Another Monday, another chapter of Criminally Good finally back on schedule.

Enjoy.

[Chapter 17]

I leaned back in the booth, subtly nodding my head along with the quiet rock tones that the owner had playing in the background.

Qrow had taken me off to a local bar, one named the Crow Bar. The irony of it didn't pass me by.

Said Huntsman was stood at the bar, chatting up the older man working behind it, promising that he'd return with liquor.

I glanced about, and the place was completely empty other than Qrow and I. Not a single other patron anywhere to be seen. That may well have been due to the fact that it was only five in the afternoon, but I'd have thought that there would be a few patrons by now. Most people should be getting off work at this time.

Regardless, I sighed and closed my eyes, finding myself lost in thought. God, you're oblivious, and to boot you're a goddamned moron. She looked to you for confirmation, she wanted to know how you'd react. And what did you do? NOTHING. You sat there bewildered and lost, and she got the wrong idea. All you had to do was do SOMETHING. Anything.

"Lien for your thoughts there, brat?" Qrow asked, sliding into the seat across from me.

I cracked open my eyes and glared at him, the older man looking none too impressed nor bothered by my glare. He had a slight smirk on his lips as he watched me, waiting for me to respond. I sighed and shook my head. "You saw it, you know what's on my mind."

He raised his brows at that. "Believe it or not, I didn't see whatever it was – and last time I checked, my semblance isn't mind reading."

I continued to glare at him, not all too sure why I had agreed to let him take me out drinking at all. "Cut the shit, I know you're watching me. I know you saw what happened in the park. You don't need me to spell it out for you."

Qrow just chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, kid, that's great." He glanced over as the barkeep came around, a platter in hand with a tray of fries, as well as ten shots which he set down on the table before leaving just as quietly as he came.

"You think you're my top priority? Cute." Qrow said, taking the first shot and tossing it back easily. "I've got much bigger fish to fry than you."

I reached out for one of the shots, the glass filled with a clear liquid rather than whiskey like I'd generally been used to. I tossed it back, finding some comfort in the burn as it slid down my throat. That was always a constant, one I'd come to relish in over the past few months.

"Now, spill. What's got you looking sorry for yourself?" Qrow prodded again, munching on a handful of fries.

I sighed, eyeing the empty glass in hand. "It's pretty stupid…" I muttered quietly.

"You're a stupid teenager, that's to be expected."

I shook my head. "Girl troubles." I said, assuming that he'd be able to figure it out from there.

To his credit, Qrow didn't laugh. He just nodded, munching thoughtfully on his fries. "I know how that is, kid. It'll sort itself out, one way or another." He slid a shot over to me and raised one of his own, nodding towards me before tossing it back. "What'd you do?"

I mirrored his movements, tossing back a shot of my own. "More like what I didn't do." I said bitterly, taking a few fries for myself. Qrow was watching, looking rather interested. "We were sitting in the park, just kinda watching the city and wasting time. I didn't think a damn thing of it."

"Next thing I knew, she had kissed me." I swallowed as the memory, and the fleeting feeling of her lips against mine came back for a moment.

"Alright, I'm guessing there's more, because this sounds like a happy story so far."

I nodded. "Yeah, well, me being the fucking genius that I am, I locked up. I froze – didn't know what to do, and just stared at her. She got the wrong idea, I guess. Took off once I didn't exactly respond. You saw the aftermath."

Qrow nodded, drumming his fingers on the table lightly. "I'm no good at this kind of shit…" He grumbled quietly, more or less to himself. "Listen, best advice I've got for you? Just tell her the truth – how you feel and see what happens. She's clearly in to you from what you've told me."

I rolled my eyes. "How helpful."

Qrow just raised his hands slightly, shaking his head. "I never said I'd be a counsellor for your shit, just said I'd come drink with you."

I sighed, taking another of the shot glasses for myself, downing it in one gulp. "Why'd you even offer in the first place? Not exactly like we're friends."

Qrow shrugged, matching my shot. "You're right, we're not."

"Then why offer?"

"Why not? I'd have been drinking anyway, might as well not drink alone if I can."

