It was late one afternoon when he received it.
As usual, Ozpin was sat at his desk, casually gazing out of his office window. He had finished most of his work already and was enjoying a short break before the end of classes.
He liked bathing in the filtered sunlight, watching the birds fly by, and seeing some of his older students returning for their next year at the Academy. The new batch of first year students had arrived that morning too, and were milling about, ready for the initiation, the next day.
But the student body was the last thing on his mind just then. He brushed his hand across the screen of his scroll, browsing through the refreshed list of message-reports, and he came across a new one at the very bottom. The tab had been marked: 'Urgent'.
Peering at the sender's address, Ozpin saw it had come from Qrow Branwen.
Now, Qrow Branwen was a teacher at Signal Academy in Lower Vale, but he also worked for Ozpin as a scout of sorts; so, most of the messages he sent to him were reports.
Normally, they were about Grimm Activity throughout the continents, and sometimes they were messages about theories which Ozpin had come up with.
Often, these reports proved his theories right.
'I wonder what he's found . . .' He thought,
Ozpin wasted no time and opened the report; the subject line was very vague.
"I have a lead." It read.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow and began to read. Half-way through the first paragraph, he knew exactly what Qrow was reporting on.
"Interesting . . ." He smirked.
Ozpin quickly finished reading, and as soon as he had, he typed out a quick message to Glynda. A moment later, an announcement sounded out over the Intercom.
"Would Teams RWBY and RVN please report to Ozpin's office." Announced Glynda, "That's RWBY and RVN please report to Ozpin's office, thank you."
The announcement ended with a loud click, and Ozpin went back to reading over the report again, taking extra care now and making sure he hadn't missed anything. As he read, his mind drifted back to the day when Team RWBY heard the news.
Glynda had told him everything.
Team RVN remained despondent for several days. They looked miserable.
Once again, Pyrrha was hit harder than anyone else on their team.
She spent her free time in the training rooms, taking her frustration out on the drones and dummies; most of her friends didn't see her, and the only ones she seemed to interact with at all were Ren and Nora – who were just as hurt.
Ren remained calm, but everyone could see how upset he was. For a whole week, he drowned his pancakes in syrup – he never ate them like that.
Opposite to what you'd expect, Ren loved combat class; it was one of his favourites – Port's was a close second, because he could take a quick nap there and none would be the wiser. But when Jaune left, Ren stayed up for every class, and refused to fight a match for two whole days.
Nora's reaction had been the most extreme. She remembered Team CRDL and thought they had done something to make Jaune leave, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. Ren tried to stop her, but after Team CRDL taunted them and let it slip they were glad Jaune left, she couldn't take it anymore.
Not five minutes after the encounter, ALL of Team CRDL were carted away by staff from the medical wing. Goodwitch nearly expelled Nora right then and there, until Ren and Pyrrha explained what had happened. Ozpin let them off with a warning when he heard and slapped Nora detention for two months.
After a while, it became clear that all three of them needed to talk, and so it was arranged for them to receive counselling sessions. They were reluctant at first, and they participated in class less and less as time went by, but after a few months, they picked up again. If only a bit.
They were still touchy when it came to Jaune, but at least for now, they were doing better.
Team SSSN had been permanently transferred to Beacon after he left. Sun was the first of his team to find out; he was upset, he liked Jaune, and was sorry to hear the news.
Scarlet and Sage didn't know much about Jaune, so it didn't really matter to them. But they promised not to antagonize anyone about it. But Neptune appeared upset too – something both he and Sun apparently agreed on – losing guy-friends was always disappointing.
So, whenever they went out and had a chance, they would make it a team effort, and pour one out just for him.
It made Ren and Pyrrha were upset, and they confronted them when they heard.
"You know he's not dead, right?" Pyrrha asked them dryly.
"Uh- yeah!" Sun answered defensively, "This is just a thing that bros do for each other!"
Ren snorted quietly.
"At a wake, maybe." He muttered.
