kept the description brief, though, that may simply be because it isn't on hand for her to 'properly' show off.

"Did you now?" Arthur definitely seems intrigued by Ruby's admission. In a way that Weiss is fairly certain she doesn't need to warn Yang about. Or find a way to inform Ruby's father should her older sister's drive to get Ruby to come out of her shell outweigh her sisterly protectiveness. Hmm, she should find a way to warn all of her teammates' families should an ill-intentioned suitor enter their lives and they seem blinded to his true nature.

"Is that a regular thing, making your own weapons to hunt down monsters?" Jeanne presses, an excited glint in her eyes. Le Fay looks quite fascinated, and Connla seems quietly impressed. More that simply doesn't add up, they should know people like herself who had had their weapon commissioned, or Jaune wielding family heirlooms are the exception, not the norm.

"Well, yeah. Buuut I'm also kind of a weapons nut." She undersells herself with that statement. Almost criminally so, in Weiss' opinion.

The eldest blonde girl once again leans towards Ruby with interest. "Ooh, I think we'll get along just fine. Just you wait till you can see what I can do!"

Ruby leans forward, clearly excited at the prospect of making more friends. Or whatever weapon-related stunt she can supposedly pull off. Them not seeming to care how nerdy she is only making the prospect more exciting to the prodigy, and that they might even share some of her more fringe interests probably serving as icing on the cake. "What can you do?" Ruby Rose clearly wants to befriend these four strangers.

"Weeelp, I got this thing." Taps her rapier at her side. A surprisingly elegant weapon for one who seems so flippant. Weiss is tempted to ask her for a spar, but knows better than to do so while still recovering. "Plus a little trick or two involving swords that are pretty cool if I do say so myself."

"Aaaand…?" Ruby leans forward, utterly enthralled, her eyes twinkling with childish glee.

Jeanne looks away almost pompously but there is no visible malice to the gesture. "Sorry, no spoilers! Maybe in the field. I'm a show-y not tell-y sort of girl."

Ruby leans even further forward, any more and she'll probably fall over, but her expression has dropped into a pout. "Aw, c'mon. Just a little hint?"

Jeanne wags her finger. "I said you'd like what I can do, that's hint enough."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huuuh!" The two are practically in each other's faces at this point, expressions unchanging. Weiss can tell Connla is feeling as unamused as she is, even with his eyes hidden.

"Ladies, please." An almost entertained Arthur smoothly interjects while Le Fay titters. Not. HELPING.

"Yes, Ruby, PLEASE." Weiss almost shouts from exasperation, pinching her brow. The things she puts up with...

Turning back to the group, Weiss isn't exactly sure what to make of the strange quartet that had been their supposed saviors. The last thing she remembers from last night had been that terrible glowing blade's point held high above her throat ready to—She swallows hard and cuts that train of thought off.

As if she read her mind, Ruby asks, "So, it really was all four of you that saved us last night, then?"

Arthur shakes his head, "No, Le Fay patched you up, but Connla is the one who drove your enemies off." Gesturing at the most subdued of the eccentric quartet, who nods in acknowledgement.

Before he can react, Ruby darts over to the reserved, dark haired young man. He freezes as she wraps her arms around him giving a simple but heartfelt "Thank you." He doesn't return the hug, merely giving an awkward pat on her back. When she finally lets go, he offers another nod to Weiss who conveyed her own sincere gratitude with a prolonged, polite nod of her own.

Jeanne shrugs, "Ehh, the stick-in-the-mud noticed a Fallen Angel throwing his weight around and went to investigate. Always jumping into things trying to prove yourself, hell-bent on getting your Balance Breaker, Con. Maybe Sig should've been grouped with us instead." She playfully(?) teases the awkward youth.

"Shut up. I saved them, didn't I?" Connla turns away from her with a huff. Arthur grimaces and glances away himself, muttering 'perish the thought.' as Le Fay smiles awkwardly and pats her brother on the arm. Weiss is too busy trying to work out what in the world a 'balance breaker' could be while her partner is focusing on something else entirely.

"Fallen Angel? I thought angels were supposed to help people. And, well, were made up. Kinda like Devils and those yook-eye thingies some of my old Signal friends were always talking about being in those Mistrali Manga they like to read. Why are you talking about them like they're real?" Ruby eventually asks, voice getting increasingly confused as she lists off more species.

A distasteful 'tsk' escapes Connla's mouth before he bites out, "Because they're very real. Love to hide in plain sight like humans when they crawl out of their lairs. If you bump into that bastard who was going to kill you last night, give me, or one of them, " he tilts his head at the rest of his comrades "A call. I'd love to finish the Fallen freak off. Or the crazy lady." Ruby swallows at the murderous declaration, but Connla either doesn't notice or care. "Don't know what she was, but she sure as hell wasn't completely human." He pauses, probably had something cross his mind, not that Weiss can tell with his mouth set in what looks like a permanent scowl. "Say, do those Grimm we keep hearing locals talking about ever disguise themselves as humans?"

Absolutely ridiculous. Weiss shakes her head, "No. They're mindless beasts, black skin, attracted to negativity. They can't disguise themselves, they aren't smart enough." She pauses, scar throbbing with phantom pain. "There are several Grimm that have humanoid forms, and one in particular that has been known to imitate the human form with inorganic material, but none that are able to blend in with society to any degree." Only after her reply has left her lips does how strangely Connla had worded his question sink in. He didn't just ask like a civilian who'd never left their home kingdom would, he asked like someone who had only recently learned of the bane of Remnant's existence.

"Right…" None of the four seem to take her words at face value. And in turn, it takes considerable effort on Weiss' part to not take that personally, or let how much that irks her become apparent on her expression.

Ruby must have finally caught onto how bizarre their rescuers are acting and how outlandish their questions were. Most of her hyperactive excitement having bled away as she begins cautiously analyzing the quartet. "Y'know, the four of you have been using a lot of terms I'd expect to hear in a TV show, or read in a comic or something: Phoenix Tears, Reapers, Fallen Angels and Devils. Magic. And now monsters that disguise themselves as humans? Can–can you prove what you're telling us? At all? I thought you guys might have been hardcore into old fantasy board games or video games, but...You're all serious, aren't you?" Ruby certainly seems serious. That alone is enough to bring Weiss' guard up; Ruby just doesn't do serious when they aren't fighting Grimm, out on a mission, or when she's dealing with interpersonal matters important to the team.

"Whoopsie. Between the shadow monsters running about and elemental crystals you can dig up, it's easy to forget this place still has its own standards for what counts as 'normal'." Jeanne mock winces. The, supposed, professional 'Huntsmen' having a quick, silent conversation with their expressions. The blonde eventually letting a wide grin spread across her face as she playfully ponders Ruby's question, before finally drawling "Weeeell, you girls seem pretty chill, so…" She gestures at the shorter blond. "Hey, Fay, do the thing!"

"Huh?" The pint sized cutie asks blinking owlishly at the older girl for a moment before catching on. "Oh!" The youngest of the group loitering in the abandoned side-hallway snaps her fingers, the air around them becoming distorted.

Ruby blinks blankly as she looks about. "Erm, iiiis that it?" Weiss crosses her arms, also skeptical.

"No, no! That was just a little Illusion Magic to give us a bit more privacy. Magic needs to be kept on the down-low." Jeanne chirps with a finger in front of her mouth like a secret.

Right….

Weiss shoots a mildly incredulous glance at Ruby who shrugs back. Because they'd been doing so well before.

Jeanne then gestures at Le Fay again. "Now she can do the 'actual' thing."

Le Fay smiles in a manner far too similar to when Ruby gets a chance to show off Crescent Rose, before turning to her brother. He gives an indulgent smile and offers her a nod.

The youngest Pendragon's expression shifts to one of pure glee.

With a shimmering golden flash a big floppy witch's hat, with a dark blue, almost black ribbon and a pair of golden stars on the straps in front, colored in the same blue hue as her cape materializes in Le Fay's grasp before she playfully plops it down on her head. Weiss blinks in surprise while Ruby cooes at the sight. On top of everything else is the girl trying to sell the fact that she's a witch? How much more absurd is this going to get?