I shrugged my shoulders, content to let Qrow's reasoning stand, even if I didn't believe it. I suspected he had his own motives behind this, I just didn't particularly know what.

[-/-]

Qrow had gotten us kicked out of the bar a few hours later for causing a fight. This left the two of us wandering the streets. Qrow insisting that he knew there was another bar nearby that would serve us without having some jackass goad him into a fight.

I hummed quietly as I walked, hands in my pockets as I trailed along behind the dunk Huntsman. My body felt warm, even despite the downpour that had soaked into our clothes not but minutes before. My head was fuzzy, and I definitely wasn't thinking straight, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, I was ushered into a squat building, one that looked about as ramshackle as could be. A few chips and dents in the brickwork were instantly obvious, likely the results of a fight gone more severe than intended. Above the door was once a painted-on sign that had the name of the bar, though it had long since been washed away by years of the weather pelting against it.

Qrow led me inside, showing me that the exterior had given me a good image for what to expect on the interior as well.

There were more than a few busted up chairs, all stacked off in one corner near the front door. The tables looked scarred and well worn after years of constant wear and tear from rowdy tenants.

"Take a seat where ya' can, kid. I'll get us some drinks." Qrow slurred out. I didn't bother to argue, finding a table that had at least two intact chairs that weren't going to collapse under our weight.

Hanging in one of the corners of the room was an old TV, quietly barking out the news broadcast for the evening. The familiar face of Lisa Lavender was present, but the volume was far to low for me to make out any of what she was saying.

Qrow returned a few moments later, though he didn't have rows of shots like I'd expected. In his hands were a pair of glasses that held some sort of dark drink, topped off with what looked to be cream or milk.

He took a seat across from me and slid one of the glasses across the scratched and scarred wooden table. I took it in hand, pausing to take a whiff of it – the scent of coffee invading my nose. Qrow just rolled his eyes. "You gonna drink or what?" He asked, looking rather amused by my actions.

I took a sip, finding that this didn't burn as I swallowed, though it still left a slightly warm sensation in my stomach. "Not bad." I commented, taking another sip.

Qrow didn't respond, simply nodding his head and draining his glass ever so slowly.

A silence started to grow between us as I realized that while I had been out drinking with him all night, I hardly knew a damn thing about him. I glanced up from the table at the older huntsman who was letting his own gaze wander in boredom.

"Alright, Qrow. What's your story? You know a lot about me, but I don't know a damn thing about you."

He let his gaze track back to me, and he arched a brow. "What makes you think I've got a story to tell?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Most people do." I said, taking another sip of the coffee flavored drink. "I'd hazard a guess to say yours is pretty good, y'know, considering you're a Huntsman and all."

Qrow chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "Hate to break it to ya' kid, but I'm not interesting in the least. Same story every other huntsman has – went to combat school, graduated, started hunting Grimm. All there is to it."

I narrowed my eyes, lips twisting into a slight frown. "Bull shit. Not every Huntsman has the ability to turn into a bird on a whim."

"It's called a semblance."

"Nor are they friends with shady club owners."

"Networking is important."

"And they certainly don't just let notorious criminals such as Roman Torchwick sit undisturbed when they know exactly where he is." I finished, taking a long sip of the drink he had handed me.

Qrow opened his mouth as though to respond, but thought better of it and closed it again, shaking his head. "Fair play, kid."

I only smirked in response.

"How about this: I'll regale you with a story of how I got where I am today, if you'll do the same for me. Sound like a deal?"

I hummed, drumming my fingers against the table as I thought on his words. "Alright, I'll bite. You're going first, though."

Qrow just chuckled, nodding. He flagged the barkeep over to the table and ordered a fresh bottle of whiskey, sliding the woman a bit of Lien when she tried to deny the request.

A moment later, she returned with a bottle and two fresh glasses.

Qrow poured us both drinks, sliding mine across the table. "I suppose the question is where do I begin? Could start with my life before Beacon, or right when I got accepted." I didn't bother to interject, content to let him make up his mind.

He shrugged. "Right, well, as you'd guess, to be a Huntsman I'd have to go to an academy. I was lucky, getting into Beacon and all." He downed his full glass in one go, pouring another for himself. "Damn lucky, especially considering that I had no formal training – never went to Combat School, never even had a formal education. Just part of growing up in the middle of nowhere."