"It's how we pay respect." Explained Neptune, "We'd do this for the guys back at Sanctum and Shade whenever they went missing."
"But you'd do it for them if they died too, wouldn't you?" Asked Pyrrha,
"Well, yeah, of course." Continued Neptune, "But you can do it for a bro if he's not around anymore. Like if- like, uhh . . . "
"-Like if he got a girlfriend and couldn't hang out as much!" Suggested Sun, "He's not there with you, but you know he's around and junk."
"Exactly!" Neptune snapped his fingers, "That's what I'm talking about. That's a pretty good way of putting it too."
Ren rolled his eyes, he wasn't convinced.
Pyrrha felt unwell, picturing Jaune with another woman made her feel a little unhappy.
"Whatever," She shook her head, "Just- try not to talk about him like he's dead, please?"
Sun and Neptune agreed they wouldn't.
Team RWBY were their own story.
When Ruby heard the news, she got so upset, she raced back to their dormitory and refused to leave. Yang knew she couldn't just leave her little sister to her own devices in such a state, so she stayed with her, and asked for Blake and Weiss to take their notes.
This meant that Blake and Weiss would have to take notes for one class, make copies of them, run them back to their dormitory, and then dash off to their next class before it began.
Ruby and Yang didn't show up to any of their classes for nearly a week, but even after they did, things hadn't been the same. Blake didn't seem to mind – rather, if she did, neither staff nor student ever heard her complain – but Weiss would grumble dreadfully to herself.
"Why can't we just take pictures of our notes for them?" She would ask, "It'd be faster, and more efficient."
"I think I'd rather deliver everything at the end of the day." Blake would sigh, "But then we'd have too much to carry."
Of course, with how the schooling system was set up, they couldn't do it any other way. The only benefit in her mind, was the extra credit they earned for taking the notes by hand. Even so, Weiss wasn't happy, especially since it only happened for five days.
Some felt sorry for them; for that whole week, Blake and Weiss would return to their dormitory at the end of every day, exhausted and wishing for Ruby to cheer up.
Ozpin shook his head and turned his thoughts back to Qrow's message.
Today's report had to do with the whereabouts of one of his most recent theories. It disclosed a location where, not too long ago, a famous, new hero had been spotted. This character had earned Ozpin's interest.
'Just the sort of chance we need.' He thought, 'Now, if this hero is who I think it is, then it certainly explains his absence. Clearly, he's been very busy. But if it's not, then who could this be?'
These and more questions had been rattling around in his head since the end of the first year; and despite his busy schedule, Ozpin was keen to see Jaune again.
'What could possibly have happened to him?' He wanted to know, 'I wonder what's kept him away for so long? Did he forget about our deal? Did he simply decide not to come back? Or did he complete all of his training?'
That last notion was but a tad concerning to Ozpin – he knew Jaune had potential, but if he had that much, Jaune would easily have become the most frightening student Beacon had ever seen. But he would have his answers if he ever got the chance to ask.
Just then, the elevator bell rang.
"Come in." He called.
Ozpin was still facing the back window of his office, and he didn't turn around until after the elevator doors had shut. Teams RWBY and RVN assembled themselves neatly in front of Ozpin's desk, shoulder-to-shoulder, all dressed in uniform.
First was Ruby Rose. To her right stood her partner, Weiss Schnee, right of her was Blake Belladonna, and to her right was Yang Xiao Long.
With Team RWBY assembled in front, Team RVN stood just behind.
First was Lie Ren. To his right was his partner, Nora Valkyrie, and right of her stood their leader, Pyrrha Nikos.
"Good afternoon children." Ozpin smiled warmly, "I'm sure you're all wondering why I sent for you."
Yang smirked,
"Well, considering that you pulled us outta class, I guess it must be something important." She reasoned.
"Indeed, it is." He nodded, "I have brought you here now because the staff have noticed you all seem a bit down."
Teams RWBY and RVN shifted uncomfortably.
"There's no need to worry." Ozpin reassured them, "But that must change, and I believe I've found he perfect mission for you all."
