I was planning on updating this on Thanksgiving for all my of American friends, but I wasn't sure that I would remember to do so, so I'm updating now! I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I hope that I'll have it done before the holidays. I hope to update at least twice more before the year is over, but I've been told that I need to not push myself too much or I'll burn out again. Hope you all enjoy the update!

James the apple: *DJ Khaled Voice* Another One.

Halo69 (Guest): I don't recall that quote, but I'll take your word for it! Thank you for the praise!

a54321: I'll try to stop using so many cliff hangers! Especially when I don't have the next chapter written yet.

Hellibleri: I wasn't trying to be funny, but I'm glad you found it amusing! We'll see if my attempts at dramatic effect will continue to fall flat. :3

SkyChaser17: Dummy Thicc Plot lol. I think we're all waiting to see Velvet's reaction to finding out the truth. Devastated would definitely be in character, I think! I feel like I should mention that Fox probing around in Kaneki's head is total speculation on Kaneki's part. I don't actually know if Fox canonically possess the ability to poke around his head. Yatsuhashi's Semblance is another that I'm not sure that he actively chooses which part to 'delete' temporarily, as it seemed to me that it was usually the most recent memories, but he could choose how far back it erases. I'm not entirely sure, but I'll make sure to research it even more before I try to do any mind game shenanigans. Kaneki is definitely a tragic character, which is why I love him so much.

808Joker808: I ended it there because I wasn't sure if the interaction would feel like a natural stopping point, so I resorted to a cliffhanger lol. The chapter picks up immediately after the last one, so hopefully I didn't keep you in suspense too long!

Itharax: Gravelly voice is definitely a key characteristic of our favorite bird boy! Since Kaneki doesn't know him, I decided to not name him since it was from his perspective, but I'm glad it was obvious who was speaking!

artem-abramov-2004: Great guesses! I actually didn't remember Dr. Merlot's voice being gravelly when I wrote that.

KenSanders: Qrow's just following orders lol, but I agree for the most part.

candrarisk155: I'll be honest that I try not to juggle too many characters in every chapter to avoid it feeling like we're jumping around too much. I don't know if I would write scenes as long if I knew I had a checklist of characters that had to get a few lines in, but they will relevant, I promise!

KnightOfZaku: Thanks for the support! Your feelings were right!

ShadowRobot6: I'm glad you feel that way!

Greer123: I felt like Neo would be the sort to do that kind of thing.

Guest: I'm sorry! I don't plan to leave cliff hangers every chapter (I'm actually not sure if I have, I'll have to check) but it felt like the appropriate place to stop lol. I relieved that you don't hate me, hate is a strong emotion. I hope to see you again!

Qrow looked on to Kaneki, who slowly turned to face him. The alley was narrow, but the area of town they were in wasn't very populated. "Look, I just want to talk." Kaneki remained silent, backing up a step. Qrow raised his hands in an attempt to convince him that he didn't mean any harm. As Qrow took a few steps towards Kaneki, Kaneki backed away to keep his distance. "You know, talking at this distance risks somebody overhearing us. I know who you are, kid."

The half-ghoul thought he had misheard the man for a second. He reached towards his mask and unzipped his mouth, keeping his face obscured by his hood. "Who am I, exactly?" he asked. There were three different answers Kaneki could think of, none of them good.

"You're the one on the wanted posters all over town. Allegedly, you killed and ate a few Faunus? Honestly, I would have preferred not knowing that…" Qrow kept his eye trained on his mark as he took out his flask to take a drink. He then gestured to Kaneki. "You want some?"

"Are you here to try to take me in?" Kaneki asked, lowering his stance slightly to make a break for it. He was surprised to see that the man still wasn't engaging him, which led him to believe that the man was either not going to put up a fight… or was extremely confident in his own abilities. Kaneki had no way of knowing what intel this man had on him, as he only seemed to be citing public sources, yet the man had found him.