"Me and my sister got in, and as fate would have it, we ended up on the same team." He shook his head, looking past me at the wall for a moment. "Things were good – we never really saw anything major throughout school, just a few missions to go exterminate some Grimm, protect a village, that sort of deal." He shrugged.

"Then, Mountain Glenn happened." He tossed back another full glass, shaking his head. "Thankfully, I wasn't there, and neither were my team. We had other assignments all over Remnant at that point. Made particularly easy because my sister and I could turn into birds and all." He shook his head. "Not the point."

He closed his eyes and seemed to be remembering something. "About a year after we graduated, our team had some… issues. People didn't see eye to eye, and we split up." He barked out a humorless laugh. "Didn't even care, either. She just left."

I was listening carefully, downing my first glass, and pouring another for myself as I listened to the old huntsman's tale.

"Things were rough for a while, but we pulled through – the three of us. We got back to a vague appearance of normalcy, and all was well for a while." He tossed back another drink, swallowing as he seemed to be remembering something. "Funny how things can never just stay normal and happy. Something's always got to happen to fuck it up."

He remained silent for a few moments before continuing. "Our leader, she got killed on a mission. Broke the two of us left completely." He lifted his full glass up slightly, eyeing the liquid. "Suppose that's when I picked up this particular vice."

Qrow knocked back another glass, coughing slightly. "After that, my best friend and only teammate left quit. Told me he couldn't do it anymore, and walked away." He sighed and shook his head. "I kept on, though. Hunted the bastards who killed our leader. I haven't found 'em yet, but I will."

I nodded along, as he continued his story, though once I noted that he didn't seem all that interested in continuing, I saw that as him being done with what he had to say. "Damn, doesn't sound like things went well for you."

He laughed bitterly and nodded. "That's putting it lightly."

I shook my head. "Listening to what you had to deal with makes mine sound like a cakewalk."

Qrow looked up at me. "You're still young, kid. The worst you should have to be dealing with now is girls and failing grades."

I rubbed the back of my head nervously, glancing away from the piercing gaze of the older huntsman. "Yeah, well, I've got one of those things at least?"

Qrow just rolled his eyes. "Alright, out with it, brat. I told you my tale, now you spin me yours."

I swallowed nervously, suddenly realizing that I was on track to tell this Huntsman, a professional and someone who could overpower me in an instant, that I became a criminal of my own free will. Definitely my brightest moment, way to go me.

"Right, well, there's not a lot to say. Not really, at least." I started, finding some nature of comfort in the glass of whiskey that I was clutching in my hands. "I grew up at home, had seven sisters running around, made my life living hell sometimes, but others it was fun."

I took a long drink from my glass, though didn't drain it in one like Qrow had. "Grew up listening to my mom tell me how dad was a great Huntsman and a hero, just like his father before him, and his father, and so on for as long as you'd like to carry on." I shrugged, not bothering to continue on there. "I always wanted to be a Huntsman like my dad, but he always refused to train me. Never thought I had what it took, and just was against the whole idea even though one of my sisters is a Huntress herself."

I found myself staring at the table as I thought. "That always pissed me off, that he'd never bothered to take the time to train me, to teach me anything, but was willing to do so for my sister." I sighed and finished off my glass, pouring another before continuing. "He was always secretive about what he did on his missions, and what happened. I can recall a few times when he'd come home injured rather than going to a hospital, and I don't really know why."

I shook my head again. "That went on for most of my life, wanting to train and become better so that I could become a Huntsman like my dad and make him proud just like he'd done for his dad before him. I did what I could alone, but without any guidance I was shooting in the dark." I shrugged, taking another gulp of the whiskey, finding some solace in the burn in my throat.

"Still though, I was determined. I was going to be a Huntsman. I was going to be a hero, damnit." I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. "So, I did the only thing I could think of: I stole all the Lien we had in the house, packed my bags, and stole my dad's weapon. I came here, and I applied to Beacon."