Le Fay then brings her hands together like a stage magician about to reveal their wand. Another golden flash heralds the appearance of an archaic-looking broom with a floral wrap colored in the same tint as her cape and hat. With a light jump, Le Fay plants herself on the hovering custodial implement which holds her weight without any signs of strain, both now hovering silently in the air. Weiss can only stare as Le Fay or rather her broom proceeds to easily do a short and swift circuit behind Weiss and Ruby, then around the rest of the group before stopping to hover back in front of the pair, all the while remaining perfectly balanced riding the broomstick side-saddle like a noble lady from a fantasy novel on horseback. The two remain transfixed, understanding this is just the beginning of the young witch's little demonstration.

Clearly paying more mind to showmanship than efficiency, Le Fay pulls up her sleeves before holding out an upturned palm. A far more complex variation on the circle that flares to life then dies within moments when she summons Jaune or Ravel appears over her palm. It bursts with yellow sparks, followed by a pale blue sheen as her hand is suddenly coated in frost.

Weiss had wanted to pump the quartet for information before. Now, now it is a burning need to know. That last bit of information she needs for thighs to start making sense again just barely out of reach. Unfortunately her mouth seems to have gone on strike, and refuses to move. She can't help but stare, and Ruby looks wholly bewitched. Ugh, damn it, Yang.

As Le Fay cycles from frost and lighting over to wind, fire, and eventually to strange forces that Weiss can't rightly identify by appearance alone, she starts seemingly passing the circle between both her hands like a hairbrush, effortlessly. Naturally, Ruby is the first one to ask questions. "So is magic hereditary or can ANYONE learn to use it? Can WE learn to use it?" Instead of approaching the unknown at a sensible pace with a level head, she just jumps right in. Though Weiss can admit to herself that she is curious. Modifying her Glyphs with magic–now there's a thought.

Le Fay's eyes light up even further as she straightens to address Ruby's question, her posture a somewhat stiff relative of Professor Goodwitch when she is about to begin a lecture. "Magic is said to have been born as a derivation from Demonic Power used by Devils." Devils, Devils, Devils, it ALL seems to always circle back to them. "But that's just where humans, like us, are concerned; there are multiple types of magic systems used by various other supernatural species, some of them being mortal enemies to Devils, each with their own unique and fascinating magical systems and traditions. But I digress. Magic, at its core, fundamentally requires having the intelligence and willpower to control certain calculations, formulas and equations while they are given shape." Weiss has no trouble following the youthful witch's explanation as she squints at the magic circle in Le Fay's hand, watching the intricate patterns shift and change as the spell she has been maintaining since her lectures start performs different tasks. Before long it appeared the little blonde began mixing the elements together, remarkably well if Weiss were being totally honest; there was no sign of the elements sloppily layering on top of one another so much as mixing together in harmony. Between her examples, and the cohesiveness of her explanations, the chances of this being a farce or fabrication are nearly nonexistent. Still, thinking up complex formulas in the middle of battle was likely no easy feat. But then, it can't be too different from trying to predict specific outcomes to every action in battle either.

Ruby is shaking in excited anticipation, clearly coming to the same conclusion she had. "So where do we start!?"

"Well…First off, ordinary Magicians have to put in months, even years of work, it's not something that can be picked up as a hobby or approached half-heartedly. Being human is certainly a disadvantage in that regard." Le Fay pauses, chewing her lip as she considers their options. "There are low-level magic formulas, like one that can freeze a tray of ice if properly performed, for example, to see if you have enough natural talent to pursue learning magic in earnest. And I could lend you one of my older books to see if you have an affinity for spells like that. From there, it would help if you could find some sort of bare bones guide from one of the Magician's Organizations or Associations. Or just finding a magical tutor." She offers, the latter of the two options softly spoken with a small, wistful smile before the young blonde continues. "For me, I learned much from the Golden Dawn association." Weiss catches the girl stealing another glance at Ruby's eyes, before glancing between the two of them again. How Ruby hasn't noticed yet is beyond her. "I'm sure there's something or someone here on Remnant who can teach 'll probably be hidden away, but I'd be happy to help you look! I'm always on the lookout for new forms of magic to learn."

Ruby, hands clenched in excitement under her chin, leaning towards Le Fay silver eyes wide and twinkling with excitement asks. "Could you maybe help us get started? At least until we find a teacher or a group like you said we need to that can teach us, at least? Pretty please?" Normally it's the younger person turning puppy-eyes on the older, but Weiss feels like pointing that out now would deprive her of answers she is more than a little eager for herself.

"Oh, pointers sure. Beyond that, ah, I'm not much of a teacher, sorry…" The blonde witch sheepishly apologizes as she fiddles with the overly large hem of her hat. That didn't surprise the Schnee heiress, for while Le Fay had been impressively succinct throughout her brief lecture, she is younger than Ruby and probably still has much to learn before she is even close to her prime. Additionally, prodigies, which she is fairly sure Le Fay counts as, rarely make good teachers. When the stumbling blocks most have to work around or push through aren't something you ever have to deal with, guiding others through them is often an exercise in futility for both parties.

The magic circle is dispelled from the youngest Pendragon's hand as she drops from her broom. With a flourish of her hat, Le Fay bows, earning a round of clapping with varying levels of enthusiasm from her brother, Jeanne and Ruby before vanishing her broom 'inside' her cape. After getting none-too-gently nudged by Ruby, Weiss rolls her eyes, but joins the applause. Light, gentle claps fit for a lady of high birth who had enjoyed a skillful and well performed show. She had been contemplating everything they had learned, but a more outward show of appreciation is never uncalled for.

Jeanne, grinning exuberantly leans over to loudly stage whisper at them. "Dunno about you girls, but she'd have me convinced by now."

"Showoff…" Says the youth who gave a few claps of his own, begrudging or not.

"Now, don't be jealous, Con."

Arthur smiles proudly at his sister before turning back to Weiss. "If you require any more proof, there are a handful of Devils and Fallen Angels going around your campus, and not being terribly subtle about it. I'm sure that if you two fine young ladies continue to follow what your hearts think is best, either they will move to stop you, or you will track them down yourselves."

Reassuring as that isn't, especially after almost getting killed by a supposed Fallen Angel, the fact that he wants them to do what they feel is best first and foremost certainly counteracts the unease his statement has her feeling. Besides, at least one of the Devils on campus is a personal friend of hers, despite the rocky beginnings of their relationship. It may be increasingly likely that she has good reason to be cross with that friend, but she doubts he would willingly hurt herself or anyone on her team. That Le Fay hadn't immediately shot down Ruby's most recent question is, however, the final nail in the coffin as to whether Jaune and Ravel had been holding out on her.

Weiss does have to bring up the other Goliath in the room however, so long as they're speaking openly. "There's more to this, isn't there? You speak of Dust, Semblances and Aura as though they are strange yet casually speak of magic and creatures that only recently started appearing in Remnant's entertainment industries' more fringe works as if they're commonplace. You ask what Huntsmen and Huntresses are, at Remnant's most prestigious academy to train them. Barring your use of magic, you should know the answers to those questions simply by having been alive as long as you have."

Another shared, caught-in-the-act glance spreads through the quartet, before their faces again shutter over to 'natural' expressions that Weiss is fairly certain aren't. Evidently these people are about as good at keeping secrets as Ruby is. The fact that they are even trying is less than reassuring. A decision seems to have been made after a few moments, as they look back at her and her partner more or less in unison. Myrtenaster's absence fraying her nerves as the sheer power discrepancy between her and the quartet they are standing in front of begins to sink in. Jeanne is the only one of them wearing a weapon, which implies that both Arthur and Connla have magic of some sort as well, which is either too destructive for a display, or flashy to be hidden. Unsettling, to say the least.

"Weeee… kinda don't." Jeanne sticks her tongue out in a sheepish fashion. "In fact, we're not exactly from around here."

Connla lets out a snort at her understatement. "You don't really think your Remnant is the only world out there, do you?"

Weiss almost forgot to breathe for a moment as the implications of that bombshell of a sentence sink in. There it is. The secret behind why Rias' group and Ravel's backgrounds are so bare bones and obscure. That last fact that had been dancing infuriatingly close to her reach since she met these four. She had been expecting an uncharted island or some obscure, far-flung province. Not… This. Her rational side had been getting raked over hot coals throughout this conversation; so much so that this revelation is one she can accept with ease. She can panic over the implications of that after she's had time to work through everything else she's just learned. Her regular conversations with Ravel and Jaune help, to an extent, but the sheer volume of what they either had held back, or she hadn't thought to ask all but negates what little assistance that glimmer of the truth could provide her.

Ruby freezes in place next to her, eyes wider than ever before as she too caught on. "So, you're aliens!?" Ruby exclaims, "That's SO COOL! Can we see your ship? Are you in disguises? Can I see what you really look like?"

