Foresworn

HP/VS

XXII: Plan, Execute…

Harry's plan was simple. Rumpole was going to bring him in as a discovered survivor of the Vale disaster; introduce him to the Headmaster, Harry would commence his 'assassination' and summon the Crown, then liberally paint Shade Academy with the guts of those that attacked.

Naturally, those who were paying attention, Velvet was less than impressed. But she held her tongue, she may not like it. It was the fact Harry might be able to shift the blame solely onto Rumpole which would be magnificent in her own opinion.

That evening, as SSSN and CFVY had finally coaxed Harry and Rumpole to sit down for dinner. "How are we doing to repair my…damage to the skiff?" Harry asked curiously as he scolded his mouth on tea.

Yatsuhashi and Sage gave Harry some extremely pointed looks "You do your job...too damn well." Sage stated, to his surprise and annoyance Harry's face remained deadpanned if only for a slight crooking of his mouth.

"Harry...behave." Velvet stated, doing her best to keep her tone, pitch and cadence under control as she turned to face her boyfriend. It worked as Harry paled slightly before nodding.

"My apologies. I had to make my infiltration look convincing; heck the fact that they're trusting me to do this...Whether they'll actually arrive if and when I assassinate the Headmaster."

Rumpole nodded "They'll come. Unlike yourself, I have integrated myself effectively into Shade Academy…" She faltered as her eyes seemed to gleam slightly.

Yatsuhashi's eyes narrowed. He looked at his position, Harry was between him and Rumpole; Velvet was closer to Coco than Harry but between them. SSSN weren't anywhere in the immediate vicinity save for Sage, Yatsuhashi had a feeling that Sage would help him with this… "Professor? Are you okay?"

Rumpole froze, she opened her mouth but words weren't coming out, her mouth opened and closed rapidly. Harry had also turned, Yatsuhashi smirked "Perfect." With that he launched himself across the skiff; Velvet effectively clotheslined Harry, wrapping herself around him to keep him seated.

"If you wanted…"

"Shut up, Harry, unless you want to be on the floor of CFVY's room for the foreseeable future." Velvet hissed. She knew Harry was whimsical, quick with a quip and quicker to violence; she was not blind to the glaring attempts to condition her boyfriend into a soldier only for him to turn around to attack his handlers. She was pretty sure, he only obeyed orders for as long as it allowed him to achieve his ends.

"Harry, what is your endgame? No jokes, no quips or deflections. I need to know; play me false or even think about downplaying this and I'll walk away."

Harry stopped, he focused on Velvet and emerald green eyes gazed into honeyed brown "You…I have no clue what I want to do, the only thing I know is, I want to be with you."

Velvet's stare faltered momentarily, her hand had been on his wrist checking his pulse. It remained steady, granted Harry could probably cheat the detection but right now the look in his eyes told her everything. "V, I cheat, lie, steal, murder and obsfucate as easily as I breathe but for you, ask and I shall tell no lie."

Velvet gulped "What are you intending to do once you complete your current task?"

Harry smiled a secretive but full smile normally reserved for her "I'll be getting a hotel room for some sleep; you're welcome to join me and then sleep is optional. Then it's a week of downtime and investigating Vacuo."

"You mean go on an extended bar crawl." Velvet countered.

"Drinking will occur but not an extended bar crawl. I'd rather have a week in bed with you."

Coco cocked her head "Is clothing mandatory?"

"I'm monogamous Coco Adel…" Harry responded but a slight blush on Velvet's face was too good "...unless Velvet is willing and consenting." Harry received a slap to the shoulder "Shutting up now. Then eventually meander Mistral or Menagerie way before dynamically entering a dangerous combat situation where RWBY, NIKL and my Team are holding out. Then a bar crawl will ensue."

Velvet sighed "And if I said I wanted to remain here?"

"I'd come back. Velvet, I've always thought myself to be an orphan. But my mum and dad are alive as is my sister, I'd feel happier if I found them. But as close as they are to my heart, you hold it."

As this conversation was going on, Yatsuhashi and Sage had managed to subdue Rumpole temporarily with Fox, grabbing the Teachers wrists "Don't make me snap your wrists...I'm fucking pissed off you for creating Teams ROSC, NOVA, FNDU and BYRN." He rasped mentally. Rumpole's face went grey as Yatsuhashi's gigantic hand, his hand turned an earthy brown, the giant of CFVY began to concentrate and his semblance went to work.

Sage turned to the occupied Harry and Velvet "Potter, do you remember Team NDGO?"

"Should I?"

Sage raised an eyebrow "Do you have short term memory problems? Or did you not watch SSSN fight them?"

Harry paused "Team of Four Girls...I remember them. Not for their fighting skills actually…"

Sage's eyes widened "Then why…"

"They showed their colours and you displayed yours. I've got to say I prefer your colours to them." Sage cocked his head in confusion, Harry sighed "You and your Team stood your ground with my Team and the Beacon Students; they didn't. Now that you understand that I know them, what of them?"