The two teams perked up.
"And I think it'll be just what you need." He added.
Ozpin quickly turned the blinds up and activated the holo-display in his desk; then on it, he showed them a map of Sanus and the Kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo on either side of a border.
The seven of them eagerly focused their attention between the headmaster and the map. Nowadays, Nora and Ruby were easily the most excited whenever they received missions, and they would always be bobbing up and down on their toes as they awaited instruction.
"It's a simple mission." Ozpin told them, pointing to a highlighted area on the map, "This is the forest village of Riverdale. As you can see here, the valley just beyond the village's end is a red zone. The seven of you are to go there and help clear the Grimm out."
The two teams whispered and exchanged looks.
"Is that it?" Nora looked disappointed for a moment, then she grinned eagerly, "Well, that sounds easy enough. It won't take long at all!"
"Yeah!" Agreed Ruby, "We could have a mini-vacation out there."
"It would be nice to get some time away from school." Pyrrha remarked unexpectedly.
"Oh, there's more, of course." Ozpin quickly interrupted, "You'll have another objective while you're there."
The two teams were rapt with attention – normally, only fourth-year students had missions with more than one directive.
"Well, what is it then?" Asked Weiss,
"An extraction." Answered Ozpin.
The others were puzzled, but Yang suddenly looked very excited.
"My first ever bounty . . ." She murmured, "This is AWESOME!"
Ozpin chuckled weakly.
"Ah-ha, not quite Miss Xiao Long." He explained, "There's someone I want you to find, yes. But they aren't a convict, they're a Huntsman."
"D'aw, dammit." Yang frowned and deflated.
"Well, in-training." He amended quickly, "I have reason to suspect he hasn't completed his just yet."
"Wait, completed his what?" Asked Nora, she had expected Ozpin to say more.
Ozpin looked down at his scroll, tapped a few keys on the pad, and the blurry image of what appeared to be an Olde-Earth Hunter popped into view on the screen.
"It appears," He began, "'The Wolf Ranger' has been spotted."
Only Blake and Weiss seemed to know who Ozpin was talking about; Blake's ears pricked up, and Weiss's eyes seemed to brighten in the light of the afternoon sun. But the others were confused.
"My contact has informed me," Continued Ozpin, "That someone matching his description was spotted at Pine Green Park, heading towards Riverdale."
Ozpin tapped the screen of his scroll three more times, enlarging the map over a region directly between Vale and Vacuo. Within seconds, the simple maps of Pine Green Park and Riverdale appeared side-by-side.
"For those of you who don't know, Riverdale is a small community outside of Vale's sanctioned protection." He explained, "Huntsmen and Huntresses will sometimes look after this town in shifts, but none of the usual candidates are there at the moment."
Ozpin pressed a few more keys, and a red ring popped up around the territories protected by The Kingdom of Vale; sure enough, Riverdale and Pine Green Park were on the outer edge of their continent's safest zones, right between a region known as 'Vert' and the Kingdom of Vacuo.
"And to make matters more interesting," He noted, "They have been completely fine for nearly two whole months."
Blake, Pyrrha, Ren, and Weiss were impressed. Keeping the Grimm out of that settlement would be difficult because it was nestled in a thicket, and not too far away from a valley where the Grimm were known to congregate.
"I'm quite sure that 'The Wolf Ranger' is the reason this settlement is doing so well." Continued Ozpin, "Of course, I don't know precisely where he is, but wherever he goes next will likely be somewhere around here.
Ozpin indicated to the map again, then he found the ground-level picture of Riverdale's Town Entrance and focused it. Then he paused.
"I think it might be wise to meet him at the town entrance." He finished, "Any questions?"
Ruby didn't need a second telling.
"Who's 'The Wolf Ranger'?" She asked,
There was another pause.
"I don't know who he is." Ozpin finally answered, "But I can clearly see he's a good person. This is, of course, if his recent endeavors are anything to go by."