The older girl lets out a lyrical laugh, shifting to cross her hands behind her back. "Oh, no, we're humans. Just like the two of you. And we didn't travel by space. Or at least not outer space. Arthur," she tilts her head at the blond in question,"can open holes in inter-dimensional space and teleport with his almighty sword, Caliburn. But Georg put all his magical knowhow into replicating the Devils' teleportation magic circle route to your world they recently discovered, so scouting out new places here on Remnant is getting easier by the day."

"And if you're not with the Devils or Fallen Angels that you claim are on campus… Who are you, then? Truly?" Weiss asks eying the four warily.

Jeanne strikes a pose, hands on her hips, grinning wildly. "Oh, we're just a group of Heroes, investigating the newest world discovered for our mighty leader. Nice ta meetcha!" Arthur sighs in a manner that indicates this declaration is a regular occurrence while Le Fay lets loose an embarrassed giggle. Strangely enough, Connla is the one who puffs up a bit alongside Jeanne over her pronouncement.

Ah, one of those. Predictably, Ruby doesn't share her skepticism. "…Heroes?" Ruby asks, completely awestruck.

Arthur rests a hand on his sister's shoulder. "From a certain perspective, perhaps." A diplomatic enough answer. Strange, for such a naively optimistic declaration and self-appraisal. Difference of opinion, perhaps?

Connla seems to gain a bit more exuberance at Arthur's hesitance. "What else would you call the humans with the will, skill and ability to take down the monsters, Devils, Youkai, Fallen Angels and all the other supernatural scum that love to exploit our race? With Cao Cao leading us, we'll go far!" Maybe… She should listen to both sides of the story before she goes back to Jaune with this.

Nodding excitedly, Jeanne adds, "It's so interesting that we'd find a world with entire schools that train heroes like that. Maybe you could help us get set up here a little? There's people that need heroes all over the place, not just on Remnant after all!"

Weiss narrows her eyes. Oh, she is definitely digging more before going to Jaune with this. Not that she doesn't trust him, but, if she is being totally honest with herself, she doesn't want to repeat the debacle that had been finding out Blake is a Faunus and former member of the White Fang. What she already knows, or has been led to believe isn't always all that there is to know about a person, group or situation. Ravel, Jaune, Rias and her friends certainly don't seem to be the sort that prey on humans as Grimm do. She has no doubt Devils can lie as easily as they breathe. However, while Rias's circle and Ravel could skillfully maintain a pleasant outward image, nothing about them had seemed overly fake. Moreover, Jaune, Asia and even that deviant, Hyoudou, don't seem like they could hide their true nature for long. Not without letting hints slip through the cracks. Comparing her recently revised thoughts on her friends and acquaintances to her father, the Devils she's met still seem downright saintly. Even if they have more skeletons in their closets than she would have expected less than an hour ago.

Ruby just stares at the quartet with almost complete reverence, absolutely starstruck and entirely unhelpful. Superb…

The elder blonde girl claps her hands together as she looks between Ruby and Weiss. "So! We were really hoping that as a favor for us–Well, Connie–Saving you," 'Connie' looking like he swallowed a bug at her nickname, his eyebrow twitching with irritation, though he doesn't interrupt, "you could, maybe, help us get better situated in our cover as Huntsmen and Huntresses. And what Semblances are. And why they called the phones I'd just grabbed for us the other day 'scrolls.' After all," She winks in the same overtly covert manner the Dolt would when she lied in an exceptionally bad way, "Heroes like the six of us have to stick together!"

Ruby's enamored state is broken, her previous blush from being called a 'cutie' was nothing compared to that particular proclamation, as she waves Jeanne off. "Heroes? Us? Oh, no, no no no. We were only doing what Huntresses are supposed to." Ruby bashfully asserts. Ignoring the fact that Weiss believed it was a terrible idea to pursue vigilantism in the first place, and their stay in a holding cell at the VSPRD headquarters. The fact that they had managed to antagonize most of the people they had 'saved' had just been salt in the wound that Ruby has either already forgotten about, or is willfully ignoring the memory of. "Or at least we tried…" The silver-eyed girl tapers off. Ah, there it is.

Jeanne looked amusedly dubious. "Really…? That's not what we thought when we heard that someone had finally started fighting off those youkai-wannabes who've been attacking humans all over the place. From what we've seen, only your team's taken the initiative and actually done something about them."

"You mean the Faunus of the White Fang." Weiss suspiciously corrects the energetic blonde. Something about what she just said...

The blonde looks positively tickled at that. "Hah, Faunus? Okay. Yeah, them, plus you guys wrecked that rampaging suit of armor. Kudos all around!" Jeanne compliments with gusto. A bit creepy that they'd been watching her team for so long. Though it does explain where and when Connla had seen Ruby wield her scythe

"It was so cool! You four were so cool! Your teamwork was just magnificent! Even Cao Cao was impressed by how in sync you were when we showed him footage." Le Fay excitedly exclaims, big blue eyes sparkling as she looks between the two of them with no small amount of respect. Weiss can't help but straighten up with a hint of pride, even though she knows she shouldn't, the faith and awe of a child is an empowering thing.

Ruby's small smile from the little blonde's admiration disappears as she deflates at the mention of the Paladin, looking at the ground and away from anyone in particular. "Yeah, but the people…We were lucky."

"Perhaps, but not for the reason you may think." Arthur grips his sister's shoulder, offering a warm smile that Ruby entirely misses. "Le Fay was right there ensuring they had some bumps, but no one was killed, she made sure of that." The little blonde hums an affirmative, calmly nodding as she does so. At least that explains Drak having informed them that no one had been killed, as, in hindsight, that freeway should have been a bloodbath in their wake.

Her team leader blinks, her own memory probably being jogged as well. "Wait...You did that?" Ruby looks ready to burst over with gratefulness, as she grabs the smaller girl in a tight embrace. " Oh, Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I had been so worried that someone had gotten hurt or died while we were too focused on taking down the Paladin!"

The magical girl returns the embrace with exuberance. "You're welcome, Miss Ruby!"

Weiss, while grateful, can't help but draw attention to a rather large point that Ruby had missed. "Please don't take this the wrong way…But that sounds an awful lot like the four of you have been stalking us." Apparently they had even gone so far as to record footage for their boss, if any of them were tournament fighters, that would be the stuff of lawsuits right there. Ruby pauses before she pulls back to blink owlishly at Le Fay, but doesn't let go. The little blonde lets out a nervous chuckle and is doing her best to force a grin at the silver-eyed girl. Connla looks like he had just been force-fed a lemon, but doesn't seem to have anything to say either.

"Stalking?" Jeanne playfully pouts before blowing a raspberry at Weiss. Oh, real mature. "Come on, you make it sound so much worse than us finding kindred spirits, and then looking out for them as best we can. Besides, we only really heard about the docks." Hmph. A rather poor attempt at rationalizing their actions...

Arthur sighs, silently conceding that it didn't look good. Well, at least one of them does. "We have been exploring a new world. Traveling as much as we can and investigating disturbances. You two, along with the rest of your team, have been at the center of a lot lately. You seemed to have things well in hand, so we helped as best we could from the background and carried on." Offering another traditional, well-executed bow, Arthur continues. "I truly do apologize for us having taken so long to properly introduce ourselves, and I understand the, regrettable, image created by the clandestine nature of our interactions before today. As a show of goodwill, perhaps we could allow you control of the narrative, as it were, for us learning the basics of this world you pointed out our ignorance of earlier, Lady Schnee."

"Some more hands-on experience would be nice too." Jeanne quips, tapping the hilt of her sheathed sword. "Not that we've had much trouble with that." This earns her varying sounds of amusement from her companions.

Arthur nods, an almost excited glint in his eye, "Yes, that too, would be much appreciated. We have only managed to test our skills against the lesser creatures of Grimm we have come across." He pauses, letting out an amused, almost mischievous chuckle before adding, "Though, while we were establishing a proper campsite last weekend, Le Fay encountered a particularly fearsome—"

Le Fay, face almost completely red, actually whines, "Arthur! I thought we agreed that no one needed to know about that!"

Jeanne moves to ruffle the youth's hair, though with her hat still on her head, all the taller blonde accomplishes is to smash the accessory, which springs back to its previous poofie-ness as soon as she stops. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Fay. Everyone's got things that spook them." She pauses, poking at the corner of her mouth with the hand not planted on her hip. "Besides, who wouldn't get all worked up over a giant scorpion?"