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I thought. "As expected, a random kid with no qualifications, no test scores, no recommendations, no nothing, I got denied." I chuckled mirthlessly and finished off my glass of whiskey, eyeing the bottle as I thought about pouring another. "After that, I was afraid of going back home. Of showing them that they were right – that I was nothing but a weak failure who wouldn't amount to anything in my life."

I thought better of another drink and settled for running a hand through my hair. "I stayed in Vale, lost, without direction. Got myself screwed over, and had not a damn thing to my name but the clothes on my back." I shrugged my shoulders. "That changed when I got caught up in a Dust robbery." That got Qrow's acute attention, the older huntsman leaning forward ever so slightly. "Met Ruby there, too. I was given the option to just take her and get out peacefully, so I did."

I shrugged a shoulder. "After that? Well, I met Roman." I couldn't help but to laugh slightly. "I was nothing, and when he offered me an opportunity that nobody else had, well, who was I to say no? He started training me – unlocked my Aura, taught me how to defend myself, got me back my sword. He turned me from a nobody with no skills into a nobody with the ability to defend himself."

I poured another glass of whiskey for both myself and Qrow, seeing as his was empty. "Things just moved from there, really. I proved myself as not a complete loss, and started to become something worth while in his eyes, I guess. A not failed investment, maybe." I shrugged. "And that leads us to here, I guess. Without him, hell, I'd probably be dead or begging on the street like a bum."

Qrow's gaze shifted from me to the TV in the corner, showing some footage of the exploded port, and an unknown reporter talking to the camera. He shifted his gaze back to me. "You have anything to do with that?"

I pursed my lips. "Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Do I look that stupid?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "No, I suppose not."

Qrow's lips tugged into a slight smile as he knew he had me cornered. "Mind telling me what happened?"

I shrugged. "I don't honestly know. I wasn't in the docks proper when things went down." I nodded towards the TV screen again. "As you've probably heard, a load of Dust was stolen. Several casualties – mostly the White Fang if reports are right, but allegedly two others whose names have yet to be released."

Qrow nodded. "Right. If you weren't in the docks proper, where were you?"

"On the street, running point. I was just a lookout, there to alert the others if the cops showed up." I answered truthfully.

"I've been down there myself. Saw signs of combat out on the street. Care to explain that to me?" Qrow pressed, tossing back another drink.

"There was a fight. I won, and she ran off before Roman arrived." I countered, not wanting to share any details.

Qrow hummed, drumming his fingers on the table as he eyed me. "Mhm. This girl you fought, care to describe her to me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Why do you care?"

"Call it curiosity."

"And if I don't?"

Qrow just grinned slightly. "Do you really think that's an option?"

The threat was clear. I sighed, relenting. I took a long drink. "Fine. She was a shorter girl, wore a green dress I think, bright orange hair. Talked strangely. There, happy?"

"And you claim you won?"

I rolled my eyes. "She fled the battle, so I'd call that one winning."

The huntsman hummed, nodding his head. "In some ways, yes." He downed his glass easily again, pouring the last of the bottle out for himself. "Did she see your face?"

I furrowed my brows at that. "Why's that matter?"

"Unless ending up on a most wanted list somewhere is high on your list of things to do, that's a pretty big deal." Qrow said, leaning back in his seat slightly.

I bit my lower lip as I thought. Shit, he's got a point. "And if she did?"

Qrow just shrugged. "Then hope you got lucky, and she can't remember or describe it well to the police." There was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Is he… Helping me? I shook my head, that wouldn't make any sense. At this point, I was just an informant for him, right? Why should he care what happens to me, or if I get arrested? "Right, got it." I said, not all too sure what he was digging at, but a few ideas had popped to mind.

Qrow nodded to me, his arms crossed over his chest as his drink sat on the table untouched since he had poured it. I finished off my own and eyed the empty glass in my hand. Part of me wished for more, while another had a feeling that I was done for the night. Tomorrow's hangover would be the death of me as it was.

"You know, kid, with the news of casualties going around like wildfire, some people might get the wrong idea." He said offhandedly.

I frowned and thought on that. Wrong idea? Who would get the wrong… and then it hit me. Ruby. Oh shit. I looked back to the older huntsman and tilted my head slightly. "They might, but I'm sure they'd be able to see reason if it were explained to them."