"What has he done recently?" Yang wanted to know,
Ozpin brushed his scroll again, and brought up a few news reports, all of which had been published in the last two years. A few boldened headlines stood out most amid the cluster.
One read: 'Riot Round-Up at a Higanbana Hideout'
And the second read: 'Shion Village Rescued.'
But the last one certainly turned their heads.
'The Hero of Valesbridge Square, to the Rescue Again!'
"Valesbridge?" Asked Pyrrha, "Where's that?"
"It's pretty close by." Answered Yang, "Not far from Forever Fall Forest."
"Exactly." Said Ozpin, "Among the stories in these few articles, Miss Xiao Long, 'The Wolf Ranger' has become a Godsend to smaller communities among the continents."
Ozpin brought up a few more images. They were all very blurry, but they all depicted the same figure: he appeared to be tall and wore – what Ruby made out to be – black leather armour under a worn travelling cloak. He also appeared to have two swords; one strapped to his back, and the other – which appeared to have a gold-plated hilt – was slung under his waist.
"These are the most up-to-date pictures we have of him." He explained, "They were taken only last year."
The students were surprised.
"He must hate being photographed if there aren't any images of him now." Ruby said thoughtfully.
"Maybe he's camera-shy." Suggested Nora.
"Sounds like you, Blake." Grinned Yang.
Blake briefly looked bewildered.
"He's also an advocate of the Faunus Rights Movement." Interrupted Ozpin, "And considering the amount of good he's done for them in the last few months, I think it would be a wise decision to bring him here for . . . An assessment."
The seven teenagers subtly exchanged looks. Blake did her best to keep from smiling too broadly.
"Whaddiyou need to evaluate him for?" Quizzed Nora, "I mean, if he's as good as you and everything else says, then what're you trying to do?"
Ozpin said nothing for a moment and considered his words, then he brushed over his scroll a few more times, searching for another image.
"I believe," He explained carefully, "The Ranger will become an asset to us, a very valuable one. But more importantly, I believe he has, uh- . . . acquired some information that, likely, you all need to hear."
At last, he found the image, but he didn't select it right away.
"What do you mean, Professor?" Pyrrha was curious,
"What sort of information?" Ren wanted to know.
Ozpin took a breath.
"It would seem," He continued, "An old friend of ours may have resurfaced."
The others were intrigued, Ruby most of all, and she tilted her head to one side.
"Who is it?" She wanted to know,
Ozpin paused dramatically and grinned; then he tapped the screen of his scroll.
"I'm sure this will be an adequate answer to your question, Miss Rose." He said.
The articles and images Ozpin had previously opened cleared off to the side of the holo-display, and the familiar profile of an old friend expanded to size in the centre of the screen. He watched with interest as everyone in the room took the news in.
"It's Jau- . . ." Pyrrha stopped short when she realized what this meant.
She gasped and smiled, holding a hand to her chest. She tried hard to rein her feelings in, but just the thought of seeing Jaune again had her ready to jump for joy.
Ruby's jaw dropped and morphed into an ecstatic, gaping smile; her silver eyes popped open and sparkled excitedly, like little stars dotting the darkened night sky.
Blake simply raised her eyebrows, and her ears twitched beneath her bow.
Yang gawked and smiled too, of course it quickly spread into a grin, and she subtly cracked her knuckles.
Ren smiled warmly chuckled very quietly.
Nora whooped delightedly. Her usual, chipper smile was bigger than ever, and her eyes were wider and much more sparkly than Ruby's.
But Weiss's reaction was much more noticeable. She quietly clicked her tongue, and folding her arms, she frowned and looked away.
Ozpin pretended he hadn't seen.
'Hmm,' He thought.
He brushed his thoughts aside and quickly returned his students to the debriefing.
"You'll set out first thing tomorrow morning." Finished Ozpin, "Once you find The Ranger, I suggest you kindly 'persuade' him to come to Beacon. I have some questions I'd like to ask him."
Now, the two teams were more excited than ever.
"Yes, Professor Ozpin." They chorused eagerly.