Ruby snickers at that. She gives Le Fay her most comforting smile. "It's fine, one of our friends gets kinda freaked out by Death Stalkers too. Honestly, if his knee-jerk reaction to them wasn't violence, I'd say he's terrified of them. Whenever I try to figure out why, all he does is mumble about how certain creatures shouldn't be pets, then dodges any other questions about it."

Jeanne giggles heartily to herself. "You should have seen the way she flipped. I almost felt sorry for the thing! Didn't stand a chance against her!" Connla hides a chuckle of his own behind a gesture that adjusts his sunglasses. Ruby and Weiss share a quick glance. Are they...Implying Le Fay beat a Death Stalker by herself...? They can only stare at the young magical prodigy from another world, more than a little awestruck. Sure, the two of them might be able to take one together now that they'd been attending Beacon for the last few months. But that would be, dicey. At best. The thought that a girl younger than either of them can accomplish what would be a challenge for a licensed professional, and out of fear…

Blushing even further from the laughter and close attention, Le Fay turns her head away from the group, pulling the rim of her hat over her face. "It was a magnificent display." Arthur chuckles, and pats his younger sister's shoulder with pride before turning back to the Huntress-in-training duo. "That said, yes, I believe local guides for a more serious investigation of these Grimm and their capabilities would be ideal, if we could arrange for one."

Looking at the four 'Heroes' with a strange mix of hope and adoration, Ruby tentatively puts out, "Well, Torchwick, the thief in the mech you saw us take down, and the White Fang have, something going on in the east, outside the kingdom…" She can see where Ruby is going with this. If they did decide to go after the White Fang there they could use the extra skill and firepower. Additionally more eyes are likely to notice anything amiss. 'East' isn't much of an indicator as to where they need to search, after all.

Weiss, against her better judgement, decides to pick up on that train of thought. "As to helping you, we will most likely be headed outside the Kingdom soon. Shadowing a professional Huntsman for our first official mission. Ideally, we'll be able to combine that with our hunt for the White Fang. Maybe you could text us any questions you have while you explore, and we could answer them for you until we are able to arrange a more formal gathering to exchange that information? We, of course, want to know more of the supernatural." No need to work for free when there is something both sides can gain, after all.

"And where you come from, too! Ohh, a whole new world!" Ruby loudly gushes to herself as she was likely picturing what sort of exotic place these four could call home. Weiss suspects it is much the same as Remnant, but sees no reason to burst the Dolt's bubble, especially in front of new… acquaintances. She could be as wrong about that assumption as what she had assumed the Underworld was, but for the sake of her own sanity, she doesnt feel like thinking through that right now.

"Perfect! We were planning to tell you, anyway. You've already shown a fierce dedication to following the path of a hero. You'll fit right in with us!" Jeanne exclaims, fishing a brand new scroll out of one of her pockets and offering it to Weiss. The flurry of passed around scrolls and added contacts occupies all of them for a few minutes.

Once everyone has returned their scrolls to their respective pockets and purses, Jeanne breaks the almost-silence "Outside the city, huh? Maybe we could meet up, then? Talk some more, maybe get a feel for the stronger Grimm monsters?" A winsome smile adorning her face for the entire proposition.

Ruby looks awestruck again. "Yeah…Yeah, that sounds cool. Perfect, just like you said!" Apparently, she's excited enough that she had forgotten that she was the one who posited the idea in the first place. Honestly...

"Would you mind terribly if we could exchange further information over our scrolls via text in the meantime? From what you've told us this supernatural world is quite vast and there are a lot of questions to be answered." Weiss asks as she fidgets with her scroll, debating whether she should just take a few quick contact pictures, ask first, or just wait until she gets images of the foreign quartet more naturally.

Apparently the senior team member, or at least the teams 'face' Jeanne's response is unhesitant. "Works for us! Besides, we'll probably have to ask the same of the two of you if we want to keep blending in, so fair's fair."

Ruby, lacking any tact, starts snapping pictures of the self-styled Heroes.

Le Fay blinks as she does so before quickly posing with a hand on the rim of her witch hat, a cute smile adorning her face. Connla flinches back in surprise as he just stares dumbly at the girl in red, Arthur falling into a sort of parade-rest just in time for Ruby to turn her scroll on him. Jeanne, without missing a beat, plants her left hand on her hip, flashing a peace sign with her right and grinning at Ruby as she speaks. "Anyways. It's been great meeting you two, but, well, we have places to be, and I'm pretty sure you girls do too. Your friends and family, Ruby's sister in particular, might get suspicious if it takes you much longer to get to the waiting room they're in." Jeanne adds, nudging Arthur's arm with her elbow as she drops out of her impromptu pose.

Accepting his cue, Arthur holds out his hand, and, in a shimmering shower of golden motes of light, an intricate bright gold magic circle materializes moments before an absolutely gorgeous claymore extends hilt-first into his waiting grasp, blade perpendicular to the floor and glinting brightly in the harsh lighting of the hospital. That is-That is no ordinary sword. Next to her, Ruby runs an experienced eye over the weapon, and almost immediately starts, metaphorically at least, salivating. Weiss catches her collar before she can think of getting closer to the blade and hurting herself. Of course, preempting Ruby does give her an excuse to get a better look at the blade herself.

The golden aura surrounding the weapon dies down as Arthur proclaims with no small amount of pride, "The mightiest of the Holy Swords, Caliburn, passed down for generations of the Pendragon family. Behold!"

Arthur sweeps the blade, and, for a moment the air next to him is filled with a wide pane, overlooking a strange coastal city, with a massive bridge crossing the river that winds through it, a tall square brick and mortar clock-tower competing with a vast swathe of skyscrapers and an equally ancient looking palace for dominance of the skyline. He snaps his off hand once, and the portal winks shut.

Ruby's longing gaze is firmly affixed on the blade, likely not having noticed that the city on the other side of the now vanished tear in space can't possibly be one found on Remnant. "So… pretty." Ruby dazedly intones as Arthur rests his blade at his side.

Le Fay nods, grinning widely. "Yup. The Holy King Sword also known as Collbrande, the most powerful Holy Sword in existence. It's one of a kind. My brother's had to work super hard to earn the right to wield it! He's already set to be one of the sword's best wielders in history." She proudly states, as though it were a simple fact. Weiss's lips twitch as she remembers herself making similar boasts on Winter's behalf when she had been starting out in the Atlas military. Curiously, the elder Pendragon's smile goes slightly brittle at his sister's boast, but Weiss can tell he appreciates his sister's support all the same.

"Hm, we'll see." With a sweeping flourish Arthur lifts the blade to open another portal, this time to a warehouse of some sort, before sliding the blade into a leather frog on his back in a single fluid motion. The quartet all pass through the portal, nodding, or waving at Weiss and Ruby as they do so. "Until we meet again, m'ladies." Arthur offers with a final slight bow, before dismissing the portal with a snap as he returns to his full height. "Fare thee well."

Alone again Weiss and Ruby stand there in silence as the implications of the meeting sink in. Magic is real, other worlds are real, they had met warriors from another world. Weiss knows it's more news to Ruby than her, but part of her had thought Jaune and Ravel's 'Underworld' was simply a far-flung corner of Remnant, or a particularly habitable cave system. Their transportation circles merely a specialized application of Aura or a cutting-edge teleportation system. She had been doing her best to find a way to explain the wings that disappear into their backs away, as well. Now though… Now she feels very small, and the world far more frightening and dangerous than it had ever been when Grimm and ne'er-do-wells were all she had to worry about.

"So...That was a thing." Ruby mimics her elder sister, probably trying to borrow some of the older girl's confidence. Going by her tone, it isn't working.

The two don't have much else to do aside from make their way towards the front desk so they can recover their weapons and get back to their dorm. After a few minutes of walking, in silence, Ruby breaks it. "We need to get better." Weiss nods. "We—those two last night could have just killed us any time they wanted, couldn't they?" Another nod, this one matched with a frustrated grimace. "And from what those four said, there's more than just the Grimm out there that people need saving from."

Before Weiss can reply to that, they exit the hallway into a broad waiting room. Mostly filled with strangers, save for Team JNPR. Before either of them can do anything, Nora, clad in a plain white t-shirt with each of her team's emblems on its chest, navy-blue shorts that end at her mid-thigh and sneakers barrels both of them over, wrapping them in a tight hug. "Oh thank the Brothers you two are okay!" The ginger girl all but shouts as the rest of her team make their way over to the pile of girls.