Qrow watched as Kaneki was clearly ready to run. He sighed, putting his flask away. "Like I said, I just wanted to talk, maybe ask a few questions. Just me and you." He took his scroll out from his coat and slid it towards Kaneki. "As a gesture of good faith."

"And your weapon?" Kaneki asked.

"Word on the street is that you took on the Vice-headmistress, and a second year team alone and got away. I doubt my old blade is any threat to you," he replied with a shrug. It was clear his excuse didn't convince Kaneki, causing Qrow to sigh. "Look, I don't think we're on good enough terms for me to wander into this unarmed."

Kaneki scanned the surroundings, seeing his only way out to head to the rooftops. While it wasn't much of an issue, eating dinner with Velvet had actually weakened him, making him wonder if he could escape from this man before he called for backup. Kaneki wasn't eager to face Ozpin or that woman again. "If I answer your questions, will you leave me alone?"

"That would depend on your answers," Qrow replied. He easily read Kaneki's hostility in his answer. "Would you have believed me if I said I would? Come on kid, you're Vale's most wanted criminal and there's an order to not engage you without a proper team. I'm risking my ass being here now."

"Nobody is forcing you to be here," Kaneki growled. "If you really think you're in that much danger, I suggest you turn around and pretend you never found me."

Qrow let out an exasperated breath. "You know I can't do that."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Well, I could have alerted the authorities and every Huntsmen in Vale to come after you, yet here I am, alone and without my scroll." Qrow pointed to the small device at Kaneki's feet. "I'm not sure what else I can do to convince you that I'm not your enemy."

Kaneki picked up the man's scroll, then looked up to him. It seemed the man was being earnest in his intentions. "What do you want to know?"

Qrow sighed tiredly but nodded in thanks. "First things first, my name's Qrow. I don't expect to get your real name, but calling you the Faunus Killer or the Cannibal seems a bit… well for lack of a better word, rude."

Kaneki nearly answered 'Eyepatch', but stopped himself. He thought back to the video of himself attacking Team CFVY in Vale and his monstrous appearance. "Centipede."

"Centipede?" Qrow repeated. "I guess that makes as much sense as any name… Well, Centipede, why are you working with Roman Torchwick? Video evidence shows you escaping from Goodwitch and a Bullhead, only to break Torchwick out from Atlesian custody and flee."

Kaneki had a feeling that the video evidence he saw with Team CVFY wasn't all of it. It was likely taken from one of the many news outlets covering the story, meaning Qrow and his associates had all of it. "He hadn't paid me yet," he answered simply. "I was only looking out for my own interests."

"Money? You're working with Torchwick 'cause you need money? Kid, there's so tons of ways to get–"

"So what if there is? I know what my strengths are, and Roman just so happened to be in need of them. Is that all you came to ask me?"

Qrow could tell Centipede wasn't giving him everything, but was clearly covering up the real reason. He wasn't sure if he should continue prodding him, given how defensive the young man became. "I get it kid, I was in a similar predicament as you, once upon a time."

"Somehow I doubt it," Kaneki scoffed. Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Kid, I was raised by bandits," he countered. "I used to be a killer, just like you, but that's a conversation for another day. What I have to know is this; do you have any connections or affiliations with Salem?"

Kaneki was completely lost now. He had never heard that name before, but given Qrow's cold expression as he asked him that, he could tell this was a big deal. "No. This is the first time I'm hearing that name."

There was a visible change in Qrow's demeanor as he heard that, surprising Kaneki. Whoever this Salem was, her name clearly carried a lot of weight. Kaneki watched as Qrow straightened his posture. "Well, that's the first piece of good news I've heard."

"Who do you work for?" asked Kaneki. "It's clear that you have connections to some sort of authority if you've seen video evidence of the Grimm invasion that hasn't been released to the public."

"I work for Professor Ozpin," he replied, noticing the way Kaneki's posture shifted. "I know you have some history with him, but like I said, I'm just here to talk."

"He and that woman tried to kill me," Kaneki growled. "Why should I believe that you're any different?"