They set their scrolls face-down on Ozpin's desk, and the mission details were transferred to them. Once the download finished, they all left the office.
Ozpin quickly turned the blinds down and turned off the holo-display. He went back to gazing out the window and was almost disappointed when he realized he'd missed watching the last of the new students venture onto campus grounds.
He shook his head and reviewed the report one last time.
"Just could have happened to you, Mister Arc?" He murmured.
Teams RWBY and RVN wasted no time. They raced back to their classes, waited for the day to end, and later that evening they gathered in one of the common rooms to discuss their plans for the next morning. Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora and Yang were most impatient.
"Oh man, it's here." Ruby chattered excitedly,
"It's here!" Nora gushed feverishly,
"Oh dang-muffins, it's finally here!" Squealed Ruby,
"IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S FINA-LULLY HERE!" Cheered Nora.
Neither girl could contain themselves, they started bouncing ecstatically around and singing.
"THERE'S NO MORE TIME FOR EXPECTA-"
"STOB-IT!" Burst out Weiss, "You're giving me a headache!"
"But Weiss~" Whined Nora, "This is the happiest we've been since forever ago!"
"Yeah, come on!" Agreed Ruby, "What's the big deal?"
Weiss was unimpressed and shook her head, but the others didn't care.
"Ooohh, we're one step closer!" Bubbled Pyrrha, "I can't wait to see Jaune, I've missed him so much."
"Me neither!" Agreed Nora, "I missed him too."
She promptly squished Pyrrha into a tight hug – which she gladly returned.
"It'll be just like the old days!" Ruby smiled, joining the hug as well,
"Like we didn't already have enough of those." Muttered Weiss.
"Yeah, me either." Added Yang, "I just can't wait . . . to knock his teeth in . . ."
Nora swung around and stared, Pyrrha and Ruby were briefly stunned too.
"Yang, you can't hurt Jaune!" She exclaimed, "He's our friend and we might find him for real this time!"
"Nora's right, Yang." Put-in Pyrrha, as calmly as she could have, "We want to get Jaune back in one piece."
"Aw, c'mon!" Protested Yang, "I won't hit him that hard!"
"He might not want to come with us if you try to beat him up!" Countered Nora, "I mean, I wouldn't if I was him."
"I'm not sure it's a good idea either, Yang." Agreed Ruby, "If he's been out on the run for the last two years, then I think the last thing we'll need is for you to put him in the hospital right after we find him."
But Yang didn't want to hear any of it, and quickly shut them down.
"Look, he's been gone for too damn long!" She snapped, "He didn't bother saying goodbye to any of us, and he made you cry!"
Yang pointed directly at Ruby, who quickly turned away, thoroughly abashed – she didn't like to be reminded of her initial struggle after Jaune left.
"Trust me!" She ended severely, "Working his teeth in isn't worth comparing to what I'd usually do to anyone else, especially if they pulled some shit like this!"
Ruby could confirm, this was true. The last person to have upset her and crossed Yang at Beacon used a polearm as their main weapon and wound up at the medical ward with it shoved up their backside. The fool student nearly died that day and hadn't been able to sit down properly since then.
"No one makes my baby sister cry." She would say grimly.
Yang was lucky not to have been expelled that day, but she didn't much care. More worrying to Professor Goodwitch were the few reported accounts from Signal Academy; of course, Ozpin didn't seem nearly as concerned as he should have been and had simply suggested that Yang go for counselling sessions.
Yang didn't like that at all, but she didn't complain about it either.
Weiss just rolled her eyes.
"You can threaten Jaune all you want later, Yang." She huffed, "But we'll need to actually find him first. And for all we know, this'll be just like another one of your wild-goose chases."
Yang blinked.
"What're you talking about?" She frowned, "We don't go on those-"
"Don't you remember the last time we got a lead like this?" Weiss demanded bluntly, "Your quote-unquote 'informant' said he was at that dreadful night-club-place downtown."
"Uh- ahh . . ." Yang immediately subsided and chuckled sheepishly.