Qrow shrugged, that same slight smile tugging at his lips for only a brief moment. "Maybe, but who knows?" He reached out and took his glass, downing it in one fell swoop as he had all the others.

"Who knows, indeed." I shot back, leaning back in the rickety old chair I was sat in.

Qrow shrugged, pushing himself up to his feet, stretching his arms up over his head. "Well, you look like you're feeling better. What'd I say? It's always more fun to drink with a friend, and yet again I was proven right."

I watched him as he craned his neck from side to side, pulling several loud pops from each motion. He started walking towards the door, though stopped right beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder and glancing down at me. "Thanks for grabbing the bill, by the way." He said with a mischievous smirk as he left out the front door.

I groaned, shaking my head as I dug out several Lien cards, tossing them on the table. It should be more than enough to cover the bill we had racked up.

I too got to my feet and stretched my arms over my head, groaning slightly at the soreness of my muscles. I yawned, taking out my scroll to find that it was two thirty in the morning.

I waved to the barkeep who smiled and waved back as I left the old bar.

Outside, it was still raining, and had only gotten heavier as time had passed. I wasn't sure how long the two of us had spent in the bar just talking, but it must've been a while. I sighed and shoved my hands into my pockets, hunkering down slightly, wishing that I had a jacket or anything other than just the gray button down and jeans I was wearing.

I felt for my flask, finding that it was empty where it should've been full. I groaned. This had Qrow's doing written all over it. I didn't know how, but he must've been involved.

I sighed and started wandering down the street in the general direction of the apartment, which if I had to hazard a guess would be a solid thirty-minute walk through the rain. Joy.

I let my thoughts start to wander as I walked, needing something to keep myself occupied. They seemed to revolve around Qrow and the conversation we'd just finished. I don't get it. He's a Huntsman, a professional who'd more than likely get paid a decent price for getting Roman, me and Neo all locked up and gone. Yet, all of tonight we just sat, talked, drank, and he even seemed interested in helping me. Why?

It didn't make sense. He seems to be using me as an informant, that much is clear. Would that be why he's trying to help me, to try and keep me out of too much trouble? It almost seemed like he was going to interfere in my name and face getting put out there, not to mention practically saying that either he'd interfere with Ruby, or pushing me to do so.

I groaned, looking up at the weeping sky, feeling the downpour of water crash against my face, it had a slightly sobering effect, but I was still comfortably warm and plenty hazy, so I didn't mind all that much. Hell, then there's what happened with Neo. I shook my head, looking back forward as I continued on. God, I'm a moron. The signs were all there, practically lined in neon lights screaming at me that she was interested, but like the blind man I am, I didn't see it.

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I shuffled through the rain. Didn't see it until after she ran away, assuming that it wasn't mutual. I barked out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. I'd be lying if I said she wasn't attractive. She's been with me from the start to boot. Saw me kill my first man, saw me cry when I didn't know what to do, helped me save Ruby, helped me start and end a damned crime war.

I ran my fingers through sopping wet hair, brushing it back and off my forehead. She only ran away because at the time, I couldn't process what was happening. I couldn't put it together that she meant what she was doing, and that all she wanted – all she needed right then was confirmation. I groaned, shaking my head. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I looked up and found that I was stood just in front of our building. I let out a sigh, shaking my head again. Welp, time to see what's going on and how she's going to react to seeing me again. I thought as I pushed in and up the stairs to our apartment.

Once I stepped inside, I saw Roman first, stood next to our kitchen table. Along side him were three other people I didn't recognize at all, Not-Jerry, and Neo. Roman glanced back and smiled, nodding to me. Not-Jerry offered a wave, and Neo completely ignored my presence. "Good timing, Jaune. Come, have a look at this." Roman said, waving me over.

I looked down at myself, still sopping wet. "Let me get changed first, and then I'll be there." Roman nodded, waving a dismissive hand as I turned to go get a fresh set of clothes.

I emerged from my room a minute later in shorts and a tee shirt, rubbing a towel over my hair to dry it. As I approached, Not-Jerry almost choked. "Damn, Jaune. You went at it hard." He commented, likely smelling the booze all over me.