"I didn't attack you on sight, I gave you my only form of getting reinforcements, you aren't being chased by every cop and Huntsmen in Vale and I've been honest with all my responses to you. I could have lied and made this easier for me but when you inevitably found out the truth, you wouldn't want to meet with me again."

Kaneki scoffed at his assumptions. "Why would I want to keep in contact with you?"

Qrow's expression darkened slightly. "The reason I asked if you're affiliated with Salem, is because she's a major threat to Vale, one not many people know about. Oz decided that peace of mind was worth letting you in on that little secret, which is one he doesn't share often. I don't know if you have anything or anybody that means something to you, but if she decides to strike, you can kiss it all goodbye."

Before Kaneki could respond, images of Velvet and Marble flashed through his mind. "I don't fully trust you and I damn sure don't trust Ozpin."

"You've killed several people and taken bites out of their corpses," Qrow lashed back. "Including a friend of mine. We don't trust you either, but we recognized that it might be possible to reason with you. Believe me, I would love nothing more than to strike you down right now, for Bart, the Faunus community and for my nieces, but Ozpin needs information so that's all I'm looking for right now."

"Implying that the next time we meet, you won't be so friendly?" asked Kaneki sarcastically. "Believe it or not, but I don't enjoy killing. It's a necessary evil that I doubt you'd ever understand."

Qrow began to grow annoyed. "Kid, I told you, I was raised by–"

"How many of them were forced to eat people to survive!?" Kaneki snapped, cracks forming around his Kakugan. Qrow took a step back as the teen shook with anger. Kaneki's voice lowered to barely a whisper. "It'd be so easy to just kill indiscriminately, to not care who I had to eat…" He looked at Qrow with disdain in his eyes. That man thinks that killing made them the same but that was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Kill him," Yamori grinned, appearing behind Qrow. He circled around him, as if sizing him up. "It shouldn't be too hard, he hardly has any muscle on him." For once, Kaneki was inclined to agree with his torturer.

Qrow raised his weapon, the tip of it pointing towards Kaneki. "I don't want to fight you, Centipede. Calm down."

"Step aside, Qrow," Kaneki uttered, his hands twitching. He could feel his control slipping. "If you follow me, I'll kill you. Then, I'll find out who your nieces are, and I'll kill them too."

Kaneki side-stepped Qrow's attack as he charged in a blind rage. Kaneki was surprised how quickly the drunk moved and the power behind his swing. "I dare you to threaten my nieces again," Qrow growled at him. Quickly, he yanked his sword out from concrete he embedded it into and turned to face the teen… only to see four scaly red tentacles poised to strike him from multiple angles, twitching slightly. He followed them to Kaneki's back, where they seemed to be originating from.

"I can't promise I'll be able to control myself the next time you try to take a swing at me," Kaneki said, visibly trying to calm himself. They retreated back into him, Kaneki now breaking his own middle finger. "Consider this your first and final warning."

Qrow straightened himself up, putting away his weapon. He had allowed his emotions to get the better of him for just a moment, but that was all Centipede needed. The kid was dangerous. He watched as Centipede made his way out of the alley, disappearing into the night. Qrow walked towards his scroll, which had fallen when the masked killer had evaded his attack. He unlocked it and put it to his ear. "Did you get all of that?"

"That was risky, Qrow," Ozpin sighed. "But yes, we heard it all."

"We still didn't find out whether he knew anything about the Copycat killer," Qrow pointed out, heading back to the street. "I dropped the ball on that one."

"I doubt anybody could let a threat to their family slide," Ozpin assured him. "You've succeeded in obtaining the most pressing information from him. Come back to Beacon so we may discuss this with the others."

"On my way," Qrow replied. He looked down both ends of the street, seeing no sign of Centipede. He pocketed his scroll and sighed. "It was a fucking miracle I found him this time…"

The following morning, Torchwick was surprised to find that Eyepatch had only reported one kill from the list of targets. The criminal knew that the cannibal could be more efficient, but he didn't think too much about it, at least until he requested to meet with him. Now, Torchwick was happy with the two's working relationship, but that didn't mean he enjoyed being in his presence. He regrettably accepted, sighing as he did.