Just as Weiss is about to comment on her sore, and now stinging ribs, Ren, wearing gray slacks and a sedate green long-sleeved button-down hanging untucked but closed up pulls his partner off of them. "Erm, are you two okay?" Pyrrha asks as Jaune, wearing one of the many limited edition Pumpkin Pete t-shirts—this one in baby blue with the brand name stenciled in the same font the SDC uses—he had acquired after finding out who his partner's main sponsor is and faded blue-jeans, helps them to their feet. Whether the russet sundress, crimson choker and simple flat-clad girl is asking after their fall or their injuries from last night was uncertain. Most likely both.

Ruby nods nonchalantly, or at least tries to. "Yeah, we're fine. They had us mostly patched up last night. We were just here for observation." She waves her hand dismissively as she speaks. Massively downplaying the severity of their injuries, and how long they would have been hospitalized for were it not for the Pendragons and their friends' swift action, the absolute DUNCE! They could have been looking at weeks to months spent recovering, potentially having to retake their Freshman year, with new teams at that, if things had gone even slightly differently!

"You needed a blood transfusion, Ruby!" Weiss half-shouts at her partner. "They don't give those out 'just in case!' You don't get to downplay nearly getting exsanguinated–" Pyrrha winces at that. Hard. "–as something Beacon's Medical Staff just 'observe'!" Ruby wilts back at Weiss tirade. Several nurses shoot disapproving glares at the Schnee heiress, while Nora supportively pats the prodigy's shoulder.

Ruby pouts as Jaune pokes Weiss' shoulder. "And your ribs aren't bugging you at all, Snow—err, Weiss?" Blushing, Weiss smacks his hand away, pointedly ignoring him. She unwraps her arms from around her abused and sore torso to clasp them behind her back. Wincing when she grabs her sword-hand with her right a bit too tightly for the abused joint. She'd need to check with that Le Fay girl just how badly injured they had been.

And Jaune isn't about to get off easy when she chooses to confront him. He will get an earful over this. All of it.

"Umm, where are my sister and Blake?" Ruby asks, prompting everyone to turn to face her.

"Erm, they had to...kind of kick your sister out of the waiting room, she was really freaked. No sign of Blake either, haven't even seen her since the Dance." Grinning awkwardly, Jaune turns to head for the hospital's exit, and gestures for them to follow with the hand Pyrrha hasn't claimed as he starts walking, Pyrrha stumbling a bit as she matches her stride to his, bangles and circlet glinting in the hospitals light as she does so. Ruby falls into step beside her, letting team JNPR lead them on.

"We are NOT getting beaten that badly by criminals, or–or monsters like that again. Ever." Weiss can only nod in resolute agreement to her leader and best friend's half-whispered declaration. Normally she'd try to talk Ruby down from continuing to pursue some fool crusade. However, after last night, having felt utterly powerless when it had mattered...Weiss is entirely in agreement with Ruby.

_-*R-DxD*-_

((Friday Night))

Lacey is curled up on a bench in the back corner of the holding cell she and the other two White Fang grunts had been left in after their arrest by the station's officers. Her knees are hugged as close to her chest as she can manage with the thick steel Aura restrictive cuffs still clamped around her wrists.

The other two prisoners had fallen asleep over an hour ago, exhausted from the job, and the running fight afterwards probably. She's too terrified to sleep. Too ashamed to do much, other than sulk. The station had emptied out about half an hour after they had been locked in the station's only holding cell. Almost all of the lights are off. Apparently, a bigger station handles the night patrols and emergency calls during the late shifts.

The police told them that the VSPRD had a transport on its way to move them to a proper Aura restrictive cell where they can be held until their trial not too long ago. No parole for terrorists. Not that she could afford it, or that her family would want anything to do with her now. She knows she should catch some sleep, but she's already tried twice and her mind just won't stop replaying the entire process of getting booked.

The mugshot. The pat-down. Getting printed. Having to rattle off her Citizen Identification Number. Enduring the bored-looking officer's disbelieving stare when she told him she'd been living on the street. Sitting there, waiting, while it all uploaded to the office's mainframe.

When that gets uploaded to the Kingdomwide databank, that's it. Dreams of a life helping others as a Huntress, having any sort of successful career, going home to her family, even.

Done...

Over...

…

...Wait.

Whyyyyyy is there a weird green fog rolling into the hallway outside the cell? She shuffles to her feet to try to look outside the cell.

She can't quite fit her head through the bars, but she can get close enough to make out three figures walking through the stations central room, which is filled from ceiling to floor with the same dark green fog. She can, barely, make out the form of one of the officers who had drawn the short straw and been assigned to watch the three prisoners in the stations holding cell until the VSPRD transport arrived to take them off of this tiny precinct houses hands, slumped over against the doorframe.

Of the three upright figures, the right-hand one, which is of average height, not including its ridiculous top-hat splits off, headed in the direction of the offices. The other two figures continue on to breach the wall of fog. The shorter of the two is Torchwick's right hand woman, Neopolitan, Lacey thinks. Clad in the same low-rise black slacks, high-heeled button up boots that nearly reach her knees, black corduroy singlet and single-buttoned jacket that barely reaches her short ribs. She has a respirator covering her nose and mouth, the faint green and yellow glows of air and lightning Dust slipping through its seams.

To her left is a tall, lanky looking guy. He is in the same orange pinstriped black suit of the rest of Torchwick's personal thugs wear, he has his jacket hanging open, and a blood red dress shirt only half tucked-in underneath it. His belt is a trio of flat brass chains braided together instead of the usual leather, and his buckle is a gaudy, oversized oblong octagon of pattern-welded steel, a pair of white stripes flanking a black stripe with a series of what look like molecular formula affixed to the buckle, but not quite large or intricate enough to cover it entirely. The deeply tanned man has a black mullet with a wide stripe of green the same shade as the fog down its center. The bulges under the sleeves of his jacket hint at some sort of weapon being hidden underneath.

Neo flashes something at Lacey in what's probably Valean Standard Sign Language when they come to a halt in front of the cell she is in. Lacey's blank expression must have given away that she doesn't understand, as Neo rolls her eyes with a forced pout, and elbows the guy with the arm not holding her parasol. "Boss Neo want'd ta know if ye know Sign Language." He informs her in a thick, nasally voice.

Obviously not. Lacey shakes her head, and asks, "Why are you here?"

Neo signs at the big guy, who nods at her. "Y'saved her bacon, s' she's vouching f'r you ta have a spot in th' Matchsticks" He translates. Kind of. Lacey notices that more of the fog is slowly falling from around the lanky guy's waist. She belatedly covers her nose as she realizes exactly what the 'fog' is.

He offers her a gap-toothed dark-brown to black, worn down toothed smile. "Name's Pewter Aech. Skunk faunus 'n' Matchstick. M' Semblance lets me change th' chemic'l makeup an pot'ncy o' any gases. Ah boil it d'wn t' jus me us'n' mah staenk ta g't shite don. Course any'n work'n wit me needs a mask t'tag a'lng." He hands her a gasmask nearly identical to the one on Neopolitan's face. Lacey hurriedly fixes it over her face as Neo reaches out with a key to unlock the cell.

The cell door swings open, and Neo offers Lacey a deep, mocking bow, waving her arms towards the station proper, and its exit in the same motion. Lacey walks out into the gassy lobby, where the top-hat clad figure is standing on one of the desks, twitching his hands around like a puppeteer. The trio of guards, one snoring, the other two drooling, are passing around a bottle of some sort of booze. She can hear the cell door clang back shut, and its tumblers 'thunking' into place.

The third figure hops down from the desk and falls into step with Neo. {Connected our I.T. operatives remote drive to the precinct house mainframe.} A generic, grainy, droning text-to-speech voice intones as they walk. {Our new recruit won't be on any of the records, files, or recordings. Left a half-line of cocaine on the desk the information was entered from. Gave the Boss that mark's address. His blood-work will corroborate when the VPD investigates.}

Neo leads them not to the main entrance, but to the roof access. Once the four of them breach the nasty fog onto the buildings roof and airship landing pad she is now able to get a decent look at the second crook Neo had brought with her.

Pasty pale skin, with a layer of pudge that could be hiding thick muscles or more flab. The suit is the same as the other Matchsticks, though its left sleeve is torn off to reveal a prosthetic arm, and it's back has a set of marionette-strings acid-washed onto it. His right hand is also prosthetic from the middle finger to the pinky, with a mass of different connector cables dangling from his wrist, and all three false fingers ending in different tools, shims and picks.