I shrugged. "Happens." I said, stepping in next to Roman. "So, what's up?"

I looked over the table, and on it was an image of a long train. The first thing that caught my eye was some sort of massive mech like vehicle stepping up onto one of the cars, and another that had been compacted down sitting in a crate.

Roman was watching me and grinned. "Those, my dear apprentice, are what's up."

I rose a brow, looking back at the train. It had well over a dozen cars, almost all of which had similar boxes lined up on them. My gaze shifted back to Roman, a slight smile tugging at my lips. "I take it we've got a train to rob?"

Roman's grin threatened to split his face in two, nodding. "We've got a train to rob."

I looked up at all the others, similar grins on their lips as they all inevitably knew what was coming. I glanced to Roman for a moment who looked up, seeing my silent question. "Ah, right. Jaune, this is my crew." He said, waving a hand towards the three unknown people. "Boys, this is Jaune, my apprentice."

The first man, tall, gruff, and muscular smiled warmly and nodded towards me. "Pleasure to meet you, Jaune. Name's Winston – I'm your demolitions expert." He had a full head of curly brown hair, as well as a full beard that didn't look like it got trimmed much.

The second was a woman, around my height with blond hair and blue eyes. She nodded towards me, offering a slight smile. "Jess. I'm something of a tech wizard."

The last man was bald, his head completely shaved. He wore a slight stubbly beard, but that was it. He was far shorter than me and was more on the bulky side. "Call me Jack, like the name implies; good at everything, master of nothing."

I nodded, glancing to Not-Jerry who I of course knew, as well as Neo who was still pointedly ignoring me completely. That hurt slightly, but I wasn't going to cause a scene.

Roman cleared his throat. "Right, introductions out of the way, let's get down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a train to rob; more specifically, we wand those mechs. They're Atlas Military's secret new toy, and I'd just love to give them a little test drive."

Everyone nodded with Roman's statement, all thinking of the things they could accomplish with those at their fingertips.

Roman continued on, giving us some information. "This train will be departing the city of Atlas in a week's time. By the time it does, we want to be on the ground ready to intercept it." Roman produced another rolled up document and laid it out for us. This one was of train lines through Atlas. "We know that it'll be running on this line here." He said, pointing out the red line snaking through the mountains ending at the coast.

"Now, I propose that we intercept them here," he said, tapping his finger on the plains about a hundred miles out from the city. "There's nothing around for miles – perfect place to intercept them, offload the cargo, and leave. It'd be days before they realized something was wrong." He paused a moment before continuing. "From there, we trek up to the coast, just like the train line would've. We load these bad boys onto a freighter and we're set."

I frowned, eyeing the area. Roman was right, it would be several days before anyone found the train, but that assumed that an emergency signal didn't go out as soon as we stopped the train. If it did, we'd have mere hours before Atlas crashed down on us. I glanced towards Roman. "We know what kind of security it's got? Alarms, guards, traps, anything like that?"

Roman nodded. "It'll have the former two. An emergency beacon will go out as soon as the train is stopped, though that's where Jess comes in – she should be able to disarm it before things go wrong."

"And the guards?" I asked, studying the train line still, a plan of my own forming in my head.

"Robots, their newest Knight model, or something like that. Should be no trouble."

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "And what if we can't disable the emergency signal?"

"You trying to imply something there, bub?" Jess questioned, glaring at me.

I met her gaze with my own. "Not even slightly. I'm giving Atlas, the world tech leader, the credit they deserve. Do you know where the alarm is, what model they're using, how to disarm it before things go tits up?"

Jess bit her lower lip. "Tech leader or not, I've disabled plenty of their stuff in past. Doubt they've made it that much harder since last time." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

I nodded. "Right, but they have inevitably made it harder, and you have yet to see the alarm yourself. I'm not saying that you won't be able to disarm it, but what if you can't?" I looked back to Roman who was regarding me with interest. "Where you're proposing is safest assuming everything goes right. But if things don't? We'll have Atlas come down on our heads like a ton of bricks, and we'll all be fucked."