"Hey Neo, your freaky friend wants to meet tonight. You coming?"

Neo was on the couch playing a game on her scroll, but immediately perked up when Roman mentioned Eyepatch. She gave him a thumbs up and a devious grin, making Torchwick laugh.

"You're sick, you know that?" he said jokingly. Neo used her Semblance to turn green, as if on the verge of vomiting. It only lasted a few moments before it shattered and revealed her giggling silently on the couch. "Hey, weren't you supposed to be a part of the she-devil's Mistral team? Wonder how they're going to deal with that."

Neo took her scroll out and typed out a message, showing him with a shrug. 'I don't think it's going to matter if the tournament is canceled.'

"Ah, right, I guess she doesn't need you then," he realized. "Then why'd she keep calling my old scroll?"

'She probably wanted a quick pump-n-dump.' Torchwick read the message and looked back up to Neo, who was now disguised as Cinder seductively gesturing him to come closer. Torchwick winced a bit and shook his head.

"Yeah, sorry, that's not happening," he said, shuddering a bit. "You know she can superheat whatever she touches, right? Can you imagine if she– shit, now I'm thinking about it. Damn it, Neo!"

Neo laughed, still disguised as Cinder. Torchwick made a disgusted expression. Neo dropped the disguise, befuddlement on her face.

"Seeing a smile on her face is nightmare fuel, don't do that," he said teasingly. Neo smirked at his remark before going back to play on her scroll. "I'm going to get some lunch, do you want anything?" Neo didn't bother looking up, waving her hand dismissively. Torchwick shook his head and headed out the door, messaging Kaneki that he would be available tonight.

Kaneki sat alone in his home, thinking back to the previous night. That man, Qrow, was clearly much stronger than the students he fought; that was to be expected. But he still couldn't figure out how Qrow had found him. The man reeked of alcohol, yet he was able to sneak behind him enough to corner him in that alley. What's worse was that Kaneki felt weaker since his night with Velvet, making it hard for him to gauge where his level was in comparison to Ozpin or Goodwitch.

BEEP

Velvet was calling him. Unable to hide the sickness in his voice, he ignored the call and began to look at the three targets he was supposed to strike next. As he began to think about it, he realized that the Copycat Killer had no reason to only strike at night. It would definitely be harder to sneak around, but he didn't exactly stand out without his mask.

'Speaking of which,' he thought to himself. He was about to message Torchwick a second time but didn't want to owe him any more favors. Instead, he messaged Neo, who likely had all the same connections as her partner. He kept it straightforward and simple. 'Need a new mask.'

'Don't like the gimp mask anymore? ;)' she messaged back. She then followed up, 'just any mask?'

'No White Fang masks,' he wrote back. He got a thumbs up back along with a selfie of her disguised in her black outfit winking at him. He rolled his eyes, grabbed a hoodie and headed out the door. The fact that the Scarlatina Café was closed for the time being gave him the perfect opportunity to roam around. Kaneki headed towards the target that he knew wasn't located off to the poorer parts of town so his presence as himself wouldn't raise any red flags.

Last night's encounter with Qrow rang in his mind. Who were his nieces? Kaneki genuinely didn't want to hunt them down, but knowing who they were would definitely give more credit to his threat. The more Kaneki thought about it, the more ironic he found that the drunk he met last night was the most reasonable of the Huntsmen he had encountered. Still, given the timing of Qrow's arrival, Kaneki suspected that he was one of the supposedly many that Ozpin had rallied to Vale. The only question is whether all of those Huntsmen were also in the know, but Kaneki knew it would be foolish to try to interrogate every Huntsmen that pursued him. Ozpin was a formidable threat, as was Goodwitch, but to Kaneki, they were either holding back or have gotten rusty due to being behind a desk (at least Kaneki assumed they were).