"Octavia Ember, she's my alternate team leader, deliberately endangers civilians…" Velvet stated "...She held me at knife…"

Thunder boomed overhead, Velvet looked at Harry and his eyes were glittering with flecks of yellow "So, those little conards, they fled and now are giving everyone who fought a tough time. One of them threatened children and pulled a knife on my woman. Sorry, Velvet, for the dehumanising their but I truly mean it."

The rabbit faunus nodded, Harry let out a piercing breath influencing a momentary breeze "I'll deal with them."

Sun stared at Harry, he'd been quiet throughout all of this "How are you going to do that? Harry, you're a dangerous guy but they're something else."

"I'll get in their faces and brutally deal with them. I'm not above killing my peers, that's what I've been doing recently. Paid homicide in the name of mercenary work."

"Isn't that...illegal?"

Harry snorted "Money is money. It was only a matter of time before the oppressed revolted; I merely expedited it. I've found being brutally honest about how insignificant people are and explaining it to their faces makes them consider their choices. Also, Sage, whom did we lose at the fall of Beacon?"

Sage stared "You really care?"

"I asked, begged and pleaded with you to help me make a stand. I need to know whom died so I can properly express my utter disdain towards those cowards."

"Team BRNZ, Branz Ni, Roy Stallion and May Zedong...with Nolan Porfirio...they fought Team JPNR. Format were three brawlers and a ranged support, Nolan was the only survivor."

Harry sighed "So much death, so much slaughter. So many of us fought through the night like the devil at dawn. NDGO will learn to respect those that fought and died."

(Menagerie)

Screams tore through the night as the Faunus Population collided with one another; Ghira Belladonna's White Fang Faction collided with the Terrorist Faction of the White Fang. The only difference between the factions were the coloured armbands and masks that were hastily worn. THose loyal to the Belladonna's ideals and tenants of the White Fang adorned themselves with a White Lion Head on Blue as opposed to Red on White with three red lines through the head.

Adam dodged a Bat-Faunus with a marlinspike before grabbing the Faunus's nearby leg and slammed him physically into the wooden gangway, breaking it. "Well shit...didn't intend that." He muttered to himself, spinning onto Noir; a big man with the Faunus Heritage of a Gorilla.

Thankfully, before any tasteless joke could be made, Nanuuk fell off a roof and managed to kick the Gorilla Faunus in the head, before he could make a move on Adam. Adam capitalised by unsheathing Wilt and pointed it at Noir "Sir, I dislike this, please talk. Who's behind this?"

Noir groaned as he looked at his two captors "The Fennics…There's been a change of hands of the White Fang. Taurus, you should have joined us...the pair of you can."

Nanuuk chuckled "Sorry pal, not joining terrorists, but Faunus troubles and equality we're backing. Our Team Leader is Human, but he picks up gauntlets thrown at Faunus and beats the thrower half-to-death."

Noir stopped "A human working with Faunus?"

"It's known to happen, Noir." It was Damania; she appeared dragging two turtle fauni armed with clubs. "Besides, Harry is only the paper leader. I lead; Adam, Nanuuk and Harry throw themselves headfirst into injustice and fights. You said the Fennec twins…right, they're up at the Belladonna House. Isabella, Blake and Kobi is somewhere…" The Lioness Faunus was cut off as a tyre exploded and fireworks were launched everywhere to the sound of demented cackling. "...over by that way." She finished pointing to the burning remains of a tyre.

AND and Noir exchanged glances with one another "When we get our illustrious leader back, we're swapping Kobi for him...I'm sorry but I prefer my destructive morons where I can find them; at the front." Damania stated.

"Boss, what are we going to do with Noir?"

"You could leave me here…I'm not going to get involved in this again?"

(Ruby et al.)

Ruby sat by the hospital bed quietly taking in the sounds of the various screens and monitors that recorded her fathers state. When they'd arrived Ruby had been sedated in her near constant anxiety.

However, Qrow Branwen continued to improve and was now out of his coma. "Hey kiddo."

"Papa…glad to see that you're okay." Ruby stated thickly, her voice choked by tears.

"Ruby, I'm not going anywhere yet."

The doors opened as the rest of team RNJR poured in, amongst them a young man by the name of Oscar. Qrow looked at them and gave them a once over to ensure they were fine "You've done very well, to make it here…"

More footsteps were heard, these were heavier. Almost definitely male, then they heard voices 'you can't go…'

'I'm normally the restraint, my best mate is the violent one, but if you don't let me up there...I'm just as good as him.''

Ruby cocked her head, the voice sounded familiar. It was then joined by an accent that reminded her of something akin to Velvet's but much warmer. 'Please Nev, don't make them want to not cooperate.'

There was a garbled reply and the footsteps were headed towards them. The door opened and standing there: tired and hungry, leaner as well stood Neville Longbottom, Yang and Weiss! There were also a few others "Yang, you do know…"

"Ruby, you'll find you're going to work with people you really don't want to work with. You've just got to trust they're going to be useful." Qrow stated, coughing a little. He eyed the newcomers "Nev, good to see you're back. Harry's not with you?"

Neville snorted "Nope. Says hi and sends his love. Knowing him he's about to…"

"Cause a show. He is my son after all."