He turns around and instructs the pair of, thankfully regular, thugs in pinstriped suits to turn the pumps affixed to the buildings ventilation systems exhaust fan on. His nose is a false steel sculpture. The metal continues from his cheekbones all the way down to his chin. A wide grin is etched into the false face, air vents and speaker holes almost perfectly hidden by the unnerving artificial grin. On his throat, where most men have an Adam's-apple, he has a currently closed intake valve, for food and water she'd guess.

Neo signs at the criminal with the top-hat. He translates {We are taking you to one of Boss Roman's personal safe-houses. It has enough supplies to last you a month. You will remain there until Boss Roman arrives to brief you on the job that will repay our generosity for keeping you out of prison, and your terms of employment or additional debt owed for services rendered.} With a resounding, almost deafening clang all, four of the exhaust fans on the roof slam open, and with a dull roar spring to life. An ear-hurting guttural howl follows, as green fog and wind rush skywards, the two goons sprinting from the door to the waiting, running bullhead.

Pewter offers her a revolting smirk. "W' look for'w'rd to wor'ing with you in th' Matchsticks."

Top-hat sweeps his hat off his head, revealing a greasy, stringy, patchy tract of dusty brown hair, and offers her a bow. {Boss Roman wanted me to inform you that he got the address of the White Fang fodder barrack you were being held at. Your belongings will be at HIS safehouse by the time you wake up in the morning.} Idly, Lacey notes that the prosthetic jaw traces up to encompass Top-Hat's ear, and kisses the crown of his skull. Where most people would have an ear, he has a blinking, uneven mass of lights, antennas and electronics.

The Faunus couldn't help but glance at the slightly taller woman–girl?–in trepidation. Neo only shrugs at her, pats her head reassuringly, before giving another more exaggerated bow of her own, gesturing towards the Bullhead. Lacey's probably supposed to be reassured but…She isn't. Not one bit.

They take off as the green smoke clears away. Less than five minutes after they clear the airspace around the precinct-house she had been held at, she notices a blacked-out VSPRD APC rounding the corner at a

sedate pace to approach the building she had, until less than an hour ago, had been safely held is NOT how she had expected her night to go.

_-*R-DxD*-_

Blake Belladonna is hung over.

Blake Belladonna is hung over, and some jerk has the curtains open and blinds up.

Blake Belladonna is hung over, some jerk has the curtains open and blinds up, their east-facing window is currently a pillar of fire and heat and birds are chirping at what feels like a billion decibels in the, probably recently risen sun's light. Which is too bright.

"Mornin', Blakey. Grate any cheese last night?" her insufferably chipper partner chirps from, somewhere to the left. Blake gropes around with the hand that isn't safely curled under the covers until she finds something loose, balls it up and hurls it at the errant noisemaker.

"Oh, throwing your dress at me already, pretty kitty? I dunno, normally you have to take me on a few dates before I go that far with you." The feline Faunus irritably pokes her head out from under the blankets. Yang is leaning against Weiss' perfectly made, empty bed. An otherwise empty room, and a strained, conflicted look on the typically cheery, bombastic girl's face is all that greets her. Sure, she's in her usual orange tank-top with her emblem emblazoned across her chest and black short-shorts. But the bags under her eyes, and tightness in her frame hints at something being wrong.

Something feels, off. "Yang, where are Ruby and Weiss?"

Yang flinches before she plucks her scroll out of one of her pajama shorts pockets, glances at the screen, then tosses it at Weiss' bed. "Still talking with General Ironwood and Chief Drak, I guess. They were both still being tended to when I, erm, left the Beacon Infirmary building last night, or was it early this morning? Whatever..." Her face sliding from false cheerfulness to dull misery at that admission.

"They're what!?" she asks her partner just loudly enough to make herself wince. Looking around, she spots half a dozen comic books, and three of her novels scattered across the room. The TV is on, screen blank with the wire that would usually connect a scroll to it for gaming strung out to the middle of the room unplugged. One of the dumbbells Yang keeps under their bunk is on her bed, the other is on the far side of the room, not too far from a new dent in the wall. Clearly, Yang hadn't slept, or been able to find anything suitably distracting while she waited.

Without moving from her spot lounging against their teammate's bed, Yang replies, "Yeah, didn't you get the emergency message when Weiss and Ruby called for their rocket lockers last night?"

Blake can feel her eyes bug out, and she dives from her bed to her scroll. She taps at the screen a few times, finding it dead. Stupid piece of crap wireless charger. A little more scrambling and she finds her charge cord and plugs it in. Breathing deeply, head throbbing, and throat sore from dehydration, she waits. "Umm, Blake, do you maybe wanna cover up?" Blushing, she covers her boobs with one hand while the other grabs the comforter off her bed to wrap around her torso.

"Didn't you get my last message? My scroll was nearly dead by the time Sun and Neptune convinced me to go to that after-party." Blake asks, trying not to sound too defensive, after settling the blanket around her a bit more securely. The worry for her teammates and friends having jolted her to be a bit more awake, she's only getting more and more worried as her mind clears. She looks over to the very tired, sullen-looking blonde, and her embarrassment gives way to worry again. Yang shakes her head in a negative, lavender eyes full of hurt, facial expression almost like she wants to be mad but is fighting against it as she sucks on her teeth.

Blake's scroll powers up, and the first thing it does is bleat out its usual start up tone. It takes almost a minute for the rest of its start-up routine. The scroll Beacon had given her when she claimed to not have one after being accepted into the academy, and passing initiation, is certainly worse than the one she had used during her time with the White Fang, but things are…Easier, this way.

Then it starts buzzing and vibrating so violently it rocks out of her hand, and nearly off the charge-cord. Of course, the first thing she hears is the pair of grating, ear-splitting alarms for Weiss and Ruby having called for their rocket lockers. "Yee-up," Yang drawls from over Blake's shoulder. She pulls up her contact list, selects Yang, and does her best to ignore the pang of guilt as she scrolls past all of the messages her partner had sent her, presumably from one of Beacons infirmaries waiting rooms. [Ruby and Weiss got in a fight. Someone broke into the—] Blake stops reading the first unread text from Yang, squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head. She backs out of that conversation only for the increasingly judgmental automated texts from Beacon about how her teammates could be seriously injured or dead, and she hasn't acknowledged that they called for their weapons to assault her conscience instead of her best friends' panicked messages.

After swiping those away, her scroll once again erupts. Playful and then erratic texts from Yang. Names of strangers. A deluge of pictures. A lot of them are blurry. There's a few of her dancing, some alone, some with Sun, a few with other girls she doesn't recognize. Some of the pictures jog her memory, some she just deletes as blurry crap or black nothingness.

Yang's scroll starts blaring out an old classic rock tune. Just as the bouncy instrumental is joined by an upbeat voice asking 'Show me how to lie–', Yang's hand darts back to her pocket before the first few lines have played, a pained expression of dread on her face until she puts the scroll to her head and another fake, calming smile that isn't fooling anyone on her face. "Hey, Dad. No, the doctors haven't called back. Chief Drak and General Ironwood were questioning them and they should be released soon." She pauses and winces at whatever her dad replied with. "No, you don't need to skip out on your mission and come to Vale, she's fine. I just–I kinda panicked, okay?" Another pause, this time she blushes a bit, side-eyeing Blake. "Yeah, I will. Love you too."

Yang's scroll buzzes again, this time a peppy drinking song. "Hey Uncle–" she rolls her eyes as she's cut off. "No, she's fine, just got kept overnight for observation. No, Uncle Qrow, I already told Dad he's fine going on his mission, you don't need to eat the fine for backing out of your job to check on her either." Yang's head drops back almost limply so she can stare at the ceiling in wistful exasperation. That, at least, is a more real emotion than the blank moroseness and false cheer she has been going back and forth between since Blake woke up. "Yes, I'll call you if things change. Byyyyyyye." Yang then tosses her scroll up onto her bunk. With the year more than half over she doesn't even need to look to pull that off without missing the bed and risking breaking her scroll. "So, you, umm, gonna go through the rest of those messages and pictures?"

"Are you sure, Yang, I mean, your sister–"

"Don't." Yang, lightly, punches Blake's shoulder. "I told you to cut loose, to have some fun last night, Blake. I'm frustrated and upset and–and a lot of things. But, I need a distraction right now. Okay?" Blake nods at that, and starts going through what she fears will feel more like evidence, than missing memories from last night.