All of this made Kaneki realize he had been slacking on his training. Just because the average sword or bullet couldn't hurt him, it didn't mean that the Huntsmen didn't have other means of getting the job done. His thoughts went to Velvet. He almost laughed at the irony. Kaneki never wanted to face off against her due to their friendship, but now, he knew that she was one of the few that had a consistent way to hurt him. His personal feelings and her unique weapon made her the worst case scenario.

'Then there's the telepath…' he thought bitterly to himself. Fox was his name, and his ability to potentially read his mind, or possibly even probe it, made him somebody to avoid even if he wasn't wearing the Eyepatch mask. Kaneki's potential opponents had abilities so wide and varied, it was nearly impossible for him to come up with specific countermeasures. For instance, when he fought Team RWBY on the train, he had the advantage for both the tight space and his reach, not to mention the fact that they were all clearly afraid of him. Not that he blamed them exactly. Ruby's absurd speed was a factor he would need to keep an eye out for, as was Blake's ability to evade attacks seemingly after he landed them. Weiss was a wild card, as he Glyphs were unlike Glynda's in that they weren't only used for projectiles, but support for her team. Yang was the only straightforward one that he wasn't concerned about.

'Perhaps that's the problem…" he thought. He was always outnumbered. Sure, he was confident in his abilities, but what good were they if his opponents could swarm him with sheer numbers? The few Grimm he had fought weren't not smart enough to know they were outmatched, nor that they couldn't hurt him; but humans and Faunus were an entirely different beast altogether. If enough competent Huntsmen got together with a plan, it was entirely possible that his only option was to flee and hope for the best. He would need an authority of his own to be able to defend himself, but Torchwick and Neo didn't exactly seem like the sort to be able to fend off professional Huntsmen as they just seemed to be strong enough to hold their own in the criminal underworld.

He began to wonder if he should have a squad of counter-Huntsmen but he didn't know if he could trust anybody from the criminal world. 'Well, at least Roman and Neo are easy enough to understand…' he figured. They weren't loyal to him due to respect but rather that they feared him. He didn't blame them, but it did make him realize that if a stronger threat came along, such as this Salem person, it was entirely possible that they'd jump ship and back stab him. His thoughts went to Torchwick's previous employer and he knew he would have to find her. If not to force her to serve him then to eliminate her as a message to the criminal duo that they should not cross him. 'Add another name to the list,' he said mentally, sighing outwardly.

Kaneki looked around where he had wandered off to. It was a relatively busy street with a lot of street vendors and a handful of what looked to be robotic cops patrolling the streets. Kaneki pulled up a picture of his next target to refresh his memory and began to look around. This time, he was looking for a bull Faunus with a broken horn. To Kaneki's annoyance, there weren't many Faunus out in this part of town. He was about to continue to look around, but he felt as if somebody was watching him. After the events of last night, he wasn't keen on being snuck up on, so looked around his periphery. To his surprise, it was one of the girls from Team RWBY, and she wasn't making any attempt to hide her intentions. The girl with piercing yellow eyes and a bow wore a stoic expression.

Kaneki looked behind him, as if he was doubting that she was actually seeking him out, but there was nobody. When he turned back, the quiet girl was right before him, a worried expression on her face. "Um, hello Miss Belladonna," Kaneki said, bowing slightly.

"Do you greet everybody like that?" she asked dryly. It was unclear to Kaneki if she was asking genuinely or rhetorically.

"I suppose I do," he confessed, looking back up. "Force of habit. I'm surprised to see you here without your friends."

Blake shrugged. "I do a lot of things on my own," she admitted. "I just saw you and I wanted to make sure you were okay after the other night."

Kaneki thought back to his date with Velvet, confused. "Did Yang tell you all about how I fell in front of Velvet trying to bowl?" he asked, confused. Blake stifled a laugh, surprised.

"W-what? No, I meant two nights ago, at the Scarlatina café. I didn't know you were seeing Velvet."