The rest of Team RWBY shuddered as they remembered that awful night. Team RVN were confused, they had been away on a mission with Team CVFY at the time and didn't come back until a week later. No one had told them what had happened.
About three months after Jaune left, Yang got a tip about someone who matched Jaune's description, and when Ruby heard the news, she insisted they all investigate. The tip led them to Junior's Bar and Nightclub, and Yang was sure they would finally get more answers. When they arrived, of course, things didn't go as planned.
Yang tried to find her informant, but she couldn't see him anywhere; and to make matters worse, the four of them had somehow managed to attract the attention of EVERY SINGLE PATRON. So many older men and even a few girls kept offering to buy them drinks.
The night had started out nice enough, until Weiss lost all patience and very quickly emptied her supply of ice dust for the night. She froze every person on that floor, even the staff. The club had been forced to close after that, and although they were lucky enough to have reopened not too long ago, the memories from that night had slowed their business since.
Beacon Faculty found out and had Team RWBY confined to campus grounds for two months.
Yang hadn't forgotten about it, and confronted Junior after their punishment. Ruby and Blake came with her, and they had all the staff redecorate the building as punishment for misleading them.
"Hey, I was close, okay?" She said defensively.
Weiss snorted loudly.
"That's what you think." She grunted.
"I'm more surprised there's actually still a chance of Jaune being alive, even after all this time." Interjected Blake, "I don't think he was trained like us, and I'm pretty sure people with skills like his don't usually last long outside of the Kingdoms."
Blake often read about the multitude of nomads and little settlements which disappeared faster than they could appear, and she couldn't help wondering how Jaune might have managed. Pyrrha was quietly offended, but said nothing.
"You make a good point." Added Ren, "I was always worrying about Jaune being out there . . . as much as I hoped he hadn't, I- . . ."
He trailed off, unable to finish.
"I think we all did." Pyrrha put a comforting hand on his shoulder,
"I think I should have worried a little bit more." He muttered,
"Aw, Rennie." Nora smiled and nuzzled her boyfriend affectionately, "Boop. You worried enough. We all saw it."
Ren gratefully nuzzled her back and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Thank you, Blossom." He murmured.
Weiss scoffed.
"This is so sweet it's making me sick." She grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Please do control your urges, this is a common room, not your dorm."
The others giggled, but Nora and Ren didn't stop; Yang meanwhile, had rolled her eyes.
"You're just jealous because you have no one to do that stuff with." She smiled cheekily,
Then, Blake spotted a chance to poke fun, and decided to jump in.
"Oh, if only things'd worked out between you and Neptune." She sighed woefully, "We might've actually seen one of your better sides for once."
Ruby tried not to giggle, but she couldn't help it. Weiss, although a little sore, didn't quite reply in kind.
"Oh, like the both of you can talk." She grunted, "I don't see either of you looking for boyfriends of your own."
Yang considered, but she was quickly interrupted.
"Well, Weiss," Blake offered sweetly, "Maybe that's because we don't need one like you do?"
Yang caught on quickly.
"Yeah!" She added, "And that's another thing, who say we need boyfriends for that? We're called Beacon's Bi-cons for a reason!"
"Really?" Nora stopped nuzzling Ren, "I thought sure that was Coco and Velvet."
"Oh no, it's definitely Yang and me." Blake shook her head, "Coco and Velvet already have their own boyfriends."
Nora frowned.
"When did that happen?" She asked,
"Last year, I think?" Blake raised an eyebrow, "It was a while ago, I know that much."
Nora was about to argue when Ruby interrupted.
"Let's let bygones be bygones!" She said quickly.
But no one had heard her properly. They stared for a moment, then they started laughing.
"What?" Ruby was puzzled, "What'd I say?"
Yang was thrilled.
"YES!" She cheered, "I didn't even have to teach you that!"
"Wait, what?" Ruby was puzzled.
The others didn't care and tried to stop laughing.
Yang quickly reached over and lugged Ruby into a tight hug; she squawked and flailed but hugged her sister back all the same.