A handful of pictures are of her and an orange-haired cat-tailed faunus. A few of them dancing together. Then some of them shooting beer pong against Sun and Neptune. The last two pictures of that texted batch of pictures has Neon Flashing the boys, presumably winning them the game. The next picture is less than flattering for both of them, as Blake is attacking her fellow cat Faunus, and of course that is the one that jogs her memory as to the girl's name, Neon Katt. And if that isn't a name that openly encourages human-Faunus trouble, she doesn't know what is. Especially for a Faunus living in Atlas, and going to their academy. Not like the girl chose it, but she certainly had decided to rock it.

Not too long after that, as far as parties go, she'd gotten another picture sent to her, this time of her and Neon each with an arm, as well as Neons tail, wrapped around the others waist, grinning–drunkenly–from ear to ear, Neon's right leg entirely bare hanging out of her slinky silver sequin-bedazzled dress' slit and planted on a chair off to her side. On the exposed calf in vibrant neon blue, orange and green she has 'My Own Beat' tattooed in big text, nearly from ankle to knee, the M, O and B all done to look like giant speakers.

That picture is one of several that she had gotten from an unknown number: [Hey, this is Neon. Had a blast partying with you last night. Sorry about flashing your guy, I didn't know.] Looks like she had sent the message maybe an hour ago. Which makes absolutely no sense. Neon had been twice as drunk as Blake had been, she thinks, and Blake is pretty sure the shorter Faunus had been high on at least one party drug as well. HOW could she have been awake, and able to text cohesively, when Blake was still out cold?

Blake shakes her head, saves the contact, and replies [It's fine. He isn't exactly 'mine' to get jealous over.]

Blake blinks in surprise when the girl replies almost instantly. [:O You'd better get on that girl, before someone else snags him out from under your nose. We should party again some time. Hit me up!]

Blake fights down the urge to roll her eyes and skims further through her scroll. Eventually she comes across a picture someone had sent to her of Sun and Neptune holding her up for a keg stand, one to either side of her, holding her dress tight to her legs. At some point between the last picture and this most recent, she had let her hair down, and put her bow back on. That explains why the bottom of her hair is sticky and matted down at least. "Someone really cut loose last night." Yang half-heartedly quips from over her shoulder. It sounds less...Forced, but still not entirely here.

And was definitely closer than it had been a moment ago!

Blake lets out a startled half-scream, and drops her phone, not having expected her bombastic partner to use her bare shoulder as a rest for her chin. She also notices something stiff brushing her forearm, and that it's actually kind of, no, really cold in their dorm room. "I'm gonna put a shirt on." She announces, just as her scroll buzzes again, this time a message from Neptune. It has a picture he must have taken walking from the party back to the freshman dorm halls. Its her and Sun leaned against each other, okay, the more drunk of the pair was probably leaning on the other, and she can't exactly remember who that had been. If anyone asks that's what she'll tell them at least.

[You two look cute together. XD] She rolls her eyes at the blatant wing-man text, and tosses the scroll onto her bed to go find a shirt before the rest of their team gets back to the dorm.

While she's digging through her dresser she hears her scroll go off again. "Aww, Loverboy sent you a text. He wants to know if you had fun last night, and to make sure you're okay." Blake glances over her shoulder and spots one of their garbage cans, empty with a bag in it by the head of her bed, and the remnants of a blanket and pillow nest within arm's reach of it. That sends a pang of guilt through her chest.

Blake already has one of the black tank-tops with her emblem on it that she'd ordered on, and is halfway inside the pair of gray sweatpants she'd grabbed. The lacey purple pair of panties she'd had on under her dress last night aren't the raciest pair she owns, but they aren't exactly modest to wear around the dorm either. "Yeah, I did." She answers, not really thinking too much beyond that.

"Cool. I'll let him know for you." Blake freezes in place as what Yang had just said sinks in. She then proceeds to shriek her partner's name and leap across the dorm after her. Yang evades her, cackling and laughing as she darts and hops around their room. For a while at least.

She finally manages to catch the blonde, pin her between Weiss' bed and the floor and recover her scroll by trapping both of her wrists above her head and twisting just enough to dislodge her grip. The message had already been sent. The three little bouncing dots show that Sun has not only already read the message, but is working on a reply. Yang just grins up at her wiggling her eyebrows, either ignoring or not affected by the fact that most of Blakes weight is going to her knees, which are pinning her partners thighs to the ground. Both of their chests are now heaving and their faces are slightly flushed from the sudden exertion. Gods damn it all, Yang...

Their door swings open, and both Blake and Yang freeze after turning their heads to watch the door. Weiss, Ruby and team JNPR all pile into the dorm.

An awkward moment of silence hangs over the room as all eight teens freeze in place. Blake quickly jumps away from her best friend, fixes her top and pants, then sits perfectly normally against her bed. Nothing suggestive at all going on here.

Not a single thing.

Yang quickly stands up, eying the two but mostly her half-sister for any signs of injury, or, well, anything out of place probably. "Soooo, you're both fine then?" The blonde bruiser asks.

"Yep! We've both been clear—"

"I still have bruised ribs and Ruby needed a blood transfusion overnight." Weiss cuts her partner off, glaring unamused at team RWBY's leader.

"We're already better, so we might as well just say we're fine and not worry everyone, Weiss!" Ruby protests to her partner.

Blake can feel something shift about Yang. "...So. You saw Ruby getting her transfusion, then?"

"I saw the nurse unhooking the IV while General Ironwood was taking her statement at least." Weiss offers with a shrug. Yang's expression is carefully blank as she starts making her way across the room towards her sister.

Ruby awkwardly rubs at the back of her head, stretching the remains of her dress, and revealing a truly worrisome number of bandages hidden underneath the nearly shredded fabric. "No, really guys, you don't need to worry, we're—"

Yang leaps, tackling Ruby into a bone-crushing bear hug. All of the forced cheer, the put on calm, casual normalcy are gone. Blake, even with her superior Faunus' hearing can't make out what Yang is mumbling into her baby sister's neck. She can, mostly, see the top of Yang's face. Her eyes are glistening, shoulders slumped as she's curled aroundt Ruby in a hug not dissimilar to the one she used when she'd practically begged Blake to slow down. A sleepless night's worth of terrified tension bleeding away into relief and love and leftover worry.

Ruby is momentarily frozen as she stood there with her sister, before she settles into the hug. The one arm that isn't pinned to her chest she worms around to rub Yang's back soothingly and she nuzzles back into her sister's cheek, offering comforting noises.

Yang's shoulders heave once as she buries her head deeper into the younger girl's shoulder. Ren tugs Nora's shirt towards the door. Jaune mouths 'call us if you need anything' before following Pyrrha out of the dorm, quietly clicking the door shut behind him.

Blake grabs Weiss's attention with a soft touch to her shoulder, wordlessly asking if she was all right. Weiss gives a small, confident nod in response. Blake knows the Heiress well enough to know that she's more worried about their teammates than herself right now, which is good enough for Blake. She can hear her scroll ping her default notification tone, but doesn't move to check it. Her team is more important than whatever message she had received right now.

_-*R-DxD*-_

The creature she's been tracking for over a week now's luck has, finally, run out. A hulking, blue-skinned brute, with four solid yellow eyes. It is, currently, stuck to the scrub grass of northwestern Sanus by a handful of large, jagged ice crystals. Formed by Dust, of course.

"Doctor Mul, we have the target subdued. What now?" She looks over at the current leader of her hired muscle and cringes. Not at him, per se. She'd went out of her way to pay to have one of that egotist Torchwick's rivals–Well, she thinks the thief was one of Torchwick's rivals; he'd claimed he was, at least–acquire the exoskeleton drawn up by one of that doddering old coot Polendina's interns.

Then having the thief killed so she could then actually spend the lien having one of her Mistrali friends develop it into a suit of powered armor. Which she would then mass-produce, or at least develop enough of for her personal security detail and thus make her more credible and taken more seriously. She has to, especially with the sort of people she worked with and worked for.

Then the freaking idiots had to go and buy cheap spray-cans and customize their armor. Completely ruining the uniformity and intimidation factor! Of all the inane—

"Doctor…?"