Roman produced a cigar, seemingly from nowhere as per usual, and lit it up, still eyeing me. "Alright, then what's your genius plan if mine's so bad?"

I pursed my lips and looked back to the map of rails through Atlas. I tapped on a spot where the train would be running through a valley of two mountains. "Here." I paused for a moment before continuing. "While it takes our time frame from days before they realize something's wrong to only a day at best, it puts a load of distance between us and the capital. Even if things go wrong, the nearest military instillation is at the end of the train line. They'd have to get through the mountains to the train just to find out what was wrong."

I paused, chewing on my lower lip. "I'd also say that in the case things do go wrong, we don't want to have to try and trek those mechs through the mountains at all. Maybe take them by Bullhead out over the sea, and then hand them off to the freighter. Bullheads would make the whole ordeal much faster, meaning we won't get caught with our pants down."

I glanced up from the map to Roman who was nodding along. "Play it safe, minimize the risk at the cost of potentially having to give up a few of the mechs." I nodded. Roman took a puff off his cigar. "Alright, the next question I have is where are we going to get Bullheads?"

It was Not-Jerry who spoke up. "Well, I know Junior has some contacts over in Atlas who might be able to supply those, not to mention we'd probably be bringing one or two for our own transport to Atlas."

Roman nodded. "I'll ask him about that later, then. Next question, how many of us can pilot a Bullhead?"

I looked around, finding that Neo, Not-Jerry, Roman and Jack all had their hands raised.

"So, four of us. Four Bullheads, and that flight would take a couple hours to the freighter and back. Worst case we get a dozen, and best we'd get the majority of the train." Roman hummed as he thought, eyeing the spot I had indicated. He started nodding subtly as he puffed on his cigar, glancing over to me. "Not a bad plan."

Roman looked to all the others in the room. "All in favor of hitting them in the plains?" Jess and Neo both raised their hands. "And in favor of the mountains?" Roman, Not-Jerry, Winston, Jack, and I all raised our hands.

Roman grinned, clapping his hands together. "That settles it. We'll hit that train in the mountains then." He took another puff off his cigar. "Pack your winter clothes, boys and girls. We're going to Atlas."

And that's a wrap.

Buckle up, boys and girls. We're going to Atlas next chapter, and it's gonna be SO MUCH FUN. Train Heist here we come.

I had a hard time finding the dynamic I wanted with Jaune and Qrow for this chapter, to the point that this is the sixth rendition of the two drinking together. I think what was really hard about it for me was that the two interacting like this isn't in my outline so I have nothing to really base it on other than what comes to mind at the time.

And, onward we charge headfirst into the reviews! Huzzah!

Guest (1) - Silent Knight indeed, my friend.

Makurayami - This is true, Penny doesn't have any legal authority, but then again, Jaune doesn't know that. He doesn't and didn't know that she has no power in Vale, he just assumed she was a Huntress and could arrest him like she planned on.

The Path of a Writer - Back in chapter one. I'm glad my Chapter 1 characters weren't too out of the ordinary. I was real afraid of that at the time. And, when you see this, you'll know there was a bit of reason he sold his sword. I didn't explain everything in Ch. 1 as you'll no doubt know by the time you get here. And yeah, looking back at it, he shouldn't have just instantly accepted what he'd done, but that's in the past now. If I ever come back to the story and do some revamping of the early chapters which kinda need it imo, that'll see a change. Glad you like what I've got so far, and I hope to see you in reviews again, friend!

Ancient Irish Viking - Glad you liked it. He doesn't have an end goal yet, but it'll show up relatively soon. Right now, he's still enjoying the fact that he came out on top and kinda is winning. Don't worry, things will fall in to place soon.

The Exiled Darkness - Alas, my friend. It wasn't fated to be. As I publish more stories, it's inevitable that Lancaster will show up somewhere, especially considering that it's my favorite ship. Right, see, I know Roman's a criminal and one of the big bads in the story, but to me he never seemed that evil to go around killing innocents or kids. Not unless it absolutely could not be avoided. It's good that Jaune is seeing that, too. He needs to know that while Roman might be lawless, he's not heartless. I definitely don't condone murder either or criminality as some things in this story might sorta imply, especially being in the first person, but I don't. All for the sake of a good story and all that. I'm a little off track, but oh well.