"Good point!" Blake agreed, when she was able to speak again, "To be honest, I don't think I'd mind having a girlfriend, if it was someone like Yang, or even Ruby."
"Hey-hey-hey!" Yang let go of Ruby and pointed a finger at her partner, "I'm fair game, but don't drag Ruby into this."
"Wait-wait, say-what-again?" Ruby looked like she had just woken up.
"You know what I mean, Yang." Blake soothed knowingly, "And besides, I said someone like Ruby."
Yang was about to say something, but Weiss wanted to shut them up.
"All of you, stop it." She interrupted, disgruntled, "We don't have time for these games."
"But that's what makes it so much more fun!" Protested Nora, then she looked at Blake and Yang, "By the way, we are talking about teasing Weiss right now, right?"
Yang laughed and Blake tittered behind her hand. Once again, Weiss was losing patience.
"Look, can we stop making this about my love life?" She asked bluntly, "I don't want to think about it anymore."
"Ugh, girls like you are all the same, Weissy." Smirked Yang, "All uptight and no imagination."
Blake snorted loudly and Weiss gave Yang a dirty look.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" She demanded,
"Oh nothing." Blake and Yang chimed innocently, "Nothing at all."
"I doubt it." Weiss mumbled quietly.
"Anyways!" Ruby called their attention back, "Are we all good on the plan?"
"I think we should go over it one more time." Whispered Pyrrha,
"Good idea." Ruby whispered back.
She easily got everyone's attention again.
"It'll be a piece of cake," Explained Ruby, "First, we get to Riverdale, then get our rooms ready, then we pair off and search the area for The Ranger."
"We'll ask the villagers and any incoming merchants what they know about Jaune." Added Pyrrha, "They're bound to know something if he's been around there often. We'll meet back at the town square in two hours for a quick break, and then we start looking again."
"Right." The others agreed,
"The flight to Riverdale will be six hours, and we'll be stationed in the town for a week." Ruby reminded them, "So we'll get the chance to relax a little bit while we're out patrolling. But we actually have to do the job because we're trying to find someone, and it's possible he might be in danger at some point."
"I think we'll be spending too much time looking for him." Yawned Weiss, "Do you really think we'll need a whole seven days to find him?"
"You have something better to do?" Asked Blake,
"No," Answered Weiss, "At least not yet. But I don't know if my mother'll want me to call-in for a meeting."
During the middle of their second year, Jacques Schnee had been publicly disgraced and removed from his position as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company.
Weiss had been grateful, especially after finding out what her father been up to behind everyone's backs. But since she was the Heiress, Weiss had to attend to company matters every few weeks, if not every few days.
Her mother, Willow, was in no position to take over.
Her elder sister, Winter, was always too busy at the Atlas Academy.
Her little brother, Whitely, was too young to take up the reins.
At first, Weiss thought it had all happened too soon, but after seeing how far her father's corruption went, she knew she had to do something.
"I suppose that would be a problem." Reasoned Ren, "You won't be able to help us look if you're busy talking with your mother."
"Yes, it would." Weiss sighed and nodded, "But that's not my point."
For a moment, the others were confused and said nothing for a moment.
"Well, what is your point?" Yang asked, breaking the silence,
"Isn't it obvious?" Shrugged Weiss, "We're looking for someone that shouldn't take long to find, right?"
"Weiss, we don't know if he's there-" Tried Ruby,
"Ruby, this is Jaune we're talking about." Interrupted Weiss, "He'll do something to let us know where he is."
Nora frowned broadly.
"Have you ever played hide 'n seek with him, Weiss?" She asked incredulously, "He's a wizard!"
"What does that matter?" Scoffed Weiss, "I doubt we'll need a week to find him, it'll be easy."
The others exchanged glances, and again, said nothing. Pyrrha broke the silence this time.
"I guess that settles it then." She said, "We'll get some rest for tonight, and set out bright and early tomorrow."
They all agreed, and checking the time, they all decided to turn in for the evening.