Her thoughts cut off, she turns to face the goon, her thick sandy blond dreadlocks trailing behind her, the longest of them wrapping around her waist to tap her baggy, faded olive drab cargo pants. Without a belt they ride low on her hips, and she'd probably grabbed one of her older tye-dye t-shirts, she feels a bit constricted and-yep, it isn't long enough to touch her pants. Another shirt to be turned into lab rags. She can feel her hired thugs gaze lingering on her unintentionally bare midriff. The labcoat is supposed to keep things like this from happening!

Ah well, not like she minds much. If nothing else, it's nice to be appreciated. As long as the one doing the appreciating isn't supposed to be doing something else.

"Yes, Mr. Thug?" She quips, adjusting her azure horn-rimmed glasses.

The guy sighs irritably then pulls his helmet off, revealing a splotchy five o-clock stubble, a mop of wavy, sweat damp brown hair and blue eyes with deep bags under them. "It's Thuuge, Ma'am. And I wanted to know what we're going to do with that…Thing…Now that it's immobilized."

She looks from her most useful expendable to the captured, four-armed, claw-handed cloven hoofed brute of a test subject. "Prep it for transport. I didn't spend half of the new recruits' lives taking down a pair of Valean Army gunships for nothing." She understands why the Valean army had been chasing it so doggedly after checking Vale's news, but snuffing them out in a way that wouldn't lead to an even bigger manhunt aimed at her had been a costly hassle.

"I assumed, but how, Doctor?!" The simpleton whines at her. So annoying. Good help is so…Yada yada yada. Even thinking the cliche bores her. If only it weren't also true. Happily, she's been in touch with a particularly resourceful, rapidly expanding underground group in Vacuo that suits her needs, as well as her sponsors' quite nicely. They have already provided her several test subjects of reasonable quality from those they had been at odds with, or who were ill-suited to be 'recruited' to their cause. In return she had provided them with some unconventional pawns; stable dead ends to her research technically, but they have their uses nonetheless. She'll just need to get a few failsafes set up in case their endgame proves to be less than ideal.

Aaanndd Thuuge is still looking at her like a simple ape, or maybe a dog in heat, it's hard to tell. His gaze at least has migrated from her midriff to her chest. She knows she isn't the bustiest of women, but wearing a shirt two sizes two small has a way of making things seem otherwise.

Right, right, back to work. So tedious.

Sighing exaggeratedly, she reaches into her lab coat's inner pocket, making sure to button it shut with her free hand after getting what she needs. "Inject it with this." She orders, passing him a syringe. "If that one doesn't work, inject this, then this, then this…" she continues, passing the man three equally plain syringes as she does so. "Make sure to get the order right. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll have you try something else."

The guy juggles the syringes she had handed him. Hopefully he won't mess the order off. That will probably piss off the beast her patron had oh so 'generously' tipped her off about. Or, ooh, something entirely expected. Entirely unexpected would be worth a few suits of armor and some goons.

The armored bandits edge closer to the enraged beast. It would be attracting even more Grimm soon. Hopefully once she has it sedated, it will calm down enough to stop doing that. Replacing her entire personal guard is expensive. One of the perks of putting science over morals and society is supposed to be getting those sweet, sweet blank research checks!

But she still has to deal with a stipend. A BROTHERS-DAMNED STIPEND!

The goons pin the subject down with more ice dust rounds from the rifles she had had to buy instead of just being given or stealing, and Thuuge moves in with the syringes. She hears a growling behind her and turns to face her piece de resistance, originally gifted to her and then improved upon by her research.

The former human's arms are locked in front of it by a heavily modified pair of oversized steel cuffs covering its shape-shifting Grimm-limbs, and its armored knee-high boots are currently magnetized together. It has a steel muzzle over its mouth, so Sinna doesn't have to listen to the constant howling, screaming and occasional inane babblings of names and words that meant less than nothing to her.

Although, the growls that sneak through are kind of cute, almost endearing, really.

"Oh, there's no need to get jealous, Subject Zero." She coos at the former human. There is a modified visor covering the top half of its face, mostly so that it isn't so hard to look at. The covering also helps focus the creature's relentless tunnel vision after it is directed at a target. Leaving its instincts to its eyes on their own is, chaotic and destructive, at best. If it only destroyed the first thing it saw that would be fine, but there is always a 'next' target. In addition to the sheer reach its arms can achieve, which truly is the least of its capabilities, there is very little that can be considered safe without tight control placed on it. The sunken pits centered around where its eyes had been don't seem any deeper, which is good. The subject had gotten erratic when its Grimm flesh got too close to its brain. Or perhaps it was because its will had been so strong as a human. She'd been warned about that.

The solid crimson eyes, when visible, hadn't gotten any larger, but are able to traverse the entire length of the oversized eye sockets that stretch from its brow, to down to touch its nose and all the way out to where its temples had been. Overall the mutations are interesting enough, she supposes.

Hmm? The new subject has finally gone still, incapacitated by her 'Elite Guard' good. Elite guard, hah! But stroking the peons' egos like that saves her lien on their paychecks, so it's worth the bad joke.

Sinna quickly types out and sends off a recruitment ad to Solitas. The Mistrali thugs composing her 'Elite Guard' had done, decently, but she still needs more muscle and her 'partners' in Vacuo or beyond aren't willing to spare any! So much of it runs off on her or dies so quickly. Her secret weapon and favorite project needs to remain just that, a secret. It would be a true tragedy if it were to perish because she burnt the thing out. None of her derivative works have lived up to the original, in lifespan or power.

Speaking of...The growling persists. "You do want to keep what's left of your mind, right, Subject Zero? If this new toy doesn't do the trick, I might just have to go back to trying different drugs, and you know how unpredictable the side-effects of those can be. You don't want your Grimm eyes or arms to replace your entire head or chest, do you?" A bluff but one she delivers well, the monster has been becoming increasingly more destructive and uncontrollable, and she had no desire to build on that. What she needs to work into it now is obedience. The command microphone she'd been consistently upgrading since receiving Subject Zero a comfortable weight in her coat's pocket.

She doubts even the most seasoned Huntsman team would be up to the task of subduing Subject Zero. They'd need half a dozen first-rate Huntsmen, at least. As rare as Huntsmen that skilled are, she has been, assured, that they will become even rarer in the coming weeks. Depending on whether or not her plans with the Vacuan dissidents bear any fruit, the desert would certainly be an excellent place to establish a more permanent home. What a lovely prospect, free to experiment as she pleases; first the kingdom of Vacuo and then the entire world would be her lab, and its inhabitants her test subjects.

Her conversation with her favorite project is interrupted by the target howling more gibberish. It might be a language, but not one she's heard. A massive pair of bat-like wings flare out from its back that hadn't been there for most of her pursuit. Curious.

The beast behind her growls again. She only chuckles in response, it must have been quite feisty as a human. "Oh, don't worry, I might work on the new guy for a while, but you'll always be my favorite, Zero." She glances over at her favorite again.

She has the thugs dress it when the clothes get too tattered from its assignments, though she rarely has to bring her secret weapon to bear. Even today is a simple precaution, really. It had been a woman at some point however, and she isn't about to let it go prancing around naked. Maybe she should get one of her thugs around to bathing it too. Its long, greasy hair is nearly to the small of its back, Sinna will need to have someone trim that again. Which is a shame, because half of her staff will go back to ogling her project instead of her if she lets it get too clean. Men, apparently, will try to stick their dicks in anything warm, and have terrible taste in general.

Well, some of them. It really is a shame that most men who appreciate her own form have such dull minds. Doctor Watts, on the other hand, had had a fascinating mind. Unfortunately, his ego left him rather blind to the charms of the fairer sex. She'll need to try harder should she ever have the pleasure of working with him again.

"... Mul. Doctor Mul, umm, ma'am?" Oh, right, she's out collecting a new specimen. She nods at the suit of armor. So hard to tell who it is with the stupid paintjob half covered in blood. "We're ready to move the new subject. We, ahh, lost three more men subduing it." Ah, the voice is one she knows, Thuuge had sounded so strange all panting and tired.

She offers him a winsome grin. He flinches back, and her grin fades to a pout. Aw, damn, must have pushed it too far again. "Let's get moving back to my lab then. Don't want the thing waking up mid-flight, and Vacuo is a long way off."

---

As usual, massive thanks to my amazing Beta Reader MasterPrince 713! This fic would be a lot less well put together without him!

There will be violence next chapter, I promise!

Love it? Hate it? Lost your collection of pickled eyeballs and need to vent at someone over it? Drop a review, I cant get enough of those!