"Oh, right, that. I'm fine," he replied with a shrug. "Velvet invited me to get my mind off of everything. I guess it worked a little too well…"

Blake narrowed her eyes slightly at the off-duty barista. "What exactly are you doing out in this part of town? Most of these shops are for Huntsmen and Huntresses to stock up on weapons, ammunition and travel clothes."

"I just recently got a refrigerator that runs on something called 'Ice Dust' or something," he replied, touching his face. He then scratched the back of his head. "See, I just recently got my own place and it wasn't exactly furnished so I'm buying things on my own little by little. It doesn't help that the café is closed, but since I had the time…"

Blake nearly palmed her face, but resisted. Of course the civilian was running errands. She took for granted that Beacon provided everything for their students so the thought didn't even cross her mind. "Right," she said, hesitantly. "Well, I'll let you get back to that then."

"What are you here for?" he asked. "I don't really know much about Huntresses or their weapons."

"I actually came by to get this evened out," she said, moving her hair over for him to see. There was a portion missing from one side from when Kaneki had struck her with his Kagune. "I got a chunk of it cut off while out on a mission, but Yang keeps pestering me to fix it. She has a weird thing about hair," she quickly explained. "I was going to go yesterday, but the four of us were out patrolling Vale. Team CFVY thinks if we have more eyes on the streets the safer things will be around here."

Kaneki smiled slightly. "That's good to hear," he said, feigning relief. He looked at Blake warmly. "Thank you, Miss Belladonna, and your team, for working so hard to keep people like me safe."

Blake smiled back neutrally. "Just doing our jobs," she tried to brush off. As Blake began to notice his thin frame, she checked the time. "Hey, maybe you should get yourself a weapon. Even a simple pistol, just so you have something to defend yourself. I can help you pick something out."

"Ah, no thanks," he said, almost too quickly. "Guns freak me out. I don't like the idea of pointing something at somebody that can extinguish their life…"

"I understand, but even just the noise can alert people to call the authorities," she explained.

Kaneki touched his face gently, thinking of what to say next. "I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but if that thing does go after me… I saw how little Velvet's team's efforts did against it. Any weapon held by me would just be a waste of the little money I have. Heck, even if I got a whistle, I'd just give away my position if I did manage to hide from it." Kaneki made sure to look away as if ashamed, but turned back. "I appreciate your concern, Miss Belladonna–"

"Blake," she interrupted. "Just call me Blake."

"Sorry. I appreciate your concern, Blake… I just don't really see a point. If the Faunus Killer finds me again, I'm as good as dead. There isn't really much I, or anybody for that matter, that can stop that from happening."

Blake felt something in her stomach drop when he said that. It wasn't that it wasn't true, but rather, how indifferent he was to the thought of him dying. She bit her tongue, not wanting him to know that she caught his near-suicidal remark. Still, she wanted him to have something to protect himself, if not from the Faunus Killer, than at least from some thug that might attack him. "If money is the issue, I can–"

"Blake," he interrupted, his face both sad and serious. "I don't want to be a charity case. I understand that your heart is in the right place, but you only care about me because one of your friends cares about me. There's dozens of people who were displaced by the attack on Vale who are worse off than me. If you insist on helping anybody, help them. I'll manage on my own."

The girl stood stunned by his response. He reminded Blake of herself, the way he was pushing away potential friends. There was something he was hiding, but it was not her place to prod. "I didn't mean to offend you, Ken," she said, but didn't apologize. She looked at his lone eye and it seemed almost empty. There wasn't anything she could say that would change that. "I'll leave you be."

Professor Ozpin leaned back into his chair Qrow gave General Ironwood his report. As expected, the general wanted to act immediately. "James, we mustn't act so rashly. We simply need mor–"

"Oz, you're not acting at all!" Ironwood bellowed. He stalked over to Ozpin's desk, slamming his hands down on it, hard enough to crack the glass. "If Qrow hadn't disabled the tracker on his scroll, we could have eliminated that bastard and Vale would be safer for it! If Salem's making her move, we can't have unknown variables distracting us from the bigger threat!"