Engineer - Being honest, the idea came to me after scrolling through Deviant Art and seeing one post of Jaune with more armor and a blue tabard or coat or something. The rest of the outfit just kinda came after that, as did his modified weapon. Boring is good, and I'm sure Juane knows that now. I'm proud that our boi managed to do as well as he did against Penny. Though part of that is because to me, she wouldn't have much training against human opponents. She'd be much more proficient against the predictable Grimm. That was one of her first encounters with someone who's not as predictable. I won't say why she fled, but you've got some solid ideas. After Qrow's basically telling him he knew? Yeah, I bet Jaune's more than a little conscious of Penny knowing exactly who he is. The casualties, yeah. That's bad, and completely contradictory to what Roman said. Hmm. And, well, you're right. Qrow's not good for girl advice. On the money with what Qrow was interested in, though. Well done. And lastly, thanks man. It sucks, but we're all managing in our own ways.

2AM Guest - My god, he's back and later than 2AM. I feel lied to. - Jokes aside, though. All good, man. Just glad you're back around and still enjoying. You're right, I am evil. I am despicable for what I did to best girl and Jaune, but it was all for the sake of a good story. I don't think we know how old she is, but I'd hazard a guess and say like early 20s, but who knows. Rooster Teeth could prove me wrong, or we do know and I'm just blind. I'll take those internet cookies, thank you much. Drunk shenanigans, sorta. Not really. When I started I wanted it to be more light hearted, but that just didn't really fit and so I went for more serious. Hey, if you want to bribe me with real cookies anyway, I won't say no. I'm not really pushing myself, just falling back into the swing of things, really. It feels nice to write again after a couple weeks.

Imperial Germany - Well, I'd think the first issue with you kissing me is that you're kinda a whole-ass country all wrapped up in one account. But yes, Silent Knight was the winner, glad you're happy to see it.

X3 - The Silent Knight ship has left the port, just before Roman blew it up. Nice. I've been a fan of this ship for a long time, but most of the fics I see with it don't really do it right with a yandere Neo, or Jaune being witless and useless. I know there are good ones, and I've read several, but I wanted to give my take on it. Jaune and Neo did make a good team vs Penny, but yeah, she is like the Terminator, and that was the point. Wanted her to be a bit spooky.

G-Unot - ReEeEeE. I sEe GeNuInE cRiTiSiM. rEeEeE. - Alright, poor attempts at humor aside, glad you're enjoying, my friend. And thanks for the pointer. Even though I've been writing for fun for years, I had no idea I was screwing that up this whole time. Much appreciated, and I'll try to keep them straight from here on. Get ready google, I've got the weary vs wary ready to be typed up a hundred times before it sticks.

Deku Momiya - This is true, either way though, Roman will have a lot to say about how Jaune develops. Good person or otherwise, really.

Luis Endz - Glad you enjoyed, friend. I can say I didn't know it was Martial Arcs. Hell, I picked up Golden Lotus off someone here in the reviews, I think. Thanks for the info, though. I'll keep that in mind for future.

Specter - Yeah, sorry chief. Didn't mean to make ya' panic. I appreciate it, really. We're all dealing with it in different ways, and mine happens to be throwing myself into writing. Glad you like my story that much, the praise is real nice and makes me smile.

And reviews done.

God, this has been such a wild ride for me. Just writing this all, and a lot of it coming from random inspiration. Anything to do with Qrow is just off the cuff, as was almost the whole gang war arc. Originally there was just a big blanket time skip there to where we were last chapter with Jaune vs Penny. Looking at it now, I can't imagine not having that gang war arc. It makes the story feel more whole, I guess? Dunno.

And I know I say thank you all so much, but damnit I really mean it. All the support, both for the story and me when I'm having a sort of real rough time just makes my heart swell, like, y'all are amazing. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. We're just past 400 favs, and right on the cusp of 600 follows which just blows my mind, but makes me feel all kinds of tingly and good inside. You're all fantastic, so thanks for the support.

Next Chapter: Friday, June 21st

Till next time, this is Valres signing off.