Qrow shoved Ironwood away from Ozpin's desk, his hand hovering above his weapon. "We all agreed to the plan, Jimmy. You think you're the only one who wants this kid dead?"

"Qrow, James, please calm down," Ozpin said, rubbing his temples. "I'm aware that it wasn't everybody's first decision to go about finding 'Centipede' and not engaging, but we were right about some things and wrong about others. Right now, we just need to analyze what we know so we can proceed."

Glynda gently pulled the General away from Qrow, speaking softly. "Emotions are high for all of us; let's just take a moment to calm ourselves."

"Right, you're right," Ironwood conceded.

Qrow walked back towards the wall he liked to lean on and took out his flask. "Alright, Oz, so what have we learned? That he is aware that he's killing people? That he understands human nature enough to threaten my nieces? How does that help us at all?"

"He also knew that he's wanted, given how he's lying low. Qrow mentioned that he kept his face hidden the entire time, but when he finally did look up, he had that mask on," added Glynda. "However, we still aren't certain if Centipede has any connections to the Copycat Killer."

Ironwood, having recomposed himself, cleared his throat. "He did claim that he didn't know Salem, but he still attacked Qrow before getting away."

"Damn it, does nothing get through that metal skull of yours?" Qrow asked, rolling his eyes. "He threatened my nieces and I attacked first. I don't know if I would have gotten away from that encounter in one piece if he had decided to strike back."

"Which brings me to the point I wanted to discuss," Ozpin said. The three looked over to Ozpin as he brought up the audio recorded by Qrow's scroll. "Listen to this."

"Kid, I told you that I was raised by–" said Qrow in the recording.

"How many of them were forced to eat people to survive!? It'd be so easy to just kill indiscriminately, to not care who I had to eat…" Kaneki's voice rang out, the second part barely audible.

Ozpin looked on as silence washed over the room. Qrow clearly didn't hear Kaneki's afterthought, but it still didn't sit right with him. "What the hell does he mean by that?" he asked.

"If I were to venture a guess, he really doesn't wish to be a killer," Ozpin guessed. "It is entirely possible that the reason he is targeting the White Fang is because he believes they are the ones he feels the least guilty in killing."

"He's still a murderer," Ironwood insisted. "We can't just turn a blind eye because he has a code of honor of some sort. Nobody is above the law, especially killers."

Glynda stood beside Ironwood, surprising the General. "James is correct, Professor Ozpin. His acts of cannibalism are especially egregious. You would be removed as Headmaster if the media got wind of you defending his actions."

Ozpin stood from his seat and turned to face Vale. "There are many questions that have yet to be answered. If we take what he's told Qrow at face value, the boy has no choice but to consume Faunus flesh. He claimed it was for his own survival, but something tells me there is something else at play. If he truly is not working for Salem, there is a chance that perhaps he will join our fight against her. Qrow's already warned Centipede of the looming threat, if we can approach him once more without provoking an attack from him it may be possible to sway him."

"You're mad," Ironwood nearly shouted. "You want to recruit a cannibal? You would trust him to fight alongside your students? What's to stop him from turning on them when they're most vulnerable for a quick snack?!"

"I don't like the idea either, James, but you're the only one in this room who hasn't been in contact with him. Glynda faced off against him twice, and Ozpin knew nothing about him when he crossed paths with him. I won't pretend the kid is some paragon of justice, but he's not as evil as you're making him out to be. He's bad, yes, but there is clearly some sort of morals he's abiding by."

"All of his victims have been associated with the White Fang," Ozpin added. "I don't condone his actions, but I can understand the reasoning behind his methods. The Copycat killer must have picked up on this as well, as all of their victims have also been White Fang. The only difference is that they're not mutilated."

Glynda sighed, unsure. "What are you suggesting then? That we let him run around and continue his killing spree?"

"No, of course not," Ozpin replied. "I simply believe that if we were to put a message disguised as a news update, he might see that we're open to speaking to him without fear of capture."

Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to keep his composure. "Oz, if we have any chance at capturing him, we should take it. Why do you continue to insist on protecting him? Have you forgotten that he is the one responsible for Bart's death?!"

"I have not, James," Ozpin replied sharply. He stood up and stood in front of the General, glaring at him. "I understand where you're coming from, General. However, please refrain from standing on the grave of my dear friend to justify your crusade. The report team RWBY gave was that they were the ones who faced off against Centipede, whereas Dr. Oobleck fought against a woman. From what I understood from the coroner, he was most likely killed from the multiple stab wounds, while team RWBY, while rattled, got off with a few bruises."

"He had bite marks, Oz!" Ironwood argued.

"It is possible that he was already dead when Centipede, er, fed," Glynda offered. "While the thought is still disgusting, it makes it appear that Ozpin's theory about his self imposed restrictions still holds up."

Ironwood gritted his teeth, but knew he couldn't do anything. Not only was he outnumbered by the three before him, if he acted alone, it was entirely possible it could be seen as an act of war. He knew he would have to bide his time for now. "Fine," he grunted, walking over to the elevator. "If you think this plan of yours will work, I won't get in the way. But if it doesn't, I will do what is necessary."

As the doors shut, Qrow gave the General the finger. "Why'd we let that guy in?" he asked.

"He's a good man," Ozpin replied. "He can be stubborn, but not unreasonable. I was expecting him to put up more resistance, if I'm being frank."

"Perhaps Qrow can keep an eye on him," Glynda suggested. "I want to trust James, but we've been asking a lot of him these last few weeks."

Ozpin nodded, looking over to Qrow. "Perhaps you should spend some time with your nieces before you tail the General."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Qrow responded with a huff. He took a swig of his flask as he waited for the elevator. "Oz, I really hope you're right about this kid. He's dangerous."

"I know," Ozpin replied.

"Alright, Eyepatch, what exactly do you need from me?" Torchwick asked. The trio sat at a small dining table. Torchwick was as far as he could be from Kaneki while Neo almost hung off the teen's arm. "You were a little vague."

Kaneki remained silent for a few moments, his gaze fixed on the table. He didn't even acknowledge Neo poking the bit of exposed skin on his face until he finally got his thoughts together. "Ozpin and his Huntsmen are on to me," he said simply.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you mean the Headmaster?" Torchwick clarified. "Since when did you have his eyes on you?"

"That's irrelevant ri–"

"It's pretty fucking relevant, Eyepatch! You're telling me he shut down the entire academy to find you!?"

Kaneki looked up a bit confused. "Why did you think they were shut down?"

"We blew a hole in the middle of Vale with hordes of Grimm and decimated several city blocks," Torchwick replied. "Sorry for thinking that was enough."

"That was likely a part of it," Kaneki admitted. "Look, I'm not here to argue that. I need a favor."

Torchwick rolled his eyes. "We fulfilled our part," he sighed. He began to mutter under his breath. "You'd think a list of twenty meals would be enough for now…"

"I need you to arrange a meeting with your former employer."

Torchwick looked at him wide-eyed. Even Neo had stopped her playful poking and looked at Kaneki strangely. "Kid…"

"I'm not asking you to attend," he explained. "I'm going to make her an offer."

"The whole reason we were willing to work with you was because we don't want to work with her. If you're bringing her on board, Neo and I are out."

Kaneki expected as much but remained calm. "I'm going to offer her one of two things. The first is for her to work under me. I need to form a group of counter-Huntsmen. I can't risk getting injured too much, otherwise my appetite grows. From what I can tell, this woman you worked for would be a perfect henchman for me to have."

"I don't think she is one for following orders, kid," Torchwick sighed. "She's a power hungry bitch."

Kaneki shrugged, unaffected by this prediction. "Then I'll let her pick the second choice."

Torchwick raised an eyebrow. "And what, exactly, do you plan on offering her if she doesn't want to be your little minion?"

Kaneki looked up, his Kakugan intensifying. He folded his thumb over his index finger and pressed down. "Death."